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This unique MacBook accessory adapts its buttons to every app [Review]

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Dune is a context-aware programmable accessory for your Mac.
Dune is a context-aware programmable accessory for your Mac.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

I have more than a dozen keyboard shortcuts set up on my MacBook. But between Slack, Zoom, Safari, Chrome and countless other apps, there’s no way I can remember them all. That’s the problem Project Mirage’s Dune aims to solve.

At first glance, Dune looks like a programmable macro pad. But it’s much smarter than that, as it adds three context-aware buttons next to your MacBook’s keyboard. It’s an interesting idea, but does it actually work in real life?

Apple planned a monster Mac Pro, then killed it

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Apple’s “Extreme” Mac Pro was too extreme.
Apple’s “Extreme” Mac Pro was too extreme.
AI image: ChatGPT

Apple reportedly planned to use “Extreme” processors in the Mac Pro to deliver unrivaled performance, beating even its “Pro” and “Ultra” chips. But eventually, pricing and demand concerns led the company to scrap the idea.

Besides M2 Extreme and M3 Extreme chips, Apple also worked on an Intel-powered upgrade for the Mac Pro, according information that leaked out on Sunday.

Today in Apple history: iPod gets a new Click Wheel

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Photo of the fourth-generation iPod, which brought key improvements like the Click Wheel, but still left some people disappointed.
The fourth-generation iPod brought key improvements, but still left some people disappointed.
Photo: National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution/Flickr CC

July 19: Today in Apple history: Fourth-generation iPod gets Click Wheel interface July 19, 2004: The fourth-generation iPod brings neat innovations to the popular audio device, including the Click Wheel interface recently introduced on the iPod mini.

“The best digital music player just got better,” says Steve Jobs in a press release on the day the product launches. And yet some people feel disappointed by the upgraded music player.

5 must-watch shows that make Apple TV more popular than ever

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Apple TV streaming service
A handful of Apple TV series drive the streamer's impressive audience growth. These are the streamer's hottest dramas, comedies and sci-fi.
Image: Apple

Apple TV finally gets the audience it deserves. Or the streaming service is headed in that direction, anyway. In the contest to become the top streamer, Apple TV posted the strongest year-over-year growth of any platform last quarter.

Five shows helped push the streaming service’s audience numbers upward. Anyone looking for the best that Apple TV has to offer needs to be watching these.

Today in Apple history: Multimedia Macs take on the world

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LC 630 Macintosh
The 630 series Macs delivered multimedia capabilities at a reasonable price.
Photo: Computers.popcorn/Cult of Mac

July 18: Today in Apple history: Apple launches Quadra, Performa and LC 630 Macintoshes July 18, 1994: Apple launches the Quadra, LC and Performa 630 Macintoshes, three similar computers with slight differences tailored for the professional, educational and home markets. Aimed at multimedia use, the new 630 series Macs bring innovative hardware and software at a much more affordable price than previous Apple computers.

I tried the viral Mac app that reveals what your USB-C cables can really do [Review]

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Image of WhatCable Mac app running on a Mac
From charging speeds to Thunderbolt support, WhatCable takes the guesswork out of USB-C.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

A free Mac app called WhatCable solves the biggest problem with USB-C cables: They all look alike, but they are not all the same.

Plug a USB-C cable into your Mac, and WhatCable can tell you how much power it can deliver, how fast it can transfer data and more. And a pro version for power users serves up even more data about the cables in your collection. The app’s earning accolades online (and hit No. 4 on ProductHunt), so I decided to put it to the test.

Apple Music jacks up subscription fees due to ‘rising licensing costs’

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Image of an iPad with the Apple Music app on the screen, used to illustrate a story about price hikes
Your tunes just got a little more expensive.
Image: Apple

Apple Music just became a bit pricier. Apple raised the streaming service’s monthly rate across all subscription tiers on Friday, citing the increasing cost of licensing artists’ music.

The company also jacked up the price of most Apple One bundles, which package Apple Music with subscriptions to other Apple services.

Apple briefly overtakes Nvidia as world’s most valuable company

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A picture of the Apple logo used in a story about Apple surpassing Nvidia as the world's most valuable company.
Apple momentarily reclaimed its crown as the world’s most valuable company from Nvidia.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple briefly became the world’s most valuable publicly traded company once again on Friday before Nvidia reclaimed the top spot.

While Nvidia ended the week with a market cap of $4.912 trillion, just a hair ahead of Apple’s $4.901 trillion valuation, Friday’s trading capped a blockbuster week of gains for AAPL, even as investors pummeled AI-related stocks.

