Cult of Mac

Three classic games are are getting updated and becoming part of the Apple Arcade subscription service. That includes Angry Birds Reloaded, Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City and Doodle God Universe.

All are set to debut soon.

watchOS 8 isn’t the most significant update Apple Watch has seen over the years, but it’s certainly no snoozefest. Improvements to a number of key apps and a new face will be welcomed by Watch wearers this fall.

And you don’t have to wait until this fall to get yours hands on it. If you have a spare Apple Watch and an Apple Developer account, you can download and install watchOS 8 today. We’ll show you how.

This post is presented by Other World Computing, owner of MacSales.com.

For 30 years, Other World Computing and its website, MacSales.com, have offered Mac users great ways to upgrade and extend the life of their equipment rather than buying a new computer.

That goes for practically any product an Apple customer could want or need. But when it comes to Thunderbolt connectivity equipment — external drives, docks, hubs, cables — OWC really goes the distance.

The trailer for the second season of Central Park debuted Tuesday to get fans ready for the imminent return of the musical comedy to Apple TV+. The first season of the animated series scored an Emmy nomination and praise from critics.

Check out the trailer for a taste of what to expect in season two.

Ready to start testing macOS Monterey? You can already get your hands on the developer beta — so long as you have a compatible Mac. We’ll show you how to download and install it today.

Apple made an enormous number of changes in its 2021 operating system updates. Many of these drew plenty of attention — like the FaceTime upgrade — but some useful improvements might have been overlooked in all the hoopla.

Here are nine new features in iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey you might have overlooked.

The global pandemic was bad for many industries. One sector it was good for was the worldwide tablet market, led by Apple’s iPad. According to a new report by Counterpoint Research, Apple sold a third more iPads in 2020 than it did in 2019. In the first quarter of 2021, it expanded its share to a massive 37% of the global tablet market — including hitting an all-times sales record in Japan.

“The basic iPad models accounted for 56% of the overall iPad shipments in Q1 2021,” said Senior Analyst Liz Lee said. “The iPad Air and iPad Pro series came next with 19% and 18% shares, respectively. Since consumers are constantly concerned about prices and portability, the latest iPad 8 emerged as the top-selling model. Launched in October 2020, the iPad Air 4 ranked second on the bestseller list as it was a huge hit with consumers looking for cost-effectiveness as well as high specifications.”

These days, a high-end timepiece is more a fashion statement than anything else. The fact that a traditional watch only tells time doesn’t seem as impressive when stacked up against smartwatches, which can monitor health, set reminders and connect you to the world with calls and messages.

There are plenty of Apple Watch alternatives that look like but cost less than Cupertino’s killer wearable. If you want an affordable device dedicated to health monitoring, look no further than this 1.3-inch color screen smartwatch from Ineedmeone. For a limited time, this functional, fashionable take on the smartwatch costs only $36.95.

In a new video aimed at the European market, Apple CEO Tim Cook talks about how “privacy is a fundamental human right” that his company works hard to embed into every new product it makes. The six-minute video comprises various clips from Apple’s recent Worldwide Developers Conference related to the topic of privacy. Cook also recorded new bookends in which he shares some of his own thoughts.

Check it out below.

Apple Podcasts Subscriptions went live Tuesday, allowing podcasters around the world to charge monthly subscriptions for their shows. When announced at Apple’s Spring Loaded event in April, the company billed the feature as a “global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators.”

The premium podcasts show up in Apple’s Podcast app, complete with the ability to subscribe, in more than 170 countries and regions, Apple said. And the new option gives podcasters a fresh way to cash in on the craze Apple helped start.

Apple quietly reduced the one-year Apple TV+ free trial for customers who buy new Apple devices to three months.

The company made the change in a note on its Apple TV+ website. While customers who buy and activate an eligible device (that’s an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac) before July 1 will get the one-year trial, those who do so from July 1 onward will qualify only for three months.

Still waiting for a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X? You’re not alone. Console restocks are still making headlines, with Best Buy reportedly selling out of new PS5 stock in just 11 minutes.

If you’re one of the millions worldwide waiting for the latest gaming console, there may be a way to skip the line and land the gaming setup of your dreams. For a limited time, you can enter the Big Summer of Gaming Giveaway and win more than $5,000 in the best gaming gear on the market.

Save on some of the best accessories money can buy for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac in the Cult of Mac Store’s big Father’s Day sale. Enjoy up to 72% of cases, bands, charging stands, and more from the likes of Elago, Elkson, Monowear, and SwitchEasy.

