iPhones and iPads offer plenty of valuable features, but with the right accessories, you can turn them into bonafide educational tools. For example, this Wi-Fi microscope adds a new dimension to your iOS devices and Macs, turning them into a fun way to explore the world in miniature for $55.95 (regularly $69).
Spotify is offering a three-month free trial to new subscribers for a limited time. The music streaming service typically has a one-month trial period.
If you are a former Spotify Premium user, you can resubscribe by paying just $9.99 for three months.
With iOS 16 likely just a month away from release, Apple is picking up the tempo of beta releases of the operating system. Apple seeded iOS 16 beta 6 Monday, a mere seven days after the fifth beta. Along with that increase in release speed, the latest beta packs only minor changes.
As iOS 16 nears its stable launch, we are going to see Apple focus more on squashing bugs and improving the overall stability instead of adding new features or tweaking things around.
Sometimes you want to glam it up a bit, but not so much that you look silly at the laundromat. If you’d like an Apple Watch band that you can look good wearing at the burger joint, the French restaurant and the gala black-tie benefit, look no further. Goldenerre’s Starburst Apple Watch Band has you covered.
And it’s available now for a staggering 66% off in the Cult of Mac Store. That’s a savings of $56!
The Zagg Rugged Pro Connect keyboard and case for iPad can take what life dishes out. It has 2 meters of drop protection, it is water resistant, the keys won’t pop off, and there’s a snap-on screen protector.
The case fits multiple generations of the 10.2-inch budget iPad, and is available starting Tuesday.
★★★★☆
The Apple Magic Keyboard is a great way to get work done on your iPad, but it’s not a particularly secure way to transport the tablet. The Pitaka FlipBook Case wraps around the Apple Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro or iPad Air to both protect them and add a handle. It even includes a pocket.
I took the leather-and-carbon-fiber case for a spin. Here’s what I found.
Amazon surfaced the lowest prices ever on certain 2021 MacBook Pro laptops Tuesday, including 14-inch and 16-inch models. Specifically, there are three options featuring the M1 Pro chip and different sizes of solid state drive (SSD).
If you’re in the market for one of those, act fast. Deals where you can lop $300 off the the usual prices don’t usually last long.
With Twelve South’s Curve Flex, a MacBook can tilt up slightly or be elevated almost two feet off a desktop. The laptop stand is designed to be, well, flexible. It’s also portable.
The accessory launched Tuesday.
As far as remote file storage goes, iCloud is pretty great. It connects seamlessly to your Apple devices, is reliable and reasonably cheap. But it’s not perfect. For example, if you’re a college student or learning a new skill, you might need more storage space to house all your project files.
For situations like that, Prism Drive makes for an excellent and inexpensive Plan B. And right now, lifetime subscriptions are on sale during our Back to Education event.
The Plugable UD-6950PDH is a just-launched USB-C dock that lets Mac users add a wide variety of accessories via a whopping 13 ports. And that includes a pair of 4K monitors even on Macs that not designed to handle that many.
On top of that, the dock offers 100W of power for charging high-end MacBooks.
Unlike so many keyboards, the MacTigr is specifically for Mac. The designers at Das Keyboard included Mac-specific keys in a low-profile mechanical keyboard made of high-quality materials.
In addition to Cherry MX Low Profile Red mechanical switches, the accessory is packed with extra features, like a volume knob, sleep button and even a two-port USB-C hub.
Apple’s oft-delayed plan to require corporate employees to be in the office three days a week is reportedly back on.
Apple employees are already required to be in the offices two days a week. That will reportedly jump to three days a week starting in early September.
No one wants to admit it, but our iPhones can sometimes be black holes. Mobile games and social media can sap our attention and damper our productivity. On the flip side, your smartphone can help bring you to a better headspace and alleviate your stress and anxiety, thanks to all the mindfulness apps you can try.
One example is the Mindfulness.com app. For a limited time, you can purchase a lifetime Plus Plan for $69.99 (regularly $399), courtesy of our Back to Education campaign, which ends August 24.
Life By Ella follows a teen as she takes herself in a bold new direction: She’s going to seize every day and experience everything she was afraid to do before. The kids and family series debuts September 2 on Apple TV+.
