Protect photos by digitizing them with the Kodak Slide and Scan, now under $170 with free shipping. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The Kodak Slide N Scan film scanner can safely digitize negatives and slides. And ahead of the holidays, it’s on sale for only $169.97 (regularly $224) with code KODAK.
It’s perfect for turning a box of old negatives into a pristine collection of digital images.
What gear and amusements made us smile (and kvetch) in 2023? Image: Joshua Golde/Unsplash License/Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a quick spin through the news of the week, we get down to business with our second round of picks for the best and worst tech and entertainment of 2023.
Also on The CultCast:
Would you pay 99 bucks for a USB-C case for AirPods Pro? I think the price is outrageous, but not everyone is so sure.
Apple just raised the bar for authorities who might want to spy on your iPhone’s push notifications.
A new iPhone security feature will soon make it harder for thieves to wreck your life.
And the latest on how Apple might be forced to open up iPhone to appease regulators.
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.
This foldable wireless charging station powers iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches for only $48. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Keeping your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods fully charged at all times can prove daunting, especially when you’re on the road. But you can keep all your Apple gear ready for action with this charging station for multiple devices. The MagStack is a great travel charger — and it’s on sale now!
You can streamline your charging experience, whether at home or away, with the MagStack. This Apple-compatible 3-in-1 charging station is foldable and wireless, and for a limited time, you can get one for only $47.99 (regularly $74).
A bunch of new features are coming in this big update to Apple’s latest. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
iOS 17 brought dozens of great features and changes, but the latest 17.2 update adds even more.
The headline feature is the new Journal app — other new tweaks come to iMessage stickers, NameDrop and Apple Music. If you have a new iPhone 15 Pro, you can record Spatial Videos and use the Translate app directly from the Action button. You can also customize more notification sounds and StandBy.
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Irina, left, Aleida and Eli discuss asteroid capture at the M7 summit in Russia. Photo: Apple TV+
Friday’s sixth episode in season 4 of For All Mankind, “Leningrad,” ranks low on the deaths-and-hanky-panky scale of soap-opera criticism, but it’s not without a few revelations and highly emotional moments.
Namely, as plans unfold to capture the Goldilocks asteroid for lucrative mining, Mars may be getting its first union. Nice-guy Miles plays hardball with Ilya Brezhnev. And former NASA director Margo Madison reveals to the world she’s alive and working for the Soviet space agency.
Enjoy more restful sleep with this sleep mask that blocks out light and noises for only $19.97. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you want to have a better day, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial. That’s easier said than done for many of us, but there’s a hi-tech solution that’s on sale just in time for the holidays.
No need to compromise with MagEasy iPhone 15 cases. Photo: MagEasy
Want to keep your beautiful iPhone 15 looking fresh? You need to enter this week’s giveaway. Two lucky winners will land an iPhone 15 bundle from MagEasy consisting of a shock-absorbent iPhone case and an ultra-tough screen protector.
Think Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a big screen? Well, it's probably going to get significantly larger. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch Ultra 2’s generously large display, expected to switch from OLED to microLED, will come out later than previously estimated, grow by 10% in size and cost more, according to a research company.
Other recent estimates pushed back the launch time frame to 2025, but now it may actually be 2026.
Would you add displays alongside or above this ultra-wide monitor, or replace it? Photo: [email protected]
If you had a gigantic 49-inch curved ultra-wide display, would you dream of adding more external monitors to it? If so, would you stack them, or add one or two displays in portrait mode (vertical) on either side of the big screen?
A MacBook Pro user with a giant Samsung display is pondering those very questions.
All Systems Red from Martha Wells is coming to Apple TV+. Image: Tor/Cult of Mac
The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Murderbot novels by Martha Wells are getting adapted into a series on Apple TV+. The sci-fi show will star Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård, perhaps best known for his role on Succession.
Wells’ action-packed bestsellers center on a robot that breaks the programming that forces it to kill. The move allows the android to go freelance as a security specialist. Fans eagerly awaiting theMurderbot TV series release date can find all the latest details about the adaptation.
They’re the perfect tech companion for hikers, hunters or anyone who likes to get the most out of their journey. Just in time for the holidays, they’re now priced down to only $89.97 (regularly $199) through December 17!
Best Buy offers $50 off Apple Watch Ultra 2, among many other bargains. Photo: Apple
While Best Buy offers great deals on MacBooks, iMacs, Macs mini and iPads in its Apple Sales Event for the holidays, you can also score good deals on iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods. See the selection below, or check out the whole sale here.
