Apple has started selling refurbished M2 MacBook Pros in the United States and Canada through its online store. You can save up to $200 off the MSRP of the computer by buying the refurbished model directly from Apple.
The M2 MacBook Pro looks the same as the 2020 model, with the switch to a newer chip being the only upgrade.
★★★★★
Out of the box, the new iPhone 14 Pro looks almost identical to its predecessor, the iPhone 13 Pro, with its frosted glass back, shiny steel band and triple-lens rear camera.
But switch it on, and you immediately see an obvious difference — the new Dynamic Island, a fun, interactive UI element that alone is almost worth the upgrade. But what cinches it is the new 48MP camera sensor, which takes absolutely fantastic pictures.
Inspiration strikes each of us in different ways, and if you feel a call to draw, you don’t need a formal education to get started. Give your artistic side a shot by exploring the 2023 Fundamental of Drawing and Shading Bundle. The bundle features four courses comprising nearly 100 collective lessons, and you can purchase it for only $29.99 (Reg. $800) for a limited time.
★★☆☆☆
It’s close quarters combat on this week’s See, and plenty of it. The Apple TV+ show about a dystopian society run by blind people hits a violent snag as Tormada comes for his bombs — and finds Baba Voss and his sword waiting for him.
Also, Haniwa gets an earful and an eyeful of destructiveness and it just about breaks her. Harlan has to say a messy goodbye to my favorite character, and Sheva brings out the big guns to protect her family.
Your MacBook makes for a great, portable work machine, but all laptops come with inherent downsides. For one, their screens are nowhere near as wide as a desktop display. A portable monitor could fix that, and this 4K touchscreen extension by Desklab might fit the bill for you.
It’s on sale with more than half off right now at just $289.99 (regularly $700).
The big and rugged Apple Watch Ultra is a very different beast than the “normal” Apple smartwatches that came before it. With so many new features, there’s still a lot we don’t know about it.
But over the past couple of weeks, I have discovered nine fascinating factoids that most reviewers haven’t picked up on yet. So to celebrate Ultra’s launch day, I’m sharing them with you now.
If you’ve got a new iPhone 14 or an Apple Watch Ultra, it’s time to get tough about protecting them.
Good thing Nomad rolled out its special-edition Ultra Orange iPhone 14 case and Apple Watch Ultra band just for the occasion, now available for preorder at a discount.
And they’re not kidding about “ultra orange.” They’re vividly colored accessories.
Fans of classic arcade games should enjoy Shovel Knight Dig, a retro adventure game that launched Friday. Players guide a hero down deep into the earth to fight monsters and win treasure with the aid of his trusty Shovel Blade.
The latest offering from Yacht Club Games debuted Friday on Apple Arcade for a range of Apple computers.
★★★★☆
Twisted Apple TV+ comedy Bad Sisters recovers from a few nasty falls this week. The series, which centers on Irish sisters determined to put their brother-in-law on ice, circles the wagons and waits for bad news as insurance inspectors get closer to the truth.
In a typically great episode from the show’s marvelous artistic team and cast, John Paul survives another murder attempt in the past, and Becka makes a shocking discovery.
If you’re at all into audio equipment, you’ve probably heard of a digital-to-analog converter, or DAC. You might think it’s a fancy thing for rich audiophiles. But, actually, even you already have a few DACs if you have gadgets that make sound, like a computer, tablet and smartphone.
But not every DAC is created equal. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup illustrates the point by going to the trouble of adding a standalone DAC in between a laptop and a pair of excellent powered speakers.
AirFly 2 from Twelve South can wirelessly connect your AirPods to any audio jack, like its predecessor. But the new version has a longer battery life, adds new volume controls and more. And it even costs less.
It joins other AirFly versions that offer additional capabilities.
★★★★☆
The Moft Flash Wallet & Stand magnetically clings to your iPhone, giving you a place to hold your ID while also acting as a kickstand whereever you need one.
