Cult of Mac

They say the early bird gets the worm. But the bird that’s too early spends an hour looking for worms in the middle of the night and has to give up after a while. That’s an apt summary of the Newton Messagepad, Apple’s handheld computer that launched on this day in 1993.

The Newton launched at a high price and with a somewhat limited feature set. As a result, it never found a strong enough customer base or a “killer app” to make it a must-have device.

But all these years later, I still found two good uses for my Newton MessagePad 2000.

Why carry three separate cables when a reliable three-way charging cable can keep all your gadgets charged and ready?

This three-in-one USB-C charging cable for Apple Watch, iPhone and AirPods is ideal for the job. And during our Back-to-School Sale, you can grab it for just $16.97, a savings of more than 50% off the regular price of $34.99, with no coupon needed. Note: This special price drop ends August 13.

The easiest and cheapest way to add Apple’s CarPlay to any vehicle is with a cheap Amazon Fire tablet and a USB CarPlay dongle.

You don’t need to buy an expensive new car stereo, nor spend the weekend ripping out your dash and fiddling with wiring. Adding a Fire tablet is very plug-and-play, and instantly makes a big difference. It cost me less than $100 and gave my old pre-Bluetooth stereo a new breath of life. Now I have a big, beautiful, 8-inch screen for maps and directions.

However, it took me a while to find the right combination of gear. Plus, you should consider a few things before taking the plunge with this DIY wireless CarPlay hack.

As the new school year approaches, students (and professionals) have enough on their plates without worrying about finding a job. Luckily, a limited-time back-to-school discount on a high-tech tool can make your next job or internship search a lot easier.

Through August 13 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, Cult of Mac readers can take $10 off lifetime access to Resoume, a writing assistant that uses the power of artificial intelligence to generate winning resumes.

The Twelve South Curve SE stand holds up a MacBook so the screen is at eye level, making the laptop part of a desktop setup. It’s ergonomic and also cools the computer.

It’s a premium laptop stand made of aluminum but costs substantially less than the company’s other stands.

Anker rolled out eight new chargers Tuesday, including a 240-watt USB-C charger and a 250-watt power bank for fast-charging multiple devices.

The company said its new high-speed, multi-port chargers take good advantage of gallium nitride, aka GaN, technology, referring to efficient power transfer, compact design and active heat reduction.

Connect the new Plugable USBC-4IN1 hub to a Mac or iPad to add an HDMI port, and two USB-A ones, also. And its USB-C port supports simultaneous 100W power pass-through charging and 10Gbps data transfers.

All for under $30.

If you’re on the road a lot for work, you know your computer accessories — like chargers and cables — can take a beating. That’s why Elago now offers its MacBook Charger Cable Management Case.

Want to extend the life of your charger and cable? Check out the clever new Mac cable case, which costs just $14.99 in the Cult of Mac Store.

If you are in the market for a 6K display for your Mac, it is hard to beat Apple’s Pro Display XDR. The 32-inch display with nano-texture glass is down to $5,699 on Amazon after a hefty $300 discount. And if you want the standard glass variant, it’s available with a $200 off.

Stocks are limited on this fantastic deal, so pull the trigger on the offer as soon as possible.

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD includes a touchscreen and hardware encryption to protect user data. Unlock it by tapping in a password or numeric passcode onto the touchscreen.

It’s available in capacities ranging from 480GB to nearly 2TB. And it’s accessible from just about any device with a USB port — no special software needed.

I went hands-on with the secure SSD. Here’s why I like it.

Apple said Tuesday it will add four new games and more than 30 updates and events to Apple Arcade in August.

New games include a revival of Sega’s classic rhythm game Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go, puzzle games Nekograms+ and Kingdoms: Merge & Build, and indie puzzle-remix game finity.

“Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go is coming soon to Apple Arcade with exciting new songs and a series first Story Mode only found on the service,” said Ian Curran, president and chief operating officer of Sega of America.

The newly announced Alliance for OpenUSD is a collection of industry heavyweights — including Apple — putting their influence behind Pixar’s Universal Scene Description technology.

The stated goal of the AOUSD is “to standardize the 3D ecosystem.”

The second iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 public betas became available Monday so anyone who wants to start tinkering with the new features can try these well before the autumn release.

