The Sonos Beam Gen 2, in black or white, can sit in front of a TV or be mounted easily. Photo: Sonos
Known for its impressive Sonos Arc soundbar for home cinema, Sonos now rolls out updates to its more compact and less expensive Sonos Beam, including the Arc’s Dolby Atmos 3D sound.
The OS upgrades for almost every Apple device are nearly ready. But an important one is missing. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
The moment we’ve been waiting for since June is almost here. Apple seeded Release Candidates for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 to developers on Tuesday. This means the beta testing process is almost over.
The final versions will reach users in under a week. Apple promised the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch updates will launch on Monday, September 20. And the Apple TV one could be out the same day.
Nintendo finally got around to delivering the one Switch upgrade every user wanted: The ability to pair AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones. And you don’t need to buy a brand-new console to gain this capability.
This smartwatch monitors your blood-oxygen levels (and costs much less than an Apple Watch). Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The Letsfit IW2 LCD smartwatch costs just a fraction of an Apple Watch, but it’s an innovative all-in-one solution for your fitness and your health. While your beloved Apple Watch can do it all, fitness trackers like this one earned a reputation for a more singular focus. They can deliver insights specifically related to your health and fitness. And some pack other features Apple Watch doesn’t.
Wow, a bigger screen! What else you got? Photo: Apple
Apple Watch Series 7 is not the upgrade most of us expected to see from Tuesday’s Apple event. The new model doesn’t sport the big design refresh multiple sources said was coming. It doesn’t even pack a new chip.
Is this the upgrade Apple wanted to deliver this year? Or is it a last-minute substitution that Cupertino had to settle on because the refresh it really wanted to deliver just wasn’t ready to roll out?
Based on the evidence, we’re going to say it’s the latter.
Those planning to buy an iPhone 13 Pro for its ProRes video recording feature should be aware that the new codec only works in 1080p on 128GB models. You’ll need at least 256GB of storage to use it in 4K.
The iPhone 13 is heavier than its predecessor. But that’s because of a larger battery. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
The good news for buyers of the iPhone 13 series is that all four handsets promise significantly longer battery lives. The downside is that the change required putting in bulkier batteries that add to the weight and thickness.
Still, the increases are fairly marginal for an improvement that’s near the top of so many iPhone users’ wish lists.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is the big winner in our flash poll. Photo: Apple
When it comes to the iPhone 13 lineup, it’s apparently time to go Pro or go home.
An overwhelming 80% of people who responded to Cult of Mac’s flash poll after Tuesday’s Apple event say they will buy either iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max on launch day.
Cinematic Mode represents a new era in Computational Photography. Photo: Apple
Of all the things Apple revealed Tuesday, to me the most impressive was the iPhone 13’s new Cinematic mode. The depth-of-field effect creates amazing focus transitions between subjects.
Apple basically built an AI cinematographer into the iPhone 13.
There was a lot to love at the Apple September event. But not everything. Photo: Apple
Apple surprised us several times Tuesday during its September product launch event. There was a lot to love on display … but not everything was awesome. We got some products we expected and some we didn’t.
Here are the high and low points of Apple’s “California Streaming” event.
This innovative charging stand powers three Apple devices at once. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The MagStack Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with Floating Stand is a perfectly portable wireless charging station you can enjoy for its multipurpose features. If features a trio of wireless charging spots that allow you to charge multiple devices at the same time.
Apple's "California Streaming" event by the numbers. Photo: Apple
If there’s one thing you can expect from a new Apple product release like its “California Streaming” event on Tuesday, it’s a lot of impressive facts and figures. After all, the older products are still impressive, yet the new ones have to be better. And they always are, at least to some degree.
It’s a little bit like the staggering numbers Apple throws around on its quarterly earnings calls. But here it’s all about the product performance indicators that will most likely lead to more record-breaking earnings in the near future. Shipping on the items below is imminent in most cases.
See below for a rundown of the newly announced products and updates by the numbers.
