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Save a sweet 20% on Apple Magic Keyboard for Mac

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Apple keyboard savings
Don’t pay full price for an Apple Magic Keyboard.
Image: Cult of Mac

This Apple Magic Keyboard deal means you there’s no reason to use an old-fashioned wired keyboard with your Mac. Not when you can get an Apple Magic Keyboard on sale for 20% off, and say goodbye to cables.

Or maybe you’re using a third-party keyboard you don’t like. Perhaps your Apple keyboard is close to wearing out. Whatever the reason, get a new one at a welcome discount.

Can you use a big OLED TV as a MacBook monitor? Heck yes! [Setups]

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OLED smart TV
Which do you want more, that OLED smart TV display or the wallpaper on it?
Photo: [email protected]

Everybody loves a big, beautiful external display in a computer setup — and this LG OLED TV monitor is a great way to go. Today’s setup is built around a 42-inch LG OLED TV plugged into a MacBook Pro.

Also: See if you can guess what the cool-looking desktop wallpaper showing on the display pictures. Answer below.

Today in Apple history: Mac Color Classic ditches monochrome

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The Macintosh Color Classic is the Mac everybody had been waiting for.
The Macintosh Color Classic was the Mac the world had been waiting for.
Photo: Chung Chu/Flickr CC

February 10: Today in Apple history: Macintosh Color Classic ditches monochrome February 10, 1993: Apple launches the Macintosh Color Classic, the company’s first compact Mac with a color screen.

As the first all-in-one Mac with an integrated color display, and the last U.S. Mac to offer the original model’s compact form factor, this model represents a landmark in the evolution of the Macintosh. A Color Classic unit also happens to become the 10 millionth Macintosh that Apple ships.

5 Mac apps that supercharge my productivity

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Powerful Mac apps
You should give these powerful Mac apps a try today.
Graphics: Rajesh Pandey/CultofMac

As a longtime Mac power user, I’ve come to rely on a handful of essential apps that supercharge my workflow. These Mac productivity apps not only streamline my daily tasks but also simplify complex jobs, making my work faster and more efficient.

Check out my favorite Mac apps that I can’t recommend enough as a power user.

Apple’s cute robo-lamp looks adorable! [The CultCast]

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An image of Apple's robotic AI lamp, along with The CultCast logo (episode 685)
You've got to see Apple's AI-powered robotic lamp in action!
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Our first glimpse at Apple’s AI-powered robotic lamp makes us giddy with hope for the secret iPad-on-a-stick project we’ve been skeptical about in the past. The surprisingly lifelike Apple robo-lamp looks just like Pixar’s Luxo Jr. How cute is that?!?

Join us for the conversation about the future of Apple robotics. (We really want the lamp.)

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple’s M5 chip is coming soon. How good will it be? And what product will it appear in first?
  • Griffin tells us all about Apple’s new Invites app, which makes party planning simple and elegant.
  • Erfon provides an update on his recent MacBook Pro and iPad Pro purchases. The 14-day return window is about to slam shut — and he’s not sure he’s keeping either of them! He explains why.
  • We weren’t sure we could top the Andy Warhol banana iPhone case, but Zugu’s iPad case with a built-in dead man’s switch is right up there on the “crazy products we love” list.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs’ NeXT quits making computers

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Photo of the NeXT Cube computer manufactured by NeXT Inc.
The NeXT Computer was great but it didn't sell.
Photo: Rama & Musée Bolo/Wikipedia CC

February 9: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs' NeXT quits making computers February 9, 1993: NeXT Inc., the company Steve Jobs founded after being pushed out of Apple, quits making computers. The company changes its name to NeXT Software and focuses its efforts entirely on producing code for other platforms.

In a mass layoff, 330 of NeXT’s 500 employees lose their jobs in an event known internally as “Black Tuesday.” Cruelly, many people hear of their fate on the radio.

Everything to expect from the redesigned iPhone SE 4

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iPhone SE 4 rumors
There’s no reason to wait to find out all about the iPhone SE 4.
Image: Majin Bu/CCult of Mac

The iPhone SE 4 could launch this week, bringing a significant redesign to Apple’s budget handset. It’ll reportedly mean the end of features that were iPhone hallmarks for many years, like the Home button. Plus, it’ll support Cupertino’s new collection of AI-powered features. Stay updated with the latest iOS news and what this means for iPhone SE owners by checking out this article.

Read on to learn everything that already leaked out describing the revamped fourth-generation SE.

