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Price is right on 2 sleek new keyboard-mouse combos

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Seenda keyboard and mouse combos
Seenda's Creative keyboard and mouse combo is packed with style and color.
Photo: Seenda

Two stylish new Seenda keyboard and mouse combos offer seamless compatibility with Mac, iPad and iOS devices, the company said Thursday. The premium SKM64-3 Bluetooth combo and budget-friendly Creative SK73-3 wireless combo both deliver style and functionality for Apple users seeking alternatives to Apple’s peripherals.

EU iPhone apps that don’t use Apple payment system get a ‘scare screen’

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App Store scare screen
Is this a fair warning?
Photo: Victor Maric/Cult of Mac

By E.U. law, Apple must let iPhone applications include payment systems other than Apple’s own. But in a move that seems calculated to convince customers and developers to avoid these alternatives, there’s now a “scare screen” on applications that do not offer Apple’s payment system in the European Union version of the App Store.

Today in Apple history: Apple reinvents the computer store

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Steve Jobs offers a sneak peek at the first Apple store prior to its opening.
Steve Jobs offers a sneak peek at the first Apple store prior to its opening.
Photo: Apple

May 15: Today in Apple history: Apple reinvents the computer store, with plans to open 25 Apple Stores in the U.S. May 15, 2001: Apple CEO Steve Jobs flips the script on the dreadful experience of computer shopping, unveiling an ambitious plan to open 25 innovative Apple stores across the United States. The first ones, located at Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, and the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California, are set to open later that week.

However, this new Apple initiative is about much more than just a couple of retail outlets. It’s a radical reinvention of tech retail that will change the way computers get sold.

CarPlay Ultra finally arrives with complete dashboard makeover (for some)

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CarPlay Ultra
With CarPlay Ultra, content populates all the driver’s screens, including the instrument cluster.
Photo: Apple

After a five-month delay from its original timeline, Apple’s next-generation CarPlay experience is finally hitting the road. Dubbed “CarPlay Ultra,” the deeply integrated system that Apple first previewed in 2022 has begun rolling out to Aston Martin vehicles in the United States and Canada, with more automakers soon to follow.

Launch your Amazon empire for $20 (seriously)

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Photo of a person working on a laptop at a desk, used to illustrate the concepts explained in the Ultimate 2025 Amazon FBA course bundle.
Learn everything you need to start your own Amazon business.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You don’t need to be a seasoned entrepreneur or own a warehouse to start selling on Amazon. You just need a decent internet connection, some curiosity and the courses in the Ultimate 2025 Amazon FBA Bundle.

This Amazon course bundle teaches you everything you need to know about running a Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) business. And right now, it’s on sale for just $19.99 for a limited time.

What’s the deal with that orange and green dot on your iPhone?

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What Does That Dot Mean?
A long-standing mystery solved.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

What does the orange dot on your iPhone mean — and while we’re at it, how about the green dot? These mysterious dots can appear in the Dynamic Island of newer iPhones, or in the upper right corner of older models, near the battery icon.

The dots are part of Apple’s vast system of privacy and security features built into the iPhone. Of course, these privacy features only work if you know what they mean and how to use them — so keep reading for the answer below.

Apple Music wants to make switching from other music services easier

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Spotify to Apple Music migration.
A new tool from Apple makes migrating from Apple Music to Spotify easier.
Photo: Apple/Spotify/Rajesh Pandey

A new tool from Apple will make it easier to import your playlists and library from Spotify to Apple Music. As part of a limited rollout, the company currently offers this feature in Australia and New Zealand.

Apple joined forces with SongShift, a popular playlist transfer tool, to bring this feature to life.

Get an M2 Mac mini for just $359.99

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Mac Mini M2
Get 27% off the price tag of this Mac Mini M2 refurb!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Mac mini is already a great deal, but this grade-A refurbished model drops the price of a 2023 model to just $359.99 with free shipping. Apple’s M2 chip powers the small desktop computer, delivering excellent performance in a sleek, compact design.

This deal offers exceptional value for both professionals and casual home users. But if you want one, act fast — stock is limited.

Apple Maps adds restaurant, hotel, golf course reviews from pros

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Apple Maps reviews from pros
Apple Maps can advise you on where to go, not just how to get there.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The listings in Apple Maps for restaurants, hotels, golf courses and more got rankings and reviews from expert sources starting on Wednesday. This includes information from Michelin Guide, Golf Digest and others.

