Apple has discontinued the Beats Pill+ wireless speaker — one of the first brand-new products it launched after acquiring Beats in 2014. It was the only speaker available under the Beats brand, and there is no replacement.

You can still buy a Pill+ from third-party retailers while stocks last. However, you won’t find one in the Apple Store.

Apple’s first mixed-reality headset will ship with the same 96W power adapter that you get with some 14-inch MacBook Pro models, according to an analyst, who says that’s proof the device will pack plenty of computing power.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also expects Apple’s “metaverse headset” to be around two to three years ahead of competing products. And he says it could sell as many as 3 million units during its first full year of availability, rising to 20 million units in 2025.

Apple has confirmed that it will allow developers to offer third-party payment systems for app purchases in South Korea, according to a new report.

The move comes after Korean regulators last August ruled that smartphone makers, including, could not force users to make purchases through their own app marketplaces exclusively. But Apple won’t give up its cut of revenues.

If you want to call an Uber, you’ll have to do it from your iPhone — the Apple Watch app was disabled on Monday. Apparently permanently.

Uber gave no reason for the change.

Apple TV+ might be ready to play in the big leagues. Major League Baseball, to be exact. The company reportedly engaged in “substantial talks” with MLB about acquiring the rights to stream games.

If such a deal comes together, it would be a game-changer for Apple’s streaming service.

If you find your desk or nightstand cluttered with cords and chargers, you probably don’t own a charging solution that can keep up with all your devices. This 5-in-1 MagSafe Wireless & Wired Charging Station can charge up to four devices at the same time. And it even doubles as a dimmable lamp, making it the ultimate multi-solution device.

If you’re looking for a way to streamline the number of cords and chargers you need plugged in at any one time, you’ve found the solution in this sleek charging stand.

Apple TV+ renewed the hit series The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, for a third season, the company said Monday. The streaming service also signed a multiyear deal with WGA Award winner Charlotte Stoudt to be the third season’s showrunner and executive producer, and to produce other scripted series.

In addition to Stoudt (whose credits include Fosse/Verdon, Homeland and House of Cards), Aniston and Witherspoon serve as executive producers on The Morning Show, which has won Emmy, SAG and Critics Choice awards. It is directed by Mimi Leder and produced by the studio Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films.

Rumor has it the iPhone 14 Pro will dump the screen notch for a pill-shaped camera hole. A concept artist turned the unconfirmed report into a possible design for Apple’s 2022 flagship phone.

He even put the additional screen space to good use.

Why wear Apple Watch on your wrist like a filthy commoner when you can carry it like a pocket watch? Bucardo’s new Pinstripe collection takes the smartwatch back to the 16th century in the coolest, flashiest way possible.

Get yours in gold, silver or black and join the Apple Watch aristocracy.

Reader and technologist Andrew (last name redacted, so to speak) runs a “boutique AV, IT [and] cyber systems integration company from a home office” in London — though he supports sites worldwide. Clearly, he has a lot to do.

And he does it using a late-2013 Mac Pro he fondly said should be on the Death Star from Star Wars, plus a 2017 MacBook Pro he described to Cult of Mac as “perhaps the worst-constructed laptop I have ever owned.”

In 2021, Jason Sudeikis won the first-ever Golden Globe for Apple TV+. On Sunday night he repeated, again winning the Best Television Actor in a musical or comedy award for his leading role in the streaming service’s comedy hit Ted Lasso.

And just like in 2021, Sudeikis’ win was the only one for Apple TV+, despite a handful of other nominations.

While Apple is creating a VR headset, it’s reportedly not developing a complete virtual world for users. It plans on virtual reality games, video and other experiences. But these supposedly won‘t be connected into a single VR metaverse.

That sets it apart from Meta (formerly Facebook), which does hope to create a virtual world it controls.

Looking for a valuable new skill to learn in the new year that will boost your problem-solving skills and open new career doors? Consider a subscription to The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle featuring Rosetta Stone.

Yes, you get well-known premium language-learning app Rosetta Stone. But you also gain access to StackSkills, a learning library with more than 1,000 courses spanning topics from coding and design to marketing and tech. With this bundle, your learning potential is unlimited!

Google is once again calling on Apple to adopt a more open text messaging standard after accusing Cupertino of benefitting from bullying.

It comes after a report highlighted the struggle some teens face when using an Android device, which results in broken group chats and green bubbles — as opposed to blue ones — when texting peers who own an iPhone.

