As soon as AirPods Pro (2nd generation) launched, I ordered them. I got them into the shipping queue so fast, in fact, I skipped any option that looked like it might take extra time or add expense. That included “Personalize them for free,” which would have done neither.

Apple has been letting users monogram AirPods cases with letters and numbers since 2019. It added emojis the following year. Now you can even choose your own Memoji via the Apple Store app.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that whatever you have etched on the case shows up on your devices wherever your earbuds are indicated, like when you pair them. Now I wish I’d monogrammed mine because it’s so much easier to identify your own personal AirPods.

Have you joined the video doorbell revolution yet? If you’ve been waiting, now’s the time to finally embrace the tech. Not just because it can boost your home security but also because right now, you can grab a top-rated wired Ring Video Doorbell on sale for just $49.99, a 23% discount off the regular price of $64.

The AR/VR headset likely coming from Apple in 2023 will not be the company’s next smash hit. It will have fans, just not huge numbers of them.

But this first headset will be an important stepping stone toward an Apple device that will change the world.

Cybersecurity skills are becoming more important, and demand for cybersecurity experts is expected to grow by more than 30% over the next 10 years. Whether you’d like to learn simply to better understand the latest Apple security news, or you’re hoping to level up your career, you can get started with some online training. This advanced cybersecurity education program is on sale for $69 — the best price you’ll find on the web for this mix of courses.

With five separate classes included in this bundle, that works out to less than $14 a course. It includes an enormous 149 hours of training on everything from government-level Risk Management Framework and NIST to prepping for essential exams like the CompTIA CASP+, an industry-standard qualification that proves your high-level practical ability in the field.

3 nanometer chip production is about to begin at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. This is important news for Apple, as TSMC makes the CPUs for Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc.

Apple is expected to use 3nm processors in products launching in 2023, making the devices faster and more efficient.

Apple has a gift for those without an Apple TV+ subscription: the first seasons of five popular shows are now available for anyone to watch at no charge.

Spend your Christmas vacation time enjoying some Ted Lasso or Prehistoric Planet, or any of the many other free episodes. These can all be enjoyed without an Apple device.

That old adage “work smarter, not harder” definitely applies to marketing — and the smartest way to generate content these days is with the help of artificial intelligence. Juice.ai Pilot is a tool that can truly change the game for marketers and entrepreneurs, creating completely original articles based on specific criteria in a single click.

Right now, it’ll set you back only $39 for a lifetime of use.

If you haven’t yet stepped up your photography game with a camera drone, now’s the time to do it. That’s because today, you can grab not one but two 4K dual-camera drones for just $149.99.

Whether you keep both or share the fun with a friend is up to you. But at just $75 per drone, this isn’t a bad way to give a gift.

The iPhone setup process gets easier every year. So easy, in fact, that there are only a few things you need to do to move from your old iPhone to a new one. You can even directly transfer your data from an Android phone. Setting up a new iPhone from scratch isn’t much harder — you just have a few extra steps you need to go through.

There are still a few tricks that will help things run smoothly, though. Let’s see how to set up your new iPhone the right way.

As iPhones become more useful and feature-packed, the biggest challenge might be keeping them charged. The Stand-O-Matic is an iPhone-compatible wireless charger that lets you power up anywhere while keeping your device handy for use.

This week’s episode of Apple TV+ thriller The Mosquito Coast finds every member of the Fox family on some sort of clandestine outing. On the run in South America after blowing up a lab and stealing security software, they’re all looking for a way out of their little corner of paradise.

Allie and Charlie scope out a new place to flee after they betray their hosts. Margot makes a shocking discovery in Richard’s cabinet. And Dina enjoys a day in the life of an ordinary girl.

Luther Burbank said, “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” Is there a better gift you can give than that, especially at the last minute?

Make your loved ones happier with a delivery of two dozen roses, on sale for just $39.99 with free shipping (regularly $85) through December 30.

The job market is so strange these days that companies like TikTok are creating their own recruiting platforms. And, while the controversial video service’s TikTok Resumes initiative helped organizations like Target and Chipotle find employees, many job seekers might hesitate to turn to a platform known for viral dance moves when looking for that next plum position.

We wouldn’t blame you. If TikTok isn’t the sort of job-search jet fuel you want, you could turn to a tried-and-true, professional tool like ZipRecruiter to empower your career transition.

