In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Don’t make the mistake of comparing HomePod to rival smart speakers and lamenting its $349 price tag. There are good reasons why the device costs more than three times as much as an Amazon Echo — and yet is still an absolute steal.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Learn awesome Apple Watch tricks and tips to get the most out of your wearable. Discover how to add sketches to emails in iOS 11. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

The Apple Watch truly became a useful device with the release of the Series 3. LTE connectivity, more accurate heart rate monitoring, and faster hardware make the Apple Watch a joy to use.

With all the features and functions Apple advertises, there are still plenty of hidden tips and tricks for users to discover. Check out seven of my favorites in our latest video:

Your Apple Watch loves getting wet (provided you own a Series 2 or 3). But when you start a swimming workout, the waterproof mode kicks in automatically, which means the Apple Watch touchscreen stops working. So how are you supposed to use it?

Swimming with Apple Watch certainly takes a bit of getting used to. But if you check out our top 10 tips before you dive in, you’ll discover your smartwatch is almost as indispensable in the pool as your Speedo. Almost.

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta software updates from Apple this morning, including the fourth build of iOS 11.2.5.

Apple has also released the fourth builds of watchOS 4.2.2, tvOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, all of which come with a number of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s platforms.

A nasty CPU flaw that leaves computer users’ most sensitive data at risk is also present in iPhone and iPad processors, Apple confirmed Thursday.

The “Spectre” bug has been discovered in the mobile ARM processors that power iOS devices, as well as Apple TV — but there’s probably no need to panic.

This week, we found deals on the new Apple Watch Series 3 as well as big savings on Apple refurbs and even the screaming-fast 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Get your credit card ready and check out our roundup of the week’s best Apple deals.

The Apple watch is pretty good at counting your steps, and guessing the length of your strides, but does it really know how far you have run or walked? With a Series 3 Apple Watch, the onboard GPS almost takes care of it for you. If you have an older Apple Watch, though, you’ll need to take your iPhone along for a few runs to let the watch calibrate itself using the iPhone’s GPS. Here’s how.

Developers received a bunch of new beta software updates from Apple today that included the third beta of iOS 11.2 and macOS 10.13.3 beta 3 as well.

The new betas contain a number of bug fixes and performance improvements as Apple prepares to launch Apple Pay cash and other new additions to the public later this year.

This week on The CultCast: The iPhone X may be Apple’s best phone, but it’s not perfect. Catch our first-week impressions to hear what we love (and what we don’t!) about Apple’s very spicy new iPhone. Plus: Our top reasons to not buy an iPhone X; how to use Apple Pay Cash to pay your friends and fam; and catch our list of X-rated tips, aka the really useful iPhone X tips and tricks you haven’t heard about.

Apple has updated its Apple Watch Series 3 battery guidelines following the rollout of watchOS 4.1 on Tuesday.

The update adds big new features, such as Apple Music and Beats 1 streaming, that significantly impact the usage you’ll get in between charges.