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The New York Times is already upsetting Wordle fans with big changes

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Useful Wordle hacks
And so it begins.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Wordle fans are already upset with The New York Times, the popular game’s new owner, for making big changes to its original word list.

The updates, which are designed to make the game more accessible, the publication said, include the removal of obscure and potentially offensive words. And they’re having a big impact on the game’s social aspect.

MobileTrans lets you easily transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone

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Wondershare's MobileTrans-WhatsApp Transfer makes it easy to move the app to a new device.
MobileTrans - WhatsApp Transfer makes it easy to move the popular messaging app to a new device.
Screenshot: Wondershare

This WhatsApp transfer post is presented by Wondershare.

When you get a new device and transfer your WhatsApp account to it — let’s say you’re switching from an Android device to a new iPhone 13 — you might be surprised there’s no automatic way to do it when two different operating systems are involved.

Thankfully, MobileTrans makes it easy to do WhatsApp transfer, backup and restore operations. And it works even when you’re moving your WhatsApp chats from one operating system to another.

Apple’s first M2 machine could be a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

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MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The Touch Bar lives on! Apparently.
Photo: Apple

Apple is expected to introduce its first MacBook Pro with a next-generation M2 chipset in March, but it may not be the upgrade many fans are hoping for.

A new report, citing a “reliable source with close links to Apple’s supply chain,” claims the device will be identical to the 13-inch MacBook Pro — complete with Touch Bar. It is not expected to get a display upgrade.

Learn Photoshop for less than $4 a course with this top-rated Adobe bundle

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Become a Photoshop expert with this complete masterclass
Become a Photoshop pro with this top-rated master class.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Adobe Photoshop can be one of the greatest and most powerful tools you’ll ever use on your Mac — if you know how to use it. Forget expensive graphic design college courses, though: You can learn everything you need in your own time, from home, with The 2022 Premier Adobe Photoshop Master Class Bundle.

This comprehensive course is on sale for $25 today (regular price $1,400). With seven separate courses in this bundle, that works out to less than $4 a course.

Apple Support app adds repair cost estimates for iPhone and iPad

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Apple Support repair costs
It's now easier to find out how much you'll need to pay.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Got a broken Apple device that needs fixing? The Apple Support app has begun showing repair cost estimates in some locations, giving customers an idea of how much they’re going to have to cough up before they book in.

The estimates appear to be available for “common repair topics” — like replacing broken displays and back panels, or swapping out old batteries — for the most popular iPhone and iPad models in use today.

Watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown with your Sweet Babboo on Apple TV+

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‘Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown’ is on Apple TV+
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is a classic Peanuts holiday special you can watch today.
Photo: WildBrain/Apple TV+

Hopefully you didn’t forget Monday is Valentine’s Day, and you can celebrate with the Peanuts gang. The 1975 special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Unlike the new Peanuts shows and specials on Apple’s streaming service, this one was written by Charles Schultz himself.

Grab these top-rated AirPods Pro lookalikes for less than $50

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Get $20 off these top-rated AirPod Pro alternatives today.
These affordable earbuds give off a serious AirPods Pro vibe.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you like the design of AirPods Pro but don’t want active noise cancellation — or a huge Apple price tag — these sub-$50 Bluetooth earbuds might be just the thing.

Just like AirPods Pro, Xpods Pro come with silicone tips that seal off outside sounds and provide a better fit for some folks. Unlike AirPods Pro, they don’t cost hundreds of dollars.

Even better, right now you can take an extra $20 off, driving the Xpods Pro’s normal affordable price of $69.99 all the way down to $49.99. Just remember to enter the code XPOD20 at checkout.

iMac Pro with mini-LED display might launch in early summer

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M1 iMac
The 27-inch iMac Pro is expected to look much like the 24-inch iMac, but larger. (Of course.)
Photo: Apple

The iMac Pro might start reaching customers in early summer, according to a very reliable tipster. While some are hoping for a debut as soon as March, that’s apparently overly optimistic.

And the leaker says reiterates that the all-in-one desktop will have a mini-LED display.

Add 3 super-fast ports to your Mac with Plugable’s Thunderbolt hub [Review]

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Plugable USB4-HUB3A Thunderbolt hub review
The Plugable USB4-HUB3A doesn’t take up much room on your desk, and adds three Thunderbolt 4 ports to your Mac.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

If you want more Thunderbolt ports for your Mac, the Plugable USB4-HUB3A hub offers a trio of them. And they are fully functional, offering up to 40 Gbps transfer speeds and support for 4K monitors. Plus, there’s a USB-A port for good measure.

I put Plugable’s new Thunderbolt hub through a round of testing to be sure it lives up to specs.

