A subscription service might not sound like a great way to get your apps, but don’t sell it short. Many folks find subscribing to Setapp is an easy and worthwhile way to get more than 200 apps that help with a variety of tasks — and that someone else has already curated.

After all, the main alternative is diving into the vast app ocean of the App Store. Good luck finding just what you need in there before you drown.

In honor of World Productivity Day — that’s right, at least try to look busy on June 20 — we take a look at some of Setapp’s great tools.

Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo will take the leads as police detectives in Criminal Record, a thriller series coming to Apple TV+.

It will be set in racially charged and politically polarized modern London.

Will you rue the day you choose the wrong color peripherals? Will you ask strangers on social media to help you fix the problem? The owner of today’s striking M1 MacBook Air-based computer setup did just that.

But if you ask us, they could just take solace in the setup’s strengths. Those include an epic OLED smart TV and some top-shelf, professional-level audio gear, plus a cool Edison desk lamp.

But we’ll share some good advice we saw about the keyboard issue. Read more below.

Looking to buy a new M1 iMac for your home or office? Amazon is offering a sweet 10% discount on the M1 iMac that drops its price to $1,345 — down from $1,499.

Stocks are limited, so take advantage of the deal as soon as possible.

Want more out of your Mac? These six suggestions for solid software are presented by our friends at SaaSGenius.

Though many of us associate the wide world of apps with our iPhones and iPads, they’re crucial for making the most of your MacBook or iMac, too. The best Mac apps can help you expand on your Mac’s capabilities in fun and interesting ways.

Macs are famously easy to use, but great apps make them even easier. And the right apps can jack up your productivity, too. Sometimes the only trouble is finding the best ones.

The list below covers some of our favorite apps to install on a new Mac. Some are free in the App Store (available in your Mac’s Dock or under the Apple menu at top left of your screen). Others you can download from developers’ websites.

If you’re on the move, you likely don’t want to carry a different charger for every device. If you want to spare some outlet space and cut down on cords you’re carrying, try out this 3-in-1 Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhone charging cable.

It comes with two Lightning tips and a magnetic puck for charging your Apple Watch. Connect it to a high-quality power source (like this 65W GaN charger from Ugreen), and you can juice up three devices at once.

Sound convenient? Now’s the time to pick up one or two of these hassle-busting cables. They are on sale now for just $24.99 (regularly $34).

Employees at an Apple store in Maryland have made it the first of any of the Mac-maker’s retail locations to vote in favor of joining a union. Several other such stores are preparing to hold their own votes. Meanwhile, Apple is trying to discourage any efforts by its employees to unionize.

It’s not clear how all this will affect users of Apple devices.

Apple Watch Series 3 is still in Apple’s product lineup but you should avoid it. It’s so near the end of its product life that it’s not a good value even at $199.

There’s another Apple wearable that costs just a bit more and isn’t about to ride off into the sunset.

Apple’s launch into item trackers has been a success, according to an analyst. The company has sold millions of AirTags, and the number is expected to grow 75% this year.

Still, the Bluetooth tracker has generated controversy since it came on the market in 2021.

Unless you’re taking nature photos, digital photography is no walk in the park. There’s a lot to learn about this complex art. And the picture-perfect way to master it is with a well-structured course led by a real expert.

This 17-hour Digital Photography Insiders Course takes you through the key concepts and skills new digital photographers need to master to produce amazing pictures in a snap. And this digital photography training course is on sale for $60 (regularly $299) for a limited time.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon’s warming up to Apple’s new M2 chip. New benchmarks make it sound even more capable than we thought.

Also on The CultCast:

• Brace yourself for better narcissism: iPhone 14’s selfie cam is getting a major upgrade.
• It sounds like Apple is planning a wild array of new MacBooks and iPads, in some very interesting sizes.
• Apple TV shoots and scores! Major League Soccer is coming to the Apple TV app.

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.

Our sponsor: CultCloth

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Feel like going full 007? The iSpyPen Pro is a covert camera with 128GB of storage and a long-lasting battery — and yet it still looks and works like a regular pen.

Grab this stealth camera in silver or black for up to 19% off, and prep yourself for your next big undercover adventure.

Father’s Day is the time to show your appreciation for dear old dad — or hip young dad, as the case may be. Maybe he’d appreciate accessories for his beloved Apple products. The Father’s Day Sale in the Cult of Mac Store features a great selection of deals!

For starters, Laut is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on its wide array of accessories, including iPhone and AirTag cases, Apple Watch bands, laptop stands and much more.

See below for many more discounts on great gifts. You can get 20% off a huge number of items.

