Apple committed itself to a new target to use 100% recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025. And by that same year, the company will use only recycled rare earth elements in its magnets. In addition, it intends to make circuit boards with 100% recycled tin soldering and gold plating.
These commitments build on the company’s goal to eventually make all its products with only recycled and renewable materials.
Amazon bargain site Woot! is selling a slew of Apple’s accessories at steep discounts through May 1. Sale items include Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, an iPhone wallet, AirTag cases, and chargers and cables.
The discounts range from 21% off to an astounding 86% off (by Woot’s calculations), so don’t miss this one.
Apple Card Savings, the next financial service from the Mac-maker, might be right around the corner. The company announced the service last autumn without a launch date. But now an Apple tipster claims it’s coming in only a few days.
When it debuts, the service will provide Apple Card users with savings accounts.
Apple’s wear-anywhere augmented-reality glasses that so many people are looking forward are still at least three years away, according to a reliable source.
Don’t confuse these with the bulkier VR/AR headset that leaks say will launch in June. AR glasses are expected to be much smaller… once the necessary technology is available.
If you don’t shop at Costco, you don’t know what you’re missing. We’re talking big discounts on everything from Apple gear to those famous rotisserie chickens. And if you’re trying to cut food costs during these inflationary times, Costco is your ticket to eating well on a budget.
With a Costco Gold Star Membership, you’ll find shelves of enticing ingredients and premade delectables to help you create amazing meals. For a limited time, you can get a one-year Costco Gold Star Membership for just $60 — and it comes with a $30 Digital Shop Card you can use on your favorite Costco items.
As the old saying goes, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch — there’s usually a trick. And the same goes for phone charging sustains in airports. These can be used to hack your device, according to a recent warning from the FBI about “juice jacking.”
Here are six ways to safely charge up your iPhone when you’re on the go.
A new leak reveals several new changes and features coming to iOS 17. The source claims Apple will focus on “performance, efficiency, stability, and long-term support” for older devices with the release.
Interestingly, the leaker also suggests that iPhone 15 Pro will ship with capacitive volume and power keys. This contradicts recent rumors that suggested Apple’s plans have changed.
★★★☆☆
The Big Door Prize, the Apple TV+ sci-fi/comedy about a mysterious machine that reveals people’s potential, reaches deeper into despair and goofiness this week.
Dusty and Cass’ daughter Trina celebrates a depressing milestone and is acting out to make sure everyone knows it. Plus, Dusty and Cass try a romantic getaway and find nothing but surprises, both welcome and unwelcome, waiting for them.
In the episode, entitled “Trina,” The Big Door Prize flexes its tonal muscles.
tvOS 16.4.1 is out to deal with some bugs in Apple TV devices. This comes several days after new bug-fix updates for iPhone, Mac and iPad.
A fresh tvOS update means there’s new HomePod software, too.
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! lets its hair down this week as Josh goes on the lam and Melissa goes on the hunt for clues. Plus, Jane Krakowski gets an MVP moment that caps a very fun outing for the cast and writers.
The musical numbers in this week’s episode, entitled “Bells and Whistles,” prove stellar. And Schmigadoon! delivers more laughs per minute than usual, which means the second season of the feather-light show totally found its groove.
Amazon has discounted Apple’s 2022 MacBook Pro by $199 to $1,099. This is the same price the machine was available for during last year’s Black Friday.
Despite its dated design, the 2022 MacBook Pro packs Apple’s powerful M2 chip.
The Cult of Mac Store’s Easter Sale is winding down. Before it ends, don’t miss your chance to get up to 60% off a variety of accessories, including Apple Watch bands, iPhone and AirPods cases and more.
Visit the Easter Savings collection for all the deals and see some cool highlights below.
New computer displays tend to get not just better over time, but bigger — within reason. Unlike TVs, they’re designed to be viewed from just a few feet away at most. But increasingly, we see people using smart TVs as external monitors to get that extra size into their desktop setups.
