★★★★☆
Drops of God, the impressive new Apple TV+ series about an impossible contest to determine the winner of a fortune in wine, brings us to our second challenge this week.
In the episode, entitled “The Link,” Issei deals with the fallout from his father’s latest and most devastating decision. And Camille is given even more choices as she struggles to come out ahead in the latest contest.
Farmers know that one of nature’s miracles is its ability to turn egg shells, banana peels and other food waste into fertilizer that helps plants grow and produce more food. Unfortunately, nature needs a sizeable and smelly outdoor space for that to happen, which is why not too many people compost. Reencle is a gadget that aims to change all that with tech that makes composting convenient and odor-free.
Typically $699, the Reencle composter is now on sale for only $489.
★★★☆☆
New Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie tells the story of the charismatic actor’s life, his complicated relationship with stardom, and the degenerative disease that hit him at an early age.
Directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, He Named Me Malala), it’s a fleet, funny, tragic and humane portrait of a man desperate to get everything out of his head while he still can.
California introduced a COVID-19 exposure-notification system that used iPhone and Android to track interactions with infected people. And now that the U.S. government says the pandemic is over, CA Notify is shut down.
It’s possible Apple will eventually remove the underlying technology from iOS.
★★★☆☆
The Last Thing He Told Me nears its endgame this week as Bailey goes AWOL and Hannah must make a tough choice.
The Apple TV+ thriller, about a software developer with a rap sheet who goes missing and leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for his wife and daughter, finally starts to spill its last bunch of secrets before a showdown or a retreat in next week’s finale. Hannah needs to decide which of those sounds more appealing, and which will keep her stepdaughter the safest.
Stage Manager puts iPad applications into floating, resizable, overlapping windows. It’s the most significant change to iPadOS in many years, and Apple Support created a video that walks through the possibilities.
Watch it if you’d like to get started with this multitasking system.
★★★☆☆
New Apple TV+ sci-fi series Silo examines the social machinations at play in the titular structure, and takes us deep inside the belly of the beast for a truly thrilling sequence.
The show — about the last people on earth, who live inside an incalculably huge structure powered by a huge generator — takes a long walk with the mayor for political points. And Juliette lands a job offer, but she needs a big favor before she’s ready to take it.
After so much table-setting, Silo gets down to business in the episode, entitled “Machines.”
Elago is known for its wonderful collection of accessories for Apple products, from device chargers to iPad stands to Apple Watch bands and whimsical cases that look like retro gear from yesteryear. What could be a more fun choice of gifts for mom?
And right now through May 15 you can take 20% off all Elago gear for Mother’s Day. Browse the Mother’s Day Sweet Savings Collection now (and click here for just Elago items).
There’s nothing like a straightforward, reasonably up-to-date computer setup that is simply good enough for solid productivity. Today’s featured rig sports newer and older MacBook Pro laptops, an affordable 4K display, a pretty slick mechanical keyboard and homemade laptop stands.
The coder who uses it keeps the older Intel-powered MacBook Pro around despite having an M1 machine for a pretty typical reason, too.
Dystopian sci-fi thriller Silo debuted on Apple TV+ Friday, May 5, and the story of the last 10,000 people on earth living in a buried silo is proving to be deeply popular among viewers and critics alike. They’re digging it.
A number of ratings services and critical sources show it at or near the top of lists ranking streaming services’ shows.
The May Sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com continues this week, offering fresh springtime deals on Microsoft software. You can find amazingly low prices on Microsoft Windows, Office and more.
And take note: If you want to get the most-possible savings, be sure to enter promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com. That cuts an additional 30% off the site’s super-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and more.
Anker introduced its new 620 MagGo Grip for iPhone this week, encouraging you to use the magnetic gadget to mount your handset anywhere so you can multitask.
The device is a handheld grip, a wall mount and a stand for MagSafe iPhones all in one. Not bad for a $20 item.
Juggling multiple chargers for iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods can be a hassle (and also looks terrible on your desk or bedside). Thankfully, there’s a simple answer: a multipurpose wireless charging station.
The MagStack Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, which comes with a floating stand and a 20W adapter, solves the age-old issue of messy, tangled cords. Apple lovers can’t stop raving about it, and it only costs $47.99 (regularly $74).
