Top stories - page 236

Slapping a smartwatch on your wrist has long been a luxury with a major payoff. It’s convenient to manage your day from your watch. Using an Apple Watch can allow you to step away from your iPhone or Mac while remaining in touch via notifications and other smart features.

However, smartwatches can also be quite expensive. The most-affordable Apple Watch costs $199, and higher-end models go for hundreds of dollars more. But for a limited time, you can score an Apple Watch alternative called the ChronoWatch for just $32.97. It’s an affordable wearable that offers many of the benefits of top smartwatches. (Typically listed at $199, the ChronoWatch will still be a bargain at $39.99 if you miss this exceptional price drop.

Don’t waste your time vacuuming when you can get a robot to it for you. The excellent Ecovacs Deebot 500, which gets glowing reviews on Amazon, is now available for less than $110 today only. Bag yours before they’re gone!

Coding is easier than ever before, with countless courses on how to learn computer languages popping up nearly every day. Whether you’re a new and aspiring programmer, or just need to brush up in some areas, you won’t want to miss this limited-time deal on a massive computer science certification bundle. The courses in this bundle will help you build your IT and data science skills quickly and easily.

For a limited time, you can snag The 2021 Complete Computer Science Certification Bundle for just $20, a major discount from its total value of $1,800. (After our Memorial Day sale ends, you can still get this collection of courses for $39.99.)

Make replying to messages on iPad even quicker by activating its hidden floating keyboard with Slide-to-Type support. It’s baked right into iPadOS, so no third-party apps or hacks are required.

We’ll show you how to access it.

Since he came out as gay eight years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook has led the company through the most successful period in its history. Cook once said he wanted to prove you can “be gay and still go on and do some big jobs in life.” He’s certainly done that.

But maybe there’s more to this story than overcoming prejudice. In 2018, Cook told CNN that being gay is “God’s greatest gift to me.” Far from a disadvantage, could being gay actually be an instrumental part of his success?

As a gay man myself, Cook has always been an inspiration for me. So to celebrate Pride Month, here’s why I think being gay made him a better CEO.

With an ultra-compact design that makes it easy to take anywhere, Anker’s terrific 18W USB-C charger is ideal for those who are always on the go. It will charge your iPhone, iPad, and lots more.

Get yours today at 20% off the usual price.

Summer is nearly here. Are you ready for the heat? Consider the EvaSmart 2: Smart Personal Air Conditioner, which is not simply a cooling device. This personal all-in-one evaporative air cooler also works as a humidifier and air purifier, providing climate control absolutely anywhere you go.

Currently on sale for just $179 (regularly $269), this popular mobile AC unit will be available for just $161 for a limited time thanks to a price drop.

Want a bargain iPhone that packs some of Apple’s best features? Look no further than a refurbished iPhone XR. You get an edge-to-edge display, Face ID, stereo speakers, and more — and all for less than $320. This sale ends today, so claim yours before it’s too late.

If there’s one editing toolkit that all digital creators have at hand, it’s Adobe Creative Cloud. Trusted by professional artists, designers and programmers, virtually every industry thrives on one or more aspects of the Adobe’s software suite.

Learning Photoshop is a must for aspiring photographers, but it’s also useful for PR professionals looking to assemble a press kit or brochure on their own. Journalists wield Adobe Premiere in newsrooms, but so do amateur filmmakers looking to complete their first feature-length film.

Basically, anyone working in the digital creative world needs to learn all of Adobe CC. And, for a limited time, you can — with the 2021 Complete All-in-One Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Certification Course Bundle. And it’s priced at just $20 for Memorial Day.

Update:  iOS 15 was unveiled at WWDC 2021 and there was no mention of interactive widgets. Maybe in 2022…

It’s high time iPhone Home screen widgets grew up. They were one of the best additions to iOS last year, but they are still too limited. Fortunately, iOS 15 will reportedly make widgets much more interactive.

There are a few other changes expected in the new iPhone system software update, but none are as important as this one.

It’s Christmas in May, June and July. Many people are taking delivery on the colorful new M1 iMacs. Others are jealously awaiting delivery while drooling over photographic evidence on social media of others’ recent shipments.

And computer setups everywhere are being refreshed with the dazzling new all-in-one machines (see Cult of Mac’s M1 iMac review roundup). Redditor 17parkc is just one example, sporting a brand-spanking-new blue iMac. They even posted a video showing off the upgrade.

As the years go by, your computer storage will only get bogged down with more photos, more work documents and more assorted files that you’ll want to keep stored forever. And if you have space-stealing projects like edited videos or audio files, forget it. No computer will ever have enough space for all your saved files.