How to share your AirTag location with an airline to find lost luggage

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A n image of an iPhone with the
You can temporarily share the location of your lost bag with your airline.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple added the Share Item Location feature to its Find My app to let AirTag users securely share the exact position of a tracking tag attached to lost luggage with an airline.

Here’s how to use the feature to show an airline employee that your bag is actually just outside Concourse C in the Atlanta airport, not in Denver, where they think it is. They can even see the exact position of the luggage.

Apple faces Hide My Email lawsuit over privacy flaw it allegedly failed to fix

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A picture of Apple's Hide My Email feature used in a story about the same.
The Hide My Email lawsuit claims Apple knew its address-hiding feature was broken and kept selling anyway.
Photo: Apple

Apple is facing a new Hide My Email lawsuit, and it does not look good. A proposed class-action suit claims the company sold customers privacy promises it couldn’t deliver on.

The suit says Apple knew about a certain flaw in its address-hiding feature for more than a year, but kept marketing Hide My Email as airtight privacy the whole time.

Today in Apple history: iMac G4 gets super-size screen

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The iMac G4 brings a
The iMac G4 brings a "breathtaking" giant screen to desktops everywhere.
Photo: Apple

July 17: Today in Apple history: iMac G4 brings super-sized screen July 17, 2002: Apple ships a new super-sized iMac G4 with a 17-inch widescreen LCD display that becomes the envy of many computer users at the time.

“The best consumer desktop just got even better,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs of the company’s new all-in-one computer in a press release. “Having this gorgeous 17-inch flat screen floating in mid-air right in front of you is simply breathtaking. There’s nothing like it in the PC world.”

He wasn’t wrong!

Roblox’s AI game creation tool is coming to iPhone and iPad

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Roblox AI game creation tool Build
Roblox adds AI creation to its promise that “You make the game.”
Image: Roblox

Got a game idea but no idea about how to code it? Roblox just made that far easier. The company is now rolling out Build, a new AI game creation tool for iPhone and iPad. Simply type a prompt in plain English, and Build turns it into a playable — no desktop editor required.

Roblox is betting that generative AI can dramatically lower the barrier to game development.

Stop slaving over invoices with lifetime access to AI Invoice Maker (just $20)

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Comic book-style image of a stressed-out woman pulling her hair out as she struggles to create invoices on a MacBook without AI Invoice Maker
Turn invoicing from a nightmare to a breeze with AI Invoice Maker.
Image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

Why struggle with manual billing when AI Invoice Maker lets you create professional invoices in seconds?

This polished app also lets you export polished PDFs and manage billing across your Apple devices. And right now, you can lock down a lifetime license to AI Invoice Maker for just $19.99 (regularly $39.99).

iPad mini and 3 more iPads getting upgrades: What to expect

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iPad rumors reveal Apple's big plans
There's so much for iPad fans to look forward to.
Image: Cult of Mac/Apple/ChatGPT

Want to know which iPad models will get revamps in the next year? The answer is easy: all of them. Every single one.

An iPad mini upgraded with an OLED is reportedly at the top of the list, and we can look forward it being followed by new versions of the basic iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro… each before the end of spring 2027.

Here’s what is coming down the line.

Weird story links World Emoji Day to Apple

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The roots of World Emoji Day go deep into Apple history.
The roots of World Emoji Day go deep into Apple history.
Image: Cult of Mac

World Emoji Day happens on July 17 every year — but why? The holiday’s story takes a circuitous path through Apple history, tying together Mac OS X Jaguar, calendar software, Japanese cellphone carriers, Macworld Expo and Emojipedia creator Jeremy Burge.

Apple Maps ads will ban plumbers, crypto ATMs and bail bonds

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Three iPhone screenshots of Apple Maps used in a story about restrictions on ads in the navigation app.
Apple Maps ads will shut out several business categories when they roll out this summer.
Image: Apple

Apple is going to be quite picky about the types of ads it shows in Apple Maps. New advertising rules say plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and roofers can’t buy ads on the navigation app — even though Google happily sells them in its mapping app.

That’s a deliberate distinction from Google’s model, in which home services ads make up one of the biggest categories. And that’s just the start of Apple’s restrictions on ads in Apple Maps and its other services.

As it turns out, Apple wants Maps to feel more like a curated storefront than a search engine.

