Cult of Mac

Airfare prices are rising at an extraordinary rate, making it challenging for many of us to pull the trigger on dream vacations. With holiday travel planning placing more pressure on airlines, now’s the perfect time for some financial relief. That’s what you’ll find, along with increased travel flexibility, with Dollar Flight Club at just $49.99 for two days, ending this Sunday, November 27. Subscriptions will likely run out of stock before then, so get one while you still can!

Black Friday 2022 is now one for the record books, but you can still take advantage of hefty discounts on Apple products.

So, if you have been looking to buy a Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods or other Apple products for a while, take advantage of the best Black Friday deals on Apple gear right now. Just bear in mind that these deals can be slippery as an eel. If you see one you like, jump on it ASAP, because there’s no guarantee it will last.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors make it sound like we’re getting some major changes on the design front. And, while the switch from Lightning to USB-C sounds like a winner, Apple might pull one of its irritating tricks by making a handy feature exclusive to the iPhone Pro models next year.

Also on The CultCast:

• Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on your favorite Apple gear.
• COVID-19 chaos in the Chinese factory complex known as “iPhone City” points to further supply-chain disruptions for Cupertino.
• Find My miracles!
• Mondo’s Severance collectibles look like a really cool way to dig deeper into the most creative show on Apple TV+.

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.

Our sponsor: CultCloth

This is absolutely your last chance to get forgetful Eron’s ridiculous CultCloth deal! These are the only cleaning cloths you need!

The 2 Million Dollar Puzzle isn’t an easy puzzle, but the real appeal here is that you could win a cool million dollars just for completing it. And if that’s not enough incentive, this potentially life-changing puzzle is now on sale starting November 26 for just $19.99 — no coupon necessary. That’s the lowest price it’s ever been, but this Black Friday weekend doorbuster is only available for the next two days.

While some aspects of privacy protection rely on us, others can step in and protect us from threats we may not see otherwise. This Black Friday only, you can get a second layer of protection with three years of Windscribe, available for $55.20 (regularly $207) when using code WINDSCRIBE at checkout. That’s the lowest price it’s been offered all year!

“Black Friday” (November 25) and the days before and after it have become one of the best times of the whole year to get great deals on pretty much anything. And true to form, pretty much everything in the Cult of Mac Store is on sale.

Some of the latest deals are 25% off Nyloon Apple Watch bands and an amazing 50% off select Wiplabs accessories, like iPad stands.

The Black Friday sale in the Cult of Mac Store goes through end of the day Monday, November 28. See some highlights below.

This week on Shantaram, the Apple TV+ limited series about a fugitive trying and failing to lie low in ’80s Bombay, our hero sees that his days in his new home are numbered. The only question is, will he leave before a trap is sprung on him or meet his destiny head-on?

Lin and Karla aren’t sure they want to say goodbye, Modena makes a risky move (and Lisa’s caught up in his wake), and Pandey must put his money where his mouth is or risk everything.

Everybody’s escape plans are falling apart in a reasonably gripping outing of this reasonably gripping show.

If you’ve got a tiny desk for a workspace, you’ve got to make the most of it. Today’s featured computer setup centers on an M1 MacBook Air driving a small 4K external display, clearly going away from the trend toward big-screen-TV-sized displays for a reason — namely, vanishingly small desk space.

A small external display is one way to save room. But the user has some other tricks up his sleeve, as well. Let’s take a look.

Black Friday isn’t just about cheap TVs and discounted Apple products. It’s also a great day to save on Microsoft software. Shop the Black Friday Sale at software activation keys provider CDKeylord.com to save on Word, Office and more.

Better yet, as a Cult of Mac reader, you can click on the links below and get an even better deal on Windows 10 and other Microsoft software. In order to maximize your savings, enter promo code CULT at CDKeylord.com. That will take an extra 35% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and more. On December 1, those savings go down to 30% off.

An estimated 1.2 billion people use Microsoft Office, and for good reason. This comprehensive app suite lets users write polished documents, crunch numbers, create stunning presentations and more. But if you’ve yet to join the user base or want to install the suite on your home computer, you can purchase two lifetime Microsoft Office licenses for just $54.99, one for you and the second for a loved one.

These licenses are discounted as part of our Black Friday Doorbuster Sale, where we’re marking down prices on some of our bestselling deals. This promotion will end after Black Friday, but we might run out of license keys well before that!

The Mosquito Coast hits a dead end this week, and the only one happy about it is Allie Fox. His wife Margot and daughter Dina get desperate looking for a way out of their situation, even as their hosts start to have major second thoughts about their new guests.

Charlie puts himself at risk, Dina goes on a fateful date, Margot throws a Hail Mary — and Allie’s one step ahead of everybody. As we’ve come to expect from Mosquito Coast, this is one tense hour of television.

