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Keeping it weird with a ‘dual-display laptop’ and an ortholinear keyboard [Setups]

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A portable monitor is mounted over the MacBook Pro's keyboard and an ortholinear-layout keyboard is the main input device.
A portable monitor is mounted over the MacBook Pro's keyboard and an ortholinear-layout keyboard is the main input device.
Photo: [email protected]

We see a lot of dual- and multi-display workstations here at Setups Central, but we can’t recall seeing a “dual-display laptop” or a “laptop monitor stack.” Those are terms we made up for a second portable display mounted under a laptop’s screen and on top of its keyboard, as in today’s featured setup.

Apple asks states to pay up for iPhone’s digital ID cards

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Driver's licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet
Supporting digital IDs won't be cheap.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s strict requirements for digital ID cards in the iPhone’s Wallet app ask states to provide customer support and contribute to costs, according to a new report.

Cupertino wants states to maintain the systems needed to distribute digital IDs, hire project managers to respond to Apple inquiries, and market the feature themselves — all at the taxpayer’s expense, leaked contracts reveal.

Apple agrees to cough up $30 million to settle worker dispute

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Say goodbye to the Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis.
The lawsuit was first filed in 2013.
Photo: Apple

Apple will pay out $30 million to settle an employee dispute after it forced workers to stay behind to have their bags after their shifts had ended. It finally marks an end to the lawsuit that was first filed eight years ago.

The lawsuit was dismissed by one California judge back in 2015. But after the decision was appealed, the California Supreme Court in February 2020 ruled that Apple must pay compensation to those affected.

Start building apps with this top-rated master class, on sale for less than $5 a course

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Build your own iOS and Android apps with this top-rated masterclass.
Learn how to create your own apps for iOS and Android.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you want to embark on an exciting new career as an app developer, or build your own apps to make some serious cash on the App Store, you can learn the skills you need with this great online course.

And right now, you can grab the Complete Mobile and App Development Bundle — one of the best educational bundles around — on sale for just $44.99 (regular price $1,791). With nine separate courses included, that works out to less than $5 a course.

Save over 60% on this much-loved cable that charges 3 Apple devices at the same time

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This game-changing 3-in-1 Apple charging cable is on sale for less than $15 in the Pre-Black Friday sale.
Never be without a full battery with this 3-in-1 Apple charging cable.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s a simple fact: Always having a charging cable on hand makes everyday life better. So always having one that can keep three of your Apple devices charged at the same time? That’s an instant life upgrade.

This 3-in-1 Apple Watch and Lightning Charger Cable is available in a choice of colors in our Pre-Black Friday Sale, and you can save an extra 15% when you use the code SAVE15NOV at checkout. That drives the price down to just $14.44 (regular price $39). But hurry, this code will only last for a limited time.

Save over 50% on iMazing iOS manager with this early Black Friday deal

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Grab this iOS management app loved by users for less than $13 today in the Pre-Black Friday sale.
Experience total freedom without jailbreaking your iPhone with this top-rated app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Did you know you can take total control over your iPhone’s documents, data and media? The secret is in using the game-changing iMazing app — and right now, it’s heavily discounted in our Pre-Black Friday Sale.

Usually starting at $34, you can take a further 15% off the sale price for a limited time when you enter code SAVE15NOV at checkout. That drives the price all the way down to just $12.74.

Dr. Brain’s bizarre dreamscapes will get inside your head [Apple TV+ review]

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Dr. Brain review: Director Kim Jee-woon takes us on a wild ride in the Apple TV+ series.
Director Kim Jee-woon takes us on a wild ride in the hot new Apple TV+ series.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s exciting new sci-fi series Dr. Brain continues to unfurl its mysteries this week. Brilliant neuroscientist Sewon draws closer to ascertaining the full shape of the crimes that claimed the lives of his family, thanks to “brain syncs” with both his wife and an unexpected source.

Meanwhile a number of questions hang in the air. Just who is this private detective helping Sewon find answers? Who is the man in Jaeyi’s memories? And who’s still alive — and who’s really dead?

