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Apple TV+ produces best-reviewed content of any streaming service

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Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+
There are bigger streaming video services, but none with a higher average content ranking from critics.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple TV+ series and films earn a higher average ranking from critics than all other streaming services. So, despite its relatively limited catalog, Apple’s service offers an outsized collection of top-quality content.

Its average quality content ranking is well above Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Get 60% off top-rated JBL earbuds for Father’s Day

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Get more than half off these top-rated JBL Bluetooth headphones for Father's Day.
Elevate dad's audio this Father's Day with these top-rated noise-cancelling headphones, $59.97.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A headphone upgrade is a welcome gift for Father’s Day. The JBL Live Free NC+ true wireless in-ear noise-canceling Bluetooth earbuds are ideal for an immersive experience — and right now you can grab them with more than half off during our Father’s Day Sale.

Usually $149, they’re on sale now for just $59.97 — the best price you’ll find for them on the web.

3 Reasons to Watch: Platonic, the Apple TV+ comedy starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne

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Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in
Sylvia (played by Rose Byrne, left) and Will (Seth Rogen) are old friends trying to figure out how to be friends again on Platonic.
Photo: Apple TV+

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we look at the Platonic, the surprisingly good comedy from stoner whisperer Seth Rogen, luminous star Rose Byrne and husband and wife writers/directors Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller.

In the show, which premiered last month on Apple TV+, Byrne and Rogen star as friends who become awkward appendages of each other’s already messy lives. Here’s why you should take a chance on Platonic.

Apple Vision Pro first impressions: Fab or fatally flawed? [The CultCast]

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Apple Vision Pro on The CultCast podcast: The technology sound amazing!
The technology behind Apple Vision Pro looks amazing!
Image: Cult of Mac
WWDC23

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first impressions of Apple’s just-unveiled Vision Pro headset leave us mind = blown. Still, no matter how vivid the VR is … or how flawless the visionOS user interface is … or how “natural” the headset looks to be … can anything justify its $3,499 price tag?

Also on The CultCast:

  • The load of new Macs showcased at WWDC23 left us surprised — and just a little perplexed. Who exactly is the Mac Pro for?
  • The iPhone’s voice recognition receives marginal improvements in the first iOS 17 beta, and that gives us hope for the future.
  • Marquee features aside, iOS 17 brings a ton of tiny, thoughtful improvements.
  • The tally is in for last week’s WWDC23 predictions. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

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!)

Save $50 on a stylish 6-in-1 charging station in our Father’s Day Sale

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Get $50 off this stylish 6-in-1 charging station in the Father’s Day sale.
Tidy dad’s charging cables with this awesome 6-in-1 charging station, less than $50 now for Father’s Day.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If your dad loves Apple gadgets, we’ve found the ultimate accessory for him — just in time for Father’s Day. The ChargeUp 6-in-1 wireless charging station with Apple Watch charger will it keep all his gear charged and tidy. And right now, this great charging station is discounted for our Father’s Day Sale to just $49.97.

That’s more than half off the regular price of $99. Be quick to grab it, as the special low price will only last through to 11:59 p.m. on June 11.

10 awesome new features Apple didn’t talk about at WWDC23

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Apple Didn’t Show You These
Apple didn’t have time to show you all the awesome features in iOS 17.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
WWDC23

Despite dumping massive engineering resources into its brand-new visionOS platform for the Vision Pro headset, Apple is bringing loads of new features to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and even tvOS this year. Headlining features include NameDrop, StandBy, Journal, Live Stickers, pet tagging in Photos and blurring unsolicited nude pictures.

However, Apple didn’t have time during its jam-packed WWDC23 keynote this week to cover all the new features. Now that iOS 17 is out, here are some of the hidden gems people have discovered in Apple’s latest operating systems.

Silo starts to give up its horrible secrets [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Avi Nash and Rebecca Ferguson in ★★★★☆
Lukas (played by Avi Nash, left) and Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) stumble upon something strange.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Silo, the hit Apple TV+ series about people dwelling in a titanic subterranean structure years after an apocalyptic event turned Earth’s air toxic, begins its final act this week.