The Cult of Mac giveaway prize this week is a perfect fit for anyone who needs a powerful yet compact charger. We teamed up with Lululook to give five lucky winners a chance to get their hands on a three-port, 65W gallium nitride charger.

This thing can charge everything, from your iPhone mini to your MacBook Pro.

In the season finale of Apple TV+ spy drama Tehran, Peyman is dead — and everyone is guilty.

Milad and Tamar need to patch up their frayed relationship if they have any hope of escaping the country and certain death. Marjan and Faraz must make sure they don’t look guilty as the investigation into the “accidental” death of the son of the head of the Revolutionary Guard commences.

And there’s still the matter of Peyman’s father, Qassem, whom Tamar swore to kill. Now, she has next to no shot at getting near him. It’s a lot of ground to cover in 43 minutes. And there’s still the more difficult task of making any of these people compelling enough to want to see them in a third season.

Nothing quite beats a round of golf when the weather gets warmer, but those sizzling summer days don’t last forever.

Right now, you can get a great deal on TruGolf Mini, a golf simulator that lets you practice your swing at home, in the office or anywhere you want. It usually costs $399, but it’s $100 off for a limited time.

That might sound like a lot of money to play virtual golf. Gut this at-home entertainment system can essentially pay for itself when you use it as a fun party game or save money on buckets of balls at the driving range. And it’s great for when the weather won’t cooperate with your trip to the golf course.

In the run-up to Juneteenth, which takes place on Sunday, Apple showcased an artist Friday who created a series of digital drawings with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

The series, by Juan Mance, celebrates and chronicles Black figures throughout U.S. history, putting them in modern contexts.

Line ’em up, it’s Election Day on Now and Then, the Apple TV+ telenovela about the fallout from a 20-year-old murder case.

Pedro and Ana wait with bated breath to see if he won the mayoral election, while Ernesto gives him an ultimatum and Francis offers her a job. Marcos and Sofia plot their escape, Flora schedules a surgery, Hugo’s awake from his coma, and Sullivan’s been keeping secrets from everybody.

The plot is thick and the drama delicious this week.

Anker targeted a pet peeve of some iMac users Friday when it introduced a USB-C hub that puts useful ports on the front of the machine. The desktop’s own hubs are on the back, which not everybody likes.

The company designed the new 535 model, a 5-in-1 USB-C hub made of metal, specifically for the 24-inch M1 iMac, though it also works with other iMacs.

And you can get it at a launch discount. See below.

Check your ingredients then choose a recipie and get cooking in Cooking Mama: Cuisine!. Try your hand in the kitchen with this new game.

The offering launched Friday on Apple Arcade.

Continue reading

Apple TV+ documentary series Home returns Friday for a second season of wonky architecture and human interest stories. The streamer is banking on the beauty of accessibility as spectacle and drama to bring audiences back for more feel-good TV.

The houses the series showcases look glorious, to be sure. But the stories are meant to be as much of a hook as the sight of impossible angles and cozy nooks nestled in wondrous corners of the earth.

Cambridge Audio just released a new turntable that can play vinyl records the old-fashioned way or over Bluetooth, streaming audio wirelessly to speakers, headphones or amplifiers.

The new Alva ST follows the company’s Alva TT, which the world’s first aptX HD Bluetooth turntable.

And the Alva ST uses the same codec technology for high-quality sound — the kind that until recently could only be had through wires.

For All Mankind heads to Mars a little sooner than expected this week — and with a surprise guest in the cockpit.

Danielle and Ed, then Molly and Margo, fall out. Karen and Ed fall into business together. Aleida worries about her family from the moon. And Danny Stevens is still a little psychopath.

It’s business as usual on Apple TV+’s frustrating space-exploration soap. The highs of last week’s TV movie of the week detour are already forgotten.

In a world of ever-increasing monitor sizes (and weights), you need a pretty tough, supportive desk — especially if it’s a motorized one for sitting or standing. Otherwise, the whole thing might wobble all over the place under the combined, imbalanced weight of your fabulous gear.

Today’s featured Mac mini computer setup copes with an electric desk that struggles under the weight of a behemoth of a curved ultra-wide monitor.

This post on discount Microsoft software is presented by Keysbuff.

The Big Sale at Keysbuff, ongoing in June, provides an opportunity for you to grab great deals on software. Cult of Mac readers will find deep discounts from the software activation keys provider. You can save up to 91% off the full price on Windows 10 — and uncover significant savings on lots of other Microsoft software, too.

If bargains like that sound 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 others in the list below. You can purchase many of these products with lifetime licenses.