A humble light strip can have a huge impact on a computer setup and even the room it’s in, providing functional lighting as well as setting a mood with white or colored lights at different temperatures (cool, warm, etc.). Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup uses nothing but a Nanoleaf Essentials light strip behind the desk and a Xiaomi monitor lamp to light its way. And they do so to great effect.

Read more about the lighting below, plus the setup’s use of a Sonos Bluetooth speaker for audio and an iPhone with Continuity Camera for effective videoconferencing.

Most folks have their favorite materials when it comes to Apple Watch bands, like classic leather, stainless steel or smooth silicone. For my take on its interesting version of a silicone band with magnets in it, SwitchEasy recently sent me its MagEasy Skin Silicone Magnetic Apple Watch Band to try out.

It’s a comfortable, stylish, durable and convenient silicone band available in the Cult of Mac Store. The easy-on, easy-off magnetic closure keeps it secure on your wrist. But it’s not without minor drawbacks.

Apple Card Savings launched Monday, allowing money earned from Apple Card’s cash-back program to go into a high-yield savings account. And it is high-yield — at 4.15%, the annual rate is about 10 times higher than the national average.

There are no fees for the new financial service, and users can bring in their own cash from other banks that offer lower interest rates.

The WonderCube Pro is a tiny, multifunctional iPhone accessory that’s small enough to fit on a keyring. It features a charging cable with multiple tips, plus a flash drive, a flashlight and a flashy phone stand. It even comes with a keyring!

For a limited time, you can get one for just $39.99 (regularly $70), while a two-pack costs only $79.99 (regularly $118). This is the best price you’ll find online, but you’ll have to act fast, as these price drops only last until April 18.

Whether it’s your streaming service, podcasts or playlists, customizing your personal soundscape has never been easier. These open-ear bone-conduction headphones let you hear the world around you while mixing in the audio you want to hear. Even better, they’re now only $33.99 (regularly $109).

Rumors swirled over the past few years that Sonos would take on Apple’s AirPods Max by releasing its first headphones, possibly with Wi-Fi in addition to Bluetooth. But a little-known Swiss startup has beaten both companies to the punch with a pricey new set of cans.

HED Technologies recently unveiled HED Unity, the world’s first wireless headphones to offer lossless audio, high-resolution audio streaming over a local Wi-Fi network at up to 24bit/96kHz.

We’ve all got things we want to record, and sometimes an iPhone just doesn’t cut it. Whether you’re going on a bike ride and need to capture the craziness or just want to shoot an event while keeping your hands free, a body cam offers an easy way to document everything.

This 1080p body cam crams a wide-angle lens, a microphone for clear audio and 64GB of storage into a pocket-clip device. It’s now available at a discounted price of just $37.99 (regularly $45).

Whether you work remotely or from the office, your monitor setup offers telltale signs about the productivity of your space. Having one massive screen is handy for combing through paperwork, organizing spreadsheets and creating presentations. But utilizing multiple screens? That’s a game-changer.

To truly power up your productivity, this Geminos 24-inch dual-screen monitor allows you to easily work on two screens in an ergonomic, stacked style. It’s perfect for both sitting and standing desks. And right now, you can grab it for only $699.99 (regularly $799), the best price on the web.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors provide a fuller picture of what to expect this year. Sounds like big changes are coming in iOS 17. But a last-minute reversal means a hardware feature we were counting on probably won’t happen.

Also on The CultCast:

• Whatever you do, don’t get “juice jacked” this summer. We offer easy ways to avoid this menace.
• How much would it take to get you to give up your iPhone forever?
• The morons running General Motors ditched CarPlay. Get ready for sales to crash!
• A new edition of What We’re Into dishes up pasta, podcasts and a sci-fi show.

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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For this week’s giveaway, we teamed up with Pitaka to offer four people the chance to win a limited-edition iPhone case worth $89.99.

The lucky winners will get their hands on Pitaka’s Sunset Moment case for iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max. (Be sure to enter the proper giveaway to match your iPhone model).

Pitaka made only 1,500 of these cases, which were inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation novel On the Road. This tribute to Route 66 and the classic American road trip is nearly sold out. With a unique product number on the camera ring, the Sunset Moment case you get will be uniquely yours.