These join the reviews already in the app that were submitted by regular users, and the ones brought over from Yelp.

visionOS 3 may let you scroll hands-free using your eyes

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Vision Pro arrives in Asia
visionOS 3 could be a big upgrade.
Photo: Apple

The next major update to visionOS could include eye scrolling, for navigating long lists and webpages entirely hands-free. The Vision Pro already uses eye- and hand-tracking for navigating its interface; if true, this would take it to the next level.

Scrolling is one of the most fundamental interactions with a smartphone. But it hasn’t translated as well to the Vision Pro, where you need to pinch two fingers together and move your hand.

If visionOS 3 lets you scroll simply by looking at the bottom of a window, that could be a powerful new feature of the headset.

What to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone

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20th anniversary iPhone concept
The twentieth anniversary iPhone might use a design that breaks away from today’s models.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone with a new model that introduces some of the most significant design changes to the handset since the iPhone X. That includes saying goodbye to the Dynamic Island.

The upcoming model should break the iPhone design out of the rut it’s been in for too many years.

Today in Apple history: Computer retail giant’s closure hits NeXT hard

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Photo of the NeXT Cube computer manufactured by NeXT Inc.
The NeXT Computer was great, but it didn't sell.
Photo: Rama & Musée Bolo/Wikipedia CC

May 14: Today in Apple history: Businessland closes, hitting NeXt hard May 14, 1992: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs‘ company NeXT runs into trouble as it loses a crucial deal with Businessland after the computer retailer closes its stores.

It comes at a time when NeXT’s luck is going from bad to worse. The Businessland closure marks one of the lowest points in Jobs’ career — before everything starts to turn around again.

Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds challenge AirPods Pro 2 at half the price [Review] ★★★★★

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Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds review★★★★★
Soundcore Liberty 5 noise-canceling earbuds sit in their wireless charging case.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

After four solid generations before them, Soundcore Liberty 5 wireless noise-canceling earbuds are compact audio powerhouses. My Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds review finds they challenge premium noise-canceling earbuds like AirPods Pro 2 for about half the price. In fact, Liberty 5’s price ($130) went down from Liberty 4’s starting price by $20.

While Apple, Sony and Bose dominate the high-end market, Soundcore steadily refined their Liberty series to deliver impressive sound quality without the premium price tag. During my testing, the earbuds demonstrated remarkable performance in a variety of ways, along with a limitation or two.

iPadOS 19 wish list: 5 features we’re hoping for

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M1 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard to illustrate an article on iPadOS 19 features wish list
iPadOS 19 must allow the iPad to live up to its full potential.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Rumors point to iPadOS 19 blurring the line between the iPad and Mac. With Apple reportedly focusing on “productivity, multitasking and app window management,” we put together a very specific iPadOS 19 wish list for features that could unlock the full potential of Apple’s tablets.

With WWDC25 just around the corner, here’s what we want to see in iPadOS 19.

Price drop: Apply for up to 150 jobs a day with just one click

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Get your dream job with this smart application app proven to get you more job interviews.
Secure your dream job quickly with this service that's proven to land job interviews.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Studies show it can take between 21 and 80 job applications to land a single offer. And that means getting your dream job can be a real numbers game. Thankfully, you can stack those numbers in your favor with smart tools like the top-rated LazyApply. It makes it easy and fast to apply for jobs.

This job-search service saves you tons of time by letting you apply to hundreds of job applications with just a click. And a lifetime subscription is on sale now for just $54.40 with code SAVE20 (regular price $149).

Apple Music’s Sound Therapy enhances songs to help you focus, relax and sleep

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Apple Music Sound Therapy
Sound Therapy takes familiar music and ups its therapeutic value.
Photo: Apple

In partnership with Universal Music Group, Apple Music on Tuesday launched Sound Therapy, a collection of specially enhanced tracks designed to help listeners achieve wellness through better focus, deeper relaxation and improved sleep.

It combines the power of your favorite music with cognitive science to improve daily well-being, the companies said in a press release.

“Given Apple’s leadership at the intersection of health and technology, the launch of Sound Therapy represents an important validation of our innovative, science-led Sollos initiative,” said Michael Nash, UMG’s executive vice president and chief digital officer. “We look forward to working closely with the team at Apple to expand the ways that music can be harnessed to improve the wellness benefits for its users.”

