Apple devices are becoming enhanced in remarkable ways. In addition to being a provider of a regularly evolving stream of high-performance communication devices, Apple also provides its user base with compatibility. When explored, compatibility and the overall device potential can improve a team’s efficiency, performance, and communication.

The challenge in trying to make the most out of a business’s Apple devices is finding a strategy for optimization that also maximizes your resources. Considering the many facets of device setup, management and security, managing your team’s Apple gear can call for a sophisticated platform and a dedicated team of professionals — until now.

Jamf Now is an easy-to-use platform that helps small-to-medium-size businesses with all of the above and more — no IT team necessary.

Halloween is the time for kooky costumes, candy-induced belly aches and frighteningly good deals on Apple accessories in Cult of Mac‘s Super Sweet Deals sale. You can get anything made by Elago for 15% off this week.

Just head to the Cult of Mac Store to take 15% off all Elago accessories. That’s 162 products that go along with pretty much everything Apple. See some highlights below.

Apple plans to raise the prices of some of its subscription services by $1 to $3 each, reports indicated Monday. The services include Apple TV+, Apple Music price increase and the Apple One subscription bundle.

Users should see the price increases, listed below, with their next subscription renewal.

Apple finally released iPadOS 16.1. The debut of the Stage Manager multitasking system has drawn most of the attention, but plenty of other new features are worth checking out, too.

Monday’s launch is extra-significant because iPadOS 16 never launched. Version 16.1 is the first replacement for last year’s iPadOS 15.x.

Although Apple announced iOS 16 at WWDC22 and released it on September 12, not all promised features made their way into the first public build.

With iOS 16.1, which just became available Monday, Apple delivered many such promised features. Once you install it on your iPhone, check out the five iOS 16.1 features you should try right away.

macOS 13 Ventura is finally here after being unveiled way back in June. The free update includes a range of improvements for Mac users.

Here are four reasons to install Ventura today.

If you like buying popular third-party accessories straight from Apple, take heart. The Cupertino tech giant added three new products to its online store Friday from Anker, Mophie and Twelve South.

They are the new Anker 3-in-1 Cube MagSafe charger, the Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K power bank and the Twelve South Hoverbar Tower for iPad floor stand.

Continue reading

If you have the space on or near your desk for them, Monoprice just put out a pair of powered desktop speakers that promise audiophile sound to boost your computer setup’s audio output.

The Monoprice Monolith MTM 100 Powered Desktop Speakers put out 50 watts of sonic power apiece and feature bass panels on the sides.

The Mac Pro of recent vintage is famously compared to a cheese grater because of the holes in its casing’s design that look like a huge version of the kitchen tool. But did you know it’s not the only high-end product Apple makes that follows that design?

Today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro setup shows it. How often do you see the back of a Pro Display XDR in photographs? Plenty of people admiring the setup expressed surprise that the backside of Apple’s top display is full-on cheese grater.

Every year, Apple fans face the same dilemma: Do you really want to cover up your beautiful new iPhone with a case? With the iPhone 14 Pro models, that shiny stainless steel and pristine glass back look beautiful to behold. But these sleek smartphones also look … vulnerable. And drop tests prove they’re not as rugged as Apple might want you to think.

Well, the good news is Mkeke offers clear cases for iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro. These affordable cases show off your iPhone rather than hiding it. And the tough and stylish cases are top sellers on Amazon for a reason — several reasons, in fact.

The M-series processor in the upcoming Mac Pro desktop will reportedly give it a dramatic speed boost. It could be “at least” 2x or 4x as powerful as Apple’s upcoming M2 Max chip for high-end MacBooks.

The previous Pro desktop is the last in Apple’s product lineup still designed around an Intel chip. Apple is allegedly building processors that can beat it.

The Apple Watch has proven to be a game-changer, leading to immense popularity for its latest models and accessories. If you love your Apple Watch, it’s imperative to stay powered up while on the go.

During our Overstock Sale, we’re clearing inventory on some of our most popular products, including this USB charger for your Apple Watch. It’s on sale for $14.99 (regularly $39) until October 31 — no coupon necessary.

Whether working at home or in the office, if you’re a modern professional, you’ve likely found yourself in some repetitive, tiring routine. Getting up, logging on, checking emails, answering emails and then, invariably, killing time by building playlists on Spotify, checking feeds on Facebook and watching videos on TikTok.

Unfortunately, these wasteful routines prove very common. The average worker admits to wasting three hours of their average eight-hour workday.

Apps can be useful for a a countless number of things. From making a new parents life easier to finding new music, there’s are apps fit to help make things nearly effortless. This week, we have a couple great new (to me, at least) apps, and a really solid update to one of my favorites. As usual, I’ll put out the call for other suggestions as well. If you have something you want us to check out for a future Awesome Apps post, be sure to email your suggestion or tweet them over!