Juliette discovers a horrible clue hidden in the memory of someone who can’t access it. And a risky mission will put her in close proximity to the one person she doesn’t want to see, but it’s now or never time in the silo.

The episode, entitled “The Flamekeepers,” is a very well-handled lynchpin episode of Silo.

Score a Father’s Day deal on this lifetime learning platform

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Score a Father's Day deal on this $80 lifetime learning platform.
Give your dad a lifetime of learning with this $80 Father's Day deal.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If your dad has always wanted to take up photography or finally learn what a tweet is, then he might enjoy enrolling in some professional courses. Upskillist is a learning platform that gives users more than 80 courses for personal and professional development in one convenient hub.

Your Pops can pop into courses on video production, social media, digital marketing, technical drawing and much more. Normally, a lifetime membership to Upskillist would cost $400, but it’s been marked down to $79.97 for Father’s Day. That sale ends June 11 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

City on Fire lights a fuse and hopes for the best this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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Wyatt Oleff in ★★★☆☆
Will Charlie (played by Wyatt Oleff) ever get to the bottom of Sam's shooting?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review Apple TV+ drama City on Fire drops a bomb this week.

Charlie and Keith meet up under less-than-ideal circumstances, while Sam fights for her life. Nicky and Sol have one last missive for the city of New York — and the fat cat who set them up. And William has one more act left in his life as an amateur detective — and a family to reunite.

This week’s episode, entitled “The Demon Brother,” is full of engaging, but deeply ridiculous, stuff.

The Crowded Room tries to get inside a killer’s head [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆

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Episode 1. Tom Holland in ★★☆☆
Despite starring Tom Holland, this is definitely not a Spider-Man movie.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review New Apple TV+ thriller The Crowded Room delves into a crime committed in New York at the end of the 1970s. Spider-Man star Tom Holland plays a troubled teen whose life in a halfway house leads to murder.

The miniseries stumbles a fair bit, but when it gets the steps right it proves quite compelling. Its depiction of lowlife decadence and debauchery almost hits the mark, but Holland can’t quite live up to the task of carrying all 10 episodes.

Use Home Key, fingerprints or passwords with new deadbolt smart lock

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Home Key lets you open this new deadbolt smart lock with an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Home Key lets you open this new deadbolt smart lock with an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Photo: Aqara

Aqara released its first deadbolt smart lock Friday, the Smart Lock U100. It’s fully compatible with Apple’s HomeKit and you can open it with Home Key, fingerprints, passwords or — get this — a physical key.

Snark aside (a physical if often provided with smart locks for power outages), the stout new lock integrates with the Matter home automation standard and could become a vital part of HomeKit users’ smart-home arsenals.

MacBook Pro rig enters beta mode following WWDC23 [Setups]

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You can see a StandBy Mode from the iOS 17 beta on the iPhone's display, which looks like a digital clock.
You can see a StandBy Mode from the iOS 17 beta on the iPhone's display, which looks like a digital clock.
Photo: [email protected]

This year, WWDC delivered an avalanche of new hardware as well as the usual major planned software releases — and the latter is already showing up in computer setups while the hardware hasn’t shipped yet.

Today’s featured setup may be all about its MacBook Pro, iPad and fine external monitor, but you can’t miss the brand-new, unreleased functionality showing up on another screen on display in the photograph.

Get Windows 10 Pro for just $13, Office 365 for only $20 at CdkeySales’ Mid-Year Sale

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Windows 10
Use promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com to score major savings on Microsoft software.
Photo: CdkeySales.com

While few people enjoy updating their Microsoft software, it’s important to do it to maintain the best productivity and security. So it’s a good thing you can score genuine copies of Windows, Microsoft Office and other great software at way below full price.

You can do that when you buy software activation keys.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by CdkeySales.
If you’re ready to stop paying full price for crucial software, try shopping at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com. You can find low prices on Windows, Office and more. And if you want to score the most savings, enter promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com. That cuts an additional 30% off the site’s super-low prices on software keys.

