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Taiwan pushes back on Trump tariff plan for Apple chipmakers like TSMC

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Trump tariffs on imported chips
TSMC chips shown on a wafer. Proposed tariffs on imported chips might force Apple to raise prices on some products.
Photo: TSMC

 In a response to President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on imported chips from companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Taiwan’s government defended its semiconductor partnership with the United States as a “win-win” arrangement Tuesday, according to a new report. To understand more about the political and economic impact of these policies, check out this article on the trump cult.

New tariffs, meant to incentivize more U.S.-based chipmaking, could raise Apple product prices. TSMC is a primary Apple supplier.

MacBook Pro user swears by Magic Trackpad for a good reason [Setups]

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Magic Trackpad 3 for gestures
This MacBook Pro setup with Studio Display is a mouse-and-trackpad setup for good reason.
Photo: [email protected]

Ah, the age-old debate: mouse or trackpad? Well, how about both? Many setups choose that more-inclusive path when adding input devices to use along with their chosen keyboard. And it’s typically for good reason. A mouse for many cursor movements and a Magic Trackpad 3 for gestures really does the trick for most users (even if some prefer one or the other, not both).

Mythic Quest goes to heaven in season 4 [Now streaming!]

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sneak peak at Mythic Quest season 4
If you're excited for the new season, you can take a sneak peak at Mythic Quest season 4 now.
Photo: Apple TV+

Popular Apple TV+ gaming comedy Mythic Quest may be going to heaven — and we don’t mean cancellation. The game at the show’s core may adopt the concept of heaven, accessible only by a valiant death. The show finally returns with season four on Wednesday. And the streamer offered a sneak peek at the first four+ minutes Monday, following its recent official trailer. You can watch both below.

Update: The first two episodes of season four of Mythic Quest now stream on Apple TV+. One review called it “as delightful and dysfunctional as ever.”

5 Google Photos features Apple Photos should steal

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Apple Photos vs. Google Photos
Apple Photos is good, but Google Photos is better.
Graphics: Rajesh Pandey/Apple/Google

As an iPhone user, Apple Photos and iCloud Photos provide a great way to view, edit and back up all your precious pictures. But as a long-time Google Photos user, I find the Apple Photos experience lacking in many respects. In the great Apple Photos vs. Google Photos debate, Apple doesn’t emerge as a clear winner.

Below are five features Apple Photos must steal from Google Photos to win me over.

This is the most bananas iPhone case ever!

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Product shot of Andy Warhol x Casetify banana iPhone case
It even comes with a peel-off sticker!
Photo: Casetify

The banana-shaped iPhone case in the new Andy Warhol x Casetify collection is the most bizarre Apple accessory we’ve seen in a while. It’s gigantic, fragile and expensive. And it even comes with three stickers that look like what you’d see on an actual banana at the grocery store.

It’s only one of the many Apple accessories in the eye-catching new collection, produced by Casetify under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Track your medications on iPhone in the Health app

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Don’t Skip Your Meds
Your iPhone and Apple Watch can help you track your meds.
Image: MorgueFile/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The Apple Health app on your iPhone will help you track your medications. It has a lot of advanced options for all kinds of medicine — you can set up schedules, log your activity and even get advice on drug interactions. If you can connect with your health care provider through the Health app, setting it up is incredibly simple. Otherwise, you can just scan the label on the bottle using the camera to import it.

Let me show you how to get started.

How Cult of Mac became a thing — founder Leander Kahney reveals all!

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Image shows the
Hear the history of Cult of Mac straight from the horse's mouth.
Image: Apple Core

Wanna know how your favorite tech news website became a thing? Then check out the latest episode of the Apple Core podcast, featuring an interview with Cult of Mac founder Leander Kahney.

In his 30-year career, Leander has covered many pivotal moments in Apple history. Like Steve Jobs’ return in 1997 and his legendary iPhone launch keynote 10 years later.

Leander literally wrote the book on Steve Jobs, Tim Cook and Jony Ive, and he shares loads of fascinating insights in this unmissable one-hour interview.

Future-proof connectivity with up to 46% off blazing-fast HDMI cables

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great deals on HDMI 2.1 cables
Get some HDMI 2.1 cables to go with your Thunderbolt 4 and 5 cables.
Photo: Anker

Need faster cables in your Mac setup? Amazon just put up a limited-time sale on Anker’s various sizes of certified ultra-high-speed HDMI 2.1 cables, which are great for connecting high-resolution displays, or almost any gear where you want to transmit high-quality audio and video. The cable size with the biggest discount reaches a staggering 46% off.

