Cult of Mac

Security and privacy concerns caused Apple to block messaging service Beeper Mini, the company said Sunday. But on Monday Beeper Mini got around the block and pledged to keep making its service available.

This followed Beeper Mini’s highly publicized launch on December 5. It said it had successfully reverse-engineered iMessage to turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones.

From that moment, many people wondered how long Apple would let it stand (just a few days, it turned out).

Update: Beeper Mini is back with improvements, according to a new blog post that puts the ball back in Apple’s court. Beeper said it’s willing to share its codebase with an independent research firm and reirterated it could add a pager emoji to enable filtering of Beeper Mini messages in iMessage. See more on the story so far below.

If you have an iPhone 14, you may want to protect it with a new case. MagEasy offers an interesting selection of options, from glamorous to rugged (but without the bulk). You’ll also find four screen protectors and a portable stand in the mix.

You can see the whole MagEasy iPhone 14 collection in the Cult of Mac Store. And they’re on sale now!

The Apple TV+ espionage-thriller series Slow Horses pulls in big audiences. It gets more viewers than almost anything else on streaming, according to a pair of market analyses.

Apple TV+ actually has two very popular series streaming now. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is also near the top of the rating charts.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode five focuses on Cate Randa’s backstory from when she survived the battle between Godzilla and two kaiju that destroyed much of San Franciso. Plus, a betrayal!

Read on for monster-size spoilers about the latest episode, plus some speculation about the show’s future.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest Apple rumors point to a jumbo iPad Air and even-better (and pricier) iPad Pros landing in early 2024. Plus, Apple’s powerful M3 chip reportedly will come to more Macs.

We run down what it all means. Brace yourself for performance!

Also on The CultCast:

• Cool new features coming to next-gen iPhones will make Apple’s world-beating smartphone even better. We’re especially excited about a turbocharged Action button.
• Government spying on push notifications is definitely a thing.
• Installment number one of our “best of 2023” picks. These fabulous things made us quiver with joy this year.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The Gamma graphene jacket will keep you warm and protect you from the elements. It’s a tough tactical jacket — rugged and resistant to water and wind. Plus, it packs a power bank that heats it to your optimal temperature, with plenty of pockets to stash your essential gear.

This high-tech jacket will take you from mountaintops to city streets in comfort and style. And it’s price-dropped to just $179.97 (regularly $575) through December 17.

You’re running out of time to buy the Apple gifts your loved ones want for the holidays. If you need to buy an iPhone, iPad or AirPods, you need to make a well-informed decision quickly — but how do you know which model to get?

We have a helpful new video that will explain the differences between various iPhone, iPad and AirPods models. Plus, we published detailed written buying guides for your convenience.

Tang Tan, the vice president of product design for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, is leaving in February 2024. He reportedly made “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”

Following his departure, Apple will reshuffle and split up the hardware design team to manage Tang’s responsibilities.

Find My is built into most Apple devices, and helps you locate them if they go missing. It can be used with MacBook, iPad, AirPods and more.

If you haven’t been taking advantage of Apple’s free device-tracking system, here’s how to get started.

“Ground control, is that a negative on fatal space accidents in this week’s episode? Roger that. Initiate teardrops protocol.” For All Mankind‘s “Goldilocks” episode, number 5 in season 4, pushes plot lines forward Friday under the power of emotional cataclysms more than space-based action.

But it’s a meaty episode nonetheless. The whole season will turn on the importance of a certain newly discovered space rock named Goldilocks.

Tesla drivers will soon have access to the Apple Podcasts app to help keep them entertained on long drives.

It’s one of the changes coming in the 2023 Holiday Update, which the car-maker promises will roll out “next week.”

This time of year folks are getting in the holiday spirit and setting up Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs or Kwanzaa kinaras. But don’t forget to light up your Mac, iPad and iPhone screens with festive holiday wallpapers, too.

Today’s featured setup iMac and MacBook Air setup is so festive they could maybe skip all the other decorations!

