Cult of Mac

December 17, 2009: Apple finally triumphs over longtime rival Microsoft … on mobile operating systems market share. New data shows that iPhone OS surpasses Windows Mobile in the United States for the first time.

With roughly 36 million Americans owning smartphones, a quarter of them run Apple’s mobile operating system, according to figures released by research firm Comscore.

The Kodak Slide N Scan film scanner can safely digitize negatives and slides. And ahead of the holidays, it’s on sale for only $169.97 (regularly $224) with code KODAK.

It’s perfect for turning a box of old negatives into a pristine collection of digital images.

The Christmas season is in full swing and there’s good news for fans of the Peanuts holiday specials. Apple has made the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas available for everyone to stream for free this weekend, whether they’re an Apple TV+ subscriber or not.

That gives everyone the opportunity to watch Linus teach his friends what Christmas is all about, whether they own an Apple device or not.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a quick spin through the news of the week, we get down to business with our second round of picks for the best and worst tech and entertainment of 2023.

Also on The CultCast:

• Would you pay 99 bucks for a USB-C case for AirPods Pro? I think the price is outrageous, but not everyone is so sure.
• Apple just raised the bar for authorities who might want to spy on your iPhone’s push notifications.
• A new iPhone security feature will soon make it harder for thieves to wreck your life.
• And the latest on how Apple might be forced to open up iPhone to appease regulators.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 6 review has Godzilla popping up all over. Plus love and more betrayal.

Read on for kaiju-size spoilers about the latest episode, plus some speculation about the show’s future.

December 16, 1994: Apple Computer inks a licensing deal with Power Computing, allowing the company to produce Macintosh-compatible computers.

With falling market share, and longtime rival Microsoft steaming ahead thanks to its software-licensing strategy, Apple executives think the only way to compete is for the company to hand over its operating system for third-party Macs. Of course, it doesn’t turn out exactly like that…

Keeping your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods fully charged at all times can prove daunting, especially when you’re on the road. But you can keep all your Apple gear ready for action with this charging station for multiple devices. The MagStack is a great travel charger — and it’s on sale now!

You can streamline your charging experience, whether at home or away, with the MagStack. This Apple-compatible 3-in-1 charging station is foldable and wireless, and for a limited time, you can get one for only $47.99 (regularly $74).

iOS 17 brought dozens of great features and changes, but the latest 17.2 update adds even more.

The headline feature is the new Journal app — other new tweaks come to iMessage stickers, NameDrop and Apple Music. If you have a new iPhone 15 Pro, you can record Spatial Videos and use the Translate app directly from the Action button. You can also customize more notification sounds and StandBy.

Here are the ten best features in 17.2.

Friday’s sixth episode in season 4 of For All Mankind, “Leningrad,” ranks low on the deaths-and-hanky-panky scale of soap-opera criticism, but it’s not without a few revelations and highly emotional moments.

Namely, as plans unfold to capture the Goldilocks asteroid for lucrative mining, Mars may be getting its first union. Nice-guy Miles plays hardball with Ilya Brezhnev. And former NASA director Margo Madison reveals to the world she’s alive and working for the Soviet space agency.

If you want to have a better day, getting a good night’s sleep is crucial. That’s easier said than done for many of us, but there’s a hi-tech solution that’s on sale just in time for the holidays.

With Bluetooth technology and a form-fitting design, the Shut-Eye Wireless 3D Sleep Mask can calm restless sleepers in more than one way. And it’s now available for only $19.97 (regularly $49) through December 17.

Want to keep your beautiful iPhone 15 looking fresh? You need to enter this week’s giveaway. Two lucky winners will land an iPhone 15 bundle from MagEasy consisting of a shock-absorbent iPhone case and an ultra-tough screen protector.

Apple Watch Ultra 2’s generously large display, expected to switch from OLED to microLED, will come out later than previously estimated, grow by 10% in size and cost more, according to a research company.

Other recent estimates pushed back the launch time frame to 2025, but now it may actually be 2026.

