It’s Mario Day! Many of us have Nintendo’s jumping, mushroom-demolishing, Italian plumber to thank for our love of gaming — and for inspiring an interest in technology.
So, why not celebrate Mario Day by indulging your technical maker side? The ByteBoi is an open-source retro game console that you can assemble and code yourself to create the next great Mario-inspired game.
In 2010, Steve Jobs proudly proclaimed Apple had become a “mobile device company.” Tim Cook went further, dismissing anything that wasn’t a mobile device as a “hobby project.” It sounded like the Mac’s days were numbered. At Cult of Mac, we even ran a story on how to replace your Mac with an iPad.
How things have changed. With Tuesday’s launch of the Mac Studio, Apple completed the best Mac lineup we’ve seen in more than a decade. The new M1 Ultra chip offers unprecedented desktop performance. And longtime Mac fans will welcome the return of Apple’s Studio Display monitors.
The Mac is most definitely back. So what happened? Why did Cupertino fall out of love with the Mac, and what prompted the change of heart?
Apple is developing a more impressive version of its new Studio Display that will boast a mini-LED screen and ProMotion technology, according to one analyst. “Studio Display Pro” is reportedly set to make its debut this June.
There is some bad news for iMac fans, however. The rumored iMac Pro upgrade Apple was said to be planning for 2022 may not come at all now that the new Mac Studio and Studio Display have landed.
Apple’s next-generation Mac mini will be its first machine to offer new “M2” and “M2 Pro” chips, according to a new report. The new compact desktop, which is said to be codenamed “J473” internally, is expected to launch in 2022.
Sources say Apple originally planned to make Mac mini significantly more powerful by adding its beefy M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets. But those plans were supposedly scrapped in favor of the all-new Mac Studio.
The launch date for the Mac Studio is March 18, but preorders placed today won’t arrive until well after that. The wait for the version with the M1 Ultra processor is six weeks or more.
Just because the new desktop is already backordered doesn’t automatically mean there’s huge demand. But it’s not a bad sign, either.
If you own an iPhone 13 Pro and an AirTag, you should definitely enter the latest Cult of Mac giveaway. The $80 bundles we’re giving away to five lucky winners feature a pair of protective accessories from Raptic.
The bundle includes the Terrain iPhone 13 Pro Case (which offers 10-foot drop protection) and the Link + Lock AirTag case (with a built-in combination lock for extra security).
If you care about protection for your devices, and also the environment, be sure and enter our giveaway. The Terrain is the only iPhone case 100% made in the USA. Which means it’s better for the environment, because it eliminates carbon emissions from international transportation.
This 5-in-1 MagSafe Wireless & Wired Charging Station can charge four Apple devices simultaneously. So why is it called a “5-in-1” charging stand? Because it also includes a bedside lamp.
Configure the new Mac Studio with a super-fast M1 Ultra processor and the weight goes up a full 2 pounds. Weight doesn’t matter for a desktop, but people have been curious what about where all the extra comes from.
Apple has an answer. And it all comes down to heat and heavy metal.
Hardcore gamers, dedicated office workers, gear geeks — can you ever have enough choice among affordable mechanical keyboards? Well, another new one entered the fray recently when peripherals maker Cooler Master released its new CK721 Gaming Keyboard.
The new keeb sports a sleek 65% layout, customizable features and compatibility with macOS, iOS, Windows and Android.
This MDM post is brought to you by Scalefusion.
With the recent surge in employees working via smartphones, tablets and laptops from practically anywhere, it’s no surprise mobile device management, aka MDM, has become a crucial tool for organizations large and small. Then add in the growth of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps, plus companies letting employees use their own devices (BYOD).
It all adds up to needing an MDM provider you can depend on. These days, you need something that serves the IT department’s needs while remaining easy for users to navigate. And it should work across operating systems and device types.
With Scalefusion, you can get up and running fast with a vast array of devices, and even expand your fleet, without having to worry about engaging multiple MDM providers.
The Apple M1 processor inside the newly announced iPad Air 5 makes the tablet as powerful as the similarly sized iPad Pro. Given the price difference, the new Air is a better option for most people.
The iPad Pro has advantages. And it’s still the right device for some folks. But think hard before putting down an extra $200 that might be unnecessary. Here’s why the iPad Air 5, which Apple unveiled during Tuesday’s Peek Performance event, comes out ahead in many ways.
Not every Bluetooth speaker on the market packs 60W of power, but the new Tronsmart Bang Outdoor Party Speaker does. And it brings a beat-driven light show to the party, too. The company rolled it out on Tuesday, emphasizing that the four-driver speaker is “loud and powerful.”
“The Bang delivers an audio feast with an impactful stereo sound thanks to its two tweeters and two woofers,” the company said.
