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Magically enhance many photos at once with the new Batched app

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Batched lets you edit many photos as once.
Batched lets you edit many photos as once.
Photo: Adva Soft

This post is brought to you by Adva Soft.

Sometimes you want to make changes to just one of your treasured digital photos. Other times you wish you could modify a whole bunch of them at once, quickly and easily. With the new multi-photo-editing app Batched, you can do it either way.

Available for iOS and iPadOS, the tool makes it much easier to enhance scads of your cool pics to a variety of interesting degrees, including color-transfer functionality and numerous filters and effects.

And did we mention that most of the tools in the Batched app are free? They are, although some premium features can be unlocked with a subscription. Let’s take a look at what Batched can do for you.

iMovie 3.0’s new features make short work of social videos

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iMovie 3 Storyboard feature
Storyboards provide a shot-by-shot guide to the most common social videos.
Photo: Apple

iMovie has long been Apple’s default tool for creating quick, gorgeous videos on your iPhone or iPad. With Tuesday’s update to iMovie 3.0, Apple added a pair of new creative tools designed to help “aspiring content creators and moviemakers learn to edit and improve their video storytelling skills.”

The ultimate goal? To make creating compelling videos easier than ever.

Tim Cook’s privacy summit keynote condemns app sideloading

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Tim Cook delivered a keynote address at the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit on Tuesday.
Tim Cook delivered a keynote address at the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit on Tuesday.
Photo: IAPP

Apple CEO Tim Cook called privacy a key battle of our time during a speech Tuesday. He extolled Apple’s commitment to protecting its users’ data and condemned regulations that would force Cupertino to accept app sideloading on iPhones.

“We are deeply concerned about regulations that would undermine privacy and security in service of some other aim,” he said, referring to legislation that would force Apple to allow apps for its devices to bypass the App Store.

Cook made the comments during a wide-ranging keynote address at the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

Read more about what he said and watch video of his speech below.

Why you should turn off Activation Lock when selling your AirPods

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How to turn off Activation Lock when selling your AirPods. And Why.
You must turn off Activation Lock when you sell your AirPods. Here’s why, and how.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple added Find My to AirPods in 2021, and it’s causing problems for resellers of these wireless headphones. Many people are unaware that their AirPods now support Activation Lock, which means they are locked to their user’s Apple ID. This must be deactivated when selling or giving the devices away or no one else can use them.

Here’s how to turn off Activation Lock on your AirPods.

New Apple Watch health features: What’s in, what’s out

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Apple Watch won't get blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring soon, but other new health updates are coming.
Apple Watch won't get blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring soon, but other new health updates are coming.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Cupertino is likely to add body temperature readings and other new health features to Apple Watch and the Health app in 2022, but it looks like blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring will have to wait, according to a new report.

For a look at those delays to blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring, as well as the expected new features for women’s health and sleep-, fitness- and medication management, read on.

watchOS 9 may expand low-power mode, add new faces and more

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Look for watchOS 9 to do more in Power Reserve mode.
Look for watchOS 9 to do more in Power Reserve mode.
Photo: Apple

Right now, when your Apple Watch enters Power Reserve mode because its battery is almost out of juice, the time appears on the face as a simple digital clock — and that’s it. The wearable’s other features are temporarily disabled. But Cupertino may expand Apple Watch functionality in low-power mode in the upcoming watchOS 9, according to a new report.

In addition, updates could include new workout types, additional workout metrics, expanded sleep tracking and new watch faces.

Get a second screen for your MacBook and Microsoft Office for life

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Get a second laptop screen + Microsoft Office for $299.
With a dual-screen setup and Microsoft Office, you can accomplish anything.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s something about a dual-screen workstation that just looks like it’s made for getting work done. Maybe it’s because it looks good, or maybe it’s because studies have shown productivity can increase by up to 42% with a dual-screen setup.

