Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s retail boss, sent a video to retail employees this weekend asking them to sign up to help customers remotely. She also said they should expect store closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue “for some period of time.”

Separately, Apple told employees that it doesn’t expect to have everyone back in its corporate headquarters before the end of 2020.

Amazon is making the 16-inch MacBook Pro more affordable than ever with $399.01 off the usual price. It’s the biggest discount we’ve seen so far on Apple’s most powerful notebook. Bag yours before it disappears!

Mifa’s Hybrid Sports Leather band for Apple Watch is a steal at $25. Not only is it made from genuine vintage suede, it has a sweatproof silicone backing that makes it as comfortable to wear as the softest sports band.

The layering of materials makes Mifa’s band one of my favorite Apple Watch straps. It’s lightweight, soft and comfortable — and it looks dressy but is designed for action.

If you owned an iPhone that took a performance hit after a controversial iOS update, Apple might owe you $25. The payments follow Apple’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit over “Batterygate.”

However, to get your check, your claim must be received by October 6, 2020. Find out how to apply for a Batterygate payment, and exactly what you need to qualify, below.

Working from home is the new normal, and an Apple video released Monday shows a team using Mac, iPad and iPhone to collaborate on a rushed project.

But this is less an instructional “how to” video and more something we can all commiserate with as the team struggles with kids, cats and crazy coworkers to make a looming deadline.

Enjoy it now:

Apple is reportedly enjoying strong sales of the MacBook Pro, and will increase production in the next few months. Laptop shipments could be up significantly for the third quarter.

All macOS computers seem to be having a strong 2020. In the second quarter of this year, total Mac shipments were up 36%, according to a market-research firm.

The price of AirPods Pro continues to fall this week as Woot offers up brand-new units for just $214.99 — the lowest price yet. The sale is good for today only and stock is selling fast, so don’t miss out.

Idris Elba reportedly signed a first-look deal with Apple. This means the iPhone maker gets the right of first refusal for all projects dreamed up by Elba and his Green Door Pictures production company.

Apple will publish its Q3 fiscal report on July 30, complete with an earnings call to investors with Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri.

The call will take place at 2 p.m. Pacific, according to Apple’s Investor Relations webpage.

Whether for websites, powerpoint presentation, or just design projects, visual elements are an essential element for today’s creatives. But good photos can cost good money, so this massive, lifelong library of visuals is essential.

Apple is investing more than $400 million in affordable housing projects and homeowner assistance programs in California, the company said Monday.

This sizable contribution is part of a multiyear commitment by Apple to spend $2.5 billion fighting the California housing crisis. The money will “support thousands of Californians with first-time homebuyer assistance or new affordable housing units.”

Sometime in 2021 Apple will be the world’s first $2 trillion company, predicts Wedbush analyst Dan Ives in his latest note to clients.

Ives — one of the most bullish of Apple investors — believes that Apple’s “5G tailwinds and services momentum” has the potential to push it past the $2 trillion market cap.

Woot’s spectacular sale on refurbished iPhones is back, with big savings to be had on a wide range of models. Prices start at a mere $99.99 for iPhone 6s and rise to just $769.99 for iPhone 11 Pro Max.

This sale is good for today only. Enjoy it while you can!

Mark Zuckerberg introduced large numbers of people to the idea of taping over their MacBook’s camera when, in 2016, he uploaded a photo that revealed a few of his security measures.

But Apple says using camera coverings can hurt MacBooks. In a new support document, Apple notes that covering the MacBook’s built-in FaceTime camera could interfere with the computer’s ambient light sensor, which is located next to the camera. The sensor controls True Tone and the Mac’s automatic brightness feature.

Apple has acquired the movie rights to an adaptation of graphic novel Snow Blind, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Deadline reported over the weekend.

The movie (and the 2017 graphic novel it was based on) is about a teenager, Teddy, who finds out that his family have been in the Witness Protection Program for years. Now someone after revenge has managed to locate them.

Germs are a major concern these days, so it’s important to stay vigilant. That’s especially true of one of the biggest vectors for germs in daily life: our phones. This sleek, simple desk accessory makes keeping your mobile device germ-free.

Today, the App Store is a part of every iPhone owner’s life — but it almost didn’t happen. Get the story behind that near-miss, plus some other fascinating App Store factoids, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

It’s free, and it also packs the latest Apple news and how-tos. Plus, this week we’ve got reviews of three new Apple TV+ offerings, including Tom Hanks’ World War II movie, Greyhound.

Download it now and enjoy it on your favorite iOS device. (Or use the links below to read in your browser.)

Even if you’re stuck at home, learning a new language offers a passport to the wider world. Picking up a new language happens fastest with full immersion — and technology can make that happen virtually.

Sam Rosenthal held onto his determination to make Where Cards Fall for almost a decade. And it’s paid off, as the game garnered a 2020 Apple Design Award.

In a lengthy interview with Apple, the developer shared insights into the design process for this title. Including how he tends to think of games as buildings the players move around in.

Aspiring developers might learn from his experiences.

This Mac security post is presented by Intego.

Macs have a reputation for being less vulnerable than PCs to online threats like malware and viruses, but your machine is certainly not invulnerable. Far from it, actually. It can pay to invest in a suite of security apps like those in Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 to protect your Mac from a variety of online threats.

This week on The CultCast: We’ve got more details on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple Maps gets a new feature that blows us away! Plus: We talk our two-week impressions of iOS 14, and a major Hollywood film is coming to Apple TV+.

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 been almost five years since Apple brought picture-in-picture to iPad, and yet the feature still isn’t supported by the official YouTube app. But there are other ways to enjoy PiP with YouTube videos.

Discover two of the best in this how-to guide.

Creaks starts with strange noises behind the walls. Soon, you’re confronting avian folk and deadly furniture monsters. This game, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is a puzzle adventure with hand-painted visuals and eerie original music.

Do you remember the world of software distribution before the App Store? It was a fragmented nightmare that made it very difficult for many companies, particularly smaller ones, to get their products out. The App Store changed all that, while also showing the world that the iPhone could have a different “killer app” depending on the user.

With today marking the App Store’s birthday, here are 10 factoids you (probably) didn’t know about Apple’s mobile app marketplace.

Foxconn has reportedly started trial production on polarized, semi-transparent AR lenses that could be used for Apple Glass, according to The Information.

The Friday paywalled report says the lenses are between one and two years away from entering mass production. However, they have already passed the prototyping phase, having been in development for three years.