People never thought it would happen. People didn’t think it was possible. But in an update to Windows 11, you will be able to send and receive iMessages and manage your notifications through a PC.
This update comes through the Windows Insider program, which offers users prerelease versions of the desktop operating system for beta testing and software development. Microsoft ships updates to Windows annually in the fall, so this feature may arrive for everyone later this year.
If you’re looking for some extra storage space on a smartphone, computer or tablet, this this four-in-one smart flash drive is a quick, easy and affordable options. It comes with four tips — Lightning, USB Type-C, USB 3.0 and micro-USB — so it can work with iPhones, iPads, Macs and other devices.
For a limited time, you can get this 128GB flash drive for only $22.99 (regularly $39) with no coupon. That’s more than 20% off. But if you want one, or several, you only have until midnight PST on March 2 to get this deal.
Tax season is here, and it’s totally normal if you’re stressing about what that means for your finances. Whether you’re filing with dependents for the first time, trying to get education tax credits, figuring out what’s actually deductible, or planning for your retirement, there’s a lot to consider.
But you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. The Ultimate Guide to Taxes Bundle is a comprehensive set of courses that could give you the knowledge to make this the best tax season yet. And it’s only $19.99 until March 2 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Everyone knows Apple Watch Ultra is made for the rough stuff — endurance sports, scuba diving, summiting high peaks and the like. However, rugged though it may be, it’s just a smartwatch. It’s not bulletproof. So why not toughen it up with the protective-but-sleek Elkson Quattro Pro 2.0 bumper case?
Better yet, you can get 15% off the case through the end of February in the Cult of Mac Store. Then, the next time you put your Ultra through its paces, you’ll enjoy some extra peace of mind.
The season 3 trailer for hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso is a total love-fest. Not a lot happens in it. But everyone’s so happy the show is back — if only for one final, fleeting season of humor and hope — that it doesn’t much matter, does it?
Just watch the trailer, which Apple released Monday, and be positive!
The OLED screen supposedly coming in the 2024 iPad Pro might push the price up quite a bit. The component reportedly will cost significantly more than the one used in the current version of Apple’s high-end tablet.
If that’s the only change in the next-generation model, it’s going to be hard to justify a price hike. But there are plenty of other modifications Apple could make that would help buyers accept a $100 or more increase in the iPad Pro cost.
A high-level US cybersecurity official pointed to Apple as an example of a company with good accountability and transparency in its security practices. And she added others — like tech giants Microsoft and Twitter — might learn a thing or two from it.
“Apple is taking ownership for the security outcomes of their users,” said Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly in a speech Monday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
After a long wait, Pokémon Sleep will finally become a reality this summer. The game will combine sleep tracking with the enduringly popular collect-a-thon game series. And, while the smash-hit mobile game Pokémon Go promotes outdoor exercise, Pokémon Sleep will reward users for getting a full night of shut-eye.
The game, for iPhone and Android devices, is being developed by Japanese game studio Select Button in partnership with Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go.
At Cult of Mac, we’re no strangers to looking at computer setups loaded with displays — even as many as six. But we’re less used to seeing certain orientations, like in today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro and custom PC setup.
The workstation seems to reach for the ceiling with four 5K displays. Two stack horizontally in landscape mode and two stand tall, shoulder-to-shoulder in portrait mode.
The in-air typing mode that Apple is testing for its first AR/VR headset sounds like a sci-fi dream — but at this point, it might be more of a nightmare. The feature reportedly has been “finicky in testing” on Apple’s latest secret prototypes.
For that reason, users might prefer to pair the headset to an iPhone for text input, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
The late, great Steve Jobs knew there’s nothing like getting your finances in order. Right now, you can get that feeling with the Complete 2023 Business Accounting Mastery Bundle.
Packed with crucial information for supercharging your financial smarts, it costs just $34.99 now through March 2.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumor indicates Apple just can’t kick its obsession with lackluster iPhone colors. Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro might come in “dark sienna,” aka the red that dare not speak its name.
If so, you can color us disappointed.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
Everybody needs a password manager. Why not go with one that’s never been breached? That would be Dashlane. You can try Dashlane for free on your first device. Or take 50% off with promo code cultofmac50 when you upgrade to a premium plan across unlimited devices.
Spire Blast is one of the best casual games on Apple Arcade. It’s a physics-based match puzzler that involves plenty of fun destruction.
With more than 200 titles on Apple’s gaming service, it’s not easy finding the best. Here are five reasons Spire Blast is worth trying today.
It’s Major League Soccer’s opening weekend, and Apple TV will show every match… and they all can be watched free.
And that’s only the start. Apple TV is the home for MLS and will have every live match from the 2023 season plus the playoffs. Apple promises to offer more free matches later in the month and throughout the season.
Here’s how to enjoy these games without paying so much as a dime. These can be enjoyed on a wide variety of devices, not only ones from Apple.
