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This highly rated app unlocks the full potential of your Mac

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Customize your Mac with this simple software.
This software lets you customize how your Mac works.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Ready to unlock the hidden features of your Mac? There are well over 1,000 you can unlock with the right software. This MacPilot Lifetime License is the key to getting more from your Mac. It gives you instant access to 1,200-plus features, all in a familiar interface. And it’s on sale for just $39.99 (regularly $99).

iOS 15.5 and macOS 12.4 take a big step toward release

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iOS 15.5 and macOS 12.4 take a big step toward release
There are new release candidates for the operating systems that run all these Apple devices.
Photo: Apple

Apple gave both developers and the public access to the release candidates of macOS Monterey 12.4 and iOS 15.5 on Thursday. The iPadOS 15.5 Release Candidate also went out, as did the watchOS 8.6 RC and tvOS 15.5 RC. That’s the final step before introducing them to the public.

Aside from long-overdue improvements to the Studio Display webcam in macOS, all these are really just minor tweaks. But that’s not surprising considering Apple is expected to unveil the next major upgrades for the OSs at WWDC22 in early June.

Sony makes its flagship over-ear headphones even better

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The new Sony flagship cans improve on their predecessors and cost about $50 more.
The new Sony flagship cans improve on their predecessors and cost about $50 more.
Photo: Sony

Few would dispute that Sony’s flagship wireless WH-1000XM4 active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones have been among the best on the market since they came out in August 2020. But Sony has improved upon them, offering its fifth-generation WH-1000XM5 headphones on Thursday.

The redesigned cans flaunt several impressive improvements over the previous model, making the XM5s an even worthier competitor to AirPods Max and other premium headphones.

Try BluShark’s smooth and supple nylon Apple Watch bands

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This is the BluShark AlphaPremier nylon Apple Watch band in
This is the BluShark AlphaPremier nylon Apple Watch band in "Bond" (that's as in James Bond, a classic black and gray stripe combo).
Photo: BluShark

Just like your watch face says something about your personality, so does your watch strap. The color, texture and pattern all mean something to you and those who catch a glance of your wrist. That’s where BluShark’s top nylon watch straps, the AlphaPremier collection, comes in.

And they’re not just for classic analog watches. BluShark has a whole lineup of smooth, comfortable AlphaPremier Apple Watch bands in stock in the Cult of Mac Store.

Why Outlanders is my favorite iPhone game [Awesome Apps]

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Awesome Apps iOS game: Outlanders is a great city-building sim that plays well on iPhone.
Outlanders is a great city-building sim that plays well on iPhone.
Image: Cult of Mac

When it comes to kicking back and playing a game on my iPhone, I love loading up Outlanders and seeing how long my community of villagers lasts before everything falls apart and society implodes.

It might sound a little deep, but Outlanders is far from it. This Apple Arcade title is a whole load of tactical fun and well worth a look.

Earn cash back and gift cards with the free Fetch Rewards app

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Fetch Rewards is your free ticket to the luxe life.
Fetch Rewards is your golden ticket to free Apple Gift Cards.
Image: Fetch Rewards

This post on earning cash back and gift cards is brought to you by Fetch Rewards.

Who doesn’t love getting great deals? If you’re into shopping, you probably look for every advantage in your favor. You want low prices, or course, but how about also getting rewards points that give you cash back or let you earn a variety of gift cards for shopping and dining?

If you want your in-person and online shopping to be truly enriching, Fetch Rewards might be the best app for you. After all, it’s not “America’s No. 1 rewards app with over 13 million users” for nothing.

Even better, it’s free. We tell you how it works and how you can benefit from it below.

Plus, there’s an exclusive for Cult of Mac readers: Earn big and get 2,000 points for free! Before we get down to the app, let’s take a moment to share the Cult of Mac referral code, so we can both receive an excellent bonus for your loyalty: CULTOFMAC.

Apple dethroned as world’s most valuable company

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Bullish Apple analysts aren’t panicking about coronavirus…yet
Wall Street has not been kind to Apple in 2022.
Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac

Apple is no longer the world’s most valuable company. That honor now goes to the Saudi Aramco oil giant. The Mac-maker had (mostly) held onto the title since 2020, but has now lost it.

So far in 2022, the value of AAPL shares is down 20%, while the share value of the Saudi oil company has surged 25%.

