Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is already looking beyond the A15 chip that will come with this year’s iPhone 13. According to a Friday report, the world’s biggest chip fab is “fast advancing” its 4-nanometer and 3-nanometer processes ready for mass manufacturing.

Digitimes reports that TSMC’s 4-nanometer process will move into risk production in the third quarter of 2021. Risk production is a smaller production run of new hardware to sort out any problems. If there are none, TSMC  can then progress to volume production. The same report also claims that TSMC’s 3nm production process will commence volume production in the second half of 2022.

As part of the podcasting arms race between tech giant, Spotify has acquired Podz, an AI podcast discovery service for an undisclosed amount of money. Podz generates (or generated) short audio clips that populated a Instagram Stories-style timeline users could flip through to find podcasts they were likely to enjoy listening to.

The Sanho HyperDrive USB-C 6-in-1 Hub clips to an iPad and adds a collection of ports, allowing the tablet to make use of a variety of popular accessories, from mice and headphones to external displays. The multiport adapter offers outstanding functionality in minimal space.

The original version is one of the best iPad accessories ever. I tested the followup and it’s even better.

The Twelve South SurfacePad is a folio leather wallet case for iPhone 12. It’s designed to hold ID and credit cards and protect the handset’s screen. And it does so without interfering with MagSafe wireless charging.

Apple TV+ gave a first look at a hotly anticipated comedy starring the brilliant Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. A trailer for The Shrink Next Door premiered on Thursday, and the streaming service revealed that the limited series will debut November 12.

Watch the trailer now for an early glimpse:

Apple dropped the cost of AppleCare+ breakage insurance plans for MacBooks with the M1 processor by up to $50.

These plans offer deeply-discounted repairs on two accidents for every twelve months of coverage.

Apple has awarded $5 million in “Innovation Grants” to four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. Alabama A&M University, Howard University, Morgan State University, and Prairie View A&M University will all receive funds from Apple as part of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

The money, given over three years, will be used to help prep students for future careers in both hardware technology and silicon chip design. In other words, while there’s no guarantee of this, Apple could be helping provide the training that will up-skill future Cupertino employees. If that pays off, it’s a great investment on Apple’s part, as well as being a positive social contribution.

iOS 15 is a big deal — and it’s coming soon, with lots of exciting new features. From FaceTime movie sharing to a new Focus feature that allows you to concentrate without distraction, iOS 15 will make our lives simpler.

But the arrival of iOS 15 isn’t just good news for Apple users: It’s also a great opportunity for app developers. The pandemic boom that started in 2020 looks unlikely to go bust anytime soon.

LG Electronics threw in the towel on manufacturing smartphones earlier this year. Now, according to a new report, it’s considering stocking Apple products in its 400 LG Best Shops stores in South Korea.

The companies supposedly are negotiating for an Apple store-within-a-store setup that will sell iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. This sounds similar to when Apple set up mini-stores inside CompUSA outlets around the United States in the late 1990s. As with the CompUSA mini-stores, the new LG outlets might be staffed by Apple employees.

Facebook is gearing up to launch its own podcast platform later this month. Facebook’s podcasts feature will launch June 22, an attempt by the social media giant to muscle in on the incredibly popular and fast-growing podcast market.

Facebook confirmed the news in an email to podcast page owners, seen by The Verge. Users will be able to listen to podcasts directly on Facebook, as well as via a new podcasts tab that has yet to launch. Facebook is also working on a feature that will let listeners create clips from their top shows.

Want an affordable iPhone that offers some of Apple’s latest and greatest features? Pick up a “grade A” refurbished iPhone XS Max, complete with a Super Retina display and Face ID, for under $485 on Woot.

This deal is good for today only, so don’t miss out!

The online Apple Store might not be the best place to buy the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Place an order for 2021’s hottest tablet on Apple.com on Wednesday and you could wait a month or more to have it shipped to you. But other stores have the device in stock now.

Why wait?

If you’re looking for the ultimate multitasking device, check out the Teamwork 2-in-1 Wireless Phone & Apple Watch Charger. It can safely and effectively charge your iPhone and Apple Watch — or any other Qi-compatible device — at the same time.

