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Why iPhone videographers need this hard drive test app [Awesome Apps]

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OWC Drive Speed app for iPhone
This simple tool could be a life-saver. Or, at least, a video-saver.
Image: Other World Computing/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can record ProRes video at 4K and 60 fps, but only if the handset is connected to an external drive that’s fast enough to handle it. To find out if your SSD is up to the job, there’s OWC Drive Speed.

This new app verifies transfer speeds between your iPhone and external drives. It displays the maximum frames per second a drive can handle. Because you don’t want to find out on the day of the shoot that the SSD you’re counting on is a dud.

iPhone SE 4 could look a lot like iPhone 14

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iPhone 14
The iPhone SE 4 might look very much like the iPhone 14.
Photo: Apple

A new report sheds light on the iPhone SE 4’s design and camera setup. Apple’s next budget iPhone will use a modified iPhone 14 chassis that’s slightly lighter.

Based on the current development status, Apple’s next budget iPhone is unlikely to launch before 2025.

Generate high-quality, custom AI images with Pixilio, just $20 for life

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Build your own AI image library with Pixilio, now under $20.
Feed this AI image generator your wildest ideas and it will crank out unique images.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Using AI to create images is all the rage these days, but you typically need to pay a monthly fee if you want to get serious about cranking out multiple custom visuals.

Not so with this deal on Pixilio, an AI-powered image generator that makes it simple to produce unique images. Through November 9, you can get lifetime access to Pixilio for just $19.97 (regularly $360)!

Humane unveils Ai Pin: Is it an iPhone killer or damp squib?

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Humane AI Pin
The Humane AI Pin goes on your clothing and may or may not replace your iPhone.
Photo: Humane

After months of cryptic hints and teasing demos, startup Humane finally put its supposedly iPhone-killing Ai Pin on sale Thursday for $700, plus subscription costs.

You pin it to your clothes and interact with it through voice, touch control, gestures, and laser projections on your hand. However, despite its ambitious goals, the reality of AI pins has been met with skepticism due to performance issues and limitations.

The question is, will this thing really kill the iPhone? To those who don’t like talking to devices except when absolutely necessary, it must seem unlikely.

Find Italy’s best restaurants with this must-have foodie app [Awesome Apps]

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Osterie d'Italia app on an iPhone with a fork.
The just-updated Osterie d'Italia app showcases Italy's most soulful slow-food restaurants.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

The best Italian restaurant app just got better. Osterie d’Italia 2024, the latest app version of Slow Food Editore’s killer guide to Italy’s most authentic restaurants, now serves up its piping-hot recommendations in English for the first time.

Plus, a much-improved search functionality makes it easier than ever to find a great place to eat in Italy. And a new feature lets you store your notes and photos about particular restaurants in the cloud so you can access them in subsequent versions of the annually updated app.

First Masters of the Air trailer reveals toll on pilots of WWII bombing runs

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'Masters of the Air' won't be a romanticized view of war.
Masters of the Air won't be a romanticized view of war.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

Those eager to watch Masters of the Air should be thrilled by the first teaser trailer for the upcoming WWII drama series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

It’ll hit Apple TV+ in January and will be a gritty look at the perilous air war in the skies over Germany — as the trailer makes clear.

Keep your old NVMe SSD useful with this rugged enclosure [Review] ★★★★★

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HyperDrive Next USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure review★★★★★
Quickly repurpose an NVMe SSD into a Mac external drive with this enclosure from Hyper.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Have an M.2 NVMe drive you want to use with your MacBook or iPad? Put it in the HyperDrive Next USB4 NVMe SSD Enclosure and you can access the contents at speeds up to 40Gbps.

I plugged a solid state drive of mine into this very rugged enclosure to put it to the test.

See gorgeous shots from Paris iPhone photo exhibition

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“I Remember You,” a two-day photography exhibition highlighting original work shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max, opens in Paris Friday.
Photo: Apple

An iPhone photography exhibition called “I Remember You” debuts Friday in Paris — but here’s your chance to scope out some of the fantastic iPhone 15 Pro Max photos online.

The two-day exhibition at the Salon Corderie showcases work by five esteemed photographers, Apple said Thursday.

Here’s how Apple is changing the next Swift Student Challenge

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Swift Student Challenge 2024
A new category in Apple’s February 2024 Swift Student Challenge will recognize 50 Distinguished Winners.
Photo: Apple

Not only did Apple announce next year’s Swift Student Challenge early to give coders more time to prepare — it put the word out Wednesday for the February 2024 competition — it also added a new “Distinguished Winners” category and a raft of new coding resources in “Everyone Can Code Projects.”

Last day to get two 4K drones for the price of one

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If you buy by today, you can get two 4K drones for under $160.
Why settle for one drone when you can score a twofer?
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’re not recommending that you buzz Apple Park or anything, but owning a 4K drone makes capturing exquisite aerial footage simple. Owning a pair of them gives you extended flight time, as well as a wider array of features.

Now through November 9, you can score two drones for the price of one. Get the Ninja Dragon Phantom K Pro and Alpha Z Pro — two 4K drones that are easy to use, even for beginners — for only $159.97 (regularly $369).