Add a whopping 5 monitors to any Mac with this new dock

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Plugable UD-7400PD
The Plugable UD-7400PD means your Mac can have five additional screens.
Photo: Plugable

If your job or your dream setup requires connecting five external monitors to your Mac, you need Plugable’s UD-7400PD. It supports up to four 4K displays and one 8K display… even on MacBooks that are supposed to be limited to one external screen. No rival dock can match that.

As a bonus, the dock adds USB-A ports, an Ethernet port and more.

New ultra-thin micro-speaker could reshape smartwatch experience

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xMEMS Labs Sycamore-W micro speaker
The new speaker is incredibly thin, taking up less space in devices like smartwatches.
Photo: xMEMS Labs

A tiny new silicon micro-speaker could transform future wearables — like Apple Watch and other smartwatches — by dramatically reducing thickness while improving audio quality, xMEMS Labs said Tuesday. It unveiled Sycamore-W, an ultra-thin micro speaker engineered for wrist-worn devices. It could make more room in devices as new features like AI interactions become more prevalent.

“Sycamore-W redefines audio for smart watches, combining compact design with robust performance to meet the demands of next-generation wearables,” said Mike Housholder, xMEMS VP of Marketing and Business Development. “As the wrist becomes a key interface for ears-free, hands-free AI interactions, Sycamore-W empowers manufacturers to deliver premium audio in smaller, lighter more durable devices.”

Easily identify the birds you hear with Merlin Bird ID [Awesome Apps]

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Merlin Bird ID
Start a new hobby with Merlin Bird ID.
Image: Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

Spring is here, and the air is full of birdsong. The Merlin Bird ID app tells you what type of birds you’re hearing … plus it’s quick, easy and free.

With this software from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on your iPhone, you can learn about all the birds around you — you might be surprised how many of them there are. And if you get interested, you’ll soon be able to identify them without the app.

Buy more, save more (up to $150) on key Logitech peripherals

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Logitech sale
You could get an MX Mechanical Mini keyboard and MX Master 3S mouse.
Photo: Logitech

Logitech kicks off summer with its Buy More & Save sale on an array of peripherals for your Apple setup. You can scoop up keyboards, mice, webcams, iPad keyboard cases and more, through June 1. In this Logitech sale, some individual items get discounts, but the main deal comes on how much you spend, the company said: $150 off $450; $70 off $250; and $30 off $150.

As a person who relies on Logitech gear every day, I can vouch for it — especially when you can get a deal on a few items at once to really improve your setup.

Today in Apple history: System 7 debut shakes up the Mac

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Mac OS System 7 screenshot
Bold new features in System 7 made the Mac even more impressive.
Photo: Apple

May 13: Today in Apple history: System 7 launch shakes up the Mac May 13, 1991: Apple releases System 7, the biggest upgrade to the Mac operating system since the original Mac shipped in 1984. The new Mac OS is whip-fast, beautiful to look at, and boasts a bevy of innovative features.

The longest-lasting of Apple’s classic Mac operating systems, it will remain current until System 8 replaces it in 1997.

2 reasons why demand for iPads is very strong

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iPad 11 colors
The launch of the iPad 11 helped buoy tablet shipments in Q1.
Photo: Apple

iPad shipments shot up 14% year over year during the first three months of 2025, according to a market analysis firm. That marks the fourth quarter in a row with an increase in iPad demand.

Replacing tablets bought years ago during the pandemic is only one of the reasons for the continuing strong growth.

Apple unveils major accessibility upgrades coming soon

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Apple unveils major accessibility upgrades
Magnifier for Mac is on the way.
Photo: Apple

A comprehensive suite of new Apple accessibility upgrades relying on Apple silicon and machine learning to enhance usability across products and services will launch later this year, the iPhone giant said Tuesday.

The innovations aim to make Apple devices more usable for people with various disabilities. Those include visual impairments, hearing loss, mobility challenges and cognitive differences.

“At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love.”

macOS 16 to clamp down on clipboard snooping by Mac apps

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macOS 16 clipboard
macOS 16 will change how your Mac's pasteboard works.
Photo: ChatGPT

Apple informed developers of a major pasteboard change coming with macOS 16. It will alert users when apps read the pasteboard without direct user interaction.

The move will ensure apps cannot silently read the pasteboard in the background without you knowing about it.