Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16.4 doesn’t look earth-shattering or anything, but there are some cool new features coming.

Also on The CultCast:

• You need to toggle this switch on your iPhone ASAP so thieves don’t ruin your life.
• Working for Apple’s secret Exploratory Design Group sounds like a dream job.
• We’re giving away a very fancy backpack from Harber London.
• Erfon put his new HomePod stereo pair to the test in a head-to-head audio smackdown with the originals. The results are … disappointing.
• Windows users get a little taste of iMessage goodness. But just a taste!

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.

The comedy series Shrinking continues its streak of being among the most popular shows on any streaming service. It made the top list for all of February, and continues to hold on to its audience.

And the recently released neo-noir thriller Sharper is also proving to be popular.

Both are available now to Apple TV+ subscribers.

Sp!ng challenges players to maneuver through a vertical maze while collecting gems. It’s easy to learn — you play with a single finger. The game can be exciting or relaxing, depending on how you play.

This offering from SMG Studio is one of my favorites on Apple Arcade. Here are six reasons why I think you’ll like it, too.

Bad weather, bad omens and bad timing collide on this week’s installment of Apple TV+ thriller Servant.

Sean and Julian attempt a Hail Mary to wrest control of the Turner house away from evil nanny Leanne. And Dorothy’s about to realize there are worse things than being loved too much.

The episode, entitled “Tunnels,” is a sharply directed half-hour of the horror/mystery series, which is the best show on Apple TV+ — and indeed one of the finest things on TV, full stop. It points the way to darker things coming in Servant’s final two episodes.

With spring right around the corner, it might be time to take a much-needed look at your garden. Believe it or not, your plants could get a big boost from the stuff you typically toss in the trash.

Featured at CES 2023, Reencle’s composter that turns food waste into fertilizer presents an innovative alternative. It lets you mix mindfulness toward the environment with results you’ll see in your plants and soil. And through March 5, during our Tech Innovations Seen at CES sale, you can get this high-tech composter for only $479 (regularly $699).

In the explosive second episode of Apple TV+ thriller Liaison, Richard, Albert and Alison find common ground over a crash, while Gabriel flits around London trying to recapture the missing Syrian hacker he lost.

The French government is being kneecapped by secrets and hidden ambitions, while the British haven’t a clue what’s happening or why. The gripping Stephen Hopkins-directed series continues to make for a pleasant (if upsetting) watch.

Apple is reportedly close to adding a new color option to a couple of models in the iPhone 14 series. The latest iOS handset in a yellow casing might be out this spring. No other changes are expected.

It’s not unprecedented: New green options were added to the iPhone 13 Pro models in 2022, months after the products had reached the market.

Choose your cat and their feline friend then wander through a Japanese “matsuri” festival playing mini games in Kimono Cats. Intended for children, it’s both charming and easy to play.

The game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, and there are versions for a wide variety of Apple computers.

Apple TV+ crime drama Truth Be Told takes a stroll down memory lane this week as Eva remembers her years in the life of sex trafficking, giving her a potential tool to bring a network of bad people to justice.

Meanwhile, Markus is at his wit’s end trying to help Trini reintegrate into her life while looking in vain for justice. Leander and Poppy both have favors to ask of Lee Hackman. And the walls are starting to close in on Andrew Finney and his donors.

Everyone’s falling in love this week on grief-riddled Apple TV+ series Dear Edward — but nobody’s happy about it.

Shay and Edward have their 90th falling out, this one over Mahira and Shay’s deadbeat dad. Lacey and John keep having a bad time, while Dee Dee and Zoe need to have a chat about priorities and the future. Kojo and Adrianna are at a stalemate (where they’ve been for the last three episodes), and Steve and Amanda have a lot left to talk about (and not much time left to do it).

The episode, entitled “Folklore,” is a predictably predictable outing for this dreary affair.

With all the computer setups showcased on social media, it takes something special to earn the description “dream setup.” Today’s featured Mac Studio Ultra and M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which hails from Australia, could be a contender.

Why? Well, when you combine two of Apple’s newest and most powerful computers with a Studio Display and put them in a beautifully laid out workstation with great cable management and premium audio, you’ve got a real ripsnorter (to put it like an Aussie might).

