Most of us can’t imagine what we would do without our trusty MacBook — it holds important work files, personal documents and fond memories. But with the threat of malware, spyware and a host of other menaces looming every time you connect to the internet, it’s worth investing in software that extends the longevity of your device.

Not only does Outbyte MacRepair scan your computer for security threats, but it also checks for performance issues, junk files and unused apps that clog up your valuable Mac storage space. Essentially, it optimizes your Mac’s performance.

When we published a Setups post with the headline “This desk has a minimalism level of over 9,000,” consultant Mike Leardo felt compelled to send in his own rig to show what peak minimalism really looks like.

You can’t get more minimalist than this — mouse, keyboard and screen.

Dark forces are on the rise and your quest is the defeat them with the power of… pinball. OK, high fantasy this is not. Instead, Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes fuses pinball and tower defense into a deliberately wacky game that launched Friday on Apple Arcade.

And the in-app purchases that plagued the original version are gone!

This week on The CultCast: Get your wallets ready, Apple reportedly has a mysterious hardware release planned for December 8! We discuss. Plus: The M1 Mac mini is an unstoppable monster, and we’ve got more insane benchmarks to drool over. Seriously, do not waste your money on anything but an M1 Mac.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

It’s going to be a long winter. If you’re planning to spend some time outside of your house, for essential errands or to get some fresh air, it’s important that you do everything you can to protect yourself and those in your household and community. Not only will these on-sale products keep you safe, but they’ll also give you peace of mind this holiday season and beyond.

Apple’s video streaming service is hitting the waves. It ordered a documentary series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the aspirations, failures and accomplishments of the world’s best surfers as they compete in the World Surf League championship.

Did you know that you can transfer your music from iPhone to HomePod — and vice-versa — in just a tap? It’s quick and simple and works amazingly well, and we’ll show you how to set it up.

Right from the start, the Apple Watch was all about personalization, thanks to interchangeable bands and watch faces. Now, Apple Watch owners enjoy even more options for making their wearables their own. To aid that quest for customization, we rounded up a bunch of brilliant Apple Watch accessories you can get right now, all for $35 or less.

You’ll find beautiful bands, brilliant bumpers and the coolest charging docks — all reviewed or approved by a member of the Cult of Mac team.

The Satechi USB-C Magnetic Wireless Charging Cable uses the magnets built into the iPhone 12 series to cling to the back of the handset, providing more reliable wireless charging.

That makes it similar to Apple’s MagSafe Charger. But Satechi’s cheaper alternative doesn’t offer faster powerups as Apple’s does.

Amazon is now offering the biggest discount we’ve seen so far on Powerbeats Pro. Pick up brand-new units for as little as $149.95 — a full $100 off the normal selling price — for a limited time only.

Apple TV+ steps up its nature doc game again with Earth at Night in Color. Exciting, beautiful and cute, the show is as easy to watch as it is cumbersome to say.

Narrated by Tom Hiddleston, the series looks at parts of the natural world previously only revealed in grainy and intense night vision. It’s as exciting and revealing as anyone could hope for.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on an Apple Car. But if you live in the United Kingdom, you can buy one. Right now. Today. Kind of.

According to Car Dealer Magazine, Apple is selling off some of its fleet of white Subaru Imprezas which have spent the past year driving around the U.K., collecting mapping data for Apple Maps’ “Look Around” feature.

There are plenty of reasons why you’d want to learn a new language. Maybe you’re planning a move, need to chat with your significant other’s parents, or want to open yourself up to new career opportunities.

Whatever your reason, there’s no need to take classes with an expensive tutor. These four incredible apps will help you learn the language(s) of your choice in record time. Plus, we’re offering these highly rated apps at their lowest prices all season. Be sure to snag these lifetime subscriptions while they’re still available.

Apple TV+ is getting into the holiday spirit with a number of family friendly new shows (and one beloved classic) arriving on the streaming service to kickstart the festive season.

