Many computer setups complete their dazzling looks with great lighting, like RGB light strips or light bars hidden behind monitors or under desks. And while lighting goes a long way towards setting moods and helping you see things, it’s not the whole story.
Another element that can make the most of lighting would be 3D wall panels. Full of raised surfaces, they catch the light and make a wall or other space come alive. Today’s featured setup uses 3D wall panels beautifully.
★★★★★
Thunderbolt hubs add super-fast ports to your Mac, speeding up your workflow. But these hubs also require a really bulky power adapter … usually. The just-announced Sanho HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub is the exception. It’s small enough to travel with.
I tested the Thunderbolt hub in my home office for a couple of weeks to see how it stands up to real-world use.
★★★★☆
In its entire 46-year history, Apple has made only one truly great keyboard: the Apple Extended Keyboard II. Dating from 1987, the Apple Extended Keyboard II has been dubbed “the greatest computer keyboard of all time.“
For me, the Extended Keyboard is the ultimate Goldilocks keyboard: it offers the perfect amount of travel, feel and sound. Alas, it was discontinued in 1994 and Apple hasn’t made a mechanical keyboard — with switches and springs beneath each key — since.
But fear not. The Matias Mini Tactile Pro keyboard is the Extended Keyboard’s spiritual successor: a modern mechanical keyboard in a mini package that plays nice with modern Macs.
But is it any good?
The latest update to the RPG Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm adds two new sidequests. Plus, the latest version makes the on-screen character faster and more agile, and improves the audio.
The new update for the multi-platform game takes it to version 4.0. It’s code named Secrets of Gaia.
Apple is once again bundling a $50 gift card with the purchase of the Apple TV. The company first ran this promotion on its U.S. online store from July 1 through July 14.
This time, Apple is running the promotion in the U.S., UK, some European countries and Australia. And in typical Apple fashion, the company took down its website for a few hours before making this promotion live.
Tired of just reading about the new iPhone Lock Screen and want to try it? Really eager to make full use of an external screen with your iPad? There’s good news: Apple released new public betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 this week, and my testing shows they’re stable enough for average users to try them out.
That said, be cautious. These are prerelease versions — they still have bugs. The final versions aren’t expected for months, and there’s still plenty of room for improvement
Sports lovers, what if you controlled the broadcast? When you’re watching the Super Bowl, how much color commentary do you really want? And wouldn’t it be cool to actually broadcast a local game that TV won’t cover?
Swish Live could make that happen. With this sports live-streaming app, you can control your own broadcast, whether you’re recording the big game for your friends to watch at home or running the interviews for your local club game. For a limited time, the Swish Live Streaming Basic Plan is on sale for $99 (regularly $340).
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple’s electric self-driving car project apparently just landed a bigwig from Lamborghini. Does this mean the hiding-in-plain-sight Apple car is back on track?
Also on The CultCast:
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 livestream, embedded below.
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Apple Watches are fantastic, but they’re also pretty expensive starting at $399 for a Series 7. Luckily, there are Apple Watch alternatives that get the job done and look great at the same time. The C-Max Chrono-Max Smartwatch is an affordable Apple Watch alternative that comes in black, teal, rose and pink, and for a limited time, all colorways are on sale for $34.99 (regularly $219).
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird finally reveals the killer this week, along with the evidence that might hang him … or might not be enough to do anything but frustrate the people working to expose him.
Superlative work from actors Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta and Laney Stiebing in the episode, titled “The Place I Lie,” pulls the show into greatness just before its final installment.
Black Bird covered a lot of ground in a little time — and now it’s time to bring it home.
Apple is going further into the ad business. Soon, a paid advertisment will be added to the Today tab of the App Store. And a paid link will be added to the product pages for individual applications.
These will join the Search Ads that are already included in the App Store.
Apple acting as an advertising broker is likely to be controversial because the company has taken a strong stance on targeted ads provided by Google, Facebook and others.
★★★☆☆
For All Mankind has a Martian crisis on its hands this week’s episode, “The Sands of Ares.” Ed and Danny are trapped, Danielle has to come get them, and Karen, Jimmy, and Amber wait on tenterhooks for news of the rescue.
It’s all hands on deck at NASA in the meantime, in the Apple TV+ space soap. People start confessing dark things as they face down death. And there may not be enough people left to make any sense of the Mars mission when it’s over.
