Cult of Mac

In new Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, we take a trip into the center of the pop star’s world to discover her journey has been nothing but hardship surrounded by impossible highs, which makes coping with her fame something like a near-impossibility.

Narrated by Gomez herself and directed by Alek Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare), this revealing, well-intentioned and often quite beautiful documentary gets us inside of her turmoil and the whirlwind of both her fame and her illness. It’s important for people to know that being America’s sweetheart is no picnic, and that the machinery of fame is parasitic and unyielding. Hopefully, someone, somewhere will pull the brakes on throwing kids into the show business maelstrom.

 People who show off their computer setups often go for a clean, spare look without much, if any, clutter — from cables or anything else. But few have as clean and spacious a look as today’s featured MacBook Pro setup with two Studio Displays. To learn more about this setup, check out the details here.

There are many ways of making a setup minimalistic without simply leaving out the crucial gear. In this case, it has a lot to do with a very cool desk with some interesting features.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) showcased companies and products using the newly available Matter home-automation standard at a launch event in Amsterdam Thursday.

The group, which includes Apple, Google and many other companies, emphasized the standard’s building momentum and drew a rough road map of what’s to come.

All over the world, November 11 (“11.11”) is a special discount day for many products. And so it is for Microsoft software when you visit the 11.11 Sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com. As a Cult of Mac reader, you can click on the links below and get a great deal on Windows 10 that gets you a free upgrade to Windows 11. And you can dig up big savings on plenty of other Microsoft software, too.

In order to maximize your savings, enter promo code CULT at CdkeySales.com. That will take an extra 30% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and more.

The inexpensive new Netflix “Basic with ads” plan launched Thursday, but users of Apple TV quickly discovered they couldn’t access it. Netflix promised a fix, though.

Users of other devices can now watch the streaming service for only for $6.99 a month, as long as they also watch commercials.

Whether you’re hosting the family, grabbing gifts or trying to get your shopping done before the holiday rush, Sam’s Club is a great choice. When you visit Sam’s club, you can shop for all your groceries, home goods, pet supplies and even furniture under one roof rather than rushing all around town. All you need is a Sam’s Club membership, and we’ve got Black Friday deals happening early every Friday this month. That means you can sign up for one year of Sam’s Club for just $24.99 (Reg. $50). No coupon needed. 

Depressive drama Causeway, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as a recovering Afghanistan war veteran trapped in her hometown, marks the latest collaboration between indie film company A24 and Apple TV+.

Lawrence, dipping her toe back into being a movie star following last year’s Don’t Look Up, returns to her roots in the film, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+. Causeway hits a lot of expected Sundance/indie movie beats but finds grace notes in quieter, less empathic scenes.

Announced in mid-October, Apple’s latest streaming box—the 2022 Apple TV 4K—is now on sale. Pre-order customers are also receiving their units today.

The newest Apple TV 4K is faster and cheaper than its predecessor and has Thread support to control your smart home devices.

Samsung is back at it again. The company’s latest ad takes a dig at Apple and the lack of a foldable device in its product portfolio.

The 31-second ad mocks Apple by highlighting how its customers are still waiting for it to adopt cutting-edge features.

Apple’s 2021 iPad mini is down to $399.99 on Amazon, a sweet $100 discount off its usual retail price. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular variant with a similar $100 off.

Featuring an A15 Bionic chip and an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple’s smallest iPad can be your perfect travel companion.

Apple shipped a record number of MacBooks during the September quarter, a whopping 26% increase over the same period of 2021, according to a market-analysis firm. That’s more than the company has ever shipped in a single quarter.

At the same time, Windows notebook-makers saw their shipments decline.

While not everybody can land a job at Apple (especially in this economy), anyone can improve their career with the right resume. Admittedly, few folks are pros at writing resumes and cover letters, and if you don’t do it properly, you might fall victim to an applicant tracking system (ATS). This application template collection could simplify your job hunt and includes a course on how to nail your interviews. It’s on sale for $25 (Reg. $149) for a limited time.

Days after reports of Foxconn employees hopping fences and fleeing from their jobs, a report late Wednesday from Taiwan News says Apple’s biggest iPhone factory is now on “total lockdown.” These new restrictions may have a big impact on Apple’s sales during the crucial holiday period.

