★★★★☆
Platonic heads into the home stretch this week as the Apple TV+ comedy about two friends who interrupt each other’s lives and relationships digs into jealousy.
Charlie takes his anger out on a co-worker in the strangest way imaginable. Sylvia takes out her anger directly on Charlie. And Will takes out his anger on his co-workers, who in turn take out their frustration on him. It’s less of a listening and learning week than a wit’s end week on this very easily consumed show.
A federal judge in Louisiana issued a broad injunction Tuesday limiting federal government contact with social media sites over what the Biden administration may see as disinformation spreading out of control.
The ruling is one of many upcoming that frame a fight over the constitutionality of curbing social media’s influence in light of the First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression.
A smartwatch like your trusty Apple Watch might be able to screen you for Parkinson’s disease up to 7 years before symptoms would show up if you have it, according to a fascinating new study.
Parkinson’s damages the brain slowly, so early detection via smartwatch could offer treatment advantages as new therapies develop.
Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer Wednesday for its upcoming historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon. The sprawling period piece is filled with the rage and bloodshed of one of America’s most-enduring murder mysteries.
Based on a nonfiction account of a deadly conspiracy by white men to capture oil wealth held by the Osage Indian nation members in early-1900s Oklahoma, the Marin Scorsese film counts Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro among its sprawling cast.
Amazon is knocking a sweet 20% off second-gen AirPods Pro ahead of next week’s Prime Day sale. Take advantage of the deal, and you can get Apple’s best AirPods Pro for $199.99, down from $249.
While not the lowest price ever seen, this is still a terrific deal you should not miss.
★★★☆☆
Apple TV+ terrorist thriller Hijack finally takes off this week, introducing real challenges and intense, investigative set pieces as the people on the ground try to figure out if the plane has been taken over, and if so, why — and what can be done about it.
The calm, cool and collected interloper played by Idris Elba takes action as the plane he’s on descends further and further into chaos. The episode, entitled “Draw a Blank,” is the best this show has yet been.
Everybody gets in the zone when it’s time to work out. Music is one great way to get there, but AirPods aren’t always the safest option if you’re biking or jogging on busy roadways. Audiophiles have been conditioned to think that earbuds are best when they drill sound waves directly into the ear, but these open-ear induction headphones are at the forefront of a new wave in personal audio.
During Deal Days, our version of Prime Day, Cult of Mac readers can get a pair of these innovative bone-conduction headphones for only $24.97 (regularly $79) with no coupon necessary. But you’ll have to move quickly, as this deal only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
Adding a second screen to any computer can instantly take your experience to the next level. For gamers that need additional playing real estate, or remote workers looking to boost productivity, the way to do it is with the USteam F22 15.6-inch 1080P FHD portable monitor, now on sale for only $129.99 (regularly $229.99) with no coupon necessary.
The super-low price is due to our epic Deal Days sale. It’s our answer to Prime Day — Black Friday in the summer, if you will. That means you don’t have long to snap it up. This price is only available through July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (while supplies last).
Want to see the world without being stung by the skyrocketing costs of flights? There’s a simple hack to save serious bucks on your summer vacation, and it comes in the form of getting alerts on ultra-low flight deals. Dollar Flight Club does precisely that. And right now, you can grab a Premium Plus+ lifetime subscription for only $59.97 (regularly $1,690), with no coupon necessary.
This discount on lifetime access to DFC’s Premium Plus+ plan is only available during our exciting Deal Days campaign — our version of Prime Day. So, you’ll have to act fast since this deal only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
The number of Apple TV+ subscribers has more than tripled in the past two years, according to data from a market-analysis firm.
Apple’s streaming service now sits in the middle of the pack in the battle against competitors like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.
Everybody loves to eat a nice dinner out on the town, but have you checked restaurant prices lately? Outrageous! However, a limited-time discount can save you a lot of money when dining out.
For a limited time, you can get two $100 gift certificates to Restaurant.com for just $20 (regularly $200)! Grab it now during Deal Days — our version of Prime Day — where you can get special pricing on tech, software and services.
SwitchEasy makes an array of cool bands for Apple Watch in different styles and with various materials, from stretchy nylon to stainless steel mesh. In the SwitchEasy Flash Sale, the Cult of Mac Store has four excellent choices on sale for 20% off the regular prices through July 3.
Check out all four SwitchEasy bands for Apple Watch below.
