Control your air conditioner with your iPhone and this smart thermostat

By

Keep cool this summer with this smart thermostat, now only $134.99.
Control your mini split, portable air conditioner or window AC unit with this smart thermostat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Many air conditioners lack smart features like mobile access and integration with virtual assistants. If you want a little more control over yours, connect it to a Klima smart thermostat for mini splits, window AC units, ceiling cassettes, portable air conditioners and heat pumps.

The Klima is compatible with any air conditioner or heat pump that uses a remote control with a display. According to Boldr, the smart thermostat’s manufacturer, that means you can use Klima with more than 10,000 different air conditioner models.

Once you connect the smart thermostat to your AC unit, you can use an iPhone or Android app to set a temperature window, allow guest access and more. For a limited time, you can get the Klima smart thermostat for only $134.99 (regularly $145).

Epic animated adventure WondLa coming to Apple TV+ this summer

By

Epic animated adventure 'WondLa' on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ promises epic adventure with WondLa.
Image: Skydance Animation/Apple TV+

The first installment of the animated adventure trilogy WondLa will premiere on Apple TV+ in June. It’s the most ambitious children’s show the streamer has launched.

The series is adapted from a New York Times bestselling book series by Skydance Animation, and has a star-studded voice cast.

How to rename your Apple devices so you can tell them apart

By

Tell Your Devices Apart
Change the name so you can tell them apart.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can change the name of your Apple devices, whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods or Apple TV. By default, it’s just “[your name]’s iPhone.” But you can give your iPhone its own unique name, like Kit-Kat or Magic Rectangle.

Also by default, when you set up a new iPhone, the name is transferred. This can get confusing if you keep old phones around because you’ll see “John’s iPhone,” “John’s iPhone (2),” maybe even “John’s iPhone (3)” and more. The same is true for Apple Watch, Mac, iPad and AirPods.

The name of your device shows up among a bunch of Apple features like AirDrop, Find My, Personal Hotspot, AirPlay and more. If you use these features often, giving it a unique name will make it easier to identify.

Here’s how to fix this mess on all your Apple devices. Keep reading or watch our video.

iOS 17.5 will simplify submitting your iPhone for repair

By

iPhone 15 Pro Max with no case, held aloft defiantly
iOS 17.5 will introduce a handy 'Repair State' option.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

A new feature in iOS 17.5 will allow you to submit your iPhone for repair without turning off Find My and Activation Lock. Apple added a new Repair State mode in iOS 17.5 beta 4 for this.

Currently, you must turn off the security feature on your iPhone before submitting it for repair. Failure to do so could prevent Apple technicians from repairing your device.

$50 bundle gets you Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2019 and Windows 11 Pro

By

Last-minute gift alert: Give a PC lover Microsoft Office 2019 and Windows 11 Pro for less than $50.
This Microsoft productivity bundle is for PC owners only. (Sorry, Mac fans!)
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’ve got a great deal on a comprehensive Microsoft productivity bundle for PC users. This all-in-one Microsoft bundle gives users lifetime access to Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2019 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro for only $49.97 (regularly $428).

It’s great for anyone who uses a Windows machine and wants to avoid annoying subscription fees. (We know plenty of you run setups with both Macs and PCs.)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage sneaks onto iPhone in June

By

'Assassin’s Creed Mirage' sneaks onto iPhone
The console-quality game Assassin’s Creed Mirage is coming to iPhone and iPad in only a few weeks.
Image: Ubisoft

The long wait for the port of Assassin’s Creed Mirage playable on iPhone 15 Pro models and top-tier iPads ends in early June.

This is the latest example of AAA, console-quality games being brought to Apple devices to demonstrate their gaming capabilities.

Amazon matches record-low prices on coveted Apple gear

By

low prices on Apple gear
Studio Display, now on sale at Amazon, is a great external display for Macs.
Photo: Apple

Amazon launched a bunch of deals Tuesday on Apple gear that includes what looks like a lowest-ever price by a touch on Apple Pencil 2. And it matches low prices on AirPods Pro 2 and Studio Display, and offers nice prices on Apple Watch and AirTag packs.