That’s why lifetime cloud storage is becoming a smart buy. It allows you to purchase terabytes of storage for a one-time price, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of space again. If you’re in the market for A.I.-based cloud storage, look no further than Degoo Premium. And this Memorial Day, you can get a lifetime subscription to Degoo Premium with 15TB of storage for just $129.99. That’s an astonishing savings off the retail value of $4,320.

What is the No. 1 instrument in most U.S. music schools? The answer may not surprise you: It’s a classic, alluring and highly versatile instrument that can make a variety of sounds. As of 2019, “The piano/keyboard is the most requested instrument to play by young musicians at least in the U.S.,” according to the Los Angeles Music Teachers website.

If you missed your chance to learn piano in school, don’t worry. There’s a new way to learn to play, and it makes the instrument more accessible than ever. Typically retailing for $299, and usually offered by us at a 50% discount at $149.99, our lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons will drop down to just $113 for a limited time this Memorial Day weekend.

Mac concept-makers are really strutting their stuff lately. This week we saw two eye-catching concepts that ring true. Get a glimpse of what the next-gen Mac Pro and MacBook Pro might look like in this week’s top stories.

And don’t miss our interview with one of the concept artists, who tells what he uses to make his realistic images.

You’ll find those stories and more in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Read it on iOS or hit the links below for browser fun. If you want slightly less fanciful stuff, we’ve also got the latest Apple news, reviews and how-tos to keep you busy this long Memorial Day weekend.

With the school year drawing to a close and summer almost upon us, parents everywhere will be looking for ways to keep their kids occupied. Like it or not, some of that will revolve around technology. That isn’t a bad thing; there are many new options that will make kids and adults both happy. Outdoor movie nights are one example the whole family will enjoy. Another could be letting children use their imagination to create and print their own toys.

The Toybox 3D Printer Bundle will do just that, and for less money right now during our Memorial Day sale. It typically retails for $469, but you can pick up this awesome gift for just $299.99 with our limited-time price drop.

Too many books, too little time.

It’s true: There are more books that exist in the world than one person could possibly read in a lifetime. That being said, there’s still time to read titles that personally interest you. If you’ve got a busy schedule, though, it can be challenging to find time to read new books or thumb through classics. But there is a way to digest novel ideas in very little time.

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.

For aspiring authors, the hardest part can simply be getting started. When developing a longer piece, it can feel incredibly intimidating to organize your thoughts and even simply continue writing.

Scrivener 3 for Mac is an award-winning writing app that assists with the crucial project management you need to complete longer pieces. It offers tools to help you keep writing and compose your content exactly the way you envision it. And it’s available now for just $29.99, which is 38% off its list price.

However, the deal ends on June 1, so you’ll definitely want to take advantage of this sale while you can.

The Mosquito Coast, the Apple TV+ show about a family of environmentalist fugitives, soldiers on into the unknown this week. Less and less about father Allie Fox feels like a certainty. And his family continues to be put to the test while they search for freedom.

Some things are about to change permanently, though. And they’ll happen so fast you won’t have time to think about them until next week’s final episode of the season.

Save on stellar accessories in Logitech’s big Memorial Day sale. You can get up to 56% off mice, keyboards, webcams and more, with prices starting at a mere $7.99. Start shopping before the sale ends!

Pick up Apple’s brilliant 12.9-inch Smart Keyboard Folio for the 2018 iPad Pro at a staggering new low. Woot is offering brand-new units for just $79.99 — a whopping $120 (60%) off the original price.

They’re sure to sell out quickly, so bag yours while you can.

Many Apple Watch Series 3 owners are unable to update to the latest watchOS release because their device doesn’t have enough storage space. But Apple says there is a way to get around this issue.

The solution is to reset your Apple Watch, wiping all data and settings, before updating. We’ll show you how.

The Belkin Soundform Connect could be just what you need to connect your speakers to Apple Music’s upcoming high-quality lossless audio. The wireless adapter allows iPhone and Mac users communicate with any speaker over AirPlay 2 using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.

I ran some tests, and I’m impressed with the usefulness of this tiny accessory.

A concept artist took the rumors about an Mac Pro desktop with Apple Silicon and created a design that might really be what’s on the drawing board.

The concept combines the look of the current Mac Pro tower with the Mac mini to create a unique device.

If you were born with butter fingers and you find it hard to hold onto your iPhone, you need the Casetify Ring. This little device sticks to the back of any smartphone to provide a secure grip, and doubles as a stand.

Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.