This week on Drops of God, the excellent Apple TV+ show about two people competing for the title of greatest sommelier on earth, Camille and Issei consider their places in the world — and in their family lines.

Issei, fuming over a secret long kept, needs to focus for the final challenge. Camille, weighing an impulsive business decision, wonders what the next step for her will be, no matter whether she wins or loses.

Some of the computer setups on social media with the biggest “wow” factor are Mac Pro-based. And some boast not one but multiple Pro Display XDRs, Apple’s unattainably high-priced top monitor.  But some “wow” setup have both a Mac Pro and multiple Pro Display XDRs, like today’s featured rig.

And discussion prompted by the setup covers a key issue to consider when you’ve got a big, heavy, gorgeous, super-expensive display. What’s the most solid, safe and wiggle-free mount to use with it?

Updating your Microsoft software might not seem exciting, but it can prove crucial for productivity. What is exciting is knowing the secret to getting legitimate copies of Windows, Microsoft Office and more at just a fraction of the full price.

Your gateway to savings: software activation keys.

The Carsule is a secure, UV-resistant pop-up tent that goes anywhere your car goes.

Just in time for Memorial Day, this “pop-up cabin for your car” is \on sale for only $309.97 (regularly $379). However, this deal lasts only through the end of the month. Act fast if you want to get the best price you’ll find anywhere online.

Season two of Prehistoric Planet will fill the heart of any dinosaur-obsessed child with joy. And adults should watch, too — especially anyone who still thinks dinos are slow-moving, stupid creatures that are just waiting around to go extinct.

These new episodes, which Apple TV+ doled out this week, combine cutting-edge CGI with the latest in paleontology. The result is a series that’s stunningly beautiful, exciting to watch and as scientifically accurate as possible.

Do you dream of exploring exotic destinations and creating memories that last a lifetime? The world is calling, and now is your chance to answer. While experts predict flight prices will remain high this year, you can save big on airfare with a lifetime subscription to Matt’s Flights Premium Plan.

As part of our Memorial Day sale, this service is now only $49.99. No coupon is needed, but the special price will only last until May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Whether you’re planning a solo adventure, your family’s summer vacation or the bucket list trip you’ve always dreamed of, consider this your golden ticket to making it happen for less money than you ever thought possible.

Qi2 is a new wireless charging standard expected to go into widespread use later in 2023. And, according to an unconfirmed report, the upcoming iPhone 15 will be one of the handsets that supports it, including 15W charging.

That’s not surprising, considering Qi2 is heavily based on the MagSafe system built into current iPhones.

Moft released its cool, origami-style Snap Float Folio for iPad in 2022, offering a versatile four stand positions for the tablet. Now the company has updated the folio, reinforcing it and adding stronger magnets for a better hold, among other changes.

“In retrospect, yeah, stronger magnets would definitely improve the stand,” said Ed Hardy, Cult of Mac‘s reviewer of the original Snap Float. He loved it then, and it sounds like the new one’s even better.

A new power bank from Belkin includes a built-in wireless charger that can juice up the latest Apple Watch models in the minimum amount of time. The battery also can simultaneously replenish an iPhone through its USB-C port.

The BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K launched Thursday.

With spring soon turning to summer, isn’t it time you lightened up your look and added a bit of bling? Maybe a studded leather Apple Watch band in taupe and some shiny and colorful Apple Watch cases to go with it are just the thing.

Goldenerre’s popular leather band is now available in a taupe color in the Cult of Mac Store, along with shiny gold and silver Apple Watch cases, with (or without) rhinestones for maximum bling.

A newly published patent filing shows Apple is exploring the possibility of building support for the Find My device locating system into a future version of the Apple Pencil. At the very least, the stylus might be able to play an alert sound to make it more findable.

Other products from the company already have this feature.

Apple TV+ went wheels-up Thursday with a trailer for the upcoming thriller series Hijack. In it, Idris Elba plays a business negotiator who finds himself on a hijacked airliner and sets about handling a desperate situation that is much more complicated than it first appears — with the lives of 200 passengers at stake.

On the plane the clock is very much ticking, and so is ours as we wait for this show to take off. It debuts June 28 on Apple TV+.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT for iOS makes the much-hyped chatbot easy to use on an iPhone. It’s powered by the same artificial intelligence as the web version, so it’s useful in many ways for people on the go. Plus, the app has its own voice-recognition system. And the basic version is free.

