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When your workstation is so clean it ‘looks like a render’ [Setups]

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You know you have a clean setup when someone says it
You know you have a clean setup when someone says it "looks like a render."
Photo: [email protected]

A lot of computer setups we run across online look staged. They’re so perfectly, well, you know — set up. They boast impressive equipment. Some exhibit a spare beauty one would almost hate to disturb. Others scream hardcore productivity like the fate of all the companies in the Fortune 500 company rest solely upon them.

Extend your laptop screen, browse safely and learn something new with this stacked bundle

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Give your mac some luxury with this bundle.
This bundle will change how you use your Mac forever.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You can expand your laptop’s screen, protect your data and learn something new with this awesome bundle. Get the Mobile Pixels Duex Lite + Lifetime Subscription of VPN Unlimited and StackSkills on sale for $337.01 and see how much more you can do with your Mac.

Apple Watch Series 7 starts shipping ahead of Friday’s launch

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The aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 comes in five colors.
Have you had your shipping notification yet?
Photo: Apple

Apple has begun shipping the first Apple Watch Series 7 units ahead of Friday’s official launch. Orders started preparing for shipment over the weekend, and now customers are receiving their tracking information.

Sadly, this doesn’t mean that your Apple Watch Series 7 will arrive earlier. Apple works closely with its distribution partners to ensure that doesn’t happen.

This crazy iPhone 13 case catapults hard candy at your face

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iPhone 13 candy catapult case
Sweet treats comin' at ya.
Photo: Matty Benedetto

iPhone 13 might be a nice upgrade over its predecessors, with improved cameras and better battery life, but there’s one glaring omission from its list of features: It cannot fire candy. This crazy case solves that obvious flaw.

Designed and 3D printed by Matty Benedetto, the Candy Catapult Case carries an assortment of hard candy in its back that can be quickly (and dangerously?) fired into your mouth whenever you need sweet sustenance.

Use Apple Watch Series 7’s new cable to enjoy faster charging

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Apple Watch 7 faster charging cable
It might look the same, but Apple Watch Series 7's charger is better.
Photo: Apple

If you’ve preordered a shiny new Apple Watch Series 7, be sure to use the charging cable it ships with to enjoy its faster charging speeds.

Apple’s newest wearable charges 33% faster than its predecessors. But you won’t get the benefits of that upgrade if you charge it using an older Apple Watch charger (or a power adapter that isn’t beefy enough).

Apple appeals case against Epic Games, asks to delay App Store changes

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Epic Games v. Apple is just getting started
Apple vs. Epic Games drags on.
Photo: Apple/Epic Games

Apple has appealed the September ruling of its lengthy legal battle against Epic Games, despite spinning it as a significant win for the company. It has also asked to delay changes to the App Store while the appeal is ongoing.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in Apple’s favor in nine out of ten counts against its App Store policies, but sided with Epic on one very important one: That third-party app-makers should be allowed to offer other payment systems.

Apple SVP and General Counsel Kate Adams said the company was “very pleased with the ruling” and called it “a huge win for Apple.” It seems, however, that maybe Cupertino wasn’t quite as pleased as it claimed.

Apple Arcade goes big with NBA 2K22 and Transformers: Tactical Arena

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Apple Arcade going big with ‘NBA 2K22’ and ‘Transformers: Tactical Arena’
Play some serious basketball with NBA 2K22.
Photo: 2K/Apple Arcade

Apple’s gaming service will soon launch a pair of big-name titles. Basketball season starts soon, and that means it’s time for NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition. Meanwhile, Transformers: Tactical Arena will let players choose their favorite characters and battle it out in PvP action.

Both will be available in the coming weeks on Mac, iPhone and more. But a subscription to Apple Arcade will be needed.

Get the tech certifications IT employers actually look for

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Get certified and real experience with this CompTIA prep bundle.
Stand out from the crowd by getting CompTIA-certified.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to get a leg up in the IT field? You need to become CompTIA-certified. The Computing Technology Industry Association’s certifications hold a lot of sway in the IT industry around the world. And you can start prepping for this rigorous certification process with The 2021 Complete CompTIA Certification Prep Super Bundle, which is on sale for $69.

Octavia Spencer stuns as things spiral out of control in Truth Be Told [Apple TV+ review]

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Truth Be Told review: Octavia Spencer will remind you just how good she is this week.
Octavia Spencer will remind you just how good she is this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ series about a true crime podcaster and her circle of friends is closing in on the truth, but will it be too late for it to matter? In this week’s episode of Truth Be Told, Poppy Parnell is reaping what she’s sown. But her one-time friend Micah Keith is right behind her.

Neither will be the same when this case is closed.

Remembering Steve Jobs, plus M1X MacBook Pro and Apple Watch Series 7 [The CultCast]

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Remembering Steve Jobs on The CultCast
A decade after Steve Jobs' death, we take stock of his legacy.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac, with photo by Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We reminisce about Steve Jobs and his lasting impact on Apple, a decade after his death. Plus, M1X MacBook Pros might be coming soon. And the Apple Watch Series 7 launch looks quite weird indeed.

Also on The CultCast:

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.

Apple opens first Developer Academy for iOS apps in Detroit

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Apple's new educational program teaches skills for iOS app development.
Apple's new educational program teaches skills for iOS app development.
Photo: Apple

Apple welcomed 100 students, aged 18 to 60, to its first Developer Academy this week, located in Detroit. The academy offers students courses on coding, design, marketing and project management.

It’s “an effort to address systemic racism and expand opportunities for communities of color across the country,” the Cupertino tech giant said Thursday.

