Apple said Tuesday it will add four new games and more than 30 updates and events to Apple Arcade in August.

New games include a revival of Sega’s classic rhythm game Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go, puzzle games Nekograms+ and Kingdoms: Merge & Build, and indie puzzle-remix game finity.

“Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go is coming soon to Apple Arcade with exciting new songs and a series first Story Mode only found on the service,” said Ian Curran, president and chief operating officer of Sega of America.

The newly announced Alliance for OpenUSD is a collection of industry heavyweights — including Apple — putting their influence behind Pixar’s Universal Scene Description technology.

The stated goal of the AOUSD is “to standardize the 3D ecosystem.”

The second iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 public betas became available Monday so anyone who wants to start tinkering with the new features can try these well before the autumn release.

Among the more significant changes in iOS are personalized contact posters in the Phone app, home screen widgets go interactive, and autocorrect is smarter. iPadOS gets many of those same features, as well as signifi can’t Lock screen improvements.

Want to try the changes out for yourself? We’ll show you how.

If you miss the Twitter icon, you’re not alone. But there’s good news: You can easily change the app’s new X icon back to Twitter’s blue bird on your Home Screen by using a shortcut.

While it’s too late for Elon Musk to backtrack on many of the questionable business decisions he made since buying Twitter, you can at least patch over this latest one using my free downloadable Shortcut.

If you’re still using X, née Twitter, you might want the bright blue bird back on your Home Screen. I’ll show you how to get it.

A unique bit of Apple history just went up for auction: Apple Computer check “No. 2” signed by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Bidding for the $116.97 check is already up to more than $55,000.

A number of other rare Apple items are also up for sale, some signed by Jobs.

Known for laptop cases and such, Targus unveiled its new ErgoFlip EcoSmart Mouse last week. You can switch it from right- to left-hand use (or vice versa) with a simple twist of the top.

“This is the first mouse that provides true ergonomics for right- or left-hand use, solving the age old problem of finding a mouse that truly everyone can use,” said Mike Sexton, Targus’ senior director of Global Product Management & Development.

“This, along with its gaming-level performance and precision, and sustainable benefits, including its long battery life, makes it the mouse that does it all,” he added.

Most Americans pay for more cellular data than they need or ever use, according to a recent study. Dropping to a plan that offers less data would benefit 72% of subscribers for an obvious reason: These plans are more affordable.

In short, unlimited data plans usually aren’t a good value.

The owner of today’s MacBook Pro setup chose two Studio Displays over one Pro Display XDR to suit his workflow and because he realized he could bag one of the monitors at half price. Lucky him.

Several folks on social media noticed the damage, and some said they’d grab that deal, too, if they could.

EarFun Air S noise-canceling wireless earbuds just hit their lowest price ever — $37.99.

You simply don’t find this quality at that price, so if you’re in the market for earbuds, take that into consideration.

It happens every year. The summer flies by, and before you know it, the words “back to school” are popping up everywhere. We know that pain.

It’s smart to get ahead of the back-to-school shopping game and snag supplies early, especially when those supplies are a great deal, like this refurbished MacBook Air. Get one through August 13 for just $299.99 and cross one thing off your list now.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery just got its largest-ever game expansion. Dubbed Beyond Hogwarts, it offers 50% more content as players leave the hallowed halls of Hogwarts and visit the magical haunts of London.

With the expansion, those who played the original game when it launched 5 years ago can come back and find plenty more to enjoy.

This year’s iPhone 15 Pro models will feature “stronger, lighter and more premium” titanium edges, according to a reliable source. And a customizable Action button could be another highlight, letting users quickly enable Focus mode, launch the Camera app or perform other common tasks.

All those new features could jack up the cost of the iPhone 15 Pro line considerably.

There’s a lot more to AI than telling ChatGPT to write a paragraph or tell a joke. With a little coding experience, you can program your own AI chatbot. Even if you’re a beginner programmer, you can start your education independently with the 2023 Ultimate AI ChatGPT and Python Programming Bundle.

This course pack gives you 86 hours of expert instruction, culminating in a tutorial to help you craft a chatbot. And it’s on sale for only $29.97 until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, blast off with Apple TV+’s spectacular Foundation, a space opera worthy of the classics of the genre. After a stellar first season of the show, which is based on the timeless novels of Isaac Asimov, the second season is even more tremendous!

