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Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock faithfully reboots an ’80s classic [Apple TV+ review]

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The Fraggles are Back! Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
The Fraggles are back for new adventures.
Photo: Apple TV+

Thanks to its partnership with The Jim Henson Company, the creative force behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, Apple TV+ has finally given the people what they want: more Fraggles.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, a faithful and fun reboot of the cult hit puppet show from the ’80s, arrives Friday on Apple TV+ with its verve and good vibes intact.

While the Fraggles never quite rose to the popularity of the Sesame Street gang or Kermit and his friends, they did inspire some passionate fans. It’s a joy to be back at Fraggle Rock, even with the few concessions made to appease a more modern audience.

Apple’s education discount ‘loophole’ is back!

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Apple education discounts available again without student verification
Home school teachers can once again get Apple education discounts.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Apple Store for Education reversed a recent change Friday, dropping the requirement that shoppers prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. This surely comes as a relief for home-school teachers. But it’s also good news for anyone willing to fib to get a discount.

It’s not clear if this is a temporary rollback or a permanent change, though.

Akko protection plan means fast, local fixes for your Apple devices

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Protect your devices even after they break with AKKO.
When you damage your gear, Akko arranges repairs for you.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your phone is one of the only things that can fall off a couch and ruin your whole month. Cracked screens from drops, water damage from spilled drinks, whatever the cause … your phone eventually will suffer damage. An Akko Electronics Protection Plan shields you from the inconvenience of losing your phone by arranging and paying for repairs when it breaks. And right now you can get it for just $142 (regularly $168).

The musical comedy of Central Park returns to Apple TV+ in March

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The musical comedy of ‘Central Park’ on Apple TV+
Central Park returns with eight all-new episodes on March 4.
Photo: Apple TV+

The interrupted second season of Central Park will resume on March 4. The Apple TV+ musical comedy has eight more episodes with the madcap adventures of the Tillerman family.

The series has garnered multiple Emmy nominations, and the first half of the second season has a amazing 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s an iPhone accessories blowout, Charlie Brown: The Casetify Peanuts collection

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Who doesn't love Peanuts? Now you can show it with your iPhone case and more.
Who doesn't love Peanuts? Now you can show it with your iPhone case and more.
Photo: Casetify

Toward the end of January, Casetify plans to launch an expansive Peanuts-themed iPhone accessories collection. That’ll give fans of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus and the rest of the gang the chance to snap up special iPhone cases, MagSafe wallets and more.

Servant returns for third season of supernatural weirdness [Apple TV+ recap]

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Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) and Julian (Rupert Grint) on Servant
Season 3 gives us a deeper look at a disturbing day in the life of nanny Leanne.
Photo: Apple TV+

Servant, the bleakest and most thrillingly deranged show on Apple TV+, returns for a third season Friday. The Turner family and their mystic nightmare nanny have finally turned some corners from which they cannot return. Now it’s time to see what the writers have planned for this gang of thieves, liars and sinners.

Director/producer M. Night Shyamalan and writer Tomy Basgallop’s brainchild turns three today — and I couldn’t be happier to attend the party.

Intelli’s compact new StepUp is the Transformer of 3-in-1 iPhone chargers

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Those little platforms for Apple Watch and AirPods pop in and out.
Those little platforms for Apple Watch and AirPods pop in and out.
Photo: Intelli

In a world awash with multi-device charging stations that juice your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time, it’s refreshing to see an unfamiliar design once in a while. Intelli provided one recently when it launched its new StepUp Magnetic Wireless Charging Station.

With its tidy little pop-out charging platforms, the MagSafe-compatible StepUp can be a sleek charger just for your iPhone or transform into a 3-in-1 for your trio of devices. But even fully deployed, the design is compact.

Nickelodeon characters go head-to-head in Apple Arcade’s new extreme tennis game

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Nickelodeon characters go head-to-head in Apple Arcade’s new extreme tennis game
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis isn’t like any sport you’ve played before.
Photo: Viacom/Apple

Danny Phantom heads to the tennis court with SpongeBob. Or Garfield faces down Invader Zim. It’s not animation day at Wimbledon — it’s Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis. The stars of animated shows past and present compete in a very unusual version of the sport.

The game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.

‘This is what neck pain would look like if it were a setup’ [Setups]

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In terms of proper ergonomics, the
In terms of proper ergonomics, the "before" photo set off some alarm bells.
Photo: [email protected]

If your computer setup had three screens, including a MacBook Pro, an iPad and a 32-inch external monitor, would you make the iPad the center screen? Would you put your screened devices on stands, or leave them at or near table level? Today’s setup saw a transition that might actually save its owner from years of physical therapy.

“This is what neck pain would look like if it were a setup,” someone said about the “before” photo, above.

Get a New Year’s discount up to 91% off: Windows 10 lifetime license for $14, Office for $26

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Keysbuff offers great deals on Microsoft software activation keys.
Keysbuff offers great deals on Microsoft software activation keys.
Image: Keysbuff

This software activation key sale post is presented by Keysbuff.

Cult of Mac readers can kick off 2022 with some of the best tech deals of the year from software activation keys provider Keysbuff. You can save up to 91% off the full price on Windows 10 and get great savings on many other Microsoft software titles in the Keysbuff New Year Software Sale. Just use promo code COM at Keysbuff.com to get an extra 30% 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 products with lifetime licenses.

This gorgeous 15.6-inch portable monitor will make your eyes pop [Review]

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InnoView Portable Monitor INVPM001 review
The InnoView Portable Monitor is ideal for work, school, gaming or video.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The InnoView 15.6-inch Portable Monitor might be everything you’re looking for in a second screen for your MacBook. First off, it’s beautiful. And it’s very slim and lightweight. Plus it works with a wide variety of devices: Mac, iPad, even iPhone with the right adapter.

