Apple’s next-generation M2 Pro and M2 Max chips went official on Tuesday. The new processors power Apple’s brand-new MacBook Pro lineup and, for the first time, the Mac mini.
Both SoCs deliver better CPU and GPU performance than their M1 predecessors, along with faster image processing.
American Sign Language is an exciting, vibrant language used by nearly 1 million people. If you have a friend, family member, co-worker or neighbor who communicates in ASL, taking the initiative to learn it could help you foster a better relationship with them while you also learn an interesting new skill.
Start your ASL education with the All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle for just $19.99.
We’ve been hammering away at this remote work thing for a while now. So why are we still holding meetings the same old way? Instead of “stop everything and head to the conference room,” it’s “stop everything and open up Teams.”
Let’s face it, though. Stand-up meetings are awkward at the best of times. But they can be counterproductive when colleagues are on different schedules or time zones. Luckily, Standuply users are starting to discover a better way to organize meetings.
Update: This prediction came 100% true. Apple took the wraps off a pair of Macs on January 17. Don’t miss Cult of Mac‘s full coverage:
Rumors suggest Apple is preparing for a quiet release of new Mac computers as early as Tuesday. These will include updates to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in addition to the Mac mini. The updates reportedly will be minor, bringing the new M2 chips to the computers.
There won’t be an Apple event — the company will announce the new computers by press release, if the rumors prove correct.
Some workstations look boring and utilitarian while others, at least sometimes, look otherworldly. The difference between the two usually comes down to good lighting, skillful photography — and often a key visual you don’t see every day.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup relies on atmospheric lighting and exceptionally cool desktop wallpaper on the displays to make it look fascinating.
And because the workstation is used mainly for audio design and includes great gear, it undoubtedly sounds great, too.
As it has done over the past several years on this national holiday, Apple dedicated most of its homepage Monday to honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Along with a photo of King preaching at the pulpit, this quote by him urging a response to the Vietnam War appeared: “This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive education.”
And the Cupertino tech giant offered a book by King for free on Apple Books.
Consumer electronics maker Alogic rolled out a new lineup of chargers for travelers in early January. The range includes car chargers as well as portable GaN wall chargers that work in multiple countries to keep your iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and more going.
Equipped with various power capacities and port selections, the chargers could be useful for travel and in hybrid work environments, the company said.
If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills way to store and transfer files, a flash drive might be your best bet. With this four-in-one flash drive, you can just plug it into your computer. And even better, it can connect to iOS and Android devices, thanks to its four different tips.
★★★★☆
I’ve been on a quest to discover the perfect Mac keyboard. I’m looking for a compact keyboard with modern Mac styling — and the best key switches money can buy.
That’s when I discovered Model F Labs, whose keyboards are truly one-of-a-kind. They offer plenty of normal designs — but I ordered one in silver with blank unprinted keys. Keep reading to find out why I ordered what I did, why I love it and why I’ll be keeping it on my desk.
The last few years have seen a huge rise in spam calls and texts, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck listening to strangers ask you about your car’s extended warranty forever. Adding another number to your phone can help you filter out the calls and texts you don’t want to answer.
A Hushed private phone line gives you full control of a second phone number — and it’s only $24.99 for lifetime access! That’s a small price to pay for freedom from spammers.
You may have felt a seismic shift recently. The origin was Apple Park in Cupertino, where Tim Cook and Co. decided to start work on a touchscreen MacBook Pro. This is something the company has been adamantly against for many years, going back to a scathing comment from the late Steve Jobs.
But the computing world has changed enormously since Jobs mocked touchscreen laptops. Today, there are plenty of reasons for Apple to make one.
If you’ve been reading the tech news anytime in the past decade, you know that no one — not even Apple — is safe from cybercrime. But there’s a bright side to all this hacking, especially if you work in IT: The job market for cybersecurity experts is as robust as it’s ever been.
And if you’re not currently in that growing corner of the tech sector, it might be easier to train yourself than you think.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Deep down inside, you know you want to give your Mac the finger. Apple might make that happen in the (somewhat) near future, according to the latest rumor. That’s right — Apple reportedly is “seriously considering” making a touchscreen MacBook. That’s enough to get us chattering!
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.
