Top stories - page 176

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Our 2022 hopes are up, up and away on the latest rumors about what new features iPhone 14 Pro might bring. The camera sounds like it will once again deliver impressive gains, but it’s the potential for an iPhone 4-style makeover that’s really got us drooling.

Also on The CultCast:

• New Apple displays on the horizon?
• Dying AirPods … and amazing deals on replacements.
• Alex E. Heath’s goggle-eyed moment during his interview with The Matrix stars.
• More of our product picks in Gear of the Year.

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.

If you want to take your videos to the next level, it’s time to upgrade the lighting you’re filming with. For a limited time, you can pick up the Aduro U-Stream Junior Twins Home Streaming Studio W/Dual Ring Lights on sale for just $19.99 — that’s a 60% discount off the regular price of $49.

Team Swagger goes to the nationals in the stunning finale of Apple TV+’s incredible show about a basketball team and its players and satellites. Reggie Rock Bythewood and the incredible team of Swagger writers are prepared to send Ike, Jace, Jenna, Crystal and the rest of the team out with a bang.

A season’s worth of innuendo and tension is about to be unearthed and made real.

Sometimes a simple, high-quality and ultra-useful gift is the one that cuts through all the noise of holiday shopping. This MacBook Leather Sleeve is made from a single piece of beautiful, vegetable-tanned, full-grain leather. And it makes the perfect gift (for yourself or others).

Not only will it keep your MacBook fully protected against daily wear and tear, but it also makes for a sophisticated statement in terms of in-office accessories.

Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door, starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, mercifully comes to a close this week after eight very long episodes. Marty goes looking for the missing pieces of his life after 30 years under Ike’s care, and finds a lot of dead ends.

Can he repair his life after so long messing everything up? It’s an open question whether he, or anyone around him, will be willing to forgive him. This series finally parts ways with its central pair and lets them both off with a warning, in the grand scheme of things.

With Home Widget, it’s now possible to control your HomeKit accessories directly from your iPhone’s Home screen. Turn on and off lights or even run automated scenes with the quick push of a button. With the new app, you can make a bunch of HomeKit widgets to meet your needs.

I put Home Widget to the test in my smart house. I’m generally pleased with its usability.

Reconciliations abound and new beginnings rear their heads on the penultimate episode of Dickinson, the alt-history Apple TV+ series about the great poet and her family and friends. And the show prepares to say goodbye in fine, fine form.

Dickinson finally answers its loose-end questions about Emily Dickinson’s place in history (and, indeed, the place of art and poetry in a more general sense). The show finally explores what it means to want to create during a destructive time — and it’s a shame the showrunners won’t be able to do more after landing in such a beautiful place. There’s still some sitcom business, but that’s less important.

If you look up “11.11” in the Slang Dictionary, it says, “If it’s 11:11, make a wish! Some people believe 11:11 is a magic number or lucky time of day, good for making a wish … or reaching cosmic enlightenment.” Well, if something’s enlightened, or at least en-whitened, it’s today’s Mac mini-based setup.

It’s all there in black and white, really, with “11.11” writ large on the dual displays — probably via the Fliqlo screensaver, though it could be a clock app — and Nintendo gaming consoles aplenty.

Which Mac apps do you subscribe to — and which would you like to try out, but can’t justify the expense? How about one low-priced subscription that gives you access to more than 200 killer Mac apps?

That’s the concept behind Setapp, dubbed “the Netflix of Mac apps,” and this week is your last chance to grab a one-year subscription for just $69. That’s a 36% discount off the regular price of $107.

There are few things more pleasant than a hot cup of coffee and work you know you can actually get done. The only thing better is when your cup stays perfectly hot and your phone is ready for you when you’re done working.

And that’s what you get with the Ui 2-in-1 Self-Heating Mug & Wireless Charging Pad Set. This double feature keeps your drink hot and your phone charged, and it’s on sale for $84.95 (regularly $94).

Sonnet Technologies rolled out its new Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub on Tuesday to enable Mac and iPad Pro users — or anyone with a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port on their machine — to expand their connectivity to peripherals like displays, input devices and storage. And it offers a robust 85W of charging power.

When you get a computer or tablet and it has fewer ports than you’d like, hubs like this one can come in handy.

Accessory-maker mophie launched three new portable batteries in its powerstation go rugged series Wednesday. Each one is capable of charging mobile devices, powering lights and more during a power outage, or even jump-starting a car if necessary.