If you had a gigantic 49-inch curved ultra-wide display, would you dream of adding more external monitors to it? If so, would you stack them, or add one or two displays in portrait mode (vertical) on either side of the big screen?

A MacBook Pro user with a giant Samsung display is pondering those very questions.

December 15, 2003: Almost eight months after launching the iTunes Music Store, Apple celebrates its 25 millionth download.

The song in question? Appropriately enough for this time of year, a Frank Sinatra cover* of the Christmas classic “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

You’re at a holiday party and your friend takes a great picture. You ask them to AirDrop you a copy and the two iPhones won’t connect. So frustrating — what the %^#* is wrong? Why can’t you share iPhone photos the way you used to?

The problem might be because Apple changed the way AirDrop works last year. Here’s how to set the easy wireless file-transfer system so you can get that picture from your friend.

The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Murderbot novels by Martha Wells are getting adapted into a series on Apple TV+. The sci-fi show will star Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård, perhaps best known for his role on Succession.

Wells’ action-packed bestsellers center on a robot that breaks the programming that forces it to kill. The move allows the android to go freelance as a security specialist.

There’s nothing better than a good pair of binoculars for capturing the perfect outdoor moment. But if you really want to capture it, these HD Digital Camera Binoculars can actually preserve that glimpse of faraway nature.

They’re the perfect tech companion for hikers, hunters or anyone who likes to get the most out of their journey. Just in time for the holidays, they’re now priced down to only $89.97 (regularly $199) through December 17!

While Best Buy offers great deals on MacBooks, iMacs, Macs mini and iPads in its Apple Sales Event for the holidays, you can also score good deals on iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods. See the selection below, or check out the whole sale here.

With gift-giving season at full-tilt, Best Buy offers its Apple Sales Event on a full range of fabulous products you can check out here. We’d thought we’d focus below on 10 great Mac and iPad deals you won’t want to miss. Click on the prices below to go straight to the products.

December 14, 2017: The much-anticipated iMac Pro finally reaches customers many months after it was announced. With a built-in 27-inch, 5K display and an Intel Xeon processor, the high-end desktop combines the features of an iMac and a Mac Pro.

It is beautiful and far more powerful than earlier iMacs, but is destined to stay in Apple’s product lineup only a relatively short time.

The espresso 17 Pro checks every box in a premium portable display. It sports a 4K resolution, touchscreen with stylus support, and a sleek design ready for on-the-go use.

The 17-inch screen is brilliant as a productivity enhancement when away from the office, but it’s also intended for digital artists to use everyday. Or just anyone who’d like a touchscreen Mac.

I tested the espresso 17 Pro in my home office and while traveling. Here’s why I love it.

Backup Status is a simple app that puts a Time Machine widget on your Mac desktop (or stows it away in your Notification Center). If you don’t want the Time Machine icon cluttering up your menu bar, this is a straightforward alternative.

Time Machine, of course, is Apple’s software that makes continuous backups of your files to a separate part of your disk, an external hard drive or network-attached storage. Everyone should use Time Machine.

And, after you set it up, you should try Backup Status, the fun little app that lets you easily monitor your Time Machine backups.

Did you know it took authorities 12 days to hunt down John Wilkes Booth after he shot President Abraham Lincoln in the head at Washington D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre in 1865? Apple TV+ gave a first look Thursday at Manhunt, the new conspiracy-thriller series depicting the frantic chase.

The seven-part series premieres March 15 with its first two episodes. A new episode follows on Fridays through April 19.

It’s a great time to be an AAPL investor, with the share price hitting an all-time high value on Wednesday. This drove Apple’s market capitalization back over $3 trillion.

For reference, Apple’s market cap was below $2 trillion at the beginning of 2023.

The Apple Magic Keyboard Folio is a great combo keyboard case for the iPad, but its high retail price puts it out of reach for some consumers. Not so with this hot deal on an open-box model that slashes the price by 67%.

For a limited time, you can grab a Magic Keyboard Folio for just $84.97 (regularly $249) with free shipping. However, you need to order today if you want to ensure it arrives on time for Christmas!