Some workstations look boring and utilitarian while others, at least sometimes, look otherworldly. The difference between the two usually comes down to good lighting, skillful photography — and often a key visual you don’t see every day.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup relies on atmospheric lighting and exceptionally cool desktop wallpaper on the displays to make it look fascinating.

And because the workstation is used mainly for audio design and includes great gear, it undoubtedly sounds great, too.

The time when iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max buyers could expect a long wait to get Apple’s latest are over. The top-of-the-line iOS handsets can now be ordered from the Apple store for next-day delivery.

That’s a far cry from last fall when the wait stretched out over a month.

If you’ve traveled extensively to other countries, especially more than one on a single trip, you know keeping your gadgets charged can be a tricky business. New day, new country … what kind of plug do you need this time?

As it has done over the past several years on this national holiday, Apple dedicated most of its homepage Monday to honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Along with a photo of King preaching at the pulpit, this quote by him urging a response to the Vietnam War appeared: “This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive education.”

And the Cupertino tech giant offered a book by King for free on Apple Books.

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Consumer electronics maker Alogic rolled out a new lineup of chargers for travelers in early January. The range includes car chargers as well as portable GaN wall chargers that work in multiple countries to keep your iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and more going.

Equipped with various power capacities and port selections, the chargers could be useful for travel and in hybrid work environments, the company said.

If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills way to store and transfer files, a flash drive might be your best bet. With this four-in-one flash drive, you can just plug it into your computer. And even better, it can connect to iOS and Android devices, thanks to its four different tips.

I’ve been on a quest to discover the perfect Mac keyboard. I’m looking for a compact keyboard with modern Mac styling — and the best key switches money can buy.

That’s when I discovered Model F Labs, whose keyboards are truly one-of-a-kind. They offer plenty of normal designs — but I ordered one in silver with blank unprinted keys. Keep reading to find out why I ordered what I did, why I love it and why I’ll be keeping it on my desk.

The last few years have seen a huge rise in spam calls and texts, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck listening to strangers ask you about your car’s extended warranty forever. Adding another number to your phone can help you filter out the calls and texts you don’t want to answer.

A Hushed private phone line gives you full control of a second phone number — and it’s only $24.99 for lifetime access! That’s a small price to pay for freedom from spammers.

You may have felt a seismic shift recently. The origin was Apple Park in Cupertino, where Tim Cook and Co. decided to start work on a touchscreen MacBook Pro. This is something the company has been adamantly against for many years, going back to a scathing comment from the late Steve Jobs.

But the computing world has changed enormously since Jobs mocked touchscreen laptops. Today, there are plenty of reasons for Apple to make one.

If you’ve been reading the tech news anytime in the past decade, you know that no one — not even Apple — is safe from cybercrime. But there’s a bright side to all this hacking, especially if you work in IT: The job market for cybersecurity experts is as robust as it’s ever been.

And if you’re not currently in that growing corner of the tech sector, it might be easier to train yourself than you think.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Deep down inside, you know you want to give your Mac the finger. Apple might make that happen in the (somewhat) near future, according to the latest rumor. That’s right — Apple reportedly is “seriously considering” making a touchscreen MacBook. That’s enough to get us chattering!

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple’s headset inches closer to (mixed) reality. But where are you going to put that waist-mounted battery pack if you don’t wear a belt?!? This is chaos!
• Lots of geeky talk on the future of Apple screens, and why microLED will make a big difference.
• What Apple products to expect this year, and when we think we’ll see them.

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 sponsors: Rocket Money and CultCloth

• Rocket Money is a personal finance app that finds and cancels your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps you lower your bills — all in one place. Stop throwing away your money. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way, by going to RocketMoney.com/cultcast.
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Apple apparently plans to re-release its update to the underlying architecture of its HomeKit home-automation system in the near future. The upgraded platform for the Home app is included in the latest iOS and iPadOS betas.

The company briefly made this update available to all users in December before withdrawing it due to unspecified problems.

Owning a copy of Microsoft Office is simply essential in today’s remote and hybrid working world. Set yourself up to work from home — or anywhere at all — with a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac.

