Netflix just killed its Basic plan, forcing people to pay more for an ad-free experience. And the cost of all Peacock plans went up, with or without commercials.

Apple TV+, with no ads at all, looks like a better deal than ever.

Apple reportedly developed its own generative AI chatbot that’s very similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While this might never be released, the underlying tech is already going into the company’s applications and services.

If true, the chatbot’s technology could be a significant upgrade to the Siri digital assistant that’s built into so many Apple products — and that currently draws so much criticism.

Sam runs out of options, and Stuart runs out of patience, in this week’s tense installment of Apple TV+ hostage thriller Hijack.

Stuart’s secrets start to spill out as a desperate move to save someone close to him brings the whole operation dangerously close to failure. While Sam tries to stay a step ahead of everyone, there are just some things he can’t know or understand until it’s too late.

Apple subsidiary Beats dropped its long-awaited flagship Beats Studio Pro headphones Wednesday to mostly positive reviews, including favorable comparisons to the pricier AirPods Max ($550).

Beats Studio Pro still look a lot like the 2017 Beats Studio3 cans they replace, but they’re chock full of improvements that should justify their $350 price for many despite some shortcomings.

Who doesn’t love a clean, uncluttered computer setup? It doesn’t have to be “minimalist,” like it’s trying to impersonate a Zen rock garden, it just has to be simple and productive.

Today’s featured 15-inch M2 Pro MacBook Air and 11-inch M2 iPad Pro setup gets by quite nicely with one external monitor and the use of Sidecar.

An anonymous tipster has bad news for the Mac Pro: Apple apparently has no plans to keep working on the scrapped chip that would have doubled the machine’s power. Development on Apple silicon is reportedly set all the way through the M5 generation.

There’s a beacon of hope, though. Multi-die packaging — technology being developed that could see the light of day around the M8 chip — eventually might give the Mac Pro the power it deserves. However, at Apple’s current pace, that’s at least six years away.

Rather than a dull, dry recitation of the antitheft features built into MacBooks, Apple created a video featuring another madcap adventure from the Underdogs.

The video is fun an and exciting, but is also a demonstration of the multiple ways Macs prevent criminals from profiting from stolen Macs.

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and iPad Air is a great albeit expensive accessory. But if you want an external keyboard for your iPad, you can’t go wrong with Apple’s offering.

Take advantage of Amazon’s latest deal to save up to $55 on the keyboard accessory. This means you can get the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro for as low as $245.95.

Do you love animals, and the more exotic they are the better? Apple TV+ said Tuesday its two new documentary series “featuring the never-before-seen lives of the rarest animals on Earth” will come out soon.

The two series — Born to be Wild and Endangered Planet — consist of six parts apiece. But we’ll have to wait and see when they’ll air. We can probably expect trailers before too long.

Hey there, fellow adventurers! With summer sizzling and fall on the way, you’re definitely spending more time in the great outdoors. So, why not take things up a notch? Introducing Carsule, the ultimate fold-out living space that reimagines camping for the modern age!

It’s a cinch to set up, and Cult of Mac Deals has it on sale now at the best price anywhere online.

Apple on Tuesday rolled out the first update for Final Cut Pro for iPad since its release in May this year. The v1.1 release adds support for new keyboard shortcuts and improves the app’s overall stability and performance.

Final Cut’s iPad version is not as feature-rich as its Mac version. Apple is working on reducing that gap, with the latest update taking a small step in achieving this.

We’ve got an exciting giveaway this week in partnership with Harber London! One lucky winner will have the chance to score a sleek leather laptop folio that’s perfect for a MacBook (or other laptop between 11 inches and 16 inches). How cool is that?

You’ll be spoiled for choice with four classic colors to choose from: tan, black, navy and deep brown. And trust us, this genuine full-grain leather folio ages beautifully over time, giving it a stylish and unique look no matter which color you go for. Plus, starting at just $132 and with free tracked delivery, it’s a steal. But it’s even better if you win!

A reliable virtual private network is a must these days. You can find VPNs at just about every price point, and for the most part, you get what you pay for. VPN Unlimited always stood out in terms of its infrastructure and commitment to data privacy.