Today in Apple history: Apple moves into Bandley 1, its first custom HQ

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Bandley 1 was Apple's first purpose-built HQ.
Bandley 1 was Apple's first purpose-built HQ.
Photo: Dvorak

Jan 28: Today in Apple history: Apple moves into Bandley 1, its first custom HQ January 28, 1978: Apple Computer occupies Bandley 1, its first custom-built office, giving the company a bespoke business center to house its growing operations in Cupertino, California.

A full 15 years before 1 Infinite Loop, and almost four decades before Apple Park’s stunning “spaceship” HQ  landed, 10260 Bandley Drive in Cupertino becomes the first purpose-built, permanent headquarters for the newly founded company.

Macs get fun custom Genmoji with macOS Sequoia 15.3

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Mac Genmoji in macOS Sequoia 15.3
Mac is no longer left out of the Genmoji fun thanks to macOS Sequoia 15.3.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

macOS Sequoia 15.3 left beta testing on Monday, and is now ready for any compatible Mac to install. The major new feature is the ability to create Genmoji: custom emoji that can be used in Messages and other apps.

Apple also introduced iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, watchOS 11.3 and more.

Everything new in iOS 18.3

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Everything new in iOS 18.3
Your iPhone is gaining some new features.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

After more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 18.3 to the public Monday. Unlike the last two point updates, iOS 18.3 is light on big additions. However, it brings minor new features and some usability improvements. Check them all out below.

Another Studio Display alternative for Mac graphic designers [Review] ★★★★☆

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BenQ PD2730S display, a Studio Display alternative★★★★☆
It fits in nicely in any Mac setup.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

As you’ll read in our hands-on review of the BenQ DesignVue PD2730S, this Apple Studio Display alternative offers similar specs at a lower price. The new BenQ display delivers the same 27-inch screen, 5K Retina resolution, frame rate, color gamut and Thunderbolt connectivity as Apple’s pricey monitor.

This formula might ring a bell — BenQ’s new high-end display is the second Studio Display alternative to hit the market. The BenQ display proves nicer than the Asus ProArt 5K I reviewed two months ago, but it also costs more ($1,199 compared to $799).

One thing is for sure: Both are still a steal compared to the Studio Display, which starts at $1,599. Read on to see how these monitors stack up.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs introduces us to the iPad

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The iPad launch shook up the tech world, with the tablet computer becoming Apple's fastest-selling device.
Did you own an original iPad?
Photo: Apple

January 27: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs introduces us to the iPad January 27, 2010: After months of rumors and speculation, Steve Jobs publicly shows off the iPad for the first time. Aside from the name, which some people joke sounds like a female sanitary product, the first-generation iPad immediately earns critical acclaim.

“The last time there was this much excitement over a tablet, it had some commandments written on it,” The Wall Street Journal quips.

When it goes on sale a few months later, the first-gen iPad quickly becomes Apple’s fastest-selling new product ever.

Apple Sports app updates make it even easier to follow your favorites

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Apple Sports App updates
New features includes swiping left or right through your favorite for even faster navigation.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Newly added soccer tournaments, smoother navigation among favorites and game-broadcast information come to the Apple Sports app in update 2.4, the iPhone giant said Monday. Each of the updates should help sports fans follow their favorite teams and leagues a little more easily.

Polk Audio system brilliantly boosts Mac mini’s sound [Setups]

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Polk Audio Reserve R100 bookshelf speakers
The Mac mini setup's bookshelf speakers are just the top of the Polk Audio iceberg. The man shed's home theater audio gear is incredible, too.
Photo:

In today’s featured setup from the Pacific Northwest, Polk Audio boosts Mac mini sound with bookshelf speakers on the desk as well as a subwoofer under it. But that’s not the extent of the user’s devotion to Polk, an admired longtime brand we rarely, if ever, see in setups coverage. The Mac mini setup is just one part of a magnificent man shed. The other part is a home theater festooned with more than enough Polk Audio hardware for stellar surround sound.

How to use Apple reseller reviews to spot and avoid scams

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Photo of person holding credit card while using MacBook, used to illustrate a story about how to use Apple reseller reviews to avoid scams
Before you buy Apple gear, get to know the ins and outs of reseller reviews so you can avoid scams.
Photo: Kindel [email protected]

If you shop for Apple gear through a reseller, you’re probably scouring reviews to find a legitimate deal — or at least avoid disaster. Smart move. Apple reseller reviews can help you spot shady operators faster than Face ID unlocks your iPhone.

