This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: A slightly suspect rumor indicates Apple pulled the plug completely on the Vision Pro headset. Can that really be true? What does the future hold for the Vision Pro, visionOS and Apple’s rumored smart glasses?

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The latest rumor about the 20th anniversary iPhone leaves Leander sputtering. But actually, it looks pretty cool.
• Apple reportedly plans to inject tons of AI into the iPhone’s camera in iOS 27. We could see interesting photo-editing tools as well as Visual Intelligence baked right into the Camera app.
• And finally, Griffin gives us his first impressions of adjustable dumbbells from Feierdun. Nobody could see this coming!

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

After shelling out well over $3,499 for a Vision Pro, I hope you have some money left over to buy some of the must-have accessories that make Apple’s headset even better. 

The experience out of the box is great, but to start, you’ll probably want a case to put your Vision Pro in. If you want to use the headset for browsing the web, messaging, writing or any amount of work, you’ll want a keyboard and trackpad. And for games, you’ll need a controller.

If you don’t have pockets (or the pockets you have prove insufficient), you’ll want a battery holster for walking around. And if you’re walking around, you’ll definitely want a protective cover for that expensive curved piece of glass. 

Here are all the accessories I use to make the most of my Vision Pro. 

Apple no longer offers the M4 Mac mini with 256GB of storage at a $599 price. Instead, the base model now comes with 512GB of storage and a higher $799 price tag.

Here’s why.

ChatPlayground AI gives you easy access to more than 40 of the top AI models across 25 apps, all in one place — and all for one low price. It includes big names like ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity and Gemini, and it lets you send one prompt to multiple AIs simultaneously.

That means you can compare results to find the right AI tool for the job at hand, without jumping from one AI app to another. If you’re a heavy AI user, it will save you time as well as money. Normally $619, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited plan is on sale now for only $74.97.

The Apple Passwords app makes it easier than ever to save login details for your apps, start using passkeys and create shared groups.

The time of using the same password on all your internet accounts is over. Apple’s password manager is free, syncs everywhere (even with Windows PCs) and is incredibly easy to use. It creates strong passwords and automatically fills them in, so you never need to.

Here’s how it works.

I’ve always noticed a certain breed of Apple enthusiast for whom less is definitively not more. While minimalist setups have their ascetic charm, the rigs below operate on an entirely different philosophy: more computers, more screens, more audio gear — more of everything. These are the top 10 maximalist setups.

They’re the ones that made commenters ask if the owner works at “the money factory making commerce,” for example, or declare, “OP has done it: they’ve finally hit the limit of too much screen space.”

May 1, 2008: The iTunes Store takes a gigantic step toward cinematic relevancy, selling new movies on the day of their DVD releases for the very first time.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in a press release. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

Movies out that week include Cloverfield, Juno, Alvin and the Chipmunks and American Gangster.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed during Thursday’s quarterly earnings call that the company intends to apply for refunds on tariffs it paid under trade measures that the Supreme Court recently ruled unconstitutional. And has a clear plan for where that money will go: straight into U.S. manufacturing.

Apple reported another bumper quarter, with record revenue and strong iPhone sales. Amid all the numbers, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh revealed that the iPhone 17 series is now the company’s most popular lineup ever.

Strong demand for the iPhone 17 is helping Apple post record revenue and profits every quarter since its launch.

The FastestVPN & Security Lifetime Bundle gives you two essential tools for safeguarding your data — a VPN and a password manager — all for one low price.

You can lock down your devices with this lifetime VPN and password manager bundle for just $39.99. That means no monthly subscriptions, just security that sticks.

Customers are buying Macs in such high numbers that even Apple’s vaunted manufacturing expertise can’t keep up — and current Mac supply constraints could extend for months.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that a couple of factors mean the Mac mini, the Mac Studio and the new MacBook Neo laptop might not be easy to find.

With John Ternus taking over as Apple CEO this fall, Tim Cook, the company’s current chief, revealed on Thursday what he told his successor.

It’s advice that should please any iPhone or Mac user.

Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus promises he will be just as much of a profit-focused bean counter as his predecessor, current CEO Tim Cook.

“As you know, one of the hallmarks of Tim’s tenure has been a deep thoughtfulness, deliberateness and discipline when it comes to the financial decision-making of the company,” Ternus said Thursday during Apple’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts. “I want you to know that it’s something Kevan and I intend to continue when I transition into the role in September,” Ternus added, referring to Apple CFO Kevan Parekh.

Apple on Thursday announced record earnings for its March quarter, with revenue up 17%. Sales of iPhones continue to boom, with revenue from handsets — Apple’s most important product — up 22% year over year.

“Today Apple is proud to report our best March quarter ever, with revenue of $111.2 billion and double-digit growth across every geographic segment,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO, in a statement. “iPhone achieved a March quarter revenue record, fueled by such extraordinary demand for the iPhone 17 lineup.”

A redesigned Netflix iPhone app brings a cleaner interface, revamped navigation and an entirely new vertical video discovery feature called Clips, the streamer said Thursday.

We’ll see how Apple users receive the update. The recent revamp of Netflix’s app for Apple TV, which switched from a native tvOS player to a custom one that blocked Apple TV features, didn’t go over well. 

Anyone still using an Intel Mac needs to know that when macOS 27 launches this fall, it won’t be available for computers that don’t use Apple’s own processors.

It’s not like your Intel-based Mac will suddenly explode in your face because it’s running an older version of macOS, but the odds of getting hacked go up considerably. Here’s why.

April 30, 2010: Almost a month after the first-gen iPad went on sale, the first Wi-Fi + 3G iPads arrive in the hands of U.S. customers.

The devices ship in boxes identical to the Wi-Fi-only models, but with an additional sticker noting their cellular connectivity capability. The tablets come preloaded with micro-SIM cards branded AT&T, the only wireless carrier that initially supports the iPad.

Formula 1 racing returns the United States this weekend with the F1 Miami Grand Prix on Apple TV. And Apple decided to pull out all the stops to make sure fans experience it not just on Apple TV, but across multiple platforms, the iPhone giant said Wednesday.

The Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2026 streams exclusively on Apple TV beginning Friday. You can see every session — from Practice through Sunday’s race — live and on demand. And there’s a lot more going on, too. 

The Dwarf Mini smart telescope from DwarfLab cooperates with your iPhone to help you take amazing pictures of the stars — even in locations where you probably think it’s impossible. And it’s all thanks to the miracle of long-exposure images.

Even better, the telescope is comparatively tiny and sets up in minutes.

As a long-time stargazer, I was thrilled to test out the Dwarf Mini. And even more thrilled with the results.

This Philips touchscreen deadbolt lock replaces your clunky door keys with easy PIN access — and it’s on sale for just $67.99 (MSRP $129.99).

YouTube is making picture-in-picture (PiP) available to all users worldwide for free. This will enable you to watch a YouTube video in a PiP window while using other apps on your iPhone or iPad.

For non-Premium YouTube users, PiP will only work on non-music and long-form videos.

The Voibe dictation app for Mac lets you talk instead of typing. It’s fast, efficient and works inside any Mac app. Plus, since it works offline, it’s totally private.

It’s a voice-first way to work across your Mac, without relying on cloud processing or extra apps. And right now, a lifetime subscription to Voibe costs just $49.99 (MSRP $149).

Apple reportedly stopped all work on future versions of the Vision Pro. The AR headset has struggled to go mainstream and may now have been dropped — possibly at the insistence of Apple’s incoming CEO, John Ternus.

Instead, the company is allegedly changing its focus to smart glasses that offer fewer features but are lighter and more affordable.

Apple will put artificial intelligence front and center in the iPhone camera with a dedicated Siri camera mode coming in iOS 27, according to a new report. The move signals the company’s push to make on-device AI feel less like a hidden feature and more like a core part of the iPhone experience.

Nearly a decade after Twitter pulled the plug on Vine, the beloved 6-second video app is back — this time under the name Divine. It’s now available as a free download on the App Store.