And don’t miss this — you get a free upgrade to Windows 11 when you buy Windows 10.

Slick new backpack includes Find My locator

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The straightforward backpack features Find My functionality and is made from recycled bottles.
The straightforward backpack features Find My functionality and is made from recycled bottles.
Photo: Targus

Known for laptop cases and other accessories, Targus recently unveiled its new Cypress Hero Backpack with Find My Locator.

So if it goes missing, you can find the eco-friendly pack and any gear in it using your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Hands on with Safari Profiles, Apple’s latest attempt to curb tab clutter

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Hands on with Safari Profiles
Safari Profiles make it easier to keep work and personal browsing separate. But the upcoming feature can also simplify sharing an iPad.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

With Safari Profiles, Apple takes another swing at helping us organize all the browser tabs we have open. The new feature lets users put tabs and tab groups into separate areas, helping keep work and our personal lives from interfering.

Beyond that, Safari Profiles also could enable two or more people to more easily share the web browser, which can be a huge benefit for iPad users.

I’ve been testing the new feature in the first betas of iOS 17, macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17, all of which Apple unveiled at WWDC23 this week.

Mark Zuckerberg says Apple Vision Pro is too expensive and antisocial

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Two people having a conversation, one wearing the Vision Pro headset with EyeSight.
A totally normal conversation between two humans.
Photo: Apple

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro headset does not pack any significant technological breakthroughs. He claims his company explored all options used by Apple — but ultimately decided against them.

Zuckerberg expressed his thoughts on Vision Pro in a companywide meeting with Meta employees.

Reddit’s absurd API price forcing Apollo to shut down on June 30

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New sharing features for Reddit content include rich URL previews.
Reddit's new API pricing is the reason behind Apollo's shut down.
Photo: Reddit

Apollo, a popular third-party Reddit client for iPhone and iPad, will shut down on June 30. This is due to Reddit’s upcoming API policy that goes live on July 1, which makes it untenable for third-party apps to operate.

Apple highlighted Apollo multiple times on-stage at WWDC23 and even showed it as one of the apps for its Vision Pro headset.

The Afterparty season 2 trailer promises more murderous fun

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The Afterparty season 2
The star-studded second season of The Afterparty will make its global debut on Apple TV+ in July.
Photo: Apple TV+

The second season of an Apple TV+ series that turns a murder mystery into a genre-mixing comedy will soon return. Fresh episodes of The Afterparty premier in July.

As the trailer released Thursday shows, there’s a new mystery to solve with a fresh cast of eccentric suspects, though Tiffany Haddish and some of the other stars of season one will be back.

Apple health updates boost mind and body across platforms

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New health features come to iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10.
New health features come to iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10.
Photo: Apple
WWDC23

At WWDC23, Apple said it’s adding a slew of new health features in iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and watchOS 10 that will help you take care of yourself physically and emotionally.

And while new mental health and vision features are coming across platforms, the more-general Health app finally arrives on iPad, as well.

Enter to win a clever AirTag bike reflector mount [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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A great bike reflector with a hidden place for your AirTag
You can mount this reflective AirTag holder anywhere on your bike.
Photo: Device Therapy

For this week’s giveaway, we teamed up with Device Therapy, which makes a clever disguise to keep an eye on your bicycle. Three lucky winners will receive an awesome Bike Reflector Mount that can help foil thieves who want to steal your two-wheeler.

The AirTag bike mount’s reflective surface is made from genuine 3M diamond-grade reflective material. The durable mounts are made from plant-sourced bioplastic, 3D-printed in-house by the product’s creator.

How to improve security in Safari Private Browsing with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma

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How to make Safari Private Browsing much more private
Safari Private Browsing mode will soon get multiple new features to prevent online tracking.
Photo: Killian Bell/Ed Hardy
WWDC23

Private Browsing mode in Apple Safari will soon get even more secure. It’ll be locked against someone else accessing it, and incorporate new tools to prevent websites from tracking users.

The additional privacy features are coming in iOS 17, macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17, all of which were unveiled at WWDC23 this week.