★★★☆☆
New drama City on Fire is here to shake up the Apple TV+ lineup. Set in New York City in 2003, it’s a twisty, coincidence-laden tale of a girl killed in Central Park. It focuses on an interconnected web of people who want to know what happened and why, as well as suspects who want the world to forget about her death.
With its sprawling depiction of crime and the NYC music scene, City on Fire looks like a coin toss: a qualified success or an interesting misfire. Either way, this one’s worth a watch.
Apple’s online store is expanding to Vietnam. The store will go live on May 18 at 9 am local time, giving customers access to Apple’s entire product lineup.
This will mark the company’s first direct official expansion in the Asian country.
Dell, which first showed off its new UltraSharp 32 6K monitor at CES 2023 in January, started selling the well-equipped display Thursday for $3,199.99 — a solid $1,800 below the cost of Apple’s similar 6K Pro Display XDR ($4,999).
The new Dell has high resolution and plenty of features. But it’s not equivalent to Apple’s top display for a few reasons.
Back in 1976, when Apple still operated out of cofounder Steve Jobs’ garage, he signed a $175 check to a consulting firm. And someone just paid $106,985 for it, Boston-based RR Auction said Thursday.
That’s one pricey piece of paper. And another one, a Jobs business card from NeXT, brought in a more affordable $3,076. Both sums far exceeded the auction estimates.
The second season of Apple TV+’s epic space opera Foundation premieres July 14, the streaming service said Thursday.
A newly released teaser trailer gives a first look at what’s coming to the series based on Isaac Asimov’s classic novels.
Elkson makes a series of rugged accessories for Apple products, including Apple Watch cases and bands, AirPods cases and AirTag cases with keychains. They’ll protect your stuff and look good doing it.
The incredibly useful Apple Pencil 2 for the iPad Air and iPad Pro is down to its lowest price. You can get the latest iPad stylus for just $89, a whopping 31% off its retail price. If you’re hunting for the best Apple Pen Black Friday discounts, this is the perfect time to grab one.
This is the same price the Apple Pencil 2 was available for during Black Friday 2022.
Apple TV+ dropped a trailer Wednesday for The Crowded Room. The new 10-episode psychological thriller centers on a shooting in New York City in 1979. It stars Tom Holland as a suspect and Amanda Seyfried as an interrogator. She gets in his head and seems to find a lot going on there.
The trailer doesn’t come right out and say — spoiler alert! — Holland’s character suffers from dissociative identity disorder — multiple personalities — but you can’t help but consider the possibility. The show premieres June 9 on the streaming service.
Small developers around the world saw revenue from Apple’s App Store grow 71% between 2020 and 2022, according to researchers.
Revenue growth over that span for small devs in the United States was even higher: 83%.
Apple Watch batteries can last a while before they need to recharge, but that also means it’s easy to forget to stick them on their chargers at night. Whether you forgot to recharge your watch or have an older series with a shorter battery life, it’s a good idea to bring along a backup charger you can use almost anywhere.
The Apple Watch Wireless Charger Keychain is compatible with any series of Apple Watch, and you can get one for $25, two for $37 or four for $73.
Humane, the hot Silicon Valley startup that’s been drumming up interest in its secretive product recently, finally showed the world what its A-list talent has been working on. In a TED talk released on Tuesday, Humane co-founder Imran Chaudhri unveiled a small, screenless, badge-like device that the company hopes will replace the smartphone.
Humane is a buzzy startup that’s raised more than $230 million from investors and has hired a lot of ex-Apple talent. It’s estimated 50% of the company’s 200 employees are from Apple. Chaudhri was one of the lead designers of the original iPhone, and contributed to dozens of Apple’s biggest products (the Mac, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod). His name is on thousands of patents. He met his wife, Humane co-founder Bethany Bongiorno, at Apple. And they hired Ken Kocienda, who literally wrote the book on Apple’s creative process.
I’m laying out their credentials here at the top because it is remarkable to me how such a team could miss the mark by such an incredible margin. Humane’s badge thing cannot and will not replace your iPhone, no matter how hard Chaudhri wishes that to be the case.
Meta is reportedly killing its Messenger app for Apple Watch at the end of this month. The company is informing users about this impending change through a notification inside its apps.
Despite the axing of the Messenger app for Apple Watch, you’ll continue to receive notifications for new messages. But you cannot reply to them. For that, you’ll have to use the app on your iPhone.