Remember when you went back to school as a kid and that one guy always had the coolest sneakers? Don’t let that happen with software. While Mr. Cool is struggling with unsupported and insecure versions of Microsoft Windows and Office, you’ll be cruising — as long as you nab the latest versions at bargain-basement prices in the back-to-school sale at CdkeySales.com.

A draft for an Apple-1 advertisement that Steve Jobs handwrote in 1976 just sold at auction for a whopping $175,759.

Other rare Jobs-related items also sold for princely sums, including Apple Computer check “No. 2” signed by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Everyone’s making compromises this week on Foundation, the gorgeous and exciting Apple TV+ sci-fi series based on the writings of Isaac Asimov.

Day and Demerzel sweat their next move as the Second Foundation rears its head (and Queen Sareth shows her fangs). Salvor and Gaal make the most of a new home. And Bel Riose meets Hober Mallow — with disastrous consequences.

Good news for those hoping iPhone 15 Pro will support very high-speed data transfers: Images supposedly showing a Thunderbolt cable specifically for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max just leaked out. This offers yet another indication that Apple’s next handsets will be able to move data at up to 40Gbps.

Whether the iPhone Thunderbolt cable will be released is open to question — it’s almost completely redundant.

Take a few minutes to relax while also stretching your brain with finity. It’s a match-3 game but with sliding tiles instead of the usual gems.

This is the latest addition to Apple Arcade, and is available for Mac, iPhone and other platforms.

At Cult of Mac we love vintage Apple gear, of course. But to avoid confusion with what Apple means when it says “vintage,” perhaps we should say “retro” or even “antique.” You know, the old stuff people like to collect and put in computer museums.

Today’s featured setup sports both old and new. An M1 MacBook Air is the main computer, but it’s used as a desktop machine, sans built-in monitor. And right next to it are a working Macintosh SE/30 and an iMac G3.

If telemarketers and spam texts annoy the crap out of you, you’re not alone — and you need a call blocker like Robokiller. Telemarketing is a global industry worth more than $30 billion. And that doesn’t even account for what scammers hope to trick you out of.

You can’t fight all those nasty spammers alone. But you can enlist a top-rated app that takes an active and satisfying approach: Robokiller. It doesn’t just block spam calls and texts. You’ll feel a wicked sense of satisfaction knowing that it gives spammers a taste of their own medicine.

Some of the best-known and most commonly used switches for mechanical keyboards worldwide are getting a major redesign, German company Cherry said Thursday.

Known for its popular Cherry MX mechanical switches, it now debuts Cherry MX2A switches. And they come with the company’s new XTRFY K5V2 mechanical keyboard, but they may be everywhere soon enough.

With fast chargers for iPhone and other gadgets becoming common, it’s no surprise they’re getting cheaper. But Baseus may have reached a new low with its Airpow PD 20W Fast Charging Power Bank, the company said Thursday.

It costs just $20 normally and is on sale now at just $16.

Astropad’s Rock Paper Pencil is designed for digital artists who want drawing on an iPad to feel more like using a pen on paper. It achieves this effect with an unusual combination: a screen protector and an Apple Pencil tip.

Notetakers can also appreciate not having to use the slippery glass screen of an iPad.

A popular smart light bulb from TP-Link suffers from severe security flaws that could give hackers passwords and other information, researchers said Wednesday.

A paper examined four flaws in the bestselling TP-Link Tapo L530E, which works with Apple’s HomeKit platform.

Apple subsidiary Beats unveiled its top-shelf Beats Studio Pro headphones in July, and now the cans get their first discount — and it’s a doozy.

You can take $100 off the noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones at Amazon right now.

Apple’s M1 MacBook Air is old but still a great everyday laptop. And at its all-time low price of $749.99, it is a fantastic deal.

With an eight-core M1 chip, the 2020 MacBook Air is faster than almost all previous Intel-based MacBooks.

A new trailer for The Morning Show‘s upcoming third season depicts a major crisis hitting the show-within-a-show — but the solution might be worse than the problem.

That solution? A gigantic cash infusion from tech executive Paul Marks, a new character played by Mad Men star Jon Hamm. He dangles the money after the UBA TV network suffers a massive hack attack. The trailer, which Apple TV+ released Thursday, gives us a better look at Hamm as he joins Morning Show stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup.

The National Parks Foundation is putting up money to help indigenous youth restore a sacred tribal spot in California’s Yosemite National Park, Apple said Thursday. The iPhone-maker helps fund the foundation through Apple Pay sales.

A TV director just revealed that he and his crew “got away with” using an iPhone to shoot much of an episode of murder-mystery comedy The Afterparty on Apple TV+.

Season 2, episode 8 of the show benefited from the sense of iPhone “found footage” because it takes place mostly during a wedding, so they took pains to make it look like some amateur shot it.

USB-C cables that will ship with the iPhone 15 series allegedly will support only USB 2.0. If true, that will limit data transfers to a relatively poky 480Mbps, far below the maximum speed of the more recent USB 3.2 Gen 2.

However, other reports say the actual USB-C port in the iPhone 15 is much faster.

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.