The ChatGPT AI already stirred up enormous controversy. But here are some suggestions for how to use the new iPhone application in positive ways.

The 2023 Mac mini with the powerful Apple M2 processor is already an amazing deal, and shoppers can now save even more by buying a refurbished unit.

These are primarily desktops that consumers bought then returned so supplies are limited. There are no units with the M2 Pro processor available at this time, for example.

Apple TV+ neo-noir comedy High Desert gets mired in criminal business and stolen paintings this week. The show stars Patricia Arquette as Peggy Newman, who’s doing some on-the-ground investigation into a missing woman and the trail of chaos she left in her wake.

Is her husband, a mutilated guru, to blame? Or the woman’s mobbed-up brothers? The episode, entitled “Get Judy off the Bed,” delivers another delirious dose of the streaming service’s newest success.

Imagine possessing the power to match the color of anything. The Nix Mini color sensor does exactly that and sends all the details right to your iPhone. With this handy gadget, you can color-match old wall paint, piece together a palette for your next project and do much more with a simple scan.

And now it’s cheaper than ever. Until May 31, you can get the Nix Mini 2 color sensor for only $59.97 (regularly $99).

Walking into a doctor’s office to be greeted by a public announcement of the medical condition you’re there to have treated would be a nightmare. A nightmare that plays out in the latest Apple video advert.

But one person in the ad is safe from embarrassment: the one who stores her medical data in the iPhone Health app, which Apple designed to protect user privacy.

Ted Lasso, Apple TV+’s most popular show, is winding down, with just two episodes left before it closes up shop (likely for good). The fish-out-of-water football coach is trying to keep his struggling soccer team from the bottom of the rankings — and himself from the bottom of his feelings.

To complicate things, Jamie Tartt goes on an existential bender this week as he prepares for a big hometown gig, and Ted and his tough-guy coach Roy Kent need to figure out how to fix their star player. The episode, entitled “Mom City,” is about as good as this show gets.

The always-on display in recent iPhones will get a new use in iOS 17, according to a tipster. The device will reportedly show upcoming appointments, controls for smart home accessories, and more.

We won’t have long to wait to find out if this is an accurate leak — the official unveiling of iOS 17 at WWDC23 is expected in under two weeks.

The Snoopy Show season 3 premieres in June on Apple TV+, with Charlie Brown’s dog, his pal Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang setting off for more fun. The trailer for the new season shows the irrepressible pooch becoming an airline pilot, a surfer, a skater, a pirate and much more.

And this is just one of the Peanuts shows coming soon to Apple TV+, including a new series.

With Apple apparently on the verge of releasing its first AR/VR headset at WWDC23, an Israeli startup called Sightful has unveiled Spacetop, which it calls “the world’s first augmented-reality laptop.”

Spacetop has no dedicated display. The user dons AR glasses to view tabs across a curved, 100-inch virtual space that no one else can see. You have to wonder if this practical step into AR is the right move at the right time — or too practical for its own good.

Apple’s 5K Studio Display in on the pricey side for many folks, so many less-expensive 4K monitors like the one in today’s featured MacBook Pro and Lenovo laptop setup tend to stand in for it.

But not every big-selling 4K display is designed to look like it belongs in an Apple setup. This one is.

Every globetrotter who visits multiple countries on one trip knows keeping gadgets charged can be a hassle. You might need a different plug for each country. That’s where universal travel adapters like Momax’s come in super-handy.

In new Apple TV+ comedy Platonic, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play old pals who, after taking a hiatus from their intense friendship, learn that rekindling such a thing is a fraught proposition this far into their lives.

Created by Francesca Delblanco and Nicholas Stoller, Platonic is a lovely, lazy-day kind of a comedy that charms even when it seems like it could stand to straighten up and fly right.

What’s the best VPN to use on a Mac, and how do you use a VPN for data privacy? With Intego Privacy Protection, you can instantly connect to servers all around the world, including ones specially optimized for streaming. This advanced VPN comes with plenty of options for keeping your data secure and private.

You can set it to automatically open when you start your Mac, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to launch it. Intego’s international servers, which are optimized for streaming services, worked perfectly in my testing. I’ll show you how to get started with one of the best VPNs for Mac.