If you feel lost in a sea of podcasts without a paddle, Apple offered some new rowing implements Tuesday. After all, navigating podcasts can feel as hopeless as floundering among streaming TV shows and movies.
The company said Apple Podcasts will elevate nine “new and noteworthy” subcategories for browsing, plus related popularity charts and the new Podcasts by Language browsing tool.
As nice as it is to have an iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and iPad with you all the time, that’s a lot of batteries to keep topped up. If you’re lucky, you can get away with carrying around only two cables, but that still means juggling devices between chargers.
Instead, get one cable that works for three devices at once. The Three-in-One USB-C Charging Cable can power two Lightning devices and your Apple Watch, and it’s now on sale for $18.99 (regularly $34). Plus, it comes in a variety of colors.
A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled Tuesday that Apple used illegal means to convince employees at one of its retail stores in New York not to form a union.
The judge issued several instructions to Apple that might assist in future unionizing efforts at the company’s 270-plus U.S. retail locations.
iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma are not big upgrades. However, they will bring plenty of little improvements that add up to a better experience on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Despite that, Apple dropped support for some older iPhones, iPads and Macs with its upcoming OS releases.
That’s only part of the disappointment equation, though. Several new features won’t work on older Apple gear, even though the devices can run the new operating systems.
Many of the new features in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 that won’t make it to older iPhones and iPads will go missing primarily because they are very resource-hungry. As for Macs, several macOS Sonoma features won’t come to Intel-based machines. This is sort of a given, since Apple switched to in-house chips that deliver better performance while maintaining ruthless power efficiency. The list of features not available on Intel Macs will only expand over time until Apple eventually drops support for them altogether.
Now that you the reasons for the omissions, here’s a rundown of new features in iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma that won’t work on older devices.
Google is making Chrome better on the iPhone and iPad with several new AI-powered features. The browser is gaining deeper Google Maps and Calendar integration as a part of its latest release.
Additionally, Google Chrome can now partially translate text on a page without you having to leave the app.
Turns out Apple TV+ is not going to turn Fritz Lang’s sci-fi classic Metropolis into a series. The ongoing writers’ strike reportedly caused the project to be shut down.
And it’s not the only Apple TV+ project to run afoul of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
Ted Lasso, the comedy that became the first surprise Apple TV+ hit, earned rave reviews with its recent series finale — and now Apple CEO Tim cook wants more!
That’s according to Brendan Hunt, one of the creators and stars of Ted Lasso. Whether Cook will get it or not remains an open question, however.
Unless you’re fleeing the country for legal reasons, a trip overseas is always a great idea. The first visit to a new country is guaranteed to make memories that will last a lifetime, especially if you learn the language before you go. And what better way to do it than with Rosetta Stone?
The No. 1 language-learning platform has wowed millions of users since 1992, and it keeps getting better with each update. Now, new users can take 15% off a lifetime subscription to the service, thanks to a limited-time flash sale. Through midnight tonight, lifetime access to Rosetta Stone is only $159.97 (regularly $299) when you use code VACATION15 at checkout.
Our password-free future just took a step closer. Apple has begin rolling out signing onto its online store can with a passkey instead of a password. The change allows shoppers to access the site with Face ID or Touch ID. The same is true for iCloud.com and Apple’s dev site.
However, the feature is still in testing so it’s not available for everyone. It requires a beta of iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS Sonoma.
Always wondering where you left the Apple TV remote? Maybe you should always put it in the same place when you’re done with it. And Elago makes that easy with its updated magnetic Metal Plate R1.
Just stick it to a surface on or near your TV and your R1 remote sticks to it. And viola, once you get in the habit of putting it back there, your remote is always where it’s supposed to be.
Kensington unveiled a new “silent” mechanical keyboard for business and home use Tuesday. It’s the new MK7500F QuietType Pro Silent Wireless Mechanical Keyboard with Meeting Controls.
“Ideal for use in noise-sensitive home or office work environments, the MK7500F delivers a combination of beauty, durability and functionality, to provide professionals with a premium, quiet typing experience,” the company said.