Are MacBook Pro’s MagSafe chargers really too strong? [The CultCast]

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The CultCast Apple podcast: The new MacBook Pro's MagSafe might just be too strong!
The new MacBook Pro's MagSafe might just be too strong!
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Reports of MagSafe connectors being too strong on the new MacBook Pros leave us scratching our heads. Is MagSafe-gate for real? It’s always something when Apple releases a killer new product….

Also on The CultCast:

  • Tech companies seem in a frenzy to get new MacBook Pros in their employees’ hands.
  • Apple storms into the MDM game.
  • And an all new Under Review!

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.

11.11 Sale: Genuine lifetime Windows 10 Pro key only $13 + free upgrade to Windows 11!

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Parallels Desktop with Windows 11
Get the Microsoft software you need at a price you'll be happy to pay.
Photo: Parallels

This software activation key sale post is brought to you by CDKeylord.com.

The discounts keep coming at CDKeylord.com. Through the end of November, Cult of Mac readers can take 35% off the regular price of a Genuine Lifetime Windows 10 Pro key and numerous other software product-activation keys. And you can also get a free upgrade to Windows 11! Just enter the discount code CULT at checkout. See all the super discounts in the links below.

Dickinson delves into poetry’s power during terrible times [Apple TV+ review]

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Dickinson review: Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Humanist poet Walt Whitman (played by Billy Eichner) witnesses the Civil War's toll.
Photo: Apple TV+

Emily wonders about her place in the world during the Civil War, and the poet gets a little help from some colleagues — while the Dickinsons get fleas and Henry gets a new job.

It’s an eventful week on Dickinson, Apple TV+’s feminist fantasia. And, as usual, the simplest answer is often the right one.

Foundation doubles down on deception [Apple TV+ review]

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Foundation review: The sci-fi show seethes with big reveals and epic betrayals.
The sci-fi show seethes with big reveals and epic betrayals.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s ambitious space opera is getting ready for its final reveal. Foundation‘s epic first season flew by in the blink of an eye, all breathless action and rug pulls. Can all that excitement work its magic and attract a hungry audience for its richly deserved second season?

The sci-fi series based on Isaac Asimov’s fiction had a lot of groundwork to do this season, and somehow found time for several shows’ worth of action and world-building. As the first season winds down, plenty of unanswered questions remain. However, the writers have done a more than adequate job getting viewers excited about what’s to come.

Invasion’s monstrous aliens are ready for their close-up [Apple TV+ review]

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Invasion review: Aneesha (played by Golshifteh Farahani) and her family face multiple monsters this week.
Aneesha (played by Golshifteh Farahani) and her family face multiple monsters this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Invasion, the sprawling alien-invasion show on Apple TV+, thrusts all of its characters into a brand-new reality this week. There is no denying now that there are aliens on Earth … but what does that mean for everyone? What do the creatures want? And is all hope lost?

This week’s episode puts the focus on the Malik family — and gets us up close and personal with the dreadful threats the Maliks face.

Incredibly rare Chaffey College Apple-1 sells at auction for $500,000

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Only six examples features the koa wood case.
Only six known examples features the koa wood case.
Photo: John Moran Auctioneers

Lots of Apple fans know the company’s first product was the Apple-1 personal computer. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs initially put the machines together in a garage in 1976. Now one unit in their early run of 200, known as the “Chaffey College Apple-1” because its first owner taught there, has sold at auction for $500,000.

Apple Arcade’s collection of classic games grows by leaps and bounds

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Apple Arcade’s collection of classic games grows by leaps and bounds
Crossy Road+ and many other App Store Greats have recently become part of Apple Arcade.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The selection of App Store Greats available through the Apple Arcade subscription service continues to grow. Friday brings the addition of Galaga Wars+ and Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+.

They join dozen of other classic games that players used to have to pay to play individually but are now all available with a single Apple Arcade subscription. Plus there are many more original games, too.

M1 all around: Mac mini and iPad Pro drive developer’s workstation [Setups]

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The M1 Mac mini is paired with a 32-inch Samsung 4K monitor, a Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard and a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse.
The M1 Mac mini is paired with a 32-inch Samsung 4K monitor, a Keychron Q1 mechanical keyboard and a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse.
Photo: PJ Flordeliz
Sometimes you see a workstation and you can pretty much tell by the gear what its owner does for a living. Today’s featured setup has an M1 Mac mini, a 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro and an Acer laptop, plus a custom mechanical keyboard, a network switch and a huge external hard drive. That led me to guess the person might be a IT staffer or a software developer. And I was right.

