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Best Mac accessories for gift-giving [2017 Gift Guide]

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These best Mac accessories are perfect for any Mac owner on your gift list.
These accessories are perfect for any Mac owner on your gift list.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2017 Gift Guide bug Christmas creeps up on you quickly, so if you haven’t already started your shopping, it’s time to do something about it. Cult of Mac can help! In this guide, you’ll find a selection of stellar gifts that are perfect for the Mac lover in your life.

We have killer keyboards, stunning stands, super speakers and more!

5 ways to liven up your iPhone game [Deals]

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These five add-ons will make any iPhone better.
These five add-ons will make any iPhone better.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Picking up an iPhone means putting an amazing device in your pocket. But there are plenty of ways to make it even better. We’ve rounded up five deals on peripherals and lessons that can enhance anyone’s iPhone experience. That includes wireless charging batteries, a robust car mount, truly wireless earbuds, lessons in iOS coding, and more. Each is discounted massively, some by more than 90 percent. Read on for more details:

The best Bluetooth speakers for iPhone and iPad

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marshall bluetooth speakers
Bluetooth speakers are the default kind of speaker for today's cable-free iPhones. Here are some of the best.
Photo: Marshall

The speakers in iPhones and iPads get better with each new model, but they’ll never power a party, or even shift enough air to accompany an action movie. Bluetooth speakers are the way to go for most people. You skip the annoyance of wires, and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of AirPlay, which never seems to work right. Also, Bluetooth is universal, so you can also use the speaker with an Android device or PC.

Logitech Slim Combo gives iPad Pro a comfy keyboard [Review]

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The Logitech Slim Combo iPad Pro keyboard case puts a rugged cover on your precious tablet. But it's not for everyone.
The Slim Combo puts a rugged cover on your precious iPad Pro. But it's not for everyone.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

If you use the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, you know it’s got the power to replace a MacBook for some tasks (especially if you’re running iOS 11, which gives your iPad superpowers).

The Logitech Slim Combo case, with a clamshell design and a complete keyboard, makes your iPad Pro seem even more like a laptop than ever. It’s not all super-portable bliss, though. A couple of strange design choices make you painfully aware that the Slim Combo isn’t an Apple product.

Apple Watch charging stand takes a cut out of the competition [Watch Store]

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just mobile
A triumph of form and function, TimeStand comes in Silver or Black.
Photo: Just Mobile

No one needs a stand on which to place a watch. But, when the timepiece in question is Apple Watch, we tend to embrace accessories that showcase its design style.

We bring you a solid little charging stand that combines beautiful form and function with a compact footprint. The TimeStand Charging Stand by Just Mobile is akin to a tiny sculpture for your desk or nightstand to proudly display (and, charge!) your Apple Watch.

Just Mobile again hits all the marks in fusing function and design with this charging stand. We’re excited to feature the TimeStand in our Watch Store alongside Just Mobile’s Lounge Dock and HoverDock.

Lounge Dock charging stand for Apple Watch adjusts to you

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lounge dock
The eye-catching Lounge Dock is height-adjustable.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

We love great design in all its forms — especially when that form is a cute and compact charging stand for Apple Watch. Just Mobile again hits all the marks in fusing function and design with its adjustable-angle charging stand, the Lounge Dock.

Just Mobile continues to impress us with its great Apple-centric accessories, and is well-known as a company who’s ethos is great design. We’re excited to feature the Lounge Dock in our Watch Store alongside Just Mobile’s TimeStand and HoverDock.

These apps will give your Mac a productivity boost [Deals]

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This bundle of Mac apps adds new ways to work with video, WiFi, PDFs, and more.
This bundle of Mac apps adds new ways to work with video, WiFi, PDFs, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Feel like giving your Mac a new dose of productivity potential? This roundup of apps should do the trick. Included are apps for downloading HD video from the web, and a powerful pair of video conversion apps. Plus, there’s a tool for mapping and optimizing Wi-Fi coverage, and a tool for making any boring PDF into delightful digital magazines. Even better, you’ll get 20 percent off any of these deals when you use the coupon code ‘SOFTWARE20’ at checkout. Read on for more details:

Trade in your old Apple Watch. We pay the highest prices

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Apple Watch with brown strap
Cult of Mac will buy your old Apple Watch, and we pay top dollar.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

If you just got a new Apple Watch Series 3 (or are about to), you should think about trading in your old watch.

