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Apple Music pays musicians far more per stream than Spotify

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Apple Music pays musicians far more to stream each song than Spotify does
Apple Music is more fair to musicians than Spotify is.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s music service pays musicians double what archrival Spotify does to stream each song to subscribers.

This amount doesn’t directly affect users of either service, but it might make some people consider using the service that sends artists more money.

Tiny World is the nature doc you should be binging [Apple TV+ review]

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Tiny World is back and as cute as ever
The astonishing docuseries about Earth's tiniest inhabitants is back and as cute as ever.
Photo: Apple TV+

Two of Apple TV’s big nature shows just returned back for their second seasons mere months after they debuted. Tiny World is the cuter of the two. Its micro look at a macro world remains charming, cute and sometimes despairing and gross, but never so much you couldn’t show it to kids.

Earth at Night in Color’s stunning imagery will render you speechless [Apple TV+ review]

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Earth at Night in Color
Season 2 of Apple's nighttime nature doc delivers amazing new delights.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ docuseries Earth at Night in Color delivers a fresh batch of majestic nighttime sights, cruel natural phenomena and fascinating perspectives in its second season, which premieres today. The show didn’t quite reinvent the nature documentary wheel, but it still offers a welcome retreat from the horrors of 2021.

Elago MagSafe-compatible charging tray beautifully organizes your desk [Review]

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Elago Charging Tray for MagSafe review
Combine the Elago Charging Tray with an Apple MagSafe puck for an organized desk or nightstand.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Slip an Apple MagSafe puck into the Elago Charging Tray to create an iPhone 12 charger with a built-in tray. The combination quickly powers up your handset while also helping to organize your desk or nightstand.

The accessory has been beside my bed for several weeks. Here’s why I like it.

Two ‘trash can’ Macs form core of nerdy workstation built to last [Setups]

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Those two
Those two "trash cans" at upper left prove core to this setup.
Photo: XTJ7@Reddit

Redditor XTJ7, a programmer and photographer based in Germany, knows how to make a setup last and do just what he needs it to do. As his recent post declared, his setup’s core is two “trash can” Mac Pro towers from 2013 plus a racy gaming PC.

Yeah, you heard right: That’s two computers running from 2013 to now. Eight years might as well be a few decades as far as computer performance goes. But he has his reasons to wait on the upgrade.

The Year Earth Changed reveals pandemic’s surprise silver lining [Apple TV+ review]

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David Attenborough and Penguins will teach us about The Year Earth Changed
David Attenborough and penguins teach us about the unexpected positive side effects of the pandemic.
Photo: Apple TV+

A nature special and a cautionary tale, The Year Earth Changed delivers a whole mess of qualified good news that you’re going to wish didn’t come with so many strings attached to it. An engaging, largely drone-shot 45 minutes of TV, the new Apple TV+ documentary about the environmental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic won’t change your life. But it will make you feel slightly better about having just spent the last year indoors.

Apple saves 861,000 tons of precious metals by ditching iPhone chargers

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iPhone 12 box
Miss power chargers from your iPhone box? The environment doesn't.
Photo: Marco Verch/Flickr CC

Apple has saved 861,000 metric tons of copper, tin, and zinc ore by removing power adapters from iPhones, starting last year. That’s one of the tidbits from Apple’s factoid-studded Environmental Progress Report, released Friday.

It showcases how Apple is working toward its efforts of achieving net carbon neutrality across its whole supply chain by 2030. As Apple notes, that includes “How [an Apple product is] designed, how it’s made, how it’s shipped, how it’s used, [and] how it’s recycled.”

Protect your browsing with an exclusive deal on this private VPN

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VPN
Say goodbye to censorship with Private Internet Access VPN.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The benefits of VPNs never seem to end. Not only do they protect your online connection and secure your information on public Wi-Fi, but they also allow you to access restricted sites based on geographic location. Want better deals on flights abroad, or simply want to watch Netflix content in a different country? VPNs protect your connection so you can access what you want, when you want, anywhere in the world.

That’s what makes this exclusive deal on a two-year subscription to Private Internet Access VPN so appealing. For just $69.99, you can access all the benefits of a top-rated VPN at an unbelievable 72% discount.

Users can now spend credits to buy books inside the Audible app

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Audible
Buying books through Audible just got easier.
Photo: Audible

Both Apple and Amazon pride themselves in technology that “just works.” One thing that hasn’t previously “just worked,” however, was the cumbersome way purchases had to take place on the Amazon-owned Audible audiobook service.

While people who listen to their audiobooks on iPhone have to use the iOS app, and this app allowed them to search the catalog for other titles, there was no way to actually buy a new book via the app. Instead, users had to go to Audible.com to buy the books they wanted, before switching back to the app to listen to them.

PSA: Apple TV+ offers up new For All Mankind episode, Earth Day documentaries galore

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The Year Earth Changed 1
How did lockdown change the world for wildlife? David Attenborough will answer all.
Photo: Apple

It’s a busy day for Apple TV+ — with plenty of new material to watch on the Apple streaming video service. In addition to a new episode of For All Mankind, there is a plethora of new nature documentaries, narrated by some big names, and more.

Here’s what Friday, April 16 has in store for subscribers.

Game restriction-free with this PlayStation Plus and VPN bundle

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VPN
Get two great things that work even better together.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Every avid console gamer has been eyeing restocks of the PlayStation 5 for months now. Whether you finally managed to get your hands on one or are still patiently waiting and enjoying your PlayStation 4, you can’t really get the full PlayStation experience without a PlayStation Plus subscription.