Swagger scores with unflinching look at personal problems [Apple TV+ review]

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Swagger review: Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Crystal (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) and Jace (Isaiah Hill) deal with some rough stuff this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Swagger, Jace and Crystal come clean — but now what? She’s rent with guilt and pain. He wants to do something, but answers won’t come to him. Meanwhile, family troubles abound for Meg and Phil. And violence seems to be unavoidable in the game and on the streets.

Can Ike save this team and the community around it from itself? Money tends to speak louder than loyalty but Ike’s playing the long game and it might not pay off. The Apple TV+ drama about a Baltimore junior basketball league’s misfit team scores high this week.

Samsung is ditching its awesome DeX app for Mac

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Samsung DeX on Mac
Well, that's a shame.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung has confirmed that it is dropping support for its official DeX app for Mac (and Windows 7) in January.

The move means Galaxy smartphone owners will no longer be able to connect their device to a macOS machine to turn it into an Android-powered desktop. However, the awesome DeX feature itself isn’t going anywhere.

We could be waiting almost a year for the next AirPods Pro refresh

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They AirPods Pro fit in their case like nothing ever happened.
Apple doesn't rush its AirPods upgrades.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

We could be waiting almost another year for Cupertino’s second-generation AirPods Pro refresh. A new report — citing sources in Apple’s supply chain — claims the new buds won’t drop until the third quarter of 2022.

Earlier rumors have indicated the upgrade could bring an even more compact design with a more rounded shape, plus motion sensors for fitness tracking.

The Morning Show busts out the eulogies [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: Alex Levy drops a bombshell this week.
Alex Levy drops another bombshell this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s show about a news network is experiencing the calm before the storm as its second season nears its conclusion.

The whole staff of The Morning Show is still reeling from Mitch Kessler’s death and everyone’s putting up a brave front. But with a tell-all book about the show’s sleazy inner workings on the way, the mood is panicked and stricken.

This pro-level animation software is over 80% off ahead of Black Friday

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Whether you’re looking to animate images for fun or start a career, this bundle is for beginner and experienced artists alike. 
You can use this award-winning software to create your own animation.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Have you ever dreamed of being a cartoon animator? Make your dreams a reality with The Complete Cartoon Animator 4 Pro Mac Bundle, on sale ahead of Black Friday for over 80% off.

Bring your visions to fruition with this professional-grade 2D creativity and animation software. Whether you’re looking to animate images for fun or start a career, this bundle is for beginner and experienced artists alike.

iPhone X with USB-C port fetches over $86,000 on eBay

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iPhone X with USB-C port
It could have sold for even more!
Photo: Ken Pillonel

An iPhone X that’s been modded to use a USB-C instead of Lightning connector has sold for a whopping $86,001 on eBay.

Built by robotics engineering student Ken Pillonel, the device — which still functions perfectly normally — was shown off in October before being listed for sale earlier this month. It had received a bid of $99,000, but that was retracted.

Apple Store’s new ‘lists’ feature lets you keep track of things you want

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Apple Store app gets new 'lists' feature
Grab the newest update now.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest update to the Apple Store app adds a brand-new “lists” feature that makes it easier to keep track of all the things you want.

You can then share and discuss your lists with in-store Specialists, Apple says — then get a recap of your conversation sent to the app so it’s easy to find later. Lists also make it faster to buy what you want when you’re ready to check out.

10 digital early Black Friday deals for the Apple lover in your life

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Get great deals on Apple software during the Pre-Black Friday Sale.
The Pre-Black Friday Sale is the perfect time to grab these Mac apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Friendship, love, awesome deals on software — some of the best gifts you can give a person can’t be put in a box. If you’ve been trying and struggling to find a gift for the Apple fanatic in your life, then we finally have the answer for you, and it isn’t expensive new hardware or a fancy phone case. Check out these digital deals for the Apple lovers in your world. During the Pre-Black Friday Sale, everything here is on sale if you use code SAVE15NOV. And if the techies in your life won’t be satisfied with only software, you can take a peek at even more awesome deals for hardware and wearables.