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Convert any text to audio so you can listen instead of reading

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SpeakMe
With SpeakMe, you can turn any text into your own personal podcast.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

So much to do, so little time. These days, we’re expected to be more productive than ever thanks to technology. Unfortunately, that can leave you with more emails, news articles and company reports than you know what to do with — and that doesn’t even account for all the hobbies that keep you sane, like gardening or taking long walks.

Luckily, there’s SpeakMe. It’s an ingenious, easy-to-use Mac app that converts text to audio and exports those audio files into a shareable format.

Skydance Animation deal means lots of magic for Apple TV+

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‘Luck’ is coming to Apple TV+.
Luck, coming to Apple TV+, takes a trip to a world of good and bad luck to discover there are more powerful things than luck.
Photo: Apple/Skydance Animation

Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation inked a deal that will see two new movies and a series released on the streaming video service. The upcoming films for children are Luck and Spellbound. Plus, Apple signed up for two seasons of The Search for WondLa.

Brydge 10.2 Max+ rugged keyboard case adds large trackpad to budget iPad

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Brydge 10.2 Max+ is available for preorder now.
The Brydge 10.2 Max+ turns an iPad 8 into a detachable laptop/tablet.
Photo: Brydge

Brydge has a new feature-laden keyboard case for the low-cost 10.2-inch iPad. It brings a large trackpad to this tablet. And the Brydge 10.2 Max+ offers 4-foot MIL-STD drop protection thanks to a built-in Otterbox case.

This company’s keyboards for the iPad Pro are aimed at professionals. The newest one for the low-cost iPad seems to be for younger users.

College freshman sees upside of hunkering down in his parents’ house [Setups]

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Shad Ahmad's straightforward setup centers on a MacBook Pro and 32-inch monitor.
Shad Ahmad's straightforward setup centers on a MacBook Pro and 32-inch monitor.
Photo: Shahid Ahmad

Shad Ahmad was a hard-studying freshman majoring in biology and minoring in history at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Going home to continue classes for a semester remotely from his parents’ house in Wisconsin may not have been ideal, but Ahmad found a comforting upside. Integrated smart technology makes his life easier, he told Cult of Mac.

Blurry Billie Eilish doc comes into focus with new Apple TV+ promo

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Elish
Check out the bad guy in action.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple’s second trailer for its Apple TV+ Billie Eilish documentary, The World’s A Little Blurry, shows off a bit more of what fans can expect from the upcoming film.

The documentary, which Apple reportedly paid $25 million to acquire, will debut on Apple TV+ later this month, February 26. It features footage of Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, growing up, as well as recording some of their smash hits.

Check out the trailer below:

Master techniques to draw attention-grabbing comics

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This bundle will help you grow your artistic foundation
With these courses in comic book drawing, even beginners can whip up amazing art.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to take your art and design skills in an unexpected direction? You can learn to create characters of all sorts with The Learn to Draw Comic Book Characters Bundle.

Whether you already love to draw, or always wished you could, these courses will show you traditional and creative ways to render your vision. With lifetime access to the coursework, you can learn at your own pace. But you’d better jump on this deal right now if you want to take advantage of a massive 97% price cut on the four-course bundle.

Warren Buffett’s firm unloads 57 million Apple shares

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Buffett
Warren Buffett is one of Apple's biggest cheerleaders.
Photo: CNBC

Berkshire Hathaway — the investment firm belonging to Warren Buffett, one of Apple’s biggest cheerleaders in recent years — reduced its stake in the Cupertino tech giant last quarter.

According to a regulatory filing made this week, in Q4 2020, Berkshire Hathaway cut 6% of its Apple shares. By contrast it kept its Amazon shares steady, while growing its stake in T-Mobile by a massive 117%.

Epic takes its Fortnite beef with Apple to European regulators

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Epic Games mocked Apple with a ‘1984’ parody.
The battle continues.
Screenshot: Epic Games

The battle between Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games continues as Epic is appealing to European Union antitrust regulators to take action, Reuters reports Wednesday.

The report notes that Epic is turning to Europe after “failing to make headway” in the United States. The EU already has multiple antitrust investigations ongoing involving Apple. These concern the App Store and Apple Pay, both of which they are concerned show Apple abusing its marketplace position.

Apple pays out $163 million in ‘unmatched’ royalties for Apple Music

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Apple Music TV
These royalties are for historical payments to artists whose information was harder to find.
Photo: Apple

Apple has paid out a massive $163,338,890 in “accrued historical unmatched royalties” for Apple Music. That’s more than any other streaming music service, including Spotify, which currently leads the overall global market share.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective received a total of $424.3 million in these historical royalties. Variety notes this means some songwriters and publishers will receive a big “windfall.”

CoverBuddy protects iPad Pro, plays nice with Magic Keyboard [Review]

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SwitchEasy CoverBuddy review
SwitchEasy CoverBuddy adds extra protection for iPads that are used with Apple’s clip-on keyboards.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Apple Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard for iPad are amazing but they prevent putting the tablet into most cases, so it has to be “naked” when not clipped to the keyboard. That’s no problem for the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy, a protective case that Apple’s clip-on keyboards can work right through.

Access more than 100,000 high-quality stock photos and 3D objects with this app

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Stock Photos
Get the eye-catching photos you need for your projects.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When it comes to stock photography, you can never have too many options — or too big of a budget. If you need a steady supply of high-quality images for your website or promotional materials, but don’t want to break the bank on costly single shots, this Icons8 subscription will give you the eye-popping visuals you need.

This discounted one-year plan lets you choose from more than 100,000 stock photos, 3D-rendered objects and backgrounds that will make your project(s) look totally pro. It also comes with easy-to-use software that lets you tweak and combine images to your heart’s content. And it works on Mac and iOS (as well as Windows and Android).

