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Affordable new open earbuds bring stamina, comfort — and a few problems [Review] ★★★☆☆

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Baseus Bowie MC2 Open-Ear Earbuds review★★★☆☆
Baseus Bowie MC2 open-ear clip-on earbuds make a solid case for value. But they suffer from a few limitations.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

At $79.99, Baseus’s new Bowie MC2 enters a crowded field of clip-on open-ear earbuds looking to challenge better-known names. Are they worth a try? My Baseus Bowie MC2 Open-Ear Earbuds review finds they might fit the bill for for users who hate having anything in their ears and for those who want an unobtrusive workout buddy. But they have some shortcomings to work out. Here’s what you actually need to know before buying.

3 exercise tips every Apple Watch wearer should know

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Apple Watch exercise tips every wearer needs to be aware of
You'll find it easier to close your Apple Watch exercise rings with these tips.
Photo: Atlantic Ambiance/Pexels

The Apple Watch helps people stay more active by encouraging wearers to stand, move around and exercise. But its workout tracking has a few quirks that users should understand.

Knowing about these Apple Watch exercise oddities — and how to work around them — can help you avoid frustration as you get fit.

Today in Apple history: Mac clone-maker peaks before a dizzying decline

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Power Computing clone Macs sounded like a good idea at first.
Power Computing's clone Macs were built for speed.
Photo: Antnik

June 4: Today in Apple history: Mac clone-maker Power Computing peaks, begins rapid decline June 4, 1997: Mac clone-maker Power Computing hits its high point as the company’s top exec reaches an agreement with Apple concerning the forthcoming Mac OS 8.

The deal allows the company to start making moves toward an IPO as the fastest-growing PC company of the decade. Things don’t turn out well, though.

Google’s new Mac app keeps your AI chats off the internet

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Run Gemma models locally on your Mac using Google's AI Edge app.
Use Google's new Mac app to run its AI models locally.
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Google’s new AI Edge Gallery app for macOS lets you run Gemma models locally on your Mac. Instead of relying on the cloud, the app taps into Apple Silicon’s power to process AI tasks directly on your machine.

The app is already available on Android and iOS, with the macOS release bringing the same on-device AI experience to Macs.

A new Apple Pencil could give the Vision Pro a sense of touch

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A photo of the Apple Vision Pro with an Apple Pencil.
A special Apple Pencil could bring a sense of touch to the Vision Pro headset.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

While the Apple Vision Pro is one of the best spatial computers money can buy, touch is one sense it can’t fake. But a newly granted Apple patent hints at a new stylus that can simulate the texture of virtual surfaces on your hand.

The Apple Vision Pro is capable of showing virtual surfaces with great clarity, but it lacks haptic feedback. But the new sort of Apple Pencil could close that gap and make the headset’s XR experiences physical for the first time.

Microsoft will break Office apps on older iPhones, iPads and Macs next month

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A photo of Microsoft Office files on an iPhone.
Old iPhones and Macs will soon be unable to edit and create Microsoft Office files.
Photo: Microsoft

If you use an older Mac, iPhone or iPad, Microsoft might be about to break your Office apps. Starting July 13, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote will stop letting you edit, save or create new files unless you meet certain requirements. You’ll still be able to open and print documents, but that’s it.

The move affects more people than you might think. If you’re running anything older than iOS 17 or macOS 11 Big Sur, your Office apps will mostly be defunct. Microsoft calls it “reduced functionality mode,” which is a fancy way of saying your Office apps will lose editing functionality.

Score a lifetime license to PDF Expert for Mac at 50% off

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Upgrade your Mac's PDF-handling capabilities this Cyber Week for only $70.
Get PDF Expert, an Apple Editor's Choice winner, for less than $80.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

PDFs are arguably one of the most-used document formats by professionals, students and casual users alike. However, while they might be the best way to transmit documents, they’re not entirely easy to work with unless you own a capable PDF editor for Mac like PDF Expert.

Fortunately, this app makes handling, organizing, annotating, merging and editing PDFs effortless. And you can get a lifetime license to this award-winning Mac app for just $69.97 (regularly $139.99).