Apple TV+ thriller Echo 3, about the kidnapping of a CIA plant and the truly bizarre array of personalities that accumulate in its aftermath, takes a trip to torture town this week.

Brothers-in-law Bambi and Prince get a visit from a familiar face, a journalist realizes she’s in over her head, and DJ Momo gets the business end of a car battery. As usual, this is the weirdest show on Apple TV+ — filled with casual sadism and murder — and things just keep getting more bizarre.

The A16 processor in the iPhone 14 Pro models isn’t as powerful as Apple first hoped. Engineers reportedly mucked up the original design of the GPU so much that the company was forced to use essentially the same design as its predecessor.

Apple’s difficulties hiring and retaining top talent for its processor team apparently caused the problem.

The second season of Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses is through warming up and starting to boil over. This week’s excellent installment has Lamb revisiting the past, Catherine playing a very important game of chess, River up a creek, Louisa and Marcus in the dark, and Roddy and Shirley on the run. Plus, the Tropper family is in trouble.

The whole episode, entitled “Boardroom Politics,” is about mounting tension and slow (but not too slow) reveals, as everyone races to either create or prevent a catastrophe.

Today’s featured Mac-and-gaming-PC computer setup pulls off a rare feat. It perfectly aligns three displays on one arm. The displays are a substantial external monitor, a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro mounted vertically (yet running Sidecar).

Read on for tips on how to pull all that off, as well as tricks to using an iPhone as a mounted webcam and more.

Christmas is finally upon us, and you can get very merry deals on Microsoft software when you visit the special sale at software activation keys provider CDKeylord.com.

Cult of Mac readers can click on the links below to get a great deal on Windows 10. And that deal comes with a great bonus: a totally free upgrade to Windows 11. Not Windows shopping? CDKeylord offers big savings on plenty of other Microsoft software, too.

To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT at CDKeylord.com. That will slash an extra 30% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and more.

There’s a rat at the office on this week’s episode of Mythic Quest — and for once it’s not one of the employees. David sees a rodent and makes it Jo and Brad’s problem, which they immediately take too seriously.

Meanwhile, Poppy and Ian are having spatial issues, but those are a mask for something larger eating away at their partnership. And, as usual, Dana is caught in the middle.

A typically funny episode of the Apple TV+ workplace comedy, entitled “To Catch a Mouse,” becomes shockingly tense in its final minutes.

Internet use is unavoidable these days, whether you rely upon that connectivity for professional efforts, educational purposes, gaming, streaming or social media engagement. That makes many of us susceptible to unseen risks daily, threatening personal privacy and data security.

Fortunately, the Windscribe VPN Pro Plan packs plenty of protection. A three-year subscription is currently available at a surprising price, making it a fantastic last-minute digital gift for the chronically online.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, a half-hour animated short based on the book by Charlie Mackesy, is a heartfelt and splendidly drawn detour into melancholy holiday cheer.

Beautifully drawn, sensitively acted by an all-star voice cast, and written to carefully corral the emotions of viewers young and old, this one is quite the Christmas miracle. Premiering December 25 on Apple TV+, it’s one of the best animated films the streaming service has yet produced.

So, you need a last-minute gift for the person who has everything. Look no further than an e-gift card for Saucey liquor delivery service. You can now get $30 to use on Saucey for just $22.99, with no coupon needed. You’ll receive the digital voucher immediately, with no shipping required.

No matter how much of a procrastinator you are, you’ll have this gift instantly.

Apple’s year-long effort to broadcast pro football games on Sunday nights has come to an end. The Mac-maker was reportedly in negotiations for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, but was outbid by Google’s YouTube TV instead.

Apple TV+ will continue to boast high-profile sports, but its roster won’t include NFL games.

Even if you’re not worrying about giving gifts that must arrive by a certain deadline, mid-to-late December is a great time to take advantage of holidays sales. And right now you can get a great deal on a handy SwitchEasy 4-in-1 MagPower Charging Stand that’ll keep your gadgets going.

Through December 26 you can get it for 20% the regular price in the Cult of Mac Store. That’s a savings of $17.

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Want to play location-based AR games from the comfort of your home? Prefer to explore apps without georestrictions? Hope to fake your GPS location to appear anywhere in the world — without having to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad?

Foneazy MockGo could be just the app for you. And right now, Cult of Mac readers can get a special 20% discount on this easy-to-use GPS location spoofer.