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I’m sure you’ve seen screenshots of people who organize their iPhone Home screens by the color of their app icons.
One screen is full of blue app icons, the next screen is filled with red app icons, and so on.
I used to think this was pretentious nonsense until I realized that I myself largely recognize app icons by color. It’s easy for me to spot the green Find My icon, or the black X one.
Today’s top post is about a great new color-centric feature in the Messages app. It uses color to help protect you from one of the worst mistakes you can make while texting. You can thank us later!
Also in today’s newsletter:
Don’t miss our hands-on review of a great new iPhone game controller. Apple Arcade is filling up with great games, but let’s face it, on-screen controls are the worst thing about iPhone and iPad gaming. This controller is cheap enough to let you test out mobile gaming without breaking the bank. We also have a pretty great hands-on with the controller on this week’s Cult of Mac podcast, which will be out later today on all the podcast platforms.
I attached AirTags to my precious bicycles, but I’m not holding out hope they’ll help me track them down if they ever get stolen. Unfortunately, Apple expressly designed AirTags not to be used by have-a-go heroes. Here’s why AirTags will never, ever be antitheft devices.
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This may be extreme tea-leafing, but the dates are aligning for a possible surprise announcement at the “special Apple Experience” on March 4.
And talking of the stars aligning, this year is going to be a big year for soccer in the USA, which is hosting the World Cup this summer. It all kicks off this weekend with Apple TV’s pretty great MLS coverage, which includes World Cup tie-ins.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: The hilarious satire Office Space — the movie that showed for the first time exactly how to deal with a malfunctioning printer — came out on this day in 1999. Milton's iconic red Swingline stapler (which is perfect for TPS reports, BTW) is on sale now at 25% off.
I was surprised by the responses to yesterday’s poll about the most important power bank features. My No. 1 demand is a built-in cable, followed by MagSafe, but you guys have completely different priorities. See below.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life.
So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
Today’s poll
Are you a mobile gamer?
Results from yesterday’s poll: What's the most important power bank feature to you?
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Subscribe to The Weekender — Get the week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.