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!)

The dystopian sci-fi mystery Silo launched on Apple TV+ in early May, and it’s been at or near the top of the ratings charts ever since. Last week, it was once again more popular than any other streaming series.

Plus, the finale of the sports dramedy Ted Lasso put it in the top 10 as well.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Everyone has paper documents they need to keep. But if your dad’s office is getting out of hand, the iScanner iOS app can turn his iPhone into a quick and easy scanning tool that can help him clear the clutter.

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.

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.

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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.

The just-launched Diablo IV is not available for macOS, which angered many Mac gamers. Turns out, one of those people is actor Whoopi Goldberg.

The frustration stems from the fact that previous titles in the long-running game series from Blizzard have supported Mac.

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.

If your dad likes to read, you probably purchased him a book as a Father’s Day gift at least once over the years. With that holiday here again, you can help him discover hundreds of books at a surprisingly low price.

During our Father’s Day Sale, a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium costs just $69.99 (regularly $300), with no coupon required. That’s nearly 80% savings on an app that’s primed to provide many years of entertainment and enlightenment for your old man. This deal only lasts until June 11, though, so act fast.

Apple’s redesigned 13-inch MacBook Air from 2022 remains among the best portable laptops you can buy. The 15-inch MacBook Air packs the same benefits in a slightly bigger form factor.

So, which MacBook Air model is right for you — 13-inch or 15-inch? Read our comparison to find out.

Apple is fixing one of the biggest annoyances of Apple Maps on iOS 17. You can finally download maps for offline use, complete with turn-by-turn directions.

Google Maps has long offered the ability to download maps for offline use. This allows you to use the app for navigation even when not in network range.

You know how Dad is always telling you stories about the good old days? If you’re tired of hearing about them, maybe the best thing you can get him for Father’s Day is a whole new batch of great memories.

The best way to do that is with travel. And that’s what makes the 2023 Travel Hacker Bundle so appealing — especially now that it’s down to less than $159.99 through June 11 for our special Father’s Day Sale.