The Weekender
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Apple Music 🆚 Spotify

Apple Music 🆚 Spotify

Here are 8 reasons you should ditch Spotify for Apple Music.

Lewis Wallace
July 22, 2023

I know some people prefer Spotify over Apple Music, but this weekend’s new how-to lays out why Apple’s service is better. Find out about eight killer Apple Music features — and learn how to use them — in our post (or the accompanying video).

Also in this edition of The Weekender:

Did you know your Apple Watch can tell you the time without even looking at it? It absolutely can.
Loads of new Apple rumors point to the possibility of better iPhone battery life this year, a long wait for the Mac Pro we really want, a sweet upgrade coming in a future iPhone camera and more.
The new Steph Curry doc shot straight to the top of the Apple TV+ movies chart. Here’s our review.
There’s a weird link between World Emoji Day and Apple.
After years of perhaps well-deserved scorn, people are finally loving Apple Maps.

Enjoy your weekend!

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

How-tos

8 reasons you should ditch Spotify for Apple Music

Apple Music is in second place to Spotify in paying subscribers, but Apple Music is the better service. Here are the eight things keeping me on Apple Music.

Get the time without even looking at your Apple Watch

Here’s how to use a little-known feature called Taptic Time. Just hold two fingers on the Apple Watch screen and you’ll feel it tap the time out on your wrist.

Make battery-hogging apps like Spotify better with DIY web apps

You can create web apps that live in your Mac's Dock with Safari. It's handy for apps you use every day, like Spotify, Discord and Slack.

How to downgrade your iPhone from iOS 17 beta to iOS 16

Frustrated with bugs and problems on iOS 17 beta? Here's how you can downgrade your iPhone to iOS 16 for a more stable experience.

How to watch soccer legend Lionel Messi on Apple TV+

When one of the greatest soccer players of all time comes to Major League Soccer, you better believe Apple TV+ will pull out all the stops.

News

Here are the M3-powered Macs expected in fall 2023

The upcoming M3 processor is supposedly going into multiple new Macs before the end of 2023: iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Plus, more Apple rumors:

Beats Studio Pro review roundup: 'Almost AirPods Max Light' for less

They look familiar, but big changes inside make for improved sound, great noise cancellation and solid features for Apple and Android users.

Here's why people are learning to love Apple Maps

After Apple Maps' disastrous launch in 2012, the company worked hard to catch up with competitors. Now that's paying off.

The weird story linking Apple to World Emoji Day

World Emoji Day happens on July 17 every year -- but why? The holiday's story takes a circuitous path through Apple history.

Deals

M1 MacBook Air drops back to its amazing Prime Day price

Apple's excellent 2020 M1 MacBook Air once again falls to its low Prime Day price of $749.99, a massive $250 off its regular MSRP.

Plus, more Amazon deals:

Preserve photographic memories with the Kodak Slide N Scan scanner

The Kodak Slide N Scan can preserve film negatives and slides, and even restore them with a few easy button presses.

Flash sale: Slash up to 20% off MagPower charging stands

A good charging stand by the front door or on your nightstand can be a huge help when it comes to keeping your Apple gadgets charged up.

Stream shows from anywhere with this smart DNS and VPN

Cult of Mac readers can get a lifetime subscription to Getflix VPN and smart DNS for the lowest price on the web: $39.97.

Get an eSim card for global data plus $50 credit for less than $22

Never get burned by an outrageous international roaming fee again.

Reviews

This 3-in-1 charger is a great travel companion and desk accessory [Review]

Instead of carrying cables to charge iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, get a travel charger like the Kuxiu X40. (It's great for desks, too.)

‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ traces his transformation from scrub to superstar [Apple TV+ review] ★★★☆☆

New Apple TV+ sports doc “Stephen Curry: Underrated” follows the Golden State Warriors star and his quest to bring his team back after a bad season.

Plus, this week’s Apple TV+ recaps:

Sleek 4-in-1 iPhone charging stand packs bright bonus [Review] ★★★★☆

SwitchEasy's MagPower 4-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand can power up a MagSafe iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and more.

Brilliant new Clarity Pro Touch display packs great features [Review] ★★★★☆

As a cheaper alternative to Studio Display, Alogic's new monitor features impressive build quality with nice clarity, contrast and brightness.

Setups

Before and after photos show MacBook Pro rig's subtle evolution

Pictures show improvements to this workstation, which is powered by a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro.

Super-clean MacBook Air setup makes good use of Sidecar

A 15-inch MacBook Air and 11-inch iPad Pro get by quite nicely with an external monitor and Sidecar in this setup.

See, not everyone hates Magic Mouse

It may seem like Logitech is taking over the mouse game, but some folks still passionately love Apple's sleek and slippery Magic Mouse.