The Apple Self Service Repair program will soon expand to include the iPhone 14 series as well as MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models released in 2022.
The program provides customers access to parts and tools they need to fix their own devices.
Apple finally plans to make playing music from third-party sources easier on HomePods. Starting with iOS 17, you can ask Siri to play music on your HomePod from music apps installed on your iPhone.
Despite Apple providing the necessary apps, only a handful of music streaming services natively support HomePod. This change from Apple in iOS 17 is an excellent workaround to this problem.
A high-level Apple exec recently answered a question that bugs many Apple Watch users: Why aren’t third-party watch faces allowed?
It comes down to the company not allowing the wearable’s all-important home screen to be replaced by a non-Apple alternative that might not prove as reliable.
The European Parliament passed sweeping legislation last week intended to make recycling batteries easier. The new rules will require Apple to redesign iPhone and iPad so their batteries can be replaced by users. (Android devices will face the same mandate.)
This will be the second major hardware change to Apple products to result from EU legislation. iPhones soon will come with a USB-C port in place of Lightning because of a European requirement.
★★★★☆
The best way to be sure no one is accessing your files is to lock them on an encrypted drive. The Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200 includes built-in keypad so you can easily unlock the USB drive when it’s time to access your stored information.
I put the mini-SSD to the test in my home office. Read on to see how well it stood up use with a variety of computers and other devices.
Apple’s big and bulky Apple Watch Ultra is available with massive discounts of up to $69. The latest Amazon deal on the smartwatch knocks its price down to as low as $729.
Amazon offers a $50 discount on the listing page, with an additional $20 off automatically applied at checkout.
Today’s featured computer setup sports something we don’t see often — multiple stations for different uses. And its colossal 65-inch smart TV, used as a computer display as well as a home theater screen, is pretty unusual, too.
Check it out and peruse the gear list below.
It’s not too late to snag deals on Apple accessories for your dad — or for yourself — in the Cult of Mac Store’s Father’s Day Sale, which runs through Monday. You can find discounts of up to 15% off on 140 products from Elkson, Just Mobile, Laut, Mifa, Rilee & Lo and Speidel. It’s quite a selection.
See some highlights below and others here, and check out the whole Father’s Day Savings Collection!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an animated image must be worth millions a minute. You don’t have to do the math on that. Just look at the popularity of films like The Incredibles or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The latest version of Moho animation software makes it easier than ever for creators to put their art in motion. And a flash sale makes Moho a lot more affordable. Through June 20, you can grab this incredible alternative to traditional animation for just $79.97 (regularly $399).
Apple could switch to a more powerful Ultra Wideband chip on the iPhone 15. And for its 2024 iPhones, the company could adopt the newer and faster Wi-Fi 7 standard.
These hardware upgrades will seemingly allow Apple to build a more competitive ecosystem for its upcoming Vision Pro headset.
Any decent photographer knows that getting the perfect shot is only half the battle. Fine-tuning that pic requires just as much skill, but even the most experienced shutterbug needs the right tools. Luminar is a full-featured photo editor that’s long been a hit with amateurs and professionals alike.
The latest update, Luminar Neo, is now available with a host of add-ons for the best price on the web. You can get the Award-Winning Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle for only $79.97 (regularly $400).
In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we rewind back to Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson, a 2021 miniseries about the ins and outs of modern music production and recording.
With superproducer Mark Ronson (who’s worked with stars like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga) as our host, we see the ways in which sound can be manipulated — and the ways in which it is already miraculous. Here’s why you should give this must-see Apple TV+ music miniseries a spin.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The M2 Ultra chip gives the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro incredible powers, the first benchmarks show. And the new 15-inch MacBook Air doesn’t look too shabby, either. In fact, it seems like the ultimate Mac laptop for most people.
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.
iOS 17 has a lot of great headlining features — and many more features Apple didn’t have time to mention during the WWDC23 keynote. Today, I’m going one level deeper: Here are 10 more tweaks and smaller changes that could have a big impact on daily life with your iPhone after you update to iOS 17.