Pick up this quality iPhone SE at a steep discount. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you’re itching to add a reliable iPhone to your pile of Apple gear — but without dropping flagship-level cash — this deal on an iPhone SE (a refurbished second-gen model) might make your week.
Right now, you can get your hands on a Grade-A refurbished second-gen iPhone SE with 64GB of storage, unlocked and in near-mint condition for just $124.99. Even better? Shipping is free, and the phone is ready to roll with any major carrier.
I’ve spent the week hands-on with iOS 26, living with its stunning new design and incredible features. I really love the direction iOS is going — even if there are a lot of kinks that need to be worked out before its September release.
Liquid Glass, the flashy new user interface, is gorgeous. Loads of people will love the new Lock Screen and Home Screen features, like Spatial Scenes and clear icons. A few other features may need some tweaking, however, like the new Camera app and Phone app.
Should you install it yourself? God no, it’s a buggy mess. You should definitely not install it on your daily driver. But should you be excited to get it in September, after Apple irons out the kinks? Absolutely. Keep reading or watch our video for a hands-on look at the joys (and annoyances) of iOS 26.
A vividly animated Apple ad showcases Paul McCartney's "Dance Tonight." Photo: Apple
June 14, 2007: Paul McCartney sings his new song “Dance Tonight” in an iPod + iTunes ad, the latest in a series of Apple spots starring music industry legends.
The new animated ad signifies a thawing of the icy relationship between Apple and McCartney, whose original band The Beatles has been locked in a legal battle with Cupertino for decades.
Your M2 Mac mini might need a repair. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple has issued a No Power Issue service program affecting a “very small percentage” of M2 Mac minis. The affected units may unexpectedly fail to power on without warning.
The issue only appears to affect the 2023 M2 Mac mini and no other generation.
Thieves nabbed this Jaguar e-Pace despite it having two immobilizing devices. Luckily, it also had an AirTag. Photo: BBC News/Metropolitan Police Service
A couple from London successfully tracked down and recovered their stolen Jaguar using an Apple AirTag after police appeared “too stretched” to provide immediate assistance. So they ended up asking, when AirTag finds a stolen car, who needs the cops?
Mia Forbes Pirie and her husband Mark Simpson discovered their $60,000 Jaguar E-Pace missing from outside their home June 3. They called the police and even explained the bit about the AirTag showing the car’s specific location in town. But they found themselves on their own, at least at first.
Since other recent changes, I added two 5K touchscreen displays and a mechanical keyboard. And yeah, please pardon my hideous cables. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
After several years of covering the Cult of Mac setups beat, I still rarely write about my own. But major new upgrades call for it. Since a spate of recent changes, I’m still rocking the M4 Pro MacBook Pro as my main daily driver. But I replaced dual 4K external displays with a pair of 5K touchscreen displays. And I dipped my toe into the world of serious mechanical keyboards for the first time.
Your next iPhone could be assembled in India, not China. Photo: Cult of Mac
We’ll have to stop thinking of the iPhone as a product made in China — nearly all Apple’s handsets for sale in the United States are reportedly now assembled in India.
It’s part of Apple’s effort to reduce paying the tariffs President Donald Trump places on most products imported into the U.S., especially ones that come from China.
Save on a versatile mount that holds your iPhone securely. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you’re tired of fumbling with flimsy phone mounts that can’t handle your iPhone’s weight or your car’s bumps, this 360-degree suction cup phone mount is here to save the day. Designed for seamless integration with your iPhone, it’s perfect for cars, desks and multiple other scenarios.
A powerful suction cup holds the mount in place virtually anywhere, a magnetic ring holds MagSafe phones in place, and a flexible arm lets you position your iPhone any way you like. Grab one now while it costs just $19.99 (regularly $39.99).
A high-level Apple exec explains why iPad and Mac will stay separate. Image: Cult of Mac
iPadOS 26 moves the iPad closer to the Mac than ever before. But don’t take the upcoming operating system as a stepping stone toward an eventual unification between iPadOS and macOS. That’s clearly not going to happen.
The reason can be summed up with a phrase that Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software development, used in an interview at WWDC this week: “iPad’s gonna be iPad.”
Eddy Cue took the stand to testify about Apple's e-book pricing in a 2013 antitrust trial targeting the iBooks Store. Photo: Apple
June 13, 2013: Apple exec Eddy Cue takes the stand to defend the company’s iBooks business strategy in an antitrust case regarding e-book pricing.
Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, runs the iBooks Store initiative. His testimony proves vital to a case brought by the Department of Justice, in which potential damages climb well into the nine figures.
It's described as an "edge-of-your-seat thriller," and it might actually be one. Photo: Apple TV+
“It” girl actress Sydney Sweeney plays a drug addict and probable killer whose mom, played by Julianne Moore, will do anything to save her, according to a trailer Apple TV+ dropped recently for the new Echo Valley movie. It’s now streaming, as of Friday, and you can watch the trailer below.
Ridley Scott produces the thriller, which also stars Kyle MacLachlan and Domhall Gleeson.
Update:Echo Valley, now available to watch on Apple TV+, garners mixed reviews so far. Empire calls it a “superbly acted rural thriller.” Financial Times said it’s “delightedly twisty” with “dark dashes of Hitchcock.” But IGN calls it “hollow” and “dull,” and a New York Times review says: “A stellar cast led by Julianne Moore is unable to breathe life into this unsuccessful blend of maternal drama and crime caper.”
1Password's new app unlock presets promise a seamless experience. Photo: 1Password
1Password is testing a new unlock system on Mac, aiming to reduce the need for constant reauthentication. The app introduces three preset modes — Convenient, Balanced and Strict — giving users control over how frequently they unlock the app based on their security preferences.
