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M1 MacBook Air is an instant classic [Review]

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MacBook Air M1 2020
Apple's new M1 chip makes this ultraportable laptop ultra-fantastic.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

I just opened more than 650 tabs in Safari on a new M1 MacBook Air. I would have opened more, but I got bored.

Meanwhile, in the background, the machine is downloading Photoshop and the Microsoft 360 suite, and I can see in Activity Monitor that it’s processing thousands of iCloud photos while also indexing the hard drive.

Despite this, the machine is as fleet as a greyhound. I started working on a Photoshop project while checking email, keeping an eye on TweetDeck and, of course, clicking around all those open Safari tabs. The MacBook Air is just humming. I’ve never seen anything like it.

iPad Pro could make switch to OLED screens in second half of 2021

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iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard
Mini-LED displays could be a temporary stepping stone.
Photo: Apple

Apple will debut its first iPad Pro with an OLED display during the second half of 2021, according to a new report.

The screens are expected to be manufactured by Samsung, which is said to be renovating one of its production lines specifically for OLED iPad displays. LG will also be involved in production.

Get early access to Black Friday pricing on over 3 million design assets

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3 Million + Design Assets Super Bundle: Get lifetime access to crucial design assets at one unbeatable price.
Get lifetime access to crucial design assets at one unbeatable price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you’re putting together a pitch deck or helping a client develop their company logo, having an available repository of stock photos, vectors and icons is an invaluable time-saver — especially when the images have extended and commercial licenses available. This 3 Million+ Design Assets Super Bundle: Lifetime Subscription is perfect for entrepreneurs, small marketing teams and professional designers alike.

Wi-Fi connectivity problems plague some HomePod mini owners

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HomePod mini lives up to its name
HomePod mini offers a smaller and cheaper Apple smart speaker experience.
Photo: Apple

Some HomePod mini owners are encountering Wi-Fi connectivity problems that there appears to be no fix for.

Early adopters of Apple’s newest smart speaker report that Siri often says there is no internet connection, despite no issues on other devices. The only workaround is a temporary one.

Apple offers gift cards of up to $150 in new Black Friday promotion

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Apple Black Friday 2020 promo
Start shopping Friday to bag yours.
Photo: Apple

Apple today unveiled its four-day shopping event that kicks off on Black Friday. The company is offering gift cards of up to $150 when you buy select products, including iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac.

The event runs through Monday, November 30, but it excludes some of Apple’s newest products — such as iPhone 12 and the new iPad Air.

Take your pick of 4 great apps under $40

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WALTR 2
Ready to kick things up a notch?
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to make your digital life easier to manage or, dare we say it, just plain more fun?

We rounded up four great apps that can boost your productivity, maximize your entertainment options and just generally make your life better. They’re all offered at hefty discounts, and they all cost less than $40. (Some come with lifetime subscriptions, too.)

How to avoid macOS reinstallation errors on M1 Macs

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reinstall errors on M1 Macs
How to reinstall macOS when things go wrong.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple has confirmed that some M1 Mac owners may run into an error message when attempting to reinstall macOS on their new machine. If you’re one of them, there are some things you can do to avoid it.

These include using a bootable installer, rather than macOS Recovery, or initiating a reinstall from Terminal. We’ll show you how.

Snag Kodak photo gear that bridges the old and the new

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Kodak Film Scan for Mac
Got shoeboxes crammed with memories? This Kodak photo gear helps you bring old-school film into the digital realm.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Kodak became a household name due to its dominance of the photographic film industry. But even after the worldwide shift to digital photography, Kodak still has a role to play. These four great bits of Kodak gear bridge the classic and the modern, from film-related tools to an iPhone case printer.

They make great gifts for friends and relatives with loads of old negatives or slides, too.

Get a great computer and save dough with refurbished Macs

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Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch: Save money on refurbished Macs, from MacBook Pro to MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac.
Save money on refurbished Macs.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There are plenty of reasons we might want another computer. If you’re not saving up for one of the new Macs with the M1 chip inside, you can save some scratch with one of these four refurbished Macs.

Going with a refurb means some tradeoffs: Most of these won’t run the new macOS Big Sur, for instance. (You can check compatibility on Apple’s site.) However, they can deliver things you just can’t get anymore. The MacBook Pro, for instance, comes with a built-in SuperDrive.

Will M1 Macs ever run Windows? It’s up to Microsoft.

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Apple MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon running Windows
Macs with Apple Silicon could run Windows for Arm. Potentially.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, says Macs with the new M1 processor could run the version of Windows Microsoft created to run on similar chips. Apple did nothing to make that impossible. So whether Apple Silicon Macs ever run Windows depends on Microsoft.

Add old-world charm to your iPhone with an Oakywood wooden case [Review]

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Oakywood Wooden iPhone Case review
Oakywood makes cases Norm Abram would be proud to own.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An iPhone doesn’t have to look coldly technological. Oakywood cases add cherry or walnut to your phone, giving it a more natural appearance. And the cases add shock resistance to Apple’s handset.

I enjoyed wrapping my iPhone 12 in an Oakywood bumper case. Here’s why.

