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Helpsters, Ghostwriter rack up Daytime Emmy nominations for Apple TV+

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FireWire lands Apple its first Emmy.
Another set of nominations for Apple TV+.
Image: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

For the second year in a row, Apple TV+ kids’ shows Helpsters and Ghostwriter have racked up a slew of Daytime Emmy award nominations. While not quite the collective 13 nominations the two shows received last year (of which Ghostwriter wound up winning one), they nonetheless picked up an impressive six noms between them.

Ghostwriter now in its second season — received five nominations, including outstanding sound mixing and editing, lighting direction, music direction and composition, art direction, and hairstyling. Helpsters — also having finished season two — picked up a nomination for outstanding costume design.

Get ready for lossless Apple Music with Belkin Soundform Connect [Review]

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Belkin Soundform Connect review: AirPlay 2 adapter for legacy speakers
The Belkin Soundform Connect brings the high-quality audio of AirPlay 2 to legacy speakers or soundbars.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Belkin Soundform Connect could be just what you need to connect your speakers to Apple Music’s upcoming high-quality lossless audio. The wireless adapter allows iPhone and Mac users communicate with any speaker over AirPlay 2 using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.

I ran some tests, and I’m impressed with the usefulness of this tiny accessory.

How to play classic GameCube and Wii games on an M1 Mac

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Play GameCube and Wii games on Mac
Who doesn't want to play Metroid Prime on Mac?
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You can now enjoy classic GameCube and Wii games on an M1 Mac. The excellent Dolphin emulator now runs on Apple’s latest machines, and its creators say it is “powerful and excels” under Apple Silicon.

Here’s how to install Dolphin and play GameCube and Wii games on your own M1 iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

iCloud Mail ‘issue’ leads to slow Apple email [Updated]

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iCloud Mail ‘issue’ leads to slow Apple email
Your Apple email is slow or not arriving at all because iCloud Mail is having problems.
Photo: Zachary DeBottis/Pexels CC

Update: Apple changed the status on iCloud Mail from “issue” to “resolved issue” on Thursday afternoon. Problems with the service persisted for about 5.5 hours before being fixed, though.

Previous article:

It’s not just you having problems with an Apple email account. Apple reports that iCloud Mail has been having an ‘issue’ for several hours.

The service is not completely offline, however.

1 out of 3 smartwatches shipped in Q1 is an Apple Watch

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Apple Watch Series 6
The Apple Watch continues to triumph.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is not slowing down when it comes to its dominance of the smartwatch market. According to a new report by Counterpoint Research, Apple Watch recorded an impressive 50% annual growth in Q1, claiming an impressive 33% of the overall global smartwatch industry.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the International Data Corporation said Apple shipped 30.1 million Apple Watches for the quarter, representing an almost 29% share of the market. While the reports differ slightly on the numbers, the take-home message is that Apple is killing it when it comes to smartwatches.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly was misled about Prince Harry’s Apple TV+ show

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Duke of Sussex
May not have been totally transparent about Apple TV+ show. Apparently.
Photo: E. J. Hersom/Wikipedia CC

Queen Elizabeth II may not be the biggest fan of Apple TV+. According to a report from the U.K.’s Daily Mail, the queen signed off on her grandson, Prince Harry, doing a show for the streaming service — but was possibly misled about its contents.

The report claims the queen believed the show, The Me You Can’t See, was “about veterans’ mental health – not to air his dirty emotional laundry and launch a ‘personal attack’ on the royal family.”

Music lovers can’t pass up this great deal on a vocal remover app

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vocals
This AI-powered vocal remover app contains the most innovative technology in the music industry.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Calling all DJs, singers, composers, songwriters, music educators and other music enthusiasts. If you’ve spent too much time trying to manually split a song or remove the vocals, it’s time to upgrade your technology. The EasySplitter Pro Vocal Remover will split any song into four separate STEMs — vocal, instrumental, drums and bass — and now you can get a lifetime subscription for only $39.99. That’s a huge discount off its regular price of $599.

Facebook-backed report calls Apple privacy features anticompetitive

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App Tracking Transparency is iOS 14.5's controversial new privacy-related feature.
Is Apple weaponizing privacy to increase its advantage?
Screenshot: Apple

Facebook isn’t backing down in its battle against Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature. And it’s seemingly got a couple of heavy hitter researchers in its corner.

In a Facebook-funded paper published Wednesday, Feng Zhu, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and D. Daniel Sokol, a professor of law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, take issue with Apple’s new privacy features — referring to them as “an anticompetitive strategy disguised as a privacy-protecting measure.”

McDonald’s restaurant offers free iPhone to employees who stay 6 months

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McDonald's
Stick with your job and get an iPhone doesn't sound like a bad deal.
Photo: A Befendo/Flickr CC

The fast food industry doesn’t just produce on-demand fries and burgers quickly, it’s also classically had a rapid turnover of employees. That’s a headache during normal times, but with the current post-COVID staffing shortage, it’s proving to be more of a migraine.

One McDonald’s restaurant in Altamont, Illinois, has a bright idea to get staff to hang around, though: Offer free iPhones for those who stay in the job for at least six months.