Foxconn, whom Apple contracts to manufacture the lion’s share of iPhones, Macs and other Apple products, has had employees stay in on-site dormitories in a “closed-loop system” to prevent COVID outbreaks. Employees have been complaining about the “increasingly unsafe and inhumane working conditions” of the dorms.

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me premiers Friday on Apple TV+, and to be sure her fans can watch it, Apple is offering a free two-month trial of its streaming video service.

That’s much longer than the usual 7-day trial.

5G service launched in India in October, but no iPhone supports the high-speed wireless networking standard… yet. Apple plans to change that in December.

And those who are part of the iOS beta program can get access even earlier.

The just-released iPad 10 is a major update, but the design changes mean new cases are required. Fortunately, accessory makers OtterBox and Logitech quickly brought out several of them for designed with children in mind.

A kid-friendly stylus is also an option.

AirFly 2 from Twelve South can wirelessly connect your AirPods to any 3.5mm audio jack. It’s great for airline entertainment systems and gym machines. The new version has a longer battery life, adds new volume controls and costs less than its predecessor.

I tested the wireless audio adapter with AirPods and other headphones, as well as a variety of audio sources. Here’s why I’m quite pleased with it.

Did you know that desk lamps are now smart? A new line of LED-powered desk lamps from Momax offer a host of smart features, including wireless Qi charging bases, voice control via Amazon Alexa, an iPhone app for advanced control, automatic eye health adjustments, the ability to set color temperature, color modes and brightness, an extra USB port to charge another device, and more.

Perhaps best of all, you can get 10% off the price of each lamp by using code CULTOFMAC10 at checkout.

We had to check the calendar to see if it was April 1 when T-Mobile’s press release showed up. “Introducing the Un-carrier On from T-Mobile – the Smartest, Flyest Carry-On Ever,” it said, pushing a new carry-on bag the cellular carrier said is the only one on the market with wireless charging.

The suitcase, produced in partnership with Samsara Luggage, is awkwardly named the “Un-carrier On” and comes in one color: magenta. A big part of T-Mobile’s brand, that color is also the name of one of its membership plans.

Mastering an instrument takes dedication. But did you know that you can easily fit practice into your busy schedule without hiring an expensive tutor? A good way to study on your own time is with e-learning music courses. Take this top-rated, eight-part music training collection, which is on sale for just $34.99 (Reg. $1,600) for a limited time.

These musical training courses contain over 70 hours of content. Plus, each course comes out to under $5, making the entire bundle less than the average cost of one hour of old-school tutoring.

Apple’s plans of using its in-house modem starting from the iPhone 15 in 2023 are unlikely to pan out. Qualcomm will continue to supply the Cupertino company with the “vast majority” of iPhone modems next year.

The San Diego chipmaker expects Apple to shift to its in-house modem by 2024 at the earliest. It had previously expected to supply the iPhone maker with only 20% of modem chips in 2023.

Microsoft Office and its components are a mainstay for millions of digital workers. Capable of providing an educational or professional boost, a lifetime license to Microsoft Office on Mac or Windows is currently available at a reduced price. Usually sold for $349, you can get the entire suite on either platform for just $39.99 throughout November.

It’s taken a while to fully unpack and understand the technical improvements to the cameras in the iPhone 14 Pro. Camera nerd Sebastiaan de With, co-founder and designer of the highly-respected Halide camera app, has written a detailed review of the improvements to the camera system.

His professional opinion? These are not just great iPhone cameras, they’re great cameras, period.

At the end of the day, it seems like there are only so many types of Apple Watch bands. Leather. Stainless steel. Nylon. But what about something cool and cosmopolitan you don’t see everywhere? We think we found just the thing.

Goldenerre is known for some pretty glamorous accessories, and its Leather Link Apple Watch Band is an interesting option. It hand-wrapped leather links alternate with gleaming metallic ones for an exciting look. Check it out below and in the Cult of Mac Store.

Fans of the hit Apple TV+ series Severance can rejoice that production on season 2 started this week. More of what Stephen Colbert called a “dystopian workplace sci-fi mystery black comedy psychological thriller” is on the way.

Upcoming episodes of the Emmy-winning – and very creepy – series will feature the original stars as well as eight new ones.