4 reasons to get excited about iPadOS 27

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iPadOS 27 rumors give tablet users plenty of reasons for optimism
Rumors of iPadOS 27 give iPad users so much to be excited about.
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple WWDC26: With Apple’s WWDC26 keynote just days away, the latest iPadOS 27 rumors should give iPad owners plenty of reasons to pay close attention. Beyond the new artificial intelligence features for all Apple devices, tablet users can look forward to Monday’s keynote unveiling of iPadOS 27 enhancements that should make tablets easier to use in multiple ways.

Here are four reasons for iPad users to be eager for these announcements, whether you use your tablet for writing, creative projects or daily multitasking.

Nvidia finally gives Apple silicon a real competitor

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A photo of RTX Spark chip used in a story about Nvidia's new Apple silicon competitor.
RTX Spark laptops will arrive this fall, potentially offering all-day battery life on Windows laptops.
Image: Nvidia

Apple has been making some of the best laptop chips for years, but Nvidia’s new ARM-based RTX Spark processor might finally give the MacBook a real fight.

For Mac users, the announcement of an ARM-based rival to Apple silicon could be good news. Not because they will switch to Windows, but because this kind of competition could pressure Apple to step up its game and keep innovating.

Today in Apple history: iOS overtakes BlackBerry OS

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A BlackBerry device running BlackBerry OS that shows an empty battery icon on its screen.
Time was running out for BlackBerry.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

June 3: Today in Apple history: iOS overtakes BlackBerry OS for first time June 3, 2011: iOS overtakes Research in Motion’s BlackBerry operating system for the first time, with Apple’s mobile operating system inching past BlackBerry OS.

While Android remains comfortably in the lead in terms of market share, the news marks the beginning of the end for BlackBerry as a smartphone powerhouse.

Apple brings its first European Developer Center to Berlin

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Apple opens its first Developer Center in Europe
A new Apple Developer Center is coming to Berlin. It's the first of its kind in Europe. This is the auditorium.
Photo: Apple

Apple will open a new Developer Center in Berlin later this year. It’s the first of its kind on the continent and its fifth worldwide, the iPhone giant said Wednesday.

“Europe is home to an extraordinary community of developers who are building apps that create connections, encourage creativity and drive innovation,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We have always believed that when developers have the right tools and resources to do their best work, incredible things follow. That belief is what this center is built on, and we look forward to seeing what the community continues to develop.”

Pet owners, reclaim your floors with this robot vacuum and mop, on sale for just $170

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Product shot showing Yeedi Vac Station K781+ robovac with iPhone app.
Leave the cleaning to this very capable robovac.
Image: Cult of Mac Deals

The Yeedi Vac Station K781+ vacuums, mops and maps your home — and even empties itself! It’s about as close to a hands-off cleaning experience as you can find.

While supplies last, you can get this self-sufficient robovac for just $169.99. That’s a massive 60% disccount off the retail price of $428.99.

iOS 27 might finally bring split-screen multitasking to the iPhone

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A photo of a concept showing split screen multitasking on the iPhone.
With the iPhone Ultra, Apple might finally bring multitasking to the iPhone.
Photo: Techblood.in

Apple is reportedly working on new multitasking features in iOS 27 that would automatically adapt any iPhone app for landscape and split-screen layouts.

With the rumored folding iPhone on the horizon, a lack of multitasking would translate to a waste of screen real estate. But this rumored capability could mean your entire app collection would work instantly, without Apple waiting for developers to redesign their apps.

Turn idle screen time into a rewarding intellectual adventure

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Photo of a hand holding an iPhone with the Nibble app open and a notepad on a table top.
Rather than doomscrolling, spend your idle minutes boosting your brain.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With this Nibble app deal, you can turn 10 spare minutes a day into real learning, thanks to bite-size lessons filled with audio and games.

The Nibble app takes those idle moments like waiting in line, commuting or winding down at night, and turns them into small but genuinely satisfying educational wins. And with this deal, you can learn everything that matters for less.

Just grab a three-year subscription to Nibble for $29.99 (an 88% discount off the MSRP of $269.97) and get your brain in gear.