Google mocks iPhone’s lack of headphone jack then drops it from Pixel 6A

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Google mocks iPhone's lack of headphone jack then drops it from Pixel 6A
The Google Pixel 6A is made with the finest hypocrisy.
Photo: Google

In 2021, Google made a funny video making fun of iPhone for not having a headphone jack. Fast forward a few months, and Google launched the Pixel 6A without a headphone jack. That sure looks like hypocrisy.

And there’s little excuse for it, as Samsung got busted years ago for doing the same thing – mocking iPhone for not including a headphone jack then dropping the feature from its handsets.

Google Pixel Watch is coming for Apple Watch’s crown

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After lots of rumors and leaks, it turns out the Pixel Watch is only months away from release.
After lots of rumors and leaks, it turns out the Pixel Watch is only months away from release.
Photo: Google

After ongoing rumors and leaks, Google finally confirmed Wednesday at its I/O 2022 developer conference that the Pixel Watch exists. And the round-cased smart watch will be released in fall 2022 alongside the Pixel 7 smartphone.

The Pixel Watch will duke it out with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch, which it resembles. But it will also look to knock market leader Apple Watch off its pedestal.

6 apps travelers love that can teach you a new language quickly

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The best language learning apps for your summer travels.
Start getting ready for your summer travels right now.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Exploring the world may feel more rewarding when you can speak the local language. With a firm grasp of the native tongue, you should be able to read and ask for practical things like directions, understand instructions and signage, and build genuine connections with folks you would never have been able to otherwise.

Simply, when you speak the local language, travel is completely transformed. Thankfully, you already have everything you need to brush up on the phrases you need for your next trip — and it’s likely right in your pocket! There’s no easier or more convenient way to learn a language than with a great language-learning app for your iPhone, iPad or other device.

So, ahead of your summer travels, here are six excellent language learning apps that are on sale right now. All you need to do is choose the best one for you and have the most fulfilling vacation ever!

You can no longer buy the iPod touch from Apple in the US

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Apple's discontinued iPod touch is getting harder to find for sale.
Bye bye, iPod touch
Photo: Apple

Earlier this week, Apple announced that it is discontinuing the iPod touch for good. Now, you can no longer get your hands on one, at least not directly from the company, as it has completely exhausted its iPod touch inventory for its online store.

However, some retailers still have limited quantities in stock.

Google Pixel Buds Pro could go toe-to-toe with AirPods Pro

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Google's top new earbuds will come in several colors.
Google's top new earbuds will come in several colors.
Photo: Google

Google brought out a range of new Pixel devices to compete with Apple products at its I/O developer conference Wednesday. They include Pixel Buds Pro, premium earbuds with a number of AirPods Pro features.

But Google’s new buds, available July 21, will cost about $50 less than Apple’s top wireless earbuds.

Perfect your putt with this award-winning golf trainer

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Perfect your putt anywhere with 41% off this award-winning golf training gadget.
This scientifically designed golf trainer will perfect your putt wherever you are.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You don’t need to travel to a fancy golf club to practice your putt. These days, all you need to up your game between visits is a smart golf training gadget. And the Pressure Putt Trainer is one of the coolest of them all.

Right now you can grab this high-tech golf gadget on sale for just $24.99 (regular price $43).

Google shows a possible killer feature for AR glasses

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A screen shot from Google's video shows language transcription on the screen.
A screen shot from Google's video shows language transcription on the screen.
Photo: Google

Years ago Google failed to find a broad audience for Google Glass, its internet-connected glasses. But now the tech giant’s trying something new. It previewed augmented reality (AR) glasses Wednesday that translate language, Bloomberg reported.

The company conducted a brief demonstration at its annual I/O developer conference and released a video on Twitter, below.

Survival of the fittest at stake in Apple TV+ Physical season 2 trailer

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Rose Byrne plays fitness entrepreneur Sheila Rubin in
Rose Byrne plays fitness entrepreneur Sheila Rubin in "Physical."
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ offered up a new trailer Wednesday for season two of the darkish comedy Physical, starring Rose Byrne as a pioneering entrepreneur in the 1980s fitness boom in Los Angeles.

But Byrne’s character, Sheila Rubin, faces daunting competition as her husband continues to struggle with his political career.

