Pitaka

Cult of Mac joined forces with Pitaka again for another unmissable giveaway. Four fortunate winners will receive one of two iPhone cases: either a gorgeous orange-and brown Sunset case — inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation novel On the Road, and previously sold out — or a blue-tinged variant called the Moonrise case. (That one’s color scheme pays tribute to “the ‘blue hour’ between sunset and moonrise,” according to Pitaka.)

Each case retails for $69.99, and winners will receive one or the other at random. Don’t miss your shot at landing one of these sought-after iPhone cases!

We joined forces with Pitaka this week for an exciting giveaway that will take you over the moon. Two lucky winners will score big with the ultra-cool Moon Wondering MagEZ Case for iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max. This limited-edition iPhone case is totally sold out, so this is your last chance to get one.

This Moon Wondering Kit is worth $89.99 and it comes with a bunch of goodies — a MagEZ Moon Wondering iPhone Case, a MagEZ Grip and a special Moon Wondering coin. Talk about a package deal!

The Pitaka MagEz Slider 2 combines a desktop stand for your iPhone with a MagSafe power bank, so your handset can get juiced up wherever you go. Just slide the external battery out and take it with you. As a bonus, the swiveling stand also includes an AirPods charger.

It originally launched in 2022, and there’s second-generation version out with an improved design. I put the updated charging stand on my desk to test it out in everyday use. Here’s what I found.

With the Pitaka MagEZ Case Pro, you can stop plugging in a charging cable. Put the tablet in this slim, lightweight case then pop on a charging mat when it’s time to juice up the tablet.

Combine it with the MagEZ Charging Stand and you have a desktop setup without the hassle of wires for the iPad Pro and an iPhone or AirPods.

I tested both accessories in my home office. There’s a lot to like here.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest leaks about Apple’s AR/VR headset — possibly called the “Reality” — get us thinking about real-world applications. Will this thing kick-start a mixed-reality revolution, or flop harder than the Pippin?

Also on The CultCast:

• The new Apple Card Savings account pays high interest — and we’re definitely interested!
• WWDC23 might bring additional new hardware beyond the headset.
• It’s your last chance to snag a limited-edition Sunset Moment iPhone case from Pitaka.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors provide a fuller picture of what to expect this year. Sounds like big changes are coming in iOS 17. But a last-minute reversal means a hardware feature we were counting on probably won’t happen.

Also on The CultCast:

• Whatever you do, don’t get “juice jacked” this summer. We offer easy ways to avoid this menace.
• How much would it take to get you to give up your iPhone forever?
• The morons running General Motors ditched CarPlay. Get ready for sales to crash!
• A new edition of What We’re Into dishes up pasta, podcasts and a sci-fi show.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

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For this week’s giveaway, we teamed up with Pitaka to offer four people the chance to win a limited-edition iPhone case worth $89.99.

The lucky winners will get their hands on Pitaka’s Sunset Moment case for iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max. (Be sure to enter the proper giveaway to match your iPhone model).

Pitaka made only 1,500 of these cases, which were inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation novel On the Road. This tribute to Route 66 and the classic American road trip is nearly sold out. With a unique product number on the camera ring, the Sunset Moment case you get will be uniquely yours.

The sometimes-overlooked heroes of computer setups are stands and mounts. They make a big difference. They free-up space on the desk. They bring screens to eye level for better ergonomics. And they can even help turn a one-display setup into a three-display workstation, as they do in today’s featured MacBook Pro and iPad mini rig.

The user relies on one main external monitor — a Studio Display — but raising the MacBook and the iPad up to eye level and using Universal Control gives him three prominent screens. And that’s without having to buy and make room for multiple external monitors.

The Cult of Mac giveaway this week is a corker. We teamed up with Pitaka for one lucky winner to get the chance to win an iPad Pro accessory bundle worth $190.