First foldable iPhone might arrive in 2026

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Folding phone
Apple’s first foldable iPhone may sport a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold-like design.
Photo: Mika Baumeister/Unsplash CC

Apple could launch its first foldable iPhone as early as 2026. With iPhone sales slowing down and smartphone competition increasing, Apple “intends” to launch the foldable iPhone next year, according to a new report.

Android foldables have yet to go mainstream, but they have improved leaps and bounds in the last few years. Apple risks falling behind its competitors if it does not launch a foldable device soon. Given the premium pricing of Apple’s devices, many are curious about the mac cost, especially for this first-generation foldable model.

Join Costco for $65, get a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card

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Grab a one-year membership at Costco and $40 Digital Shop Card* for only $60 during Cyber Week.
You can save on everything from groceries to Apple gear at Costco.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A Costco Gold Star Membership can help you secure high-quality goods — including iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches and iPads — at bargain-basement prices. You can hop on the savings train now with a Costco membership deal that lets you join the warehouse club for less.

Right now, you can pick up a year-long Costco Gold Star Membership for only $65. You’ll also score a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card*!

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs flips out over iPad tweet

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The first-gen iPad in all its glory.
Steve Jobs did not like losing control of the iPad narrative.
Photo: Apple

February 8: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs flips out over iPad tweet February 8, 2010: Steve Jobs reportedly flips out over a tweet sent from an iPad by an editor at The Wall Street Journal.

The reason? Apple showed the iPad to top staffers at the news outlet months ahead of its official release. While Jobs already unveiled the device to the public a couple of weeks before, the suggestion that people outside Apple gained early access to the tablet apparently upset the CEO.

The iPad tweet quickly disappeared.

How to use the new Apple Invites app for your party planning

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All-In-One Party Planning
This (kind of) free app can handle it all for you.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

To tackle your party planning, the new Apple Invites app can help you get organized with RSVPs and keep everybody up to date. It can even handle a shared music playlist and photo album that anyone can contribute to.

And yes, you can invite people who don’t have the app installed yet, don’t have an Apple Account or don’t have an Apple device at all. You can invite people via email; they can RSVP on the web and get follow-up notifications in their inbox.

Keep reading or watch our video guide — and download the app here.

How to make iCloud more secure with Advanced Data Protection

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You now have the option to have more of your iCloud files encrypted, including images. Here's how.
Apple's operating systems give you the option to encrypt much of the data stored on iCloud.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple offers end-to-end encryption for many more types of iCloud data than it once did. Advanced Data Protection encrypts iCloud Photos, Notes, iCloud Backup and more. But you have to activate the feature to take advantage of the data protection. It is easy … once you find the switch buried in Settings.

We can save you some time. Here’s how and why you should activate it.

Stream the Super Bowl in 4K on any Apple device for free

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stream Super Bowl for free
Are you ready for some championship football? (Not to mention the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar.)
Photo: Fox Sports

Even folks who don’t pay for access to TV channels can stream the Super Bowl live — and for free — on any Apple device or on the web. For Super Bowl LIX this Sunday, Fox Sports plans to stage a “takeover” of the Tubi streaming app. The free live Super Bowl stream will include a pregame run-up and the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar. And it requires no viewer sign-in.

So now what’s your excuse to blow off the year’s biggest sporting event? Oh, you probably hate football, not to mention all the commercialist hoopla that comes with America’s modern-day gladiatorial bloodsport. Oh well. For tens of millions of others, Super Bowl Sunday is like a national holiday.

UK wants a secret backdoor into encrypted iPhone accounts worldwide

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UK backdoor into iCloud accounts
The UK wants to be able to spy on your iCloud files.
Image: Cult of Mac

The government of the United Kingdom reportedly wants a backdoor into Apple accounts so it can spy on any iPhone or Mac user anywhere. It allegedly ordered Apple to allow it to access everything from any iCloud account globally, breaking the encryption protection on the files.

Apple is fighting the order.

Edifier audio gear rocks Nepalese MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

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Edifier audio - R1280DB speakers
A pair of of these wireless speakers will typically blow away speakers built into setup gear like laptop or monitor speakers.
Photo: Edifier

If you don’t have big bucks to spend on high-end, audiophile-worthy speakers and headphones to use in your computer setup, you can’t really go wrong with uber-affordable Edifier audio gear. Today’s featured M2 MacBook Pro setup — an exotic entry from Nepal, no less — keeps the tunes flowing through a nice set of Edifier bookshelf speakers and a comfortable pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones. They simply get the job done well — without breaking the bank.

