Ring in Memorial Day by upgrading your MacBook game. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Lots of us are spending more time at our laptops than ever before, so even a little enhancement goes a long way. That’s why we put together this roundup of four great MacBook accessories.
Any one of them can take your work-from-home setup to the next level. And all four of them are on sale right now.
Here's how Apple's COVID-19 contact-tracing system works. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
When Apple released iOS 13.5 this week, it paved the way for privacy-focused contact-tracing apps to fight COVID-19. However, these apps don’t yet exist. And, despite some panicked reports online, your iPhone isn’t going to start snooping on you as soon as you upgrade your operating system.
Elsewhere in the free iOS mag, you’ll get the scoop on our podcast interview with Jon Prosser, the Apple leaker who’s making headlines. Plus, the usual Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Download it now and get to reading, or get the stories in the links below.
Three deals, three ways to protect yourself from nasty germs. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Got germs on your mind? So do we. That’s why we rounded up three great tools for keeping your devices, your environment, and even yourself as sterile as possible.
Order yours before they're all gone. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Apple’s newest AirPods, some of the best wireless headphones money can buy, are available at big discounts again. You can get yours for as little as $129.98 ($29.02 off) — or with a Wireless Case for just $149.98 ($49.02 off).
Hackers reportedly got an iPhone 11 running iOS 14 months ago. Photo: Cult of Mac
Details on iOS 14 started leaking out in February, with sources claiming to have a leaked copy of the next iPhone operating system. An investigation by Vice apparently confirms that researchers and hackers really got access to an iOS version more than half a year before its release.
Towers of Everland fulfills your sword-and-sorcery game needs. Photo: Cobra Mobile/Apple
Towers of Everland offers all the traditional RPG elements: battling, fighting and combat. And Friday’s addition to Apple Arcade includes magic spells, quests to complete, levels to explore, monsters to slay… everything one could want in a role-playing game.
You need the right warrant to do this. Photo: Apple
Judge John Coughenour of the U.S. District Court in Seattle has ruled that FBI is not allowed to even look at the lock screen on a suspect’s smartphone without a warrant, Ars Technica reports.
The case involves a man from Washington state arrested in May last year, indicted on charges of robbery and assault. During the investigation, the FBI took a photo of the suspect’s phone lock screen, which had information they considered to be of interest. However, this behavior has been classed as unlawful.
The Apple TV+ crime drama hurtles toward its horrible end. Photo: Apple TV+
Defending Jacob closes in on its shocking and horrible conclusion this week. It’s been clear for a while that things will never get straightened out fully for the Barber family after Jacob’s murder trial. Whether the teen lands in jail or not, things will end badly.
The Apple TV+ crime drama’s seventh episode, titled “Job,” proves this in spectacularly agonizing fashion.
Stock is selling fast! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you missed out on cheap iPhone refurbs the last time Woot had a huge blowout, it’s time to redeem yourself. A whole host of models — from iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 Pro — are now available, with prices starting at a mere $129.99.
The question is: does anyone want it to? Photo illustration: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
Despite it vanishing from Apple’s MacBook line, Apple hasn’t given up on its controversial (read: hated) butterfly keyboard design, claims Apple leaker L0vetodream.
In a Friday tweet, L0vetodream said that Apple is “trying to improve on the structure, and solve the [issues]” faced by users. Should it manage to do so, “we might see it comes back again in future.”
Take your pick of four of the best deals on the best charging solutions in the Cult of Mac Store. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
We know what devices we want and need, but not until we have them do we realize our charging situation is lacking. So just in time for Memorial Day, we’ve rounded up four great charging solutions that can address anyone’s needs.
Apple will surely be happy with this slew of nominations. Image: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple TV+ has racked up 17 nominations for the 2020 Daytime Emmy awards. That’s more than established names including Hulu, HBO, and fellow tech newcomers like YouTube Originals and FaceBook Watch.
Kids’ series Ghostwriter got eight nominations. Preschool show Helpsters picked up five. Snoopy in Space and Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 also received their share of awards.
How private are your conversations with Siri? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is questioning Apple over privacy concerns raised by an ex-contractor who transcribed users’ Siri requests in an effort to improve the voice assistant’s functionality.
The preview for the Defending Jacob episode reads: “As the trial begins, Jacob’s fate hangs in the balance.” Meanwhile, the special quarantine edition episode of Raven’s Quest is described like this: “As the MQ staff works from home, Poppy struggles with solitude, while Brad and David start a charitable competition.”
