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.
Ready to take your understanding of coding and artificial intelligence to the next level? This programming bundle for ChatGPT and Python shows you how to pull off coding projects big and small, from “beginner to winner.” And you can get all 14 courses, with a total of 86 hours of courses, for only $39.99 (regularly $154).
You get lifetime access to the lesssons, which are a great way to establish a fundamental understanding of impactful technology.
The iPhone SE 4, expected soon, makes the Dynamic Island universal on current Apple handsets, according to a generally reliable tipster. If true, it means the iPhone SE 4 will skip the screen notch previously expected.
It’s already virtually certain that Apple’s upcoming lower-cost model will drop another bit of obsolete tech: the Lightning port. And the Home button is on the way out, too.
January 20, 1985: Attempting to build on the triumph of the previous year’s “1984” Macintosh commercial, Apple deploys another dystopian Super Bowl commercial. The new Apple ad, titled “Lemmings,” promotes the company’s upcoming business platform, called The Macintosh Office.
The dark, 30-second spot depicts blindfolded executives marching to their doom. The widely reviled ad will go down in history as one of Apple’s biggest stinkers.
As it has done on every Martin Luther King Jr. Day since 2015, Apple used nearly all of its website homepage to pay homage to the slain Civil Rights Movement leader Monday. The page is filled with quotations from King and links to learn more through a free book by the icon in Apple Books and a feature article about him in Apple News.
An iPad Air with a speed boost is on the way, according to a report posted Friday by a generally reliable source. The tablet won’t have Apple’s latest processor, though.
And a cheaper alternative, the iPad 11th generation, also could launch soon. If you’re considering an upgrade, take a look at the iPad Pro M3, which brings even more power and features. Check out our M3 iPad Air review for more details. If you’re interested in how Apple’s premium tablets stack up, check out this iPad Pro review for insights into performance and features.
In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the user stores one of the best-reviewed sets of wireless, over-ear headphones of all time on a stand over to the side. The cans are almost easy to miss in the photograph, but well worth noticing. AirPods Max competitor Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, in a Mac setup, make for a relatively rare sight. But they’re often at or near the top of “best of” lists — not just for great sound and a comfortable fit, but especially for their vaunted noise cancellation.
The TikTok ban kicked in on Sunday, as scheduled. This meant that a social media platform used by more than 150 million Americans a day on their iPhone or Android went dark.
But it didn’t stay dark for long.
January 19, 1989: Apple introduces the Macintosh SE/30, arguably the greatest of the classic compact Macs with black-and-white screens.
When you picture the ideal 1980s Macintosh, this is likely the machine that comes to mind. And for good reason!
Designed with Apple users in mind, the Mag Tube and Mag Qube Qi2 charging stations can juice up iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously. But they’re not like every other cookie-cutter charger. Their magnetic tops rotate so you can attach your iPhone at a convenient angle. And their dedicated wireless charging spots for Apple Watch and AirPods pop out of the gadgets’ sleek sides like one of R2-D2’s stealthy tools.
One charger is cylindrical and the other is a rectangular cuboid. (Yeah, we had to look that up.) And they’re both on sale now for just $79.99.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors indicate the iPhone 17 Pro camera will get a major upgrade. Shocker!
Also on The CultCast:
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.
The Apple TV+ sci-fi series Silo didn’t lose viewers as it approached the end of season two. It stayed on the lists of the top 10 most popular streaming series maintained by two ratings companies. just as it has since new episodes started appearing in November.
And Apple’s deeply odd workplace drama Severance did well with audiences as its season two premiere approached.
January 18, 1983: Computer manufacturer Franklin Electronic Publishers takes the wraps off its Franklin Ace 1200 computer, an unauthorized Apple II clone that triggers an important legal battle.
Cupertino will soon target Franklin’s line of unlicensed clone computers with a lawsuit. In the resulting trial, a U.S. court will decide whether a company can protect its operating system by copyright.
Rich Communication Services messaging is new to iPhone, and it makes chatting with Android users much more fun. RCS messaging makes features like read receipts, video and file attachments and named group chats — previously exclusive to iMessage (and some apps) — possible between iPhone and Android.
What RCS features can you take advantage of? Keep reading or watch our video guide.
iOS 19 could revamp the iPhone’s Camera app with a design language similar to visionOS. As part of the redesign, Apple might move most controls to the bottom for easy access — and split the camera interface into Photo and Video modes.
The plastic used to make the casing for the upcoming Apple Watch SE 3 will be taken from the ocean, making it environmentally friendly, according to a tipster.
The next-gen smartwatch will supposedly be more colorful so it’ll appeal more to an important demographic.
Apple TV and Apple Music will stream the upcoming FireAid benefit concert to help victims of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, a new report Thursday. The concert lineup so far includes Billie Eilish, John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Sting and many others.
The concert will rock out in two Los Angeles performance venues near each other, but most people will get to see and hear it via streaming services.
Apple reportedly picked the companies to supply the display for a screen-equipped HomePod scheduled to reach the market later in 2025.
Previous reports say the device will put more emphasis on functioning as a hub for a smart home than current HomePod models do.
For about as long as MacBooks have existed, confusion, questions and angst over how many external displays can run with them have plagued users. But at least some of the guesswork can be swept aside with a capable USB-C dock. In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the powerful Ugreen Revodok connects multiple displays — three, to be precise — and other peripherals.
January 17, 1984: A week before its famous airing during Super Bowl XVIII, Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial debuts as a trailer in movie theaters. To hype its revolutionary new Macintosh computer, Apple buys several months of promotion from theatrical ad distributor ScreenVision.
Cupertino’s sci-fi-tinged “1984” spot — which depicts a sledgehammer-wielding freedom fighter taking on a Big Brother figure supposed to represent IBM — gets such a favorable audience reaction that some theater owners continue to roll the ad after Apple’s contract ends.
★★★★★
After a three-year wait that felt longer than a day working at Lumon Industries, Severance is finally back! The season two premiere, entitled “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” picks up right where we left our favorite corporate drones. In our Severance season 2 episode 1 recap, we look at the fascinating twists and turns that prove the show hasn’t lost its edge. As the season goes on, let’s see if it keeps it.
Meet the Chargeasap Omega, the 200w GaN charger that delivers an upgrade you didn’t know you needed. Powerful and compact (and with four charging) ports, it can charge an iPhone, iPad and MacBook at high speeds.
For a limited time, you can save 18% and grab one of these handy chargers on sale for $129.99 (regularly $159).
★★★★☆
Are you into exercise and looking for wireless earbuds that’ll take your workout punishment but not break the bank? Look no further than EarFun OpenJump Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds. They aren’t fancy, but the lightweight, hook-on earbuds deliver comfort, security and solid audio without a premium price tag.
Let’s dive into what makes these earbuds, available now for preorder at a substantial discount, stand out in a crowded market.
Following major criticism from major media outlets, Apple is making changes to how its AI-powered notifications summaries work with iOS 18.3 beta 3.
The newest iOS 18.3 beta disables notification summaries for apps in the news and entertainment categories. It also makes several other changes to highlight the feature being in beta and potentially generating summaries with errors.