Cult of Mac

Great design software can be pricey. But we found an incredible pre-Black Friday deal on a lifetime subscription to VectorStyler Professional Illustration Software. The highly rated illustration software allows you to create vector art and designs on both Mac and Windows.

Retailing for $95, it’s on sale for just $29 now. And you can take an extra 30% off that low price when you enter Pre-Black Friday Doorbusters code APPS30 at checkout. That drives the price down to $20.30. You’ll have to be quick though, as this deal is only available for a few days.

In my recent review of Earfun’s Air Pro 2 wireless active noise cancellation (ANC) earbuds, I said they packed good enough features — sound quality, active noise cancellation, comfortable fit —  to be worth their affordable price tag. With the new EarFun Free Pro 2 wireless ANC earbuds, that’s even more the case. Especially because the same high quality comes in an even smaller package.

An exceedingly rare wearable from 1988 called a “WristMac” is currently on auction at ComicConnect. Seiko and partner company Ex Machina made this ancestor of the smart watch, not Apple, but it could connect to a Macintosh and perform certain functions — and a version of it even did so on a Space Shuttle mission. It’s expected to fetch anywhere between $25,000 and $100,000.

We’ll have to see it if goes that high. Bidding started on Monday at $1. It stood Tuesday at $950 with 30 bids in. The auction runs through December 18.

This post on USB-C docks is brought to you by Alogic.

Not all USB-C hubs and docks are created equal. While all Type-C ports look virtually identical, the fact is that some are faster and more capable than others. If you want the best possible throughput, you need to seek out ones that support the latest standards — Thunderbolt 4/USB 4.

Buying the right USB-C dock or hub will let you get the most out of living the “one cable for everything” dream. And it will future-proof your setup (at least as much as is possible in the fast-paced computing world).

Apple filed a lawsuit Tuesday against NSO Group, the company that makes Pegasus spyware used by some countries to hack into iPhones. Apple says the goal is to hold NSO Group “accountable for the surveillance and targeting of Apple users.”

NSO Group claims Pegasus is only used by governments to fight crime, but there are accusations that it’s being used it to hack the smartphones of activists, politicians, journalists and other individuals.

Smart home equipment provider Aqara rolled out a new security camera that works as a Zigbee 3.0 home-automation hub while supporting HomeKit and HomeKit Secure Video. The new G3 camera features 2K resolution, the ability to pan and tilt, and facial and gesture recognition.

The new camera serves as an upgrade to Aquara Camera Hub G2H, adding 2K video recording and more.

A version of Windows built to run on Arm processors could eventually come to M1 Mac models, with Qualcomm’s current exclusivity deal with Microsoft “set to expire soon,” according to a new report.

The deal, which wasn’t public knowledge until this week, could explain why there are only a limited number of Windows devices powered by Arm chips — all made by Qualcomm — on the market today. But that’s set to change.

If you’re creating a space online, then you need to figure out how you’re hosting it. Some web-hosting services will give you the bare minimum, which is setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and lost traffic.

Not so with iBrave Hosting. With a lifetime subscription to this all-inclusive web-hosting service, you can easily manage your website. And, during our Pre-Black Friday Doorbusters, hosting for one, 10 or unlimited sites costs just $17.49 (regularly $597), $34.99 (regularly $1,797) or $69.99 (regularly $2,997) respectively with coupon code APPS30.

Pick up Apple Watch SE at its lowest ever price after a generous $60 discount from Amazon. Prices start at $219 — down from $279 — for a limited time only.

Stock is selling fast, so bag yours before they’re gone or the discounts disappear.

Tile, the company famous for its Bluetooth tracking gadgets, is selling itself to Life360 for $205 million. The move comes just six months after Tile was forced to face its toughest competition yet — Apple’s popular AirTag.

Life360, which offers a family safety service, said the Tile acquisition will allow it to “provide a unique and all-encompassing solution for finding the people, pets and things.” The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

Choetech is giving away three MagSafe wireless 2 in 1 charging stands. These minimalist magnetic chargers are perfect for anybody who pairs a MagSafe-compatible iPhone with wirelessly charging AirPods.

In addition to those three lucky winners, all Cult of Mac readers can get a 40% discount code for one of these sweet charging stands. That brings the price down from $52.99 to just $31.80, shipping included.

You can enter the giveaway below. But if you aren’t feeling lucky, or just like a really good deal, you can purchase a MagSafe wireless 2 in 1 charging stand from Choetech and use Cult of Mac’s special discount code: COMAC575. The charging stand makes a great gift. And with that 40% discount, you can afford to gift a few.

Do you frequently use multiple Apple devices and worry about keeping them all charged? With this pocketable 200-watt power bank, you can carry a backup battery that keeps everything juiced. In fact, it can charge five devices at once, from iPhone and Apple Watch to MacBook and AirPods.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not. And the ScoutPro Ultimate All-in-One Charger with LED Display is on sale for just $159 during our Pre-Black Friday Doorbusters sale.

Mujjo’s luxurious leather cases offer great protection without making your pricey iPhone feel cheap and tacky. Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store and save up to 25% for Black Friday.

