Cult of Mac

Apple chipmaker TSMC, which makes both Apple’s A-series and Apple Silicon chips, says that its production lines have been hit by a gas leak. This has affected some of its chip production — including the advanced chip fab used for upcoming iPhones and Macs.

“To ensure that there will be no issues with production quality, TSMC is currently carrying out stringent follow-up operations,” TSMC said. It told Reuters that it doesn’t expect this to he a “significant impact” on operations.

In the latest docuseries from Apple TV+, the world’s most in-demand producer takes a step out from behind the boards to lead us on a meditative quest to better understand the elements of music and music production that inspire him. Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson serves as a master class in mixing, mastering, experimenting and breaking it down.

Woot’s latest sale offers bargain iPad refurbs from just $169.99 today only. 9.7-inch iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini units are available — all with deep discounts — but stock is limited. Bag yours before they’re all gone.

Many parts of the world are starting to open up again as the pandemic (hopefully) continues to subside. But video-conferencing apps, possibly the app category most associated with COVID-times, continue to ascend.

According to data from app analytics platform Sensor Tower, collective monthly active users of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet continued their surge in the first half of 2021. Usage was collectively 21x higher during the first half of 2019 than it was prior to the pandemic.

Apple is gearing up to bring more employees back to the office. And that means taking measures to safeguard staff against COVID-19.

According to The Verge reporter Zoe Schiffer, Apple is requesting that employees disclose their current vaccination status with the company in some locations.

“Apple is asking our team members in certain locations to share their current vaccination status,” Apple’s guidance notes. “You can confidentially share whether you’re fully vaccinated, have had a partial dose, are not vaccinated, or do not wish to share.”

Apple hates it when people leak details about its upcoming devices. No surprise there. But an order to stop spreading rumors about unreleased iPhone models that the company reportedly sent to a Chinese citizen gives an unexpected reason.

iPad sales kicked onto high gear in 2020 and haven’t slowed down since. In the April-through-June quarter of 2021,
Apple shipped around 15 million tablets, roughly 50% higher than shipments in the same period two years ago.

With everything opening back up again, travel is once again being viewed as a viable leisure option — in fact, 44.6% of Americans currently feel that now is a good time to book a trip and go someplace new. If you’re planning to travel abroad, you know it’s essential to bring the right items with you when you visit a new country — and bringing the right charger is no exception. This VogDUO Triple-USB Travel Wall Charger helps take some of the guesswork out of what charger you need to bring with you: it features three ports with universal support for 100 to 240 volts (meaning you can quickly charge your devices in virtually any country).

Nobody’s too happy when Apple decides to subtract ports from a new MacBook, but that’s what connectivity hubs are for. The newly launched Plugable 7-in-1 USB-C Charging Hub is no exception, adding seven USB-A ports to your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

The new version 5.74 of Google Maps for iOS adds two straightforward, useful and intuitive widgets for you to try with your iPhone. You can use them in the Today View or on the Home Screen.

MacOS and iOS app developer Panic initially said in May 2019 its kooky-cool Playdate handheld game console would come out in early 2020. Last week it said preorders would start July 29 and, hey, that’s today. Preorders have started.

The original announcement got a lot of looks because of the gadget’s interesting, retro design. It looks like a child’s toy — in a cool way — with a yellow casing and a black-and-white display. But it packs some tech.

Three of Apple’s biggest products received security patches Monday — and another got its version on Thursday. You should probably install them as soon as possible.

The company started with macOS Big Sur 11.5.1, iOS 14.7.1, and iPadOS 14.7.1 to fix a security hole reportedly used by at least one hacker already. That’s why they are “recommended for all users,” according to Apple.

Apple followed up Thursday by releasing watchOS 7.6.1 to patch the same bug on Apple Watch. It’s also recommended.

Apple wants to help people get over the hump of learning art of music remixing with its free GarageBand application for iPad and iPhone. Two new Remix Sessions offer step-by-step video instruction in the app itself. Thy use hit songs from Grammy-winning artists Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga.

Musicians can also now create tracks with seven new Producer Packs full of beats, loops and instruments.

