The budget iPad, which launched in March, offers solid performance for basic tasks like surfing the web, streaming videos and handling email. Plus, it comes with a welcome boost over the iPad 10’s base level of storage.
Galactic war could be upon Foundation and Empire's Cleonic clone emperors in season three. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple’s epic sci-fi saga Foundation, adapted from the legendary Isaac Asimov stories, returns for season three on July 11 with a new threat of galactic war, Apple TV+ said Wednesday. And Foundation season 3 also has a new trailer, too. Watch it below.
“It’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live and who will die,” teases the official synopsis. It describes the upcoming season as “a potentially deadly game of intergalactic chess” involving central characters Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, the Cleon clone emperors and humanoid bot Demerzel.
Katie Cotton helped control Apple's narrative in the press for years. Photo: Apple
May 7, 2014: Katie Cotton, the fearsome, much-admired head of Apple’s worldwide publicity machine, steps down from her vice president post after 18 years with the company.
During her stint at Apple, Cotton worked in lockstep with CEO Steve Jobs and proved instrumental in controlling the company’s portrayal in the press. Her departure provides one more reminder that the Jobs era is over at Apple.
There's a reason this desk and setup look so clean and tidy. And that reason is hidden under the desk. Photo: [email protected]
The best desk cable management seems like magic because it makes things disappear. Today’s M4 Mac mini setup with dual 4K displays shows that off beautifully, hiding most of the workstation’s gear underneath an elegant desk.
“That cable management is art,” said one appreciative commenter.
In this case, the user made the cable-management parts using a 3D printer. But you can achieve the same effect using a few inexpensive products that aren’t difficult to install.
Apple didn’t wait until the end of “The Studio” season one to commit to season two. Photo: Apple TV+
Seth Rogen’s hit Hollywood comedy The Studio will return to Apple TV+ for season 2. After the success of the freshman season, Apple TV+ committed Tuesday to making more episodes about the hapless executives of Continental Studios.
Beyond that, it’s a good week for fans of Apple TV+ comedies. The streaming service also announced that the fourth season of Acapulco premieres in July, and the fifth season of Trying is going into production.
Great computers aren't the only thing Steve Jobs left us with. Photo: Derek Xing/Pexels
By Alison Thobe
I remember the moment when I realized that storytelling wasn’t just a tool — it was the core way people communicate with the world. It’s how we connect, inspire and change it for the better.
It was a day when I sat at my Apple laptop, browsing through the essay writing service in search of inspiration and writing ideas for my new piece. A spark ignited me: What if I learned to write the way Apple co-founder Steve Jobs did to communicate his messages and inspire his audience?
This question has guided my writing journey ever since.
With iProVPN, you can enjoy your favorite content and have peace of mind knowing your information is secure. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
One minute you’re looking at a pair of cowboy boots on the web; the next, you’re getting Instagram ads for that exact same brand. You’re not paranoid. And with a virtual private network like iProVPN, you could be browsing a lot more privately.
A VPN gives you a simple way to get all-around protection on your devices to keep your sensitive data safe. If you don’t want to spend a fortune, consider grabbing this three-year iProVPN subscription for just $29.99, down from $324. Since you can use it on up to 10 devices simultaneously, you could pay just $1 per device per year.
Secure a lifetime subscription to the Imagiyo AI image generator for just $29 and make any kind of images you want. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
AI image generator Imagiyo lets you create all kinds of images — even NSFW ones. That’s how unbounded this new AI tool is.
It doesn’t matter if you’re designing for a business, crafting unique artwork, or just exploring the creative potential of AI, this powerful tool puts complete control at your fingertips. No subscriptions, no watermarks, no limits — just a simple, intuitive platform that transforms text prompts into stunning, high-quality visuals.
Right now, you can get lifetime access to Imagiyo for just $29 (down from $345). With this deal, the AI generator will let you create up to 250 images per month (including NSFW ones), in any resolution you choose. Unlike other AI image generators that lock features behind expensive monthly plans, this deal allows you to create professional-quality artwork (including for commercial use) without recurring fees.
iOS 18.5 is probably a week away, with good news for iPhone 13 users. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple sent the iOS 18.5 release candidate out for testing Tuesday and revealed that the update will enable the iPhone 13 series to access carrier-provided satellite features. The new software also will bring other changes and bug fixes for models going back to the iPhone XR.
The release candidates for macOS Sequoia 15.5, iPadOS 18.5, watchOS 11.5, tvOS 18.5 and visionOS 2.5 also went out at the same time.
★★★★★
There’s no better way to improve mobile gaming than with Backbone Pro. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Backbone Pro game controller that launched Tuesday wraps around your iPhone and connects via USB-C, but it can also connect to your Mac or iPad via cable or Bluetooth. Plus, it adds remappable rear buttons to the standard mix of sticks, triggers, D-pad and more.
Backbone already makes the best iPhone game controller, and my hands-on experience with this new premium version found that it takes mobile gaming to a whole new level.
Apple Arcade adds five new titles in June, along with lots of updates to existing games. Photo: Apple
Apple Arcade plans to expand its growing library with five new games on June 5. That offers subscribers fresh gaming experiences across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro. And Vision Pro headset users will get to play a spatial-computing version of the comedy racing game What the Car?