Brittany O’Grady stars in an upcoming Apple TV+ musical drama that’s a “fresh, intensely romantic tale of the search to find your true voice,” according to Apple. Photo: Apple
Apple just revealed the debut date for Little Voice, a collaboration between Sara Bareilles, J.J. Abrams, and others. The show about “a uniquely talented performer struggling to fulfill her dreams,” hits Apple TV+ on Friday, July 10.
This WFH setup has audiophiles drooling. Photo: Jody Whitesides
Jody Whitesides is a television and film composer so naturally his setup is audio-focused. Even with all the high-tech audio gear, it is hard to out-stage his epic 34-inch ultra-wide monitor.
He rocks both the Apple Magic Trackpad and a Logitech mouse. He has both because some tasks are easier to edit using a mouse and others with a trackpad, so it gives him the best of both worlds. The keyboard — a Komplete Kontrol Controller — gives him an additional 88 keys right above his Apple Magic Keyboard.
To handle all of his audio, Whitesides uses a PreSonas monitoring station to easily switch audio outputs. And the Apollo 8 Recording Interface gives him the power to handle all of this gear at once.
For the actual audio itself, he has a pair of KRK V4 Series Speakers to accompany a pair of Genelec 8020D Studio Speakers.
Driving all this is a 2013 “trashcan” Mac Pro, out of shot.
Apple is on the lookout for podcasts that would make great television. Photo: Jonathan Farber/Unsplash
Apple is reportedly buying exclusive rights to podcasts that could someday become movies or shows on Apple TV+.
Turning podcasts into television programs is becoming increasingly common. A popular podcast starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd is being made into into a Apple TV+ show, for example.
Anyone unfamiliar with Apple Clips can watch a quick tutorial to start having fun with it. Screenshot: Apple
An online Today at Apple at Home session released Thursday introduces using Apple Clips. This free software lets iPhone and iPad users combine video clips, photos and music into fun videos.
And because this is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the session is taught in American Sign Language by Gus from Apple Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. Subtitles and audio narration are also included.
Don't settle for the default CarPlay layout. Photo: Sony
CarPlay makes it safe to use some of your favorite iPhone apps on the road, and by default, anything with CarPlay support will automatically appear in your car. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Simplify your experience and make CarPlay even easier to use by customizing your layout and ditching apps you don’t need.
Apple is planning special edition AR glasses modeled on the specs Steve Jobs wore. Photo: Sebastian Errazuriz
Apple is working on a special pair of AR glasses that resemble the spectacles Steve Jobs famously wore, white-hot Apple leaker Jon Prosser told Cult of Mac.
Called the “Steve Jobs Heritage Edition,” this limited-edition version of Apple Glass would be round like a classic pair of John Lennon-style glasses. Cupertino would position it as a special edition of the core AR glasses, much like the original $10,000 gold Apple Watch.
It's the leaker Apple loves to hate, this week on The CultCast. Photo: The CultCast
This week on The CultCast: We talk Apple leaks with the man who’s driving Tim Cook crazy … Front Page Tech‘s Jon Prosser! And we cover it all, including juicy new details on Apple Glass, Apple Car, Apple’s master plan for the next iPhone, the next Apple TV, Apple’s secret VR gaming headset, which big leaks are coming next, and more.
After a series of uncannily accurate leaks, there’s no doubt Prosser has become Public Enemy No. 1 in Cupertino. (Just ask Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller, who blocked Prosser on Twitter.) You don’t want to miss this discussion about his methods, his motivations and his sources deep within Apple’s organization. The ProsserCast is real!
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.
Raise the cool factor on your iPhone photos with the Adobe Photoshop Camera app. Photo: Adobe
The wait for Adobe Photoshop Camera is almost over. When it hits the App Store on June 9, the free iPhone application will let users add filters and effects before they even take a picture. And it will employ artificial intelligence to clean up images.
These concept Apple AR glasses could become a reality as soon as 2021. Photo: Martin Hajek
A prominent Apple analyst recently predicted that Apple’s rumored AR glasses won’t debut until 2022. But since then, other noted leakers have said these augmented-reality Apple Glasses will be out next year.
Have you noticed that your external display doesn’t look right when using it with a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Is it far too warm, like everything is coated in orange? It’s a common problem, but there’s an easy way to fix it.