Cult of Mac has a popular gadget buyback program that pays more for used Apple Watches than competing trade-in services, and it’s a lot easier and safer than Craigslist or eBay.

How to use iOS 11’s powerful new screenshot markup tool

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screenshot markup
Screenshots have moved from a semi-secret, mostly-hidden feature to a proper tool.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iOS 11 has added some great new features to the humble screenshot tool. You can quickly view a new screenshot without a trip to the Photos app first, and you can edit and mark it up before saving it. By adding some powerful pro-level features to screenshot markup, Apple has –somewhat ironically — made them way more useful and accessible for everyone.

Series 3 vs. Series 1: Which Apple Watch is right for you?

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Apple Watch Series 3
Series 3 has landed, but is it the best model for you?
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 is now on sale, with prices starting at $329. If you want LTE connectivity — and you will — you’ll be coughing up at least $399.

That’s not cheap. But is it worth it? And should you even consider last year’s Series 1 model, which remains on sale as a more affordable alternative?

Find out right here in our 2017 Apple Watch comparison, which will help you decide which option is the best for you.

This waterproof, flexible camera has many uses [Deals]

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Endoscopic Camera
This tough, high res, flexible camera is super useful for home maintenance, car repair, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

How many times have you wished you could climb into an engine to see what’s wrong with it? Or wondered what’s clogging your sink? Shrinking down and climbing inside a drain or an engine block is an unpleasant thought. So why not just to send an endoscopic camera in there to scope out the issue?

Eliminate tangled cords with this gadget organizer [Review]

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cord and gadget organizer
The BUBM case corrals the little things in your everyday tech carry.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Best List: BUBM gadget and cord organizer by ATailorBird

Pulling your charging cord from your shoulder bag or backpack can resemble that gag where you think you’re opening a can of peanuts and get surprised by springy snakes. Your bag’s other contents can catch on your cords and fly out.

The BUBM cord and gadget organizing case offers just one surprise. The mundane task of organizing your cords and other small accessories turns out to be fun and satisfying.

Juicy iPhone 8 leaks and a strange twist for Apple car project, on The CultCast

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Apple Car
Why, I just looove our new Apple car, mummy!
Photo: Mario Klingemann/Flickr CC

This week on The CultCast: Even more juicy details leak on iPhone 8, plus a report says Apple’s keynote reveal is right around the corner. Plus: There’s a strange twist in Apple’s autonomous car project; why the 13-inch MacBook Pro might soon get a lot more horsepower; and stick around for an all-new storytime, where we’ll tell you what it’s like inside the eerie darkness of a total solar eclipse.

Canvas laptop bag goes from biz to beach without skipping a beat [Review]

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toffee laptop bag
Genuine leather along the base of the Commuter Satchel provides extra strength and durability.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Best List: Commuter Satchel by Toffee

After years of depositing my MacBook into an oversize, freebie laptop bag, it was time. Time to forego the ugly, embrace the new and, most importantly, get some real protection for my Mac.

The Commuter Satchel by Toffee arrived at the request of one of my colleagues. He, too, recognized the deplorable excuse of a laptop bag I was lugging around.

I can’t emphasize how much I love this sleek and stylish satchel.

$27,000 Apple Watch clone is beautifully bonkers [Review]

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Apple Watch Clone
Is this Apple Watch clone worth it's $26,900 asking price?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This Apple Watch clone costs more than an Apple Watch Edition, but comes with zero apps. The H. Moser Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz might look like it's straight outta Cupertino, but it's actually an old-fashioned luxury timepiece.

Would you pay $26,900 for an Apple Watch clone without all the smart functionality? See our video review for more on this completely bonkers Swiss watch.

Why even audiophiles are hyped for HomePod, this week on The CultCast

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Phil Schiller said Apple won't release the HomePod till it's satisfied with the quality.
Phil Schiller said Apple won't release the HomePod till it's satisfied with the quality.
Photo: Digital Trends

This week on The CultCast: The magic of HomePod! We’ll tell you about the built-in audio tech that’s getting even the most ardent audiophiles hyped about Apple’s upcoming smart speaker.