Apple posted an extremely upbeat trailer for the upcoming show Monday.
AirVersa’s new Purelle Smart Air Purifier for HomeKit came out on Amazon in the U.S. on Saturday. According to the company, it’s the first air purifier to support the Thread networking standard.
That Thread support will be important when the Matter home automation standard starts helping devices made by different makers work well together.
If there’s one thing Apple displays are known for, it’s high prices. OK — all joking aside — if there are two things they’re known for, it’s crisp, accurate colors and being worth the price for that level of quality.
After all, those who work or play with graphics, photos, video or animation need great color.
And if you go dual-display, it helps if they’re the same model. Today’s featured Mac Studio setup, for example, corrected mismatched displays and the resulting color inconsistency by adding a second Studio Display.
Two of the best-loved shows on Apple TV+ — Severance and Ted Lasso — took home honors over the weekend from the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards.
Severance won five awards, including Best Drama, and Ted Lasso won two awards, including Best Comedy. Apple TV+ topped all streaming services with 53 nominations overall.
★★★★☆
Whether you’re getting an iPhone 13 series handset at a discount because iPhone 14 is coming soon or you just want to change up your case for the iPhone you already have, you can’t go wrong with the tasteful and tough Journey iPhone 13 Leather Case.
The company sent me a MagSafe-compatible, tan-colored case for iPhone 13 Pro to try out. I found it a refreshing switch from the Apple clear MagSafe case I’d been using, which had begun to blacken at the corners over the past several months.
This cloud storage post is presented by pCloud.
If you’re looking for reliable cloud storage for the whole crew, pCloud’s new family plan delivers 10TB of shared storage. Plus, a great back-to-school deal can save you some serious money (up to 80% off).
The Switzerland-based company, subject to strong privacy laws, offers affordable, super-secure cloud-based storage and backup for individuals, families and businesses.
The switch to gallium nitride continues to lead to less bulky but more powerful charging accessories. As their names indicate, the HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger and 245W USB-C Battery Pack can each supply 245 watts of power, but GaN means they aren’t oversized.
Both launched Monday.
It’s hot in China. Hot enough that the government is ordering industries in parts of the country to temporarily halt electrical consumption so there’s enough left for air conditioning. An Apple analyst warns that iPad assembly could be affected.
Apple is expected to launch a redesigned budget iPad and an updated iPad Pro this autumn, and production problems could limit their availability.
Your Apple Watch can tell a lot about you — including how well you sleep at night. It offers insight into your sleeping habits, like how many REM cycles you go through each night, your average time in bed and your heart rate when you’re snoozing. You can even set sleep reminders.
But you know what it can’t tell you? Whether you’re snoring (although maybe your partner can answer that question better). If you wake to see your partner irritated in the morning, you may want to curb your snoring with VitalSleep, an anti-snoring device that’s on sale for $64.95 (regularly $99).
In a recent report, Apple outlined the “rigorous scientific validation processes” used to develop the health and fitness features baked into its products.
Wearables like Apple Watch monitor our bodies around the clock, providing health insights in real time. That’s a new and unprecedented development in medical technology. The benefits are already clear, as the report illustrates, with anecdotes about how Apple Watch has saved lives.
But anecdotal evidence is not the same as scientific research. By cherry-picking the best outcomes, anecdotes risk overlooking the bigger picture. Scientists must look at all the outcomes, not just the good ones. With that in mind, I took a closer look at the scientific studies cited in Apple’s report, to find out what they tell us about the impact Apple Watch is having on our health.
The newest beta of Microsoft Office gives iPad users the option to convert handwriting done with an Apple Pencil or other stylus into text using Apple’s Scribble system. It’ll should be available to all in the near future.
Apple’s handwriting-recognition system uses AI to recognize letters and words, and will allow users to quickly edit a document or spreadsheet on the go with a stylus. But it could also be used to write entire Word docs.
Apple tried to talk Facebook into creating a version of its social network without adverts, according to a new report. Users would pay a subscription fee and would not be tracked for advertising purposes.
Obviously, it didn’t happen.