Now that it’s available for $20 off the previous sale price, it’s almost a must for anyone concerned about anonymity on the web.

The SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD cost a jaw-dropping $699 when it launched. You can now pick it up for a third of that original cost: $229. Amazon also offers similar deals on smaller-capacity versions for a limited time.

These external drives promise data-transfer speeds up to 1,050 MBps over a USB-C connection, and work with Mac and iPad.

UPDATE: Published reports indicate this SSD has a high failure rate, which might explain why it’s on sale. Buyer beware.

The release candidates for iOS 16.6 and macOS Ventura 13.5 were seeded to developers on Tuesday. These are the final betas of minor bug updates without significant new features, but nevertheless they will be worth installing when the final versions are released, almost certainly within a week.

The same is true for iPadOS 16.6 RC, watchOS 9.6 RC and tvOS 16.6 RC.

ESR just launched a Kickstarter campaign for an unprecedented, Apple-certified 100-watt 6-in-1 charging station with GaN technology to juice up all your devices.

The company called the device — which can charge iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously — the “world’s first” of its kind. You can preorder it now at a 20% discount. And it may serve all your charging needs.

A new leak outlines how the 2024 iPhone Pro Max might improve upon the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera. While this year’s model reportedly will introduce a new periscope lens, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could come with an ultra-long telephoto periscope lens capable of 12× optical zoom.

To clarify, today we’re still on the iPhone 14, which features a 3× optical zoom — and the model releasing this fall is rumored to retain the same 3× zoom level, using periscope technology to reduce the camera’s thickness.

The source of Tuesday’s iPhone 16 rumor, Digital Chat Station, previously leaked the iPhone 12 mini display.

When you don’t want to lug around a computer bag or case, or you need something slim to protect your MacBook inside your luggage, a sleeve can suit the situation perfectly. Laut makes a great selection of sleek and protective sleeves, including colorful ones.

Check out three different sleeves for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in different sizes in the Laut MacBook Sleeves collection.

Apple’s 2023 16-inch MacBook Pro represents the best of what the company has to offer in a laptop. But it is equally expensive, putting it out of reach for many.

With Amazon’s latest deal, the 16-inch MacBook Pro gets a fair bit cheaper after a $250 discount. This brings the entry-level model’s price down to $2,249 from $2,499.

After its launch in 2012, Apple Maps performed so badly that Apple CEO Tim Cook actually apologized for the service and fired the company’s head of software (for the disastrous launch and other reasons). But now, many people actually choose Apple Maps over Google Maps and other services, according to a new report.

iPhone pulled in its highest-ever Q2 share of the global smartphone market, according to an analysis firm. Apple’s total shipments were down, just not down as much as shipments of Androids from rival handset-makers.

The good news for Apple is that consumers around the world are more interested in premium smartphones than ever before.

Apple will put batteries that could last up to 10% longer in the upcoming iPhone 15 series, according to an unconfirmed report. These will be stacked batteries rather than wound ones.

iOS handsets already offer lengthy times between recharges, but surely no one will complain about extending that.

Apple is hoping to take its lawsuit with Epic Games all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on Monday received permission to hold off on making a significant change to the App Store ordered by lower courts until there’s a final decision by the high court.

This means the Mac-maker won’t have to change its App Store policy that prevents developers from sending customers to their websites to pay for apps or services… yet.

There’s no better day to check into the state of emoji than World Emoji Day, celebrated every year on July 17. There’s a new most popular one this year, though the top five stayed consistent. And the top 20 also boasts a new entry you should be aware of.

It’s wise to know the meaning of the most popular so you’re not confused when someone sends you a 🗿. At the same time, it’s interesting to explore what’s the least used emoji and why certain emojis never seem to gain traction in digital conversations.

Whether you’re Team Mac or Team Windows, the highly rated Microsoft Office productivity suite can benefit you. Lifetime access to programs such as Excel, PowerPoint and Word typically set you back a few hundred dollars. However, we’ve got one last chance for a sensational discount.

Until midnight tonight, you can purchase Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021 or Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for only $29.97 (regularly $219) apiece.