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iPhone shipments grow as rivals tank

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iPhone 14 could be a good upgrade for those coming from iPhone 11 or older (or to go with the big screen of the Plus without shelling out for the Pro Max).
iPhone 14 helped push up Apple handset shipments in Q3.
Photo: Apple

iPhone shipments grew in the July-through-September period compared to the same quarter of 2021. The increase was modest, but still put Apple on a different trajectory from other handset makers.

Shipments of iOS devices went up 1.6% while its biggest rivals all dropped, some quite significantly.

You won’t find a better price on a 3-year sub to this top VPN

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Tired of ads? Grab this 3-year subscription to Windscribe VPN.
We've got the best price anywhere on a three-year subscription to the Windscribe Pro VPN.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve ever searched for something online and then started seeing ads for it shortly afterward, it’s not a coincidence. Websites gather data through cookies and tracking your IP address. Then they often use that information to advertise to you.

If you want to block ads and limit the information websites can gather from your browsing, try a virtual private network like Windscribe. It blocks ads, hides your web activity and a lot more. We’re getting rid of extra stock right now, so it costs only $69 for a three-year Windscribe subscription. No coupon code is needed, but be quick! This blowout event on ends on October 31 at 11:59 p.m.

Protect the photos on your iPhone with a lifetime of discounted automatic cloud backups

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Get 500GB, 2TB or 5TB of automatic cloud backup for life.
This automatic cloud backup service has 500GB, 2TB and 5TB lifetime subscriptions.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Sometimes it’s safer to save your files online than to hope nothing happens to the device or hard drive they’re living on. Whether you’re trying to preserve work documents or family photos, cloud storage is a simple way to ensure your files are safe while allowing you to free up some space on your phone if you want. Polarbackup Cloud Storage Personal Plan has 500GB, 2TB and 5TB lifetime subscriptions on sale. If you’re looking for an affordable, reliable cloud backup service, see what Polarbackup has to offer. 

Louis Armstong’s Black & Blues takes a bold look at a jazz legend [Apple TV+ review] ★★★★

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Louis Armstrong’s 'Black & Blues' review: A wealth of archival footage gives us a rare portrait of jazz legend Louis Armstrong.★★★★
A wealth of archival footage gives us a rare portrait of a jazz legend in Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review New Apple TV+ documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues takes a lively and appropriately soulful look at the man who invented popular music in America as we know it today.

The film, which premieres today on Apple’s streaming service, brims with expert testimony from witnesses, fans, friends, and family of the incredibly influential jazz musician. It’s bolstered by a cornucopia of rare archival footage and photographs that root Armstrong firmly in history.

Louis Armstrong is too big a subject to think you could ever fully capture him, so director Sacha Jenkins treats this project as just one man’s look at another man. It’s remarkably successful.

Score an exclusive $20 deal on world-class Adobe CC classes before October 31

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Become a pro in Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects and more with this top-rated course bundle, less than $20 today.
Go from total beginner to pro with this top-rated Adobe Creative Cloud bootcamp, less than $2.30 a course in our overstock sale.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to go from beginner to pro in the world’s most popular creative apps? You don’t need to enroll in an expensive college course. Instead, you can learn Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, After Effects and more from world-class instructors — at your own pace — with the 2022 Ultimate Adobe CC Beginner To Advanced Training Bundle. You can purchase this nine-part collection for just $19.99 (Reg. $1,800).

Huge jump in Mac revenue propels Apple to another record-breaking quarter

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Apple MacBook cash dollars money
A 25% increase in Mac sales helped Apple beat analysts' expectations during the September quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple pulled in record revenue during the July-through-September quarter: $90.1 billion, an increase of 8% over the same period of last year. That’s $1.29 in earnings per share, a 4% annual bump. Most of Apple’s signature products experienced revenue growth.

“Our record September quarter results continue to demonstrate our ability to execute effectively in spite of a challenging and volatile macroeconomic backdrop,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO.

Apple releases important iOS 15 security patch

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Updates is here for your iPhone bugs
iOS 15.7.4 takes care of a long list of security bugs.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Egor Kamelev/Pexels

iPhone users not on iOS 16.1 can now update their handset to iOS 15.7.1. Apple says it “provides important security updates.” It closes almost 20 security holes in the OS.

There’s also iPadOS 15.7.1 that does the same for iPad.

Ugreen’s powerful 200W GaN charger is perfect for desktop or traveling [Review] ★★★★☆

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Four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, all at your disposal.★★★★☆
Four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, all at your disposal.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Before you say it, I know – this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about gallium nitride (GaN) chargers. But the super-small, super-fast chargers are, frankly, worth getting excited about. I recently had the pleasure of taking Ugreen’s Nexode 200W desktop GaN charger for a spin, and let me tell you: This really is the puck-size charger you want on your desk.

iPad 9 vs. iPad 10: Which offers more bang for the buck?

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iPad 9 vs. iPad 10: Which offers more bang for the buck?
Apple now offers both the iPad 9 and the iPad 10. But which is better for you?
Image:

Apple positioned the new iPad 10 as the successor to last year’s iPad 9, but the two are far more different that their names suggest. The just-released tablet has a long list of improvements, including a larger screen. But it also comes at a substantially higher price.

Both models are still in Apple product lineup so you have a choice. Let’s go head-to-head to see how they stack up.

