Glass is a return to the simplicity of Instagram circa 2012. It’s a social network specially tailored for looking at and posting beautiful photography. I have a thing for niche social networks, I guess.

I was an early adopter of Instagram, which initially was a picture-first social network. It’s lost focus in the years since, getting crowded with Stories, Reels, shopping and countless more half-baked features that don’t make sense. I now avoid it at all costs.

You don’t need to be a professional photographer to use it — although you do need $30/year.

Looking for a spare new iPad for casual use? Or maybe to use as a portable monitor while on the go? With Amazon knocking $59.01 off the iPad 9’s price, it is a terrific device for such use cases.

The 9th gen iPad is already the cheapest tablet in Apple’s lineup. Add in Amazon’s latest discount, and it becomes an even better deal for $269.99.

Apple is now offering refurbished units of its second-generation full-size HomePod at 17% off the regular price. This new version offers high-quality audio and additional smart-home features

Buying refurbs from Apple is a popular way to save on used electronics that can be relied on.

If you don’t work in an office equipped with a physical scanner, it can be frustrating to digitize your documents. But if you’re like us, you like to use your iPhone for just about everything — and this iOS scanning app is right up your alley.

iScanner turns your iPhone or iPad into a professional-level scanner you can use whenever you wish. And a lifetime subscription is on sale for just $29.97 (regularly $59) through October 15.

Apple went all out with the iPhone 15 Pro lineup this year. The 2023 iPhones feature titanium edges, slimmer bezels, better cameras, a faster processor and a universal charging port.

But are these improvements enough to upgrade from 2022’s iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro? Find out in this comparison.

Add ChatGPT to your website and you can quickly create new content, answer users’ questions and much more. You can harness the power of artificial intelligence instantly with this deeply discounted ChatGPT plug-in for WordPress. It will turbocharge your productivity, efficiency and creativity by making web publishing easier for you and more fulfilling for your visitors.

For a limited time, you can get the ChatGPT WordPress plug-in from Mind2Matter for the exclusive price of just $39.97 (regularly $299).

Apple Watch Ultra 2 only just started shipping, yet Amazon currently offers it at a new low price — $774 instead of $799. That’s a savings of just $25, but it beats paying full price.

And you can get $10 off some Apple Watch Series 9 models at Amazon, too.

The world is full of USB drives, from portable thumbdrives to full external SSDs. Happily, you’re not closed off from these just because you use an iPhone or iPad. Connecting to external drives has gotten much easier than it used to be.

And you’ll have full read/write access to everything on the drive. You won’t even need to install any software, as the app you need comes preinstalled on your device.

Today’s featured computer setup isn’t turning heads for its Apple gear — just a 2019 MacBook Pro — but its displays deserve a good look. The Mac goes through a Razer Thunderbolt 3 dock as it drives an “odd couple” of displays — a huge, curved LG 5K2K monitor and a tiny LG portable display.

And don’t miss the audio gear in the gear list below, either. It’s good stuff.

Somewhat like soccer, outside of the United States Formula 1 racing is really big. And Apple wants those exclusive streaming rights enough to think about putting the pedal to the metal with a $2 billion bid for them, according to a report.

iOS 17 reduces the battery life of an array of older models. The result: Users of the iPhone XR, iPhone 13, etc., running the latest operating system version need to charge up their handsets more often.

It is not normal for a new iOS version to universally reduce battery life. But a fix may be on the way.

You can fit two shortcuts into one small widget in iOS 17, a significant change for power users of Apple’s time-saving Shortcuts app. A lot of shortcuts I make are in pairs — and now, you can put two shortcuts of a kind in one small space on your Home Screen.

Shortcuts, if you’re not aware, let you automate the things you do most often on your iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. For instance, you can create a shortcut that sets a Focus mode when you get to work, one that suggests easy-to-remember passwords, one for converting units — the possibilities are endless. (Read Apple’s helpful Shortcuts guide if you want to familiarize yourself with the powerful app.)

Home Screen widgets are a great way to launch the shortcuts you use every day. On the iPhone, where space is limited, fitting twice as many shortcuts without losing any icons could be a game changer for your Home Screen. Let me show you how to set it up.

