Each year alongside WWDC, Apple runs a contest for students worldwide to create great app playgrounds using Swift code. This year 375 coders won, up from the previous 350. They’ll be among WWDC23’s virtual and in-person attendees.

“We are amazed by the talent we see from the young developers who enter our Swift Student Challenge,” said Susan Prescott, Apple vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.

“This year’s submissions demonstrated not only the next generation’s commitment to building tools that will improve our lives, but also a willingness to embrace new technologies and tools, and deploy them in original and creative ways,” she added.

If you like to mount your iPad as part of your computer setup — especially if you use Apple’s Universal Control or Sidecar — a foldable magnetic mount can be a big help. Kuxiu offers a high-quality product. It sent me one to try out.

My main impressions? Quality materials, strong magnets, good multidirectional design — and maybe I can skip going to the gym. This thing requires some muscle to move around.

Sending video from iPhones to TVs over AirPlay will get easier in iOS 17, according to a tipster. The goal is supposedly to simplify sending video to other people’s TVs. The improvement will almost certainly be extended to iPad, too.

This is one of numerous small changes expected when iOS 17 is unveiled at WWDC23 in early June.

Everyone knows AirPods come only in white. If you want a set of Apple earbuds in another color, you have to turn to subsidiary Beats.

But white almost wasn’t the only case, so to speak. Apple prototyped AirPods cases in five colors to match iPhone 7 colors in 2016, according to a source who displayed some images Tuesday.

When it comes to stepping up your photography, using a drone to capture breathtaking shots from above is a total game-changer. It doesn’t have to be expensive either: the Alpha-Z Pro 4K and Flying Fox 4K Wide-Angle Dual Camera Drones Bundle contains not one, but two stunning high-quality camera drones, and right now you can grab it on sale for just $139.97. That’s less than $70 per drone, and a savings of more than $250 off the regular price of $398.

There are multiple ways to make money in the stock market, and the more of them you know about, the more you can take advantage of. To that end, the Complete 2023 Stock Trading & Investing Bundle is a great investment all on its own.

The BenQ PD3420Q is a ultrawide monitor designed to appeal to creative professionals with its atypical shape and color consistency with MacBooks.

The 34-inch screen has a 2K resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. And there are some nice additions, like a HotKey Puck and built-in KVM.

I tested the PD3420Q in my home office, exploring the advantages and drawbacks of the very wide screen.

The massive Memorial Day Sale is still going on in the Cult of Mac Store, running through the end of the day on Monday, May 29. You can get up to 30% off great accessories for Apple products from half a dozen leading brands: Elago, Rilee & Lo, SwitchEasy, Mifa, Laut, Bucardo and Nine Twenty Eight.

See some sale highlights below and check out the whole sale on hundreds of items before it’s too late!

Part of the fun of covering computer setups for Cult of Mac is seeing how a setup is never “done.” Blood, sweat, tears and time may go into it, but it will always need something — whether that’s missing functionality, better decoration or the next generation of a key device.

Today’s featured M2 MacBook Air setup is a good example. Since we featured an earlier version of it just weeks ago, the user made important changes. He added two components to maximize crucial iPad functionality and pump up audio.

Starting a side hustle doesn’t have to be as complicated as building an entire business from the ground up. Instead, you can quickly set up your own plucky little online store. It’s easy with Gigrove, an all-in-one e-commerce solution that helps you build and manage your online store.

For Memorial Day, you can get a lifetime Gigrove Premium Plan on sale for just $39.97 (regularly $200). Sale ends May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Looking to buy a new iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, or AirPods? Take advantage of the Memorial Day sale across various retailers, and you can save big on your purchase.

Given that Apple products are almost always in demand, they are heavily discounted this Memorial Day.

In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we’ll tell you why we’re buzzing about High Desert, the new Apple TV+ comedy starring livewire Patricia Arquette as daffy private eye Peggy Newman.

The show, created by Miss Congeniality writer Katie Ford and Grace and Frankie alums Nancy Fichman and Jennifer Hoppe, is a bawdy neo-noir set in a world of lowlifes and fake cowboys.

Here’s why you need to give High Desert the old college try.

Why pay a monthly fee for cellphone data? For a limited time, you can get an eSIM that gives you a lifetime of cellular data, one month at a time, with no recurring subscription costs. Instabridge eSIM’s Lifetime Plan gives you 2GB of data every month for life, and it’s only $139.97 in our Memorial Day Sale.