Get a second screen for your laptop or desktop, plus the programs to use on it, with Mobile Pixels Duex Plus + Microsoft Office Lifetime License for Mac. The limited-time bundle is on sale for just $299.99 (regularly $648).

This is what Apple’s upcoming dual USB-C charger looks like

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Apple Dual USB-C charger leaked photos
A Dual USB-C Power 35W Power Adapter from Apple? Yes, please
Photo: ChargerLAB

Photos of Apple’s unreleased dual USB-C charger with a total output of 35W have surfaced online. The images show the adapter will have a compact design with foldable electrical prongs and two USB-C ports located side by side.

It will also feature two circular indents on both sides that should aid with grip when removing the charger from a power outlet.

YouTube picture-in-picture rolling out for all iPhone users [Update: NOPE]

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YouTube Picture in Picture is back. At least for now.
Watching a YouTube video in Picture in Picture is back!
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

YouTube said Sunday that it is rolling out picture-in-picture support for all users of its iOS app. Then it walked the announcement back on Monday. A mixup by a support person is the problem.

The convenient feature has been in beta testing for many months, and some people say they’ve begun getting access to the non-beta version several days ago. But not according to YouTube.

Unleash your computer’s full potential with the Mac Madness App Bundle

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Unleash the true power of your Mac with 14 productivity boosting apps.
Get more out of your Mac with these 14 apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac is an amazing machine. But you’re probably not using it to its full potential. To really unleash all it has to offer, you need some awesome apps — and that’s exactly what you get in the Mac Madness App Bundle.

Usually $74, today it’s on sale for 73% off at just $19.99. With 14 apps included in this megabundle, that works out to less than $1.50 an app.

Apple employees must begin dragging their sad asses back to the office

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Apple Park Close up
Apple Park will soon be humming with busy employees again.
Photo: Apple

Monday is the day Apple requires its corporate employees to start working in the office some of the time. The pandemic era when most of them could work from home all the time is over.

But everyone doesn’t have to be back in the office five days a week starting today. This is the beginning of a transition period, after which many workers will still be able to work from home a couple days of every week.

Easter sale: Take 25% off Carterjett and Wiplabs Apple Watch bands and more

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Looking for an Apple Watch band? You can get 25% Carterjett and other products in the Cult of Mac Store.
Looking for an Apple Watch band? You can get 25% Carterjett and other products in the Cult of Mac Store.
Photo: Carterjett

When Easter rolls around, you know how easy it is to find chocolate bunnies, candy eggs and the notorious marshmallow Peeps — if you’re into that sort of thing.

But if you’d rather hunt for great deals on Apple accessories — especially Apple Watch bands — check out the Cult of Mac Store’s 25% discount across the board on products from Carterjett and Wiplabs.

Apple re-signs iOS 15.4 to fix Studio Display update issue

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Firmware updates for Studio Displays failed over the weekend but they're fixed now.
Firmware updates for Studio Displays failed over the weekend but they're fixed now.
Photo: Apple

Late last week, Apple stopped signing iOS 15.4 following the release of iOS 15.4.1, making it impossible for users to downgrade their iPhones’ software. But the change also inadvertently stopped people from updating their new Studio Displays’ firmware, based on iOS.

Complaints ensued on Sunday. And before the end of the day, Cupertino re-signed iOS 15.4, making it valid and verifiable to servers again.

Did Apple release the $1,599 Studio Display with so much fanfare only to forget about it when it launched iOS 15.4.1?

Hey, maybe you can afford a ‘Mini Pro Display XDR’ with your Mac Studio [Setups]

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It may be small, but it's a Liquid Retina XDR Display.
It may be small, but it's a Liquid Retina XDR Display.
Photo: Tom@bytereview@Twitter

Anyone who buys a desktop Mac or wants a desktop feel using their MacBook is going to need a decent-sized external display. And wouldn’t it be grand if we all had $5,000 to spend on an Apple Pro Display XDR? Well, we don’t. In fact, scratching together enough cash to buy a new, more-affordable Studio Display can feel like a stretch for many folks.

