Three years after Ted Lasso became a runaway smash for Apple TV+, the show returns Wednesday with a fresh blast of unrelenting optimism.

The fish-out-of-water story of an upbeat U.S. football coach leading a team of U.K. footballers somehow became one of the most-watched things in the streaming sphere, fueled by pandemic viewers looking for something — anything — with a positive message. Now, as Ted Lasso season three arrives, there’s a lot of hype to live up to (and a lot of dross that needs papering over).

Can the show’s likely last season cement Ted’s place in TV history? Maybe … but star Jason Sudeikis’ aw-shucks act seems in danger of wearing thin. After all, the new Ted is an awful lot like the old Ted.

Artificial intelligence is changing the world in all sorts of ways, not the least of which is taking rote tasks off our to-do lists. With a Voicetapp lifetime subscription, an AI can transcribe all your meetings and voicemails so you can get on with your real work.

Let’s face it, the band you got with your Apple Watch is hardly going to turn heads. But turning your smartwatch into a fabulous fashion piece can be easy and affordable. Made from premium stainless steel, Goldenerre’s gorgeous bracelets quickly take any Apple Watch from drab to fab

And they can be accompanied by matching bangles that are just as pretty. Get yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.

Even if a yellow iPhone 14 or 14 Plus isn’t your thing, you should really check out Apple’s video advert for the new product. It’s like totally trippy, man.

Turn on, tune in, drop out.

Apple said Tuesday its US customers can chat with an Apple Specialist over video to shop the iPhone lineup. That includes the new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus that showed up in stores today.

The new Shop with a Specialist over Video service lets buyers connect with retail team members over a secure, one-way video shopping session, the company said.

Basic Apple Guy is out with another striking set of wallpapers you can download for free. He calls them “Big Starry Sur.” It’s “Apple’s Big Sur meets Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night,” he said.

You can download the wallpapers for Mac, iPad and iPhone for free below. And it’s nice if you leave him a tip for his effort, too. If you’re looking for ways to use a laptop as a second monitor, check out this deal on the Duex Plus DS Laptop Screen Extender.

The recently announced iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in yellow casings are now in Apple’s brick-and-mortar retail stores.

The new color option was announced in early March and then went up for preorder a few days ago, but Tuesday is the real launch day.

Netflix (and pretty much any other streaming service) may be the most effective and entertaining way ever invented to kill time. But time is precious, and there’s only so much of it we can spend watching scripted and mindless TV. For those that want more out of their binge-watching sessions, there’s Curiosity Stream.

Apple has started selling the iPhone 13 series through its Certified Refurbished store in the US. This comes a month after the company listed refurbished iPhone 13 units for sale in Europe.

Unlike the EU, though, Apple is currently not selling refurbished iPhone 13 mini in the US.

For most of us, the sound of a ukulele evokes chill island vibes and a sense of playfulness. Pick one up and you immediately want to start strumming your vacation soundtrack, but the process of learning a musical instrument can burst that bubble pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is when you’re learning to play something new — but it doesn’t have to be. The Populele 2 smart concert ukulele is poised to teach a whole new generation of players with an interface that can have rookies playing complete songs in no time.

If you’re happy with the basic white charging case that came with your earbuds, that’s great. But those cases can get scratched, so they’re worth protecting. And that’s not the only reason you might consider a case for your AirPods 3 case. You can also add both style and a higher degree of protection.

The SwitchEasy Flash Sale — you can get 20% off fun and rugged cases for AirPods 3 — ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on March 13.

If you are in the market for a new pair of wireless earbuds for your iPhone, it is hard to beat the AirPods Pro 2. If you find them expensive at $249, take advantage of Amazon’s latest deal to grab them for $199.99.

This is the maximum discount we have tracked on the AirPods Pro 2 so far. It was available for the same price during last year’s Black Friday.

We recently talked about what a boon to computer setups stands and mounts usually are — but not when they cause problems. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is an interesting example. The bass player who runs it said the gas-powered arm of the mount where the laptop sits is so hair-trigger it can “randomly launch it into the air.”

That’s not ideal when you have $2,000 laptop not designed for flight. The user also has a PC laptop for work, a massive 4K display and a compact mechanical keyboard and badass speakers we haven’t seen elsewhere.

Onvis updated its formerly Bluetooth-only CT3 contact sensor with the Thread wireless protocol. That means it should work smoothly with HomeKit and Siri. It won’t just let you know when doors or windows open or close, it will launch related automations.

