Cult of Mac

Smartwatches have improved significantly since they first hit the market. Now it’s not just your phone you’re wearing, it’s also your workout buddy, your music, even something to help you keep tabs on your health.

The ChronoWatch Multi-Function Smart Watch is a streamlined smart device that can make your life easier but costs a fraction of what an Apple Watch does. For a very limited time, you can get a ChronoWatch in blue, gray or rose gold for just $30 — a huge markdown from its regular price of $200.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Apple to completely abandon its child safety features after their rollout was delayed.

The group says it is “pleased” Apple’s move is on hold for now. But it calls the plans, which include scanning user images for child abuse material (CSAM), “a decrease in privacy for all iCloud Photos users.”

The EFF’s petition against Apple’s original announcement now contains more than 25,000 signatures. Another, started by groups like Fight for the Future and OpenMedia, contains more than 50,000.

Certified Lover Boy, the newest album from Drake, has broken the Apple Music streaming record set by Kanye West just a few days ago.

In just 12 hours after the album’s release at midnight EST on Friday, September 3, it become 2021 most-streamed album and surpassed the 60 million streams that Donda racked up during its first 24 hours of availability.

Charging your phone shouldn’t be inconvenient, even if everything else happening around you is. If you’re halfway through a double shift, stuck on a long drive, or lost in the woods, you should still be able to charge your phone as easily as you could at home.

The Xvida Magnetic Wireless Power Bank makes that possible by putting a powerful wireless charger into an ultra-slim package that attaches magnetically to your phone so you don’t have to stop using it while it charges.

Right now, this incredibly convenient charger is on sale for $39.99 if you buy one — or $69.99 for two.

This week, Cult of Mac is giving away six practical and protective PadFolio Cases for your 12.9-inch iPad Pro from tomtoc, a popular case company. Designed to carry your iPad Pro, keyboard, chargers, dongles and all your necessary accessories, this case will protect your iPad Pro while keeping everything in place.

If you want to make your friends and peers jealous of how super-organized and productive you are at work or school, be sure to enter this giveaway.

One of the most frustrating things that can happen online is when a video you love disappears entirely. Maybe it’s a tutorial for fixing your car’s ignition, or a guide for taking good pictures, or a cat that’s just absolutely floored by the existence of a cucumber.

Whatever it was, it’s gone now — and you can’t find it anywhere. But you don’t have to lose your favorite videos. With VideoDuke for Mac, you can download videos straight from many of the most popular video sharing sites for life. And right now the software is on sale for just $29.99.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like iPhone 13 will come with a secret satellite trick that will give you signal anywhere on Earth! The feature might not prove as groundbreaking as it initially seemed, but it still sounds like a lifesaver.

Also on The CultCast:

• Sorry, but Apple Watch Series 7 might be a much smaller update than we’ve been told.
• A radical new South Korean law is forcing Apple to open up the App Store there — and other countries are sure to follow.
• Sadly, it couldn’t last forever. It sounds like our beloved Tim Cook is eyeing his retirement from Apple. So who at Apple will take the reins next?  We got it all figured out!

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.

Zen Pinball Party lets you have a go on tables with a Kung Fu Panda theme. Or Trolls. Or How to Train Your Dragon. And these are just a few of the options in a game that debuted Friday in Apple Arcade.

And that’s not the only new option. Show off your kitchen skills in MasterChef: Let’s Cook. And Layton’s Mystery Journey+ was also added to Apple’s gaming service.

The Cult of Mac Store just kicked off its sweet Labor Day Sale, offering up to 51% off awesome Apple Watch bands, stylish charging stands, and great cases for AirPods, iPhone, iPad and more.

Take advantage of the discounts before they disappear!

Redditor NotDeadYet7917 dragged himself out of bed on Monday and photographed his M1 MacB00k Air computer setup exactly as it appears in real life. It’s not staged like some of these fancy-schmance setups you see (we’ve seen plenty). And you can tell the workstation is keeping it real by how “lived-in” it looks.

Facebook rolled out a fantasy gaming service for iOS and Android users in the U.S. and Canada this week. Facebook Fantasy Games lets you predict outcomes of sports events and other entertainment, like TV game shows.

This autumn software sale post is presented by CdkeySales.com.

Just as during previous sales events, Cult of Mac readers can now grab a special 20% discount on the already-low-priced software product activation keys available at CdkeySales.com. It’s time for the Autumn Sale!

Apple Pay’s latest promotion saves new Instacart customers a generous $30 on deliveries worth $50 or more. Existing customers can also save $5 when spending $35 or more. The promotion is available through September 8.

Apple TV+ drama Truth Be Told looks into a series of dark pasts this week — and finds a host of unsavory things. Can true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell keep her life together long enough to help anyone else?

Apple on Friday confirmed it has delayed controversial plans to start scanning user photos for child sexual abuse material, aka CSAM.

The feature was originally scheduled to roll out later this year. Apple now says it will take time to “collect input and make improvements” before deploying the changes. However, the feature is far from canceled altogether.

Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to be the biggest yet, with new screens that measure 41mm and 45mm. It’s rumored Apple will increase case sizes to accommodate those larger panels — and that could be bad news for your bands.

One tipster, citing Apple Store employees, says Apple is allowing existing band stocks to dwindle because its next-generation Watch models won’t be compatible with them.

By now, just about everyone has heard that the displays in upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 models will be a bit larger. But a new report from a reliable source says they’ll actually be even bigger than many might expect.

StarTech.com now offers a new USB-C hub for preorder with more than the average range of features. Its new Quad Monitor USB-C Dock drives up to four displays at 60Hz apiece and offers six other ports to turn your computer into a powerhouse.

Apple is almost ready to send the chip that’ll be at the heart of its virtual reality headset to production, according to an unconfirmed report. That’s a big step in the product reaching customers’ hands.

On August 23 we reported on the brutal tongue-in-cheek legal battle set to break out between Apple TV+ and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney over a joke in an episode of Ted Lasso. And now we’re back with a breaking update: the biscuits have arrived.

Apple’s next-generation MacBook Pro models with new mini-LED displays could be delayed as a result of ongoing chip shortages, according to a new report. We could be waiting until as late as November for their arrival.

Kensington brought out two new USB-C hubs this week featuring up to 100W passthrough charging and as high as 4K 60Hz HDMI connectivity along with other features.

This back-to-school deals post is presented by Keysbuff.

Software activation keys provider Keysbuff just extended its back-to-school sale on Microsoft Windows 10 and many other products through September 6.

You heard that right. In the back-to-school sale, you can still use the promo code COM at Keysbuff.com to get 28% off products like Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2019 Pro and others that you can see in the list below. You can purchase many products with lifetime licenses.

A delay affecting Apple Watch Series 7 manufacturing could be short-lived, with a new report claiming Apple will ramp up production in late September. It’s not yet clear what the delay might mean for the device’s launch.

Locast suspended operations after losing a critical court fight with TV broadcasters. The streaming service gave users access to their local TV stations over the internet. The networks objected that it was a copyright violation, and a court agreed.