The big two festive-themed debuts are the one-off Mariah Carey’s Magic Christmas Special (reviewed here) and the Apple TV+ debut of the 1965 animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. (The latter will also air on PBS and PBS Kids on Sunday, December 13.)

Apple TV+ continues its inspired streak of children’s fare with an adaptation of Jon J Muth’s Zen storytelling book series. Stillwater takes the central character from those books, a stoic and wise panda, and pits him against the foibles of three young kids.

Stillwater, which lands on Apple TV+ today, feels like a kind of classic PBS kids cartoon. It’s all about trying to prepare pipsqueaks for life’s disappointments by teaching them how to shift their perspective — and understand that some of life is beyond our control. There’s an awful lot to enjoy in this one.

The Federal Trade Commission is warning people that scammers are posing as Apple customer support workers in an attempt to defraud them. The agency shared a couple of recorded messages (which you can listen to here) that sound quasi-legitimate but are, in fact, trying to steal personal information.

In one message, the caller says they have detected suspicious activity in the recipient’s iCloud account. They suggest that the account has been breached and, to secure it, the person should speak to an Apple customer service representative. They then give the option to connect to such a person on the phone.

Let’s be honest, you already know whether you’re going to watch Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special on Apple TV+.

This isn’t an early Apple Silicon Mac where you need to read up on whether the transition to a new chip architecture has worked before making your purchasing decision. You either heard the words “Mariah” and “Christmas special” and thought “that’s an easy skip,” or immediately set about making space on your calendar to enjoy it in all its festive fierceness.

Nothing I write here is going to change your mind on either of these polarized takes. But, for the record, I enjoyed the show, which premiered today on Apple TV+.

Developers of iPhone applications that include in-app purchases and subscriptions can now make them part of Family Sharing. This allows a family to share an item or subscription — at the developer’s discretion.

This is already a feature of Apple’s own services. A family can share a subscription to Apple Arcade or Apple TV+, for example. With this change for third-party apps, the Family Sharing option should become more widely available.

Anthony Ivanovsky is a Toronto-based marketing expert and IT manager who has a knack for gadgets, both big and small. In his setup, an MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34-inch UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor immediately draws the eye. And at $500, it costs considerably less than other ultrawides on the market.

On the left-hand side of his desk, standing like a monument, is the commanding Mac Pro. He uses this beast of a machine for video editing, photo editing and for his day job working for a tech startup. Aside from the base Radeon 580X, he also has two additional Radeon VII graphic cards, which may seem like overkill until you learn that he also runs three different YouTube channels.

It’s almost the end of 2020 (hallelujah!) which means it’s time to start looking back at all the things you’ve enjoyed this year. All the vacations, parties, social events … okay, maybe not those things. But what about the music?

If you have Apple Music, it’s easy to check out all the artists, tracks, and albums you’ve enjoyed this year with your 2020 Replay mix. You can even see how long you’ve listened to your favorite artists and played your favorite albums. We’ll show you how!

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton collaborated on The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience, and now it’s being turned into an Apple TV+ docuseries hosted by the two.

There are no two things more chaotic in life than 1) a desk full of tangled wires and 2) a low iPhone battery. In fact, in a time-management study, 91% of people said they would be more efficient if their workspace was better organized.

Thankfully, you can organize your space and boost your productivity with this sleek Magnetic Power Tiles 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, on sale now for $39.99.

Some iPhone 12 users are reporting problems with either battery life or dropped calls. The difficulties aren’t happening to every user, but they seem to be fairly widespread.

There have been complaints about all four variations of the iPhone 12, not a specific model.

Pick up a brand-new sixth-generation iPod touch at its lowest price yet, thanks to big discounts from Woot. You can pick up a 32GB model for just $139.99 — its lowest price yet — for a limited time.

Bag yours before they’re all gone!

Apple reportedly warned authorized service providers that new products are coming the morning of Tuesday, December 8.  Among the possibilities are AirPods over-the-ear headphones and AirTags item-tracking tags. Or new Apple TV hardware.

This could be the Apple “Christmas Surprise” that had been predicted.