Cult of Mac

Qi2 wireless charging could have helped the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S25 series better compete with the iPhone. But no — the Korean phone-maker let another opportunity to integrate this useful feature into its products sail by.

Samsung did build a half-assed version of Qi2 in the S25 series, so it might claim it met its promise to adopt the charging standard. But it’s a clunky solution.

iPhone users should care about Samsung’s poor decision because it means accessory-makers are less likely to produce Qi2-compatible products that are also compatible with Apple’s handsets.

In yet another creative promo for its hit workplace thriller series Severance, Apple TV+ dropped a new video Wednesday that masquerades as a Lumon Industries management training video.

“Lumon Industries is proud to present the Lumon Management Program — otherwise known by its breviloquent moniker of LUMP,” Apple TV+ wrote on X, announcing the video. “Today’s practicum: Integrating New Team Members.”

January 23, 1985: Apple introduces The Macintosh Office, a combination of hardware and software that represents the company’s first real attempt at cracking the business market dominated by IBM.

Macintosh Office allows Macs to talk to one another. And Apple introduces amazing new devices like the LaserWriter printer that work with the business-oriented platform. Sadly, things won’t work out quite as Apple hopes.

Your iPhone takes beautiful bokeh images, and these look truly astonishing on Looking Glass Go, a display that turns your pictures into 3D holograms. Children, pets, whatever you send to the screen seems to be floating in the frame. No headset or special glasses are necessary.

As cool as the 6-inch photo frame is — and it’s very cool — my time with the product turned up limitations you should consider before purchase.

When a brilliant math postgraduate verges on sussing out a certain pattern in prime numbers, he finds himself in between unseen enemies and government forces in a burgeoning conspiracy. That’s according to the new Apple TV+ trailer, below, for series Prime Target. After all, the whiz kid’s discovery could unlock every computer and unravel digital security worldwide, apparently.

“A brilliant mind is a dangerous weapon,” notes the tagline on the new series’ key art. The eight-episode conspiracy thriller debuts January 22 on Apple TV+. Watch the trailer below.

Update: Prime Target started streaming on Apple TV+ Wednesday. While The New York Times calls it a “charming popcorn thriller,” other reviews are less charitable. And “rotten” ratings on Rottentomatoes.com — critical rating of 43% and viewer rating of 56% (60% and up is “fresh”) — don’t appear too promising, either.

After unveiling its Galaxy S25 lineup Wednesday during its Galaxy Unpacked event. Samsung pulled a “one more thing” to tease its iPhone 17 Air competitor: the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Although the company didn’t disclose the phone’s exact thickness, it showcased the S25 Edge’s thinness by putting it alongside its Galaxy siblings.

The Clingomatic Qi2 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with Halo Light offers a simple solution for charging your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch all in one place. It’s designed to fit seamlessly on a nightstand, desk or side table, bringing a touch of modern elegance to your space. And right now, it’s on sale for just $44.99 (regularly $119.95).

iPhone users who install iOS 18.3 after the upgrade launches next week will find that Apple Intelligence is now on by default for those who use a compatible handset.

Previously, using the suite of AI-powered functions required opting in, but no longer. It’s a seemingly subtle but important change.

When buying an iPhone 16 series model in the December quarter, a higher percentage went for Apple’s cheapest variant than they in the previous year, according to a market research firm. The basic iPhone 16 even beat out the 16 Pro.

Some of that growth was siphoned from the 16 Pro Max, just not quite enough to keep it from being Apple’s most popular during last quarter. And sales of older models without Apple Intelligence also lost ground.

A potentially big development for Apple-focused content creators is on display at 2025 NAMM Show, as Shure shows off the new MV7i Smart Microphone and Interface it first unveiled earlier this month at CES 2025, calling it a first of its kind.

The innovative $350 mic brings professional-grade two-channel recording capabilities to Apple’s ecosystem, eliminating the need for a separate audio interface. You can plug an XLR mic or instrument right into Shure’s new mic. And you can connect it to Apple devices via USB-C to work with tracks using Shure’s MOTIV audio and video apps.

Upcoming documentary series Vietnam: The War That Changed America tells the story of the conflict through those who survived it on both sides, according to the trailer Apple TV+ dropped for it Wednesday. Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke narrates the six-part series. Featuring rare archival footage and moving reunions of service members, it’s set to premiere January 31. As one of the most anticipated new movies Apple TV has to offer, this documentary provides a compelling look at the war’s lasting impact.