A big update has come to popular iPad video editing app LumaFusion with version 3.0. It adds video stabilization, external drive editing, a graphic equalizer and more.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the semiconductor company that builds the A-series and M-series chips for Apple, has received approval for its most advanced chip plant to date.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the factory — located in Hsinchu, Taiwan — will be dedicated to building next-generation 2-nanometer chips. The iPhone 12, by comparison, features an A14 chip made using the 5nm process. The smaller the number of nanometers, the more transistors can be fitted onto a piece of silicon. That typically means more powerful chips.

The newest MacBook Pro with M1 chip is the best Apple laptop you can buy right now, and rumor has it we’ll be waiting longer than anticipated for a larger model. Bag the brilliant 13-inch option today at its lowest price ever.

Amazon is offering $199.01 — the biggest discount yet — off both the 256GB and the 512GB configurations. Enjoy the savings today before they disappear!

How you use the internet decides how much of your information is easily available to people who would exploit it. There are little things you can do to prevent some of your information getting out: not using your full name when you can avoid it, using prepaid credit cards on subscription sites, not telling total strangers your social security number. These local-level fixes can protect some of your info, but if you want to use private or public internet without worrying about your information leaking, then you want a VPN. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is on sale with a lifetime subscription of total security for just $27.99 for a limited time if you use the code ANNUAL30.

HomePod shipments in the United States increased 180% year-on-year in the last quarter, eclipsing the growth of smart speaker makers Amazon and Google during the period, market intelligence firm Omdia reports.

While Apple still lags behind the other two companies on shipments, it is looking more competitive than it has at any point in the history of the HomePod so far. That’s particularly impressive when considering that this was a rough three-month period for smart speakers in the US, whose growth is stalling.

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature hasn’t been enough to stop Facebook from pulling in a massive $28 billion in ad revenue for the second quarter of 2021. That represents a 56% increase year-on-year. Facebook earned $10.4 billion in total profits for the quarter.

While Apple’s anti-tracking privacy measures weren’t explicitly designed to hurt Facebook, Facebook has been outspoken about the impacts they would have on its business. A recent Facebook-funded research paper called the iOS 14 feature an “anti-competitive strategy disguised as a privacy-protecting measure.”

Need a cheap iPhone that you can use as a backup or to keep in touch with the kids? Pick up a iPhone 6s or iPhone 7 refurb from Woot today from just $99.99 in this absolute steal of a deal that runs for one day only.

All units are “grade A” and in excellent condition, but stock is limited, so enjoy this offer while you can!

A job application filled out by 18-year-old Steve Jobs in 1973 has sold for $343,000 — and, based on its history, that may actually be a pretty good deal.

The rare paper document, possibly the only job application Apple’s late co-founder and CEO filled in in his life, has proven to be a pretty great investment over the years. This time, it was accompanied by an NFT sale for the same document, which pulled in around $23,000.

The next iPhone is just a couple of months away, but an artist has given us an early glimpse of what it might look like. His iPhone 13 concept combines new features revealed leaks and rumors, but there are also a couple that are just hopes.

Watch his high-quality video to see a handset Apple might unveil soon.

After a year where a good portion of your social interactions likely took place on screen, you probably noticed that most webcams aren’t particularly flattering. And when digital audio is all you hear, you might notice that it isn’t completely authentic to what people sound like unless you have an expensive mic. Instead of buying a ring light to bring out the best of your features or the type of mic professional podcasters use, all you need to make your streaming and video presence authentic and smooth is this 1080P HD Webcam with Oval LED Ring Light. It helps that it has both an excellent mic and a ring light built in, and for a limited time you can get one on sale for $31.44 if you use the coupon code ANNUAL15. Or, if you use that same code, you can get two for $50.99, three for $72.24, or four for $93.49, so everyone in your household can be shown in their best light.

Apple’s newest iOS and iPadOS 15 beta, rolled out to registered developers on Tuesday, gives you the ability to automatically disable notifications when screen sharing. The toggle ensures others cannot see your incoming alerts.

Here’s how to activate the block on iPhone and iPad.

OnePlus is rolling out another Apple-esque product at a lower price point — a new set of Buds Pro that improve on its original Buds with active noise cancellation (ANC) and some upgraded audio features. They look a lot like Airpods Pro, actually, except with silver stems rather than white ones.