Today’s featured setup sports an M2 MacBook Pro driving a 42-inch LG OLED smart TV that the user describes as “perfect.”
The powerful image-editing application Pixelmator Photo is now Photomator. Beyond the name change, the app for iPad and iPhone has been redesigned, and also now lets users easily select and edit specific areas of a photo.
In addition, a public beta of Photomator for Mac is now available.
★★★☆☆
Apple TV+ smash hit Ted Lasso needs a win this week, as AFC Richmond’s losing streak makes the team a laughing stock.
Ted’s not thinking clearly. Rebecca is seeing evidence everywhere that a psychic prediction about her is coming true — and it’s freaking her out. Keeley handles an unruly employee and makes a new friend. Nate has a minor victory off the pitch.
The episode, entitled “Signs,” is a perfectly good outing of the perennially upbeat football show.
If you constantly struggle with a spaghetti tangle of wires taking up space on desks, kitchen counters and bedside tables, there’s a better way to charge you and your family’s precious devices.
This seven-in-one charging station can power up an entire household’s worth of gadgets in a compact hub that takes up less than 8 inches of space. Even better, it’s now on sale for only $59.99 (regularly $89).
A popular magnetic iPad stand is about to be relaunched, better than ever.
The MagFlött Pro is one of the few iPad stands that is height-adjustable, making it versatile as well as ergonomic. It launched on Kickstarter on April 11, and you can get a whopping 26% discount by ordering now.
Apple may not ship the iPhone 15 Pro series with the rumored unified solid-state capacitive buttons. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple abandoned the plan due to “unresolved technical issues.”
Previously, multiple rumors indicated Apple would replace the physical buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro with capacitive keys. The design also would have added two new Taptic Engines to simulate the feeling of pressing physical buttons.
You don’t need to shell out for a piano teacher if you want to learn to play a tune on the ivory keys. With Skoove Premium, you can get hundreds of lessons and thousands of instructional videos to help you learn everything from the basics to improv and chart hits. Get a lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for only $139.97. That’s over 50% in savings and the best price online.
An Apple TV+ series that turns a murder mystery into a genre-mixing comedy will soon return. Season two of the The Afterparty premieres in July.
There’s a new mystery to solve with a fresh cast of suspects, though Tiffany Haddish and some of the other stars of season one will be back.
With Earth Day coming up, Apple says it’s doubling its total commitment to “nature-based carbon removal projects” with an additional $200 million investment. In less technical terms, it’s backing projects to plant trees.
And it’s not just trees for trees’ sake. Part of Apple’s Restore Fund goes to agricultural projects that generate income from sustainably managed tree farms.
★★★★☆
The just-released Plugable AMS-5IN1E is a USB-C hub that attaches to the side of a MacBook and adds ports that Apple won’t, including USB-A and Ethernet. And it does so without blocking one of the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and MagSafe charging.
I tested the five ports in this affordable hub to see how well they perform in the real world.
Apple’s 2023 MacBook Pro lineup is available with a massive $150 discount on Amazon. The deal applies to all configurations of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
This fantastic deal is unlikely to last long, so buy the MacBook you want before stocks run out.
The Steve Jobs Archive released its first book Tuesday, Make Something Wonderful: Steve Jobs in his own words. It’s a memoir of sorts because almost everything in it comes directly from Jobs, from major speeches and interviews to emails he sent to himself. It covers the Apple co-founder’s life from a young age until he passed away in 2011.
The new book includes never-before-seen content, the archive said, and it’s free from multiple sources.
Looking for your next science fiction binge? Apple TV+ offers some excellent sci-fi series to keep your eyes popping and (more importantly) your brain humming.
From mythic procedurals to New Testament space operas, Apple TV+ gives viewers a number of exciting science fiction series worthy of a watch. Some seem hilariously literal, while others prove truly fantastical. No matter your tastes, there’s something for every sci-fi fan.
Here are our picks for the best science fiction shows on Apple TV+.