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Kick-start your fitness goals in 2021 with more than 90% off this top-rated app

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Put Your Apple Watch to work with this fitness app
Fire up your Apple gear and achieve your fitness goals this year.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Ready to start the new year with a new workout regime? This top-rated fitness app is the easiest way to reach your goals — and right now, a one-year subscription to BetterMe Home Workout & Diet is on sale for just $15.99 with coupon code HOLIDAY20.

That code also gives you 20% off the Cult of Mac store, site-wide, to ring in the new year. Yes, that’s even on top of sale prices.

Get 7 of the best digital skills courses of 2020, for up to 98% off right now

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Here's 7 of the best online courses of 2020
Get some serious tech skills with one or more of these discounted educational bundles.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

What better way to round out the old year and kick-start the new one than by learning a new skill from home, in your own time? From Google Analytics to coding and app development, we selected some of the top-rated online courses of 2020 to level up your personal and professional skills.

Even better, all of these e-learning courses are on sale, with amazing discounts of up to 98% off right now.

Apple can take years to part ways with rule-breaking suppliers, report claims

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Apple's relationship with Foxconn on the rocks
Tim Cook meeting with a worker in the supply chain.
Photo: Apple

Apple can reportedly drag its feet when removing repeat labor violation offenders from its supply chain, a new report from The Information claims.

Cupertino supposedly postpones taking action when it has no other companies lined up to pick up the slack, or in other scenarios that would cause financial damage due to delays or higher costs.

Privacy-focused Brave browser adds native support for Apple Silicon

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Brave
Brave is a speedy browser with a focus on privacy.
Photo: Brave

Brave, a privacy-oriented, Chromium-based web browser, has been updated to add native Apple Silicon support for first-gen M1 Macs.

Brave’s big claim to fame is that it blocks ads and website trackers by default. It also lets users compensate creators by sending them cryptocurrency contributions, called Basic Attention Tokens.

Apple removes massive 39,000 games from App Store in China

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App Store image
All but 74 of the top 1,500 games vanished.
Photo: James Yarema/Unsplash CC

The App Store in China had its biggest single-day removal of apps ever — with a massive 39,000 games given the boot by Apple on Thursday alone. This is as a result of Chinese laws stating that all game publishers must obtain a special license in order to distribute their titles.

According to research firm Qimai, only 74 of the top 1,500 games in the App Store survived the massive app bloodbath. Major titles that vanished included the likes of Assassin’s Creed Identity and NBA 2K20.

App Store spending booms on Christmas Day in Europe

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TikTok continues to dominate the App Store in 2020.
The App Store had a great day December 25.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

For many people, Christmas was a bit more of a subdued affair in 2020 than in other years. But things were far from subdued in the App Store. According to new figures published by Sensor Tower, spending on mobile apps hit a big high point on Christmas Day in Europe.

The iOS App Store accounted for 60% of total app spending, adding up to almost $32.7 million on Christmas Day alone. That’s a massive 39% increase year-over-year. Android, by comparison, rose 17.4% year-over-year to hit $22 million on December 25.

Max Stand adds wireless charging to AirPods Max

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AirPods Max and Max Stand go great together.
Max Stand seems like something Apple should have thought of itself.
Photo: Floating Pixels

A small German design studio dreamed up an improvement to AirPods Max. The Max Stand from Floating Pixels holds Apple’s new over-the-ears headphones upright, making them easy to pick up and use. And it adds wireless charging, rather than requiring users to plug in a cable.

New features that absolutely should be in iPadOS 15 [Opinion]

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iPadOS 14 is good but iPadOS 15 just needs some new features to even better.
It’s not too soon to start an iPadOS 15 wishlist.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s developers are surely already thinking about iPadOS 15, and will almost certainly unveil it in June 2021. Considering iPadOS 14 was thin on exciting new features, it’s easy to look ahead. Here are some suggestions from a heavy iPad user of what the devs should have on their to-do list.

Make your way toward financial freedom with this $16 course bundle

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Financial Freedom has never been more important
Kick-start your quest for financial freedom with The 2021 Master Your Finances Bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The pandemic made many of us question our financial stability in 2020. Millions of people lost their jobs, and many more are just barely hanging on as we face a winter surge of COVID-19 infections. Thankfully, the vaccine is finally being distributed, and economic recovery may be just beyond the horizon.

Innovative Apple Watch band lets runners monitor speed and heart rate at a glance [Review]

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EdgeGear Shift review: Seeing your Apple Watch while jogging is far easier with this Apple Watch band for runners.
Seeing your Apple Watch while running is far easier with the EdgeGear Shift.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The design of the wristwatch hasn’t changed in over 100 years, but EdgeGear has an alternative that makes it easier for runners to see their Apple Watch while on the go. The Shift is not like any band you’ve worn before, as the Watch is held near the base of your thumb, not in the middle of your wrist.

I took the EdgeGear Shift on a few runs, and can report on how it performed in the real world.

