This week we check out podcast app Pocket Casts, add grain to our RAW images with Darkroom, and speed up the entire internet with Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1.

An accessory maker shared a picture of something many people would love: a clip-on iPad Pro keyboard with a trackpad. Sadly, Brydge’s concept device just isn’t possible because iOS doesn’t support external pointing devices.

At least, that’s true for now. But mouse/trackpad support is a often-requested feature, and there’s reason to think Apple is at least considering it.

UPDATE: Turns out Apple was considering it, and mouse/trackpad support is built into iPadOS 13. Learn how to use a mouse with your iPad.

The latest iPhone’s camera is almost near perfect in every way. The only thing missing is real time photos and videos in 360 degrees. This is where the Insta360 Nano steps in; creating a new immersive video and photo experience.  

Seven sinfully satisfying days. That’s what the Cult of Mac staffers who ponied up for the new iPad Pro describe as they recount their first wonderful week with the stunning Apple tablet. (Even the ones who still think it’s not really a legit laptop replacement are swooning.)

You’ll find those sober assessments, plus new how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Pick up your free subscription on iTunes now. Or, if you like, read on for the week’s best stories.

Spoiler alert: Our free iOS mag is going to look better than ever if you’re one of the lucky ones reading it on a new iPad Pro.

When it comes to mobile devices, you can never have too much power. Being mobile means being away from wall outlets when you need them most, so we’ve rounded up some of the very best deals on portable power packs.

From solar-powered and tough to ultra-compact, sleek and everything in between, all of them are discounted by more than half.

Adobe added fresh tasks to its iOS version of Lightroom so that it can be used with Apple’s newest mobile tools.

Beginning today, Lightroom Mobile will support both the latest iPad Pro models and the redesigned Apple Pencil. With the pencil, users can double-tap to switch between paint and erase modes with certain tools.

Roli makes touch-sensitive controllers for music apps, and they come in Blocks, little modular units that can be snapped together via magnets to form bigger, better controllers. They’re kind of like Transformers for music. Now, Roli will now sell you a GarageBand-friendly version of its amazing Songmaker Kit, optimized for use with the Mac version of GarageBand.

But what if you already bought a Songmaker Kit? Should you return it and buy the new one? Nope. The hardware is exactly the same, all you need is a software update.

Today we’ll see what the Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition can do, and find out how to update your own Blocks to use it.

An 11-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil were the focus of what seemed like a routine unboxing video. That is until the host used his bare hands to destroy both devices.

If you’re among the 2.7 million viewers to JerryRigEverything on YouTube, you’ve come to expect the unusual durability tests host Zach Nelson puts to the latest tech gadgets.

Phones and other devices located in the U.S. are now permitted to access signals coming from the European equivalent of the GPS system, named for the astronomer Galileo. This should make them significantly more accurate.

Recent iPhones have the hardware necessary to receive these signals, so it’s just up to Apple to add this feature.

The Microsoft Dial, one of the innovative features of the company’s Surface Studio, is coming to Mac. Well, kind of.

Taking the form of a hockey puck-style knob, the Dial offers another way to interface with your computer. That means things like turning up and down volume, rotating images, or adjusting brightness.

While Microsoft isn’t actually bringing the device to Mac, a very similar product — called the Orbital 2 — is coming to Mac next year. And, by all accounts, it’s pretty darn brilliant.

Walmart will overtake Apple to become the third largest e-commerce retailer in the United States over the holiday season, analysts at eMarketer predict.

According to the firm, Amazon will remain in dominant position as the number one retailer, accounting for a massive 48 percent of online retail spending. Amazon is followed by eBay, with a projected 7.2 percent of the market, followed by Walmart, and then Apple.

Pretty much every MacBook user can benefit from a good accessory. So we’ve rounded up some of the best deals on the best peripherals for MacBooks, just in time for Black Friday. Below you’ll find great deals on USB adapters, docking stands, breakaway cables and more!

A pair of avid runners turned engineers have reinvented the watch band into something kind of genius, and we’ve got it in the Cult of Mac Watch Store.

Your Apple Watch provides a torrent of information – so why wear it in the same spot as the watch your great-grandfather wore? Putting key stats and info in your natural line of sight is not only easier to read, it’s easier to use and it’s safer.

