Amazon moves away from passwords to passkeys instead

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Passkeys let you use Face ID or Touch ID to sign into websites.
You can use Face ID or Touch ID to sign into Amazon via a passkey.
Image: Amazon

Add Amazon to the list of tech giants throwing their weight behind passkeys. With the new system, customers can shop online or in Amazon’s apps without passwords. Passkeys are considered safer and easier.

Apple, Google and others have already started their own move away from passwords.

Give the Apple lover in your life a lifetime of iOS management for under $20

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Gift alert: AnyTrans® Content Manager, now only $20.
Give this content manager subscription to a loved one, now only $19.97.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The holidays will be here sooner than you know. Fortunately, you don’t need to wait for Black Friday to score savings on the perfect gifts for loved ones. For any Apple-obsessed person in your life, you may be able to gift them something incredibly unique, yet practical.

Check In: Every parent should know this essential iOS 17 feature

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Where Did You Go?
A smarter way to keep tabs on your loved ones’ travels.
Image: Boonlert Aroonpiboon/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Check In is a new iOS 17 feature that tracks your travels and lets contacts know when you’ve safely reached your destination. It’s great for traveling, or kids going to and from school, or even going on a date. You no longer have to count on remembering to text someone when you make it home safely — your iPhone will let them know for you.

Check In is like sharing your ETA in Apple Maps, but tweaked for personal safety. Friends, family and loved ones will be automatically notified if you’re stopped for any reason before reaching your destination. It also has timer-based check ins, which come in handy for situations like meeting a stranger from Craigslist. If you don’t check in after a set time, your contacts will be alerted.

Here’s how to use it — frankly, every parent should know how this works.

iPhone 15 gets big discounts in China to boost sales

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iPhone 15 and 15 Plus review: Pro features for less
iPhone 15 is available with up to $200 off in China.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest iPhones are available with deep discounts of up to $200 in China. Many analysts believe Apple’s iPhone 15 series has been doing poorly in China.

The slowdown in sales has caused online Chinese e-commerce companies to offer hefty discounts on the new iPhones.

Level up your work with Microsoft Office for only $30; and score free training

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Level up productivity with Microsoft Office and learn to master Microsoft for only $30.
Streamline your work with Microsoft Office and master Microsoft for only $30.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s never a bad time to update your office tools, and when it comes to productivity, there’s one suite that stands above the rest: Microsoft Office. Students, professionals and home users alike can benefit from this top-rated suite, which can even make an excellent holiday gift for a loved one.

Pencil in new iPads for March 2024

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iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad
Multiple new iPads could be just five months away.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Spring 2024 could bring array of new iPad models, according to a reliable Apple tipster. This might include models from the smallest iPad mini to the largest iPad Pro.

Some of the changes will be only a faster processor, but other tablets will supposedly see more dramatic improvements.

Killers of the Flower Moon bags big box-office numbers

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Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in
Robert De Niro, left, and Leonardo DiCaprio bring plenty of star power to Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.
Photo: Apple TV+

Martin Scorsese’s historical crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon saw both critical acclaim and solid box-office proceeds the opening weekend of it theatrical run ahead of its release on Apple TV+.

In terms of dollars, it placed second among movies in theaters now and third among films in Scorsese’s long directing career.

Get up to 35% off big selection of eye-catching iPhone cases

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SwitchEasy's MagEasy lineup of iPhone cases is on sale.
SwitchEasy's MagEasy lineup of iPhone cases is on sale.
Photo: SwitchEasy

If you have an iPhone, you should probably protect that expensive gadget from drops and scrapes with a case. And it’ll change up your handset’s look, too. Good thing SwitchEasy is having a big sale on its MagEasy lineup — one case for 20% off and an additional 15% off when you buy two cases.

The collection on sale includes a variety of cases for iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11 and SE. Just remember to use coupon code cultofmac on the product page when you buy.

iOS 17.1 fixes weird iPhone 15 Pro screen ‘burn-in’ problem

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iPhone 15 screen burn-in isn't really
This isn't screen burn-in. It's an image retention problem that's fixed by iOS 17.1.
Photo: spriteice/Reddit

Anyone with an iPhone 15 Pro should install iOS 17.1 when it launches this week, especially if their new handset seems to be suffering from screen burn-in. Turns out it’s not a hardware problem but the result of a software bug that gets fixed by the upcoming update.

Plus, there are other new features coming in iOS 17.1.

Update to Matter standard makes your fridge smarter

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Matter standard logo
The Matter 2.1 update adds support for 9 new kinds of appliances and more.
Photo: Connectivity Standards Alliance

The Matter connectivity standard helps different devices and smart-home platforms like Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa work together. And with an update Monday, it added nine home-appliance types and got other improvements, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) behind it said.

Matter specification 2.1 adds support for refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry washers, robot vacuums, air-quality sensors, air purifiers, fans, stand-alone room air conditioners, and smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.

Apple admin runs clinic with formidable M2 MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

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Start with a new 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro, a CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 dock and a huge Samsung display, and go from there.
Start with a new 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro, a CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 dock and a huge Samsung display, and go from there.
Photo: moosetender@Reddit.com

Perhaps you’ve heard an expression often used in sports commentary — “so-and-so is running a clinic on this,” meaning showing anyone and everyone how it’s done.

Today’s featured computer setup comes from an Apple administrator who clearly knows how it’s done, if “it” is setting up a rock-solid and highly functional workstation.