As fall rolls toward winter in much of the world, it’s time for skiers and snowboarders to get ready to hit the slopes. And major updates in the popular Slopes tracking app offer a lot of great new features for just that.

The app’s slogan is “Track your edge,” and the new version gives you plenty of ways to do it with iOS 17 and watchOS 10.

World soccer phenom Lionel Messi conquered the world. And now he’s come for the United States, according to a new documentary teaser trailer Apple TV+ dropped Monday for Messi Meets America.

The six-part series, which debuts October 11, is all about Messi’s first season with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF.

England’s ruling Conservative Party plans to issue new guidance Monday banning smartphone use in schools, including during breaks from lessons, according to several sources.

While some schools already have restrictions in place, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s new guidance would set a country-wide ban.

An iPhone 15 Pro Max came away severely cracked but still completely functional after a punishing series of drop tests.

Apple’s latest performed almost exactly as well as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max did on the same tests, despite a recent report that the new model is more fragile than its predecessor.

This week’s Awesome Apps include a great way to keep your Mac in tip-top shape, a desktop-style web browser for mobile, and an app for correcting your posture using your AirPods.

Use the power of AI to create e-books

AI technology is changing the way we approach content creation, and if you can find the right outlet, it can help launch a lucrative online income. Fortunately, there’s now an incredibly user-friendly e-book creation tool that utilizes ChatGPT to make developing e-books far more manageable than you might have imagined.

If you’re a daily wearer of the Apple Watch, you know how awesome it is to carry so much connectivity and intel on your wrist. You’re also well aware of the frustrations that can arise from a battery that’s entering the danger zone. But this keychain Apple Watch charger can turn that around.

For a limited time, you can purchase this Apple Watch battery booster for just $16.97 (regularly $49) with no coupon necessary. That’s more than 60% off a product that will keep your smartwatch powered up no matter where the journey takes you.

Apple confirmed Saturday that iPhone 15 Pro overheating problems are not due to the new A17 Pro chip that powers the device. An iOS 17 bug and some third-party apps are the culprits.

The company plans to roll out a software update to address the situation soon. It is also working with third-party developers on this issue.

Humane, a startup founded by Apple veterans, will unveil its “Ai Pin” on November 9, the company said Friday. The press release offered no further details about the launch.

Last week, the company teased the Ai Pin at Paris Fashion Week. Photographers shot pictures of supermodel Naomi Campbell wearing the device — the first person to wear it in public, Humane said.

Update: We embedded a video below showing Humane’s device up close. You probably won’t be very surprised by how Apple-like it looks, given its pedigree.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After nearly a week with Apple’s new hardware, we’re serving up our first hands-on impressions. Is the iPhone 15 Pro Max too big — and/or too hot — to handle? Is Apple Watch Ultra 2 worth the upgrade? What about Apple Watch Series 9?

And seriously, Apple … you call that pink?

Also on The CultCast:

• Griffin runs us through some of the coolest new features in macOS Sonoma.
• OMG we’ve already got iPhone 16 rumors.
• And we wrap up with a couple of big fat bummers from our favorite source of Apple insider info and tech haikus.

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.

Climate change makes protecting our environment and embracing sustainable living practices more important than ever before. Impacts include warmer temperatures through increased greenhouse gases, rising sea levels, warmer oceans, more volatile weather and increasing ocean acidity.

Flexibility, gas savings and an unbeatable dress code — these are just a few of the benefits of working from home. So it’s no surprise that more and more Americans are trading the cubicle for the couch.

In fact, it’s a good bet that you can find some sort of remote work these days no matter what your skill set. And FlexJobs is here to help. It’s a focused job search site dedicated to remote work or hybrid jobs.

No matter how realistic your VR goggles get, nothing can replace the thrill of gaming’s golden age. Titles like Contra and the first-generation Mario games will always feel like comfort food, and now old-school fans can get their fill thanks to this retro-inspired game console.

It’s a working homage to one of the greatest game consoles of all time. And it comes preloaded with all your favorites for just $24.99 — less than the price of a single modern game.