Apple’s CEO told the audience at France’s VivaTech conference that a critical part of the European Union’s proposed Digital Markets Act isn’t in the best interests of iPhone users. The proposal would require Apple to allow users to sideload applications, something CEO Tim Cook and the company are adamantly opposed to.

The one-year free trial of Apple TV+ comes to an end later this month, which means you will be charged soon to keep your subscription going. If you don’t want to use Apple TV+ going forward, you need to cancel it.

We’ll show you how.

Add season two of Truth Be Told to the list of Apple TV+ summer 2021 offerings. Octavia Spencer returns as the star of the crime drama series, and Kate Hudson joins for the new season.

Apple dropped a teaser trailer Wednesday to whet fans’ appetites. Watch it now.

Redditor carrotcakeblack wins more than a few style points for his “mostly monochrome! Also some keyboards” setup, as he calls it in his post’s title.

But he leaves out one of the factors visitors like most about his well-photographed MacBook Pro-based outfit. Namely, the way he hangs so much of his gear on a pegboard off to one side in such a visually appealing way.

Smart sensors in future AirPods possess “all kinds of potential” for health tracking, according to Apple VP of Technology Kevin Lynch.

While he surely knows the company’s goals in this area, Lynch doesn’t spill the beans in a new interview with TechCrunch. However, the Apple exec hints (or, rather, doesn’t exactly deny) that the health-tracking technology already found in iPhones and Apple Watch could arrive in next-gen AirPods.

Beats co-founders Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Jimmy Iovine, both of whom previously held high profile roles at Apple, are working to transform a public high school to welcome pupils who feel “disconnected from, [or] unmotivated by, the typical school experience.”

The public high school will supposedly mirror the format of the USC’s Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, which they donated $70 million to start in 2013. The USC academy has since expanded due to its popularity. Some graduates have even gone on to work at Apple.

You’ve got your AirTags. Now you just need a way to attach them to the gear you never want to lose again. This affordable AirTag keychain holder lets you connect one of Apple’s tracking tags to your keys, backpack, purse or whatever else you need to keep tabs on.

Apple has successfully fixed a problem that was stopping some Apple Card users from using Apple Pay with the Apple-branded credit cards in stores. On its System Status page, Apple noted that “Some users were affected,” although it does not provide details of the problem — or the fix that the company employed.

The issue was marked as revolved at 6.41 am ET/3.41 am PT on Wednesday, June 16. This was two days after Apple first noted it had a problem. No other problems were highlighted on the Systems Status page, which showed green lights across the board.

Apple reportedly considered launching its own subscription-based primary care medical clinics with Apple-employed doctors, says the Wall Street Journal. The plan — part of Apple’s push into health and wellness — was supposedly conceived in 2016. However, it’s not clear whether it is still on the cards today.

Apple has confirmed that its Apple Music Lossless and Spatial Audio features will be coming to India. The features debuted elsewhere for users in May at no added cost.

Apple’s Support Twitter page notes that “We appreciate your interest. Dolby Atmos on Apple Music will be coming to India soon. Keep an eye out here.” Meanwhile, the Apple Music page for India also makes mention of the feature. No official launch date has yet been announced.

Adonit Prime is a stylus for iPhone or iPad that combines a premium form with top-quality function. It’s for anyone not satisfied with everyday styli — anybody who wants one that stands out from the crowd.

I tried both the Prime – Dash (the version for iPhone) and the Prime – Note (for iPad). Here’s why they would be at home on any executive’s desk.

With Father’s Day coming up, the Adonit Prime might be just right for the dad who has everything.

We all go through a similar thought process when our phones, laptops or iPads break, get lost or are stolen. Somewhere between trying to remedy the situation and coming to terms with the loss comes the sharp realization that all your content is gone. Saying goodbye to your photos is never fun, but you can prevent this nightmare from happening by taking precautions now.

What’s better than using cloud storage? Keeping your photo and video content in the palm of your hand. While the cloud can be convenient, the Photo Backup Stick automatically backs up pictures and videos — without having to rely on an internet connection. It can eliminate the need to pay for monthly cloud-storage fees.