As Apple TV+ celebrates its second birthday today, it’s time to look back on the highs and lows. It’s been a wild ride filled with some risky but rewarding gambles and a bunch of safe (and ultimately disappointing) bets. We’ve also endured a higher than expected (or recommended) amount of singing.
So, after two years and untold billions of dollars, what has Apple TV+ achieved? What kind of identity does the streaming service have? And where, exactly, is Apple TV+ going?
Apple TV+ said Monday that Emmy Award-winning comedy actor Eugene Levy will host and executive produce a new travel series called The Reluctant Traveler.
You may know Eugene Levy from the recent hit comedy Schitt’s Creek. Or, much earlier in the 74-year-old Canadian’s career, from Second City Television. Or from the American Pie movies.
The point is, the man and his impressively bushy eyebrows have been there and done that. But they’ve never hosted a travel series. Until now.
When Apple TV+ launched on November 1, 2019, Cupertino had its sights set on creating a serious Netflix rival. Two year on, it may not have conquered the world like fellow streaming newcomer Disney+ did. But Apple TV+ continues to deliver a stream of top-notch shows — and some must-see movies.
With dozens of series and more than 20 feature films, where should you start? Here’s our guide to the best shows and movies on Apple TV+, in no particular order.
Premium audio brand Master & Dynamic adds gamers to its client list with the release of its first-ever headset for e-sports, the MG20 Wireless Gaming Headphones. Of course, being good for gamers almost certainly makes these cans a solid choice for anyone wanting high-quality noise-cancelling headphones for music and communication, too.
Apple TV users can install the tvOS 15.1.1 update for the media streamer. It was introduced for all to download on Monday.
Virtually nothing is known about it now, however. But it’s almost certainly a simple “bug fix.”
UPDATE: This sale ends later today, so now is your last chance to take advantage of the discounts. Plus, use the promo code HALLOWEEN21 at checkout to get free delivery when you spend over $50.
Halloween isn’t for everyone. The candy, the costume parties, the scary stories about dead people tormenting you. But pretty much everyone likes a great deal, right? So head over to the Cult of Mac Store to find a murderer’s row of brands offering 10% to 15% off just for a few days.
In the Halloween Sale, you’ll find a ghoulish array of iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, chargers and more. See below for some highlights. The sale ends Monday, November 1, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Elago is at it again with its nostalgic cases that look like other things — this time the Elago W5 AirTag Keychain Case, which looks like an old-school Super Nintendo home gaming console. You stick your AirTag item tracker in it and attach the case via carabiner clip to whatever you want to keep track of.
Let’s say you get one of Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops — the 14-inch or the 16-inch with either the M1 Pro or the M1 Max chip. Do you still face the external display limitations seen in the M1 MacBooks (just one external monitor), or something similar? This is bound to be a common question leading to folks struggling to figure out what should work using the dreaded “pixel math.”
Apple’s new Beats Fit Pro wireless headphones, which were last month spilled by Kim Kardashian, are now available to order in four color options. The new buds pack active noise cancellation and the Apple H1 chip for $199.99.
They also support spatial audio with with dynamic head tracking, like AirPods Pro. And like the more affordable Beats Studio Buds that launched back in June, they work just as well with Android as they do with Apple devices.
Apple today confirmed that its new color options for HomePod mini are now available to order in a small number of markets, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico. They will roll out in more territories, including the U.K., later this month.
HomePod mini is still priced at $99 in yellow, orange, and blue. The new color options are functionally identical to the earlier white and space gray models, with no internal alterations to the device.
Apple reportedly plans to bring “crash detection” to iPhone and Apple Watch next year, with the ability for both devices to automatically dial 911.
The feature is said to use existing sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope, already baked into both devices, to measure sudden spikes in movement or force that will allow them to “detect car accidents as they occur.”
Finally, a drone that works well and comes with an awesome camera — and doesn’t cost as much as a car payment.
You can get the Black Drone with Dual HD 4K Camera for $63.71 during our pre-Black Friday sale if you use the code SAVE15NOV. It’s the first time you can get eyes in the sky that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
The high-end iMac Pro is expected to return next year with Apple’s newest M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets. One tipster also claims the powerful all-in-one will feature a 27-inch mini-LED display — and possibly even Face ID.
