Whether you’re working from home or at the office, Microsoft Office Suite is probably part of the picture. Excel, Word, Outlook and the rest of the software package prove fundamental to the modern workplace. So if you find yourself with some extra time, these lessons mean you can gain some super-marketable skills.
It’s time to get certified!
An Apple employee teaches the basics of the free GarageBand music-creation software in an new video tutorial from Today at Apple. It covers sampling sounds from your kitchen to make house music.
Normally, these free educational sessions are held in Apple Stores, but with these all closed during the COVID-19 crisis, they’ve gone online. There are already training videos for drawing and taking better pictures.
With screaming-fast internals, key flagship-level features and a budget price tag, the new iPhone SE ticks all the boxes in these uncertain times. Apple cut a few smart corners to make the magic happen.
Read all about the 2020 iPhone SE in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Grab yours today and get to reading. (Alternatively, hit the links below for the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos.)
If you’re looking for some situation-appropriate fiction to read during the COVID-19 lockdown, then what could be better than a good old post-apocalyptic novel?
Some people will want to avoid all mention of pandemics and other worldwide disasters. But if your idea of catharsis comes through mental inoculation, then you should check out this list. I’ve read a ton of dystopian fiction over the years, and below are some of my favorites. A few are from recent years, and one is a bona fide classic, but all of them are great.
Being unexpectedly stuck at home can mean you’ve suddenly got time to start streaming your thoughts and creative endeavors. But if you want people to watch your videos, you’ve got to cover the basics — good camera angles and quality lighting.
These two DIY bundles include studio lights, camera grips and more so you can stream video like a pro.
A Fold Apart asks players to solve over 50 handcrafted paper-folding puzzles. But the real goal of this title that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade is to bring together a couple struggling through a long-distance relationship.
This Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades post is presented by URcdkeys.
If you currently run old versions of Microsoft software and keep putting off upgrades because of costs, Cult of Mac has you covered. Our readers can get 20% off an assortment of Windows 10 and Office product keys that are already priced well below typical prices.
Once you enter Cult of Mac’s special discount code at purchase and get the key, you’ll be free to install Windows 10 Pro or your choice of 2016 or 2019 Office products on any PC.
The head of Apple Music is apparently assuming an additional role. Oliver Schusser is reportedly going to take charge of the company’s Beats line of high-end headphones, while also remaining at the helm of Apple’s music-streaming service.
Apple also took the opportunity to refute a recent unconfirmed report that it’s phasing out Beats.
Chris Evans’s first big role after playing Captain America is a district attorney whose 14-year-old son is accused of murder in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+. He and other cast members talk about their characters from this upcoming show in a “First Look”video released Friday.
Watch it now:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve probably become hyper-aware of how much you touch everything. Your face, your iPhone, the AirPods you never clean, the filthy handle on your apartment building’s front door, etc. If you’re using your iPhone’s Reminders app to manage your iPhone shopping list, you’re likely finding yourself constantly tapping the screen and relying on Face ID to wake it up during trips to the store.
Clearly that’s useless if you’re being responsible and wearing a mask in the supermarket. Today we’ll see how to quickly toggle a “shopping mode” in the Drafts app, which will keep your iPhone awake while you dash down the aisles.
Every iPhone buyer knows the excitement they feel when they first pull the protective plastic wrapper off their new device. Apple is supposedly about to release an ad for the 2020 iPhone SE that plays on the excitement users feel in that exact moment.
Watch it now:
The American Civil Liberties Union said Friday it is cautiously encouraged by a commitment to privacy by Apple and Google as they develop Bluetooth-based contact-tracing technology to track the spread of COVID-19.
But the civil liberties group says the two tech giants must resolve “certain important privacy-related questions” key to winning trust from a public growing wary about who sees their data.
Those looking to improve the graphics performance of their 2019 Mac Pro can now pick up the Radeon Pro W5700X MPX Module from the Apple Online Store.
For exactly $1,000, the new GPU offers up to 9.4 teraflops of compute performance and 16GB of GDDR6 memory. It uses AMD’s latest RDNA architecture, and it’s now the most affordable GPU module Apple sells.