Do you ever think about how much of the world you can’t see, even in your own home? Whether you’re doing some maintenance or just want to know what’s actually under the fridge, an endoscope camera is a simple way to check out those tight, impossible-to-see places.
For a limited time, this iOS-compatible wireless HD endoscope camera is on sale for only $39.99 (regularly $129).
★★☆☆☆
Apple TV+’s Physical, the story of would-be workout icon Sheila Rubin, is in recovery this week. Can Sheila finally combat her inner critic? Can she make Danny forgive her? Will she make friends at a retreat? Can she finally be honest with herself about her life and her problems and her image of herself?
The answers probably won’t shock you in this perfectly ordinary episode.
Keychron started rolling out its Q series of custom mechanical keyboards about a year ago, adding to its mainstream K-series offerings. The Q lineup now includes an array of sizes and special features. But until this week it has not offered an “Alice-style,” split ergonomic board.
But now the Q8 65% Alice-style custom mechanical keyboard has arrived to soothe your aching wrists.
iPad shipments declined modestly in the Q2 2022, but not because people don’t want Apple tablets. iPad is still suffering from component shortages that slow production.
This was the second quarter in a row that Apple couldn’t make enough iPadOS units to meet demand.
★★★☆☆
Apple TV+ comedy Loot has family and romance on the brain this week. Molly wants to get in touch with her family again after years of distance — with Howard as go-between. Arthur and Nicholas eavesdrop on a stormy night of conflict for Sofia.
It’s all fine. Indeed, the drama and comedy are handled with equal deftness for the first time this season. But there’s something that nags about the mission of a show like Loot.
☆☆☆☆☆
Apple TV+ family comedy Trying goes camping this week, and Nikki and Jason discover their strengths and weaknesses as parents by listening to things their kids need.
Elsewhere, Freddy hijacks an AA meeting to bore them with his everyday transgressions, Karen is pregnant and Scott is an idiot. More glaring than any plot point is a gaffe that hints at the hollowness at this story’s core. It is a long half-hour.
Not everyone has a huge desk with ample room for their computer setup and loads of associated gear. But with a few smart moves, anyone can make the most of a small desk in a cramped space.
Today’s featured setup is a good example. It takes advantage of a standing desk, displays mounted on arms and ample wall-mounted storage to maximize limited space.
And the audio gear and lighting don’t disappoint, either.
Mac shipments dropped a whopping 20% in the June quarter, according to a market-research firm. But it wasn’t just Apple struggling – shipments of all the top PC-makers declined.
COVID lockdowns in China this spring hurt production for all these companies, lowering the number of computers they could ship to consumers.
This post on discount Microsoft software is brought to you by Keysbuff.
In a special offer as July turns to August, software activation keys provider Keysbuff.com lets you nab great deals on Microsoft products. Cult of Mac readers can click on the links below and save big on Windows 10 — and find major savings on lots of other Microsoft software, too.
If that sounds good, just use promo code COM at Keysbuff.com. That will save you an extra 25% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and other software.
With a new school year looming, it’s time to celebrate educators. Apple TV+ did just that Friday when it dropped a trailer for Lucy’s School, an all-new Peanuts special that debuts on the streaming service August 12.
For those who grew up with Peanuts, it’s comforting that the classic series based on classic Charles M. Schulz comics lives on. Lucy’s School adds to the growing list of seasonal features following Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the gang.
iPhone shipments grew 3.3% year over year during the second quarter of 2022, according to a market-research firm. That’s in contrast to the global smartphone market, which declined 7%.
Apple made up 16% of the total market, its highest second-quarter performance in more than a decade.
Writing content for your social media or website takes a lot of time. If you want to speed up the content-creation process without compromising your standards, you might want to try Autowriterpro.
This AI-powered content-writing machine can help you produce original, custom content in a fraction of the time it would take you to write it. For a limited time, a lifetime subscription to Autewriterpro is on sale for only $39.99 (regularly $469).
★★☆☆☆
Glossy mystery series Surface gets off to a bumpy, soapy start this week on Apple TV+. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who you might know from The Morning Show) stars as Sophie, a woman who lost her memory after what could have been an accident or a suicide attempt.
Like Truth Be Told, another Apple TV+ series from producer Reese Witherspoon, this one is a prestige look at a woman undergoing a lot of changes in her life as the result of crime … or is it?