Regulator fines Apple again, dismisses feeble attempt to add alternative payments

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App Store image
Just as we thought, Apple's approach to alternative payments is a joke.
Photo: James Yarema/Unsplash CC

Dutch regulators hit Apple with another $5 million fine Monday for not properly complying with new rules that say dating apps should be allowed to accept alternative payment methods. The penalty now totals $20 million.

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) dismissed Cupertino’s feeble attempts to satisfy its requirements and said developers should not have to build brand-new apps to offer alternative payments options.

Running classic Cinema Displays with newer Macs [Setups]

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Which makes you swoon more, the 30-inch Cinema Displays or the Yamaha powered speakers?
Which makes you swoon more, the 30-inch Cinema Displays or the mounted Yamaha powered speakers with the Mackie Big Knob controller?
Photo: [email protected]

There’s something special about old Apple gear. Maybe that’s why it comes up fairly frequently in Cult of Mac‘s Setups coverage. One of the most-beloved classics in Apple’s storied history of beloved products is the Cinema Display. Today’s featured setup sports not one but two 30-inch Cinema Displays, the big stunners Steve Jobs introduced to an absolutely dazzled Worldwide Developers Conference audience in 2004.

So, naturally, questions came up about how to best use them with a newer Mac.

Zoom fixes macOS bug that leaves mics active when they shouldn’t be

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Zoom fixes Mac's microphone bug
Install the latest update as soon as you can.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash

Zoom issued a quick fix for its native macOS app over the weekend to address a concerning bug that left microphones active when they shouldn’t have been.

It comes after many Mac users complained the app was still listening in after calls had ended. It is the second time Zoom has attempted to eliminate this issue, so here’s to hoping this update actually does its job.

Buy one, get one half-price on awesome iPhone and Apple Watch accessories

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SwitchEasy MagSkin Silicone Case for iPhone 13
Find great gifts (and save) for Valentine's Day.
Photo: SwitchEasy

Missed out on getting the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Make it up to them with help from the Cult of Mac Store, where you can save on stellar iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch accessories.

Buy one, get one half-price on the entire lineup of SwitchEasy products — which includes great cases, bands, stands and more. This deal ends at 11:59 p.m. PT Monday, so enjoy it while you still can.

Discover the secrets to becoming an NFT, crypto and metaverse millionaire

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Become an NFT millionaire with this complete masterclass.
Dive into the deep (and lucrative) end of Web 3.0 with these courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s no doubt about it: Cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens and the metaverse are at the forefront of Web 3.0 — and the future of the internet.

If you’re a total noob looking to learn, The Beginner’s Guide: Cryptocurrency Trading, NFTs & Metaverse Bundle is a great place to start. It’s on sale for just $21 (regularly $1,400). And, with seven different courses included in this bundle, that works out to just $3 a course.

Apple registers 3 new Mac models ahead of rumored spring event

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M2 MacBook Pro
Is a new M2 chip right around the corner?
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Regulatory filings for three new Mac models have been spotted ahead of Apple’s rumored spring event next month. Recent reports suggest Cupertino could be planning a new MacBook Pro with a next-generation “M2” chipset. Rumors also indicate Apple continues to work on a bigger iMac, a new MacBook Air and a new Mac mini.

The filings come after Apple last month registered a new iPhone and a new iPad — believed to be an upgraded iPhone SE with 5G support and a refreshed iPad Air likely to pack the newest A15 Bionic processor.

Finding affordable renters’ insurance can save you big

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Save smart with this affordable, reliable renter's insurance
This renters' insurance is a no-brainer for young tenants with electronics to protect. Get a quick quote today.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Getting ahead in the world as a young professional isn’t exactly easy. And even when you’re successful, building an early adulthood home is something most of us do as renters.

Regardless of your rent, when you start to earn “grownup” money, you’ll be investing in valuables, technology, nice furniture, etc. And as you fill out your home, you need to make sure you protect what you’re buying with renter’s insurance.

Get a great Valentine’s Day deal on encrypted storage with pCloud

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pCloud offers you a reliable, affordable and secure option for cloud storage.
pCloud offers you a reliable, affordable and secure option for cloud storage.
Photo: pCloud

This cloud storage post is presented by pCloud. 

If you’re looking for reliable cloud storage, you might want to skip the likes of Google Drive and Dropbox and go straight for pCloud. The Switzerland-based company, subject to strong privacy laws, offers affordable, super-secure cloud-based storage and backup for individuals and businesses.

Even better, right now you can get 75% off all individual lifetime plans in the company’s Valentine’s Day promotion. You can read more about that, as well as pCloud’s benefits, below.

Learn 24 languages, and gain loads of resume-boosting skills, with this lifetime bundle

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Get award-winning lifetime learning with this Rosetta Stone bundle.
This learning bundle starts with Rosetta Stone but doesn't stop there. Ever.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s no secret that we love to upgrade our tech. But there’s no better investment you can make than in yourself. That’s why we’re big fans of e-learning courses, which you can take in your own time, from anywhere — and this is one of the very best bundles we’ve found.

