Cult of Mac

$299 won’t get you much in an Apple Store these days. It won’t even buy you an Escape key with your iPad Pro Magic Keyboard. But if you’re finding life a little difficult without one, there is a quick and easy way to add your own.

Today’s pro tip will show you how.

Support for Apple’s biometric security systems just appeared in the Google Drive iOS/iPadOS application. With this update, users can lock access to this cloud-storage system, and then unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.

Apple and Google released additional details about their coronavirus contact-tracing system Monday, informing public health officials that they will not be able to use Location Services to track people. The companies also said they will limit use of the contact-tracing API to one per country.

Both companies also showed off what an app might look like on people’s smartphones — and shared sample pieces of code local governments could use in their own mobile apps.

An adhesive sensor much like a Band-Aid has been developed by Northwestern University to monitor for early signs of COVID-19 infection when connected wirelessly to an iPad.

Announced Monday, the device sticks to the throat and looks for coughing and various onset symptoms of COVID-19 to aid treatment of patients with the deadly virus.

Why buy Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro when you can bag yourself a MacBook Air refurb for almost half the price? Woot is blowing out 2019 models — refurbished by Apple — for just $729.99 today only.

Claim yours before they’re all gone!

Apple’s newest 13-inch MacBook Pro is out with faster Intel chips and a brilliant new Magic Keyboard. It’s not quite the refresh many fans were hoping for, however, with a number of key upgrades still missing.

Here’s why you might want to wait for the next MacBook Pro refresh.

A fully kitted-out version of Apple’s swanky new 13-inch MacBook Pro will set you back a pocket-busting total of $4,099.

Here’s what the extra cash gets you — and what the most expensive upgrades are.

Apple will reopen its store in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, as its retail operations slowly emerge from a worldwide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vienna store is Apple’s first outside of China and South Korea to reopen after the company shuttered its brick-and-mortar locations in March.

According to Austria’s Heute newspaper, the only store in Austria will reopen with additional security precautions, including social distance and adjusted opening hours. Customers will be required to wear a protective mask and will be checked for a fever.

Remote work means lots of potential distractions, even if it’s from the comfort of home. Family, neighbors, the TV in another room — there are plenty of ways to lose focus. So during the COVID-19 lockdown, noise-canceling headphones are an essential way to keep distractions at bay.

Apple unveiled a new 13-inch MacBook Pro on Monday, bringing a slew of upgrades to its smaller high-end laptop.

It’s available to order today, starting at $1,299 for regular customers or $1,199 for students and teachers.

Apple will unleash its updated 13-inch MacBook Pro Monday, according to Apple leaker Jon Prosser.

“Incoming. Today’s the day,” Prosser wrote in a tweet, linking to a previous one about the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, codenamed J223.

Now’s your chance to finally bag Apple’s newest iPhone lineup at a big discount. Woot is offering refurbished iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max units at hundreds of dollars off the usual selling price for one day only.

Bag yours now for as little as $599.99.

An amazing new augmented reality demo shows how the future of cut, copy and paste might work.

Created by Cyril Diagne, a 34-year-old artist, designer and programmer currently in residence at the Google Arts & Culture Lab in Paris, the demo shows images of objects being dragged from the real world and dropped into Photoshop on a Mac. That’s an AR application that any designer could get on board with!

In a virtual commencement address to Ohio State University grads Sunday, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about challenges the world faces in the time of COVID-19 and implored the outgoing students to “build a better future than the one you thought was certain.”

Cook, by now a seasoned commencement speaker, also discussed what he’s been doing during the coronavirus lockdown and mentioned his experiences working with Steve Jobs. You can check out his full commencement speech below.

Human beings do our best reasoning when we put our thoughts and ideas into forms that are easy to see and interact with. Notepads are great, but this is the computer age, so the mind-mapping tools available to us are better than ever.

One great example is MindMaster, and right now a lifetime subscription costs just $49 at the Cult of Mac Store.

A new “invisible” HomeKit-compatible lock means you won’t need to sacrifice fancy door hardware to get smart lock functionality. Level Lock replaces your existing deadbolt’s guts, hiding seamlessly inside your door.

It’s an innovative approach to smart lock design. That’s not too surprising, though, considering Level Home was founded by a couple of ex-Apple employees.

We love the new Magic Keyboard, which adds a trackpad and lets an iPad Pro float almost magically. Read the full Magic Keyboard review and find out everything we like (and a couple things that could be better).

In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll also find an essay on all the ways a 2008 MacBook proves better than a modern Apple laptop. And a bit of trash talk about lazy new Apple TV+ comedy Trying.

Plus, we’ve got even more reviews, the week’s top Apple news, and a bunch of great how-tos and pro tips. Download the free iOS mag now or get the links below.

Macs come with plenty of power and potential, but getting the most out of your machine means getting the right apps. Power users know this best, and that’s just who this bundle of seven great Mac apps is for.

Any Mac user can benefit from the apps included in the 2020 Mac Power User Bundle. With an 86% discount from Cult of Mac Deals, the whole thing costs just $29.99. Even better, all seven apps comes with lifetime access.

Here’s what the bundle includes:

Apple Watch Series 6 will be able to take blood-oxygen readings, according to an unconfirmed report. Word of this upcoming feature has leaked before — and COVID-19 makes adding it a bit more urgent.

The source for this rumor also claims the 2020 Apple Watch will usher in numerous other new features as well.

You shouldn’t have to deal with the frustration of unlocking your iPhone with Face ID when you’re wearing a mask. And you don’t have to. This simple pro tip shows you how to skip Face ID and quickly unlock with a passcode instead.

Automatic Labs is shutting down is vehicle monitoring service which worked with the iPhone beginning May 28, saying Friday its business has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service provides various data via a diagnostic port on many vehicles as well as warns authorities when a car has been in an accident.

Apple updated its COVID-19 screening app Friday with new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including additional symptoms of the disease and tips on using cloth masks.

In its fourth episode, stellar Apple TV+ show Defending Jacob shows every member of the Barber family starting to crack as young Jacob moves closer to his murder trial. As the characters head toward revelations and uncomfortable conclusions, they start to stall for time in irresponsible, sometimes dangerous ways.

As the situation unfolds, their relationships with each other start to fray.

Apple and Goldman Sachs might cut you some slack on your credit card bill if you lost your job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Users of the Apple Card were notified today that they can apply to skip their May payment without interest charges being added.

Veteran Hollywood writer and producer Annie Weisman has signed a longterm creative deal with AppleTV+ to develop televisions projects exclusive to the service, according to a published report Friday