Today in Apple history: Apple puts 1,000 songs in your pocket with first-gen iPod

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Today in Apple history: Apple puts 1,000 songs in your pocket with first-gen iPod
Introduced on this day in 2001, the iPod quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
Photo: Newsweek

October 23: Today in Apple history: Apple puts 1,000 songs in your pocket with first-gen iPod launch October 23, 2001: Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the first iPod, a device capable of storing an entire music library in a highly portable package.

The first-generation device boasts a 5GB hard drive capable of putting “1,000 songs in your pocket.” That may not sound too dazzling in a world in which people can stream the massive Apple Music library from their iPhones, but it was a game-changer at the time!

This cellular home internet comes with truly unlimited data at a good price [Review] ★★★★☆

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EZ Internet Solutions router sitting on a cable box★★★★☆
This router has a few tricks up its sleeve. It has an AT&T SIM card — but best of all, it didn’t come from AT&T.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

EZ Internet Solutions is a rural internet service provider that can give you a solid cellular internet connection that’s truly unlimited — no data cap, no speed throttling. If you live in a spot without any internet infrastructure, but you do have a cell connection, it is a solid option you should consider.

EZ Internet Solutions offers cellular home internet in places AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile don’t. Contrast that with HughesNet, a popular satellite internet provider, which charges an arm and a leg only to give you a fraction of the speed.

I truly live in the middle of nowhere, and yet I’ve been using EZ Internet to live stream a video podcast every week for months without a hitch.

Take 4K footage with this dual-camera drone for less than $80

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Act fast to get $10 off Ninja Dragons dual-camera drone with 1-click launch.
Don't miss your chance at a 4K dual-cam drone for under $80.
Photo: StackCommerce

If you want to see just how far drone technology has come, here’s a shining example that went on sale just in time for the holidays. The Ninja Dragons Blade X is a dual-camera 4K drone that hits all the marks whether you’re flying for fun or looking for Hollywood-quality aerial footage — and it’s only $80 for a limited time.

But this deal won’t last long!

China investigates Apple’s iPhone-assembler Foxconn

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Foxconn building
Foxconn is Apple's biggest contract manufacturer.
Photo: Puddingworld, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons

The Chinese government began multiple investigations into Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that assembles the iPhone, MacBooks and other Apple devices in China.

There are suspicions that the investigations are politically motivated: Foxconn founder Terry Gou is running for president of Taiwan.

Today in Apple history: The App Store hits 200 million downloads

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App Store
The App Store racked up 200 million downloads in less than five months.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

October 22: Today in Apple history: The App Store hits 200 million downloads October 22, 2008: During an Apple conference call, Steve Jobs reveals that a user downloaded the 200 millionth app from the App Store that very day.

The news comes less than five months after the launch of the App Store, and only a month after Apple surpassed 100 million app downloads.

Trick or treat: New Macs might launch on Halloween

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Apple fall Mac event 2023
A new iMac and MacBook Pro models might appear this Halloween.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Update: This report has now been confirmed. On Tuesday, Apple invited the world to watch a product event on October 30. The theme is “scary fast.”


Fresh MacBooks and an iMac might be the highlights of an Apple event the last week of October, according to a high-profile tipster.

Exactly what’s on the agenda isn’t yet clear, but there are a number of strong possibilities, including some potential surprises.

Alleged next-gen HomePod with LCD panel pops up in photos

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The big HomePod could be back soon. But how pricey and how functional will it be?
Apple's next HomePod could pack a LCD screen on top.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Alleged photos of a HomePod prototype with an LCD screen on top have surfaced online. They showcase the smart speaker with a big touch-based LCD panel on top.

Apple’s current-gen HomePod has a small touch surface on top for controlling music playback and volume.

Apple TV+ movie Killers of the Flower Moon is grueling but important [Review] ★★★★★

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Jesse Plemons and Robert De Niro match wits in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon★★★★★
Jesse Plemons and Robert De Niro match wits in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ Review As far back as I could remember, Martin Scorsese has been synonymous with the movies. Now Apple TV+ has financed his latest work, an adaptation of David Grann’s true crime novel The Killers of the Flower Moon about the death of a native American community and the birth of the FBI to the tune of $200 million.

Killers of the Flower Moon will go down as one of the director’s boldest and most furious statements in a career full of them.

Science shows Brie Larson’s Lessons in Chemistry is an immediate hit

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This cooking show comes with some broiling-hot commentary.
This cooking show comes with some broiling-hot commentary.
Photo: Apple

Brie Larson as a frustrated scientist with a love of cooking is a recipe for a hit series on Apple TV+. After premiering earlier this month, Lessons in Chemistry is already the second most popular series or film on streaming, according to a market analysis.

New episodes debut every week on Apple’s streaming service.

How to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for free

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Peanuts holidays specials are already starting to debut on Apple TV+.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is already streaming on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Families with a tradition of watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown can enjoy the classic Peanuts special on Apple TV+ for free this weekend. And it’s available to subscribers of Apple’s streaming service at any time. 

It can be viewed on a very wide variety of streaming boxes, like Roku and Amazon Fire, not just Mac or iPhone.

Gain practical AI knowledge with this bundle, only $50 through October 23rd!

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Gift these AI courses to your favorite techie for only $50 .
This AI course bundle is only $49.97 through October 23rd.
Photo: Cult of Mac deals

AI-driven technology can be super helpful and time-saving. Those who know how to develop and manage it are in high demand worldwide, and with this bundle, you and whoever you gift it to could harness the power of AI to boost productivity.

To get ahead of the holiday shopping season, consider hopping on this deal for the 2023 Ultimate Artificial Intelligence and Automation Developer Bundle, which is only $49.97 (reg. $234) through October 23rd.