2016 Year in Review

Best iPhone accessories of 2016

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best_iphone_accessories
The ultimate companions for your iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac This year’s iPhone upgrade might have been a little dull, but we saw plenty of exciting accessories for Apple’s iconic smartphone in 2016.

From awesome new AirPods to ultraportable virtual reality headsets, they all helped make iPhone 7 more exciting. Here are our favorite iPhone accessories of the year.

From tiny innovations to big brawls, this is how Apple rolled in 2016

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Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 sent Apple for a wild ride full of fantastic new products, crazy controversies and tons of extra drama with its rivals.

Tim Cook and his colleagues probably can’t wait to jump into 2017. But before we start looking toward Apple’s future, let’s take a quick look back at all the stories that made 2016 a year Apple fans will never forget.

Best Mac and iOS games of 2016

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best mac and ios games 2016
2016 might have sucked overall, but not for games.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac When it comes to games, Apple trails behind Microsoft and the broader PC market. Though Cupertino’s hardware often sports cutting-edge specs, the fact is that gaming was never really the intended use for Apple machines.

Why this is, and whether it should prevent top titles from gracing Mac screens, is enough for its own article. Luckily, things are changing: From sprawling strategy games to genre-bending first-person titles, 2016 gave Apple fans a harvest of great titles for Mac and iOS alike.

Apple’s smartest moves of 2016

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2016 wasn't all missed deadlines and mysterious battery problems for Apple.
2016 wasn't all missed deadlines and mysterious battery problems for Apple.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Apple pissed off a lot of people in 2016. In hindsight, some of Cupertino’s moves look clumsy, and others seem truly clueless, but Tim Cook and Co. also made some brilliant moves during this turbulent year.

Let’s go to our happy place and relive the smartest moves made by Apple in 2016.

Best iPad accessories of 2016

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These are our favorites!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Accessory makers churned out some awesome new gadgets for the iPad in 2016. From cases to Star Wars toys, loads of new gear came along to boost the capabilities of the world’s favorite tablets.

Whether for the Pro line or the less-powerful Air or mini models, these are the best iPad accessories of 2016.

All the ways Apple disappointed us in 2016

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Biggest Disappointments
Apple's 2016 wasn't exactly inspiring.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 hasn’t been Apple’s best year by a long shot. While the company is still making money hand over fist and has seen its Services division go from strength to strength, Apple also consistently stumbled for the first time in years.

While we remain loyal to the Apple brand, here are our picks for the year’s biggest disappointments.

The weirdest Apple stories of 2016

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Wierdest Stories 2016
It's been a weird year. And Apple's no exception.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Covering Cupertino is more than just statistics and rumors about upcoming products. There’s plenty of weird Apple news, whether it be a Chinese billionaire buying iPhones for his pet dog or the revelation that, in some alternate universe, Tim Cook could become vice president of the United States.

With that in mind, here are the weirdest Apple news stories of 2016.

Get your read on: Best tech books of 2016

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Best Tech Books of 2016
Get caught up on your reading this holiday.
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2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac The holidays are a great time to hide away from visiting relatives and enjoy a good book. Fortunately, when it comes to tech-centric books released this year, there’s a great crop to pick from.

Here are our choices for the best tech books of 2016 (and no, we’re not including Jony Ive’s $300 tribute to himself).

Why the iPhone 7 Plus camera is a major milestone

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The iPhone 7 Plus made 2016 a memorable year for photography.
The iPhone 7 Plus made 2016 a memorable year for photography.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac We roll our eyes when Tim Cook introduces a new iPhone and says, “This is the best iPhone ever” each year. But the iPhone 7 Plus will be different.

Sure, ambitious upgrades remain in the pipeline, but the remarkable camera in the iPhone 7 Plus will make this year’s model memorable. Fifty years from now, photography historians will talk about the iPhone 7 Plus they way they do the first Leica or the first Polaroid.

The 10 best Apple ads of 2016

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Best Apple ads of 2016
You want innovation? Look no further than Apple's advertising.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Apple may not have launched its most innovative products in 2016, but when it comes to marketing, Cupertino is still killing it.

By utilizing celebrities, musicians, athletes and everyday iPhone owners, Apple created some of its most memorable ads ever in 2016. Whether they were touting Apple TV with Kobe Bryant, or using the story of an autistic boy to show how technology can change the world, Apple ads entertained us and gave us all the feels.

These are our favorite Apple ads of 2016.

Best Mac accessories of 2016

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Best Mac accessories 2016
From dongles to docks, these are the year's best Mac accessories.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac We value our Mac computers. Whether on a desk or in a lap, they help us complete many life tasks. But you and your machine wouldn’t make it without reliable accessories — especially now that we live in the USB-C era.

Storage drives, hubs with extra ports, a good pair of headphones, maybe a bag to carry your tech — all these Mac accessories play important roles. They often remain unsung, but sometimes come through to help us avoid a devastating loss of hardware or important work.

So if you are looking to bolster your Mac support team, look no further than this list of some of Cult of Mac’s favorites accessories from 2016 for iMacs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

What they said: Best Apple quotes of 2016

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Best Apple quotes 2016
If you can't say something nice ...
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2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac The world of quotes is a poorer place without Steve Jobs, who was a quote machine. Nonetheless, plenty of people talked about Apple this year, whether lauding the company’s successes or damning its strategies.

Here are the most memorable Apple quotes of 2016.

Best iOS apps of 2016

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Best iOS Apps
Appy holidays!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac It’s been a banner year for iOS apps. From smart photo-editing tools to music-generating apps, Apple and third-party developers alike brought some serious heat to the App Store. We’ve combed through our home screens to pick out the best iOS apps of 2016.

Check out our picks below.