Grab 'em while you can! Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Amazon is today offering a rare $49.02 discount — the biggest we’ve seen so far — on Apple’s newest AirPods with a Wireless Charging Case. Bag yours for just $149.98 before the price returns to normal.
Apple will ditch its original AirPods design completely with the next-gen model. Photo: Apple
Apple’s third-gen AirPods will boast a design and compact system-in-package (SiP) solution similar to AirPods Pro, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in his latest research note to clients.
Kuo suggests that the next-generation wireless earbuds will arrive in the first half of 2021. That would be approximately 18 months after Apple debuted the AirPods Pro design in 2019.
The firm’s 245 million Apple shares have increased in value by more than $55 billion since the start of 2019 to be worth upward of $91 billion. Still, from an investor’s perspective, it makes you wonder whether you’d be better off simply investing in AAPL itself, rather than paying a fund manager!
It's a Bluetooth 5.0 speaker, wireless charger clock and more offering 8 hours of wireless playtime. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Some technology never goes out of style — it just gets better. The good old-fashioned alarm clock, for example, is ripe for an upgrade. This combination alarm clock, Bluetooth speaker and wireless charger checks that box.
The high-end MX Series keyboard and mouse from Logitech get a Mac-oriented overhaul. Photo: Logitech
Logitech launched Mac versions of its popular MX Keys and MX Master 3 on Tuesday, giving the pro keyboard and mouse a space gray makeover and adding some Apple-specific tweaks.
Most of the changes seem totally awesome for the “Mac purists” Logitech is targeting with these high-end accessories. One change might not be so welcome, though, depending on your experience with Bluetooth peripherals.
The company also released a new Mac-oriented version of its smaller K380 keyboard in white and pink color options.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reservations about TikTok. Photo: TikTok
The United States is considering banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Speaking with Fox News, Pompeo said “we are certainly looking” at such a ban. When asked if people should download the app, Pompeo said, “Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Apple is one of the world's most valuable brands. Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac
Apple retained its second place spot for the fifth year running on the world’s most valuable brands list compiled by branding valuation company BrandZ.
The firm values Apple’s brand at $352.2 billion. Unlike a market cap, which values the business as a whole, this brand valuation is designed to assess the value of the branding itself.
This isn't the first time Apple has been dragged into the ongoing Hong Kong protests. Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC
Apple is “assessing” a new Hong Kong security law that could make protest a crime, claims Bloomberg.
The newly passed National Security Law criminalizes acts of secession (breaking away from China), undermining power and authority of the government, the use of violence or intimidation, and collusion with foreign or external forces.
Tim Cook will join the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, and Google during hearing. Screenshot: Apple
Tim Cook’s testimony in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee antitrust investigation committee will take place on July 27 at midday EST. The hearing, which will be live-streamed, will be accompanied by similar testimonies from Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
The title of the investigatory hearings is “Online Platforms and Market Power” with a focus on “Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple.”
A redesigned Wemo WiFi Smart Plug brings HomeKit support to regular appliances later in July. Photo: Belkin
Belkin began taking pre-orders on Monday for a much smaller version of the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. Like the original, it supports Apple’s HomeKit home automation system. But in a design that doesn’t crowd the wall socket.
The Maurice Sendak Foundation owned the rights to Where the Wild Things Are. And they just made a deal with Apple TV+. Photo: The Maurice Sendak Foundation
Apple TV+ and The Maurice Sendak Foundation have teamed up to develop new shows based on the many works of Maurice Sendak, a world-renown author and illustrator of children’s books. Whether this means a series based on Where the Wild Things Are is in the works is anyone’s guess, though.
Don’t wait for the iPhone 12. Focos Live lets iPhone users film bokeh video today. Photo: Xiaodong Wang/Cult of Mac
iPhones can automatically blur the backgrounds of still images but not video. Enter Focos Live, a recently released application that brings to iPhone video the effect Apple calls Portrait mode (and everyone else calls “bokeh”). The effect gives photographers the ability to unfocus the background to draw attention to what’s going on in the foreground.
What is the code for greatness? No one in the documentary series Greatness Code is going to tell you. Photo: Apple TV+
There’s a reason this review only has one image in it: Apple TV+ doesn’t have any more press pictures for this show. Why? Because why should it? This paper-thin passel of hagiographies isn’t worth promoting.
Greatness Code, which debuts July 10, isn’t a show so much as it’s an investment in the big star athletes being interviewed. To say no to the project would have meant scuttling potential relationships with some of the biggest names in sports. But to admit it’s worth your time seems a bridge too far.