This week on The CultCast: You need to be prepared if you want to lock down the best prices on the best gadgets this Black Friday. We’ll tell you the strategies to use to grab all the good deals most shoppers miss. Plus: The new MacBook Pro GPUs are a huge upgrade, but we’re pissed. (We’ll explain.) Also: Why Apple’s stock has fallen off a cliff. And we’ll wrap up with a Steve Jobs story so mundane, the internet has become fascinated with it.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

Apple has debuted a new look for its Certified Refurbished Online Store, giving it bigger pictures and easier navigation options.

Previously, Apple’s Certified Refurbished was nothing special, potentially since Apple was hoping that you would skip over it and buy the new, full-priced items. Now it’s changed it mind — with a new design that places a bigger focus on this part of Apple’s retail business.

Switzerland is opening up an investigation into whether major banks colluded to fight off the threat of mobile payments services such as Apple Pay.

The banks, which include Credit Suisse and Switzerland’s top bank UBS, supposedly wanted to boost the Swiss mobile payment service TWINT. As a result, they are alleged to have blocked their credit cards from working with Apple Pay and the rival Samsung Pay service.

Sources with knowledge of two of the touch module suppliers for the iPhone XR say the companies expect to see a slowdown in shipments in the first quarter of 2019.

The two companies are TPK Holding and General Interface Solution (GIS), both of whom have worked with Apple for several years. It feeds into concerns that the iPhone XR is experiencing weaker-than-expected sales. Things might not be quite what they seem, however.

The new iPad Pro is arguably the most powerful, most familiar, most versatile, and most fun computer you can get today. Yes, you read that correctly. I said computer.

For the past week, I’ve been testing out Apple’s latest 12.9” iPad Pro. I’ve used it around the house, and at work, in the kitchen, and in bed, at the coffee shop and on the couch – and it’s been great. I actually look forward to using it, and it has replaced both my MacBook and my iPhone for a lot of my most common situations.

The public just got their hands on the third beta of iOS 12.1.1, which developers were able to access to this morning. This doesn’t bring new features, but makes some tweaks.

Developers can also download macOS 10.12.2 beta 3, tvOS 12.1.1 beta 3, and watchOS 5.2.1 beta 2.

The iPhone XR camera isn’t as advanced as the one in Apple’s pricier XS series, but you’d be hard pressed to see the difference in some stunning images Apple is showing off today.

These pictures were contributed to the “Shot on iPhone” campaign that highlights what these phones can do.

One of the hottest indie movie studios in Hollywood is joining forces with Apple to make a series of movies.

A24, the studio behind the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, has inked a multi-year deal to produce a slate of films, in what is the first major movie deal for Apple.

You’ve been able to import photos into an iPad ever since the first iPad launched. You had to buy a Camera Connection Kit to do it, which at the time consisted of two 30-pin Dock connectors, one with a USB-A port for hooking up cameras and CF readers, the other with an SD card slot. Since then, imports have gotten faster, and better. And the biggest difference with the 2018 iPad Pro is that now you can use any old USB-C card reader or hub to do the importing. Let’s see how it works.

The iPhone XS and XS Max are undeniably the most gorgeous phones ever created. But when it comes time to actually shell out your own hard-earned cash for an iPhone in the year 2018, there’s one clear winner: the iPhone XR.

Even though it doesn’t have the same amazing OLED display as the iPhone XS Max, there’s a lot to love about the iPhone XR. And we’re not just talking about the price tag. The CultCast host Erfon Elijah breaks down why you should consider going all-in on the colorful iPhone XR.

Buoy Tags, in a nutshell, are labels for cables. Apparently, some of us could use them.

I didn’t know this until my little box of Buoy Tags arrived. But once I saw the little clip-on tags, I could see how they might solve a common problem in households with multiple devices, or in communal offices where everyone plugs into power strips.

One of Apple’s oldest wireless chip suppliers is now facing a huge threat of having employees poached by the iPhone-maker.

For the first time ever, Apple has started advertising engineering jobs in Qualcomm’s backyard, San Diego, California. The move comes as the two companies have been feuding for two years regarding royalty payments and Apple’s hiring spree could deepen the riff.