Apple said Friday it supports Exceptional Minds, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit academy preparing autistic artists to become animators, VFX artists and motion graphics designers in the film industry.
The tech giant’s Friday feature story focused on a number of interesting creatives learning at the academy with the help of iPads, Pencil and other Apple wares.
★★★★☆
Hello Tomorrow!, the Apple TV+ show about a Space Age con man and the hapless people stuck in his whirlwind, makes a fateful stop at a baseball game this week.
Lunar real-estate salesman Jack Billings goes deeper into his deception now that he’s found a financier with even fewer scruples than he has about cheating people out of their money. And his son Joey, desperate to get through to his dad, decides to finally start trying to put Jack away for his crimes.
Meanwhile, Shirley and Eddie are in deep money trouble and have nowhere nice to turn. And Herb is left picking up after everyone. The episode, entitled “Certain Forces Once Unleashed,” delivers a bracing half-hour of television.
Attractive or fun decor can really give a computer setup an edge. Real plants. Vintage Apple gear. Epic Lego sets. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup sports a detailed replica stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.
It overlooks a Darth Vader-worthy 49-inch Samsung curved gaming display and an Elgato Stream Deck, which is associated with video streaming tasks but can also do a lot for productivity in general through shortcuts.
A new flash sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com brings big deals on Microsoft products. This week, you can take advantage of great prices on Microsoft Windows, Office and more. This is your chance for major savings.
Apple just added Human: Fall Flat+ to the hundreds of games already in Apple Arcade. And Clue: The Classic Mystery Game+ and Osmos+ joined the service earlier in March.
These “App Store Greats” are available to Arcade subscribers without the usual up-front fee or in-app purchases.
We’ve all heard people talk about being “struck” by inspiration, which makes it sound a lot like lightning. As if inspiration is a thing that happens rarely and at random to people who were just meant to be inspired.
However, working artists and entrepreneurs have one thing in common: They know better. If ideas are your bread and butter, you have to go looking for inspiration and sometimes create your own.
That’s the biggest idea behind Deepstash, an app that is quite literally filled with big ideas.
Apple just began offering refurbished units of the Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2. Both wearables launched in autumn 2022, and shoppers can save as much as $80 by choosing a refurb unit.
These are primarily devices that consumers bought then returned so supplies are limited.
Sony Electronics unveiled its new full-frame 12MP ZV-E1 camera Wednesday. It takes its place at or near the top of the company’s growing ZV lineup of cameras for vloggers and other content creators.
At $2,200 it’s not cheap — a big step up from the company’s roughly $750 cameras for content creators — for but it could a key to making amateur content look professional.
Apple seeded the initial betas of iOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 to the general public on Thursday. Developers were given access on Tuesday. Beta testing began almost immediately after the public release of the previous versions.
iPadOS 16.5 beta 1, watchOS 9.5 beta 1 and tvOS 16.5 beta 1 are also available to the public and to devs.
After the success of Tiny World, Apple TV+ is going to the opposite extreme with Big Beasts. The documentary series puts whales, bears, gorillas and many more in center stage.
Tom Hiddleston is narrator, and the multi-part docuseries premiers on Earth Day. A new trailer gives a sneak peek.
The Voice Isolation feature that’s been making FaceTime and Zoom video chats better for over a year is finally available for regular iPhone voice calls. With it, the people you’re on a phone call with can’t hear noises going on around you.
Here’s how to activate one of the best new features of iOS 16.4.
★★★★★
The mophie powerstation pro AC includes a three-prong power socket, making this external battery right for anyone who has a range of devices they need to charge on the go, not just phones and tablets. The 27,000mAh power bank also includes a mix of three of USB ports.
I put this hefty battery to the test. Here are its strengths and drawbacks.
As usual, when Apple invites developers to attend WWDC — June 5 to 9 this year — it also welcomes submissions for the annual Swift Student Challenge. Competitors create innovative coding projects with the help of Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app.
And some winners get to attend a special event at Apple Park on June 5, Apple said. That’s the first day of WWDC23.
