It’s officially Apple hardware season. With new gear coming as early as next week, the rumors and leaks are coming in fast and furious. Read the latest to get an idea what to expect in the near future from iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV and maybe even some high-end Apple headphones.

Get those rumors, plus the rest of the week’s top Apple news, how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it to read for free on your iPad or iPhone. Or scroll below to get the headlines in your browser.

This VPN post is presented by Surfshark.

Humans use the internet for almost everything. That’s hardly a revolutionary statement, but it’s crucial to keep in mind. From theater tickets to bank accounts, if we can have it all on one handheld device, why not do it? It’s convenient and easy.

But with that convenience comes risks. Typically, humans adapt to new technology — but so do criminals, shady corporations and marketing agencies looking to profit off as many internet users as possible.

That’s why virtual private networks (VPNs) have become popular. While the internet security product was initially created for corporations to protect their assets, demand eventually grew for everyday internet users. The market is ever-growing, and there’s a VPN for everyone, whether you want a free or a premium product. One of the top-rated and affordable options is Surfshark — a humanized VPN for anyone and everyone.

This year, fewer of us will spend Labor Day weekend at the beach or on a road trip. Luckily, it’s still a good time for retail therapy.

So, how about some instant gratification? We’ve got fantastic deals on great Mac and iPhone apps that will really make your day. Plus, that instant gratification will last forever: Our deep discounts apply to lifetime subscriptions on these life-changing apps.

Duncan Schultz, a government official from the land down under, started working from his home in Brisbane earlier this year. It turned out to be a great opportunity to upgrade his setup. He got rid of his 2015 iMac and instead bought himself a 2020 Mac mini and decided to experiment. He specced out his Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. He wanted plenty of screen real estate without having two screens. So he connected it to a Samsung 43-inch 4K Smart TV and is not looking back.

Apple TV+ took over the Apple.com home page on Friday. And the company also released a lengthy video about a game recently added to Apple Arcade. These Apple services are seen as increasingly important to its bottom line. And the company is using new ways to advertise them.

Are you sick of Siri on Apple Watch butting into your conversations? Prevent it by customizing the way Siri works, or by disabling it altogether. It’s easy to do and it fixes one of Apple Watch’s biggest annoyances.

We’ll show you how.

Add a second screen to your mobile office setup with $70 off this excellent portable monitor from Lepow. It boasts a 15.6-inch display with a 1080p resolution, plus HDMI and USB-C connectivity.

The monitor is highly rated by Amazon customers, and now available at one of its lowest prices to date. The discount is good for a limited time only, though, so you’ll need to act fast.

Apple’s new statement on “Our Commitment to Human Rights” promises the company will make devices that respect human rights, including freedom of speech. But the company will also follow national laws.

Just-released World’s End Club happily mixes genres. It’s a side-scroller puzzle-action game and a story-adventure game… all at the same time.

The action starts when a group of Japanese school kids find themselves in a long-abandoned amusement park under the ocean. It just gets weirder from there.

Some iPhone owners are refusing to install Apple’s latest software update for fear of being tracked. iOS 13.7, which Apple released Tuesday, makes COVID-19 contact tracing easier for government health agencies to implement — but some people claim its true purpose is more sinister.

“Another step towards a totally surveillanced state,” said one iPhone user on Twitter — and many others continue to voice similar complaints and fears.

Facebook is rolling out new message-forwarding limits in an effort to cut down on the spread of misinformation.

A similar version of the feature, which ensures messages can be forwarded to only five people or groups at a time, is already available inside WhatsApp — another Facebook service.

Apple is supposedly prepping an iPhone with a screen that’s just 5.4 inches. A concept artist created a video that effectively demonstrates exactly how small that “iPhone 12 mini” will be.

Watch it now to see the rumored handset absolutely dwarfed by a 2020 iPhone SE.

