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AirTags and newly updated iPad Pro could be right around the corner

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AirTags and newly updated iPad Pro could be right around the corner
AirTags and the 2021 iPad Pro could launch together in only a few weeks.
Photo: Cut of Mac

Apple’s long-awaited AirTags personal item trackers might finally jump from rumor to reality. A reliable prognosticator says these accessories will reach customers in March.

And the same goes for an updated iPad Pro. Previous leaks also point to the tablet coming out before the end of Q1 2021.

It’s time for an iPad Pro Max for professional users

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iPad Pro Max: It’s time to take iPad to the next level
Apple has repeatedly increased the size of the iPad over the years. A 15-inch version is the logical next step.
Graphic Cult of Mac

While the iPad Pro serves as a primary computer for many people, the 12.9-inch version is simply too small. Apple needs to make a 15-inch iPad Pro Max to make the tablet truly useful for power users.

And a bigger screen is only the start. This version should include other top-tier features not found in Apple’s smaller tablets.

Losing Alice crawls toward a predictable conclusion [Apple TV+ review]

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Ayelet Zurer in Losing Alice
Ayelet Zurer plays Alice, and the audience is losing its patience.
Photo: Apple TV+

On this week’s episode of Losing Alice, the Apple TV+ limited series about a director matching wits with a hot young screenwriter, the titular filmmaker has a potential murderer on her hands. With her movie due to shoot any second, can Alice do the right thing and keep her job?

The bodies are piling up, and Alice is losing control of her star, her marriage, her movie and her life, just as the title implies. If only it were more exciting to watch.

UK government splashes out for 11,000 iPhone SE handsets

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Pandemic iPhone: The 2020 iPhone SE seems perfect for the times.
The 2020 iPhone SE seems perfect for the times.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The UK government’s Department for Work and Pensions is reportedly buying 11,000 iPhone SE handsets for use by employees.

The report claims that it is paying around (4.1 million British pounds) $5.7 million for the total quantity of 64GB handsets.

How much Steve Jobs’ Disney and Apple shares would be worth today

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How much would Steve Jobs be worth today?
Things would have been even better had Steve Jobs held onto his original Apple shares.
Photo: Jorge Palma Pastor/Flickr CC

One of the things that always surprised me was how, compared to some of his Silicon Valley peers, Steve Jobs’ net worth during his life paled in comparison to some of his contemporaries.

When Jobs died in late 2011, his net worth was reported as being $10.2 billion. That’s an enormous amount of money, but it was a drop in the ocean next to Bill Gates’ $56 billion that year, and less than Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s $19.8 billion apiece, Michael Dell’s $14.6 billion, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s $13.5 billion.

Had Jobs had the same share arrangement today, however, it would be a very different story.

Charge all your devices at once with this travel-friendly wireless power station

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This dock can power up your smartphone, airPods & apple watch all at the same time
This dock can power up your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch all at once.
Photo: Adam Elements

Nothing beats a clutter-free desk or nightstand and an arsenal of fully charged Apple gear. This Omnia Q3 3-in-1 wireless charging station will charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at the same time. Plus, it’s foldable, so you can take it with you wherever you go.

And, unlike some other chargers — we’re looking at you, Apple — this travel-friendly workhouse comes with its own 24-watt power adapter. It even packs international fittings so you can use it in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

App Store subscriptions boom in 2020, dwarfing Google Play

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App Store image
App Store continues to rake in money.
Photo: James Yarema/Unsplash CC

Subscription apps are thriving right now, and nowhere more so than on iOS. According to a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower, worldwide spending on the top 100 subscription apps on the App Store generated $10.3 billion in 2020.

That’s a massive 32% increase from the $7.8 billion spent in 2019. It’s also close to four times what Android apps in the Google Play store pulled in in 2020. (They earned just $2.7 billion.)

More than 100 million people apparently wear Apple Watches now

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Strapa band for Apple Watch
That's a whole lot of Apple Watches.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

More than 100 million people in the world now wear an Apple Watch, Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart claims.

Provided those numbers are accurate, that’s the equivalent of every single person in California, Texas and Florida, the three most populous U.S. states — and with a good few warehouses of Apple Watches left over.

Adonit Prime is a stylus fit for a king

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Adonit Prime is an iPad or iPhone stylus fit for a king
Dress to impress with the Adonit Prime iPad or iPhone stylus.
Photo: Adonit

The Adonit Prime is a stylus for the luxury shopper. There are versions for Apple tablets or iPhone, and both are made with premium materials.

With a price of $250, the Prime is for business professionals who want a digital stylus for the boardroom or office. A desktop charging stand both stores and shows off the accessory.

US lawmakers probe accuracy of App Store privacy ‘nutrition labels’

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Are Apple App Privacy labels correct enough to be useful?
Congress wants to know if Apple can confirm the accuracy of App Privacy labels like this one.
Photo: Cult of Mac

A U.S. House of Representatives committee sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a letter with questions about the App Privacy labels displayed in the App Store. The letter was prompted by a published report that many of these privacy “nutrition labels” contain incorrect information.

Explore the world of For All Mankind with AR app for Apple TV+ sci-fi series

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Tinker with virtual objects in a ‘ For All Mankind: Time Capsule’ augmented-relative application.
Objects from For All Mankind seemingly float in front of you with a new augmented realty application.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

Fans of the Apple TV+ sci-fi series For All Mankind can enjoy a free augmented-reality application that lets them virtually handle objects from the alternate-history show.