Black Friday, once a single day of deals, has grown to become the greatest shopping period of the year. And don’t forget it’s not just for techie holiday gifts. You can score great deals on Microsoft software like Windows and Office. Seek out major bargains on those products and more in CdkeySales.com’s ongoing Black Friday Sale!

There’s no better smartwatch for your iPhone than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The only problem is its steep $799 price tag.

Thankfully, Amazon is taking up to $69 off Apple’s best smartwatch, dropping its price to $729.99.

This week’s Cult of Mac giveaway prize is a mophie 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger that retails for $149.95. The compact charger is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule who’s on the go. You can charge multiple devices simultaneously at maximum speed with this great fold-up Apple accessory.

The 3-in-1 charger can juice up an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods all at once. It comes with a handy travel pouch to keep everything securely together, plus a USB-C cable and a wall adapter. Enter below for your chance to win — we’re giving away three of these excellent travel chargers.

Apple is a trillion dollar company today but it started out with very humble origins. There’s no better evidence than company co-founder Steve Jobs hand writing a check to the electronics store RadioShack for $4.01.

And now that check recently up for auction, and bought  in 11,500 times its original value. How ‘s that for appreciation?

iPad 11 reportedly won’t be one of the tablets Apple unveils in March 2024. Instead, the next generation of the most affordable iPad won’t be out until the second half of the year.

And part of the development will supposedly happen in Vietnam.

Feeling the winter chill? Combine tech and comfort with the Fara electric space heater.

This sleek, Pinterest-worthy space heater makes home heating more flexible. And you can get it for only $73.97 (regularly $99). Just be sure to order on or before December 14 if you want to give one as a Christmas gift.

iOS 17.2 will introduce a new way for sharing boarding passes, tickets and other passes stored in the Wallet app.

Like NameDrop, the iOS feature that lets owners easily share contact info, the new way to share passes will require bringing your iPhone close to the top of another iPhone with the Wallet app open.

The Newyes Scan Reader Pen 4 is a translator pen instantly translates written or spoken words, making it quick and easy to understand foreign languages — anytime, anyplace and in practically any situation. The tiny translating gadget also packs special features for people with dyslexia, as well as for language learners you and old.

It can translate text on pages, digital screens, textiles, boxes and much more. And it can allow you to carry on a conversation using a language you don’t know.

Just in time for the holidays, it’s on sale for only $159.99 (regularly $187). It’s the ideal gift for avid readers, language learners and world travelers. Grab one (or several) today to ensure on-time Christmas delivery!

Data breaches have compromised 2.6 billion personal consumer records in the past two years, with a rapid rise since last year, according to an independent study Apple published Thursday.

Increasing threats to consumer data stored in the cloud underscore a need for end-to-end data encryption like Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, launched in 2022, Apple said.

“Bad actors continue to pour enormous amounts of time and resources into finding more creative and effective ways to steal consumer data, and we won’t rest in our efforts to stop them,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “As threats to consumer data grow, we’ll keep finding ways to fight back on behalf of our users by adding even more powerful protections.”

You can connect the USB-C port on your MacBook directly to a high-resolution monitor without a hub using Satechi’s new HDMI adapter. And there’s also a version with a built-in 2-meter cable for easier connections.

In addition, the accessory-maker also just launched a USB-C Ethernet Adapter that offers up to 2.5 Gigabit data transfers.

After a disaster in space, an astronaut returns to Earth to find pieces of her life missing in the upcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi series Constellation. Apple released a “first look” at the action-packed psychological thriller Thursday.

The “conspiracy-based space adventure,” which stars Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks, sets down on Apple TV+ on February 21.

iPads are light and easy to handle, but sometimes you need your hands for other tasks — like glancing at a recipe while cooking. That’s where Xvida’s Magnetic Wall Mount for tablets comes in super, well, handy.

And it’s available now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $25.

Facebook tightened security on its popular Messenger platform by adding end-to-end encryption for all users. This means Meta can not eavesdrop on conversations.

Reports that this feature was “coming soon” have been circulating since at least 2016.