Apple’s Black Friday deals are now live in the US and Canada. The company is bundling gift cards of up to $250 on the purchase of select products.

The four-day shopping event runs through Cyber Monday, i.e., November 28. You can place your order through Apple’s online or retail store to get the gift card.

Brazilian authorities seized “hundreds of iPhones” across retail stores in the country on November 11. The phones were confiscated because Apple was selling them without a bundled power adapter.

Apple has already been granted an injunction against the seizure by a Brazilian court. So, the company can continue selling iPhones until Brazil’s regulatory body takes a final decision.

Gift shopping for teenagers is its own unique can of worms, but there is something you can get that’s practically a sure hit. Sharing a house with an Xbox gamer? This is your chance to get them three months of Xbox Live Gold for its lowest price ever. Starting Thanksgiving, you can purchase this subscription for just $9.99 or 60% off. No code is needed, but this doorbuster deal ends after Black Friday.

If you are overstraining your brain trying to come up with the right gift for an iPhone fan, consider a clip-on game controller. Mobile gamers can appreciate that physical buttons, sticks and triggers make play a lot more fun for many types of games.

I’ve reviewed all the top iPhone game controllers. Here are my recommendations.

You’re never really done learning. If you want to add a few new languages — and a ton of other awesome skills — to your repertoire, then check out the Unlimited Lifetime Learning Bundle.

This pack contains lifetime subscriptions to highly rated language app Rosetta Stone and wide-ranging online course from StackSkills Unlimited — all for just $126.65 with coupon code ROSETTA. You can only pick up this bestselling doorbuster deal this Thanksgiving and Black Friday — but inventory might run out even sooner than that!

It’s dueling dinner parties on this week’s episode of Apple TV+ culture clash comedy Acapulco. Memo is under investigation, Chad is under suspicion, Julia’s jealous, Esteban’s nervous, Sara’s drunk, Hector’s in lust, and — as usual — Maximo’s in the middle.

It’s an agreeably hectic week on the show, which doesn’t seem sure how to proceed with its more- serious ideas. As a result, Acapulco relies on an old-hat sitcom formula instead.

A sketchy rumor claims Apple planned to introduce a $49 Apple Pencil with iPhone compatibility. The company wanted to launch the budget Apple Pencil alongside new iPhones in September.

For unclear reasons, though, Apple changed its mind at the last minute and canceled the product’s launch.

If your wrist could use an upgrade, we have some good news. A great everyday smartwatch doesn’t have to cost as much as an Apple Watch Ultra. ChronoWatch offers an affordable alternative, with activity-tracking features that might give Apple’s smartwatches a run for their money.

It’s on sale for just $39.99 (regularly $159) until 11:59 p.m. Pacific today (November 23). This special markdown is part of our Thankful Deals sale. We handpicked some of our bestselling products with low prices, huge discounts and fantastic reviews, and price-dropped them ahead of Black Friday, so you don’t have to wait until after Thanksgiving to start your holiday gift shopping.

Satechi makes a wide range of popular accessories for Apple products. The company just took the wraps off its big Black Friday sale, offering up to 30% off everything it makes.

That’s a lot of deals for you on chargers, hubs, keyboards, mice, stands, bags, cases and more.

Spirited, with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds starring in a comedy musical version of A Christmas Carol, is pulling in a sizable audience. It was one of the top five most-watched streaming shows last week, despite premiering halfway through the week.

The Christmas special is available now on Apple TV+.

Mythic Quest goes Hollywood this week as Jo sits down with actor Joe Manganiello to discuss a role in the upcoming Mythic Quest movie.

Also, Dana and Ian go on an accidentally soul-searching trip, while Poppy looks for support around the office. And when Carol takes a personal day, that leaves Brad free to do as he pleases (and once more potentially ruin the game).

It’s a decent episode of Apple TV+’s gamer comedy — with one showstopper of a scene.

Smart-home accessories maker Aqara unveiled its new Cube T1 Pro Wednesday, an update on its popular wireless Cube controller.

The new cube adds HomeKit and Amazon Alexa support so you can control a range of smart home devices with it.

Modern computer setups lean more and more on smart lighting for practical uses and to set the mood. Some of it can even pulse and change in sync to music or action on your screen.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup leans heavily on colorful Nanoleaf smart-light patterns on the walls — so much so that people compared it to a strip club.

These days, the average person takes up a lot of digital space. In addition to hefty software programs, people practically burst their hard drives at their seams with scads of photos, videos and documents.

So cloud storage is increasingly critical, and right now you can get an amazing Black Friday deal on highly secure and easy-to-use pCloud storage — up to 85% off normal pricing. And both new and current customers can get the deal.