Monitor mounts and the like may not be terribly glamorous or exciting, but they can do an awful lot for a computer setup.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation uses them to make the laptop and two other crucial pieces of hardware easy to move around. And they keep the hardware off the desk, creating space for other items.
Canada’s 2,000 wildfires made news all over the United States when the resulting smoke drifted south in June. The fires burned more than 14 million acres, serving as a wake-up call for heightened attention to wildfire preparedness — especially because the United States is no stranger to its own conflagrations, with more than 72,000 communities at risk.
★★★☆☆
The Arzopa Portable Monitor A1C is a 15.6-inch, 1080P monitor ready to be connected to a Mac, iPad or gaming device over USB-C or HDMI. Given its relatively low price, the screen is one of the better options available for those on a tight budget.
It’s currently available at a price below $100, which is significantly lower than the cost of rival products.
I tested the portable display in my home office and on a recent vacation. Here’s what I found.
The dark comedy High Desert will not be returning to Apple TV+. The series starring Patricia Arquette earned generally positive comments from critics and viewers, but perhaps didn’t find a big audience.
Arquette herself made the announcement Sunday.
Cyberattacks can put you at risk of losing money, personal data and more. But you can protect your family from cybercrime with a top-rated VPN and firewall, like this Deeper Connect Pico decentralized VPN, which also comes with a Wi-FI adapter. Right now, you can grab this package for only $139.99 (regularly $248), no coupon needed. That’s this VPN bundle’s lowest price ever.
So, why so low? It’s all part of our epic Deal Days summer sale. It’s our version of Prime Day, where you can grab some incredible items at awesomely low prices. You’ll have to move quickly to grab this deal, though. It only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
Apple reportedly made hefty cuts to its production goals for the Vision Pro due to the headset’s complex design, which makes mass production a challenge.
Announced at WWDC23 in June, Apple’s mixed-reality headset will go on sale in early 2024. So the company has more than a few months to sort out these manufacturing challenges.
Apple is exploring adding health-focused features to future versions of AirPods Pro, including sensors that measure body temperature. The company also is working on features that would make the earbuds a viable hearing aid replacement, including an advanced hearing test to evaluate the wearer’s capabilities.
Apple also reportedly plans to transition the AirPods Pro’s charging case from Lightning to USB-C this year. This could happen alongside the iPhone 15 series in September.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: While it’s no big shock that Apple continues to work on new Macs and iPads, two new products reportedly in the pipeline actually do sound surprising — and surprisingly tempting. What are they? An iMac with a big, beautiful 30-inch-plus screen, and a next-gen Apple Watch Ultra.
Where do we place our preorders?
Also on The CultCast:
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.
For anyone who looked at the $3,500 price on the Apple Vision Pro and thought “that is so cheap,” Caviar has a version that’s over ten times as expensive. This specially modified AR headset is plated in gold and has a leather head strap.
Caviar even modified the design to make wearing the device a bit more private.
If you carry multiple devices you need to charge throughout the day, the cable struggle can be a lot to deal with. However, if you pack the right cable, you’ll only need one for your iPhone, iPad, MacBook and other tech.
The InCharge X Max is a 5-foot cable with folding ends that can connect to Lightning, USB-C, USB-A and micro USB ports. And you don’t have to wait for Prime Day to get it for a low price. Through July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, you can get one of these all-in-one cables for only $19.97 instead of $39.
So many games on the App Store are thinly veiled vessels for sucking away your money through in-app purchases, a problem that Apple is both the cause of and solution to. Today, I’m going to give you my five favorite non-spammy games for iPhone. They’re all highly addictive time-killers.
All of these games are devoid of manipulative game mechanics, pay-to-win schemes and scummy in-app purchases. They’re all free, included in a $4.99-a-month Apple Arcade subscription, or very cheap to buy. I don’t make a lot of time to play video games, so I’m certainly not going to waste time on a game that doesn’t respect me as a player.
Goldman Sachs reportedly wants out of a partnership with Apple that has the bank backing the Apple Card and other financial services. It’s not hard to guess why: recent filings from the bank indicate it has lost at least $1 billion on the deal.
It’s supposedly looking to hand the business off to another megabank.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ sports drama Swagger finds Jace preparing for a big birthday this week. He’s dealing with obstacles he sees — and bracing to be blindsided by some he can’t.
An estranged dad, an old adversary, a new teammate and coach Ike (who’s looking to Jace to secure his future) all conspire to keep the young basketball star from his A game. But for Jace, there’s always a way through. And this week’s excellent episode, entitled “18,” is a potent reminder of that.