Get yer thumbs ready! Apple Arcade adds more classic games

November 12, 2021

The tower-defense classic Kingdom Rush has to be one of my favorite games ever. I used to play it with my kids on iPad, all of us squealing as the hordes of invading orcs and goblins descended on our battlements.

So I'm delighted Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+ is coming to Apple Arcade on Friday.

It joins a host of other classic games that have filled out the growing subscription gaming service. With the addition of new and classic games each week, Apple Arcade's $5-a-month fee looks more and more like a bargain. Plus, one subscription can be shared with up to six family members.

The weather is beautiful here in San Francisco this weekend, but you know what I'll be doing:

"Archers, ready!"

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

The selection of App Store Greats available through the Apple Arcade subscription service continues to grow. Friday brings the addition of Galaga Wars+ and Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+. They join dozen of other classic games that players used to have to pay to play individually but are now all available with a single Apple Arcade subscription.

Citing sources in Apple’s supply chain, a new report says the next-gen earbuds won’t drop until the third quarter of 2022.

One unit from Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs' early run of 200 computers, known as the “Chaffey College Apple-1” because its first owner taught there, brings in a pretty penny.

Modded by robotics engineering student Ken Pillonel, the device — which still functions perfectly normally — was shown off in October before being listed for sale earlier this month.

It’s unlikely the average AirPods Pro owner would be wearing their buds into a real battle to listen to some banging tunes. But if they were, they would protect them with Elkson’s ultra-rugged Military Bumper case.

The move means Galaxy smartphone owners will no longer be able to connect their device to a macOS machine to turn it into an Android-powered desktop.

Is your regular iPhone 12 or 13 case keeping you from enjoying Apple’s magnetic tech? Anker offers an inexpensive accessory that means you don’t have to buy a new, MagSafe-compatible case.

Sometimes you see a workstation and you can pretty much tell by the gear what its owner does for a living. Today’s featured setup has an M1 Mac mini, a 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro and an Acer laptop, plus a custom mechanical keyboard, a network switch and a huge external hard drive. That led me to guess the person might be an IT staffer or a software developer. Was I right?

What to watch on Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s ambitious space opera is getting ready for its final reveal. Foundation's epic first season flew by in the blink of an eye, all breathless action and rug pulls. Can all that excitement work its magic and attract a hungry audience for its richly deserved second season?

The sprawling alien-invasion show thrusts all its characters into a brand-new reality this week. There is no denying now that there are aliens on Earth … but what does that mean for everyone?

This week on Swagger, Jace and Crystal come clean — but now what? She’s rent with guilt and pain. He wants to do something, but answers won’t come to him. And violence seems unavoidable in the game and on the streets.

Apple TV+’s show about a news network is experiencing the calm before the storm as its second season nears conclusion.

The streaming service's newest (true crime) comedy delivers laughter with a side of psychoanalysis.

Tweets o' the day

One more thing ...

"If [people] are working in an environment where excellence is expected, then they will do excellent work without anything but self-motivation. I'm talking about an environment in which excellence is noticed and respected and is in the culture. If you have that, you don't have to tell people to do excellent work. They understand it from their surroundings." -- Steve Jobs

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