Gmail users can finally enjoy the benefits of Split View multitasking. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Google finally lets Gmail users read their email while also displaying another app. Apple introduced Split View multitasking way back in 2015, but it’s just now coming to this popular email application.
Tom Hanks wrote this nuts-and-bolts movie about naval warfare. Photo: Apple TV+
Tom Hanks is here to rescue a cargo convoy from the Nazis — and presumably you from your free time. His new movie, Greyhound, is being released straight to Apple TV+ this Friday after COVID-19 scuttled the film’s theatrical release. This means there’s nothing between you and some old-school, flag-waving thrills.
In fact, Greyhound is the very definition of old school. There’s no fuss, no muss: just a man, his crew and some German U-boats hiding out in the gray fog of World War II, ready to pounce on American soldiers.
Sanho HyperJuice can charge all your Apple gear at once. Photo: Sanho
Sanho’s HyperJuice wall charger that debuted Monday isn’t much bigger than a credit card but still has room for a pair of USB-C ports that can put out 100W, dual USB-A ports that max out at 18W, and swappable power prongs.
It uses Gallium Nitride (GaN), a new semiconductor material that’s more efficient than traditional silicon used in current chargers. It lets Sanho create this ultra-portable wall charger.
Sean Teale and Brittany O'Grady star in musical romance Little Voice. Photo: Apple TV+
The latest lightweight Apple TV+ crowdpleaser comes from producer J.J. Abrams, songwriter Sara Bareilles and writer Jessie Nelson. Little Voice, which debuts on Apple’s streaming service on July 10, hits every single beat you expect — and none you don’t.
There’s little chance you won’t experience precisely the emotional journey and reaction you’re anticipating just from looking at the show’s promotional materials.
If you wanna watch a scrappy, model-beautiful singer finally find her voice with help from a supportive and kooky family of zany outsiders, and then live her dream of being a star, then yeah, come on in.
Pokémon Go turns 4 today and, while it might not be the shiny new toy of the App Store anymore, it’s not showing signs of slowing down, either.
The AR Poké-spotting game just passed $3.6 billion in global player spending, according to leading app analytics platform Sensor Tower. Of that, almost $1.7 billion — or 46.4% of the total revenue — came from the App Store.
Score what just might be the world's strongest phone cable, in either Lightning or USB-C. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Mobile devices depend on Lightning and USB cables to stay charged and synced, so it’s a bummer that those cables are so prone to fraying and breaking. Even in perfect shape, standard Apple cables tend to last just a few months. Not so with these Iron Man-worthy cables from Evercable.
Hanks talks about his "Apple overlords" in new interview. Photo: Apple TV+
Tom Hanks made a few not-so-flattering comments about the “Apple overlords” in an interview about his new World War II movie Greyhound. The film, which was originally supposed to launch in theaters, was pulled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, it will premiere on Apple TV+ this Friday.
In an interview with The Guardian, Hanks describes the shift to Apple TV+ as “an absolute heartbreak.” He also spills the beans on one of Apple’s slightly unusual requests for his press interviews.
Apple is helping find the music superstars of tomorrow. (So long as they live in London, that is!) Photo: Apple
Apple’s “Made in LDN” Today at Apple program will kick off later this month, after Today at Apple sessions were canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the continuing effects of coronavirus, the sessions will take place online, rather than in Apple Stores.
The Made in LDN sessions are aimed at teaching skills to young musical artists, aged 16-25, in London. They will run from July 27 through August 28. Registration kicks off today.
Tidy up and stay charged with these great 4th of July deals on everyday tech. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
What better way to celebrate this Fourth of July weekend than by giving yourself the gift of Apple upgrades? We rounded up some real firecracker deals on chargers, UV sterilization devices, noise-canceling headphones and more.
It took 10 years of work to create StaffPad, the iPad music app that won an Apple Design Award. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
David William Hearn, co-creator of revolutionary iPad music notation app StaffPad, reveals the decade-long quest that earned the app an Apple Design Award.
You’ll find that story, plus the usual roundup of iPhone and Mac news and rumors, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s packed with Apple how-tos and reviews, too. Download it to read the slick iOS mag on your iPad, or hit the links below to get the stories in your browser.
These MacBook accessories will revolutionize your computer. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Ring in the Fourth of July by giving your laptop a new lease on life. Any one of these four great deals on MacBook accessories will give you a new feeling of … independence.