The Belkin Connect 4-Port USB-C Hub expands the number of accessories that can be plugged into a Mac or iPad without flattening your wallet. And its connections are fast: 10Gbps. That’s 2X the speed of other USB-C hubs.

As a bonus, the product is made with 72% post-consumer recycled plastics. It’s part of a commitment the company has made to using PCR plastic.

The ESR HaloLock Geo Wallet Stand combines three popular iPhone add-ons into one. In addition to being a wallet and a stand, it also includes a handle. If that wasn’t enough, the accessory can be located almost anywhere with Apple’s Find My network, just like an AirTag.
I attached the wallet/stand to my iPhone 14 Plus with its powerful magnets and started testing. Here’s what I discovered.

Production on the much-anticipated Apple M3 processor will begin in the second half of 2023, according to a reliable source of Apple leaks. The chip is expected to bring a significant performance boost.

The launch will apparently not be in time for the 15-inch MacBook Air rumored to reach store shelves in the next few months.

ElevationLab released a new accessory called TagVault: Fabric on Wednesday, saying it’s “the first AirTag fabric mount.” You can discretely stick the fabric holder for Apple’s tracking device almost anywhere, like inside your suitcase or in the lining of a jacket.

If you lived in the United States in the last 15 years and you used Facebook, you can fill out a brief form and claim your part of a $725 million privacy settlement. This marks the end of a class-action lawsuit wherein the company admitted that U.K. data mining company Cambridge Analytica accessed Facebook users’ data without their consent.

You have until Friday, August 25, to file a claim. It only takes a few minutes. How much you get depends on how many people take the payment — it could be as low as $1.50 if every person in the United States fills it out.

Making a claim also stops you from pursuing a separate claim against Meta, Facebook’s parent company. However, if you take no action, you won’t get anything as a result of the Facebook data scandal.

Apple’s 2022 12.9-inch iPad is available with significant savings on Amazon. You can get the entry-level 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 128GB storage for as low as $999 after a $99 off.

You may see a smaller discount on the listing page. Amazon will automatically apply the remaining discount at checkout.

Whether it’s an RGB-plagued mouse or a stereo system that’s trying too hard, I tend to scoff at devices that light up in all the colors of the damned rainbow. But if they light up and also sound as good as Edifier’s QD35 Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker, I guess I’m sold. Let’s party.

Edifier recently sent me a unit to check out. You can read my thoughts below. In brief, the QD35 may not be everyone’s main stereo system, but it could be an ideal one-room speaker — whether that’s a kitchen, bedroom, rec room or man-cave/she-shack.

A government minister is “confident” that Apple will double or even triple the amount of money it has invested in India in the coming years. It’s expanding iPhone assembly in the subcontinent, and production of other devices there is expected to begin soon.

The comments come a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

You don’t have to wait any longer if you’ve been looking for a chance to learn American Sign Language. The All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle gives you 13 courses on basic vocabulary, usage guides and signing skills, all taught by the pros from Intellezy Learning.

Normally, this ASL training bundle would cost $618. But for a limited time, you can get it for just $19.97.

TL;DR: If you’re looking for a dependable virtual private network with a no-log policy and 5,600-plus servers that can still stream Netflix U.S., here’s your chance to get NordVPN’s two-year plan — plus three free months — at up to 63% off.

If you’re among the many people who stick with leather Apple Watch bands because they’re handsome, durable and timeless, can we interest you in a double leather band? They’re called double tour bands, and Speidel makes a beauty in brown leather.

You might think a bunch more fine leather would make it expensive. But the Speidel Brown Leather Double Tour Band stays under the $50 mark in the Cult of Mac Store.

This week on Apple TV+ musical comedy fantasia Schmigadoon!, Melissa and Paul try to leave Schmicago but learn that nothing is ever easy in a musical. The two lost lovers must figure out a way to sew a little harmony in their new digs. However, these people aren’t just garden-variety sad — they’re deranged and miserable.

This is going to be harder than they think. It’s also quite entertaining, thanks to a handful of great musical numbers in the episode, entitled “Something Real.”