I’ve used the wallet/stand for several weeks. Here’s how it stands up in everyday life.
This post on discount Microsoft software is presented by SCDKey.com.
The Autumn Sale at software activation keys provider SCDKey.com offers fantastic deals on crucial Microsoft software. Better yet, as a Cult of Mac reader, you can click on the links below and get an even better deal on Windows 10. Plus, you can score big savings on plenty of other Microsoft software.
To get the most savings, enter promo code CULT at SDKey.com. That will take an extra 25% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and more.
The National Football League brokered a multiyear deal with Apple to bring the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show to one of the world’s biggest stages, the league said Friday.
The new halftime show debuts at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, February 12, 2023. But most details about it have yet to take the field.
Carrying a separate Apple Watch charger proves annoying when you travel. Save space in your bag or on your nightstand with this three-in-one Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhone charging cable. It comes with two Lightning tips and one Apple Watch charging puck.
Connect it to a power source, and it can charge an Apple Watch, an iPhone and AirPods all at once. And it’s not just convenient. It’s colorful and inexpensive! Get one in gray, blue, white or red for $16.99 each.
★★★★☆
New Apple TV+ documentary Sidney tells the story of the great actor and activist Sidney Poitier. Filmed just before his death in January 2022, the film delivers a gripping, first-person chronicle of a man discovering himself, finding his talent, and divining the character of the country he called home.
Irreplaceable guests like Greg Tate, Spike Lee and Harry Belafonte join Poitier to recount his life and times in the excellent Sidney, from director Reginald Hudlin and producer Oprah Winfrey.
The Apple Watch Ultra and AirPods Pro 2 are now on sale in more than 30 markets globally. The Ultra is the largest Apple Watch yet, while the new AirPods offer better sound and stronger noise cancellation than the originals.
Apple announced these products at its Far Out event on September 7, and started accepting preorders for the second-gen AirPods Pro immediately afterward. The Apple Watch Ultra went up for preorder alongside the new iPhones later that week. Now customers are receiving them, and the products are in stores.
Want to add a high-paying skill to your resume? Learning to code is one of the best options for landing a lucrative job. And you can master those skills from home, at your own pace, with the 2023 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle.
The 14-part collection is currently on sale for just $39.99 (regularly $2,786).
Apple introduced iOS 16.0.2 on Thursday. The update takes care of problems that have made headlines, and irritated iPhone users, since the original debuted in early September.
The new version is available to be downloaded and installed now.
The Satechi USB-4 Multiport Adapter with 2.5G Ethernet brings a significant speed boost over typical 1Gbps networking connections.
And that’s just the start. The USB-C hub has a range of other ports, including HDMI, USB-A and more.
Simple. Elegant. These are the best words to describe the Speidel Royal English Leather Apple Watch Band. Supple black leather matches the style of Apple’s wearable, while adding a luxurious feel.
And it’s surprisingly affordable, given the quality of this band.
When the Apple Watch Ultra launches September 23 there’ll be a software update waiting for it. Apple on Thursday released watchOS 9.0.1 specifically to fix bugs in the new wearable.
Other Apple Watch models are expected to get their own update in the near future.
Yale, long known for its old-school locks, updated its Assure smart lock series Thursday. In addition to being 30% smaller than the original Assure smart locks, the new Assure Lock 2 models work with HomeKit and Siri voice control.
You can get Apple’s 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with a staggering $399.01 discount. The deal brings the price of the machine down to $2,099.99.
This is among the lowest prices ever for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Note that the listing only shows a discount of $300, with the additional $99.01 off automatically applied at checkout.
Reviews of Apple’s new AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC) are rolling in. The overwhelming consensus? The design is only slightly changed from the first-generation buds, but almost everything else is improved, with a few minor caveats.
They’re better than the original where it counts most: Higher sound quality, stronger ANC, more controls, longer battery life and an improved wireless charging case.
In short, given that the wildly popular AirPods Pro launched way back in 2019, it’s time for an upgrade for most people.