This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After eyeballing the latest iPhone 14 Pro renders from John Prosser and Ian Zelbo, we’re left with two big impressions. One, that iPhone looks awfully familiar. Two … purple? Really?!?

Also on The CultCast:

• Please let the latest cryptic HomePod rumor be true.
• Can your eyes handle the even-fancier Studio Display that’s supposedly coming soon? And can your wallet?
• This week’s giveaway features a mophie 3-in-1 travel charger that makes us wish we could enter. (Don’t worry. You can, and we’ll try to hid our jealousy.)
• Erfon’s got a bit of a crush on Soundcore Frames, the Bluetooth sunglasses you can hear.

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

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Microsoft Office ranks among the most popular app suites on the market — it’s basically a pillar of the professional world. However, its programs offer many advanced features that users often overlook. Some prove difficult to learn on your own, but brushing up on them could transform the way you do work.

This bundle can set you up for ultimate workplace success. The Premium Microsoft Office Training Bundle comes with all the software — either the Professional Suite for Windows or the Home and Business Suite for Mac — plus courses that will make you a Microsoft Office master.

Both license bundles are on sale for just $69.99 during Cult of Mac Deals’ Memorial Day Sale.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to make time to read. And even if you had the energy, by the time you got invested in your book, it’s likely time to get some sleep. The 12min Micro Book Library exists to give you access to condensed microbooks that can be read (or heard) in 12 minutes.

And during Cult of Mac Deals’ Memorial Day Sale, you can get a lifetime premium subscription to 12min for just $29. But the sale ends on May 31!

Employees of an Apple store in Atlanta won’t be voting to form a union after all. They withdrew their request with the National Labor Relations Board, and said Apple had carried out “a systematic, sophisticated campaign to intimidate them.”

It remains unknown how this will affect employees trying to unionize at an Apple retail store in New York

Apple’s bid to have Cydia creator Jay Freeman’s lawsuit dismissed was denied Thursday in California federal court.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple maintains an illegal App Store monopoly over app distribution on iPhones and iPads.

Apple TV+’s Tehran goes to jail this week as everybody’s best-laid plans come crashing down. As the tension on the show ratchets up approaching the season finale, the obvious imbalance in the two groups of opposing Mossad and Iranian agents shrinks.

That makes watching the show for fun a little easier, but always there’s a lingering uneasiness about who Tehran’s heroes and villains really are.

There’s a lot you can do with an extra day. During long holiday weekends, you can hit the pool, relax at home, and maybe revisit a hobby you don’t get enough time with. But whatever you do, you probably want to really focus on something you enjoy. That’s why we rounded up hot Memorial Day sales on fun gadgets and toys that can help you make the most out of your time off.

Below are 10 of the best Memorial Day deals under $50 for your home, hobby and downtime.

Shining Girls enters its endgame this week in a thrilling episode that’s heavy on plot and light on psychological depth. Just as Kirby (played by Elisabeth Moss) thinks she finally understands the next step in serial killer Harper’s game plan, reporter Dan runs off to chase leads. And her bewildered husband Marcus betrays them both without meaning to.

Can anyone hold onto their reality long enough to come out on top? This terrifically directed episode has the answers.

SwitchEasy’s rugged Odyssey line of Apple cases is known for being protective, stylish and convenient. You can safeguard your iPhone 13 or 12 Series handset, your Apple Watch and your AirPods 3. Some clip on for added carrying options.

And best of all, the SwitchEasy flash sale on Odyssey cases goes through 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 30, in the Cult of Mac Store. You can get 20% off — see the deals below.

There’s a new reason to think iPadOS 16 might include support for resizable floating app windows. A developer found evidence that this hoped-for feature is being added to Apple’s browser engine for iPad and iPhone.

If true, confirmation isn’t far away. Apple is expected to unveil iPadOS 16 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June.

Just a few years ago, you’d be lucky to find a decent drone for less than a thousand dollars. Now you can get one that’s smaller, more nimble, has better cameras, and costs significantly less.

With the Alpha Z Pro 4K + Flying Fox 4K drones bundle, you can get two high-quality, dual-camera drones for the price of one. And if you get them during Cult of Mac Deals’ Memorial Day Sale, which ends May 31, then it’ll only cost you $159.99 (regularly $398) for both of them.

Wait times for some Macs now stretch into August. Apple manufacturer Quanta Computer simply can’t assemble enough units to meet demand, as its workers revolt at lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns.

The delays caused by the lockdowns, enforced by the Chinese government in an attempt to control the spread of the highly transmissible disease, are not just irritating to customers, though. Apple predicts the problem will mean an $8 billion hit to its revenue.

