An AirPods Pro 2 software upgrade will add important new audio features. And all Apple wireless earbuds are getting some enhancements. Photo: Apple
An upcoming software update will add multiple new listening modes to AirPods Pro 2. These are designed to make it easier for the user to listen to music while also hearing what’s going on around them.
Apple also announced at WWDC23 that all AirPods will get better at switching connections between devices, plus a change intended to make conference calls easier.
Juice up all your Apple gear wirelessly with this 5-in-1 charger. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Update: Sorry, but this deal quickly sold out.
As more Apple gear becomes available, we all have a problem: How to keep it all charged? This 5-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger has room for just about everything — and more besides.
It even boasts an unusual design that makes it resemble a leafy plant!
This magnetic wireless charging stand powers up four Apple devices at once. Photo: SwitchEasy
If you haven’t tried a multi-device charging stand, you’re missing out. There’s nothing like the convenience of plopping your Apple devices — iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods — in one place like a side table or night stand to top them off.
That's a pink AirPods case. Though the earbuds inside were still white, apparently. Photo: kosutami@twitter.com
Everyone knows AirPods come only in white. If you want a set of Apple earbuds in another color, you have to turn to subsidiary Beats.
But white almost wasn’t the only case, so to speak. Apple prototyped AirPods cases in five colors to match iPhone 7 colors in 2016, according to a source who displayed some images Tuesday.
They're loyal and true, but sometimes they get lost. AirTag to the rescue via a Nine Twenty Eight collar. Photo: Nine Twenty Eight.
The massive Memorial Day Sale is still going on in the Cult of Mac Store, running through the end of the day on Monday, May 29. You can get up to 30% off great accessories for Apple products from half a dozen leading brands: Elago, Rilee & Lo, SwitchEasy, Mifa, Laut, Bucardo and Nine Twenty Eight.
Momax Airbox stores and charges your Apple devices. Photo: Momax
Momax’s Airbox Portable Power Cabin may be the ultimate companion for your Apple devices. The clamshell case not only charges your gadgets fast with its built-in 10,000mAh battery, it also stores them on the go — including iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods or AirPods Pro.
It’ll top up your iPad quickly via USB-C as well. And there’s even a special, non-charging slot to store your Apple Pencil.
The company calls the Airbox the world’s first foldable power bank. And Momax is offering a limited-time deal that drops the price considerably — plus an extra 30% discount for Cult of Mac readers only!
Mifa's Sparkle Band is the picture of elegance. Or, mom might like a classic leather band or a tactical strap. Photo: Mifa
You’re not the first person to show up late to the party for Mother’s Day, forgetting to fork over a gift on her special day. So, a day later, it’s a good thing you can still choose from a huge selection of great Apple accessories on sale.
You can pick up a variety of items for 15% to 25% off in the Cult of Mac Store’s Mother’s Day Sweet Savings Collection through Monday. See a selection of highlights below.
Cleaning your AirPods is easy, and you probably have the tools to do it already. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Today we’re going to see how to clean AirPods, AirPods Pro or any other earbuds, using tools you probably already have. It’s essential to keep your AirPods clean to keep them working properly. Plus, it’s easy for them to get gross.
For instance, the other day on the metro, I pulled out my AirPods and dropped one on the floor. The earbud bounced over dried and dirty beer stains, and who knows what other filth and bacteria that had been traipsed in on a million passengers’ shoes (and the odd hippies’ bare feet). I gave up on listening to anything on the trip home, and slipped the rescued AirPod back into its case.
It’s not only hippie toe jam that we have to worry about, either. Because we’re always pushing AirPods deep into moist holes in our heads, they crust up with earwax and whatever bacteria we have living in our earholes. Happily, cleaning and disinfecting AirPods is not only easy. It’s just about as satisfying as digging a deep-seated booger out of your nose, or picking an almost-healed scab.
Master your AirPods with these six tricks you’d have to really dig to find. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
AirPods are the wireless earbuds that ordinary Bluetooth headphones want to be when they grow up. They’re seamlessly integrated with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. They’re deceptively simple — but if you want to get more out of them, you need to dig through Settings.
I’ve done some spelunking and found six super-handy hidden features you might not know about.