Want to glimpse unreleased Beats Studio Buds? LeBron James is your hookup

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LeBron
That's LeBron. But, no, these aren't the new Beats earbuds.
Photo: All-Pro Reels/Wikipedia CC

NBA superstar LeBron James shared an image of himself on Instagram wearing what could *just possibly* be the as-yet-unannounced Beats Studio Buds in white. The new, wireless Beats earbuds sound like they’re Beats’ version of Apple’s AirPods.

Beats is, of course, owned by Apple — thanks to Cupertino’s massive $3 billion acquisition in 2014. For whatever reason, it seems Apple will continue to release Beats-branded earbuds, despite the fact they stray into AirPods territory.

Incredible close-ups show off iPad Pro’s surprisingly great camera

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2021 iPad Pro is better than any iPhone at closeup pictures.
Some astounding closeup images should make you stop laughing at iPad photography.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Professional photog/developer Sebastiaan de With accidentally discovered that the rear-facing camera in the 2021 iPad Pro can focus on objects very close to the lens. This allows the tablet to capture close-up images not possible with an iPhone.

Cult of Mac did a bit of experimenting and confirmed the results.

Capture ideas with a single click using Markup Hero

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productivity
Markup Hero is guaranteed to speed up your workflow.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

How many times have you used the screenshot tool on your phone or computer? For most people, the answer is “too many to count.”

Screenshots have become an integral part of digital communication these days. Capturing a screenshot and circling content, sketching in suggestions and typing in comments — or even pulling text out of it — proves increasingly common in today’s workflows. And these are also incredibly useful tactics for digital teams working to communicate, build content and grow brands.

How to share your Apple Card with others and add a co-owner

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How to share Apple Card
Give others the ability to use your Apple Card.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple Card now gives users the ability to add a co-owner from their Family Sharing group. Co-owners share the same credit line and have the ability to add the card to Apple Pay, view their own spending activity, and more.

It’s also possible to share Apple Card with other members of your family (aged 13 years or older) and give them their own spending limit. Here’s how to start sharing yours on iPhone and iPad.

Master photo editing with this powerful Luminar bundle for $39.99

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photography
This award-winning photo software will take your shots to the next level.
Photo: Skylum

Any Instagram user can tell you that photo editing can transform an ordinary picture into something truly eye-catching. Whether it’s brightening a nighttime photo or adjusting the saturation of sky blues — tweaking photos can amplify what’s within the image and enhance its beauty.

While programs like Instagram only offer basic photo editing, you can enjoy access to an award-winning photo editor that is the first of its kind. We’re talking about this exclusive Luminar 4 Power Bundle, which is now available at 85% off for just $39.99.

Apple could be cashing into cryptocurrency

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Apple could be cashing into cryptocurrency
Apple is exploring alternative payment systems, and the magic word “cryptocurrency” came up.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

A job opening at Apple for an “Alternative Payments” business manager set off a wave of speculation that the iPhone-maker is getting into cryptocurrency.

It’s apparently a change of heart by CEO Tim Cook, who’s on the record as being opposed to privately controlled currencies.

Stephen King explains why Lisey’s Story is so close to his heart

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‘Lisey’s Story’ premieres June 4 on Apple TV+.
Stephen King talks about his inspirations for writing Lisey’s Story, which debuts June 4 on Apple TV+.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

Stephen King makes no bones about it: Lisey’s Story is his favorite novel. He talks about why in a video released a week before the Apple TV+ premiers an adaptation starring Julianne Moore.

The author also discusses why he changed the story for the series.

Watch King explain it in his own words now:

It’s all in the swanky details and DIY touches [Setups]

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Some DIY touches and nice decor top off a highly functional setup.
Some DIY touches and nice decor top off a highly functional setup.
Photo: callum-edw@Reddit

While London-based dental student and Redditor callum-edw studies how to fix your teeth, maybe you should study how he builds a classy computer setup with solid tech plus a few swanky details and DIY touches.

Callum’s rig centers on a MacBook Air M1 tethered to a 24-inch Dell U2419HC UltraSharp external monitor.

Prince Harry and Oprah’s Apple TV+ series is a royal success

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Apple TV Oprah Harry
Because 2021 hasn't had enough Zoom calls.
Photo: Apple

Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry’s Apple TV+ show, The Me You Can’t See, apparently became a big hit for the streaming service.

According to Deadline, insiders call the series the most-watched program worldwide on Apple TV+ since premiering earlier this month. It also drew 25% new viewers to the service, and a “more than 40% increase” in average weekend viewership in Harry’s homeland.

You won’t be repairing the Apple TV 4K Siri Remote in a hurry

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The new Siri Remote comes with exciting new input options, like a jog wheel.
It's a big improvement from its predecessor. But not easy to open up.
Photo: Apple

Most people haven’t gotten their hands on the 2021 Apple TV 4K yet. The good folks at iFixit have not only picked one up, but they’ve also stripped it down to peer inside.

A new teardown video suggests that the next-gen set-top box could be fairly straightforward to fix. However, don’t expect that same repair ease to apply to the upgraded Siri Remote.

TSMC begins production on Apple’s next-gen A15 chip for iPhone 13

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Apple A15 concept
How do you follow up a monster like the A14 chip? With the A15, of course!
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, has reportedly commenced production on the next-gen A15 chip for the iPhone 13.

It seems that Apple’s expecting to have a big hit on its hands, too. Digitimes reported Wednesday that “demand for the chip surpass that for its predecessor last year in scale, according to industry sources.”