This VPN Unlimited Lifetime + PlayStation Plus One-Year Subscription Bundle not only gives you access to new games and a huge online community of players. You’ll also get some reassurance that you’re gaming safely with a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited.

3 best DVD-to-MP4 converters for Mac: Key features explained

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With the right software, your Mac can convert DVDs to MP4s. Three of the best Mac DVD converter apps are Movavi Video Converter, VLC and HandBrake.
With the right software, your Mac can convert DVDs to MP4s.
Photo: Viktor Hanacek/picjumbo CC

This DVD-to-MP4 converter post by guest blogger Elena Dibrova is brought to you by Movavi.

Want to play a cherished movie on your iPad but you only have it on DVD? Maybe you are setting up an in-home media-streamer using Plex? Solve the problem once and for all by installing a video converter. These apps can convert video files from DVD to MP4 without affecting the content and quality of the recording.

Apple wants you to take a walk with Jane Fonda on Earth Day

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A new Time to Walk episode featuring Jane Fonda lands just in time for Earth Day.
A new Time to Walk episode featuring Jane Fonda lands just in time for Earth Day.
Photo: Apple

Apple Fitness+ added screen legend Jane Fonda to the Time to Walk feature for Earth Day. She discusses her life as well as the fight against climate change.

Time to Walk promises interesting and encouraging audio stories to liven up walking for exercise. It’s part of Apple Fitness+, a $9.99-a-month subscription workout service built around Apple Watch.

Apple Fitness+ reaches out to pregnant women, older adults, beginners

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Apple Fitness+ is adding several new workout categories on April 19: Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Older Adults, and Workouts for Beginners.
Apple Fitness+ is adding several new workout categories on April 19.
Photo: Apple

Apple Fitness+ will introduce new workouts geared specifically toward pregnant women and older adults next week, the company said Thursday. There will also be new Yoga, High Intensity Interval Training and Strength workouts for beginners coming soon to Apple’s subscription fitness service.

Apple’s $200 million fund will remove tons of CO2 from the atmosphere

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Apple environment
Apple's doing its bit to promote sustainability.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Thursday unveiled a $200 million fund to back responsible forestry efforts around the world. The Restore Fund, launched with Conservation International and Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs, aims to remove at least 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

That would be equivalent to removing more than 200,000 passenger vehicles from the road.

Leaker suggests Apple is gearing up to unveil new AirPods, Apple Pencil

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Like everything else, the new Apple Pencil is better.
Potentially they could debut at next week's Apple event.
Photo: Andrea Nepori

Apple may be on the verge of showing off new AirPods and a third-gen Apple Pencil, claims a tipster on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

An image, posted by user UnclePan, shows what they claim are the next-gen AirPods, along with text claiming that Apple is currently gearing up to show off the Apple Pencil.

Get a lifetime subscription to this AI-powered language app for less than $100

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language
This conversation-focused app will get you speaking Spanish on day one.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to learn a new language. It obviously opens up a whole new world of opportunities, whether for living in a new place or working in an expanded capacity. However, it also can improve your problem-solving and cognition to help you ace your next interview.

As of 2019, 7.6% of the world’s population speaks Spanish. And the language is studied by almost 22 million people in 110 countries. You can get in on the Spanish-speaking action with this Jumpspeak Language App: Lifetime Subscription. Or opt for a one-year Jumpspeak subscription. Either one will help you learn Spanish in an intuitive way that will have you speaking in no time.

Apple chipmaker warns that supplies may be constrained into 2022

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chips
There's a big global chip shortage right now.
Photo: Intel

Apple’s A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) has warned that constrained chip supply will continue for the rest of this year and into 2022.

While it didn’t specifically mention Apple, it nonetheless admitted that capacity will remain “tight” for the immediate future. TSMC is currently gearing up to manufacture the A-series chips for Apple’s next-gen iPhone, set to debut in the fall. This will reportedly begin in May.

Earth Day Apple Pay promotion donates funds to conservation charity

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Apple Pay
Apple has long celebrated Earth Day.
Photo: Apple

Earth Day takes place on April 22 and, as it has for years, Apple has its own tie-in promotions ready to help publicize the annual event dedicated to environmental protection.

From today through Earth Day, Apple will donate $1 to Conservation International — up to a maximum of $1 million — for every Apple Pay transaction via Apple’s website, the Apple Store app, or in physical Apple Stores.

This app uses automation to create brilliant, eye-catching designs

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design
You don't need your own design team to create effective marketing materials.
Photo: RelayThat

Is your small business in need of a rebrand? Critical elements of design, like an eye-catching logo and professional-looking digital assets, are essential to your success. But as any budding entrepreneur knows, design can be expensive and time-consuming.

If you’re working with a limited budget but still require stunning materials, a lifetime subscription to the RelayThat Design App could be just what you need. It uses automation to help you develop incredibly creative marketing quickly and easily.

Skydance Animation produces sci-fi film Blush for Apple TV+

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Skydance Animation is producing ‘Blush’ for Apple TV+.
Skydance Animation produced Blush about a stranded astronaut meeting an ethereal visitor. Coming soon to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple and Skydance Animation teamed up to create Blush, a short film about a stranded astronaut. It’s written and directed by Joe Mateo, whose credits include Big Hero 6 and Prep & Landing.

The upcoming film is the first in a multiyear partnership to create animated movies and shows for Apple TV+.