“The addition of rugged to our existing powerstation go lineup gives customers another option for power while on-the-go,” said Gavin Slevin, managing director of mophie parent company Zagg International, in a press release. “We are excited to equip users with another multifunctional and affordable portable power option for peace of mind while on the road.”

Elago’s brilliant Sport band has quickly become my favorite activity band for Apple Watch. It’s well-designed and built like a tank from super-sturdy materials. And it’s unbelievably good value for money at just $18.99.

Want to know more? Here’s our full review.

Just before the end of the year, Apple TV+ has one more prestige item to push. New sci-fi movie Swan Song stars multiple Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali and multiple Academy Award nominee Glenn Close.

Swan Song, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+, is a number of things: an inspirational disease drama, a sleek sci-fi parable, a clone movie, and the feature debut of an Academy Award-winning short film director, Benjamin Cleary.

Arriving so soon after Tom Hanks’ ho-hum Finch, viewers could be forgiven for preparing for the worst. Thankfully, there’s no need.

Apple is currently building two smaller, more affordable alternatives to its 32-inch Pro Display XDR, according to a leaker. The company is also said to be working on a new high-end display with a built-in A13 chipset.

The new screens in early development reportedly use LG panels. And it remains unclear when they might hit the market.

Running a great online store takes more than simply offering a great product. You must consider marketing, inventory management, sourcing and so much more to make sure yours is the store that people click on, buy from and return to.

If you want to learn how to make your online store the best it can be, then you’ll want to jump on The 2022 Premium Amazon FBA Dropshipping Bundle while it’s on sale for $34.99 (reg price: $1,400). And to save even more with an extended Green Monday discount, use code GREEN20.

Apple CEO Tim Cook emailed corporate employees on Wednesday to confirm the company is yet again delaying its return to offices. He also said Apple will give all employees $1,000 to spend on home office equipment.

Apple told employees in November that they were expected to return to their workstations on February 1. But with Covid-19 cases again on the rise around the world, that date is now “yet to be determined.”

Swift Playgrounds 4, the newest version of Apple’s official development app for iPad, is now available from the App Store. The update lets you build iOS and iPadOS apps using nothing but your iPad for the first time.

When you’ve finished building, you can upload directly to the App Store. And if you also use a Mac, it’s now easy to transfer projects back and forth between Swift Playgrounds and Xcode using App Projects.

A new international whodunit is coming to Apple TV+. It’s Suspicion, a limited series starring Uma Thurman and Noah Emmerich. The streaming service said the show debuts with two episodes on February 4, 2022.

Disney+ just got a new update that adds SharePlay support on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The feature allows up to 32 people to get together and watch the same TV shows and movies simultaneously over FaceTime.

SharePlay is available across content from all Disney brands, including Marvel, National Geographic, Star Wars, and more. But you’ll need a device running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, or tvOS 15.1 to take advantage of it.

I have two original iPhones in my possession. One sits in a junk drawer, untouched and unloved for many years.

The other has been carefully disassembled and the parts arranged in a handsome black frame that hangs on my office wall. Made by Grid Studio, the Grid 1 is my own personal iPhone teardown in a box.

Apple’s new tvOS 15.2 update adds a bunch of stunning screen savers to Apple TV, including three from Scotland’s picturesque Isle of Skye and Loch Moidart, and another six from Iceland. And you can enjoy them all on Mac.

Thanks to a simple app built by developer John Coates, all tvOS wallpapers can be installed on macOS. We’ll show you how.

A lot of the work in web design is just figuring out where to put everything. You have the information, the visuals, the links, and everything else, but actually arranging it all in a pleasing way can take so much longer than creating the content itself.

Zen Wireframe Pro generates blueprints of websites, apps and more in an instant. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription on sale for just $65 (regularly $1,080).

iOS and iPadOS 15.2, which made its official public debut on Monday, makes it easier than ever to reset a locked iPhone or iPad.

You no longer need a Mac or PC to get into a device after forgetting your passcode — so long as you remember your Apple ID and password. Here are the steps you need to follow to perform a reset successfully.

UPDATE 12/16: Apple has told The Verge that its CSAM photo-scanning plan is still on hold, and that plans to roll it out later haven’t changed.

Apple has quietly removed all references to its controversial plan to scan iCloud Photos libraries for child sexual abuse material from its website. Back in August, Cupertino announced its intention to trawl through users’ pictures to detect CSAM material.

However, after encountering significant criticism from experts, rights groups and even its own employees, Apple shelved the feature. The company said in September that it had “decided to take additional time” to collect input and make improvements to the feature. But it’s now unclear whether it will go ahead with CSAM photo scanning at all.