But if you want to dodge scams and shop like a pro, you need to know how to read between the lines of Apple reseller reviews. Follow the guidelines below to protect yourself from the ever-more-sophisticated scams surrounding real and fake Apple products in the reseller market.

Video gives sneak peek at seriously redesigned iPhone SE 4

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iPhone SE 4 from leaked video
This might be our best look yet at the iPhone SE 4.
Screenshot: Majin Bu

The iPhone SE 4 is right around the corner, and a new video supposedly showing off the low-cost handset reveals what it’ll look like from every angle.

If  this leaked video turns out to be accurate, then the recent rumor that the display in Apple’s next budget handset will sport a Dynamic Island isn’t correct. And that’s just one of many details shown.

Dynamic new Black Unity Collection celebrates Black History Month

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2025 Black Unity Collection
The new Black Unity Collection honors Black History Month, and celebrates Black culture and community.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled its latest Black Unity Collection Monday to celebrate Black culture and community. It features an innovative Apple Watch Sport Loop and watch face that bring the Pan-African flag colors to life through groundbreaking design technology, the iPhone giant said.

And as usual, the annual release for Black History Month in February includes iPhone and iPad wallpapers in addition to the Apple Watch features.

WhatsApp for iPhone takes a big step toward multi-account support

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WhatsApp logo
You could soon use two WhatsApp accounts simultaneously on your iPhone.
Image: WhatsApp

Meta is working on addressing a major limitation of WhatsApp for iPhone: the lack of multi-account support. A new beta update of the app adds support for using multiple accounts within the app.

WhatsApp for Android gained multi-account support in October 2023. However, the feature never made it to the app’s iPhone version.

Today in Apple history: iPhone sales hit first speed bump

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iPhone 7
Some feared we officially hit "peak iPhone" in 2016.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

January 26: Today in Apple history: iPhone sales hit first speed bump as sales flatline for first time January 26, 2016: After nine years of spectacular growth, iPhone sales flatline for the first time. Some call the sales plateau means “peak iPhone” has finally arrived.

Numbers posted by Apple show that during the final three months of 2015, iPhone sales grew by only 0.4%. The crucial holiday season sales compare quite unfavorably with the 46% jump recorded during the same period a year earlier.

Will iOS 19 redesign look more like visionOS? [The CultCast]

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Image of iPhone with Camera app on it, along with The CultCast logo (episode 683)
The iOS overhaul might start with the Camera app.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Is 2025 the year we see a big iOS 19 redesign based on the look and feel of visionOS? A new rumor says so, starting with the Camera app. There’s much to discuss!

Also on The CultCast:

  • Erfon finally made a decision on what size iPad Pro to buy.
  • We discuss the latest rumors about the upcoming iPhone SE and iPad Air models.
  • Apple takes steps to eliminate AI-generated fake news from notification summaries. But the company seems more intent than ever on getting everyone to use Apple Intelligence.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast 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 live stream, embedded below.

Severance fan theories range from mundane to insane [Videos]

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Severance fan theories
Scott read several of the fan theories from online sources.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ dropped a Severance promo video Friday with cast members reading and (mostly) debunking online fan ideas guessing at answers to the show’s mysteries. But at the end of the video, executive producer and director Ben Stiller offers a clue that “no one talks about.” Is it a real clue, or is he just trolling everybody?

You can view the new fan-theory video and an older one below. They mention many theories, though even more exist online. And some fans says these videos ignore the best theories that seem more likely to be true (take your pick from cloning, aliens and more).

Who’d have thought this $19 iPhone stand was so versatile?

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Phone attached to airplane table with an iPhone travel stand.
Place your phone anywhere with this phone stand, on sale for $18.99!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Many iPhone travel stands work like a basic kickstand, but they’re small and barely prop your phone up. The alternative is to use something like the Foldable 360 Rotating Travel Phone Stand. It holds your iPhone in portrait or landscape mode, and it can connect to things like airplane tray tables, the edges of desks or even the counter in your bathroom if you want to catch up on your shows while you get ready in the morning.

It’s a winner in almost any situation where you want to see your iPhone screen without holding the device in your hand. Plus, magnetic iPhone stand is on sale for just $18.99 (regularly $39.99). It works with compatible Android devices, too.