The new titles include both original releases and popular games making their debut on the subscription service. Plenty of existing games will get updates, too.
The ear hooks keep them secure no matter how hard you push your workout. Photo: Beats
The sleek new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds designed to stay on during workouts of any intensity only came out in February 2025. But you can already get a 20% discount. That brings down the list price from $249.99 to $199.99, a savings of $50. And that applies to all four color choices!
So maybe you buy these and that becomes your motivation to get back to the gym. Everybody wins.
The iMac G3 looked different from any other computer. Photo: Apple
May 6, 1998: Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the original iMac, a brightly colored, translucent computer that will help save the company. Coming just 10 months after Jobs’ new management team takes over, the iMac G3 loudly announces that the days of Apple quietly fading into the background are over.
The colorful computer marks the start of a very successful run for Cupertino.
Get four of these rugged USB-C cables for one low price. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Statik’s TsumoCharge is a durable USB-C cable that’s built to stand up to rough use. Unlike other cables, it won’t fray, get tangled beyond recognition or suddenly stop working for no reason. And right now, this tough 100W silicone charging cable costs just $39.99 for a four-pack (regularly $59.99).
What makes these durable USB-C cables different? Let’s break it down.
You can get an early-bird deal on EarFun Tune Pro headphones through May 19. Photo: EarFun
EarFun looks set to make some waves in the premium headphones market with its new Tune Pro cans. They could make devotees of AirPods Max and other fancy headphones sit up and take notice. The wireless noise-canceling Tune Pro headphones, scheduled for official release May 20, launch Tuesday with an early-bird deal bringing the already-low list price of $70 down to a stunning $49 for a limited time.
My review of these new headphones is coming soon. I’m already testing them. And I’ll just say this for now: Getting these great cans for under $50 seems like a miracle deal.
Let your computer handle sending emails. It’s what they’re good at. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can save time — and make sure your messages always go out when they’re supposed to — when you schedule email from the Apple Mail app. You can set your mail to deliver at any date or time in the future, whether it’s next Monday at 9 a.m. sharp, in two weeks’ time or even years from now.
If you work with someone in a different time zone, you can schedule messages to arrive just when they start their workday, which is especially helpful if the allotted time is in the middle of the night for you. You can schedule a series of reminders for that one irritatingly forgetful client of yours. Or, if you work remotely, you can try (and risk) prewriting messages to your boss to maintain the illusion of regular work. You can even schedule emails to remind you of an important anniversary, years down the line.
Make music in moments with this AI music generator. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The Supermusic AI app gives you two ways to make music. If you have a basic idea for a song, you can describe it to the AI music generator. Then just answer a few questions about the type of track you want to create, and Supermusic will craft an original song for you.
If you already have complete lyrics, even better. You can feed them into Supermusic AI to create a song around them. Keep in mind that this isn’t just a little tune. Supermusic AI generates lifelike vocals singing the lyrics you give it. Whichever way you create your songs, it only takes a moment before you can listen and share. And you can get a lifetime to Supermusic’s AI music-generating magic for just $39.97.
Switch to a free DNS server to protect your privacy. Photo: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
You use Domain Name System (DNS) servers many times every day, even if you don’t know what they are. You can’t avoid it, and whichever one you use can track where you go on the internet. That’s why you might consider switching to the free DNS servers Surfshark just launched that promise not to track you.
Here’s how to set your iPhone, iPad and Mac to use the Surfshark DNS server. It’s free!
Denzel Washington wears gold Beats headphones in Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest. Photo: Apple TV+
Legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low gets a modern New York City music industry twist courtesy of director Spike Lee and star Denzel Washington, according to the new teaser trailer for the Highest 2 Lowest movie Apple TV+ posted Monday.
The new movie hits theaters August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ September 5.
Learn AI skills that will help you with practically everything. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Rather than goofing around with Apple Intelligence, the courses in The 2025 ChatGPT Skills & Creativity Bundle could make you an AI master. From writing and graphic design to travel planning and productivity hacks, this massive bundle of ChatGPT courses will take you from an AI beginner to a well-rounded expert.
The core AI concepts you master can give you a leg up in almost any endeavor. Learn the latest skills with this up-to-date bundle of ChatGPT courses, all for just $29.99 (regularly $249.95).
In addition to a Studio Display, a whole lot of small screens are mounted on stands in this MacBook Pro setup. Photo: [email protected]
Careful mounting of devices is a hallmark of light and clean computer setups because it lifts most of the gear up off the desk, making room for other gear or simply creating clean, open space. In today’s setup, the MacBook Pro sitting open on a stand is just one of three small screens, including a portable monitor, that nicely complement and expand the Studio Display.
May 5, 2003: Just a week after launching the iTunes Music Store, Apple reaches an incredible milestone with more than 1 million songs sold.
Particularly notable is the fact that more than half the songs purchased are albums. This quickly dispels fears that selling tracks individually will kill the record industry’s dominant format. In addition, more than half of the 200,000 songs initially available on iTunes get downloaded at least once.
“In less than one week we’ve broken every record and become the largest online music company in the world,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a press release. “Apple has created the first complete solution for the digital music age — you can purchase your favorite music online at the iTunes Music Store, mix your favorite tracks into playlists with iTunes, and take your entire music collection with you everywhere with the super-slim new iPods.”
It’s a roaring success for Apple’s newest venture!