Big-time PDF applications like Adobe Acrobat are great, but for many folks, splurging on them seems like hauling a pricey, seven-course banquet to a picnic at the beach. Many people are better off spending less to get only what they need. (You wouldn’t want to get sand in the caviar.)
Apple delayed the start of production for its VR/AR headset by a month or two, according to a reliable source of insider information.
This raises questions about where we the mixed-reality device will get its big debut at WWDC23, as is widely expected.
DALL-E was one of the first big-name AI image generators to take over pop culture and the tech world. Now, as part of our Spring Blowout Sale, you can get a DALL-E 2 AI image generator and WordPress plugin lifetime license on sale for only $59 (regularly $299).
If you want to start coding, Python could be the language to give it a go. Python is versatile and user-friendly, and we’ve got an awesome deal for a comprehensive beginner-to-expert guide on sale for a limited time.
The Premium Python Programming Certification Bundle gives you unlimited access to 10 courses with 91 hours of instruction, and it’s only $23.97 during the Spring Digital Blowout. This deal doesn’t require a coupon code, but it only lasts until April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
The colorful image Apple used Wednesday to invite developers to WWDC23 set off speculation that it’s a hint that the company’s long-awaited VR/AR headset will be unveiled at the June event.
It’s not impossible — Apple dropped a major hint into the invitation to the iPhone 14 launch event.
The new Røde Wireless ME Compact Wireless Microphone System, with clip-on transmitter and receiver, tries to make pro-level audio recording effortless — not to mention inexpensive.
With the new release, content creators who want to hit the ground running with quality audio have another option.
The official invitation to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 went out Wednesday, confirming we’ll get our first look at what’s on the company’s near-term agenda on June 5. Apple promises WWDC23 will bring an opportunity “to learn the latest about Apple platforms, technologies, and tools.”
In other words, expect new versions of iOS, macOS and more — including a possible first look at the company’s long-rumored AR/VR headset (along with the software that will power the device).
WWDC23 will kick off with a keynote on June 5 and run the rest of that week. Even in this post-pandemic world, the event will be mostly online. However, a fortunate few developers and students will be able to watch the video keynote from Apple Park.
Bradley Rein, who allegedly crashed his SUV into an Apple Store in Massachusetts in November 2021, was indicted Tuesday. He faces second-degree murder, assault and other charges, a new report said.
The crash in Hingham, Massachusetts, killed one person and injured 22 others.
★★☆☆☆
Ted Lasso wrangles with a fresh face — and even bigger ego — this week. There’s a new player stealing the spotlight from everyone else on the pitch in the Apple TV+ hit comedy about the little football club that could. And star striker Jamie Tartt isn’t happy about the new guy’s arrival at all.
Plus, Ted endures his own crisis when he calls home at the wrong moment and finds another man’s voice on the phone. And Rebecca gets an eerie prediction. The episode, entitled “4 5 1,” is a fairly standard edition of the show about how positive thinking can change everything (except maybe my attitude toward Ted Lasso).
There’s much to be said for hiding stuff under your desk. And we don’t mean cramming it down there like you shove junk under your bed. We mean mounting it properly out of sight. It gets said stuff — computers, docks, cables — off the desktop for a cleaner look to your setup, not to mention a more-efficient workspace.
Today’s featured setup uses an inexpensive acrylic mount to stash an M1 Mac mini and connected cables under the desk. Below you can see images of the mount itself as well the “before” shot of the setup. The “after” shot appears above.
If you’re tired of the hassle of manually updating your Mac apps, MacUpdater is just what you need. Regardless of how many apps you have or where you got them, MacUpdater is the easiest way to keep them up to date effortlessly — a must for optimal functionality and security.
You can even enjoy a 15% discount with the code CULTOFMACQ1, exclusive for Cult of Mac readers.
A new open letter signed by tech leaders urges a six-month pause on development of advanced artificial intelligence applications that may pose “profound risks to society and humanity.”
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, other tech execs and many AI academics signed the letter. It urges caution concerning “emergent” AI more powerful than GPT-4. We’re not talking Siri here (at least not yet).