Yellow is just one of several fun color choices. Photo: Apple
Amazon budget website Woot! is a terrific resource for great deals on used, refurbished and new Apple gear. This week you can get a choice of deals on M1 iMacs. They’re “new,” as in apparently nobody bought them in the past few years. And they’re going for low prices you won’t see many, if any, other places.
Journalist Scott Johnson investigates the "Con Queen" for The Hollywood Reporter. Photo: Apple TV+
An upcoming three-part Apple TV+ documentary series entitled Hollywood Con Queen explores the story of an international con artist impersonating some of Hollywood’s most powerful women. The streaming service provided a “first look” image, above, plus details about the miniseries Monday.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Chris Smith created the three-part series. It’s based on investigative journalism by Scott Johnson in The Hollywood Reporter. You can watch Hollywood Con Queen on Apple TV+ starting May 8.
This pro tablet from 2016 might be on Apple’s vintage list, but it’s still quite capable for certain tasks. Plus, it comes with some handy accessories. And at this price — less than half the retail price of the current regular iPad — it’s still a deal!
iPhone users have to keep waiting for the Game Boy emulator of their dreams. Photo: Caleb Oquendo/Pexels
A Game Boy emulator appeared in the iPhone App Store over the weekend. This might be proof that Apple really has removed restrictions blocking retro game emulators.
Trouble is, the iGBA app has already been kicked out of the software store. But it was a very dodgy app that allegedly ripped off the work of another developer. So its removal may have nothing to do with recent changes in Apple policy.
The new Rode Phone Cage helps turn your iPhone into a serious video-recording rig. Photo: Rode
Rode showcased a new microphone and two MagSafe mounts for iPhone at NAB 2024 in Las Vegas on Sunday that should serve mobile content creators like podcasters and streamers. They’re the new Rode Interview Pro microphone, the Phone Cage and the Magnetic Mount.
This 40-inch Dell 4K curved monitor makes a great external display. Photo: [email protected]
A Dell curved 4K monitor — especially a big 40-incher — can make an excellent external display, if today’s featured MacBook Air and MacBook Pro setup is any indication. The user put the dramatic display together with a 27-inch 4K monitor after trying two other configurations.
A surge in iPhone shipments in 2023 seems to have lead to a decline in demand in early 2024. Photo: Apple
After a stellar 2023, iPhone shipments dropped 9.6% year over year in the first quarter of 2024, according to a market-research firm.
Archrival Samsung also saw a decline in smartphone shipments, but not as large as Apple’s. On the other hand, two Chinese phone-makers saw extremely strong growth last quarter.
Could Apple finally solve the flaring issue on iPhone photos and videos? Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple could finally eliminate lens flare, a longtime problem with the iPhone camera, with a new lens coating technology on the iPhone 16 Pro.
It’s common for lens flares to show up in photos or videos taken with an iPhone’s camera, but Apple has made little improvement in this area over generations.
Lights like Nanoleaf's outdoor string lights could figure into automations. Photo: Nanoleaf
Already known for all sorts of innovative smart lighting, Nanoleaf unveiled its first outdoor string lights at CES 2024 in January. But now you can finally buy them to dress up your yard or patio in time for spring. Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights come in three lengths.
The Apple Support video Move from Android to iPhone helps users switch. Graphic: Apple
Apple wants the process of moving from Android to iPhone to go as smoothly as possible, of course. To make the switch simpler, it created a Move to iOS application.
A recent video from Apple Support explains how to use the Android app.
New Apple silicon is incoming, and that means AI-focused Macs. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: A surprise leak about Apple M4 chips says they’ll come sooner than almost anybody suspected. But nobody’s shocked to hear that they will focus on bringing AI capabilities to Macs.
Plus, there’s news of Ferret-UI, a new Apple project designed to help AI understand how humans use iPhones. Apple’s definitely tin a rush to cash in on tech’s biggest buzzword!
Also on The CultCast:
With Project Titan abandoned and hopes of an Apple car destroyed, Cupertino goes on a desperate search for its “next big thing” to boost revenue.
And we wrap up with an all-new edition of What We’re Into! Spoiler alert: It’s all sci-fi this time around.
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.
Keep your favorite knives cutting their best with the Angle Pro Knife Sharpener, now less than $60. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
When it comes to knives, a dull blade can make even simple tasks a pain. Whether you’re prepping meals for the whole family, or just a casual home cook, a proper at-home knife sharpener can ensure you get the most out of your blades.