Also enjoy the similar discount on Mujjo gloves, laptop sleeves, and more. This is a limited-time offer, so enjoy it while you can!

Apple just gave customers another big reason to avoid its trade-in service by slashing prices on almost all iPhone models. Instead, sell your old handset to Cult of Mac to make more from it, and get real cash you can spend anywhere.

Find out how much your old iPhone is worth today in just a few simple steps, and secure your quote for 14 days.

Struggling to get hold of one of Apple’s newest devices ahead of the holidays? InventoryWatch is a free and simple Mac app that sends you an alert when the gear you want is in stock and available for pick up at your local Apple Store.

It currently works in the United States and five other countries and regions. And it tracks availability of a handful of Apple’s most popular devices.

Andrew, a customer service experience manager for an internet service provider in Minneapolis, shared his computer setup with Cult of Mac after a big revamp. He replaced a 27-inch 2017 iMac with a 14-inch 2021 M1 Pro MacBook, which he runs alongside his work laptop, a Lenovo ThinkPad T480S. He uses his Apple gear mostly for photo editing and music production.

“With work from home, I needed the ability to use the screen with both my personal computer and my work device,” Andrew told Cult of Mac (he requested we use only his first name). “I had been running Windows on the iMac via Boot Camp and using Miracast to wirelessly extend to the iMac screen from my ThinkPad. When it worked it was great, but it became unreliable over time, and I decided that a monitor with multiple inputs are the way to go.”

Andrew said the Miracast connection with the iMac became unreliable when he got a mesh network. It would sometimes work great, but often fail to connect, despite rigorous troubleshooting. So it was time to do a little shopping.

iMessage reactions now appear as emoji inside the latest version of the Google Messages app on Android.

Prior to this release, Android users saw somewhat lengthy template messages when they received an iMessage reaction from a contact using an iPhone. This change offers a cleaner, much more streamlined experience.

In a lot of ways, your Mac is only as good as the apps you have on it. You can buy a top-of-the-line M1 Max MacBook Pro that’s barely better than a paperweight if you don’t own the software to take advantage of those insane specs.

The Complete Limited Edition Mac Bundle gives you lifetime access to many of the most useful apps around. And during our Pre-Black Friday Sale, you can get this bundle of fantastic Mac apps — worth more than $1,000 if bought individually — for just $17.99 with coupon code MACBUNDLE40.

Apple is offering customers up to $200 back in Apple Store gift cards when they buy eligible products this Black Friday. Its four-day shopping event runs from November 26, and you can enjoy in in-store, online, and over the phone.

Find out what you’ll get back on certain products right here.

Apple’s next-generation iMac Pro could feature an “M1 Max Duo” chip with 20 cores for processing and up to 64 for graphics, according to a new report.

As its name suggests, the chipset is expected to consist of two M1 Max chips combined together for double the performance. It could also feature up to 128GB of RAM — twice that currently available from Apple’s latest machines.

Learning a new language not only helps open up new career opportunities abroad. It also can tremendously improve your problem-solving and cognition skills. Babbel is one of the most highly rated language learning apps out there, earning 4.6 stars out of 5 stars after almost 30,000 reviews on the App Store (and rave reviews from publications like PCMag and The Economist).

For only two weeks, you can get this great language app for its lowest price yet — just $179 (regularly $499) for a lifetime subscription to all available languages.

If you’re looking to effortlessly convert and resize videos, watch your favorite DVDs on your iPad, or seamlessly transfer files between your iPhone, iPad and Mac, look no further than this lifetime license for the MacX Media Management Bundle.

This comprehensive three-app bundle offers ways to work with all sorts of media using your favorite Apple devices. Plus, you can enjoy an extra 30% off this pre-Black Friday doorbuster with coupon code APPS30.

Your files and your data are two things you shouldn’t have to compromise when you go online. With this pre-Black Friday deal on the The Lifetime Backup & Security Subscription Bundle, you can keep your files safe and your data private for $62.99 (regularly $3,799) with code APPS30.

It gives you a massive 10 terabytes of cloud storage to keep all your files safe, and a virtual private network to protect your data and anonymity online — forever!

When Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was slapped with war crimes charges in 2018, the allegations made a public spectacle of the inexcusable, overzealous violence that had been a staple of U.S. military intervention in Iraq since the first years of the invasion post-9/11.

What followed brought the wrong kind of attention to military operations at a time when the United States needed to sell its continuing involvement in Iraq. In new Apple TV+ series The Line, directors Jeff Zimbalist and Doug Shultz adapt the podcast of the same name as a four-part documentary.

In it, we hear testimony from everyone who felt comfortable stepping forward to talk about really happened in Mosul, where Gallagher led a sniper team and committed acts that shocked his fellow war fighters. And yet the filmmakers ultimately fail to ask the questions that really matter.

A sharp rise in Apple’s share price allowed the Mac-maker to regain the title of publicly traded company with the highest market capitalization n the world. It beat out Microsoft, who’d held the top spot for less than a month.

An unconfirmed report of Apple’s aggressive plans to make self-driving cars helped drive a 6% increase over the past week.