Yes, an M3 MacBook Pro in space black is on the list. Photo: Apple
With gift-giving season at full-tilt, Best Buy offers its Apple Sales Event on a full range of fabulous products you can check out here. We’d thought we’d focus below on 10 great Mac and iPad deals you won’t want to miss. Click on the prices below to go straight to the products.
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espresso 17 Pro offers just about everything you could want in a mobile screen. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The espresso 17 Pro checks every box in a premium portable display. It sports a 4K resolution, touchscreen with stylus support, and a sleek design ready for on-the-go use.
The 17-inch screen is brilliant as a productivity enhancement when away from the office, but it’s also intended for digital artists to use everyday. Or just anyone who’d like a touchscreen Mac.
I tested the espresso 17 Pro in my home office and while traveling. Here’s why I love it.
Get simple desktop widgets for monitoring Time Machine. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Backup Status is a simple app that puts a Time Machine widget on your Mac desktop (or stows it away in your Notification Center). If you don’t want the Time Machine icon cluttering up your menu bar, this is a straightforward alternative.
Time Machine, of course, is Apple’s software that makes continuous backups of your files to a separate part of your disk, an external hard drive or network-attached storage. Everyone should use Time Machine.
And, after you set it up, you should try Backup Status, the fun little app that lets you easily monitor your Time Machine backups.
Bryan Flynn, left, and Tobias Menzies star in Manhunt. Photo: Apple TV+
Did you know it took authorities 12 days to hunt down John Wilkes Booth after he shot President Abraham Lincoln in the head at Washington D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre in 1865? Apple TV+ gave a first look Thursday at Manhunt, the new conspiracy-thriller series depicting the frantic chase.
The seven-part series premieres March 15 with its first two episodes. A new episode follows on Fridays through April 19.
It’s a great time to be an AAPL investor, with the share price hitting an all-time high value on Wednesday. This drove Apple’s market capitalization back over $3 trillion.
For reference, Apple’s market cap was below $2 trillion at the beginning of 2023. If you’re interested in learning more about how Apple has historically performed in thegrey apple market, take a look at this deep dive.
This might be the ultimate keyboard case for the 10th-gen iPad. And you can't beat the price! Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The Apple Magic Keyboard Folio is a great combo keyboard case for the iPad, but its high retail price puts it out of reach for some consumers. Not so with this hot deal on an open-box model that slashes the price by 67%.
For a limited time, you can grab a Magic Keyboard Folio for just $84.97 (regularly $249) with free shipping. However, you need to order today if you want to ensure it arrives on time for Christmas!
Give the golfer on your list the ability to hit the green whenever they like. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The golfer on your shopping list likely doesn’t need any more clubs, balls or polos. Why not surprise them with a golf simulator like the TruGolf Mini? It’s a hi-tech gift designed to delight golfers of any age.
You can gift any golfer the ability to hit the green anytime and anywhere with the TruGolf Mini. And it’s price-dropped to only $172.97 (regularly $399) through December 17.
A court order is now required for push notification spying on iPhone users. Photo: rawpixel.com/Pexels CC
Governments will find push notification spying harder to do now that they no longer enjoy easy access to records of push notifications sent to iPhone users. Apple changed its policy so that law enforcement and other government agencies need a court order to obtain this data.
Previously, the data — which could be used to gain info about users’ activities — was available from Apple with just a subpoena.
Noble's new Falcon Max true wireless stereo earbuds feature xMEMS' solid-state driver. Photo: Noble
Noble Audio’s new Falcon Max true wireless stereo earbuds are the company’s first to integrate advanced all-silicon solid-state MEMS-based drivers from xMEMS Labs, the company said Tuesday.
Release of the new earbuds with a hybrid-driver setup follows recent news that xMEMS plans to offer its first full-spectrum Cypress MEMS “ultrasonic” speaker in 2024. That should enable solid-state earbuds with remarkable full-spectrum audio quality.
Hansson's setup in Malibu, CA, features a Mac mini mounted behind a Pro Display XDR and a phenomenal set of KEF speakers. Photo: [email protected]
Developer David Heinemeier Hansson, known for creating the Ruby on Rails web development framework, showcased his rather stunning Mac mini computer setup this week on X (formerly Twitter).
The extraordinary 6K graphics of his Studio Display XDR and the articulate sound of his highly recommended KEF speakers complement the ocean views through the glass walls of his California office.