| Cult of Mac

Add color, protection and utility to AirTag with Laut’s sweet silicone case

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Laut Huex AirTag case
Bag yours for just $12.99.
Photo: Laut

Make your AirTag infinitely more useful by slipping it inside Laut’s excellent Huex case.

Made from soft yet sturdy silicone and combined with a useful keychain, the Huex allows you to attach AirTag to almost anything, keeps your tracker protected, and comes in colorful designs to suit your look.

How to enable wide spectrum audio for FaceTime calls in iOS 15

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Enable wide spectrum audio for FaceTime calls
Make sure everyone gets heard on a conference call.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS and iPadOS 15 bring a number of nice improvements to FaceTime, including some new audio modes that may come in handy in certain situations.

The new wide spectrum audio is one you might want to use during conference calls. Here’s what it does — and how to enable it on iPhone and iPad.

Larger iMac ‘en route’ and could bring even faster ‘M2X’ chip

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M1 iMac
Could it be Apple's fastest desktop to date?
Photo: Apple

A larger iMac powered by Apple Silicon is “en route” and could feature an even faster “M2X” chip, according to reliable reporter Mark Gurman.

The next-generation all-in-one is expected to replace the 27-inch iMac with an even larger screen — perhaps around 30 inches — and could well be Apple’s fastest desktop to date.

MacBook Pro with mini-LED display could land this year in 2 sizes

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Save on 13.3-inch MacBook Pro from 2020
The big refresh could be just months away.
Photo: Apple

Apple is teaming up with two new suppliers to bring mini-LED displays to MacBook Pro later this year, according to a new report. The next-generation machines are expected to come in 14- and 16-inch sizes.

It could be as soon as September. One of the suppliers, who is investing to increase production capacity during the third quarter, is already manufacturing mini-LED screens for the newest 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple says allowing sideloading iPhone apps would ‘actually eliminate choice’

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Read Epic Games' reasonable idea for opening up the App Store
Stick to the App Store, Apple says.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s none too keen on sideloading, the process of allowing apps to be installed on iPhones and iPads from outside of the App Store. While some critics take issue with this as an example of Cupertino’s uncompromising monopolistic tendencies, Apple — unsurprisingly — has a different take.

In an interview with Fast Company, timed to coincide with publication of a white paper on the subject, Apple’s head of user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, explains the company’s take.

Spoiler alert: It’s all about security.

Hands on: iOS 15 drag and drop between apps works brilliantly

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Hands on: iOS 15 drag and drop between apps works brilliantly
It’s simple to drag and drop text, images and files between applications in iOS 15.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iOS 15 makes it a whole lot easier to move images, text and files between applications. The familiar drag-and-drop action makes the jump to iPhone, and it’s surprisingly simple to use.

I’m testing the first iOS beta on an iPhone 12, and this new sharing system is one of the best additions. There are even benefits for iPad users.

macOS Monterey brings Universal Control, Shortcuts, and Safari improvements

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macOS Monterey
Big Sur is dead. Long live macOS Monterey!
Photo: Apple

macOS Monterey will bring a plethora of nifty new abilities to Mac — and, in the process, help make Macs work even better with iPhones and iPads.

Announced Monday during the Worldwide Developers Conference’s opening keynote, it will be the first new Mac operating system following the arrival of Apple Silicon across the entire product line. This year’s update isn’t close to the giant redesign that was 2020’s macOS 11 Big Sur. But macOS Monterey 12 nonetheless boasts a bevy of exciting new features.

iPad mini set for big redesign, while MagSafe makes its way to iPad Pro

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There’s more 2021 iPad Pro RAM than in any previous Apple tablet.
Apple wants to keep its iPad line hot coming out of the pandemic.
Photo: Apple

Apple is planning some exciting new additions for its iPad line. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to bring wireless charging to the iPad Pro, along with the first iPad mini redesign in six years.

The wireless charging iPad will supposedly debut in 2022. The redesigned iPad mini — complete with narrower bezels and possible removed Home button — will meanwhile arrive later this year.

Designer dazzles with MacBook Pro MX1 concept [Setups]

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Designer Antonio De Rosa uses his setup to render Apple products and more.
Designer Antonio De Rosa uses his setup to render Apple products and more.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa

Designer and concept artist Antonio De Rosa came out with a drop-dead gorgeous rendering of a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an MX1 chip earlier this week that Cult of Mac reported on as a look at something possibly close to the real thing, based on recent leaks and rumors.

A substantially modified 16-inch MBP could be announced as soon as the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 7.

As for the designer of the speculative Apple concept, we decided to chat him up, much like we did recently with another render-master we know.