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Everyone wants a rocket ride on Hello Tomorrow! [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Billy Crudup in ★★★★☆
Salesman/serial liar Jack Billings (played by Billy Crudup) finally finds a situation he can't talk his way out of, this week on Hello Tomorrow!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewHello Tomorrow! returns for more Space Age shenanigans — and a brutal comeuppance for one of Earth’s biggest liars. The Apple TV+ show about a guy selling bunk timeshares on the moon finally hits the pause button on momentum to allow a devastating realization to sink in.

Salesman/con artist Jack Billings may be more doomed than he thinks, even as he succeeds beyond his wildest dreams. Shirley and Joey have had enough, Myrtle gets the sign she’s been searching for, Herb makes good, and Jack has to save an old hero in this stellar episode, entitled “The Gargon Mothership.”

Spend less time cleaning with Narwal Freo

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Free up time in your day with this newly released Narwal Freo robot cleaner.
This cutting-edge machine takes robo-cleaning up a notch.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Narwal Freo is a vacuum-mop combination cleaner with five different cleaning modes to make sure your home sparkles. The cleaning modes include vacuum, mop, vacuum and mop, vacuum then mop, and FreoMode. That last one creates a custom cleaning approach based on your home’s specific floor types and your specific needs.

With an advanced lidar sensor system, the Freo can learn what types of floors you have — and what kinds of messes typically befoul them. Then the smart little robovac comes up with a way to clean them better than your typical camera-driven robot vacuum can.

Disgraced tennis star Boris Becker vows ‘new chapter’ in Apple TV+ trailer

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Becker's powerhouse tennis career segued to a trainwreck of a life.
Becker's powerhouse tennis career segued to a trainwreck of a life.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ served up a new trailer Thursday for Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker. It’s a two-part documentary exploring the life of the German tennis legend. He triumphed at Wimbledon at age 17 and won 49 career titles, including six Grand Slams plus an Olympic gold medal. And then he went off the rails, life-wise.

Following an ugly divorce involving infidelity, the troubled celebrity ended up in prison for concealing assets to avoid paying debts. But in the trailer, filled with other tennis stars, Becker says a new chapter in his life is coming. The documentary debuts April 7.

Extrapolations takes a go at geoengineering terror [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Edward Norton and Mia Maestro in ★★☆☆☆
Can Edward Norton save the world from climate change? Can anyone?!?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ limited series Extrapolations steeps itself in sci-fi wonkery this week as members of a tech billionaire family find themselves on opposing sides of a terrorist action meant to move the needle on climate change.

Novelist Dave Eggers joins the show’s writing team this week, and Edward Norton, Indira Varma and Michael Gandolfini lead the cast.

While this isn’t a bad version of what Extrapolations set out to do, the show’s sprawling mission statement remains blinkered.

First ChatGPT-generated app hits the App Store

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5 Movies
5 Movies is an iPhone app that provides daily movie recommendations, and it was created using ChatGPT.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

5 Movies, likely the first iPhone app generated almost entirely by ChatGPT, was approved by Apple and published on the App Store late Thursday night.

Morten Just, an independent developer of Mac apps who’s based in Switzerland, guided ChatGPT through the creation of the movie-recommendation app. Just said he told the AI what he wanted, then pasted its output into an Xcode project, writing only an estimated 2% to 5% of the code himself. The chatbot even fixed bugs as Just pasted in error messages.

“What matters to me is creating software that is useful and solves real problems,” Just told Cult of Mac after his 5 Movies app went live. “If I can do that faster with AI, I will.”

Latest 14-inch MacBook Pro gets massive $200 discount

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2023 MacBook Pro in 16-inch and 14-inch sizes
Save up to $200 on the 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro in this amazing deal.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro is available with massive discounts of up to $200. The entry-level model is available with a $100 discount on Amazon, bringing its price down to $1,899 from $1,999.

The best deal is on the 1TB configuration of the machine. After a $200 off, you can get the M2 MacBook Pro for $2,299.

In Shrinking season finale, closure comes all too easy [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Devin Kawaoka and Michael Urie in ★★☆☆☆
Charlie (played by Devin Kawaoka) and Brian (Michael Urie) finally tie the knot in the Shrinking season finale.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewIt’s wedding time this week on the season finale of Shrinking, the Apple TV+ comedy where no one has problems — and everyone has to solve them anyway.

Brian’s dad has a short time to make his son’s day by agreeing to be his best man, even if the idea of a gay wedding makes him uncomfortable. Jimmy helps Alice get over her latest round of depression about her deceased mom. Sean and Liz head into business together. And Gaby looks for a second job with a little help from Paul.

It’s truly one half of an hour of TV — you can’t take that away from it.

A MacBook Pro makes a questionable monitor stand [Setups]

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It might take a moment to locate the MacBook Pro in this photo, even with the help of that nice Anglepoise desk lamp.
It might take a moment to locate the MacBook Pro in this photo, even with the help of that nice Anglepoise desk lamp.
Photo: [email protected]

Today’s featured setup carries a strong vibe of minimalism — so much so it appeared to lack even a computer, at least at a glance at the photograph. But then we realized the laptop was stashed away in unusual (and questionable) fashion.

