Top stories - page 312

For our big Memorial Day sale, we pulled together deals on four excellent iPhone apps that will put powerful capabilities in the palm of your hand. From taking control of your finances to mastering languages, these apps will expand your horizons and boost your bottom line. And if you just want to relax, we’ve got apps that will let you master meditation and catch up on important reading.

There’s something for everyone in this Memorial Day roundup. All these apps are on sale today, with most offering lifetime subscriptions.

Lots of us are spending more time at our laptops than ever before, so even a little enhancement goes a long way. That’s why we put together this roundup of four great MacBook accessories.

Any one of them can take your work-from-home setup to the next level. And all four of them are on sale right now.

When Apple released iOS 13.5 this week, it paved the way for privacy-focused contact-tracing apps to fight COVID-19. However, these apps don’t yet exist. And, despite some panicked reports online, your iPhone isn’t going to start snooping on you as soon as you upgrade your operating system.

We set out to clear up some misconceptions about how this whole contact-tracing thing is going to work. You can read all about it in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Elsewhere in the free iOS mag, you’ll get the scoop on our podcast interview with Jon Prosser, the Apple leaker who’s making headlines. Plus, the usual Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Download it now and get to reading, or get the stories in the links below.

Got germs on your mind? So do we. That’s why we rounded up three great tools for keeping your devices, your environment, and even yourself as sterile as possible.

Apple’s newest AirPods, some of the best wireless headphones money can buy, are available at big discounts again. You can get yours for as little as $129.98 ($29.02 off) — or with a Wireless Case for just $149.98 ($49.02 off).

Details on iOS 14 started leaking out in February, with sources claiming to have a leaked copy of the next iPhone operating system. An investigation by Vice apparently confirms that researchers and hackers really got access to an iOS version more than half a year before its release.

Defending Jacob closes in on its shocking and horrible conclusion this week. It’s been clear for a while that things will never get straightened out fully for the Barber family after Jacob’s murder trial. Whether the teen lands in jail or not, things will end badly.

The Apple TV+ crime drama’s seventh episode, titled “Job,” proves this in spectacularly agonizing fashion.

If you missed out on cheap iPhone refurbs the last time Woot had a huge blowout, it’s time to redeem yourself. A whole host of models — from iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 Pro — are now available, with prices starting at a mere $129.99.

This sale is good for today only, so act fast!

We know what devices we want and need, but not until we have them do we realize our charging situation is lacking. So just in time for Memorial Day, we’ve rounded up four great charging solutions that can address anyone’s needs.

CarPlay makes it safe to use some of your favorite iPhone apps on the road, and by default, anything with CarPlay support will automatically appear in your car. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Simplify your experience and make CarPlay even easier to use by customizing your layout and ditching apps you don’t need.

Apple is working on a special pair of AR glasses that resemble the spectacles Steve Jobs famously wore, white-hot Apple leaker Jon Prosser told Cult of Mac.

Called the “Steve Jobs Heritage Edition,” this limited-edition version of Apple Glass would be round like a classic pair of John Lennon-style glasses. Cupertino would position it as a special edition of the core AR glasses, much like the original $10,000 gold Apple Watch.

This week on The CultCast: We talk Apple leaks with the man who’s driving Tim Cook crazy … Front Page Tech‘s Jon Prosser! And we cover it all, including juicy new details on Apple Glass, Apple Car, Apple’s master plan for the next iPhone, the next Apple TV, Apple’s secret VR gaming headset, which big leaks are coming next, and more.

After a series of uncannily accurate leaks, there’s no doubt Prosser has become Public Enemy No. 1 in Cupertino. (Just ask Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller, who blocked Prosser on Twitter.) You don’t want to miss this discussion about his methods, his motivations and his sources deep within Apple’s organization. The ProsserCast is real!

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.

A prominent Apple analyst recently predicted that Apple’s rumored AR glasses won’t debut until 2022. But since then, other noted leakers have said these augmented-reality Apple Glasses will be out next year.

Have you noticed that your external display doesn’t look right when using it with a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Is it far too warm, like everything is coated in orange? It’s a common problem, but there’s an easy way to fix it.

Find out how in today’s pro tip.

The best way to get the most from your Mac is with the right software. So we rounded up four apps that enhance your computer’s capabilities. These apps make it possible to customize your Mac OS, edit PDFs, torrent media files and more. Even better, they’re all available for at least half off.

iOS 13.5 dropped Wednesday, introducing a slew of upgrades — including, most notably, the API for Apple’s coronavirus contact-tracing tool, developed in conjunction with Google.

But, despite what you might hear online, this is neither an “app” or an update that means downloaders are being tracked without their knowledge. Let’s correct a few popular misconceptions.

Apple Watch Series 5 is now more affordable than ever before. You can get your 40mm model with GPS connectivity on Amazon today for just $299.99 — a generous $99.01 off the usual selling price.

Just make sure you bag one before they sell out!

Espresso Displays produces premium external screens compatible with both MacBooks and iPad Pro. And these offer 10-point touch, creating the touchscreen Mac so many have asked for.

Studies have shown that a second display can make you up to 50% more productive. We tested a prototype from Espresso Displays to see if this very slim and light LCD monitor lives it up to its promise.

Just the image of a classic cassette tape is enough to evoke precious memories of great times gone by for a lot of us. That’s one of the reasons why we love Casetify’s terrific Mixtape case for iPhone.

It has all the charm of an old cassette and combines it with military-grade protection that keeps your precious smartphone looking brand-new. What’s more, it’s now available for the 2020 iPhone SE — as well as iPhone 11 and more.

One of the improvements you’ll find inside Apple’s new iOS 13.5 update, rolled out earlier on Wednesday, is the ability to stop people from getting larger or moving around the screen during Group FaceTime calls.

Here’s how to take advantage of it.

All iPhone users can now install iOS 13.5. This includes the tools Apple and Google created to make COVID-19 contact-tracing applications. And this update brings a number of other new features focused on the current crisis.

Apple also released iPadOS 13.5, which incorporates many of the same features.

Amazon has a cracking deal on iPhone 11 Pro today, with a whopping $360 off the 512GB model. The discount reduces a Renewed device to just $999.99 — the same price you’ll pay for a 64GB device in the Apple Store.

You can also save big on 256GB and 64GB models.

A new bug introduced with Apple’s recent macOS 10.15.4 seems to be causing random restarts for some 16-inch MacBook Pro owners. Apple hasn’t rolled out an official fix yet, but there is a workaround you can use for now.

Pick up Apple’s newest iPad mini today and enjoy a generous $135 off the usual price. The discount — the biggest we’ve seen so far on this model — applies to the 64GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular connectivity, which is now just $394.

Keeping distractions at bay is harder than ever, especially if you’re working from home. That makes noise-canceling headphones an essential tool for productivity (or just keeping your sanity).

If you don’t already own a set, this is your chance. We’ve got deals on smart noise-canceling headphones that won’t drain your bank account.