Apple began taking pre-orders for the second-generation iPhone SE on Friday, and in the U.S. already ran out out of its stock for release on launch day.
Orders placed placed earlier today will arrive on April 24. But the official Apple Store website indicates that orders for the new $399 iPhone placed now won’t arrive until May.
An amazing 49-inch LG UltraWide monitor dominates the sweet work-from-home setup of front-end developer Justin Chua from San Jose, California. A second 32-inch Dell monitor floats above, adding even more screen real estate to this eye-blasting battlestation.
And check out his sweet, custom-made mechanical keyboard!
Anyone missing the ocean can dive into E-Line Media’s Beyond Blue. Playing as a scientist, the goal of the iPhone or Apple TV game is to explore and uncover the secrets of the Earth’s last uncharted frontier.
It debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, the company’s subscription gaming service.
Steam Link for iPhone and iPad just got a big update that adds mouse and keyboard support for the first time. Don’t get too excited just yet, however. While direct mouse input is available, it’s not ideal for many game genres just yet.
This antivirus software with Windows key post is presented by BZFuture.
Cybercriminals use complex methods to hijack, damage and exploit your computer and data. They think know more than you do — and maybe they do. At least for now. But their success relies on you remaining lazy, overly busy and ignorant. And since you already know you need potent protection, it’s no great leap to realize products offered by BZFuture can assist you. Does it help even more that the reseller now offers a free Windows Pro 10 activation key with purchase of antivirus protection? Sure it does.
Seeing friends and family in person just isn’t possible during a global pandemic, so WhatsApp could be making some changes to ensure that we can still have face-to-face contact (via a screen) without leaving our homes.
Changes in the app’s latest beta release suggest the limit for group audio and video calls will soon increase. It currently allows for just four participants at any one time, while others — like Facebook Messenger — can support up to 50.
Home, the new Apple TV+ docuseries about unconventional structures designed by unorthodox architects, is — surprise, surprise — as much a mixed a bag as anything else on the streaming service.
The nine-episode series, available to watch Friday, provides a window into homes and the ethos, hardship and breakthroughs that lead to their creation. It would be an understatement to say that some episodes prove more interesting than others.
Goldman Sachs may be Apple’s partner in Apple Card, but that doesn’t mean that its equity research division is a cheerleader for Apple in everything it does. In fact, the firm just cut its price target on Apple from $250 down to $233, and recommends that clients sell their Apple shares.
This is the third time that Goldman has downgraded its Apple earnings estimate since February 17. Analysts led by Goldman tech analyst Rod Hall think that Apple is headed for a reduction in iPhone demand this year. That’s likely to be followed by a shallower recovery headed into 2021.
It’s really quite simple. Going online is full of risks and headaches, so you should get VPN protection. A virtual private network encrypts your traffic and masks your IP address, which offers essential security and anonymity.
Want a glimpse at the (possible) new iPhone 12 Pro Max? YouTube channel EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach have posted what they claim is a leaked design for the new handset, based on supposed CAD drawings.
As expected, they suggest that the new iPhone will borrow design cues from the squared-off, boxier iPad Pro redesign. It also looks set to sport a slightly thinner profile, just 7.4mm thick next to the 8.1mm of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Oh, and notch-haters might be pleased by the smaller notch on the device.
Check out the video below.
Apple is now taking preorders for the 2020 iPhone SE ahead of its official debut on April 24. Prices start at just $399 for a 64GB model, making this one of the company’s most affordable smartphones to date.
Go claim yours before those shipping dates slip — and don’t miss some of the preorder deals being offered by some third-party retailers.
In more evidence that this year’s iPhone 12 will debut on time, Apple chipmaker TSMC says that its 5-nanometer chips are already in volume production and with satisfactory yield rates. TSMC expects a “a very fast and smooth ramp” of these chips in the second half of the year. It is heavily rumored that these will be the chips used in the new iPhone 12.
CEO CC Wei told investors this during an investor meeting held Thursday. Wei also said that TSMC is on track to deliver 3-nanometer chips which could be used in phones as soon as 2022.