Whether you’re just learning how to code, you’re studying computer science or you’re a well-seasoned Mac developer, these three apps are sure to help you in your work. I have an app that adds a whole slew of new features to the Xcode Simulator, one that makes it easier managing packages in Homebrew and a better way to download and install Xcode.

All of these tools are, themselves, open source. There are links to each GitHub repo where you can learn from them and compile them yourself.

Get ready to battle Sauron and his minions in Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. It’s turn-based strategy combat for iPhone and iPad set in the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien (obviously).

The game was created by EA, and is scheduled to launch in early May. Pre-registration is available now.

Sometimes your MacBook or iPad just needs more options. If you want to add five more ports to your machine, get the Five-in-One Type-C Docking Station for $24.99 (regularly $39).

The Easter holiday may be past, but the big Easter Sale continues with fresh springtime deals on Microsoft software at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com. You can still take advantage of great prices on Microsoft Windows, Office and more. Don’t blow your shot at these great bargains.

Despite the many leaks and rumors about the 15.5-inch MacBook Air, there’s been no definite word on its processor. However, details of an unreleased MacBook with a large display have surfaced, and these indicate the chip will likely be an Apple M2 rather than an as-yet-unreleased M3.

The machine is supposedly running macOS 14, which won’t be announced for months.

Steve Jobs is no longer the man who spent the longest time as Apple CEO. Tim Cook, the executive currently in charge, has now surpassed Jobs’ record of 4,249 days with that title, making him officially Apple’s longest-serving CEO.

But it turns out the calculation isn’t that simple. Steve Jobs spent several additional years in charge of Apple. He just wasn’t officially “Apple CEO” at the time.

Guess who’s coming to dinner this week on Extrapolations, the sci-fi omnibus from Apple TV+? Veteran TV director Nicole Holofcener goes for the gusto as the worst dinner party in America goes off the rails.

An all-star cast, and a lot of pent-up energy, help this week’s episode — entitled “2068: The Going-Away Party” — stand apart from previous episodes.

You can toss out that old Monopoly board — Monopoly Go! brings the classic game to iPhone and iPad while adding new ways to play.

The free-to-play game is in the App Store now.

New Apple TV+ children’s show Jane has zoology, ecology, biology and conservation on the brain. In the series, which premiered today, a young animal lover and devotee of famous primatologist Jane Goodall goes on adventures of the mind with dozens of animal companions in a chance to better understand the natural world.

It’s a charming and informational afternoon daydream — with resources aplenty and a heart that’s in the right place.

At a screening for the Apple TV+ limited series The Last Thing He Told Me in New York City Tuesday, actress Jennifer Garner revealed why playing Hannah Hill is her “dream role.”

The thriller, based on the same-titled book by Laura Dave that spent 65 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, comes out Friday with its first two episodes on Apple TV+.

People love their “minimal” computer setups, but everyone has a different idea of what that means. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is on the spare side — not to mention beautifully photographed — but it actually has a lot going on.

From the powerful laptop and 4K display to the big-time external storage, backup power and extensive smart lighting, the setup’s more than a match for its owner’s photo editing work.

Apple’s slim and svelte M2 MacBook Air is currently cheaper by $150 on Amazon. The deal brings the price of the entry-level model down to $1,049 from $1,199.

You can save a similar $150 on the 512GB configuration of the machine.

Need more than your fingertip and a keyboard to get your point across on an iPad? An iPad stylus is an excellent option, and we’re currently offering one at a discounted price.

Much less expensive than an Apple Pencil, this one’s available for only $24.99 (regularly $39) with no coupon required. You can save almost 40% on a pen that’s perfect for designing, drawing and much more on any iPad produced since 2018.

In new Apple TV+ limited series The Last Thing He Told Me, a woman realizes she knows less about her husband than she thought after he goes missing. Together with her angry stepdaughter, she must figure out what went wrong — and what her husband actually did for a living.

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Laura Daves, and starring Jennifer Garner (Alias, Dallas Buyers Club), the show certainly isn’t a failure. However, slack elements in the first two episodes, which premiered today on Apple’s streaming service, keep the mystery from realizing its potential.

Apple is making more iPhones in India than ever before. The Cupertino giant assembled 7% of the total iPhones it manufactured last fiscal year in the country.

The company is looking to make India the next iPhone manufacturing hub after China to diversify its supply chain.