Fast-charge iPhone on the go with Pitaka’s new Qi2 car mount

By

Pitaka MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2
With 15W of power, Pitaka's new car mount will make quick work of charging MagSafe iPhones on the road.
Photo: Pitaka

On your next road trip, you can get fast charging for your MagSafe iPhone in a sleek design with the new Pitaka MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2, the company said Tuesday.

The upgraded charging mount is certified to deliver 15W fast charging and NFC functionality for iPhone and Android handsets. And at 10%, it costs an affordable $54.

Today in Apple history: First iPad 3G tablets land in customers’ hands

By

iPad
The iPad was the fastest-selling new product line in Apple history.
Photo: iPad

April 30: Today in Apple history: iPad 3G arrives April 30, 2010: Almost a month after the first-gen iPad went on sale, the first Wi-Fi + 3G iPads arrive in the hands of U.S. customers.

The devices ship in boxes identical to the Wi-Fi-only models, but with an additional sticker noting their 3G capabilities. The tablets come preloaded with micro-SIM cards branded AT&T, the only carrier that initially supports iPad.

Beats affordable Solo Buds and Solo 4 headphones go official

By

Beats Solo Buds and Solo 4 are here
Beats Solo Buds and Solo 4 are here!
Photo: Beats

Apple’s Beats lineup is expanding with two new products: Beats Solo Buds and Beats Solo 4. They offer long battery lives and attractive price points.

Both offerings won’t rival Apple’s AirPods in any way but price, but if you frequently switch between Android and iPhone, you might like Beats’ new options.

Get 16 productivity-enhancing Mac apps for just $39.99

By

Get 16 apps to unlock more from your Mac for only $39.99.
Unlock your Mac's full potential with 16 macOS-friendly apps for $39.99.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Big Mac Utility Bundle is a collection of 16 Mac productivity apps you can use for everything from generating QR codes or troubleshooting your Wi-Fi connection to revealing the files your Mac automatically hides.

Skip the hunt for Mac apps that enhance how you use your Mac. Get the Big Mac Utility Bundle while it’s on sale for only $39.99 (regularly $221.83).

iPad lets Ukraine fly Soviet-era planes into combat

By

Ukraine pilots use iPads to take Soviet-era planes into combat
iPad goes into combat in Ukraine fighter jets.
Photo: Ukraine Air Force

Ukraine’s Air Force needs to launch modern U.S.-made missiles from Soviet-era fighter jets in combat. The surprise solution to the disconnect? iPad.

Apple tablets reportedly give the vintage aircraft the ability to control a variety of weapons systems supplied by Western countries after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Every Mac deserves a quality PDF reader like this one

By

Get a Mac-friendly PDF tool for $30 for Black Friday.
Don't miss this Black Friday Deal on PDF Reader Pro for Mac. A lifetime license costs less than $30.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

PDFs are supposed to make sharing documents easier, but they are often difficult to manage, edit or annotate. To streamline and improve your things, try PDF Reader Pro for Mac. The software tackles PDFs and empowers Mac users to do virtually whatever they’d like with them.

Plus, it’s on sale now at 50% off. You can grab a lifetime license to PDF Reader Pro for Mac for just $29.97 (regularly $59) .

Take an early look at larger, 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max

By

Take an early look at larger, 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro Max could be the largest Apple handset ever.
Leaked image: Sonny Dickson

Apple reportedly will increase the screen size in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Two tipsters recently revealed mockups of the 6.9-inch version alongside the smaller models in the iPhone 16 series.

If the rumor of a larger iPhone 16 Pro Max proves true, it’ll be among the more significant changes to the iPhone design in years.

Get the lowest price ever on M1 iPad Air

By

lowest price on M1 iPad Air
It's times like this we envy folks who waited to buy.
Photo: Apple

With new iPads expected right around the corner at Apple’s May 7 “Let Loose” event, you can expect discounts on older models. Check out Monday’s great deal at Best Buy — the lowest price on M1 iPad Air 5 (64GB, Wi-Fi) at $399. That’s a whopping $200 off.