Ever wonder how people get crazy-cool mood lighting in and around their computer setups? You see it all the time in folks’ photos on social media sites. The hardware — computer, displays, peripherals, other gear — may be fabulous in its own right, but the lighting just takes it to another level.
Or not. Sometimes lighting ends up being too flashy — as in, on the verge of fit-inducing. And sometimes it’s just too much of one thing. Today’s featured setup shows a cool blue wash that might just drown productivity. Or maybe it’s just for off-duty hours.
Whatever your preferences, an increasing array of products can help you get your setup light show on.
Need to add a little more graphical firepower to your Mac Pro? AMD rolled out its new Radeon Pro W6600X GPU for Mac Pro on Tuesday, now available at Apple for $700.
The new graphics processing unit is designed to boost image quality and performance for design pros and other content creators.
The TechMatte Apple Pencil Gen 2 Charging Carrying Case juices up the iPad’s official stylus when it’s not attached to the tablet. It’s a secure place to carry the Apple Pencil around, and keep it topped off when you’re on the go.
I tested this charging accessory to be sure it lives up to its promises.
If you’re a fan of Apple products, you’re not alone. And if you lead a company or organization that operates across a network of Apple devices, then you’re also not alone. In fact, 100% of Fortune 500 companies use Apple products.
Those with small (or no) IT departments may not have the resources to successfully manage all those Macs, iPhones and iPads. Without the proper approach, handling things like application distribution, inventory management, enforcement of security settings and everything else that comes into play when overseeing a group of devices can suck up a ton of time.
Mobile device management platform Jamf Now is here to help you set up, manage and make the most of your employees’ Apple devices.
It requires a lot of bandwidth to drive the super-sharp 5K screen in Apple’s new Studio Display, and some devices just don’t cut it. Those hoping to use one with iPad Air will be disappointed to learn that a big upgrade is necessary.
Studio Display is only compatible with the fifth-generation iPad Air, announced during Apple’s big Peek Performance event on Tuesday. The fourth-generation model, released in October 2020, is left out in the cold — like iPad mini.
You don’t have to spend 12 hours waiting for the perfect shot to get a professional-quality photo. All you need is a good photo editor. The Complete Award-Winning Luminar AI Bundle does most of the work editing your photos for you — and makes all the rest easy.
And for just $39.99 (regularly $235), making the decision to get Luminar is a snap.
Apple is said to be planning a major MacBook Air refresh with an all-new design for 2022. But it may not get an “M2” chipset upgrade, as some rumors have suggested. It could also miss out on a mini-LED display.
Here’s what you can expect, according to one analyst who has proven reliable in the past.
Apple blew our minds this week with its all-new and somewhat unexpected Mac Studio. The diminutive desktop, which has the same footprint as Mac mini but is almost three times as tall, is by far Cupertino’s most powerful machine to date when you buy it with the incredible new M1 Ultra chip.
There’s just one problem with that. The impressive M1 Ultra model, which is significantly more powerful than even the fastest Mac Pro, starts at a whopping $3,999 — a considerable jump from the M1 Max model, which starts at $1,999. And I can’t work out how it’s so darn expensive!
No less than seven of the ten best-selling phones in 2021 were made by Apple. What’s more, all of the top five models were iPhones.
The iPhone 12 topped the list by a significant margin.
When CEO Tim Cook left the stage at the end of Apple’s “Peek Performance” event, he took the hopes of many MacBook and iMac users with him. Because there was just one Mac introduced Tuesday, the Mac Studio.
But some of the computers not announced are still expected to launch. Just not now. Here are the Macs we didn’t get, and which ones to look for from Apple in the coming months.
How do you feel when you don’t get a good night’s sleep? Sluggish? Slow? Unproductive?
If you’re looking for a way to get to sleep and stay asleep, Restflix may offer a solution. And thanks to a new price cut, you can get a lifetime subscription to this sleep app for just $99.99. That’s 83% off the normal price of $599. (One- and three-year subscriptions are also available.)
Apple kicked off Tuesday’s Peek Performance event with a look at the upcoming Apple TV+ slate of movies — and it’s not a very pretty picture.
You can look forward to the kind of forgettable, star-studded stuff that Netflix has become so adept at providing a rapacious public, most of whom seem just as eager to forget these types of movies exist. While promising Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon remains free of both a release date and a trailer, the Apple TV+ sizzle real showcased several upcoming movies that don’t inspire confidence.
Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t often wear colorful Apple watch bands, but he made an exception during Apple’s Peek Performance event on Tuesday.
Cook emceed the event wearing an eye-catching yellow Sport band. Paired with his blue sweater, Cook seemed to be making a subtle gesture of support for the embattled country (yellow and blue are the colors of the Ukrainian national flag).