I used InnoView’s on-the-go display for both work and entertainment. Here’s all the many ways it impressed me. And its one flaw.

Get Beats Fit Pro at their lowest price yet after a $46 discount

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Beats Fit Pro in black
Now just $153.11 — down from $199.99 — for a limited time.
Photo: Apple

Beats Fit Pro headphones, which made their debut last November, pack spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, the Apple H1 chip for quick and easy pairing, and active noise cancellation. Get yours at their lowest price to date.

The black models are currently available from Amazon for just $153.11 for a limited time. That’s $46.88 off the usual price.

Get 12 top-rated Mac apps for less than $18 today

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Boost your Mac's productivity with 12 of the world's highest rated apps, less than $18 today.
Grab the biggest Mac bundle of the year at a killer price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac is an amazing piece of technology … but are you getting the most out of it? One simple way to boost your productivity is with The Complete Limited Edition Mac Bundle.

It’s a curated selection of 12 highly reviewed apps that offer the very best in productivity, video, security and more.

Sold separately, everything in this bumper bundle would usually cost $1,040. But right now, not only is it on sale for $29.99, but for a limited time, you can save an extra 40% off the sale price when you enter the code MACBUNDLE40 at checkout. That drives the price down to just $17.99.

Apple highlights iPhone 13’s brilliant battery life and durability in new ads

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iPhone 13 ad
Don't try this at home.
Photo: Apple

Apple this week dropped a pair of new ads for iPhone 13, highlighting its newest handset’s brilliant battery life and durability.

One of the one-minute clips shows iPhone 13 being used to film a boy during a day-long bike ride. The other shows the device being used as a toy, hammer, baseball bat and more by an energetic toddler.

Apple Watch’s frustrating charging bug finally gets a fix in watchOS 8.4

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Spigen-S350-Apple-Watch
Everyone will get the update soon.
Photo: Spigen

The watchOS 8.4 release candidate that rolled out to beta testers on Thursday eliminates an Apple Watch charging bug that first surfaced around a month ago.

The issue, which mostly affected Apple Watch Series 7, prevented devices from charging when using third-party accessories from a wide range of brands. But with the latest watchOS 8.4 update installed, everything is back to normal.

Massive Godzilla series stomps toward Apple TV+

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Wow, a Godzilla series on Apple TV+.
You read that right, Godzilla, the King of the Monsters himself, is getting a series on Apple TV+.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Apple TV+ is making a series set in Legendary’s MonsterVerse that includes movies like Godzilla vs. Kong. The show will be live action, and continue the story of humanity’s battle to survive in a world populated with city-crushing behemoths.

Apple education store discounts now require proof of student status

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Apple education store now requires proof of student status
If you want an educational discount on a MacBook, better be prepared to prove you are a university student.
Photo: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels

The U.S. Apple Store for Education now requires shoppers to prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. Before now, it essentially operated on the honor system, which was a giant loophole.

After the change, shoppers can’t even see the discounted prices without getting verified first.

Update: Apple flip-flopped on this change.  Read more in, “Apple’s educational discount ‘loophole’ is back!

4 great Mac apps to boost your productivity this year

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4 of the best productivity apps that will change how you use your Mac.
Pick up the pace (and stop pulling out your hair) with these top-rated productivity apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With a new year comes new possibilities and the chance to achieve an exciting new set of goals. Whether yours are personal or professional, we could all use a way to maximize the time we have — and productivity apps are the best way to do that.

It’s time to get more done, in less time — and enjoy more free time as a result.

Smoother ProMotion scrolling moves closer with macOS 12.2 release candidate

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Smoother ProMotion scrolling moves closer with macOS 12.2 release candidate
The macOS 12.2 release candidate means a full release is almost here.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The macOS Monterey 12.2 release candidate went to developers on Thursday. This makes a full launch only a few days away.

Apple has yet to give an official list of changes in the upcoming version, but beta testers indicate it will offer smoother scrolling on MacBooks with ProMotion displays and a rewritten Apple Music app.

Apple also seeded to developers iOS 15.3 RC, iPadOS 15.3 RC, watchOS 8.4 RC and tvOS 15.3 RC on Thursday.

JBL has a new party in a box and lots of other big plans for your ears

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The JBL PartyBox Encore is a 100W speaker with a Lightshow and two microphones.
The JBL PartyBox Encore is a 100W speaker with a Lightshow and two microphones.
Photo: JBL

Every year Samsung subsidiary JBL rolls out a tempting raft of updated or new audio products at CES, but you can’t get them right away. CES 2022, held in Las Vegas earlier this month, was no different. The company showed its new JBL PartyBox Encore and a slew of other Bluetooth speakers, earbuds and headphones. We’ll round them up below. Some are coming in spring and others in summer.

Release candidate shows iOS 15.3 will be just bug fixes

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Mac malware is real. Watch out.
Bug fixes aren't exciting, but they're necessary.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the iOS 15.3 release candidate to developers on Thursday, along with the iPadOS equivalent. Surprisingly, the updates appear to include nothing but bug fixes and security updates. There are no new features. Still, I t’s possible these will take care of a headline-making WebKit bug that leaks user information.

Release candidates for macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.3 are also out on Thursday.

The Sky Is Everywhere gets ready to bring you to tears on Valentine’s Day

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‘The Sky is Everywhere’ gets ready to bring you to tears on Valentine's Day
Grace Kaufman and Jacques Colimon in “The Sky Is Everywhere,” debuting February 11 on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ will premiere The Sky Is Everywhere, a story of love and loss, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

A trailer for the upcoming film debuted Thursday, giving viewers a first look at a young woman simultaneously dealing with the death of her sister and her first love.