Scanners come in handy, but buying one means dropping a hefty sum and wasting space in your home or office. iScanner is a cheaper and more capable solution for scanning documents.

Right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to this top-rated iOS scanning app for just $39.99. And you might be surprised how much use you get out of it.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: For once, Apple’s new products leave us scratching our heads more than reaching for our wallets. We let loose our first impressions of this week’s new iPads, the surprisingly affordable Apple TV 4K, that ridiculous Apple Pencil dongle and more.

Also on The CultCast:

• Is the new Magic Keyboard Folio really all that magical? Some features sound great, but we don’t think it will turn your iPad into a laptop — at least not one you can use on your lap!
• Apple might’ve burned a cool million on the #TakeNote Twitter hashflag for the event that never happened.
• Logitech knows how to make a stylus right.
• What’s up with that USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter? Like everyone else in the Apple universe, we’re not diggin’ the dongle.

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 sponsor: Squarespace

Special thanks to this week’s sponsor, Squarespace. Get all the tools you need to set up your very own website and commence selling anything online. Start your free website trial today at squarespace.com/cultcast (no credit card required). Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain with code cultcast at checkout.

If you want to browse in private on your MacBook, iPhone or any other device, using something like Incognito mode isn’t the way to do it. While it may be comforting not to see your searches appear in your history, that’s often the extent of your privacy. Companies and third parties can still track your web activity unless you use a more all-encompassing security protocol like Windscribe VPN.

If you want to keep your online activity to yourself and beef up your cybersecurity risk management, then check out this VPN that offers a three-year subscription for just $69 — the best price you’ll find online right now.

Your MacBook isn’t charging right and you can’t figure it where the problem is? Plugable’s USBC-VAmeter3 can help. Connect it to the power cable running to your Mac, iPad or iPhone to see the voltage, wattage and amperage.

I’m no electrical engineer, but I tested this miniature power meter. I found it both useful and kind of fun.

Although Apple released iOS 16 in September, the company delayed iPadOS 16 due to bugs and stability problems. A month later, the company is finally ready to seed iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura and iOS 16.1 to the public on October 24.

But when exactly will the updates show up on your iPad, Mac and iPhone? Find below the likely iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura and iOS 16.1 release times in your time zone.

Need more storage for your MacBook? This slim-profile flash drive, currently discounted to only $14.99 (regularly $19), fits perfectly in a USB port and adds 64GB of extra memory.

This slimline storage device will instantly upgrade how you handle files. And it looks unique, too!

Bilingual Apple TV+ comedy series Acapulco returns this week for a second season of bright colors and frothy hijinx narrated by Eugenio Derbez. The Mexican resort is an ’80s uproar, young Maximo’s life is crumbling (though he won’t admit it), and his family is at a crossroads. And everyone, as usual, needs a favor.

The second season so far seems exactly like the first, which is to be expected, so if you like the softest possible jokes, you’re in luck. The show is fleetingly charming and expertly designed — the art direction remains Acapulco‘s greatest virtue — and little by little, it’s relaxing into a funnier groove.

Your creative and work projects can never sound professional enough. Micmonster‘s AI-powered voiceovers can give your projects a polished sheen, anywhere and anytime you need it.

Micmonster features hundreds of voices, in multiple languages, and gives you tools for tweaking the resulting voiceovers to your heart’s content. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription to Micmonster for $59 (regularly $119) — the best price on the web!

Any list of the most revolutionary Apple products includes the original Mac, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Too often overlooked is the PowerBook 100 series, Apple’s first laptops.

On the anniversary of the launch, I can explain why the series was groundbreaking. I had a PowerBook 140, and it’s as important to Apple history as the original iPhone.

This week on new Apple TV+ limited series Shantaram, based on the best-selling book by Gregory David Roberts, Lin stares a new life in the face — but fate has other plans.

The escaped con is starting up a practice in a Bombay slum with help from his reluctant and besotted friend Prabhu. A need for penicillin puts him right where the local underworld chiefs want him, in thrall to them and in need of supplies only they can gift him.

Meanwhile, local politics are heating up, Lisa’s kicking junk, and Karla’s feeling left out. It’s a perfectly respectable episode of the drama.

Some Apple Store locations began stocking the exclusive new Level Lock+ last week, letting users open their door locks with their iPhone or Apple Watch via digital keys. And now you can get it online, too.

The functionality takes advantage of the change in iOS 15 last year adding support for home keys in Wallet. It uses NFC radio technology to let an iPhone or Apple Watch near the lock open it.