Mac fan transforms 1997 Toshiba Libretto into tiny Hackintosh

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Libretto
The Apple portable that never was.
Photo: Action Retro

Long before we all started carrying around powerful computers in our pockets, there was the tiny Toshiba Libretto. A game-changing device when it arrived in the 1990s, the Libretto downsized the entire Windows PC experience into a subnotebook the size of a paperback.

As the world’s smallest commercially available Windows PC, it certainly proved revolutionary. The only problem is the Libretto was … well, a Windows PC.

YouTuber Action Retro recently set out to right that wrong with an awesome Hackintosh project. After transforming the diminutive Libretto into a miniature Mac, he spoke with Cult of Mac about the experience (and his love of vintage Macs).

How to use Mobility Metrics in iOS 14

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New mobility metrics in the iOS Health app provide essential data on how you’re walking.
New mobility metrics in the iOS Health app provide essential data on how you’re walking.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The new Mobility Metrics feature that Apple added in iOS 14 offers important insights into your health and fitness. Using its built-in sensors and some extremely smart software, the iPhone in your hip pocket captures data and analyzes how you walk at all times. Then, the Health app serves up seven key measurements that provide an overall picture of your strength, coordination and cardiovascular health.

Even if you don’t experience any mobility difficulties, you might still be interested to see what these new stats reveal about the way you walk.

Instagram content creator pictures setup perfection [Setups]

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Instagram content creator Matt Tran runs his MacBook Pro with an ultrawide screen and a portable one for different reasons.
Instagram content creator Matt Tran runs his MacBook Pro with an ultrawide screen and a portable one for different reasons.
Photo: Matt - Instagram @nvzion

Austin, Texas-based photographer Matt Tran initially built his impressive setup to share his pics on Instagram, and you can certainly see a lot of them there. But now he uses his workstation, centered on a MacBook Pro and two monitors of vastly different sizes, to film and edit videos.

“I like having the 38-inch [LG] ultrawide to view the timeline on Final Cut Pro and the smaller, 15.6-inch Desklab portable monitor to review the footage,” he told Cult of Mac.

Microsoft’s unified Office app finally lands on iPad

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Microsoft Office iPad
It only took a year after its iPhone debut.
Photo: Apple

Almost exactly one year after it arrived on iPhone, Microsoft’s unified Office app is now finally available for iPad. The app combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in one single package.

That means that all your documents are in one place, and you don’t need to switch between apps depending on whether you’re editing a text document or using a spreadsheet.

Save 68% on Adobe Photoshop Elements for Mac and PC

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Photoshop Elements for Mac
Now just $39.99 for a limited time.
Photo: Adobe

Get your hands on Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020, the most powerful image editing software for Mac and PC, at 68% off its usual price. The deal brings the cost of the full application down to just $39.99 — the lowest we’ve seen anywhere for this release — from the usual $99.99.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp for Black founders and devs combats opportunity barriers

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Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers
This is Apple’s first-ever Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Tuesday revealed the 13 app companies that will take part in its first Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers.

The company called the program part of its “ongoing commitment to empower the Black community and dismantle barriers to opportunity.”

Master iPhone photography with top-rated instructor Phil Ebiner

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Learn how to take beautiful and professional-looking photos using just your iPhone with this photography course.
Find out how to take better photos with your iPhone.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The iPhone proved you don’t need an expensive DSLR camera to take professional-looking photos. But are you really capturing the best images possible with your phone? Learn how to take stunning iPhone photos with the extensive pro tips in this mobile photography course by Phil Ebiner.

Apple fixes macOS Big Sur installer bug that could result in data loss

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With macOS Big Sur, Apple takes things to the next level.
Big Sur issue trapped some users in a never-ending install loop.
Photo: Apple

Apple fixed a bug in the macOS Big Sur installer that could result in data loss and a perpetual install loops for unlucky users.

The macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 fix, released Monday, causes Macs to carry out checks to see if users have enough free space for installation prior to updating their systems.

Prop up your MacBook for easier typing with the ParcSlope [Review]

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Twelve South ParcSlope review
Twelve South ParcSlope securely supports an Apple laptop or tablet.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Tilting up the base of your MacBook makes it easier to type. And it elevates the screen to be nearer eye level. The Twelve South ParcSlope is a simple, sturdy laptop stand that offers both benefits. And you can use it with your iPad, too.

I used the ParcSlope for several days to see how well it performed in real-world use. Read on to see what I found out.

Rip your favorite DVDs to play on your Apple devices

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This Mac app will allow you to rip your favorite DVDs on your apple devices
Don't let your DVD collection languish. Rip those vids so they'll play on your iOS devices!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you want to convert your DVDs to videos you can watch on your iPad or iPhone, MacX DVD Ripper Pro can handle the task. Rather than letting your DVDs collect dust, use this helpful Mac app to convert all your favorite movies, TV shows and music to a format compatible with your Apple gear.

That means you won’t need to buy an additional digital copy to enjoy your favorite content on your favorite devices.

watchOS 7.3.1 repairs serious Apple Watch charging problem

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watchOS 7.3.1 squashes a bug inApple Watch’s Power Reserve feature.
Power Reserve reduces drain on your Apple Watch’s battery. But there’s a bug.
Photo: Cult of Mac

To prevent your Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE from refusing to charge when it’s in Power Reserve, you need watchOS 7.3.1. Apple rushed this update out on Monday specifically to fix this bug.

Any Apple Watch hit with this bug drains until it’s dead, and can‘t be recharged. But Apple will repair the affected devices at no cost.