This giveaway includes a Pitaka MagEZ iPad Pro case along with a MagEZ wireless charging stand. If you’re an iPad Pro owner, don’t miss your shot at winning this bundle, whether you’re on the go with your iPad in tow, or working from the comfort of your own home.

The Apple Magic Keyboard is a great way to get work done on your iPad, but it’s not a particularly secure way to transport the tablet. The Pitaka FlipBook Case wraps around the Apple Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro or iPad Air to both protect them and add a handle. It even includes a pocket.

I took the leather-and-carbon-fiber case for a spin. Here’s what I found.

The Pitaka FlipBook Case for iPad wraps around an iPad Pro and the Apple Magic Keyboard to protect them and add a handle.

The tablet and its keyboard can be used while the magnetic sleeve is still wrapped around them, making them easy to grab and go.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16 … iPadOS 16 … macOS Ventura … watchOS 9…. We’re racing as fast as we can through all Apple’s WWDC22 keynote revelations, but we’re gonna need a longer show. It’s our WWDC22 recap!

Also on The CultCast:

• How about that super-skinny new MacBook Air?
• And the blazing-fast new M2 chip that powers it?
• Next-gen CarPlay looks like a total cockpit takeover.
• What happened to Apple’s AR/VR headset?!?

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Our sponsor: Squarespace

Special thanks to this week’s sponsor, Squarespace. Get all the tools you need to set up your very own website and commence selling anything online. Start your free website trial today at squarespace.com/cultcast (no credit card required). Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain with code cultcast at checkout.

This week’s Cult of Mac giveaway is a sleek multi-device wireless charger that includes a removable battery pack for juicing on the go.

Worth $130, the MagEZ Slider from Pitaka is great way to charge your iPhone and AirPods on your desk or nightstand. But better yet, the charger has an integrated battery pack that attaches magnetically to your iPhone to continue charging away from home.

“The MagEZ Slider is hands down the best charging apparatus I’ve ever used!” said one satisfied customer on Pitaka’s website. And we’re giving away three of them.

The Pitaka Power Dongle for Apple Watch is a lot more portable than Apple’s own charger. And it looks better, too.

I tested this Apple-certified charger through real-world use. Here’s why it belongs in your luggage.

The Pitaka MagEZ Stand for Tablets, the MagEZ Case, and the MagEZ Folio give your iPad Pro/Air what it needs to be used in the office or on the road. The stylish desktop stand includes a wireless iPhone charger. The ultraslim case magnetically attaches to the stand, or it can be used with the Apple Magic Keyboard, or combined with a folio case. And the folio case can be used on its own.

I tested these Pitaka accessories in combination and individually. Read on to see why I like them.

If you live in an older house where places to plug in are few in number, you begin to appreciate the idea of a charging station for multiple devices.

Pitaka’s Air Omni is a wireless charger for up to six devices that does away with multiple chargers and cords. And it will prevent you from having to cut additional sockets into the walls of your vintage digs.

Gary Waterfield should be collaborating with colleagues today over the hum of sewing machines producing an elegant leather crossbody laptop bag.

The small-batch tech backpacks and shoulder bags of WaterField Designs since 1998 have attracted discerning Apple users. Waterfield likes to time a new production run with an Apple product launch.

But when Apple unveiled the new MacBook Air and iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard this week, the handful of WaterField employees were stuck in their San Francisco-area homes on one of the strictest lockdowns since the coronavirus invaded American soil.

There are wall-to-wall alternatives on the market for what was supposed to be AirPower. One actually mounts to the wall and looks like a piece of art while it charges multiple devices.

The MagEZ Bar from Pitaka charges two phones simultaneously. It holds them in place with strong magnets that easily align the phones or AirPods with the charging coils. To the right of the charging coils, a hidden magnetic array provides a space for keys or AirPods.

Apple’s effort to give its multi-device users a reliable charging pad failed. But other companies have stepped up to bring an all-in-one wireless charger and one currently on Kickstarter looks promising.

The Air Quad from Pitaka provides dedicated charging positions for the iPad, iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.