We recently featured a setup with the MacBook Pro and iPad hidden on a little shelf mounted under the desk. This time the laptop is stashed in a case sitting directly under the monitor stand’s base (not recommended).

Free upgrade to Windows 11: Up to 91% off Windows 10 Pro genuine lifetime and Office at CdkeySales

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Save big-time on Microsoft software by using promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com.
Save big-time on Microsoft software by using promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com.
Image: CdkeySales

The big March Sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com blooms with big deals ahead of spring. This week, you can take advantage of great sales on Microsoft Windows, Office and more. Don’t miss this one. It’s your chance for major savings.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by CdkeySales.
Cult of Mac readers are smart enough to avoid paying full price for Windows 10 and other vital software. They can click on the links below to bag low prices. (Note: Windows 10 comes with a free upgrade to Windows 11.) To get the absolute best savings, enter promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com. That will slash an additional 30% off the site’s super-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and more.

AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case could launch as early as this spring

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Ken Pillonel modded an AirPods Pro charging case and now offers a 3D-printed replacement case.
AirPods Pro 2 will supposedly get on the USB-C bandwagon soon.
Photo: Ken Pillonel

The mystery AirPods referenced in iOS 16.4 are a new version of AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C case, according to a reliable Apple tipster. And the product could be out in the next few months.

If true, these will be a significant step in transitioning the iPhone ecosystem away from Lightning and to USB-C.

Truth Be Told season 3 ends with confessions and a judgment call [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Octavia Spencer and Mekhi Phifer in a scene from the ★★★★☆
Poppy (played by Octavia Spencer, left) and Markus (Mekhi Phifer) wrap up loose ends in the Truth Be Told season three finale.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewEva’s been shot and might be dying on this week’s season three finale of Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ show about a true crime podcaster.

After last week’s shooting, podcaster Poppy goes looking for the truth behind the recent grim series of events. Trini blames herself for Eva’s fate, and Markus has only one more chance to redeem himself. Can they catch the person responsible for all this misery before it’s too late?

The episode, entitled “A Kiss Not Mine Alone,” brings a nicely plotted, excellently performed close to a very fine season.

Expand your creativity with this big new drawing display

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Now that's a canvas fit for an artist.
Now that's a canvas fit for an artist.
Photo: Xencelabs

We’ve all heard of tablets you can draw on — looking at you, iPad lineup — but how about a 24-inch drawing display?

Xencelabs Technologies unveiled its new Pen Display 24 Studio Series at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, which ends Friday.

If you’re serious about your art, it could be for you.

Get safe, ad-free browsing on 10 devices with this $35 VPN

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Get 5 years of ad-free VPN-protected browsing for only $35.
One low price gets you half a decade of VPN protection for up to 10 Mac, iPhone, Windows and Android devices.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s more than one place in your home that might need a little spring cleaning. (And no, this time we’re not talking about your waxy ears.) You may have remembered to clean the little area beneath the fridge, but your internet could still be clogged with ads and third-party onlookers.

Luckily, there’s a way to clean that up, too. AdGuard can give you safer, ad-free browsing on up to 10 devices simultaneously. And now, you can get a five-year subscription to this easy-to-use VPN for only $34.99 (regularly $359) with coupon code SPRING15. But, you better hurry. This sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on April 3.

My Kind of Country courts a new breed of country star [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★

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Alisha Pais in ★★★
Ale Aguirre competes with musicians from all over the world in new Apple TV+ show My Kind of Country.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ competition show My Kind of Country gives three celebrity judges a chance to train burgeoning country musicians in an attempt to turn them into superstars.

The talent is unconventional and the stakes are high in the show, which is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves (and underwritten by Apple Music). Nashville better get ready. (And judge Orville Peck better take that thing off his face.)

Feds deploy AirTag in war on illegal narcotics

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AirTag
It needs a tiny little badge.
Photo: Mark Chan/Unsplash

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency put an AirTag into an item that was suspected to be on its way to illegal drug dealers. The hope was that Apple’s item tracker would enable DEA agents to discover the location of the criminals.

This may be the first time this has happened, and it also may be the last. We don’t know how useful the AirTag was in the investigation, but Apple deliberately makes the device very hard to use for surveillance of any type.

Get Microsoft Office on your Mac or PC for just $40 for life

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Access Microsoft Office on your Mac or Windows computer for life for just $40.
Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Pro for Mac or Windows on sale for $39.97 (regularly $349) now through April 3 during the Spring Digital Blowout promo — no coupon needed.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Some software is just essential. And until April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, we’ve got a great deal on one of computing’s bedrock software suites: Microsoft Office Pro for Mac or Windows. This multi-app bundle comes with the software that functionally runs the professional world.