For most of us, smartphones have become a basic necessity to fulfill daily needs and tasks. So why would you settle for an underwhelming cellular network or data plan, particularly when there are some innovative eSim plans available?
For a limited time, you can gain three years of access to Instabridge eSIM for only $99 (regularly $200) with no coupon required. You’ll slash the cost in half and benefit from reliable connectivity, no matter where the day takes you.
★★★★☆
New Apple TV+ thriller Liaison is a highly ambitious series about sex, espionage and state secrets. It’s positively studded with international talent, and has a veteran action director at the helm.
The six-episode miniseries, which premiered Friday, stars bona fide French film icons Vincent Cassel and Eva Green. It was created by prolific French TV writer Virginie Brac, who’s attempting to cross over to the American market.
It’s a handsomely mounted and well-performed tale of a hacker who throws a monkey wrench in the geopolitical works as cyberterrorists threaten the safety of Europe.
Apple TV+ thriller Servant heads toward mutually assured destruction this week. Sean and Julian start believing in angels and demons. Dorothy chases down a lead. Leanne is becoming too powerful to even speak to. And a stranger from the past shows up to tell a story that the Turner family does — and does not — want to hear.
It’s a conflicting, confounding and con … ehh very good episode of the show created by M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop.
★★☆☆☆
New Apple TV+ hit comedy Shrinking has marriage on the brain this week.
Brian is finally proposing to Charlie. That couldn’t come at a better time for Jimmy, who is not ready but suddenly has to be ready to relive the last few weeks of his marriage when old friends come over. It’s also not great timing for Gaby, who is trying to roger her way to clarity over her divorce.
Meanwhile, Paul’s upset that his daughter cares too much about him. And Jimmy’s daughter Alice and his troubled patient Sean endure an awkward moment. Even the few laughs it serves up can’t make this week’s episode of Shrinking, entitled “Impostor Syndrome,” more than cloying and predictable.
When it comes to quickly saving, sharing and editing documents, PDFs are a daily staple for many. Routinely necessary for professional and educational purposes, they’re also a crucial way to streamline the tax preparation process each year.
PDF Expert is a smart resource for Mac users who want to eliminate unnecessary frustrations caused by file compatibility problems. And a lifetime license is currently available for only $69.99 (regularly $139).
★★★★☆
Apple TV+ crime drama Truth Be Told takes a hard look at sexual assault in this week’s episode, entitled “From My Hand the Poisoned Apple.”
True crime podcaster Poppy (played by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer) must bear witness to the aftermath of her friends Markus and Zarina’s awful ordeal. Their daughter was kidnapped and assaulted by millionaires who might not be held accountable for their actions.
Elsewhere, Desiree and Eva face their own crises in the wake of the police raid on the mansion. And Detective Aames finds himself caught in the middle of everything. It’s a grueling watch, to be sure, but solidly constructed.
Cult of Mac reported Tuesday that Beats Fit Pro would come out in three bright new colors. And as of Friday, two of those three new cheerful hues showed up on Amazon at $30 off. That was fast.
The somewhat dark tidal blue is sticking at the normal price of $199.95, but volt yellow and coral pink — the colors that will really get you noticed — are now just $169.83.
★★★☆☆
Make or Break, Apple TV+’s surfing competition series, brings its second season to a close this week, concluding this saga of the World Surfing League’s championship.
In the final four episodes, we check in on major international players and see what shakes out as they near the end of the competition season. Though the surfers’ stories all boil down to their positions in the finals, the stakes ramp up as we near the end — and the drama on the waves becomes most exciting.
I have four top tips for Mastodon users after spending a few months on the hot new social media platform. There’s a healthy community of Apple writers, developers, creators and fans — even Phil Schiller — who have all jumped ship from Twitter.
I’ve previously written a detailed guide to getting started. I’ll start with some brief advice on picking an instance and move on to the pro tips I’ve picked up.
On what would have been Steve Jobs’ 68th birthday, the Steve Jobs Archive shared a favorite photo from 1984 — along with the promise of more content to come.
“We have so much to tell you about, but I want to start by sharing one of my favorite images from our collection,” wrote Leslie Berlin, the archive’s co-founder and executive director, in an email newsletter. “It’s Steve in 1984, spotting a new Macintosh in the wild.”
★☆☆☆☆
Apple TV+ series Dear Edward spins in circles toward destruction and catharsis this week. The titular Edward, sole survivor of a horrific deadly plane crash, finds himself in the middle of all the grieving widows and widowers — and he’s kind of a dope.
Among the living, it’s basically a nonstop, annoying grief-a-thon. Dee Dee contemplates a future without her daughter and her money. Linda reaches out for help and hopes someone reaches back. Lacey and John realize they must come clean. Shay and Edward engage in their first fight. Adriana must make a hard choice. Steve and Amanda act out some more. Plus, we get even more characters — as if you didn’t need to catch your breath after just reading all of that.
This show’s gotta go.