The changes are currently only available on 1Password’s beta channel for Mac.
Work on a much smarter Siri will take about a long to finish as pessimists predicted. AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
The release date for the AI-enhanced version of the Siri voice assistant will likely come in spring 2026, according to information leaking out of Apple. That’s nine months from now, and a year after it was first expected.
The long delay in the launch of smarter Siri was a significant black eye for Apple, clearly demonstrating that it wasn’t keeping up with rivals in AI research.
Steve Jobs inspired generations with his legendary Stanford commencement address. Photo: Steve Jobs Archive
June 12, 2005: Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers a brilliant commencement speech to graduating students at Stanford University.
Packed with incredible insights, the motivational speech includes many memorable lines that capture the essence of Jobs’ incredible life — and provide a template for success through following your passions. And he does it all in less than 15 minutes.
Available in certain gyms and equipment. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Connect Apple Watch to a treadmill at Planet Fitness, and other exercise equipment, for more accurate health data inside the Fitness and Health apps on your iPhone. After all, if you’re working out, you want to make sure your Apple Watch gives you credit for it.
Soon this same CarPlay screen will be able to show videos when the car is parked. Photo: Apple
In a significant policy shift, Apple will let iPhone users stream videos directly to their CarPlay screens for the first time since the platform’s launch. With iOS 26, showcased at WWDC25, the tech giant introduced AirPlay video functionality for CarPlay. So you can stream video from apps in the car — but only when you’re parked.
This thumb-size external SSD connects to your Mac or your smartTV, no adapter needed. Image: PNY
The PNY Duo Link V3 external SSD includes both a USB-C and a USB-A connector. That means the flash drive that launched Thursday can plug into any modern Mac, or it can go into a smartTV or other accessory that lacks a USB-C port — no adapter needed.
Even better, it offers 1,000MB/s data transfers, and capacities go up to 2 terabytes. The price is very competitive, too.
There are unspoken rules and tricks to getting your bug reports fixed. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
June is the best time of year to give feedback to Apple on betas for iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch. Just after the company releases the initial betas of its upcoming software updates, this is when Apple engineers have the most time to address bugs and make changes. And that makes this the optimal time to file an Apple bug report.
It won’t be long before Apple engineers’ task lists fill up through the fall, when the new software will be released. After that, teams are rearranged to make the sprint toward the next year’s updates. So if you have any input, you’d best make yourself heard now.
How do you file a bug report or send in feedback to Apple? Apple made a tool called Feedback Assistant that will guide you through the process. It’s available if you’re running a developer or a public beta of iOS, macOS or iPadOS. Here’s how.
Save on comfy earbuds from Bose, the company that set the standard for active noise cancellation. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you want high-quality noise-canceling earbuds but AirPods Pro don’t feel right in your ears, consider Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. With a comfortable fit, thanks to multiple ear tip and stability band sizes, they’re designed for long-term wear, whether you’re in back-to-back Zoom calls or crunching numbers while listening to a lo-fi playlist.
★★★★☆
The little storm cloud at lower right is a cute touch on the Rainy 75. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Among keyboard enthusiasts, the Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard recently gained a deserved reputation as a rock-solid budget-to-mid-priced option. The 75% layout keeb for Mac or Windows combines premium materials, customizable features and impressive performance in a package that punches above its price point. This hands-on Wobkey Rainy 75 mechanical keyboard review will cover the bases to help potential buyers make an informed decision.
A new Apple system can securely share the age range of children with apps. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 and other upcoming Apple operating systems include new tools intended to help parents protect kids and teens online. These include a system that enables parents to share the age range of their children with third-party applications in a way that doesn’t violate the kids’ privacy.
There are also new protections for teens under 18 as they use their Apple devices, and parental controls on communicating with new phone numbers.
Trailers for F1 showcase the film's intense racing scenes, and a new haptic trailer boosts the octane. Photo: Apple TV+
A “haptic trailer” for Apple Original film F1: The Movie adds a new dimension to all the roaring race cars and manic pit stop maneuvers. When viewed on an iPhone, the first-of-its-kind trailer triggers the device’s Taptic Engine in sync with the on-screen action.
The unique trailer Apple released Monday is the buzziest movie gimmick since Percepto!, the system of electric buzzers placed underneath theater seats by director William Castle to stoke interest in his 1959 horror flick The Tingler.
The keyboard stows easily for productivity anywhere. Photo: Logitech
Logitech’s latest iPad accessory, Flip Folio, is a protective keyboard case specifically engineered for Apple’s iPad Pro and iPad Air models, the Swiss peripherals giant said Wednesday. Logitech Flip Folio promises to enhance the iPad experience at home or on the go with a unique magnetic storage system and multi-device connectivity. Those should appeal to users seeking versatility in their mobile computing setup.
“We’ve designed Flip Folio to make the iPad experience both fun and functional, helping you stay focused on what matters,” said Joseph Mingori, Logitech GM of mobile and audio solutions. “Flip Folio enhances everyday experiences — from binge watching to checking your social media or emails — by delivering portability and connectivity, setting people free so they can do what they love from anywhere.”
People on social media loved the clean look of the three wall-mounted LG displays. Photo: [email protected]
The 3-monitor setup isn’t terribly rare in the world of computer workstations displayed on social media. But a MacBook Air driving a trio of wall-mounted 4K monitors — all in landscape orientation, end to end — isn’t especially common, as it appears in today’s featured setup. Viewers loved its clean look. And it turned out the user employs a couple of tricks to help keep it that way.