Justin Tse is a video editor and popular tech YouTuber. As a video editor having plenty of screen space is paramount. That is why he uses a LG 5K2K 34-inch UltraWide Monitor. Since switching to the UltraWide he says he can’t go back.

Running the UltraWide is a 15-inch 2019 MacBook Pro. His MacBook is specced with maxed-out graphics and 32GB of RAM. Since he has a lot on his plate, the MacBook is great for mobility so he can work on the go.

The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual is a deskto drive that offers up to 32 TB of storage capacity, and can transfer data at up to 1250 MBps.

Plus, there’s a 3-port USB-C hub built in, allowing the external drive to be part of a home office or small business.

Everyone should use an iPhone case, and practically everyone needs to carry a wallet. Consider combining those two necessities with the Mujjo Leather Wallet Case. Updated for the iPhone 11 series, it remains just as beautifully slim-but-practical as its predecessors.

I’ve used this wallet case for weeks. Learn how well it survived daily use in my full review.

Apple pushed back the release of a major privacy change previously coming in iOS 14. It would have required each iPhone application to specifically ask if it can track the user for advertising purposes.

Most people are expected to deny access, which would shake up the advertising business.

People don’t walk around announcing their recent purchases to strangers. Or yell out to the whole office what they think of their coworkers. Or reveal where they live to people on the street. But they do violate their own privacy in a new Apple video, created to point out that owning a rival smartphone is the digital equivalent of oversharing.

Watch it now:

Those who plan to upgrade to iPhone 12 for its 5G connectivity may need to be careful about which variant they choose this fall. A new report claims only one will offer the fastest 5G technology.

While all iPhone 12 units are said to feature Sub-6 5G capabilities, one source claims you’ll need to opt for the largest, most expensive model to also enjoy faster mmWave 5G.

New photos reveal an original Apple Watch prototype apparently used for internal testing before the wearable made its official debut in 2015.

The device is protected by a security case, which looks a little like an iPod nano, to disguise it during transportation. It also comes in a brown cardboard box marked “Apple Confidential.”

Lots of people are doing a lot more reading these days. That’s good for the mind and the soul, but it can also mean realizing that your reading skills haven’t improved much since high school. This Mac app delivers tech tools, exercises and expert guidance so you can get the most out of each page.

If you plan to connect any peripherals to your MacBook or iPad Pro, you’ll likely need a decent USB-C hub. This highly rated, 7-in-1 solution from Anker is ideal — and it’s now 25% cheaper for a limited time.

It supports traditional USB-A devices, external monitors, SD cards and more. It’s the only USB-C hub most users will ever need.

Apple on Thursday confirmed plans to expand its renewable energy footprint in Europe. Cupertino will invest in the world’s largest onshore wind turbines in Denmark and in new clean energy efforts in Germany.

The moves are part of Apple’s plan, announced last month, to become carbon neutral across its entire business and supply chain.

Mark Spurrell is a Canadian tech YouTuber who knows a thing or two about building productive setups. His rig is geared toward getting things done. The mainstay is a 2020 27-inch iMac, a total workhorse of a machine.

He uses a sit-stand SmartDesk 2 by Autonomous. This desk is awesome for long grinds, because when he is bored of sitting, he can get new scenery with the click of a button. When he does sit down, he sits in a Kinn Chair, also made by Autonomous. This chair is basically an adapted Herman Miller Embody, the gold-standard of ergonomic office chairs. But at $419, it costs less than a third of the price.

Your iPhone is already one of the most useful things you own, but it can do even more if you hook it to a large second screen. Making the connection simply requires an adapter, and doing so opens up quite a few entertainment — and even some productivity — options.

iOS and iPhone are surprisingly powerful, and are being held back by the small display. Here’s what you get with a bigger one.

It will soon be possible for developers to give out codes to customers that bring discounts on subscription fees for software or services in the Apple App Store. The goal is to help app creators “acquire, retain, and win back subscribers” with these one-time use codes that people can then easily redeem, according to Apple.