Cult of Mac

Apple TV+ space opera/soap opera For All Mankind closes its confounding third season this week by introducing us to a new character and a new geopolitical rival for the beleaguered space crews.

In this week’s season three finale, entitled “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Ed Baldwin learns Danny’s terrible secret. Jimmy Stevens hangs out with the wrong crowd for just a few minutes too long. Margo’s in trouble, Kelly’s giving birth, Karen’s making bold choices, and Dev is up a creek.

None of that’s going to matter by this week’s third act, of course. Just you wait and see.

If you’ve got the drive, you can pick up a new hobby, get primed to embark on a different career or simply learn something for the heck of it with StackSkills Unlimited. With more than 1,000 courses ranging from graphic design to guitar, there’s plenty of room to follow a new passion with this excellent online learning platform.

Frankly, there may never be a wrong time to learn something new. But the right time is during our Back to Education event. During this sale, you can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited for only $69 (regularly $99). No coupon is needed, but the event ends August 24.

Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and there are 45 unexplained deaths in a hospital in New Orleans. That’s the hook for new Apple TV+ limited series Five Days at Memorial. The titular hospital is a crowbar used to examine the carelessness of U.S. disaster-relief infrastructure, health care and our attitudes toward one another.

This all actually happened. And show creators John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Carlton Cuse (Lost) mean to take us uncomfortably close to the truth of what happens when Americans are faced with unprecedented situations … because we are running out of those.

Physical starring Rose Byrne will return to Apple TV+ for a third season. The dark comedy about a female fitness guru is set in the 1980s.

There were some questions about the show’s future after a shaky first season, but season two made continuing the series a no-brainer.

Snoring is no fun for anyone. Obviously, the loud sounds of snoring can prove painful for anybody within earshot. But even if you’re the one sawing logs in your sleep, snoring can take a toll, depriving you of the healthy sleep your body needs.

However, just because you can’t stop yourself from snoring doesn’t mean you’re powerless. It just means you might benefit from an anti-snoring device like the Snore Circle. This gadget stimulates the muscles under the wearer’s chin to help stop snoring, and it’s on sale for $79.99 (regularly $119).

Wouldn’t you pay that much for a solid night’s sleep?

The web browser that Meta built into the iPhone Facebook and Instagram applications can collect far more information about users than they probably realize. It can “track every single interaction with external websites,” according to a developer.

But users don’t have to stay in this sketchy browser. Leaving it is easy – here’s how.

Accessories-maker Grovemade recently added small and medium sizes to its lineup of desk shelves, which are wooden stands or risers for monitors and laptops that help you organize and store other items.

We see the Portland, Oregon-based company’s desk shelves from time to time in people’s workstations in Setups feature articles.

August 11, 1950: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is born. While Steve Jobs may be the most admired Apple figure, Woz might be the most well-loved by fans.

In addition to his most famous creation, the Apple II, Wozniak is also responsible for imbuing Apple’s products with his fun-loving personality.

Happy birthday, Woz!

The Scoshe BoomCan MS sticks to the back of a ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone and ups the sound quality considerably. The palm-size Bluetooth speaker magnetically attaches to recent Apple handsets where it also act as a kickstand or a handle. And it’s waterproof and dustproof.

I’ve been using the BoomCan MS for a few weeks… and I love it.

Apple aficionado Basic Apple Guy ran a “bracket” polling competition — think March Madness basketball, but without any perspiration — to determine the greatest macOS wallpaper ever. And users have spoken, according to a tweet pointing to final results Wednesday.

In a field of 18 competitors, macOS Catalina wallpaper emerged the champion (pictured above).

The state of the economy is pretty scary these days, but landing a high-paying job could tamp down your darkest fears about inflation. However, you’ll need to survive the interview process first, which is pretty terrifying in itself.

During our Back to Education event, you can learn how to nail your job interviews convincingly, thanks to a discount on Huru. This iOS app puts valuable interview-prep tools in the palm of your hand. And you can purchase a lifetime subscription to Huru for just $69 (regularly $1,393) through August 24.

When you purchase Huru during this event, 50 cents will be donated to a school or charity you vote on. You’ll receive an email after your purchase to select the organization you want to support. (We’ll announce the recipient when the event ends.)

Disney will soon hike the monthly subscription price of its streaming service almost 40%. When Disney+ first launched, it was one of the cheapest streaming streaming services. Not for much longer.

The company also increased the cost of Hulu and ESPN+.