Right now, a lifetime license to these essential Microsoft Office programs is on sale for just $39.97 (regularly $349) during our Spring Digital Blowout sale.

New rule could let you cancel subscriptions with a single click

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New rule could let you cancel subscriptions with a single click
The FTC wants to free consumers trapped in subscriptions.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Federal Trade Commission wants to make cancelling subscriptions as simple as starting them. The US government agency proposed a “click to cancel” rule that would make it easy for consumers to escape recurring subscriptions and memberships.

Apple users can easily leave subscriptions they signed up for thorough the App Store. That’s not necessarily true for ones started elsewhere.

Missing someone? Pair iPhone with this creepy new kissing machine.

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These lips will warm up, make sounds and kiss you back ... if you let them.
These lips will warm up, make sounds and kiss you back ... if you let them.
Image: Reuters/The Guardian video

COVID-19 lockdowns in China didn’t just mess up iPhone production, they inspired the invention of a bizarre new machine with fake lips you can use with your smartphone to “kiss” someone far away.

Chinese startup Siweifushe launched the MUA — named after kissing sounds — a couple of weeks ago, selling more than 3,000 of them and receiving orders for 20,000 more, a new report said.

Bluetti’s tiny new solar generator looks perfect for outdoor adventures

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You can travel as light as you like with the AC60 solar generator and B80 batteries.
You can travel as light as you like with the AC60 solar generator and B80 batteries.
Photo: Bluetti

Bluetti noticed a gap in the portable power market. There are many solar power stations, but small ones offer questionable capacity. And the high-capacity power banks tend to be big and heavy.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by Bluetti.
What about a power station that combines flexibility and extensible capacity to meet different needs in different scenarios? Enter the Bluetti AC60 and B80. The AC60 — Bluetti’s smallest solar generator yet — arrives at the end of April with a highly portable design you can take anywhere. And you can expand its capacity as necessary with B80 batteries for your camping trips and other uses.

Take $500 off 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro inside

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If you've been wanting an M1 Pro MacBook, don't miss this opportunity.
Forget the 2023 MacBook Pro! Get the M1 Pro MacBook Pro instead with $500 off.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro might not be the latest MacBook around. But it is still more than powerful for almost any task you can throw at it.

If you don’t mind going for the 2021 model, you can save a whopping $500. The deal brings the price of the entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro down to just $1,999 from $2,499.

Aqara brings HomeKit Secure Video to battery-powered doorbell

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You can set it to recognize someone at your door and play them a special message.
You can set it to recognize someone at your door and play them a special message.
Photo: Aqara

Aqara unveiled its new Video Doorbell G4 in January. It’s the first battery-powered, easy-install doorbell to integrate HomeKit Secure Video. And now it’s available to buy.

This is good news for HomeKit users who don’t like to mess with wiring but would love to have a artificially intelligent video doorbell that triggers automations.

Apple might pour $1 billion into movies for theatrical release

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Apple gives chilling first look at Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" hits theaters later in 2023.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple reportedly hopes to make a big splash at your local movie theater in the very near future. The company supposedly will spend $1 billion to make films for the big screen.

These also will appear on the Apple TV+ streaming service, of course.

Travel without roaming charges when you get $50 of eSIM data for only $20

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Avoid international roaming charges when you get $50 of eSIM travel data for only $19.97.
This $50 eSIM credit is a budget traveler's dream, and is on sale for just $20.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Planning a vacation isn’t cheap. If you’re already searching for cheap flights and lodging, you might be able to save some additional cash by avoiding extra data charges when you try to use your phone in another country.

With aloSIM, you can evade roaming charges (which can be a costly addition when traveling) and use your phone in more than 120 different countries. During our Spring Digital Blowout through April 3, you can get $50 of eSIM credit for just $19.97.

How an indie dev used ChatGPT to build an iPhone app from scratch [Planet of the Apps]

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AI-generated image of a silver robot sitting at a desk with a MacBook Pro and iPhone
No artists were put out of a job in generating this image.
Image: DiffusionBee/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Planet of the Apps bug Planet of the Apps is a series of interviews with app developers about making, marketing and maintaining apps in the App Store.

Swiss developer Morten Just has built a whole slew of useful Mac apps under the name Otato. But his latest app wasn’t made by him at all: He asked ChatGPT to build it for him.

While Just earned his stripes as a professional programmer, he didn’t write a single line of code to create 5 Movies. It’s an iPhone app that gives you five daily movie recommendations, shows you the trailers on YouTube and tells you where you can stream the films. (It’s currently pending App Store approval.)

These days, artificial intelligence is making headlines for giving users powerful tools that can write essays, recreate impressive art and give technology journalists the heebie-jeebies. 5 Movies is proof that, with a big assist from AI, it only takes a few prompts and a basic understanding of Xcode to create an iPhone app without any coding yourself.

When I interviewed Morten earlier this week for Cult of Mac, I asked him how he got ChatGPT to build his app, what the generated code looked like, and how AI-coded apps will impact ordinary people as well as software developers.