Today in Apple history: Steve Wozniak survives a plane crash

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The Woz tells it like it is.
A plane crash marked the beginning of a leave of absence for Woz.
Photo: Universal Pictures

February 7: Today in Apple history: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak survives a plane crash February 7, 1981: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is involved in a serious plane crash in California, resulting in his first lengthy leave of absence from the company.

At the time, Wozniak is flying a turbocharged, single-engine, six-seat Beechcraft Bonanza A36TC. In the plane with Woz is his fiancé, Candi Clark, her brother and her brother’s girlfriend. Fortunately, nobody dies in the crash, although Woz suffers minor head injuries.

Grab great Sonos Ace headphones for $100 off

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Sonos Ace headphones in soft white
Sonos' first headphones look like quite an appealing alternative to AirPods Max -- for $100 less out of the gate.
Photo: Sonos

Sonos has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, but that doesn’t mean its audio gear isn’t great. Sonos Ace headphones made a big splash when they came out as an AirPods Max rival, and right now you can grab Ace headphones for $100 off on Amazon. That’s a great deal on great cans.

How to transcribe audio to text for free in Notes

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Transcribe audio to text free on iPhone
The Notes app on your iPhone transcribes audio to text for free..
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

In the updated Notes app in iOS 18, you can transcribe audio to text for free: Your iPhone will automatically transcribe voice notes for later.

This is a great feature to use in a college class, if you want to record audio of a lecture alongside your notes. You can use it in meetings — the irritating in-person kind — for recording what people actually said alongside your notes. It’s also great for generating podcast transcripts or any kind of writing. It’s a quick and easy way to get a first draft.

Read more or watch our video guide.

Irving B. takes a brutal stand in the icy Severance wilderness [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★

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Severance season 2 episode 4 recap★★★★
Britt Lower, Adam Scott, John Turturro and Zach Cherry find themselves deep in a chilly winter embrace on "Severance."
Photo: Apple TV+

In our Severance season 2 episode 4 recap, we follow our friends from Lumon Industries’ Macradata Refinement (MDR) department into a wintry wilderness central to Kier Eagan’s lore. In the most bizarre corporate team-building event ever, two of them find forbidden love and one may never return. And it’s the first episode to take place completely outside of Lumon’s halls without visiting outies’ lives.

Last week’s episode 3 went further down innie rabbit holes in amusingly confounding ways. Ultimately, an improved-yet-still-dangerous outlaw reintegration procedure seemed like it might be outie Mark S’s path to returning to his beginnings at Lumon, cracking the sinister company’s mysteries and finding his wife. It made likely plot trajectories a little more clear. But episode 4 actually unravels some mysteries, and gives Irving B. (John Turturro) center stage for the first time.

iPhone SE 4 may drop as soon as next week

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bigger iPhone SE with OLED display rumored
You might want to hold off on your iPhone SE purchase for a few days.
Photo: Filipe Alves

Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone SE, with an iPhone 14-like design, could debut “as early as next week.” It will reportedly go on sale later in the month. If you’re wondering when does the new iPhone come out, reports suggest this could be one of the first major releases of the year.

Multiple rumors suggested Apple would launch the iPhone SE 4 in early 2025.

Apple’s amazing desktop robot looks straight out of Pixar

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Apple desktop robot
Control the lamp naturally, using gestures in the air.
Photo: Apple

Everybody loves Pixar’s beloved toy-lamp mascot, Luxo Jr., right? Apple just made a new lamp-like robot prototype that looks super similar. The iPhone giant’s machine learning research team developed an expressively social robotic prototype in desk-lamp form, according to a recent paper, blog post and video.

The new robot could figure into rumored plans for a robotic home hub — and it could reshape how we interact with smart home devices.

Convert your iPhone into a classic camera with Leica Lux Grip

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Leica Lux Grip
Leica Lux Grip makes iPhone photography easier to handle.
Photo: Leica

Attach the Leica Lux Grip to your iPhone to add a shutter release. Plus, the magnetic accessory adds other buttons and a dial that can be customized. And a grip, naturally.

All this is a design intended to recreate the feel of using a classic Leica camera.

Portable power stations: Grab juice to go at up to 57% off

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portable power station deals
Anker Solix C1000 gives you portable power anytime, anywhere. And you can extend it with a solar panel.
Photo: Anker Solix

Two killer portable power station deals just came online at Amazon for your recreational charging needs and beyond — Anker Solix C1000 Portable Power Station and a version of it that comes with a 200-watt solar panel to keep the juice flowing. You can get them both on Amazon at up to 57% off.