Right now, you can grab The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle, which includes award-winning language software Rosetta Stone and a lifetime of unlimited online courses.

Babbel lets you learn languages fast, and you can save 60% with this hot deal

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Nobody wants to be slaving away on a New Year's resolution by early summer.
Get started learning a new language today. (Unfortunately, Babbel can't teach you puppy.)
Photo: Babbel

Ask someone for their New Year’s resolution, and there’s a decent chance you could tell them their answer before they do. That’s because most of us are thinking about the same areas of self-improvement each year. There’s exercising, losing weight, and getting organized. Another top 5 resolution: learning a new skill … like maybe a languae.

Of course, nobody wants to be slaving away on a New Year’s resolution by early summer. So, the Babbel Language Learning App gives users the chance to knock it out in three weeks.

Apple’s AR/VR headset is about to get real [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: Another realityOS leak takes us one step closer to strapping Apple gear onto our faces.
Another realityOS leak takes us one step closer to strapping Apple gear onto our ugly mugs.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple code once again refers to a mysterious “realityOS” for a virtual/augmented-reality headset. Vague rumors about the new device, which we’ve been hearing for years now, look set to become very real, very soon.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Why no Face ID on Macs?
  • Apple’s workaround for accepting third-party payments is a joke, but developers definitely aren’t laughing.
  • iPhones are about to become cash registers!

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.

10 of the best Mac and iOS apps on sale for Valentine’s Day 

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Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day with these 10 highly rated apps.
Is your Apple device your main squeeze? There's even more to love with these great apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Who said Valentine’s Day is all about flowers and chocolate? We may be biased, but you know what really sets our hearts aflutter? Game-changing Mac and iOS apps that make our Apple devices more productive and our days even easier.

So, if you want to treat yourself to something you’ll fall in love with this year, may we suggest some of the very best apps around? These all come highly rated by experts and users alike. And right now, you can take an extra 15% off their sale prices when you enter the code VDAY2022 at checkout.

Now that’s enough to set pulses racing.

The Afterparty flashes back to bad high school haircuts [Apple TV+ recap]

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The Afterparty recap,
Walt (played by Jamie Demetriou) gets lucky this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Afterparty, Apple TV+’s Rashomon-style comedy of perspectives, finally looks back at the party before the party. Outkast is on the stereo, the cast get bad haircuts, and everyone makes embarrassing mistakes. Could this explain Xavier’s death?

The show hasn’t done much to engender any good will toward its cast of characters, and this week’s stunt episode doesn’t help things. The Afterparty seems quite taken with the idea of the cast reliving their glory days. But the sight of them all looking younger isn’t quite the gas the writers and director Chris Miller seem to think it is.

Get more than $100 off this hi-res foldable camera drone for Valentine’s Day

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Get this awesome foldable camera drone for less than $140
Capture stunning bird's-eye photos and videos with this full-featured drone.
Photo: Vivitar

If you’ve been thinking about buying a camera drone to take stunning aerial photography, now is the time to do it. That’s not just because you can grab great prices these days on refurbished high-spec tech like this Vivitar VTI Phoenix Foldable Drone. Or even because this particular model is on sale right now.

Now’s the time to pull the trigger on a camera drone because in Cult of Mac Deals’ Valentine’s Day Sale, you can drive down the low sale price even further. You can take an extra 15% off when you enter the code VDAY2022 at checkout.

That means you can scoop up this drone for just $135.15. And that’s more than $100 off the regular price of $249.

Leanne takes us to new levels of lunacy in this week’s Servant [Apple TV+ recap]

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Servant recap
Leanne (played by Nell Tiger Free) gets a little out there in this week's episode -- and we love it!
Photo: Apple TV+

Servant conjures up a storm in a teacup this week on Apple TV+. Leanne, the nanny with strange powers, finds herself losing control just as the desperate family she’s here to save needs her most.

Threatened by creeps, stalkers, and pretenders, Leanne has little choice but to let bad things happen to bad people. Writer Laura Marks and director Dylan Holmes Williams create a memorably harrowing half-hour in this week’s episode, entitled “Ring.”

Test shows AirTags are better and safer than Tile and GPS trackers

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A New York Times reporter found that AirTag tracking and privacy alerts can work better than other trackers.
A New York Times reporter found that AirTag tracking and privacy alerts can work better than other trackers.
Photo: Apple

Just a day after Apple touted its beefed-up privacy precautions for AirTags — in the wake of criminal incidents involving the tracking devices — an article in The New York Times on Friday showed their superiority to Tile and GPS trackers.

A reporter tracked her husband using all three kinds of devices. She found the AirTags not only better at tracking him in an urban area, but also better at tipping him off to the tracking.