A former iMessage manager explained the reasoning behind the differences in Apple’s defense. But some might (rightly) say the arguments hold no value today, with text messaging in a better place than it was when iMessage landed.

European are joining forces in a bid to block iCloud Private Relay — a feature Apple introduced in iOS and iPadOS 15 to bolster its privacy protections. It seems some have already begun disabling it on cellular plans.

A group, which include Vodafone and T-Mobile, has signed an open letter that says Private Relay prevents them from obtaining “vital network data,” and will impact their ability to “efficiently manage telecommunication networks.”

Probably one of the only ways to make puzzles better is to have a chance to win a million dollars once you solve one. That’s exactly what you get from The One Million Dollar Puzzle by Mschf.

Just solve the puzzle, scan the code, and you’ll be entered to win cash prizes. For a limited time, you can get one, two, three, six or 10 Million Dollar Puzzles on sale!

It’s OK to admit it: Our love of the latest tech is essentially spurred by our desire to have a cabinet full of James Bond-worthy spy gadgets. But did you know that those awesome super-spy inventions aren’t just the stuff of fiction?

You can grab a two-pack of these iSpyPen Pros — which look like a normal writing implement but give you 007-style capabilities on sale for just $114.99. That’s a 10% discount off the regular price of $129.

In regular daily life, there aren’t that many opportunities to spend $35 and have a $250,000 Lamborghini delivered to you. But the MrBeast + Mschf Everyone Gets a Car promotion gives you the chance to do exactly that. And it would only cost $35 for one chance, $99 for three, $158 for five or $289.99 for 10 chances at the big prize. This promotion ends January 10, so act fast or miss your chance.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Even more details surface about Apple’s hardware plans for 2022. If last year was “modest” (LOL), this year looks jam-packed with major updates. We’re talking redesigned AirPods Pro, a new Apple monitor, even-more-impressive MacBook Airs and … an iPhone? You gotta be kidding us.

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple hits $3 trillion market cap, albeit briefly.
• A giveaway that features a great-looking charger from Journey.
• The most interesting products out of this year’s big CES trade show in Las Vegas.

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.

There is a lot to get HomeKit fans excited at this year’s CES tech showcase in Las Vegas. Quite a few companies announced products that will support Apple’s home-automation system, including lights, door cameras and more.

Glitzy projects like concept cars get more attention, but HomeKit accessories are more likely to make people’s lives better.

Apple TV+’s newest animated kids show is all about accessibility. El Deafo, based on the book by Cece Bell, focuses on a little girl who loses her hearing just before the start of school. She goes on misadventures as she learns to navigate the world with the help of her imaginary superhero alter ego. And she learns to love herself in the process.

The show is, if anything, a little too effective at making you feel for this young girl’s struggles. El Deafo is at times too affecting and sad for words — much to the credit of the writer, performers and animators. But it’s an open question whether kids are ready to feel so much on top of everything they’re already dealing with.

Like a lot of companies showing their wares at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Anker is addressing today’s hybrid WFH culture with new gear. Through its AnkerWork division, it rolled out a video bar webcam with sound to help improve your video calls. Through its Nebula brand come a couple of crowd-funded premium laser projectors. And the company had a few other items, as well.

Apple TV+ reportedly bought the rights to a film about the life of Audrey Hepburn. And Rooney Mara, best known for her role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will take the lead.

It’s just one of many projects with big stars headed for Apple’s streaming service.

Two monumental events happened this week. Apple became the first U.S. company to be worth an astonishing $3 trillion. And a day later came the official end of BlackBerry — a series of phones that once dominated the market.

The collapse of BlackBerry is proof that today’s winners aren‘t inevitably tomorrow’s. While in the coming years Apple could become the first company to reach $4 trillion, it also could start down a path that ends in failure.

Here’s some of what Apple will do so it doesn’t end up like BlackBerry.

In recent years, CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics confab, has become quite the major auto show. After all, consumer tech and automotive tech keep blending more and more. For CES 2022, automakers like BMW, Cadillac, Hyundai, Mercedes and Sony — wait, who? — really put some crazy futuristic concepts into high gear.

Overall, the mix of ideas ranged from mildly interesting to jaw-dropping. You had the prosaic news, like Amazon Fire TV integrating with Ford and Lincoln vehicles and YouTube video appearing in Volvos. But you also had the wild stories, like some concept cars that look like they belong elsewhere in the galaxy and others that change colors by themselves.

Meanwhile, the projected year when Apple might release an autonomous car through Project Titan keeps getting pushed back despite keen interest in the project.