On The CultCast: M1 Macs are totally insane, our HomePod mini reviews, and iPhone 12 Pro Max vs. mini!

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M1 Macs
Apple's M1, destroyer of benchmarks!
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s new M1 Macs are breaking all the benchmarks, and are now officially the fastest Macs ever made. The MacBook Air is outperforming the iMac — these M1 Macs are insane.

Plus: iPhone 12 Pro Max versus mini — we’ve got them both! Which one is the keeper? We discuss. And stay tuned for our HomePod mini review, and our favorite new gadgets in an all-new Under Review!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Apple works to bring Xbox Series X controller support to iOS and Mac

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Xbox Series X controller
An update is on the way.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple is working with Microsoft to make new Xbox Series X controllers compatible with iPhone, iPad, Mac and more.

Support for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and other controllers is already baked into the latest versions of iOS. It’s not yet clear if Apple will add support for the PlayStation 5’s new DualSense controller, too.

Pick the perfect cam to enhance your automobile

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Protect yourself and preserve your trip highlights with car-ready cameras, like this 170-degree wide-angle BlackBox with night vision.
Protect yourself and preserve your trip highlights with car-ready cameras, like this 170-degree wide-angle BlackBox with night vision.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether for safety, security or just to share your best road trips, cameras and cars go together surprisingly well. These four great cameras — three dash cams and one backup cam, all at big discounts — will help you get more from your car, new or old.

Apple squashes iPhone 12 mini Lock Screen bug with iOS 14.2.1

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iPhone 12 mini held up
If your iPhone 12 mini touchscreen has a Lock Screen bug, you need iOS 14.2.1.
Photo: Apple

Apple today released a small “bug fix” update for iPhones. iOS 14.2.1 takes care of problem that caused the iPhone 12 mini’s touchscreen to not always respond on the Lock Screen. A couple of other small problems were taken care of too.

In an unusual move, there is no iPadOS equivalent for this update. It’s iPhone only.

HomePod mini sounds pretty big for such a little guy [Review] ★★★★☆

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HomePod mini★★★★☆
The HomePod mini sounds great for such a small speaker.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple has been doing some remarkable things with audio lately. The sound coming out of a new MacBook or iPad Pro is nothing short of amazing, given the tiny speakers they have. AirPods sound spectacular. And then there’s the original HomePods, which punch way above their weight and are some of the best speakers out there.

But what about the new HomePod minis, which cost $99 and pack the potential to give Apple a much-needed boost in the smart speaker game? Do they sound any good?

GeForce Now comes to Safari on iOS, Fortnite on the way

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Fortnite on iPad with SteelSeries Nimbus
Apple won't like this.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

GeForce Now, the online game streaming service from Nvidia, is now available in Safari on iOS. You can use it to play a whole host of controller-compatible PC games (more than 750) in 1080p.

Nvidia says that Fortnite, which is currently banned from the App Store, is on the way.

CrossOver runs Windows apps and games brilliantly on M1 Macs

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CrossOver on M1 Mac
It's surprisingly snappy, even with all that emulation.
Photo: Codeweavers

It’s not possible to run Windows in Boot Camp on an M1 Mac, but that doesn’t mean you can’t run Windows apps. CrossOver allows Apple’s newest machines to run x86 software built for Microsoft’s platform.

And despite all the translation that’s required, it runs surprisingly well. So much so that you can use it to play action-packed online games on a MacBook Air that doesn’t even have a fan.

Peer into the microverse with macro smartphone camera lenses

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Macro Lense Kit
This pair of super slim macro lenses slip right over your phone or tablet's camera and open up new photographic possibilities.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Our smartphones come with great cameras, but only if what you’re photographing is fairly large. There are whole universes to explore in smaller scales, and adding a macro lens to your phone or tablet is a great way to open up new photographic possibilities. That’s just what these incredibly slim macro lenses offer.

Zagg stylus is just right for everyday iPad use [Review]

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Zagg Pro Stylus review
Zagg Pro Stylus helps you take notes, sketch, swipe, mark documents and more on your iPad.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Zagg Pro Stylus has an active tip for writing and drawing, and also a capacitive tip for swiping. It’s two styli in one, making it useful every day. It’ll magnetically attach to an iPad Pro, but works with a whole range of Apple tablets.

I drew some conclusions after using this stylus for work and fun. Here are the results.

iPhone 12 mini is the ultimate one-handed phone [Review]

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iPhone 12 mini
The iPhone 12 mini is a hot little number.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Buying a compact smartphone used to mean making some big sacrifices. You either had to settle for an older model, or you had to opt for an Android handset (ugh!). That’s no longer the case, thanks to iPhone 12 mini.

iPhone 12 mini makes no compromises. It’s not a watered-down version of the larger iPhone 12; it is an iPhone 12 that’s squeezed into a smaller body. It has a gorgeous Super Retina XDR display, a blazing-fast A14 Bionic processor, great cameras, 5G and Face ID.

What’s missing? Absolutely nothing! If you want a small smartphone that has it all, iPhone 12 mini is the only option.