These are limited-time offers, so enjoy them while you can!

Apple released iOS 12.5.4 and iPadOS 12.5.4 on Monday. These contain security patches for iPhones or iPads old enough that they can’t upgrade to 2019’s iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 but are still in use.

The classic writer’s garret, a small room where a tortured scribe toils over lonely hours to put words on the page — using a quill or a fountain pen or maybe a Smith Corona typewriter — has been tastefully updated.

Now it’s all about a 12.9-inch iPad Pro locked hard into the Ulysses text editor to prevent any distractions. There’s also a highly customized mechanical keyboard and really nice noise-canceling headphones. At least that’s how Scottish novelist Matt Gemmell limits his gear in a minimalistic setup, he told Cult of Mac.

It helps him focus on writing. That, and sitting his ass down in the chair for hours a day. The chair is a Herman Miller Aeron, by the way. The spartan surroundings need not lack comfort, after all. It’s about limiting distractions.

If you’re heading to the store with an Apple Card on Monday, you’d better bring a second form of payment. An ongoing technical glitch means that it might not be possible to make in-store purchases with the credit card.

Beats Studio Buds just became a strong competitor for AirPods Pro. Which is odd, as they’re both made by Apple.

Studio Buds are truly wireless headphones that offer active noise cancellation and access to Apple’s Find My network. They come in a variety of colors for $149.99.

Set to a breathy cover of “New York, New York,” a new trailer for The Morning Show’s second season offers clues about how the Apple TV+ show will continue to explore the #MeToo movement and other key themes.

The dramatic new trailer, released Monday, also reveals that new episodes of The Morning Show will return to Apple TV+ on September 17. Check it out below.

While brunches and flowers accompany Mother’s Day every year, the common trope around Father’s Day is that thoughtful gifts for dad seem impossible to find. Socks, ties, watches and golf-related items are classic gift ideas for good reason. But if your pops is a bit of a bookworm, then you may want to check out this exclusive deal on a subscription to Blinkist. This Father’s Day, you can get a two-year subscription to Blinkist Premium for $99.99 (regularly $383).

Pick up Beats Solo Pro wireless headphones at half their usual price for a limited time only. Woot is offering brand-new units for just $149.99 — down from $299.95 — while stocks last.

Solo Pro headphones offer active noise cancellation, an Apple H1 chip for fast and stable connectivity, and up to 22 hours of battery life in between charges. And most importantly, they sound terrific!

Japan is the latest country to turn its antitrust attention on Apple. The Japan Times reports that the Japanese government is set to investigate both Apple and Google over their dominance in mobile operating systems.

The report, which cites a Nikkei article, is short on details. It notes that nine out of 10 phones sold in Japan run either Android or iOS. But it does not explain where the problematic aspect of this is. Typically, antitrust involves situations in which a market leader, or collusion between market leaders, results in a monopoly of a particular market. Breaking up these monopolies is intended to give customers more choice.

The Apple Watch Series 7 will boast a faster processor, better wireless connectivity, and a new, improved screen, says a new report from Bloomberg. The screen will have thinner bezels and a “new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover.” This would be the first Apple Watch form factor redesign since 2018.

However, a body temperature sensor that was planned for this year’s update has supposedly been pushed back to the 2022 iPhone. Meanwhile, a rumored blood sugar sensor for monitoring glucose levels is reported as still being several years away.

If you’ve been dreaming of seeing the bottom half of people’s faces in Apple Stores (odd dream, admittedly!), you’ll get your wish starting this week as many Apple Stores in the U.S. begin loosening their mask requirements.

This comes as major retailers are increasingly getting back to normal as the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Apple has been one of the more cautious parties when it comes to in-store mask policies. The likes of Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Costco have already ditched mandatory mask rules. But Apple was said to be holding back.

PopSockets PopGrips are already wildly popular, and the new MagSafe system in the iPhone 12 series improved on the design. Instead of having to attach with adhesive, the pop-up phone handles cling tightly to magnets built into Apple’s handsets.

I tried the standard PopGrip and the wallet version with an iPhone 12, and they stood up brilliantly to real-world use.

We’re big fans of the Apple Watch, but great smartwatches don’t have to cost a small fortune. Case in point: The C-Max Chrono-Max Smartwatch, which is on sale today for just $59.99. That’s a 72% discount off the regular price of $219.

Boasting a dozen different features, all displayed on a lush, full-color, 1.69-inch touchscreen display, the C-Max Chrono-Max means you’ll never miss a call, chat or text again, as you’ll receive an alert right to your watch for each through useful push notifications.