One of the best things about Apple Watches is that they’re convenient. They take so many of the most useful features of iPhones, add a few more, and put them on your wrist. For all that convenience, it would be a shame to have your watch bogged down by a clunky wired charger that you have to carry around in case your watch dies. Luckily, you don’t have to deal with a wired charger, and you don’t even have to find a way to carry around a bulky wireless one because you can get the Apple Watch Wireless Charger Keychain. For a limited time, you can get one, two, or four of these little chargers for an extra 15% off if you use the code ANNUAL15 during Cult of Mac’s semi-annual sale.

Unfortunately this is the last issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

We launched Cult of Mac Magazine back in September 2013 and have published 411 weekly issues since then. Yes, 411 issues!

Highlights include a cover made especially for us by Susan Kare, the designer of the original Mac’s icons, and a string of great-looking magazine covers by Ste Smith, a former staffer.

But declining readership, competition from news apps and difficulty getting advertising has led us to retire the publication. It’s been a great run, but it’s time to shut up shop.

This week’s giveaway is a Fab Four super bundle from Nomad, that includes an iPhone case, Apple Watch band, AirPod Pro case and a wallet, all made from traditional and great-looking Horween leather.

Whether you’re on an urban outing to get coffee or hiking in the great outdoors, this four-pack leather bundle from Nomad will keep your products protected and make you look as stylish as any influencer on Insta.

If you want to step up your style and get a complete look worth more than $300, make sure and enter this week’s giveaway.

For many, the internet is a necessity as important as electricity and transport. Fundamental parts of life just don’t work without the internet anymore. Even jobs are moving online; in the United States alone, remote work grew 173% from 2005 to 2018 and it got even higher last year. So, it goes without saying that you need a good internet connection, and one the best things you can get to make that happen is a high-quality router.

If you want a good, consistent connection for both work and play, then you’ll want to check out these top-rated Wi-Fi routers. It helps that they’re on sale for Cult of Mac’s semi-annual sale.

Many people think Apple’s refusal to buy Tesla when the car-maker was struggling was a serious mistake. But it turns out there might have been a previously unknown condition of the deal that made Apple immediately end negotiations: Tesla’s Elon Musk reportedly wanted to become Apple CEO.

Now’s your chance to take advantage of deep discounts on a variety of software activation keys for Mac and PC in Keysbuff’s big weekend sale, going on now.

Detonation Racing bills itself as “the most dangerous, least sensible racing series ever devised.” Gameplay involves skillfully maneuvering around a track, but also maybe throwing a nuclear submarine at your opponents.

It zoomed onto Apple Arcade on Friday.

When it comes to skills which are both in-demand and seriously lucrative, computer science ticks all the boxes. With businesses around the world going digital more than ever before, and web developers in the US earning an average of $73k, with top jobs taking home around $150k a year — computer science training is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

Remember those heady days of WWDC 2021, when Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi performed a magical drag-and-drop demo of Universal Control that made the near-future world of macOS Monterey seem especially cool? Oh, yeah. It was just last month.

Anyway, Redditor kinky_unicorn certainly remembers it. They recreated Federighi’s workstation from the video, took a photo of it and posted it on Reddit, after all.

Brydge just kicked off its big back to school sale, giving you the chance to save up to 50% on its brilliant iPad keyboards, MacBook docks, and more. Prices start at just $59.99, with many products now available at their lowest ever price. Take advantage before the discounts disappear.

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.