David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
Expect to see two versions of AirPods 4 -- including one with noise canceling -- in 2024. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple will revamp its AirPods lineup in 2024 in an effort to boost sales and clarify offerings, a new report indicates.
AirPods 4 should arrive next year, with two versions replacing current lower-priced earbuds models. And AirPods Max will receive some long-awaited updates, although the pricey over-ear headphones won’t get a major revamp.
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Irina, left, Aleida and Eli discuss asteroid capture at the M7 summit in Russia. Photo: Apple TV+
Friday’s sixth episode in season 4 of For All Mankind, “Leningrad,” ranks low on the deaths-and-hanky-panky scale of soap-opera criticism, but it’s not without a few revelations and highly emotional moments.
Namely, as plans unfold to capture the Goldilocks asteroid for lucrative mining, Mars may be getting its first union. Nice-guy Miles plays hardball with Ilya Brezhnev. And former NASA director Margo Madison reveals to the world she’s alive and working for the Soviet space agency.
Think Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a big screen? Well, it's probably going to get significantly larger. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch Ultra 2’s generously large display, expected to switch from OLED to microLED, will come out later than previously estimated, grow by 10% in size and cost more, according to a research company.
Other recent estimates pushed back the launch time frame to 2025, but now it may actually be 2026.
Would you add displays alongside or above this ultra-wide monitor, or replace it? Photo: ryperl@Reddit.com
If you had a gigantic 49-inch curved ultra-wide display, would you dream of adding more external monitors to it? If so, would you stack them, or add one or two displays in portrait mode (vertical) on either side of the big screen?
A MacBook Pro user with a giant Samsung display is pondering those very questions.
Best Buy offers $50 off Apple Watch Ultra 2, among many other bargains. Photo: Apple
While Best Buy offers great deals on MacBooks, iMacs, Macs mini and iPads in its Apple Sales Event for the holidays, you can also score good deals on iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods. See the selection below, or check out the whole sale here.
Yes, an M3 MacBook Pro in space black is on the list. Photo: Apple
With gift-giving season at full-tilt, Best Buy offers its Apple Sales Event on a full range of fabulous products you can check out here. We’d thought we’d focus below on 10 great Mac and iPad deals you won’t want to miss. Click on the prices below to go straight to the products.
Bryan Flynn, left, and Tobias Menzies star in Manhunt. Photo: Apple TV+
Did you know it took authorities 12 days to hunt down John Wilkes Booth after he shot President Abraham Lincoln in the head at Washington D.C.’s Ford’s Theatre in 1865? Apple TV+ gave a first look Thursday at Manhunt, the new conspiracy-thriller series depicting the frantic chase.
The seven-part series premieres March 15 with its first two episodes. A new episode follows on Fridays through April 19.
Noble's new Falcon Max true wireless stereo earbuds feature xMEMS' solid-state driver. Photo: Noble
Noble Audio’s new Falcon Max true wireless stereo earbuds are the company’s first to integrate advanced all-silicon solid-state MEMS-based drivers from xMEMS Labs, the company said Tuesday.
Release of the new earbuds with a hybrid-driver setup follows recent news that xMEMS plans to offer its first full-spectrum Cypress MEMS “ultrasonic” speaker in 2024. That should enable solid-state earbuds with remarkable full-spectrum audio quality.
Hansson's setup in Malibu, CA, features a Mac mini mounted behind a Pro Display XDR and a phenomenal set of KEF speakers. Photo: DHH@X.com
Developer David Heinemeier Hansson, known for creating the Ruby on Rails web development framework, showcased his rather stunning Mac mini computer setup this week on X (formerly Twitter).
The extraordinary 6K graphics of his Studio Display XDR and the articulate sound of his highly recommended KEF speakers complement the ocean views through the glass walls of his California office.
Special switches make the new keyboard super responsive and customizable. Photo: Keychron
Keychron launched a crowdfunding campaign December 5 for its new Q1 HE, calling it the first 75% layout wireless QMK custom keyboard with Hall Effect Gateron 2.0 magnetic switches, the company said.
The company noted the switch provides advantages to gamers with its extreme responsiveness and expanded customizability.
Carterjett makes a rugged tire-tread Apple Watch band in various colors. Photo: Carterjett
Got an Apple Watch? Currently, Carterjett offers 19 Apple Watch bands for sale in the Cult of Mac Store. You can find straps made of leather, silicone, nylon and carbon fiber in a variety of colors, designs and sizes. So whatever your preferences may be, you really can’t miss.
Artists might profit more from mixing tunes with Dolby Atmos. Photo: Apple
Apple plans to offer financial incentives to artists and record labels who mix songs using surround-sound Spatial Audio technology Dolby Atmos, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Greater weighting placed on those audio streams starting in 2024 will likely mean higher royalties paid out.