Apple’s excellent AirPods 2 earbuds are available for $99 on Amazon. That’s a massive 35% discount from their $159 MSRP.

While not perfect, it is hard to beat the value the AirPods 2 provide at their discounted price.

“March Madness” can have more than one meaning. It refers to big college basketball tournament, sure, but it’s also your chance to save big on Microsoft software at CdkeySales.com in its March Madness Sale. You can find remarkably great deals on Windows, Office and more from this trusted software activation keys provider.

Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking does the walk of shame this week. Troubled therapist Jimmy made a mess of things last week at Brian and Charlie’s engagement party, so he thinks he must make amends.

However, everyone’s got their own worries. Paul is hosting his daughter, who’s got her own ideas about his disease. And Alice and Sean are navigating a bad moment that happened in a moment of weakness.

It’s business as usual on the show where most problems are not problems at all.

Are you tired of losing track of all the brilliant ideas that you come across every day? If so, you need Deepstash, the ultimate learning app for organizing and discovering game-changing ideas. Right now, you can grab a lifetime pro subscription to this top-rated app for only $149.99. 

Apple TV+ show Hello Tomorrow! spirals toward infinity this week, as events move faster than ace salesman and born liar Jack Billings can possibly control.

The members of his sales team — Eddie, Joey, Shirley and Herb — are all desperate to know why their dreams of advancement and retirement aren’t any closer to fulfillment. And their customers are just as curious when they’re finally going to be able to live on the moon … if ever.

This terrific new show hits its groove in this week’s episode, entitled “From the Desk of Stanley Jenkins,” by finding one rut after another for its desperate heroes to fall into.

Apple now offers a Depth and Water Seal Test for the Apple Watch Ultra. The evaluation will check whether your smartwatch’s seals and depth gauge are working correctly.

This is the first time the company is offering such a kind of test for any of its water-resistant products.

There’s no escaping it: AI is the future. Perhaps one of the best ways to utilize artificial intelligence (and definitely one of the most fun) is through art production. For novices and artists alike, AI offers a way to create truly distinct art, whether that’s for enjoyment, a personal blog or even a business.

The Wombo Dream art tool allows you to create stunning digital artwork with AI in seconds. And right now, you can grab a lifetime subscription for only $49.99 during our Tech Innovations Seen at CES sale. You’ll have to be quick to grab it at this special price, though. This deal only lasts through March 5.

You might love pro wrestling and find documentary films tiresome — or vice versa. Either way, the new trailer for the upcoming Monster Factory documentary series on Apple TV+ may be for you. It tells the stories of those yearning to get into the ring.

Just the fact that a school trains aspiring pro wrestlers on every aspect of getting into the business is interesting. And so are some of the contenders trying to change their lives.

With The Mandalorian season 3 thrilling viewers, Casetify is about to launch a collection of cases for iPhone and AirPods that celebrate everyone’s favorite space bounty hunter and his little green friend.

The selection of designs is extensive, and also includes MacBook and iPad cases, MagSafe wallets, wireless chargers and more — all emblazoned with Mando-themed images.

Dinosaurs are extinct but the epic documentary series Prehistoric Planet certainly is not. Its second season is scheduled to stomp onto Apple TV+ in May.

Get ready for fresh episodes about Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the largest ankylosaurids and other amazing archosaurs that are gone but not forgotten.

An Apple retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina has closed its doors, reportedly because there were too many shootings nearby.

The Mac-maker says it plans to replace it with a new Charlotte store in 2024.

Apple will now charge you more to replace your iPhone or MacBook’s battery. The higher battery replacement prices are also applicable for iPads.

The company first revealed the battery replacement price increase in a support document on its website at the beginning of 2023.

We’re giving one lucky person the chance to win a lavish Commuter Backpack from Harber London in this week’s giveaway. This spacious, 17-liter backpack retails for $234.

Available in three magnificent colors — olive, black and mocha — it’s a fantastic place to store your beloved electronics and personal belongings. And it’s even nicer if you win it!

Apple sent developers a “Rapid Security Response” bug patch for the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 betas. This is part of an ongoing series of tests on a system that will eventually allow Apple to quickly fix security problems without requiring a full OS update.

Testing started in November 2022.