Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Incogni.
I remember being in the Macworld audience in 2003 when Steve Jobs introduced the Power Mac G5, which at the time was the world's fastest personal computer.
The machine came in a gigantic, sheer-faced aluminum case and weighed about 50 pounds.
The computer cut such an intimidating figure, it hushed the excited Macworld audience into silence, as though they were in the presence of some awesome alien intelligence, like the protohumans encountering the alien monolith for the first time in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I even got a personal tour of the machine from Jony Ive, who I buttonholed for a quote for Wired.com, the outlet I was working for at the time.
I ended up buying a Power Mac G5 and using it for many years at Wired and beyond.
Although I eventually got newer Macs, I could never bear to get rid of the G5 tower. I still have it, in fact, in my basement.
So it’s with some sadness I read about the demise of the Mac Pro — the spiritual successor to the G5. The writing’s been on the wall for a while, though, and is the logical consequence of Apple silicon. By coincidence, today’s the day Apple introduced Apple silicon to the Mac lineup.
Also in today’s newsletter:
When it arrived five years ago, Apple silicon sparked a computing revolution and truly turned things around for the Mac.
Incogni’s data-scrubbing service removes your personal info from the web (and even the dark web). And that protects you from spam and scams. Get 55% off Incogni for Black Friday using code CULTOFMAC. Thanks to Incogni for sponsoring today’s newsletter.
It’s still going! Our crazy sale offering Windows 11 Pro for less than $10 is somehow still going (it was supposed to end Sunday).
Crossbody straps are having a moment, and we hands-on review a clever one from Satechi that doubles as a power cord.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
A message from Incogni
Keep your SSN off the dark web
Every day, data brokers profit from your sensitive info — phone number, DOB, SSN — selling it to the highest bidder. What happens then?
Best case: Companies target you with ads.
Worst case: Scammers and identity thieves breach those brokers, leaving your data vulnerable or on the dark web.
It's time you check out Incogni. It scrubs your personal data from the web, confronting the world’s data brokers on your behalf. And unlike other services, Incogni helps remove your sensitive information from all broker types, including those tricky people search sites.
Help protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls and health insurers raising your rates. Plus, just for Black Friday: Get 55% off Incogni using code CULTOFMAC.
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
Video review from The CultCast
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
Cult of Mac’s buyback program
Tweets of the day
Wallpaper of the day
One more thing ...
In the first 30 years of your life, you make your habits. For the last 30 years of your life, your habits make you.
Today’s poll
Will you miss the Mac Pro?
Results from Friday’s poll: Are you surprised the iPhone Pocket sold out immediately?
Best reader comments
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.