If you don’t need much data, you can use it as your primary connection. Or, if you’re on a limited data plan, you can use it as a backup for those times when you burn through your monthly allotment. Jump to it, though. This sale ends May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Yes, your iPhone is a flashlight. But can it crack open a beer? With this super-bright mini utility flashlight, you never need to be caught in the dark (or with no way to open your beverage of choice).

But that’s just the start of the MaxLight Mini’s big capabilities. This 8-in-1 flashlight is a highly rated tool that’s perfect for your everyday carry. And, for a limited time, you can pick up a two-pack for only $32.97 (regularly $54) with no coupon required. That’s a 40% savings on a handy tool that does far more than provide light.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 17 might turn your iPhone into a dashboard for your smart home. Plus, Apple’s new journaling app seems like it will arrive soon as well. With WWDC23 just weeks away, we don’t have long to wait.

Also on The CultCast:

• Three Apple TV+ hits conquer the streaming charts.
• Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is a moving and surprisingly inspirational documentary about the actor’s life (and his heroic battle with Parkinson’s disease).
• MoviePass is back from the dead — and one option actually sounds enticing!

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.

Memorial Day, a time to remember and honor the sacrifices of service members, comes up this Monday. To express gratitude to active duty and retired military personnel, power-product provider Bluetti is introducing a Veterans and Military Purchase Program.

And in addition, the company’s Memorial Day Sale offers great discounts on power stations for everyone — in some cases, hundreds of dollars off. (Find deals at the links below.)

An increasingly murky economic outlook (debt ceiling anyone?) makes it more important than ever to maneuver the stock market with some savvy. Fortunately, you no longer need to pay outrageous fees in order to trade like a pro.

For a limited time, a lifetime subscription to the Tykr stock screener’s Pro Plan is available at $20 off the sale price ($119.99) when you use coupon code STOCK. This offer is valid only through May 28.

Apple TV+ dystopian sci-fi hit Silo sends Juliette out on her second day as sheriff and into a minefield this week.

The show, about the last few thousand people on earth living inside a massive underground structure, unveils more tentacles of its political conspiracy. When Juliette and her new deputy look into the murder of their predecessors, they find corruption and lies in every corner they search. The episode, entitled “The Janitor’s Boy,” is a thrilling chapter in the Silo saga.

Are you ready to take your golf game up a gear? Modern technology means you don’t need to spend entire days traveling to the golf course to practice your putt. With a cutting-edge golf simulator like the TruGolf Mini, you can boost your skills anytime, anywhere.

You can play a round on virtual versions of famous golf courses or brush up with minigames. All the while, built-in analytical tools let you see what’s going right — and what’s going wrong — with your swing.

Typically $249, you can grab TruGolf Mini for only $199.97 during our Memorial Day Sale. That’s the best price you’ll find anywhere online, but this deal ends May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. 

City on Fire, the new Apple TV+ drama about a web of connections that expands from the attempted murder of an NYU student, nears what looks like a breakthrough this week.

Charlie finds a roll of undeveloped film that’s a missing piece of the puzzle surrounding the near-death of Samantha, the object of his affection. Nicky thinks he has the upper hand, but learns he’ll always be someone’s patsy. Plus, Keith and Regan follow a lead to a dead end, and Amory starts to sweat.

Entitled “Brass Tactics,” it’s an action-packed episode with few of City on Fire’s usual misplaced steps.

After a long wait, Final Cut Pro, Apple’s professional video editing software, is now available for M1 or newer iPads. Editors accustomed to Final Cut Pro on their Mac can easily switch to their iPad as a portable editing machine.

However, before starting with Final Cut Pro on your iPad, you need to know how it differs from the Mac build. Both versions enable pro-level video editing, but they are understandably different in key ways.

Memorial Day is, of course, a time to honor and remember those who served. But it’s also an excellent chance to save money in Memorial Day sales like the one the Cult of Mac Store is running through the end of the day on Monday, May 29.

You can take up to 30% off great accessories for Apple products from makers like Elago, Rilee & Lo, SwitchEasy (selected items), Mifa, Laut, Bucardo and Nine Twenty Eight Co. Sample some highlights below and be sure to check out the whole sale featuring deals on hundreds of items!

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.