This user went from a 2012 Mac mini to an M2 Max Mac Studio plus a MacBook Air. Photo: PBRarq@Reddit.com
A big upgrade to a computer setup is a major boost to any user. And today’s featured rig, though it may look unassuming, got a doozy of a makeover. A Mac mini dating all the way back to 2012 finally retired after a long career. And a powerful new M2 Max Mac Studio took over, with a late-model MacBook Air riding shotgun.
But that’s not all. Read more about other bonuses in the rejuvenated setup besides the laptop, and check out the full gear list below.
Beeper Mini reverse engineered iMessage to send blue texts like an iPhone, but Apple blocked it, citing security and privacy concerns. Photo: Beeper Mini
Security and privacy concerns caused Apple to block messaging service Beeper Mini, the company said Sunday. But on Monday Beeper Mini got around the block and pledged to keep making its service available.
This followed Beeper Mini’s highly publicized launch on December 5. It said it had successfully reverse-engineered iMessage to turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones.
From that moment, many people wondered how long Apple would let it stand (just a few days, it turned out).
Update: Beeper Mini is back with improvements, according to a new blog post that puts the ball back in Apple’s court. Beeper said it’s willing to share its codebase with an independent research firm and reirterated it could add a pager emoji to enable filtering of Beeper Mini messages in iMessage. See more on the story so far below.
MagEasy glams it up a bit with one of its new iPhone 14 cases. Photo: MagEasy
If you have an iPhone 14, you may want to protect it with a new case. MagEasy offers an interesting selection of options, from glamorous to rugged (but without the bulk). You’ll also find four screen protectors and a portable stand in the mix.
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Danieille handles news of the Goldilocks mission in stride, but soon she's screaming "F-You!" at Ed Baldwin. Twice. Photo: Apple TV_
“Ground control, is that a negative on fatal space accidents in this week’s episode? Roger that. Initiate teardrops protocol.” For All Mankind‘s “Goldilocks” episode, number 5 in season 4, pushes plot lines forward Friday under the power of emotional cataclysms more than space-based action.
But it’s a meaty episode nonetheless. The whole season will turn on the importance of a certain newly discovered space rock named Goldilocks.
You can almost hear Santa landing on the roof. Photo: PartyPrice5927@Reddit.com
This time of year folks are getting in the holiday spirit and setting up Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs or Kwanzaa kinaras. But don’t forget to light up your Mac, iPad and iPhone screens with festive holiday wallpapers, too.
Today’s featured setup iMac and MacBook Air setup is so festive they could maybe skip all the other decorations!
Apple offers end-to-end encryption in Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Photo: Apple
Data breaches have compromised 2.6 billion personal consumer records in the past two years, with a rapid rise since last year, according to an independent study Apple published Thursday.
Increasing threats to consumer data stored in the cloud underscore a need for end-to-end data encryption like Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, launched in 2022, Apple said.
“Bad actors continue to pour enormous amounts of time and resources into finding more creative and effective ways to steal consumer data, and we won’t rest in our efforts to stop them,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “As threats to consumer data grow, we’ll keep finding ways to fight back on behalf of our users by adding even more powerful protections.”
Whatever Jo (Noomi Pace) is looking at here, it's ain't good. Photo: Apple TV+
After a disaster in space, an astronaut returns to Earth to find pieces of her life missing in the upcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi series Constellation. Apple released a “first look” at the action-packed psychological thriller Thursday.
The “conspiracy-based space adventure,” which stars Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks, sets down on Apple TV+ on February 21.
Any sealed surface will take Xvida's mounting pad to magnetically hold your iPad. Photo: Xvida
iPads are light and easy to handle, but sometimes you need your hands for other tasks — like glancing at a recipe while cooking. That’s where Xvida’s Magnetic Wall Mount for tablets comes in super, well, handy.
And it’s available now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $25.
Don't sleep on a deal like this one. Photo: Samsung
If you’re ready to graduate from a 4K to a 5K external display but the high prices have held you back, here’s your chance. Right now you can take off the regular price of Samsung’s direct competitor to Studio Display — the 27-inch Samsung ViewFinity S9 monitor.
This beauty is going for $1,068.61. That’s 33% off its regular price, which is the same as Studio Display’s steep cost (about $1,600).
The men who flew harrowing bombing missions had a lot to do with defeating Germany in WWII. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ dropped a devastating payload of aerial warfare in its new trailer Wednesday for the upcoming World War II drama series Masters of the Air.
Piloted by the team behind WWII series Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the new series dramatizes the U.S. Army Air Force’s role in helping defeat Germany through bombing. It premieres on Apple TV+ January 26.
Can you imagine working on that screen? Photo: Born4One@Reddit.com
Curved ultra-wide gaming displays have been making their way into Mac setups for quite some time now. But some people want to experiment, maybe push the envelope a bit, so they mount them on top of other displays or sometimes in portrait mode (vertical). But today’s Mac Pro setup takes the cake in that regard.
The user nixed a Studio Display with a high-quality external webam in favor of a truly massive, 55-inch curved ultra-wide Samsung gaming display — mounted vertically. It towers over everything with a pronounced stoop.