It’s on sale at the all-time low price of $25 (regularly $349) for the next three days only.

The pursuit of consistently solid sleep is crucial for personal health, but a variety of factors can prevent that from happening. Snoring is one of the chief offenders.

Problems associated with snoring are unfortunately common, and can negatively impact the sleep cycles of both the snorers and their partners. The Snore Circle is a simple way to work toward solutions. And this effective anti-snoring device is currently available for just $79.99 (regularly $119).

The iPhone 15 is expected to get a facelift along with other design changes, and a new concept video and images present a very early look at the handset Apple might launch this autumn.

The concept artist started with details that have leaked out already and mixed in some of their own hopes. The result is splendid.

New Apple TV+ documentary series Super League: The War for Football examines a dark and very recent chapter in the beloved sport’s history when the bubble threatened to burst.

Capitalism’s slowly tightening stranglehold over the sport meant that some owners saw the potential for growth that meant cutting off not just more than half of the European teams, but the thousands of fans of those teams. This is the story of the people who saved football … for now.

Illustrated is a new puzzle game — literally. Players put together jigsaw puzzle pieces to assemble beautiful illustrations.

Putting puzzles together is a meditative process for many, and the new game embraces that, with each containing a quote or other wisdom. It’s now available on Apple Arcade for iPhone, Mac and more.

Enervating Apple TV+ series Echo 3 comes to a close this week. The show finally springs kidnapped CIA plant Amber from her prison, but there’s a lot more to freedom than no longer seeing the same four walls.

This bizarro, jingoistic wife-guy fantasy comes to a screeching halt with a conclusion preordained from its first incredibly strange seconds. Come for the last gunfight, stay for the most risible attitude toward human life I’ve yet encountered on scripted television.

Some computer setups are more Apple-ish than others. Apple-y. Apple-centric. Today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro outfit welcomes a new Studio Display to replace a recently “retired” 20-inch Cinema Display, and that’s just the start of the Cupertino madness.

Almost everything else in the setup is Apple, too. The input devices, the audio gear — even some of the wall art. And what’s in the book collection? The Cult of Mac hardcover book.

With 2023 well underway, the new year brings fabulous discounts on Microsoft software. Just visit the big Happy New Year Sale at software activation keys provider CdkeySales.com to save on Windows, Office and more.

If you’re a Cult of Mac reader and you want a great deal on Windows 10 (and more), just click on the links below. As a bonus, Windows 10 comes with a free upgrade to Windows 11. CdkeySales offers major savings on plenty of other Microsoft software, too. To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT at CdkeySales.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.

If your 2023 resolution is to boost your productivity, start by archiving all that paper you’ve got lying around. The iScanner app turns your iPhone into a document control tool that makes scanning, sharing, tweaking and archiving everything you have on paper a snap.

Servant, the most joyous and unhinged show on Apple TV+, returns for its fourth and final season this week. The saga of the Turner family and their live-in nanny can’t help but disappoint, just because it’s going away. Never mind whether it wraps up its plot threads or not.

A show unbound from ordinary televisual constraints, both dramatically and visually, Servant serves as a vivid representation of its creators’ raging id. As such, its first three seasons became one of the most wonderful pleasures on television. Let’s see how M. Night Shyamalan and Co. are set to send off this family of arch-weirdos.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to receive a substantial pay cut in 2023. The company’s top executive will receive “only” $49 million in compensation this year.

For comparison, Cook’s compensation was $99.4 million in 2022 and $98.7 million in 2021.

Believe it or not, there’s an upside to the proliferation of cybercrime. The more unstable things get in the online world, the more secure the job market looks for certified cybersecurity experts. Not only is cybersecurity and risk management the most exciting branch of IT work, it’s increasingly the most vital area of any big company’s tech branch — especially if they deal in big data or finance.

Need great wireless earbuds but don’t want to spend much? Woot, owned by Amazon, is currently selling refurbished Beats Studio Buds for the uncommonly low price of $59.99.

That’s $90 off the list price of $150. And it’s less than typical sale prices, like the $99.95 Amazon is charging right for the buds right now.