In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, and Facebook turning over a teenager’s private chats about her abortion to police, protecting your data is more urgent than ever.

Your iPhone and Apple Watch, and third-party apps you use on them, efficiently capture data that could be used against you at a later date by law enforcement. We’re talking things like location data, ovulation records, text messages and your web-browsing history.

Keeping all your data private after Roe v. Wade to avoid prosecution could prove highly important. Luckily, Apple gives you powerful controls over how and where your data is stored. You just might need to adjust certain settings for maximum privacy.

Read on to dive deep into data security recommendations for iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Rodolfo Castro of the Pittsburg Pirates made an epic slide into third base Wednesday. His iPhone also tagged third – we know because the handset flew out of his pocket and hit the base.

The umpire had to point out to the baseball player that that the iPhone was lying on the field.

If you’re tired of your mouse, a Magic Trackpad could be the perfect new input device for your Mac or iPad. And during our Back to Education sale, you can get Apple’s wireless trackpad for just $117.99 (regularly $129) — no coupon code needed.

Plus, your purchase will trigger a contribution to an educational charity!

Anker has been on a roll lately with new chargers, and it kept going Wednesday with the release of its PowerCore 24K, aka the Anker 737 Power Bank.

The gadget packs a 24,000mAh battery, three ports for charging devices (up to and including your MacBook) plus a handy digital display that shows you what the device is doing.

Jon Hamm’s humorous request to be included in Apple TV+ has been answered. The actor has been added to the third season of the drama The Morning Show, which is expected to premiere on Apple’s streaming service before the end of 2022.

Ask and ye shall receive, apparently.

The just-announced Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 offer the clearest evidence yet that Apple is correct to hold off on releasing a folding iPhone. Flexible screens still come with too many problems to be acceptable in an iPhone.

Of course, that didn’t stop Samsung from releasing handsets with these drawbacks.

Venerable audio brand Sennheiser rolled out its new Momentum 4 wireless over-ear headphones Tuesday. The successor to the much-liked Momentum 3 aims for the same high-end sound and comfort along with a more modern look.

The cans, which will compete with the likes of Sony’s top headphones and AirPods Max, also claim an impressive battery life of up to 60 hours.

Apple’s tiny yet powerful M1 Mac mini is again down to its lowest-ever price on Amazon. This is for the 512GB variant that is available for $749.99, down from its $899 retail price.

The listing page only has a $30 discount, with the additional $119.01 discount automatically applied at checkout.

People swear by their iPads. And when they get one, they have many choices of cool accessories that help expand what it can do and how they use it.

SwitchEasy is a major accessory-maker for iPads, and for a limited time, you can get 20% off the company’s goods in the Cult of Mac Store.

But if you want to score a deal, you need to do it today. Our sale on SwitchEasy iPad gear ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on August 10, 2022.

We’ve seen a few computer setups lately where the owner switches from one or more large monitors to something smaller. But they don’t necessarily see losing the screen real estate as a “downgrade.”

That’s the case with today’s featured M1 Pro MacBook-centered setup. It went from a 34-inch ultra-wide 4K monitor to a new 27-inch Studio Display.

Essentially it boils down to “size isn’t everything.” When it comes to displays, there’s actually a lot more to the picture.

This YouTube download post is brought to you by iTubeGo.

If you like downloading videos and other media from various websites, a great utility to have is iTubeGo YouTube Downloader. With it, you can download YouTube videos, audio, playlists and whole channels quite easily and quickly. And you can easily convert files to other formats, like MP3 and MP4.

We’ll get into more detail below about iTubeGo YouTube Downloader and where you can get it.

If your iPhone or iPad locks up, iOS 16/iPadOS 16 will let get out of the jam by rebooting the device with a simple Siri command. It’s the easiest method I’ve found to get the handset or tablet going again when there’s a problem with the touchscreen, or the device is just misbehaving.

Here’s all you have to do.

School supplies aren’t limited to a nice binder, a new backpack and some rad pens. These days, your Apple gear is front and center in the educational experience. For example, you can use your iPhone to join or view video lectures, your AirPods let you listen to recorded lessons, and your Apple Watch is a great place to keep your Pomodoro timer.

Once school starts, those batteries will drain pretty fast. Luckily, during our Back to Education Sale, you can get a 3-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger for just $43.99 (regularly $59). Plus, a portion of each sale goes to a great cause!

No coupon code is needed, but this sale only runs through August 24.