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Apple TV+’s Now and Then, a Miami-based murder mystery, starts to play dirty this week.

New roommates Marcos, Isabel and Sofia are primed to turn on each other. Political couple Ana and Pedro have a huge, expensive mess on their hands. Mother and son Daniela and Hugo might have more secrets than anyone. And Detective Neruda finally opens up about the reasons she’s so committed to catching and convicting all of them.

This sleek little show has as much confidence as it does wonderfully seedy plot threads. The excellent first season continues apace.

Best Buy’s Memorial Day sale is live, and you can save hundreds of dollars on the Apple Watch Series 7, iPad Air 4 and M1 MacBook Air.

The retailer is selling the iPad Air 4 with a whopping $150 discount, MacBook Air with a $100 discount, and up to $70 off on select Apple Watch models.

There’s a party tonight on The Essex Serpent and everyone’s invited. But no one’s going to have the time they imagined. Things take a turn for the biblical this week with red paint on sinners’ homes and adultery in every hearth. Dancing leads to sex, and nobody’s in the bed they ought to be.

Apple TV+ miniseries The Essex Serpent bids a tearful farewell to good taste this week — and then enjoys the ever-loving hell out of the depraved no man’s land.

The A16 processor going in this fall’s iPhone 14 Pro models will be made with a 5nm process, according to a tipster. That’s the same process used for years, not a better one, and it means the upcoming iPhones won’t get as big a speed boost as expected.

Still, the A16 is rumored to get improved processor cores and other enhancements.

Photographer and writer Chris Denbow puts an interesting twist on his computer setup. He credits its “Dark Mode” — which is obvious in the photographs of the desk and the room, but extends to the machines and the software he uses — for boosting his focus and creativity. He said the dark theme gives him a “space dedicated to creativity.”

“Introducing ‘Dark Mode,’ a minimal, monochromatic home office/workspace that helps eliminate distractions, [and] allows focus and productivity,” Denbow told Cult of Mac.

An issue amateur drone pilots face taking photos or shooting footage is that the drone itself often shows up in the shot. Then, if they want to make that aerial photography perfect, they — or someone they pay — has to edit the drone out afterwards.

Insta360 said Tuesday it solved that problem with it’s new Sphere, a 360-degree camera specially designed to keep the drone “invisible.”

This post on discount Microsoft software is brought to you by Keysbuff.

Keysbuff’s End of May Sale offers you the chance to get great deals on software. Cult of Mac readers will find deep discounts from the software activation keys provider. You can save up to 90% off the full price on Windows 10 — and score great savings on lots of other Microsoft software, too.

To grab these great bargains, 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.

Apple TV+ is trying to kill me, specifically, the guy writing this. They’re trying to kill me. Send help. I am begging you, find someone, call the United Nations. You see, Apple TV+ bought Carpool Karaoke from The Late Late Show With James Corden — and it’s bringing the dreadful reality show back for another season.

The only saving grace is that Corden is not here, presumably because he’s harvesting the tears of children. There’s puff journalism, and then there’s treating the idea of Carpool Karaoke as some beloved cultural fixture and allowing celebrities the chance to “prove” how well they can sing and how fun they are.

Microsoft confirmed Friday it’s developing a low-cost streaming device that would allow users to play Xbox games and stream media without needing a full console. That could directly compete with Apple TV.

Meanwhile, Apple’s product — sometimes criticized as overpriced — may see a less-expensive iteration later this year, according to analysts.

A dearth of local golf courses shouldn’t stop you from hitting the links. It turns out, you can play golf on some of the most famous courses in the world — from your living room. And you don’t even have to risk your windows to do it.

The Phigolf smart golf simulator is an incredibly lifelike golf simulator that puts you in some of the most famous courses in the world without ever needing to put on shoes.

But this is your last chance to grab it at a great price! If you pick up Phigolf with swing stick before May 31 during Cult of Mac Deals’ Memorial Day sale, you can get it for only $179.

A bill aimed at regulating Big Tech is reportedly losing support in the U.S. Senate. The fate of the American Choice and Innovation Online Act is now in question.

It is a Democratic proposal but some Senate Democrats are leery about voting for it in an election year.

“Here he comes. Here comes Speed Racer.” The theme song to the classic cartoon could be referring to a live-action Speed Racer series reportedly headed for Apple TV+.

It’ll supposedly have J.J. Abrams as executive producer.

Whether you’re nostalgic for early Macintoshes or you simply like the cuter things in life, Shargeek has the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for you. You can join the campaign at a low, early-bird price to get the company’s new Retro 35 GaN Charger. It looks just like a toy version of an original Macintosh, complete with a little smile on its screen.

And with 35W of power, it can readily charge up laptops, tablets and smartphones.