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.
Show off your iPhone 14's innards in the form of a schematic wallpaper. Photo: Basic Apple Guy
Mac maven Basic Apple Guy just rolled out a project he said he’s been slaving over since late September — a set of detailed and layered iPhone 14 schematics you can download and use as display wallpaper in your choice of colors on your handset.
It’s kind of like displaying an X-Ray of your iPhone on the device itself. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus schematics are out Tuesday with the ones for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max following on Wednesday.
This is Apple Derby Street prior to the incident, in which an SUV smashed through the facade and pinned several people at the back of the store. Photo: Apple
A man driving a black SUV crashed through the glass facade of an Apple Store near Boston on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring 19, including four critically, according to reports.
Updates: The driver, identified as 53-year-old Bradley Rein, was arrested Monday night and charged with reckless homicide by motor vehicle, according to Boston.com. The number of injured in the crash rose to 19 from the initially reported 16. Rein pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and said his foot had become stuck to the accerlator, causing the crash. He was held on $100,000 bail.
Kevin Bradley, a 65-year-old from New Jersey who Apple said was “supporting recent construction at the store,” was killed in the crash.
★★★★☆
Want solid headphones without breaking the bank? Consider Edifier's W820NB. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
The Chinese company Edifier has been putting out affordable high-quality audio equipment for more than 25 years. I often find it hits the “high-value” button with many of its products, offering great sound and solid features at relatively low prices. The company seems to stake out that same territory with its W820NB ANC Bluetooth Stereo Headphones.
Edifier sent me a pair of the cans to try out. While they’re not likely to blow anybody away, they get the job done well, with quality sound, strong active noise cancellation and long battery life.
If you want good sound at a good price, they could be for you. But if you’re an exacting audiophile or on the hunt for luxury appointments, look elsewhere.
Get your work done? Now you can have your dance-party reward, courtesy of Mondo. Photo: Mondo
Collectibles seller Mondo will release a soundtrack Wednesday for Apple TV+’s Severance season 1 in two versions, both on vinyl: Innie Edition and Outie Edition.
On the show — sort of a dark-comedy psycho-thriller — a Lumon Industries employee who has undergone the Severance brain surgery is an “innie” at work and an “outie” away from work, and neither has any awareness of the other.
Does the season 1 soundtrack match that weirdness? Now’s your chance to give it a focused listen on your turntable.
Private Internet Access gives you the secure VPN you need for safe web surfing. Photo: Private Internet Access
An encrypted virtual private network is one of the best ways to keep your online activities completely private. Plus, a VPN also can open up access to restricted content all over the world.
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Tesla's interface in the museum exhibit showed Apple Music integration. Photo: aaronjcash@twitter.com
It looks like a software update might soon bring Apple Music to Tesla vehicles’ built-in systems at long last. And this modern possibility comes to us from, of all places, a museum exhibit.
Folks spotted Apple Music integrated with Tesla prototype vehicles on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the tweets followed.
iPhone 14 Pro models topped or placed highly for 5G speeds in many countries. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
A new analysis of smartphone speeds in 10 countries shows iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are the fastest 5G mobile devices in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
Ookla’s study, released Monday, listed the top five fastest “popular” 5G devices by market share in each country. iPhone 14 and 13 series models appeared in many of the lists, but failed to place in some Asian markets.
Noting the performance variations by network and country, Ookla said the analysis “provides a snapshot of what you might typically expect.”
Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that? Photo: pincoded@Reddit.com
Some people like a lot screens in their computer setup, others like to be glued to one and one only. In today’s featured computer setup, the user wrestles with the question of whether to keep his iPad Pro front and center, right in front of the external display, or just leave it out. Meanwhile, a MacBook Pro sits off to the side in clamshell mode.
Because the user asked for opinions on social media, he got them. Lots of them. But it proved to be a tricky question to answer definitively.
iPhone 15's corners and edges might be rounded, not squared off. Photo: ShrimpApplePro@Twitter.com
A leaker with a pretty good track record for accuracy said Sunday the upcoming iPhone 15 series will feature rounded corners and edges, plus a titanium case. Rounded corners would harken way back to earlier iPhones and a titanium case would be a first for Apple handsets.
The rumors came from ShrimpApplePro, who gets it right a fair amount of the time when predicting what Apple will do.
The reimagined Asia Pacific Centre is double the size of the original store. Photo: Apple
A reimagined Apple Pacific Centre doubles the store’s original size and adds some new features, like 32-foot floor-to-ceiling glass panels, a “living wall” with 144 native plant species and one of the tallest staircases among Apple Stores worldwide.
The store, in Vancouver, British Columbia, reopened Friday after its massive makeover. Take a peek inside!
Get a great deal on UPDF, an app that makes it easy to work with PDFs on any device: macOS, iOS, Windows and Android. Image: Superace
PDF files are a fact of life online. All sorts of information, forms, contracts, applications and more come in the format, which is fixed to preserve formatting and resist having just anyone make changes. So you need special software to fill in, edit and sign a PDF, which can be a hassle.
That’s where UPDF comes in. It’s a versatile and easy-to-use PDF editor that’ll have you filling in and signing PDF files in no time, or even making more substantial changes, like reordering pages and converting files to other formats.
Even better, you can use UPDF on any platform for no additional cost. Cult of Mac readers can get UPDF at 53% off. Grab this deal (at the end of the article) and you will have an all-in-one PDF editor that works onMac, iOS, Windows and Android.