The Morning Show can’t shake its obsession with Mitch the sex pest [Apple TV+ review]

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The Morning Show review: We know Mitch (played by Steve Carell, left) is a creep. Why can't this show let him go?
We know Mitch (played by Steve Carell, left) is a creep. Why can't this show let him go?
Photo: Apple TV+

Alex is back on The Morning Show and the ratings are up, but is everyone happy? Her presence has everyone scrambling to prove that they’re on the right side of things. Meanwhile, disgraced former anchor Mitch just won’t go away.

Apple TV+’s inside look at the world of TV broadcast journalism stands at a precipice — and just below are mountains of crisis.

Flash sale: Get a Windows 10 lifetime license for just $13.27

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Get 35% off Microsoft Windows and Office software activation keys at CDKeylord.com with code CULT.
Get 35% off Microsoft Windows and Office software activation keys at CDKeylord.com with code CULT.
Image: CDKeylord

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

The savings keep rolling at CDKeylord.com. Cult of Mac readers can take 35% off the regular price of Genuine Lifetime Windows 10 Pro and numerous other software product-activation keys for a limited time. Just enter the discount code CULT at checkout. See all the super discounts in the links below.

Pharma tech lead runs a fit and oh-so-clean WFH rig [Setups]

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Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Photo: Marc Drucker

Marc Drucker serves as an associate director and technical lead for a pharmaceutical company in Menlo Park, California. Having shifted fully to working from home, he found his computer setup — his WFH rig — running so well and looking so clean, he decided to send it in to Cult of Mac.

Among the words he used to describe his WFH rig were ideal and perfect. We talked to him about what works so well for him in his workstation and included his answers, below.

Rockstar confirms GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition for mobile

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GTA Trilogy
The collection will include GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas.
Photo: Rockstar Games

After months and months of leaks and speculation, Rockstar Games today confirmed it is bringing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition to consoles, PC, and mobile devices — including iPhone and iPad.

The collection includes all three PlayStation 2-era GTA games — GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas — which “will feature across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements … while still maintaining the classic look and feel.”

Anker refreshes flagship Liberty Pro earbuds with compact design, sound upgrades

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Soundcore by Anker's new Liberty 3 Pro earbuds have a compact, stemless design and a more powerful driver than their predecessor.
Soundcore by Anker's new Liberty 3 Pro earbuds have a compact, stemless design and a more powerful driver than their predecessor.
Photo: Anker

Soundcore by Anker rolled out the new version of its top earbuds, the Liberty 2 Pro set. The new Liberty 3 Pro Earbuds are 30% smaller and, like their predecessors, have no stem. But they feature a more powerful driver, personalized active noise cancellation (ANC) and a more comfortable fit, the company said.

Google exec calls on Apple to adopt better, more secure text messaging

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Google calls on Apple to adopt RCS for better messaging
But it probably won't happen.
Photo: Apple

Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has called on Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol that would enable improved and more secure messaging between iPhone and Android devices.

RCS brings a number of modern features — including support for audio messages, group chats, typing indicators and read receipts — and end-to-end encryption to traditional text messaging. But it’s unlikely Apple will play ball.

With ‘Barbarians at the Gate,’ Foundation picks up the pace [Apple TV+ review]

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Foundation review: Salvor Hardin (Leah Harvey) has the only key to the Vault, a powerful mystery on the edge of the galaxy.
Salvor Hardin (played by Leah Harvey) has the only key to the Vault, a powerful mystery on the edge of the galaxy.
Photo: Apple TV+

Foundation, Apple TV+’s big Isaac Asimov adaptation, wades into the murky waters of intergalactic politics this week. Brother Day hears of a potential rebellion, Salvor Hardin plays a pawn in a game of genocidal chess, and Hari Seldon’s words haunt all and sundry.

Can any side keep it together long enough to enact their decades-old agendas? Foundation, growing stronger by the minute, serves up more questions than answers.

Protect your AirTags in style with these great accessories

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Track your AirTags in style with these great deals.
Check out these great deals on AirTag accessories.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple’s AirTag trackers are great. With one little device, suddenly you don’t have to worry about your lost wallet or misplaced keys.

However, these circular devices are just about useless for most applications unless you add an AirTag accessory that holds the tracker in place. You could always duct-tape one to your backpack and claim it’s shabby chic, but … yeah, no. Luckily, we have some fun cases and accessories specially made for AirTags on sale right now, and you should take a look.

It’s time: Apple Watch Series 7 now available to preorder

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California Streaming event: Apple Watch Series 7 packs a bigger, more durable screen.
Bag yours before the shipping dates slip!
Photo: Apple

The wait for Apple Watch Series 7 is finally over, with preorders live on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app. Prices start at $399 for a 41mm model and $429 for a 45mm model. They rise to $499 for LTE connectivity.

Series 7 ships with Apple Watch’s largest screens, a more durable design, and faster charging. It’s also available in a range of new color options. Initial supplies are expected to be limited, so bag yours before shipping dates slip.

2022 iPhone SE could pack 5G and A15 chip, but don’t expect a new design

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2020 iPhone SE supports all Apple services.
All iPhone models could have 5G capabilities in 2022.
Photo: Apple

Apple will bring super-speedy 5G connectivity and its latest A15 Bionic chip to iPhone SE in 2022, but fans shouldn’t expect a new design, one report claims.

The new “budget” device is expected to carry the same look it borrows from iPhone 8, with the same 4.7-inch LCD display and a Home button with Touch ID. But it will mean every iPhone in Apple’s lineup features 5G capabilities.