This is especially good news if you want to jack up home security by automatically tripping alarms or turning on lights when a door or window opens.

We’re not sure exactly when anonymity became a luxury, but there’s now a cottage industry dedicated to restoring your privacy. VPNs can hide your location, and apps like Signal can keep your messages on the down low, but your phone number? For the most part, that’s still an all-too-public commodity, as the rise in spam calls and telemarketing has shown.

Luckily, there’s now a service called Hushed that can give you a second phone line that’s completely private. But time’s running out to try it for a greatly reduced price.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Apple TV+ its latest Oscar win, this time for The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It is hand-drawn animation, and it therefore took home the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

The Oscar was awarded Sunday night at the 95th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly sided with COO Jeff Williams to launch the company’s AR/VR headset this year, despite the fact that Cupertino’s design team wanted to wait a few more years to launch a sleeker pair of AR glasses.

The headset’s launch time frame has been a point of contention inside Apple. Until 2019, when Jony Ive led the design deapartment, it was unimaginable to go against his team’s wishes.

If you’re any kind of golfer, you’re likely counting down the days until the Masters Tournament starts in early April. So, what can you do until then? To get into the golfing spirit, you could hit the green at your local course. Or, you could invite some friends over and play 18 holes on a virtual version of your dream course, whether that’s Augusta National or Loch Lomond.

The PhiGolf at-home golf simulator can take you there and beyond. And that’s just the start of what this innovative product offers. During our Golf Campaign, which ends March 15, you can score the PhiGolf for only $189.99.

The beautiful images of the moon taken with a recent high-end Samsung Galaxy are apparently faked. A Reddit user took a picture of a low-resolution moon picture and got a high-res picture.

In other words, Galaxy Ultra cameras aren’t as powerful as people claim.

Wearing chunky over-ear headphones or finicky in-ear buds can become super-uncomfortable. The secret to comfortable listening for hours on end is with technologically advanced induction headphones, which don’t require sitting in your ear at all.

And right now, you can grab a pair of highly rated Open Ear Induction Stereo Wireless Headphones on sale for just $33.99. That’s more than half off the regular price of $109.

If you rely on your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods like we do, a low-battery warning is not what you want to see, especially while away from your home or office. Ensure those tools are always ready when you need them by taking advantage of a surprisingly low price on an advanced charging solution.

For a limited time, you can get a foldable MagStack three-in-one wireless charging station for only $47.99 (regularly $74) with no coupon required. That’s nearly 40% off on a product that instantly streamlines your approach to powering up.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Did the world really need a yellow iPhone 14? Especially one that looks about as bold as a buttered banana? At least we’ve got new iMacs coming to ease our disappointment.

Also on The CultCast:

• Those new iMacs are just the beginning of a coming wave of even-more-powerful Apple computers.
• Who in their right mind would pay $600 for an Apple Watch band?
• At least the yellow iPhone wallpaper is free (and so is Microsoft Outlook for Mac).

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.

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I’m going to show you five ways you can instantly boost your productivity on your Mac. You might not have thought your Mac was capable of these advanced features. But in my opinion, the Mac’s reputation for being un-customizable is misunderstood. Four of these tips depend on third-party productivity apps that will add radical new system features to your Mac.

I’ll show you how to get instant window snapping on the Mac, powerful screenshot and recording tools, a clever clipboard manager that should be built into macOS, a simple tip for opening apps faster, and a smart time-tracking tool that’ll keep you productive.

Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon is one of the best RPGs in Apple Arcade. It’s a relatively simple dungeon crawler in the spirit of great 16-bit games of the past like Gauntlet. And it can be enjoyed by up to four players at once.

I’ve spent more hours than I could possibly count playing this title from Cornfox & Brothers. Here are seven reasons I think you’ll like it too.

Historically, winter and golf don’t mix too well. That’s why the upcoming Masters Tournament is so exciting. Golf season is coming back soon, and there’s just enough time to get into the spirit by playing a few games. While you may not be able to spend a day on the course, whether it’s because golf fees are increasing or the weather’s simply too bad out, you could bring golf to your home.

The SwingLogic SLX MicroSim is a super-compact golf simulator that lets you avoid rising fees and stay on top of your swing from the comfort of your home. Compatible with iOS devices, the simulator with the swing stick now costs just $204, while the simulator without it is $99.99 through March 15.