What makes Apple’s fave apps and games of 2026 so good?

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Apple Design Awards crown top apps and games 
Find out which 12 apps and games took top honors.
Photo: Apple

Apple WWDC26:Apple chose 12 apps and games as the best of the best in 2026 from its developer community on Tuesday, honoring titles spanning six award categories for recognition at WWDC26 next week. 

“This year’s Apple Design Award winners are a remarkable reflection of how developers are creating exceptional experiences,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. She added that honorees “represent the very best of what our platform makes possible.”

MacBook Neo sales blast past Apple’s pricier laptops

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MacBook Neo in Blush and Indigo showing the desktop on a wood table
MacBook Neo is a huge hit for Apple.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

MacBook Neo outsold every other MacBook in Apple’s lineup in its launch quarter. IDC reports Apple shipped 1.1 million units of its cheapest Mac, higher than the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

What’s impressive is that the Neo achieved this feat despite being on sale for only three weeks during the quarter.

Today in Apple history: Yosemite brings a visual overhaul to OS X

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Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, previews Mac OS X Yosemite at WWDC in 2014.
OS X Yosemite more strongly resembled iOS than previous versions of the Mac software.
Photo: Apple

Jun2 June 2, 2014: Apple shows off Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite for the first time at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Following the Jony Ive-redesigned iOS 7, Yosemite boasts an aesthetic change that brings Apple’s desktop computers closer than ever to the look of the company’s mobile software.

Named after Yosemite National Park, the update follows the previous year’s Mavericks as the second Mac operating system named after a California landmark.

Leaker: Foldable iPhone with liquid metal hinge undergoing carrier testing

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Photo of a folding Android device, used to illustrate a story about a rumored liquid metal hinge for the first folding iPhone
The hinge is a critical component of any foldable, and Apple wants the best technology possible for its first folding iPhone.
Photo: Amanz/Unsplash License

Apple is building its long-anticipated folding iPhone around a liquid metal hinge, and the device has now actually reached mobile carriers around the world for compatibility testing, a prominent Apple supply chain leaker said Tuesday.

This folding e-bike will change your commute — and it’s $300 off right now

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Product photo of Riley RB1 folding electric bike on a white background.
Commute smarter with the Riley RB1 folding e-bike, now at 23% off.
Image: Cult of Mac Deals

Riley Scooters’ RB1 folding electric bike combines a compact design, up to 50 miles of range, removable battery convenience and smart features for a more flexible commute.

It’s new to the U.S. market. And right now, it’s on sale for just $999.99 (MSRP $1,299).

Congress pressures Apple to keep first unionized US store open

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Shuttered US Apple stores include first to unionize
Slated for closure, Apple Towson Town Center store in Maryland was the first one to unionize.
Photo: Apple

With a letter signed by 40 members of Congress sent Monday, Apple faces increased federal pressure over its plan to shut down the Apple Towson Town Center store in Maryland. The location, set to close on June 20, holds the distinction of being the first Apple retail store in the United States to unionize.

The congressional letter pulls no punches. The lawmakers describe the closure as “unacceptable in its impact, and deeply troubling in its national implications for workers’ rights.”

10 Apple Watch settings everyone should change

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Apple Watch Settings
Make sure you have these settings set up correctly.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The small size and simplicity of the Apple Watch’s screen might fool you into thinking there aren’t a lot of settings you should tweak. But you would be sorely mistaken. It’s a powerful computer on your wrist, and thus, the Settings app is a deep rabbit hole. 

You could lose hours going through every last setting, but I can save you the trouble. There are 10 Apple Watch settings I suggest everyone adjust. I’ll show you what they all do and how to change them. 

Next-gen OLED Apple Watch displays could lead to longer battery life

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Next-gen OLED Apple Watch displays
Apple Watch OLED displays are great now, but more advanced tech could boost power efficiency and, therefore, battery life.
Photo: Apple

The display in your Apple Watch may already seem pretty great, but a new type of screen technology in development could make models in the next year or two even better by running for longer on a single charge, according to a new report.