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Apple TV+ and iPhone 13: Shooting for the stars

October 02, 2021

A stunning episode of Foundation. A seriously Pixar-ish sci-fi short called Blush. A new show from Jon Stewart. A wild episode of The Morning Show. And yet another compelling performance on Truth Be Told.

It's been a great week for Apple TV+. Nearly two years in, the streaming service is firing on all cylinders.

We've got loads of fresh reviews of the latest new Apple TV+ shows for you this week.

If TV's not your thing, we've also got reviews of some crazy little gadgets you might have heard of called iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro mixed in with the rest of the week's news.

-- Lewis Wallace, managing editor

Apple TV+ reviews

Apple TV+’s space opera ramps up this week to show us the goods. But can Foundation get to the business of exciting drama now that the world has been thoroughly built, the characters are in play, and the clock is ticking?

Jon Stewart is back on TV with more control, more freedom and more gray hair. His new Apple TV+ show tackles the tough questions facing the world. But has America missed its smart-ass in chief since he departed The Daily Show in 2015?

It's small, cute and full of heart. And it’s also a gauntlet thrown down to let the competition know Apple TV+ is getting serious about winning awards.

The arrests and accusations fly on Apple TV+’s shocking crime drama. Podcaster Poppy Parnell needs to get a grip on her situation because her father’s in need, her partners in crime need space, and she’s starting to look too self-obsessed for her own good.

COVID-19 is here and the newsroom is in shambles ahead of its rebranding. Bradley is jealous, claustrophobic and scheming. Alex is nervous. And everyone’s on the verge of a meltdown.

News and opinion

A highlight of the just-released budget iPad and iPad mini is the addition of Center Stage, a feature that lets the front-facing camera follow someone on a video call. It’s brilliant. It makes FaceTime and Zoom calls so much simpler. This is perhaps the best new feature Apple has come up with in years.

The problem, which seems to affect iPhone 13 owners most, causes devices to not respond to touch inputs.

More Apple bugs:

If you happen to break the dazzling Super Retina XDR display packed into your iPhone 13, you might want to avoid seeking out a more affordable replacement from a third-party repair shop.

Among the many new camera features in the iPhone 13 Pro is Macro mode, which lets you take very close-up images, putting the focus on tiny objects.

Cupertino says uneven scrolling can occur because of the way in which its Liquid Retina displays refresh line by line.

How-tos

The just-released iPad mini is the latest Apple tablet to make the switch from Lightning to USB-C. That allows it to do quite a few things out of reach of its predecessors. As a proud new owner of the device, you’ll surely want to make sure you’re living up to its potential.

Verizon customers with a new iPhone 13 model might notice something missing: 5G. The faster cellular networking is a signature feature of the handset, and one nobody wants to live without. Fortunately, the fix is fairly simple.

Deals

Whether you work from home with professional documents or have a library of irreplaceable family photos, a reliable data-recovery system is an essential for all Mac users. (Hey, accidents happen.) And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to a great data-recovery app for less than $30.

There are a lot of things you can get to improve your quality of life, your comfort and your downtime. Get yourself some cool gadgets during our VIP Sale and enjoy an extra 15% off.

You don’t need a different charging cable for each of your devices — even if you’re carrying Apple and Android devices as well as other gear.

The secret to never running out of awesome content to watch is the combination of a killer VPN and a streaming mega-app.

Reviews

Is there such a thing as the fabled Goldilocks phone? You know, a phone that is just right? Not too big. Not too small. Great camera and screen. Amazing battery life. Well, the new iPhone 13 Pro is that “just right” phone.

Those looking for an upgrade for the iPhone 11, XS or 8 need search no further than the 6.1-inch iPhone 13. Apple’s latest midsize handset offers far better performance than those older models, a noticeably longer battery life and a better camera. Plus there are some other nice additions.

Now’s the time for folks to find the right case to protect their new iPhones. Accessories makers have obliged with many, many choices, from minimalistic to stylish to super-tough.

The OWC USB-C Travel Dock E adds the most commonly used ports to your Mac or iPad. It lets you use an HDMI monitor, two USB-A accessories, Ethernet and more.

Setups

The new M1 iPad mini garners rave reviews for its powerful performance and easily handled size. The M1 Mac mini is well-established as a compact but capable desktop machine. The HomePod mini smart speaker has flourished after the demise of the full-sized HomePod. So it’s no wonder to see “all mini” computer setups cropping up.

You’ve got to love somebody bragging about getting their computer setup’s cable management down to one cord, because it’s never really one cord.

Finland-based student and photographer Lauri Rämä pores over finance and accounting texts in hopes of getting a master’s degree. He uses his spare and simple MacBook Pro computer setup mainly for studying and editing.