Twelve South introduced AirFly View on Tuesday, a new version of its popular wireless audio adapter that adds a built-in screen to make connecting AirPods easier.
With it, travelers can use their AirPods (or other Bluetooth headphones) with airplane entertainment systems that still rely on traditional headphone jacks.
iOS 27.2 now stamps AI-generated iPhone images with an invisible watermark called SynthID.
Every Image Playground creation carries the mark, as do some AI-edited photos. This should prove really helpful for spotting fakes — but only if you know how to check.
Apple released watchOS 27.2 on Monday, making Siri AI faster and more capable. The upgrades mirror the new Siri capabilities added in iOS 27.2.
The first major update to watchOS 27, it also brings changes to the Apple Music app and extends Siri AI beyond U.S. English.
October 27, 1999: Dell Computer overtakes Apple in the educational market, stealing Cupertino’s crown as the top company selling computers to U.S. schools. Dell’s cheap Windows PCs make sense for schools looking to buy computers without breaking the bank.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs, still struggling to rebuild Apple after its near-collapse in the mid-1990s, faces heavy criticism for ignoring one of the company’s strongest markets.
Not a fan of monthly fees for software like Microsoft 365? This deal lands you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office for Mac or PC at a big discount. You can choose from two versions: the Home version comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. The upgraded Home & Business bundle includes all that and adds Outlook.
Both are on sale for a limited time, so you can choose whichever works best for you. Grab Microsoft Office Home 2024 for $114.97 (a 23% discount off the regular price of $149.99) or Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for $219.99 (a 12% discount off the $249.99 list price).
★★★★☆
The Jsaux VoidJoy SkyLark S1 Pro game controller packs an impressive assortment of features into a portable and lightweight design.
A highlight is extreme flexibility. It connects to Mac, iPad and iPhone, as well as a Nintendo Switch 2, Android or PC. And connections can use Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless or USB.
I put the very affordable gamepad to the test and came away generally pleased. Here’s what I like and what I don’t.
Apple just dropped the basic version of its new M6 processor into the entry-level version of the MacBook Pro. This is a traditional “chip-and-ship” upgrade, not a redesign, so the faster processor is the major change to the notebook.
“The 14-inch MacBook Pro is the pro laptop of choice for a wide range of users — from college students, to business professionals across every industry, to multidisciplinary creators doing it all on one device,” said Shelly Goldberg, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering, in a statement on Tuesday. “With the powerful M6 chip, we’re taking performance to the next level, with a boost in CPU speed and graphics and even more powerful capabilities for on-device AI. With its amazing battery life, remarkable Liquid Retina XDR display, and even faster connectivity, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 delivers a fantastic combination of performance, capability, and value.”
Apple just gave the iMac a “chip and ship” upgrade, adding a faster M6 processor to the standalone desktop computer. The new iMac looks just like its M4 predecessor — and, surprisingly, so does its price tag.
“iMac is the world’s best all-in-one, and today it raises the bar yet again,” said Shelly Goldberg, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release Tuesday.
With the iPad mini 8, Apple is giving its smallest iPad its biggest upgrade ever. It not only gets a new display technology, but also a faster chip, a thinner chassis and updated connectivity options.
But all these upgrades also come with a $100 higher starting price. So, does the OLED iPad Mini 8 come with enough changes to justify this price hike?
Apple confirmed that there’s a problem with a small number of iPhone Duo units that causes the inner screen to spontaneously break just days after the launch of the foldable,
Replacement is covered by the handset’s own warranty.
iOS 27.2 is here as the first major update for iOS 27. Released Monday, iOS 27.2 addresses a few annoying bugs while also adding several new features and improvements to the iPhone experience.
Here’s everything you can try after updating to iOS 27.2.
Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone Duo Reachability mode that shifts the outer screen’s content to the left or right.
The movie is an (overdue) response to the criticism from left-handed iPhone users levied toward Apple’s first foldable ever since its September announcement. The outer screen’s Dock and other controls sit along the right edge, and this upcoming mode will make that arrangement easier on lefties.
October 26, 2004: Apple debuts the iPod Photo, a device capable of putting not just 15,000 songs in your pocket, but also 25,000 photographs. The new device “lets you take your entire music and photo library with you wherever you go,” Apple says.