The owner of today’s featured computer setup figured out a clever way to run a brilliant Liquid Retina XDR Display at much less cost with their new Mac Studio. What’s the catch? Well, it’s only a 12.9-inch display. Because it’s an iPad.

Upgrade your HomeKit setup with this Thread-compatible smart plug [Review]

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Wemo Smart Plug with Thread
The Wemo Smart Plug with Thread is both simple and advanced, offering home automation with mesh networking.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Insert the Wemo Smart Plug with Thread into any wall socket and you can use HomeKit to control any plug-in appliance with your iPhone. It’s easy. Plus, this gadget (obviously) offers Thread mesh networking, the future of smart home tech.

I tested in my own home. Here’s why there’s a lot to like.

Mac shipments grow even as PC market declines

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M-series Macs
People are buying plenty of Macs, despite a slowdown in PC shipments.
Photo: Apple

Mac shipments grew 4.3% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2022. But its biggest rivals dropped — HP shipments plunged almost 18%, for example.

The pandemic boom in computer sales is slowing, but it’s affecting Apple less.

Crank it up: Klipsch overhauls 10 speakers in its best-selling Reference series

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Klipsch speakers in the Reference line include floor-standing models.
Klipsch speakers in the Reference line include floor-standing models.
Photo: Klipsch

If you’re in the market for new speakers for home use, consider waiting to buy until next month, when Klipsch rolls out 10 overhauled speakers from its iconic, affordable Reference line. If you live in the Europe or the U.K., you can get them now, but the U.S. launch is in May.

Klipsch, which features the slogan “Pissing off the neighbors since 1946” on its website, overhauled the series for use in hi-fi, home theater and Dolby Atmos systems.

The radical evolution of watchOS and what it tells us about Apple’s future

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I've seen the future and it's Apple Watch: The radical evolution of watchOS and what it tells us about Apple’s future.
I've seen the future and it's Apple Watch.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Unveiled at a special event way back in 2014, the first Apple Watch looked similar to the wearable we know and love today. But looks can be deceiving. Take the Digital Crown and Side Button, for example. Their design may not have changed, but their functionality is now very different.

Apple Watch went through a radical evolution over the past eight years. What started out as an “intimate way to connect and communicate,” has become primarily a health and fitness device.

This pivot is uncharacteristic of Apple. Products like iPod, iPhone and iPad launched with a clear vision and remained true to it. The Apple Watch’s evolution suggests a shift in Cupertino’s approach to new products, and provides tantalizing clues to the future of the company’s rumored next platform launch: realityOS.

Become a Microsoft Excel expert with this boot camp at less than $3 a course

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Become a Microsoft Excel expert with this discounted bundle.
Transform yourself into a data wizard with these excellent Microsoft Excel classes.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter what industry you work in, Microsoft Excel is one of the most valuable programs you can master. Thankfully, you can become a total expert on this leading spreadsheet software from home.

All you need is The 2022 Complete Microsoft Excel Expert Bundle, which is on sale today for just $34.99 (regularly $4,788). With 12 separate courses included in this epic bundle, that works out to less than $3 a course.

Elon Musk flip-flops on joining Twitter board

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A new Twitter threaded conversation layout might declutter the tweet machine.
Elon Musk changed his mind about joining the Twitter board of directors shortly before joining it.
Image: Twitter

Elon Musk is not going to be on the Twitter board of directors, despite what was announced a few days ago. The Twitter CEO says the change is “for the best.”

Musk is retaining his 9.2% stake in the company, though. And he’s has shown a lot of enthusiasm about Twitter recently. Why he’s not joining its board is unclear.

How to watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown on Apple TV+

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How to watch ‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ subscribers can now watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It’s easy.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Nothing says springtime is here like a visit from the Easter Beagle. Snoopy and his friends are back in It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, showing now on Apple TV+. Watch now to enjoy this and many other Peanuts holiday specials on Apple’s streaming video service.

Here’s what you need to watch it.