And that’s not the only iPad deal at Best Buy going on right now. See others below.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Powerful MacBook Pro plays nice with PC [Setups]

By

MacBook Pro and PC setup
This IT manager has a heck of a nice M3 MacBook Pro setup. And note the big gaming PC on the right.
Photo: DarthChrisDK@Reddit.com

Today’s beautiful MacBook Pro and PC setup lets the two “frenemy” computers work easily in the same setup through a 4K external display’s built-in KVM switch. That means no messing around with cables, and no swapping out or re-pairing peripherals.

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs trashes Adobe Flash in devastatingly blunt open letter

By

Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs trashes Adobe Flash in an open letter titled
Steve Jobs really didn't care for Flash.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
April 29: Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs pens letter to Flash

April 29, 2010: Steve Jobs pens “Thoughts on Flash,” an open letter to explain why, basically, Adobe Flash kind of sucks. The letter marks the beginning of the end for the once-omnipresent plugin that powered multimedia in internet browsers for years.

Following the devastatingly blunt broadside, Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen hits back at Apple, arguing against Jobs’ complaints. But the Apple CEO has clearly made up his mind: iOS devices will never support Flash. The writing is on the wall.

EU labeling iPad a ‘gatekeeper’ will bring major changes to iPadOS

By

iPad Gatekeeper in EU under the DMA
iPad has been designated a gatekeeper by the EU, and Apple has to open those gates.
Image: Cult of Mac

The iPad joined the European Union’s list of “gatekeeper” platforms Monday. The designation requires Apple to make the same sorts of sweeping changes to iPadOS that the company already made to iPhone, including allowing sideloading of applications.

Apple has six months to implement the modifications.

How to remove an Apple ID from an iPhone without the password

By

Unlock Apple ID
Remove your Apple ID without a password from your iPhone.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

It’s possible to remove an Apple ID from your iPhone without a password using UnlockGo.

You can unlock iCloud Activation Lock without a password or the previous owner, remove a forgotten Screen Time passcode without data loss, bypass MDM locks and more. It’s a really powerful app and it’s available for both Mac and PC.

If you get a second-hand iPhone but find out the seller didn’t fully reset it beforehand, UnlockGo will fix it. Here’s how it works.

Apple TV+ bags big British awards for Slow Horses and Silo

By

Slow Horses Silo BAFTA wins
Apple TV+ took four prizes in the TV craft awards, and may win more in the broader BAFTA Television Awards.
Photo: Apple TV+

The BAFTA Television Craft Awards — a branch of the BAFTAs, often thought of as the British Oscars — awarded wins to Apple TV+ hit series Slow Horses and Silo, the iPhone giant said Sunday.

The acerbic espionage drama Slow Horses won for best editing and best sound. Sci-fi series Silo landed wins for best production design and best original music.

In addition, Apple TV+ received further nominations in the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards.

This autofocus 4K webcam packs AI superpowers

By

Obsbot Tiny 2 AI-powered PTZ webcam with 4K definition
This 4K webcam lets AI be the camera operator.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you’re working remotely or recording content, your video quality matters. If you’re ready for a webcam upgrade that can make your videos shine, try the Obsbot Tiny 2. It’s an AI-powered 4K webcam that automates a lot of the technical details like adjusting for lighting or focusing on the star of the show (undoubtedly you).

This smart webcam is also marked down for a limited time. Right now, you can get the well-reviewed Obsbot Tiny 2 for just $319.97.

How to make a custom ringtone on your iPhone

By

Turn A YouTube Video Into A Ringtone
Make a ringtone out of anything!
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

If you don’t have your phone on silent, you may as well have a fun, custom iPhone ringtone. After all, custom Home Screens and Lock Screens are all the rage — you can create a ringtone that matches your aesthetic.

Between wearing an Apple Watch and leaving my phone muted, I almost never hear my ringtone, but needs and preferences vary. If you don’t wear an Apple Watch and you carry your phone in a bag or purse, a ringtone is the only way you’ll hear a call coming in.

It’s not super straightforward, but here’s how you can make a custom iPhone ringtone out of an MP3 using just your phone. Keep reading below or watch our video.