Series 7 is an evolution rather, not a revolution. And that's a good thing. Photo: Apple
As expected, the new Apple Watch Series 7 features a bigger, brighter display and slimmer bezels. Fortunately, that’s about the only thing the rumors got right.
Mockups suggesting the new wearable would come with clunky, flat sides turned out to be way off the mark. The design of Series 7 is more evolution than revolution, taking the classic Apple Watch look and refining it to become more elegant than ever.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini are not the simple “speed bump” updates some had expected. Apple built significant enhancements into these two models, including a smaller notch, better cameras, more storage. And a faster processor, of course.
iPhone 13 is faster and more improved in so many ways. Photo: Apple
The wait for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max is over. At an event in California on Tuesday, Apple unveiled its newest flagships with faster ProMotion displays that can reach 120Hz, an even faster A15 Bionic chipset, and big camera improvements for both photos and videos.
This year’s refresh also adds a 1TB storage option for iPhone 13 Pro models and finally shrinks the notch above their screen. You can preorder yours starting Friday, September 17 before the new iPhone lineup makes its official debut one week later on September 24.
iPad 9 has twice the storage capacity for the same low price. Photo: Apple
Apple caught many people by surprise by launching the iPad 9 on Tuesday. The budget tablet has twice the storage capacity of its predecessor and a faster processor, too. Plus, an upgraded front-facing camera makes this a better option for video conferencing.
The 2021 iPad will hit store shelves later in September.
Apple today surprised us with a brand-new 2021 iPad mini — its best compact tablet to date. It sports a gorgeous new design inspired by iPad Pro, an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, and a blazing-fast A15 Bionic chip with 5G connectivity. It’s the only compact tablet worth your hard-earned cash.
Microsoft has dashed hopes that Windows 11 might one day be available on Apple Silicon machines. The company says running its newest operating system on an M1 Mac is “not a supported scenario.”
The statement comes after Parallels Desktop 17 users ran into hardware compatibility errors when running Windows 11 on newer Apple devices.
Get a lifetime subscription to Babbel at best-of-web pricing of $199 for just one more day. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you want to be part of the massive community of bilingual, trilingual, polyglots, then you’ll likely want to start with Babbel. Babbel is one of the top language-learning apps around, and you can get a lifetime subscription and start learning all 14 of Babbel’s languages for $199. That deal is going away after the 16th of September though, so if you want a new language, this is the time.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that nothing in this world is a certainty, “except death and taxes.” If he were alive today, he might add “and the Apple Store going down before a big keynote” to that list.
“Be right back” reads the message that greets visitors who attempt to purchase anything through Apple’s website this morning. When it returns, we expect a whole bunch of new additions, including iPhone 13.
Will we get more than anticipated from today's Apple keynote? Photo: Apple
The ninth-generation iPad could make its debut during Apple’s big iPhone 13 event later today, according to one tipster. The new device is expected to come with a slightly larger display and a faster Apple chip, as well as a revamped design that’s similar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Pro.
That's a lot of Benjamins. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Epic Games on Monday confirmed it has paid the $6 million it owed to Apple in royalties just days after it was ordered by the court. The fee covers Apple’s cut for in-game revenues collected between August 2020 and October 2020 when Epic allowed Fortnite players on iPhone and iPad to make direct purchases.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney also said that the company has asked Apple to restore its developer account.
Get unlimited Mac cloud backup from Backblaze. Image: Backblaze
This week, Cult of Mac is giving five lucky winners one year of cloud backups from Backblaze. Your data is invaluable, and Backblaze is one of the most trusted providers of online backups for Mac. Run by ex-Apple employees, Backblaze has been around for 14 years and is reliable, easy to use and highly rated.
If you want peace of mind knowing all of your Mac files are safely backed up in the cloud, make sure to enter this week’s giveaway.
This magnetic car phone mount will wirelessly charge your phone. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
You can combine a wireless charger with your phone’s car mount by using the ESR HaloLock. Paired with your MagSafe charger, this mount keeps your phone operational, safe and charged even while you use it, and it’s on sale for $37.