The machine won’t be cheap, with prices expected to start “at or over” $2,000. But that would make it considerably more affordable than the last iMac Pro.
Apple has quietly discontinued its most affordable iMac model. The 21.5-inch device with Intel chip remained available to order following the introduction of the 24-inch M1 iMac in April, but it has now been removed from the Apple Store.
The lower cost all-in-one, which usually starts $1,099, is still available from third-party retailers while stocks last. And if you act fast, you can get yours at a sizable discount right now.
From an easier way to meet up with a friend, to betting on a fight night, to cleaning up a photo, this week’s awesome apps are, well, awesome. We have a great app for dabbling in fantasy sports, a clever and simplified alternative to using GPS, and a way to bring the power of the Pixel 6 to the iPhone.
Your time spent streaming and browsing the internet doesn’t have to be frustrating or risky. Get the best shows and movies — and the safest browsing — with the SelectTV + KeepSolid VPN Unlimited Lifetime Subscription Bundle.
It’s on sale for just $99. And that’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of simplified streaming and VPN protection.
Usually, if you only have one charger for all your devices, you’re going to be dealing with a lot of low batteries. Now you can have one charger for everything without dealing with battery problems.
The 5-in-1 MagSafe Wireless & Wired Charging Station comes with three wireless charging zones — for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods — plus a USB-A port. And for a limited time, you can get one for $54.95 or two for $104.99.
Apple TV+ space opera Foundation deals with every kind of ghost in this week’s exciting installment. Haunted ships with death wishes, old friends back from the dead, and new powers discovered in the darkest hour.
Brother Day makes a foolhardy decision to outwit a religious order, Salvor Hardin must cooperate with her captors to keep a rescue mission from becoming a suicide run, and Brother Dawn discovers the joys of sex.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first MacBook Pro benchmarks and reviews reveal just how beefy these astonishing beasts really are. Powered by Apple’s outrageous new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, these laptops blow away their predecessors — and basically blow our minds. Erfon is in awe!
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in Apple’s 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.
This week on The Morning Show, veteran anchor Alex Levy tracks down her shamed former colleague Mitch Kessler in Italy and demands an ass-covering statement before she returns to the states.
Of course, nothing is ever simple on Apple TV+’s show about the morning news and the nightmarish people who produce it. COVID-19 is ramping up, and Alex won’t be able to leave Italy even if she wants to. So she’s stuck with Mitch, the last place she wants to be.
This is a fine episode from the standpoint of the performances of The Morning Show’s big stars and the writing that paints their characters as believable human beings. It’s also the single worst episode of television you could hope to air right now — a phalanx of bad decisions that would shame an entire season of The Newsroom.
Got your fancy new MacBook Pro? Once you’re done admiring its all-new design and insanely fast chips, you’ll probably want to add some accessories that will help you make the most out of your new machine.
Here are seven essentials that will help you connect USB devices, backup your and transfer your data between difference devices, keep your MacBook Pro protected on the go, and more.
Sick of seeing a sea of tangled cables on your desk or nightstand? Restore order with a four-pack of colorful Cable Blocks.
They’re weighted (not stuck down) so they can be easily repositioned whenever you like, and they’ll hold onto almost any cable to prevent it from mingling with others — or from falling off your table.
After Apple stock tanked following the company’s earnings call on Thursday, arch rival Microsoft overtook it to become the world’s most valuable company with a market cap of $2.46 trillion. But Apple isn’t far behind.
Cupertino’s market cap currently sits at around $2.43 trillion. Apple has warned, however, that ongoing supply issues could lead to weaker-than-expected results for the final quarter — typically Apple’s most lucrative — of the year.
This software activation key sale post is presented by CdkeySales.com.
Some previous CdkeySales.com discounts offered Cult of Mac readers 20% off the company’s already-low-priced software product activation keys. But now, in CdkeySales’ Halloween Sale, you can get a whopping 30% off great products like Genuine Lifetime Windows 10 Pro and many more. See the list below — and don’t forget to use coupon code CULT to lock in your best savings.
Save others the shock and misery of stumbling across your nudes by keeping them protected inside Google Photos. The service’s handy Locked Folder features is making the leap from Android to iOS “early next year.”
Locked Folder gives you a place to put sensitive photos and videos where are secured by a passcode or biometric security protections.