Among the more significant changes in iOS are personalized contact posters in the Phone app, home screen widgets go interactive, and autocorrect is smarter. iPadOS gets many of those same features, as well as signifi can’t Lock screen improvements.

Want to try the changes out for yourself? We’ll show you how.

If you miss the Twitter icon, you’re not alone. But there’s good news: You can easily change the app’s new X icon back to Twitter’s blue bird on your Home Screen by using a shortcut.

While it’s too late for Elon Musk to backtrack on many of the questionable business decisions he made since buying Twitter, you can at least patch over this latest one using my free downloadable Shortcut.

If you’re still using X, née Twitter, you might want the bright blue bird back on your Home Screen. I’ll show you how to get it.

A unique bit of Apple history just went up for auction: Apple Computer check “No. 2” signed by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Bidding for the $116.97 check is already up to more than $55,000.

A number of other rare Apple items are also up for sale, some signed by Jobs.

Known for laptop cases and such, Targus unveiled its new ErgoFlip EcoSmart Mouse last week. You can switch it from right- to left-hand use (or vice versa) with a simple twist of the top.

“This is the first mouse that provides true ergonomics for right- or left-hand use, solving the age old problem of finding a mouse that truly everyone can use,” said Mike Sexton, Targus’ senior director of Global Product Management & Development.

“This, along with its gaming-level performance and precision, and sustainable benefits, including its long battery life, makes it the mouse that does it all,” he added.

Most Americans pay for more cellular data than they need or ever use, according to a recent study. Dropping to a plan that offers less data would benefit 72% of subscribers for an obvious reason: These plans are more affordable.

In short, unlimited data plans usually aren’t a good value.

The owner of today’s MacBook Pro setup chose two Studio Displays over one Pro Display XDR to suit his workflow and because he realized he could bag one of the monitors at half price. Lucky him.

Several folks on social media noticed the damage, and some said they’d grab that deal, too, if they could.

EarFun Air S noise-canceling wireless earbuds just hit their lowest price ever — $37.99.

You simply don’t find this quality at that price, so if you’re in the market for earbuds, take that into consideration.

It happens every year. The summer flies by, and before you know it, the words “back to school” are popping up everywhere. We know that pain.

It’s smart to get ahead of the back-to-school shopping game and snag supplies early, especially when those supplies are a great deal, like this refurbished MacBook Air. Get one through August 13 for just $299.99 and cross one thing off your list now.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery just got its largest-ever game expansion. Dubbed Beyond Hogwarts, it offers 50% more content as players leave the hallowed halls of Hogwarts and visit the magical haunts of London.

With the expansion, those who played the original game when it launched 5 years ago can come back and find plenty more to enjoy.

This year’s iPhone 15 Pro models will feature “stronger, lighter and more premium” titanium edges, according to a reliable source. And a customizable Action button could be another highlight, letting users quickly enable Focus mode, launch the Camera app or perform other common tasks.

All those new features could jack up the cost of the iPhone 15 Pro line considerably.

There’s a lot more to AI than telling ChatGPT to write a paragraph or tell a joke. With a little coding experience, you can program your own AI chatbot. Even if you’re a beginner programmer, you can start your education independently with the 2023 Ultimate AI ChatGPT and Python Programming Bundle.

This course pack gives you 86 hours of expert instruction, culminating in a tutorial to help you craft a chatbot. And it’s on sale for only $29.97 until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, blast off with Apple TV+’s spectacular Foundation, a space opera worthy of the classics of the genre. After a stellar first season of the show, which is based on the timeless novels of Isaac Asimov, the second season is even more tremendous!

Here’s why you should check out this epic sci-fi show if you haven’t already.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Not all iPhone rumors prove exciting. In fact, a big one this week — possible iPhone 15 price hikes — sounds downright depressing. But it’s not all bad news. The “normie” iPhone 15 might get some trickle-down camera tech that could make it easier not to go Pro this year.

Also on The CultCast:

• Think of all the interesting ways you could use an Action button like on Apple Watch Ultra’s on an iPhone. Well, the iPhone 15 Pro might get in on that action.
• Apple’s Vision Pro loaners for developers come with some absolutely ridiculous restrictions.
• We’ve got an Apple Watch tip that we bet you don’t know — how to get the time with a tap on your wrist. Perfect for those long, boring meetings when you don’t want to peek at your watch.
• Hang around for the great Apple Music versus Spotify debate of 2023.

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.