Take this slender power bank on the road for fast charging

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Excitrus 105W Power Bank Ultimate is about the size of a new iPhone.
Excitrus 105W Power Bank Ultimate is about the size of a new iPhone.
Photo: Excitrus

Mobile charging specialist Excitrus introduced its 105W Power Bank Ultimate Thursday, a small but potent charger with an 18,000mAh battery for on-the-go device charging.

The company called the iPhone-sized device “one of the smallest [on] the market with around 100W power output.”

Get 15% off MacUpdater 2: It makes software updates effortless

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MacUpdater app on a computer screen
MacUpdater lets you see apps needing updates at a glance. And it can update many of them with one click.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If you’ve built up a big collection of Mac apps, especially if they’re from various sources, it’s a chore keeping them up to date for optimal functionality and security. That’s unless you have a stellar utility like MacUpdater.

Now available in version 2.3, MacUpdater makes keeping your software updated effortlessly. And better yet, Cult of Mac readers can get 15% off the software’s price with a special coupon. See below.

[UPDATED] Developers don’t like Apple’s intrusive new App Store ads

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Examples of ad placements in the App Store.
Starting this week, paid, targeted ads can appear in App Store search results (left) and on the product page for a specific app (right).
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

After Apple began running new advertisements in the App Store on Tuesday, some developers checked their product pages to find banner ads for adult video chat apps, video poker apps and gambling apps of all varieties.

The fact that some of these advertisements appear on apps for children and apps for addiction recovery adds insult to injury. I asked a few independent developers to get their reaction to the news — and they were not happy.

Update (October 27): Apple has revised the types of ads that may appear, but the new ad placements remain.

Build your IT exam prep library with a blowout price on 14 CompTIA training e-books

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Get ready for your CompTIA exams with this overstock sale ebook bundle.
Prep for CompTIA’s exam with our overstock sale ebook bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re looking to start an IT career, you may find CompTIA’s exam path useful. The 2022 CompTIA and AWS Practice Exam E-Book Bundle can help launch your career into high gear, and it’s on sale at a blowout price as part of our Overstock Deals event, which runs until October 31 at 11:59 PM.

Stop snoring dead in its tracks with this innovative wearable

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End snoring for good with the Snore Circle.
The Snore Circle keeps you sleeping quietly.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As we develop better tools to understand our health, we’re learning just how important sleep actually is. The Snore Circle is designed to help you sleep better and get hard facts on how you sleep. For a limited time, this innovative wearable is on sale for $79.99 (regularly $119), the best price on the web.

Apple Learning Coach program adds instructors nationwide

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The program certifies instructors who help school teachers make the most of Apple products in their work.
The program certifies instructors who help school teachers make the most of Apple products in their work.
Photo: Apple

The Cupertino tech giant expanded its free Apple Learning Coach program Wednesday to invite more tech instructors of various stripes across the U.S. to join. Once certified, they can show school teachers how to get the most out of Apple products to help their students.

Folks like tech coaches and digital learning specialists who want into the program can apply by November 16, Apple said.

Massive 16-inch iPad could arrive next year

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Massive 16-inch iPad could arrive in 2024
An iPad the size the largest MacBook Pro is supposedly on the way.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple apparently plans to “grande size” the iPad. A version with a 16-inch display is reportedly being developed.

If true, this will be a considerable jump up from the Apple’s largest current tablet, which includes a 12.9-inch screen. And the device – perhaps called iPad Ultra – will have a display the same size as the largest MacBook Pro.

Protect iPhone 14 with tough Momax magnetic cases and screen protectors

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Momax's clear magnetic case for iPhone works with MagSafe chargers.
Momax's clear magnetic case for iPhone works with MagSafe chargers.
Photo: Momax

A new iPhone 14 is a substantial investment in what may be your most important piece of technology — often in-hand, always within reach. So shouldn’t you protect it? iPhones have become tougher over the years, but you wouldn’t want to risk yours being out of commission even for a day.

Momax covers two of the best ways to safeguard iPhone 14. One is a slim-but-tough magnetic case in clear or colorful options. The other is a tempered glass screen protector. Together, they’re like armor for your iPhone. And right now, Cult of Mac readers can save 10% on these Momax accessories with code CULTOFMAC10.

Apple TV+ nabs 5 Gotham Awards nominations

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Britt Lower got a Gotham Awards nomination for her work in
Britt Lower got a Gotham Awards nomination for her work in Severance.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ received five nominations for the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards Tuesday, including two nominations apiece for the series Pachinko and Severance and one for the film Causeway.

This comes after Apple took two wins in the 2021 Gotham Awards, which recognize visionary work in indie film and TV. This year’s awards ceremony takes place November 28.

Apple won’t fight EU mandate to put USB-C in iPhone

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No more Lightning ports
Apple has officially said it'll pull the Lightning port out of the iPhone.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An Apple executive confirmed that iPhone will drop the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. It’s a change being forced by the European Parliament, and Apple VP Greg Joswiak says the company won’t try to get around the new regulation.

Until now, it could only be assumed iPhone would give up Lightning.

Snag a last-chance deal on Restflix, the Netflix for insomniacs

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This restful streaming app is designed to help users wind down, and currently comes at a discounted cost.
Enjoy lifetime access to this innovative sleep-support streaming app for only a fraction of the price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Many of us need help winding down at the end of the day. For some folks, that means turning on the TV or getting some late-night gaming in. But those activities might be detrimental to your overall sleep quality.

Restflix, a restful sleep streaming service, offers more than 10 channels that can help you unwind at night. And it’s available at a blowout price of $69.99 (regularly $599) thanks to our Overstock Sale, which runs through October 31.