Owning a copy of Microsoft Office is simply essential in today’s remote and hybrid working world. Set yourself up to work from home — or anywhere at all — with a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac.
It’s on sale at the all-time low price of $25 (regularly $349) for the next three days only.
The pursuit of consistently solid sleep is crucial for personal health, but a variety of factors can prevent that from happening. Snoring is one of the chief offenders.
Problems associated with snoring are unfortunately common, and can negatively impact the sleep cycles of both the snorers and their partners. The Snore Circle is a simple way to work toward solutions. And this effective anti-snoring device is currently available for just $79.99 (regularly $119).
★★☆☆☆
New Apple TV+ documentary series Super League: The War for Football examines a dark and very recent chapter in the beloved sport’s history when the bubble threatened to burst.
Capitalism’s slowly tightening stranglehold over the sport meant that some owners saw the potential for growth that meant cutting off not just more than half of the European teams, but the thousands of fans of those teams. This is the story of the people who saved football … for now.
☆☆☆☆☆
Enervating Apple TV+ series Echo 3 comes to a close this week. The show finally springs kidnapped CIA plant Amber from her prison, but there’s a lot more to freedom than no longer seeing the same four walls.
This bizarro, jingoistic wife-guy fantasy comes to a screeching halt with a conclusion preordained from its first incredibly strange seconds. Come for the last gunfight, stay for the most risible attitude toward human life I’ve yet encountered on scripted television.
Some computer setups are more Apple-ish than others. Apple-y. Apple-centric. Today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro outfit welcomes a new Studio Display to replace a recently “retired” 20-inch Cinema Display, and that’s just the start of the Cupertino madness.
Almost everything else in the setup is Apple, too. The input devices, the audio gear — even some of the wall art. And what’s in the book collection? The Cult of Mac hardcover book.
If your 2023 resolution is to boost your productivity, start by archiving all that paper you’ve got lying around. The iScanner app turns your iPhone into a document control tool that makes scanning, sharing, tweaking and archiving everything you have on paper a snap.
★★★★☆
Servant, the most joyous and unhinged show on Apple TV+, returns for its fourth and final season this week. The saga of the Turner family and their live-in nanny can’t help but disappoint, just because it’s going away. Never mind whether it wraps up its plot threads or not.
A show unbound from ordinary televisual constraints, both dramatically and visually, Servant serves as a vivid representation of its creators’ raging id. As such, its first three seasons became one of the most wonderful pleasures on television. Let’s see how M. Night Shyamalan and Co. are set to send off this family of arch-weirdos.
Believe it or not, there’s an upside to the proliferation of cybercrime. The more unstable things get in the online world, the more secure the job market looks for certified cybersecurity experts. Not only is cybersecurity and risk management the most exciting branch of IT work, it’s increasingly the most vital area of any big company’s tech branch — especially if they deal in big data or finance.
Need great wireless earbuds but don’t want to spend much? Woot, owned by Amazon, is currently selling refurbished Beats Studio Buds for the uncommonly low price of $59.99.
That’s $90 off the list price of $150. And it’s less than typical sale prices, like the $99.95 Amazon is charging right for the buds right now.
The Cult of Mac giveaway this week is a corker. We teamed up with Pitaka for one lucky winner to get the chance to win an iPad Pro accessory bundle worth $190.
This giveaway includes a Pitaka MagEZ iPad Pro case along with a MagEZ wireless charging stand. If you’re an iPad Pro owner, don’t miss your shot at winning this bundle, whether you’re on the go with your iPad in tow, or working from the comfort of your own home.
“Sharper” is old slang for a con artist or swindler. And in the trailer Apple TV+ dropped Thursday for its first film of 2023, a “neo-noir thriller” that shares the slang term as a title, it’s not easy to tell the con artist from the conned.
But it looks like it’ll be fun guessing which rich Manhattan people will lose their shirts in the film, starring Julianne Moore and John Lithgow.
It comes out in theaters February 10 and streams February 17, Apple TV+ said.
If you’re tired of collecting (and carting around) USB-C and Lightning adapters, you may want to get a multiport docking station that can plug into your device’s USB-C port.
Whether you want to use an old wireless mouse with a USB dongle, or need to add a second monitor to your setup, this 13-in-1 docking station could be your favorite new gadget. It it’s on sale for just $59.99 (regularly $70).