It is the first iPod to offer a color screen and the ability to display digital images and album cover art. The iPod Photo represents a big step forward in the functionality of Apple’s iconic music player.
It’s annoying getting notifications that you’re almost out of storage on your phone or computer. But you can quit playing that ridiculous game with one of the cheapest cloud storage deals around. With this lifetime Koofr plan, you can free up space on your iPhone, Mac or iPad with cloud storage accessible from an unlimited number of devices.
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Apple introduced the first iPad mini with a larger OLED display on Monday. The upgrade delivers better contrast and richer colors than the LCD screen in the previous model.
In addition, the redesigned tablet features a faster A20 processor, improved water and dust protection … and a considerable jump in price.
“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” said Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release. “With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”
Apple’s first foldable is also the most repairable one yet. The iFixit team tore down the iPhone Duo, revealing its internals and assessing its repairability.
Surprisingly, the Duo sets a new standard for repairability in the foldable category, earning a provisional repairability score of 5 out of 10.
October 25, 2003: Mac OS X Panther arrives on Macintosh computers, bringing several useful new features and making Apple’s Safari web browser the default for the first time.
The new Exposé feature in Panther (aka Mac OS X version 10.3) lets Mac users instantly view all open windows at once. And the new iChat AV allows people to talk with audio and video as well as text.
Photos circulating online Friday show some iPhone Duos with distinctive-looking cracks in their folding screens. It’s too early to call it Crackgate, but the launch-day images might make some people nervous about shelling out $2,000 or more for Apple’s first folding phone.
Most of the pictures lack context. However, one user on Reddit posted an image of a screen that reportedly cracked after very little use.
By Sunday, even more images and videos have been posted online, along with theories about what might be causing the problem. Plus, the inevitable iPhone Duo drop tests showed just how fragile the device’s inner screen is.
We love a good PDF editor that works on Mac, and Systweak PDF Editor Pro handles editing, converting, signing and locking down PDFs without touching the cloud.
It also works on iOS, Android and Windows. And for a limited time, you can grab a lifetime subscription at a steep discount — just $29.97 (regularly $99.99).
Drop tests with the new iPhone Duo suggest that carrying the device without a protective case would be a major mistake. While Apple’s first foldable isn’t as fragile as some critics predicted, it is undeniably breakable.
Earlier tests show the handset can easily stand up to heavy use, but drop the device even once and you could crack one of the screens.
We’re apparently just days away from Apple launching a touchscreen-enabled MacBook Pro. And that’s not the only major change — this is the most significant revamp of the MacBook line since 2021. It’ll set the pattern for macOS models for years to come.
Here are five reasons to get excited about the touchscreen MacBook Pro expected to launch at Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event on Wednesday.
October 24, 1988: Three years after leaving Apple, Steve Jobs prepares to launch the NeXT Computer, a machine he hopes will cement his reputation as a tech genius and blow away the machines produced by Cupertino.
The new NeXT Computer receives a wave of positive publicity. Fawning stories show exactly what the 33-year-old Jobs has been working on — and what’s coming next.
ChatPlayground AI gives you easy access to more than 20 of the top AI models, all in one place — and all for one low price. It includes big names like ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity and Gemini, and it lets you send one prompt to multiple AIs simultaneously.
That means you can compare results to find the right AI tool for the job at hand, without jumping from one AI app to another. If you’re a heavy AI user, it will save you time as well as money. Normally $619, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited plan is on sale now for only $59.97.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The first iPhone Duo reviews are a mixed bag — both the verdicts on Apple’s first foldable and the reviews themselves.
We go over the predictable pros and cons, toss out our own opinions, and highlight some of our favorite reviews.
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in your favorite podcasts app. Or watch the video version, embedded below. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!)
The original iPod is back — at least in your web browser. The company snuck an interactive recreation of its iconic music player into the Apple Music website, giving fans a nostalgic way to revisit the device that helped transform how the world listened to music.
Friday, October 23, is the 25th anniversary of Steve Jobs unveiling the original device. Giving music fans a way to relive 2001 is Apple’s way of honoring the product’s birthday.