Get your game on with Logitech G's capable new mechanical keyboard. Photo: Logitech G
Serious gamers will soon have a compact and highly equipped new input device to try — the Logitech Pro X 60 Lightspeed Gaming Keyboard. The Swiss peripherals giant said this week it designed the sleek board with leading gamers.
Change these settings on your Mac now Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh
Setting up a new Mac is an experience in itself. But once you finish your initial setup, you should change these Mac system settings for a better experience. These five easy tweaks to default Mac system preferences will speed up your workflow and save you time.
Irrespective of whether you are a new or long-time Mac user, below are five settings to change on your Mac. Keep reading or watch our latest video.
Your iPad can also be a stylish iMac mini with this stand. Photo: Elago
The Elago Magnetic Stand for iPads lifts the tablet up and does so beautifully. It closely mimics the design of the iMac, making the iPad into a small desktop.
Most iPad stands offer a very limited selection of colors — perhaps only silver. Elago’s comes in a range of them, including pink.
This two-pack of cleaning pens for earbuds, smartphones and other gadgets costs just $15. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Don’t let earwax, dust and dirt foul your AirPods. You can keep things pristine with a specialized deep-cleaning tool that works on Apple’s earbuds and other devices without destroying them. And you won’t destroy your wallet, either, because this AirPod cleaner is on sale now at an outrageous discount.
For a limited time, this versatile AirPods cleaning tool currently comes in a two-pack for only $11.99 (regularly $29) with code ENJOY20.
You can start with just the smaller soundbar and slowly build up with other components. Photo: Klipsch
Wish you could find affordable componments to build up mighty home-theater sound? Two trusted names in home audio — Klipsch and Onkyo — just teamed up to give you that with the new Klipsch Flexus Sound System.
The lineup of soundbars, wireless speakers and subwoofers starts at $349.
Michael Douglas plays a suave, sexy Benjamin Franklin in new Apple TV+ biopic. Photo: Apple TV+
A Benjamin Franklin docudrama now on Apple TV+ has the founding father taking on the dangerous task of convincing the king of France to financially support the American Revolution.
Legendary actor Michael Douglas has the title role of Franklin, a limited series that runs through mid May.
The built-in USB-cable can charge the power bank or other devices. Plus you get a USB-C port for charging gadgets. Photo: Anker
Accessories powerhouse Anker released a new hybrid power bank and wall charger this week that covers a lot of gadget-charging needs. The 30-watt device is called Anker 3-in-1 Power Bank Fusion.
This setups has two MacBooks, but the external keyboard is a Keychron Q3 Pro custom mechanical keeb. Photo: [email protected]
Today’s featured computer setup runs on two powerful MacBooks, which of course have their own keyboards. But the user doesn’t settle for those, except maybe when he’s away. Instead, he chooses to use a mechanical external keyboard with his dual laptops and dual displays. It’s a Keychron Q3 Pro custom keyboard, and it’s a beauty.
Kong is likely be a star of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season two. Photo: Apple
The hit series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is officially getting a season two. In addition, Apple TV+ struck a deal with Legendary Entertainment that will result in multiple spinoff series based on the franchise.
“We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to not only have the chance to experience even more thrills in season two, but to embark on epic, new journeys in the franchise as we expand Legendary’s Monsterverse,” said Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV+.
Humane's AI Pin projector in action. Photo: Humane
I love the idea of Humane’s Ai Pin: It’s an omnipresent smart assistant that you can assign tasks to, and it will perform them for you — like booking the best flight on a certain day, or asking what’s good to eat at a restaurant you just stumbled across. That’s the vision for the $700 magnetic lapel pin released Thursday. But the first Humane Ai Pin reviews paint a disturbing picture.
Many of the third-party testers sound sympathetic to Humane’s vision for the device. In fact, most of the early reviews bend over backward to try to accommodate the Ai Pin’s drawbacks, emphasizing that this is version 1.0 of the product.
But while the vision is beguiling, the implementation makes Humane’s Ai Pin almost unusable. It’s not just slow or unreliable. It flat-out doesn’t work most of the time. The Verge‘s review sums it up well: “Should you buy this thing? That one’s easy. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way.” Ouch.
Charge iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all in one place. Photo: ESR
Accessories brand ESR stocked a new collection of Qi2 chargers for iPhone and other devices this week on Amazon. It should help you charge at MagSafe speed levels, but ESR Qi2 wireless chargers come at lower prices than many MagSafe chargers.