Cult of Mac

Old Intel MacBooks aren’t very fashionable these days, but they can do one thing that the latest Apple silicon machines cannot: run Windows natively.

If you’re looking for an older Mac to run Windows, or to use as a media server or a Chromebook substitute, consider this MacBook Pro from 2011. This machine ain’t gonna break speed records, but it is good for running Windows in Boot Camp.

For a limited time, you can get a refurbished MacBook Pro with a protective case for only $299, with no coupon necessary.

In a major U-turn, Apple endorsed a Right to Repair bill in California. This surprising move comes after years of the company fighting and delaying similar bills in various states.

Apple sent California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman a letter Tuesday endorsing the SB-244 Right to Repair Act — with certain stipulations.

If you have aspirations for a professional career in music production, you can’t afford to delay chasing that dream, as the industry will only grow more competitive. Thanks to a limited-time offer, you can gain an unlimited online education on electronic music production for less than the price of a single standard textbook.

A lifetime subscription to the Noiselab Music Production Hub will teach you everything you need to know about one of the hottest music software packages around: Ableton Live. This educational bundle is currently available at best-on-the-web pricing of only $59.99 (regularly $360) with no coupon required. That’s more than 80% savings on a service that’s backed by experts and offers instant access to hundreds of music production lessons.

Nomad unveiled its new Rugged Case for Apple Watch Wednesday, and it might just satisfy a few folks who wish they had an Ultra rather than a standard model.

The new steel case and included Rugged Band fit Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. And the gear gives you a rugged look and plenty of protection for your wearable at a much lower price than Apple Watch Ultra, of course.

Developers who visited Apple’s special labs to test their Vision Pro apps on the upcoming headset came away impressed, according to a cheery new Apple press release. The labs, which let devs test third-party apps on the AR headset Apple plans to release next year, are reportedly not well-attended. So, Apple seems intent on drumming up interest.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, developers who went to Apple’s labs offered some very positive comments about the hardware and software.

Apple TV+ dropped a trailer Wednesday for it upcoming Irish dramedy Flora and Son, saying “never underestimate a Dublin woman with a guitar.”

Bad Sisters mainstay Eve Hewson stars as that Dublin woman, a beleaguered mom trying to give her rebellious teen son a focus in life through a beat-up old acoustic guitar.

The film debuts in theaters September 22 and streams on Apple TV+ September 29.

The Apple Watch Ultra is the company’s best smartwatch yet, featuring a rugged build and excellent battery life. But it also comes with an equally ultra $800 price tag.

Amazon’s latest deal knocks $100 off the wearable, making its steep price tag a bit more affordable. Take advantage of the discount to get the Apple Watch Ultra for $700.

In a world where advancing computer technology often seems like an arms race, with ever-more-powerful processors and compact chargers that pump out hundreds of watts, it’s no surprise docking stations keep boosting their port arrays.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup almost seems like it doesn’t have enough gear to merit its Plugable dock’s whopping 14 ports. But it supports multiple external displays for M1 Macs, and that’s why the user loves it.

Apple subsidiary Beats added two new color options to its recently released Beats Studio Buds+ noise-cancelling earbuds — cosmic pink and cosmic silver.

The new metallic finishes are part of a collaboration with press-on nails retailer Olive & June. They’ll become available September 7, the companies said.

The latest “Shot on iPhone” film is the heart-warming story of Trip the dog receiving a prosthetic leg. It came from a company that uses lidar built into Apple handsets to scan his body to make sure it fits.

Watch The Invincibles to see how the process works.

Keeping your teeth healthy is hard, and it’s a bit of a pain. Still, it’s more of a pain if you don’t take care of them. Luckily, a good toothbrush can make the whole process a lot easier to manage.

The AquaSonic Icon is a smart electric toothbrush with multiple cleaning modes and a built-in timer. Normally, it costs $39. But you can pick one up for 37% off right now and make your dentist happy.

Apple continues beta testing iOS 17, with the seventh beta dropping on August 22nd. As the beta program has progressed, the company has made fewer and fewer user-facing changes to new builds.

It’s the same story with iOS 17 beta 7, which hardly packs any meaningful changes or improvements. Below is everything new in the latest iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 beta.

