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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+.

Active 2.0 band makes Apple Watch the perfect workout partner

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Active 2.0 band for Apple Watch
Comfortable, durable, good-looking.
Photo: Laut

Apple Watch can be the perfect workout partner, but only if it’s comfortable to wear during even the most strenuous activities. That’s why Laut designed the ultra-comfortable Active 2.0 sports band.

Made from a bespoke rubber compound developed specifically for active lifestyles, the Active 2.0 is lightweight, incredibly durable, and feels great no matter what you get up to. It’s also sweat-resistant.

Get yours in one of a number of vibrant color options for under $30.

Run Windows 10 with great performance on Apple Silicon Macs with Parallels Desktop

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Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac with M1 support now available.
Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac lets you have the best of both words: macOS and Windows.
Photo: Parallels

Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac debuted Wednesday, bringing full native support for computers with Apple Silicon. It allows users to run Windows 10 ARM Insider Preview and its applications on Macs with an Apple M1 processor.

Running a virtual version of Windows 10 on Apple Silicon is up to 30% faster than in an Intel-based Mac, according to Parallels. And it uses 2.5x less power.

Mac mini M1 forces 2020 MacBook Pro into early retirement [Setups]

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Two smart monitors with matching light bars easily run off a Mac mini M1.
Two smart monitors with matching light bars easily run off a Mac mini M1.
Photo: TimTheEnchanterz@Reddit

You see it every year. Accomplished, vibrant computers that still have a lot to offer are cast aside in favor of hard-charging young upstarts more than willing to take somebody’s job.

In the case of React developer TimTheEnchanterz (on Reddit), a MacBook Pro from just last year lost its job to a bright new Mac mini M1 boasting 16GB of unified memory and effortless connection to two external displays.

Such a shame. It’s not clear from the post, but the poor 2020 MBP probably had to shuffle off in search of a new taskmaster on r/hardwareswap, eBay or — say it ain’t so — Craigslist.

Seattle study will loan participants Apple Watch to see if it can help predict COVID

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Apple Watch Series 6
This could prove to be a game-changer for Apple Watch capabilities.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Can the iPhone and Apple Watch help predict illnesses like COVID-19? That’s the question being asked by researchers from Apple, the Seattle Flu Study, and the University of Washington — and you can help them answer it. And get loaned an Apple Watch for the duration of the six-month study for your troubles.

The study is currently recruiting for participants who live in the greater Seattle area. Participants must have “higher than normal risk of respiratory illness because of frequent exposure to other people through work or other activities, health conditions, or other factors.”

Leaked image suggests this year’s iPhone will shrink the notch

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This concept image shows how the iPhone 13 notch might shrink.
The notch was introduced in 2017 with the iPhone X.
Artists concept: Cult of Mac

This year’s iPhone notch looks set to get a bit smaller, with the latest evidence for this being an image posted to Twitter by user DuanRui, who frequently posts material shared on Chinese social media.

While not guaranteed to be genuine, the image does depict an iPhone display with slimmer — in width, not height — notch. Apple introduced the distinctive iPhone notch in 2017 with the iPhone X’s edge-to-edge display. It contains the Face ID sensing tech, front camera, and speaker.

Get 3 apps and subscriptions, including a year of PlayStation Plus, for $69

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Playstation Plus
This heavily discounted bundle gives you entertainment, learning and security.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Sony fans know that one year of Playstation Plus costs $59.99. But what if you could get that and a lifetime of e-learning and VPN protection for an additional $9?

That’s right: For just $69, you can score a year of Playstation Plus, a lifetime subscription to StackSkills Unlimited, and a lifetime subscription to KeepSolid VPN for up to five devices. With these three subscriptions, you can play, learn and safely surf the web for an unbelievable 96% discount.

Apple still the biggest tech giant, but it’s Big Tech’s worst performer of 2021 so far

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Apple.logo.paris.store
The stock market is kinda weird.
Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac

Apple’s market cap has climbed more than $13 billion this year alone, equal to the company’s entire net worth in mid-2004. But that’s still enough to make it an underperformer next to its tech titan peers.

In a Wednesday report, the Wall Street Journal notes that Apple has risen 1.3% in 2021 so far. That’s compared to an average of 16% for Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Google parent company Alphabet. It’s also way less than the 81% Apple soared in 2020.

Under-display Face ID could eliminate iPhone’s notch in 2023

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Face ID
Ready for the next iteration of Face ID?
Photo: Apple

Apple will debut an under-display Face ID setup to debut in 2023, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a Wednesday report to clients, seen by Cult of Mac.

Kuo doesn’t elaborate on the feature but, provided he’s accurate, this could potentially mean the end of the “notch” which has been a part of the iPhone design dating back to 2017’s iPhone X.

2021 could mark end of the road for iPhone mini

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iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 mini was a great phone. Trouble is that it didn't sell.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

The iPhone mini looks unlikely to last longer than one more generation, based on a Wednesday report from a reliable Apple tipster.

Looking forward to the 2022 iPhone, TFI International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple will continue its recent pattern of releasing four models. However, these will include higher-end 6.7-inch and 6.1-inch iPhones like the current Pro lineup, and lower-end models in the same sizes.

The 5.4-inch iPhone mini sounds like it’ll be nowhere to be found.

This silicone case ‘fixes’ Apple TV’s accursed Siri Remote [Review]

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With the Elago R4 Retro silicone case, you can say goodbye to losing your Apple TV Siri Remote.
Say goodbye to losing your Apple TV Siri Remote.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

In pictures, the Apple TV’s sleek Siri Remote looks like a total winner. In practice, it’s a bit of a disaster. Luckily, the fix is in: Elago’s inexpensive R4 Retro case makes the Siri Remote easier to use and harder to lose.

Plus, the silicone sleeve looks sporty and provides some protection to the surprisingly fragile Apple TV remote.

Save $10 on this magnetic, dual-surface wireless charger for Apple devices

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wireless charger
Power up two devices at once, either at home or on the go.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the irritating things about many wireless chargers is that despite cutting out the bulkiness of a cord or clunky wall unit, they wind up being heavy, cumbersome or ineffective at charging. What’s the point of having a wireless charger if it can’t work the way you intended it to? Luckily, this Dual Magnetic Wireless Charger is powerful yet sleek enough to make the perfect companion to your Apple devices. And it’s especially useful if you grabbed the latest iPhone or use AirPods Pro.

‘Definitive’ Louis Armstrong documentary trumpets toward Apple TV+

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‘Definitive’ Louis Armstrong documentary trumpets toward Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will release Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, giving an in-depth look at the musician’s life and legacy.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s streaming service green lit Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong. The documentary film promises a “definitive” look at the musician’s life and legacy built on the filmmakers’ access to never-before-seen materials.

It’ll be the latest production of Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, along with Apple Original Films.

Olpr case protects your iPhone with the luscious leather it deserves

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Olpr leather case for iPhone
It's a lot more affordable than Apple's.
Photo: Olpr

When it comes to protecting your precious iPhone, you may choose not to cheapen its premium design with tacky plastics and subpar silicone. You may instead choose to wrap it in the luscious leather it deserves.

Olpr can help. Its high-end, handmade iPhone 12 case is made almost entirely from genuine leather that’s combined with a microfiber lining. The end result offers impressive protection and sweet sophistication.

Oh, it’s also more affordable than Apple’s own Leather Case for iPhone.