January 22, 1984: Apple’s stunning “1984” commercial for the Macintosh 128K airs on CBS during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. Its dystopian theme and epic visuals pitch the Mac as a revolutionary computer coming to smash the status quo.

Probably the most famous TV ad for a computer in history, the commercial is directed by Alien and Blade Runner helmer Ridley Scott. It reaches millions of viewers during the big game. However, it very nearly didn’t air at all.

Good news, Silo fans: You’ll be able to see season three of the hit sci-fi series. Not only has Apple TV+ committed to making it, but the showrunner promises it will be better lit than Silo season two.

That should please those who complained about having trouble making out what was going on in parts of the more recent episodes.

I’ve seen a few amazing man caves and she shacks while covering cool computer setups for Cult of Mac, but not many can compete with the home of today’s M4 Mac mini setup. The user converted a backyard shed nestled in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. So now the man shed M4 Mac mini setup doubles as a home theater sporting a gargantuan screen. You can find all the gear in the links list below for both the computer and home theater setups.

YouTube is improving the experience for its Premium subscribers by adding more perks for them. Going forward, YouTube Premium users can enjoy faster playback speeds on mobile and stream high-quality audio.

On iPhone, you can now play YouTube Shorts in picture-in-picture. Smart Downloads is also expanding to include support for Shorts.

Meta is reportedly exploring the development of AI-powered smartwatches and earbuds with built-in cameras. The social media giant is also working on AR glasses that could launch around 2027.

Before that, Meta will launch high-end smart glasses with a built-in display as soon as this year.

Netflix is getting more expensive in the US and several neighboring countries again. The streaming service will hike its prices despite a healthy addition of 18.9 million new subscribers in Q4 2024.

The streaming service last hiked its prices in October 2023. However, since the pandemic, Netflix has increased its subscription prices several times.

Apple seeded the release candidates for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3 to developers Tuesday. In addition, the watchOS 11.3 RC, tvOS 18.3 RC and visionOS 2.3 RC went to developers at the same time. These bring only minor modifications to the various devices, though.

Release candidates are generally the final phase before the operating system upgrades go to users.

The U.K. government committed to a GOV.UK Wallet app that will let users leave their physical driver’s license at home. An iPhone or Android will be all that’s needed.

The same digital ID can be used as proof of age when buying alcohol.

Is a group chat blowing up at an inopportune time and distracting the hell out of you? There’s an easy fix. You can hide alerts on your iPhone from a particularly noisy group chat in Messages. It’s like switching on Do Not Disturb — but for a single person or conversation. You can hide alerts permanently or temporarily.

With the Hide Alerts feature, you can silence alerts from a specific app in a similar manner, silencing it while letting all other notifications through. Better yet, you can hide alerts directly from your iPhone’s Lock Screen, which makes it easy to switch them on and off at a moment’s notice.

Watch our video or read on to see how.

The psychological workplace thriller series Severance proved to be a major success story for Apple TV+, generating over $200 million in revenue from its first season alone, new analytics data shows. And it’s not the only Apple TV+ show bringing in big bucks for the iPhone giant, according to a new report. So how much money do Apple TV+ shows make? See below.

Apple appears ready to start 2025 strong by launching a new low-price iPhone, a faster MacBook Air and a pair of revamped iPad models. These could come at a possible Apple winter event as early as February, though the wait might be longer.

An Apple winter event isn’t a given. The company could simply issue a series of press releases introducing the new products. No matter what, you don’t need to wait until the official announcements to know what’s in store. Here are the rumors available on all four upcoming devices.

January 21, 2015: Months before the first Apple Watch goes on sale, users get a glimpse at what playing games might look like on the smartwatch. Thanks to Apple making the WatchKit API available to third parties, game developer NimbleBit releases a mockup of Letterpad, its simple, work-in-progess word game.

Suddenly, we get a peculiar desire to play games on our wrist that we haven’t had since the days of the Nintendo Game & Watch three decades earlier.

Perfection is hard to find in life, and so it is with the world’s many and varied earbuds. In my hands-on Edifier Comfo C earbuds review, I look at how the supremely comfortable and secure the clip-on wireless earbuds fit, making them a solid choice for many active users. And yet for me, that same fit keeps the sound quality from being all it could be, which makes me less likely to wear the buds.

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