Plus: Why iPhone 8’s biggest features may be disabled at launch; how you can grab Apple’s new back-to-school promo without being in college; the fascinating story behind Steve Jobs’ iconic turtleneck; more of iOS 11’s best unknown features; and we wrap with the heartwarming story of why Jobs insisted on always buying his friends’ lunches.

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.

This backpack makes lugging life light work [Review]

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Shift Pack
The Shift Pack by Alpaka.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

My closet floor resembles a bullpen. But instead of pitchers, it houses a rotation of backpacks and bags ready to be activated for work, day-long excursions or extended travel. Depending on the week, I could shift between four or five bags.

But when Shift Pack recently arrived for a tryout, it threatened to retire a couple of my veterans. It is a single backpack that aims to cover all the bases, work, play and travel or all at once if necessary.

iOS 11 turns the iPad into a legit Mac replacement

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iPad iOS 11
iOS 11 for iPad might be Apple's biggest new product this year.
Photo: Apple

Updated 27 June, 2017: This post now includes details about the iOS 11 public beta.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote this June was so packed that even two-and-a-half hours didn’t seem like enough time. And yet the biggest announcement wasn’t new hardware, or a new app. It was an update.

Specifically, the iOS 11 update for the iPad, which turns Apple’s tablet from little more than a big iPhone into a full-featured touchscreen PC. In one go, Apple showed that it is still full-steam behind the iPad, and that a desktop-class touchscreen computer doesn’t have to actually run a desktop OS, like Microsoft’s Surface.

iOS 11 Dock makes Handoff worth using again

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iOS 11 handoff
Handoff apps appear in the Dock's rightmost spot.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Handoff is one of those iOS/Mac features that seems great, but is limited in use. However, a simple tweak has made Handoff waaaay better in iOS 11. Now, instead of having a tiny app icon appear in the corner of your lock screen, Handoff apps show up right there in the new iOS 11 Dock.

This simple change has gotten me using Handoff again, instead of ignoring it like I have for the past however many years.

Halide makes manual photography easier than auto

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halide for iPhone
Halide is packed with neat features that are intuitive to use.
Photo: Halide/Cult of Mac

Halide is yet another iPhone camera-replacement app, only this is one you’re going to want to use. Why? because it not only adds extra control to the stock camera app, it is also easier to use than Apple’s built-in app. In addition to being one-handed simple, Halide adds power features like manual focus and RAW capture. It’s quite a feat.

Use AudioShare to slice, dice, zip, and share audio files on iOS

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audioshare
If there was a music app that was like a kind of military tool from a neutral European country, then AudioShare would be it.
Photo: Cult of Mac

There’s no iTunes for iOS. Thank God, some may say — after all, iTunes on the desktop is Apple’s Office, a bloated, do-it-all app that does nothing well, and is impossible to kill. But this also means that there’s no good way to save and wrangle music files on iOS — not from Apple at least. Which is where Kymatica’s AudioShare comes in. AudioShare is really a tool for musicians and other folks who work with sound, but it is so useful, and so easy to use, that everyone should have it on their iPhone and iPad to deal with audio files of all kinds.

Pictar One gives you a grip on your iPhone photography [Review]

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The Pictar One takes your camera controls off the iPhone touch screen and puts them at your true fingertip.
The Pictar One takes your camera controls off the iPhone touch screen and puts them at your true fingertip.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Because all accessories needed to be categorized, the Pictar One is an iPhone camera grip.

But the word grip kind of sells it short when you learn just how the Pictar One works to make the iPhone camera feel and shoot more like a DSLR.

Cult of Mac will repair your broken iPhones, iPads and MacBooks!

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The high-quality, personalized service your device will receive with our new repair program!

Starting today, we are offering high-quality repair services for Apple products to all our U.S. readers. Following the great feedback we’ve received on our trade-in program — to date we’ve paid our readers almost $200,000 for their old devices — we are extending our partnership with MyPhones Unlimited to include repair services with unbeatable prices.

Shipping is always free, and there’s no need to worry about hidden fees. Plus, every repair comes with a 180-day warranty. Find out just how cheap iPhone, iPad and MacBook repairs can be!