Here’s why you should check out this epic sci-fi show if you haven’t already.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Not all iPhone rumors prove exciting. In fact, a big one this week — possible iPhone 15 price hikes — sounds downright depressing. But it’s not all bad news. The “normie” iPhone 15 might get some trickle-down camera tech that could make it easier not to go Pro this year.

Also on The CultCast:

• Think of all the interesting ways you could use an Action button like on Apple Watch Ultra’s on an iPhone. Well, the iPhone 15 Pro might get in on that action.
• Apple’s Vision Pro loaners for developers come with some absolutely ridiculous restrictions.
• We’ve got an Apple Watch tip that we bet you don’t know — how to get the time with a tap on your wrist. Perfect for those long, boring meetings when you don’t want to peek at your watch.
• Hang around for the great Apple Music versus Spotify debate of 2023.

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 this week’s giveaway, we partnered with Harber London to offer you an opportunity to win an exquisite, handmade Magnetic Envelope Sleeve for iPad Pro valued at $118.

This gorgeous, full-grain leather iPad sleeve exudes elegance and durability, boasting a sleek design and robust construction. Crafted in either black or tan, the sleeve is made of top-quality leather, with 100% wool felt on the back and inner sleeve. This combination ensures comprehensive protection for your prized iPad, shielding it from potential scratches and impacts while providing a comfortable touch.

Apple aggressively added to its catalog of original films and TV shows between June 2022 and June 2023. The Apple TV+ total hit almost 200, and has since surpassed that milestone.

And some of the shows are very popular, appearing near the top of the ratings list always every week of 2023.

Clip the Brydge Pro+ keyboard to an 11-inch iPad Pro to make an ultraportable laptop ready for school or work. And the useful add-on is available now for just $29.99.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your first, second or third-generation iPad Pro 11-inch with a keyboard and trackpad, there’s never been a better time.

Searching for a job is hardly fun, especially if you have to repeatedly enter all the information from your application materials into various online questionnaires. Thank heavens you can save yourself some time — and open up new professional opportunities — with the help of AI.

LazyApply is a job-hunting AI assistant that inputs your information for you, then helps you generate and track your application materials. Don’t waste time hunting blindly! Get a lifetime license to LazyApply during our Back-to-School Sale, while it’s just $59.97 (regularly $149).

Arc is a new kind of web browser that recently launched for Mac. It breaks free of the conventional tabbed window design with an all-new approach to organizing your internet activity without slowing you down along the way.

The top talent at The Browser Company, Arc’s developer, are taking bold approaches behind the scenes as well. The Windows version won’t be rewritten in C++ as with most Windows programs. Instead, the team is creating a custom toolkit to compile its code in Apple’s Swift language on Windows.

You can download Arc here for free from The Browser Company.

The back-to-school season is about more than returning to the classroom. It’s about taking your education into your own hands. If you want to become an IT professional, you don’t need to wait for a class you can take in person.

Instead, you can enroll in the Complete 2023 CompTIA Certification Course Super Bundle by Iducate. This comprehensive IT and cybersecurity study bundle can be used as an independent educational tool or to help you prep for formal CompTIA certification. Either way, it costs just $39.97 — but only until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. 

Apple TV+’s epic space opera Foundation shores up its defenses this week as everyone prepares for the second crisis.

Hari and Gaal have a crucial appointment with an ancient power. Cleric and Day both need to rescue the last men in the galaxy that either of them wants to ask for help. And new and greater puzzles wait behind every corner.

Great pacing, great character work and a couple of welcome additions to the Foundation cast make this week’s episode, “King and Commoner,” appointment television.

iPhone shipments made up 55% of the U.S. smartphone market in the second quarter of 2023, according to a market-analysis firm. That’s the third quarter to a row that Apple handsets have made up more than half of the market.

iPhone shipments actually declined slightly in the April-though-June period, but not as much as some Android-makers — Samsung shipments dropped almost 40%.

Looking to buy a new MacBook Pro but find the 14-inch and 16-inch models expensive? You might consider buying the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which costs a much more reasonable $1,299.

And if you jump on Amazon’s latest deal, you can get the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip for just $1,099, a sweet $200 off.