Get started with Focus modes and eliminate unwanted distractions

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These are my custom Driving and Writing Home Screens.
Find out how to use Focus modes on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Your frazzled nerves will thank you.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new Focus feature is like Do Not Disturb on steroids. It is much smarter than the Do Not Disturb of old. Since not all work or relaxation is created equal, you can set up Focus modes for specific situations to keep unwanted distractions at bay.

When you’re working, you might want email and Slack to come through, unless you’re in a meeting.

When you’re at home, you may want most notifications to come through, but not if you’re having have friends over, playing games or watching a show.

This article will cover setting up Focus modes on iOS 15. If you have the latest iPhone, a brand-new Mac or you’ve kept up with software updates, you’ll want to check out our guide for iOS 16.

If you have an old device and you want to see how Focus modes work, keep reading.

Last chance: Save 30% on Function 101 Cable Blocks

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The magnetized cable blocks click together.
The magnetized cable blocks click together.
Photo: Function101

Pretty much anyone with gear powered by electricity — like a computer setup — can tell you how pervasive a problem cable clutter can be. Dealing with cable management is nobody’s favorite task, though, so it often goes unaddressed. And yet certain products, like cable blocks, go a long way toward solving the thorny problem.

Function 101 Cable Blocks are perfect for keeping your cables neatly arranged and within reach, rather than splayed all over the place. And you can get them for 30% off today in the Cult of Mac Store. It’s the last day of the sale.

Aura Strap 2 for Apple Watch slims down, adds subscription service

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Aura Strap 2 lets you track your fat, muscle and water levels with an app and a fitness-oriented subscription service.
Aura Strap 2 lets you track your fat, muscle and water levels with an app and a fitness-oriented subscription service.
Photo: Aura Devices

Aura Devices updated its health-metrics-focused smart band for Apple Watch Wednesday by slimming it down and adding a fitness-oriented subscription service.

The second-generation Aura Strap 2 records metrics like body fat percentage, muscle density and water levels.

Discontinued iPod touch sells out in some configurations

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Apple's discontinued iPod touch is getting harder to find for sale.
Apple's discontinued iPod touch is getting harder to find for sale.
Photo: Apple

Only one day after Cupertino discontinued the iPod touch, its last dedicated portable music player, some configurations are already sold out in the Apple Store. Others remain for sale “while supplies last,” as Apple said of its fast-dwindling stock.

This M1 Mac mini deal is too good to miss [It’s back!]

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The Mac mini M1 on the right may not be living up to house audio standards.
Grab the M1 Mac mini at its lowest price ever
Photo: skylar_schutz@Reddit

Looking to get the best possible deal on the M1 Mac mini? Amazon is just brought back its whopping $129 discount on the machine. That means you pay just $569.99 — down from the Mac mini’s retail price of $699.

A coupon, automatically applied at checkout for a limited time, makes this the lowest price for the M1 Mac mini so far.

Traveling musician takes his Mac mini rig on the road [Setups]

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It beats paying for a MacBook Pro. Or does it?
It beats paying for a MacBook Pro. Or does it?
Photo: [email protected]

Apple products are famously not cheap. So much so that some people will go to considerable lengths to avoid shelling out for a new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or iPad with keyboard. Today’s featured computer setup belongs to a traveling musician (famously not rich).

He takes his Mac mini on the road with him. Of course, with a Mac mini, you also need some sort of display and input devices, as in a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad. And you have to find room and set it all up wherever you lay your head.

Is it worth it? For some people, it is. We’ll explain why.

Apple now sells Mophie’s tiny but powerful new USB-C GaN chargers

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Compared to Apple's most similar charger, Mophie's 67W GaN unit is quite small.
Compared to Apple's most similar charger, Mophie's 67W GaN unit is quite small.
Photo: Mophie

Mophie’s latest ultra-compact USB-C wall chargers, containing gallium nitride (GaN), are available exclusively at Apple or Mophie’s parent company Zagg, the companies said Wednesday.

The Mophie Speedport chargers, designed to power up iPhone, iPads and Macs, come in 30W and 67W sizes.

EU may force tech giants to remove and report child sex abuse images

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The European Commission's draft law could force companies to detect, remove and report CSAM.
The European Commission's draft law could force companies to detect, remove and report CSAM.
Photo: European Commission

According to a new report, the European Commission could release a draft law this week requiring tech companies like Apple and Google to better police their platforms for illegal images of child sexual abuse, known as CSAM.

The law would require tech companies to detect, remove and report images to law enforcement.