Season two — which premiers in February on Apple’s streaming service — begins about a decade after the events of season one. The For All Mankind: Time Capsule AR app helps bridge the gap.

Amazing AR concept shows a big, big future for MacBook displays

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An AR concept shows a MacBook with augmented-reality displays.
There’s no need to carry around extra screens for your MacBook if you have augmented reality.
Screenshot: Dominick Hofacker

Apple’s upcoming augmented-reality glasses could make additional MacBook screens unnecessary. An AR concept video shows how virtual displays could appear next to real ones, making the user more productive without having to carry around all that hardware.

Watch it now:

Need an AirPods upgrade? Turn your old buds into quick cash today

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AirPods-Pro-vs-AirPods
Get up to $75 for your old buds.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You can pick up new AirPods at pretty terrific prices right now, which means it’s a great time to upgrade if you’re still rocking Apple’s original wireless buds. And we can help make the upgrade even more affordable.

Sell your old AirPods to Cult of Mac today to turn them into quick cash that you can spend anywhere. We’ll tell you how.

Apple makes Safari’s Fraudulent Website Warning even more secure

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Safari Fraudulent Website Warning is an optional feature.
Safari’s anti-phishing tool is about to get even more secure.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Fraudulent Website Warning system built into Safari in the upcoming iOS 14.5 reportedly takes an additional step to protect your identity. Apple licenses the scam-prevention service from Google, and going forward will block that company from knowing users’ IP addresses through the use of a proxy server.

Working from home means building his setup on his terms [Setups]

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Wilcox's setup centers on a 27-inch 5K iMac with 28-inch Samsung monitors on either side of it.
David Wilcox's setup centers on a 27-inch 5K iMac with 28-inch Samsung monitors on either side of it.
Photo: David Wilcox

David Wilcox is an IT consultant working from home in Bristol, England. His remote work situation means he gets to tweak his setup just as he likes, he told Cult of Mac.

Wilcox’s central command is a 27-inch 5K iMac from 2019. Humming along with it are two 28-inch U2HE850 monitors paired and run together via a Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter.

With that much screen real estate and a plethora of networking gear, he gets a lot done.

“My first computer was a Sinclair [Research] ZX81,” he said, referring to a machine made by Timex Corp. in the United Kingdom starting in 1981. “So this setup is just about a home-computing Nirvana!”

Apple doubles Apple Music free trial for students in higher education

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Apple Music student deal
Apple Music
Photo: Apple

With the global pandemic causing many students to rely on remote learning, it’s not a great time to be in higher education. But there is one small bright spot: Cupertino just doubled the free trial period for Apple Music for students in select countries.

Instead of the standard three-month trial, students in higher education can now get six months before they must shell out a monthly fee. The extended trial, only available to new Apple Music customers, runs through April 30.

Apple sensors could help with noninvasive glucose monitoring

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Apple Watch Series 5 LTPO screen
New Apple Watch could have a game-changing new feature.
Screenshot: Apple

Patent applications published Thursday shed new light on Apple’s quest to create a noninvasive blood sugar sensor. Unconfirmed rumors point to the transformative medical feature arriving in this year’s Apple Watch upgrade. If true, it could offer diabetics and others a convenient way to accurately track blood glucose levels.

Get that new Mac feeling with a lifetime sub to this cleaner app

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This new mac cleaning app will reclaim free storage
This new Mac cleaning app frees up storage in a snap.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you spend so much time on your Mac, it’s inevitable that its performance can suffer. Rather than trying to manually delete files or tweak your system, give BuhoCleaner for Mac a try.

It can optimize your Mac’s performance — and we’ve got a hot deal on a lifetime subscription to BuhoCleaner’s family plan.

Apple TV+ wins rights to sci-fi movie about a robot’s murder trial

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Robot
New movie will tell the story of a robot assistant (not necessarily this one) that kills its owner.
Photo: Alex Knight/Unsplash CC

Apple reportedly acquired the rights to Dolly, a science fiction courtroom drama about a robot companion that kills its owner, then proclaims itself innocent and demands a court trial.

The movie is set to star Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women). No director has yet been attached.

Claire Danes replaces Keira Knightley in Apple TV+’s The Essex Serpent

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‘The Essex Serpent’ adapted for Apple TV+ starring Claire Danes
The Essex Serpent is coming to Apple TV+ in an adaptation starring Claire Danes.
Image: Serpent's Tail/Profile Books

Claire Danes will reportedly star in The Essex Serpent, a drama series about a 19th century widow who goes monster hunting. The show will be based on a popular novel.

Previously Keira Knightley was going to take the lead, but she bowed out of the project over COVID-related scheduling problems.

Cut down on desk clutter with this minimalist wireless charger

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These wireless charging docks will keep all of your devices powered up
These spiffy wireless charging docks will keep all of your devices powered up.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re going to be spending so much time at your desk doing remote work, you might as well set yourself up for success. One pro move is eliminating as much needless clutter as you can — and this Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone is a beautiful option.

It not only looks stylish and sleek, it keeps your phone effortlessly charged so you’re ready to use it at all times. And it comes in multiple configurations that can charge an Apple Watch and other devices, too.