If you bought an iPad Air (5th generation) soon after it came out for full price — like I did — you hate to see news like this. Amazon just marked nearly every 2022 model down as much as $119, hitting all-time-low prices for both cellular and Wi-Fi versions.

But if you’re anybody else — like someone who needs a great iPad — it’s wonderful news. You can save $100 or more.

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. It’s part of a busy agenda for the executive, including opening two Apple stores — the first in the subcontinent. But that’s just a small part of his activities as the executive traveled around to highlight how Apple products are being used in India.

Cook posted tweets from all the many events and meetings.

With Earth Day coming up on Saturday, Apple devoted the top of its website’s homepage Wednesday to the company’s 2023 Environmental Progress Report. It recaps recent press materials about carbon neutrality and recycling measures, but also goes into comprehensive detail about Apple’s longterm approach to climate change.

“Behind every product is a plan for the future” serves as the 114-page tome’s tagline.

Apple TV+ sci-fi comedy The Big Door Prize, about a machine that reads people’s potential and possibly their future, takes a hard look this week at a character who’s maybe hardest to like among the ensemble.

Beau goes on the hunt for a cheater. Giorgio continues his quest to best Dusty. Trina has a terrible realization. And Jacob bears the brunt of it all, as usual. The episode, entitled “Beau,” serves up quite a good showing from the cast and writers. It’s one of the season’s best yet.

What’s better than having two MacBook Pro laptops in your computer setup? Having the two powerful machines wrapped in cool-looking skins that confound and excite onlookers, of course.

Such is the case with today’s dual-MacBook Pro, dual LG-display workstation that the user depends on for coding and videoconferencing.

With our planet and its people facing increasingly dire problems due to climate change — exhaustion of resources, extreme weather, energy crises — the time is now to find ways to live sustainable lifestyles. Investing more in energy storage and reuse helps in the here and now, and also benefits generations to come.

Apple TV+ lit the fuse on upcoming mystery-thiller City on Fire, releasing its first trailer Tuesday. The eight-episode series takes its tale of murder, arson and family drama from the acclaimed novel of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg.

City on Fire debuts with three episodes on Friday, May 12, on Apple TV+.

If you’re motivated to expand your cultural horizons and want to develop skills to confidently travel the globe, gaining a solid grasp of foreign languages is crucial. The right language-learning app can simplify that process. And for a limited time, you can score unlimited access to one of the best at a low, low price.

Through April 23, a lifetime subscription to Babbel costs just $149.97 (regularly $599), with no coupon necessary. You’ll have to act fast, though, since this is the last chance to grab Babbel at this incredible price.

Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ show about a feel-good soccer coach who’s having a feel-bad time, takes a trip to Amsterdam this week. After another crushing loss, everyone sets out on their own adventures for a night on the town.

Rebecca meets a most charming man in an uncharming location. Ted and Beard trip on their trip. Roy and Jamie share some secrets over a bike ride. And the rest of the team can’t pick a way to unwind. It’s a revealing little jaunt for this crew and a mostly very entertaining outing.

Netflix’s restrictive new account-sharing policy will go live in the United States in the first half of 2023. The streaming company started cracking down on password sharing in New Zealand, Portugal, Canada and Spain earlier this year.

It is fairly common for friends and family members to share a Netflix account among themselves. With its new account-sharing rules, the company wants to clamp down on such behavior.

There’ll be a lot more to Apple’s VR/AR headset than new hardware: an unconfirmed report leaks details on Apple’s plans for software. There’ll be games and fitness apps, a VR version of FaceTime and more.

That’s not surprising. What is eye-opening is the assertion that the headset will be able to run third-party iPad applications right out of the box.

Mobile Pixels just started taking preorders for updated versions of Trio and Trio Max, clip-on accessories that add not one but two external displays to a MacBook or other notebook.

Don’t think these products will trap you in the office — the add-on screens are intended for use on the go.

The new versions offer larger screens in thinner, lighter designs. And there’s a new attachment system, too.

Withings unveiled its newest smart scale Tuesday, the Body Smart. It provides precise weight, body composition and health measurements as well as an Eyes Closed Mode “for those that dare not look,” the company said.

Eyes Closed Mode instead shows encouraging statements on the scale and surfaces your actual stats in the Apple Health-connected app so others can’t see them.