How to change Apple Watch app layout to a handy list [Pro tip]

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Change Apple Watch app layout from honeycomb grid to list view.
Get ready to say goodbye to the honeycomb app grid.
Photo: Daniel Cañibano/Unsplash CC

Pro-tip-4 By this point, the honeycomb app grid that debuted with the original Apple Watch must have fueled millions of frustrated app hunts.

That swirling sea of apps certainly looked innovative and magical during Apple’s demo in 2014. Apple called the unique interface “fluid and vital,” but in practice, the honeycomb grid often makes it difficult to find the particular app you want.

Luckily, Apple gave you another option. These days, there’s no need to suffer through the search for the app you want. You can easily switch to an alphabetical list view that makes it much easier to find Apple Watch apps.

Latest Apple Pay offer grants 20% off Grubhub orders

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Apple Pay Grubhub
It's not quite a New Year party, but it's not bad.
Photo: Apple

For obvious reasons, New Year’s Eve plans aren’t quite what they normally are in 2020. But thanks to a new Apple Pay offer, at least you can get 20% off a food delivery from Grubhub.

Provided that you pay using Apple’s payment platform, that is.

Go from zero experience to photography master with this $40 training

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Kick off 2021 learning an impactful fun skill
Take your photo skills to the next level with these expert courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A lot of us promised ourselves that we would pick up a new skill before the end of the year, but 2020 is just about over, and you might feel like your time has been wasted. Luckily, the calendar doesn’t determine when it’s time to learn something — you do.

There are plenty of resources on the internet that will help you learn new skills, whether it’s how to build apps or taking gorgeous photos.

Mario Kart Tour bids farewell to 2020 with its last update of the year

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Mario Kart Tour
Bidding farewell to a terrible year!
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour is so over 2020, and ready to take on the nothing-can-possibly-go-wrong utopia that is 2021.

With that subtext, the popular Nintendo racing game has released its last update of the year, kicking off the New Year’s 2021 Tour. This tour, which runs through January 12 or 13 (timezone depending), features a plethora of new tracks.

Check out the trailer below.

MacBook shipments could jump to more than 17 million in 2021

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MacBook Air M1 2020
MacBooks are in for a good year in 2021.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

It’s more than 10 years since technology writer Nicholas Carr proclaimed the personal computer dead. But don’t tell Apple — since a new report claims that global MacBook shipments are set to skyrocket next year.

According to data from Finaria, global MacBook shipments are expected to hit 17.1 million units in 2021. That’s a 10% year-on-year increase. The firm claims that global MacBook shipments are likely to hit 15.5 million units this year, a 23% leap during the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple boots secret partying app from the App Store

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Vybe Together
No longer to be found in the App Store.
Photo: Vybe Together

Apple has booted an app from the App Store accused of helping promote secret indoor parties during COVID-19 lockdowns.

The Vybe Together app was connected with a TikTok account (also removed) that promoted New York-area parties. While its creators claim that they weren’t encouraging law-breaking behavior, clearly both Apple and TikTok disagreed.

AirPods Max condensation makes some owners sweat

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AirPods Max users complain of condensation inside headphones: Water collected inside one user’s AirPods Max ear cups after really extended wearing.
Water collected inside these AirPods Max ear cups after extended use.
Photo: Donald Filimon

Apple’s AirPods Max headphones are drawing complaints from some users after drops of water formed inside the earpads after extended use. Condensation is not an uncommon problem with over-the-ear headphones, though the metal ear cups and tight fit of the Apple version might increase the amount.

Track your fat, body mass and hydration levels with this $95 Apple Watch strap

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This Smart Strap is the perfect companion for your Apple Watch
The Aura Smart Strap is the perfect companion for your Apple Watch.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you received a brand-new Apple Watch this holiday season, you’re in luck! There are a ton of third-party accessories on the market, from fashionable watch straps to sleek charging stands.

Some, like this nifty Aura Smart Strap, give your Apple Watch additional functionality that complements its fitness-tracking capabilities. Normally retailing for $118.99, you can get an Aura Smart Strap for just $95.19 using coupon code HOLIDAY20 at checkout.

iPhone utterly dominates Christmas phone activations

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iPhone 12 packaging
Lots of iPhone activations show that Apple handsets were the most popular to gave and receive this Christmas.
Photo: Apple

Nine of the top ten handsets activated on Christmas Day in the U.S. were iPhones, according to a market-analysis firm. Only a single Android slipped onto the list… and in last place.

But it’s not Apple’s newest that dominated holiday sales. Older, more affordable models were the top sellers.

Another company in iPhone supply chain faces accusations of using forced labor

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iPhone 12 box
Lens Technology makes glass used in the iPhone.
Photo: Marco Verch/Flickr CC

Lens Technology, a Chinese company that makes glass for the iPhone, has allegedly made use of Uighur Muslim forced labor, according to a Tuesday report in The Washington Post.

Documents about the use of alleged forced labor were discovered by the Tech Transparency Project. The research organization detailed how “thousands of Uighur workers from the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang were sent to work for Lens Technology.”