For podcast fans, the struggle is real: There are a gazillion podcasts, and you’re stuck sifting through them all to find the good stuff. Podurama offers unique tools to help you find interesting new podcasts that aren’t just the popular ones everyone else listens to.

Right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to this AI-powered podcast recommendation service for 60% off.

The launch of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is drawing close, as the many steps of beta testing for these operating systems are almost finished. The same holds true for tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 is nearly as close. Apple likely will release them all in September.

macOS Sonoma, however, isn’t expected to debut until later.

OneOdio unveiled its new OpenRock S Open Air Conduction Earbuds Tuesday, meant for active users who want to listen to music while doing sports activities.

Using air-conduction technology, the buds don’t go in your ear canal. So you can stay better-aware of what’s around you while you run, cycle or work out.

Smart-home systems maker Brilliant unveiled a new “install it anywhere” plug-in version of its Smart Home Control Panel Tuesday.

Any homeowner or renter can use its touchscreen-based control and automation system to manage smart home products integrated with HomeKit and Siri.

Still Up is about the hijinks of a pair of chronic insomniacs who aren’t aware they’re falling in love. Apple TV+ released the trailer Tuesday showing Danny and Lisa’s struggles to sleep and find someone who understands them.

The romantic comedy series will debut on Apple TV+ in a few weeks.

Anker audio brand Soundcore launched its new Space One over-ear headphones Tuesday with an upgraded noise cancelling system. It’s designed to reduce the voices not already in your head.

The new cans also claim long playtime, high-quality audio through the LDAC codec and a “floating” design built for comfort, Soundcore said.

Apple’s iPad Pro lineup is too expensive for regular users. Opting for the Pro model makes little sense if you want a tablet for everyday use.

This is where the iPad Air comes in, which offers almost the same internals as its Pro siblings at a lower price point. And if you take advantage of Amazon’s latest deal, you can save up to $149 on a new M1 iPad Air.

Using older magnetic chargers, lots of folks still charge their iPhones at a pokey rate of 7.5 watts. So it’s good news Spigen just rolled out its first 15W MagSafe device, the ArcField Wireless Charger.

You can use it to quick-charge any MagSafe iPhone 12, 13 or 14 handset, and it’ll juice up an AirPods Pro charging case at 5W.

The movies and shows on a MacBook or iPad can be easily played on a full-size TV, but many computers need an adapter to add the HDMI port. The Plugable USBC-4IN1 has just what’s needed, offering 4K video at 60Hz. Or Plugable’s USB-C dock is well suited for using an HDMI monitor to get work done.

Plus, it stands out from the pack with a USB-C port that supports simultaneous 100W power pass-through charging and 10Gbps data transfers. There’s a couple of high-speed USB ports, too.

I put the surprisingly affordable accessory through a series of test to see if it lived up to its promises. Here’s what I found.

It’s a total drag when your iPhone, iPad or other device runs low on power and you don’t have a way to charge it — or your charger is old and slow but you don’t have much time. That’s when the new Momax 100W 6-Port Charging Station comes in super handy.

The U.S. National Park Service turns 107 on Friday. And, as usual, Apple is running its donation campaign to the National Parks Foundation to celebrate.

Each purchase made with Apple Pay in the Apple Store and on Apple sites through Sunday, August 27, donates $10 to the National Parks Foundation.

Røde, maker of high-quality audio products from Australia, has unveiled what it calls “the most powerful wireless mic ever”. The Røde Wireless Pro is a system of elegant and compact microphones with an audio recorder that “delivers crystal-clear, incredibly stable audio with a range of up to 260m.”

The kit comes with all the accessories needed to connect to any modern smartphone, computer and camera rig. Røde’s GainAssist makes sure you have balanced sound in any circumstance and the Røde Central software for Mac and PC easily syncs it with your video.

The Røde Wireless Pro kit retails for $399 and will be available later this month.

The price of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will jump by at least $100, if an unconfirmed report coming out of Asia is correct. The increase could go as high as $200.

This is the latest in a series of predictions that the cost of the two top-tier iPhones coming this autumn will increase.