You’ll never need a USB-C cable with this brilliant 200W power bank [Review] ★★★★★

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ReelCharge ReelPro 200W Power Bank review★★★★★
The ReelCharge ReelPro 200W is one of the best power banks I've tested.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The ReelCharge ReelPro 200W Power Bank holds 27,000 mAh and can pump out up to 200W. But perhaps its standout feature is an integrated USB-C cable that acts as a carrying handle.

The accessory also includes a status screen so you always know how much power is flowing, plus it includes USB-C and USB-A ports.

I put the external battery through weeks of testing, including taking it on a beach vacation. Here’s how it stood up.

Apple closes unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon buyers

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A picture of the iPhone 17 Pro max used in a story about Apple closing the unocked iPhone loophole.
The unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon financing just got shut down.
Photo: Apple

Apple closed the unlocked iPhone loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon buyers. If you’ve financed an iPhone through any of these carriers, it used to stay unlocked. Not anymore.

Every iPhone financed through T-Mobile or Verizon will now stay locked to that carrier until you fully pay it off. This is exactly how AT&T’s financing has always worked. It means no more SIM swapping, joining an MVNO or popping in a travel eSIM on the go.

Today in Apple history: Apple pays $450 million to settle e-books suit

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Image of Apple's iBooks Store on two iPads and an iPhone.
The United States accused Apple of trying to hurt rival e-book sellers.
Photo: Apple

July 16: Today in Apple history: Apple settles e-books lawsuit for $450 million July 16, 2014: Apple agrees to pay $450 million to resolve the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against the company over e-book pricing in the iBooks Store. In the e-books lawsuit, Apple stands accused of conspiring with five major book publishers to fix prices on digital books.

After all five publishers settle their claims outside of court, Apple becomes the only one to go to trial. The e-books lawsuit settlement closes the book on a bad chapter in Apple’s history.

AppleCare+ price increase lands for new Mac and iPad buyers

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A picture showing AppleCare used in a story about AppleCare+ price hike.
New Mac and iPad buyers are facing an AppleCare+ price increase starting this week.
Photo: Apple

Apple is pushing an AppleCare+ price increase, with Mac and iPad owners footing the bill. Sign up for coverage on a new Mac or iPad today, and you’ll pay 50 cents more per month than you would have last week.

The change just went into effect and only affects new AppleCare+ enrollments. If you’re already subscribed, you’ll keep your current rate for now. But Apple hasn’t clarified how long that will last. It’s a small bump, but lands just weeks after Apple hiked hardware prices.

EU won’t force Apple to redesign AirPods

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No AirPods redesign is a lifesaver for Apple's tiny earbuds
Future AirPods get to keep the trademark slim design.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s AirPods appear to have dodged a costly redesign after the European Commission carved out new exemptions to its upcoming replaceable battery rules for portable electronics.

The requirement could have also required changes to the design of the Apple Watch.

These iPad minis just dropped to less than $295

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A purple Apple iPad Mini 6th Gen
Grab a refurbished sixth-gen iPad mini at a great price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With this refurbished iPad mini 6 deal, you can pick up a tiny Apple tablet for less than 300 bucks. That’s less than half the price of the latest model, the seventh-generation iPad mini, which now starts at $599 after Apple’s recent price hikes.

This sixth-gen iPad mini is slightly older, and it’s used. But if you want a solid slate for less, this is a great buy. Grab a refurbished iPad mini 6 for just $294.99 before they sell out.

Apple’s Back to School 2026 deal offers up to a $150 gift card

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AI-generated image showing a MacBook, an iPad, AirPods, AIrTags and Apple Pencil (plus books and backpack) used to illustrate a story about the Apple Back to School 2026 deal
Get a free AirTag or AirPods with your new Mac or iPad.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Update: Apple’s Back to School 2026 offer is now available in the United States and Canada. We updated this article with the latest details.

After a slight delay, Apple’s Back to School 2026 offer is now live across most major markets. It first launched in select Asian countries before expanding to the United States and Canada.

The Back to School promo comes weeks after Apple steeply hiked prices of its Mac and iPad lineup due to rising DRAM and NAND costs.

Colorful Lego iMac G3 moves closer to becoming reality

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Lego iMac G3 advances in race to become an official set
Hope remains alive that a fan-designed iMac G3 will become an official Lego Ideas set.
Photo: The Lego Group

The colorful Lego iMac G3 for nostalgic Apple fans just cleared another important milestone on its long journey from fan concept to store shelves.

A Lego version of Apple’s iconic iMac G3 desktop has been working its way through the approval process for almost a year, and the Lego company confirmed on Tuesday that the possibility remains very much alive.