They make great gifts, too.

iPhone 15 Pro Max costs Apple 8% more to make

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iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the first smartphones to include Thread mesh networking. But why?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max's new camera system is 34% more expensive.
Photo: Apple

A bill of materials (BoM) analysis of the iPhone 15 Pro Max provides insight into the prices of the individual components and how they have changed over the previous year.

Apple is charging $100 more for its flagship iPhone this year. And yet, the device only costs the company an additional $37.7 to manufacture over the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Master PDFs with highly rated PDF Expert for Mac

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Take $70 off the PDF editor that makes it simple to work with PDFs on Mac.
Manage, edit and organize PDFs more easily on Mac with PDF Expert, just $69.99 for life.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Working with PDFs on your Mac can really suck. Even just adding your signature to a PDF document can be an ordeal. Luckily, there’s a great Mac app that can simplify the experience of PDF signing, editing, merging, annotating and much more.

And now it’s on sale for a very limited time. Now through November 9, you can grab the popular and award-winning PDF Expert app for only $69.99 (regularly $139).

Backbone One USB-C game controller updated for iPhone 15

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BackBone One USB-C version 2
The BackBone One game controller is ready for your iPhone 15.
Photo: Backbone

Backbone updated the USB-C version of its popular game controller just in time for the iPhone 15 series, Apple’s first handsets with a USB-C port.

Like earlier versions, this wraps around an iOS or Android handset to put a collection of buttons, sticks and triggers on either side of the landscape screen.

Resident Evil 4 bleeds onto iPhone and iPad in December

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Capcom Resident Evil 4 for iPhone and iPad
Resident Evil 4 helped define the horror game genre.
Screenshot: Capcom

The classic horror game Resident Evil 4 will make its iPhone and iPad debut on December 20. It’s a demonstration of the gaming capabilities of Apple’s most powerful mobile devices.

This is one of multiple console titles being ported to Apple handsets and tablets thanks to their highly capable processors.

Ted Lasso star belts out classics in Home for Christmas trailer

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It really looks like a song-and-dance extravaganza, if that's your thing.
It really looks like a song-and-dance extravaganza, if that's your thing.
Photo: Apple TV+

Any fan of old-school song-and-dance numbers has a lot to look forward to this Yuletide season, judging by the trailer Apple TV+ dropped Wednesday for its upcoming special, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.

The big, star-studded show debuts November 22, along with a companion album on all music streaming platforms, Apple said.

Taylor Swift named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year

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Taylor Swift named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year
This seems inevitable.
Image: Apple

Apple Music joined the ranks of the Swifties. Taylor Swift was picked to be Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2023.

“I am so honored to be Apple Music’s Artist of the Year,” said Swift. “Thank you to every single one of you for making this year the most incredible, joyful, celebratory year ever. From streaming the music nonstop to screaming it together in real life at the shows, dancing chaotically in movie theaters, none of this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much.”

Stunning Mac mini streaming rig took 2 years to perfect [Setups]

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Setups RetroGameCollector-Reddit
Check the links list below to explore all the gear here.
Photo: [email protected]

It might seem unlikely that a computer setup could take 2 years to build and idealize — until you see just how loaded and beautiful it is. Today’s M2 Pro Mac mini went through many iterations in the past couple of years, its user said, and now they’re finally happy with it.

And they should be. The setup rips through gaming and streaming tasks using an awesome lineup of gear. Read more below and check out that gear list.

New USB-C Apple Pencil is lower in price but not usability [Review] ★★★★

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Apple Pencil (USB-C)★★★★
The first budget Apple Pencil is the iPad stylus students and businesspeople have been looking for.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The just-launched Apple Pencil includes USB-C charging, making it easy to use with the budget iPad. While top quality, the new model doesn’t have all the features of Apple Pencil 2 but costs $50 less.

I tested the stylus with my iPad and found reasons to like it even more than the premium version.

Carterjett nylon Apple Watch bands rise to all occasions with comfort

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For beach combing, a workout, the workday, a hot date -- Carterjett nylon Apple Watch bands fit in everywhere.
For beach combing, a workout, the workday, a hot date -- Carterjett nylon Apple Watch bands fit in everywhere.
Photo: Carterjett

Many people associate leather and stainless steel with watch bands for both analog and smart watches, but nylon seems to be on the rise for a lot of good reasons. Straps like the Carterjett Nylon Apple Watch Band offer lightweight comfort, flexibility and waterproof durability that looks good in a lot of situations.

And you can get the Carterjett Nylon Apple Watch Bands in 11 color choices from just $32.99 in the Cult of Mac Store.

Fresh iOS, watchOS and macOS patches launch to squash bugs

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iOS 17.1.1
iOS 17.1.1 is one of four bug fix patches Apple released on Tuesday.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple just introduced iOS 17.1.1 to patch a nasty glitch with BMW cars. And there’s watchOS 10.1.1, a promised fix for a battery bug affecting many Apple Watch users.

Plus Mac users can now install macOS Sonoma 14.1.1 with its own bug patches. And don’t overlook iPadOS 17.1.1.