The sleeve is for your MacBook Pro, but you can carry a lot more in it. Photo: Mujjo
Mujjo is known for leather iPhone cases and wallets. It also makes sleeves and cases, and now it offers a new pair of vegan leather sleeves — one for a 14-inch MacBook Pro and one for a 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The elegant Envoy Laptop Sleeves, which look like they’d be equally at home in a lecture hall or a board room, are waterproof and offer room for the other stuff you need to carry around, too.
The thin and lightweight iPhone case may be the next best thing to having no case. Photo: Totallee
Totallee, known for its ultra-slim, lightweight and branding-free iPhone cases as well as charging accessories, is about to launch a big-time Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.
Between November 21 and 28, products will go for half off their regular prices on Totallee’s website as well as Amazon and Walmart.
Save your handset's screen from damage with a high-quality screen protector. Photo: SwitchEasy
If you have an iPhone 11, 12 or 13, now’s your chance to get a little extra protection for its beautiful screen and advanced camera lenses. This week all SwitchEasy screen protectors and lens protectors are on sale in the Cult of Mac Store.
So go ahead and check out the 20% off deals on SwitchEasy iPhone screen and lens protectors in the SwitchEasy Flash Sale and give your favorite gadget the protection it deserves. Sales ends November 18.
It's not always clear right away if you chose the best display for you. Photo: schmob@Reddit.com
A new external display for your computer setup is usually a joy to behold. It is, after all, what you look at most. And you probably just replaced your old one with a bigger, brighter and more beautiful new one. But sometimes buyer’s remorse creeps in. Is it actually the best screen for your needs that you can afford?
Today’s featured setup comes from a software coder who has started to have doubts about a substantial recent monitor purchase. Will he succumb to them? He’s keeping his eye on the return deadline and asking for advice.
The Prestige Folio is an iPhone 14 case, wallet and stand. Photo: Laut
Accessories maker Laut just released a dozen new iPhone 14 cases, screen protectors and camera lens shields in the Cult of Mac Store. They cover a range of styles and applications. We highlight some below.
And Laut is just part of the picture. You can see the company’s new entries and other new iPhone 14 cases in the rapidly growing field of choices.
AI and ECG readings from Apple Watch could be crucial to detecting heart problems. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
The famed Mayo Clinic showed us a new way artificial intelligence (AI) and Apple Watch can help save patients’ lives, according to a new study.
Instead of relying only on expensive tests conducted in clinical settings, doctors may be able to turn to AI and Apple Watch electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings to help determine which patients have previously undetected heart pump problems that could lead to heart failure.
Case-Mate introduced a bit of a blast from the past Wednesday with its new 30-watt Fuel Brites USB-C Wall Chargers. The compact, potent GaN adapters are see-through and come in four cheery colors that bring to mind the iMac G3.
Are you ready for some football? And by that we mean soccer, natch. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ and the top pro soccer league in the United States, Major League Soccer (MLS), said Wednesday the MLS Season Pass subscription service showing all matches with no blackouts launches February 1, 2023.
The launch, which includes features on multiple Apple services, kicks off a 10-year partnership between Apple and MLS.
A 34-inch ultra-wide display in landscape mode and a 24-inch monitor in portrait mode make a good combo. Photo: PassiveInterfce@Reddit.com
Powerful MacBook Pro — check. Extremely capable USB dock — check. Dazzling displays properly mounted in different orientations — check. Two of the best input devices you can buy — check.
Today’s featured computer setup seems to have it all without going overboard, and it all rests easily on a solid standing desk from New Zealand.
And the user even recommends deals on truly stellar noise-canceling headphones. Read on for more and don’t miss the gear list at the bottom of the page.
★★★★☆
Ugreen's MFi-certified charger tops off three devices at once. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
There’s something especially convenient about having a multi-device charging station on your nightstand. Or you could place at the edge of your desk or on a table by the front door. It’s a place you can charge your iPhone, AirPods charging case and Apple Watch all at once if need be.
Ugreen sent me its version to test out, the 3-in-1 MagSafe Wireless Charging Station. It’s a good charger for most people — especially because it’s MFi-certified for MagSafe. That means you get a full 15 watts for MagSafe iPhones and 5W apiece for an AirPods charging case and Apple Watch.
Elgato just further opened up your workflow-tweaking opportunities. Photo: Elgato
Corsair Gaming subsidiary Elgato unveiled the latest version of its popular Stream Deck streaming and workflow controller Wednesday, dubbing it Stream Deck+.
It retains eight of the familiar customizable LCD keys that other versions have. But it adds a touch strip, which is a screen, and four “infinite dials” to help you tweak and adjust tasks in your workflow. A common use of this type of tool is controlling video streaming production.
Tefeca Fortitude bands give strength to all Apple Watches, including Ultra. Photo: Tefeca
There are plenty of nylon and canvas Apple Watch bands out there, but they don’t all have Fortitude. Tefeca Fortitude, that is. It’s a line of extra-tough and handsome bands that are super-comfortable — especially the Ultra Wide versions, which are as wide as an Apple Watch Ultra case.
And a wide band isn’t just comfortable. It offers a distinctive, masculine look — like you’re on a mission.
And if you act fast, you can get a great discount on the bands in a variety of styles, colors and sizes. See below.
This tidy setup didn't cost a fortune, but it gets the job done. Photo: Red__1860@Reddit.com
It’s funny when you see a student’s computer setup on social media with gear that looks like it costs a bazillion bucks. Like, what, did Elon Musk go back to college for some reason? Maybe to escape the $44 billion dumpster fire that is Twitter?
Well, today’s clean and practical MacBook Pro setup is the real thing — a starving student’s workstation cobbled together on a budget.