Apple documentaries

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Apple documentaries:

Singapore chicken rice ‘war’ looks delicious on iPhone 13 Pro

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People in Singapore are passionate about chicken and rice like New Yorkers are passionate about pizza.
People in Singapore are passionate about chicken and rice like New Yorkers are passionate about pizza.
Photo: Apple TV+

There’s a saying in Singapore that “the camera always eats first.” The folks there love their food and taking pictures of it. And that’s especially true of chicken rice, the subject of Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone 13 Pro” video.

Poached is a short documentary film about chicken-rice food hawkers at war with one another. It’s a little more than 5 minutes long — time enough to make you hungry.

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything hits Apple TV+ on May 21

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“1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” debuted on Apple TV+ in May.
Jump back 50 years to take a deep dive into “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.”
Photo: Apple

Music fans rejoice! 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything is an upcoming Apple TV+ documentary series exploring the musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 50 years ago.

It’ll premiere on Apple’s streaming video service on Friday, May 21.

Surf’s up! Apple TV+ dives into World Surf League docuseries

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Apple TV+ goes behind-the-scenes at the 2021 World Surf League championship.
Seven-time World Surf League champion Stephanie Gilmore at Honolua Bay.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s video streaming service is hitting the waves. It ordered a documentary series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the aspirations, failures and accomplishments of the world’s best surfers as they compete in the World Surf League championship.

Long Way Up proves Ewan McGregor is still handsome and rich [Apple TV+ review]

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Charley Boorman and Ewan Mcgregor in Long Way Up
Charley Boorman and Ewan Mcgregor take the Long Way Up
Photo: Apple TV+

Way back in 2004, Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman decided to ride their motorcycles around the world from London to New York — the long way. That 19,000-mile trek produced British TV series Long Way Round.

A few years later, they and their team rode from Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa, and produced a sequel series, Long Way Down. Neither of these shows have much in the way of social value or a point beyond “this is certainly possible.”

Well, they’re back, with a new Apple TV+ documentary series called Long Way Up, which premieres on Sept. 18. This one recounts yet another epic motorcycle trip, starting at the southern tip of Argentina and covering “13,000 miles over 100 days through 16 border crossings and 13 countries.”

If you’re one of the several people who’s been waiting for the third installment of McGregor and Boorman’s Long Way series, boy are you in luck.

Take a sneak peek at upcoming Apple Lisa documentary

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Take a sneak peek at upcoming Apple Lisa documentary
The Lisa was a crucial machine in Apple's history.
Photo: Auction Team Breker

A forthcoming documentary will tell the story of the Apple Lisa, quite possibly the most important “flop” in the company’s history.

Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa is planned for release in early 2020. With that date approaching, computer historian and director David Greelish shared some early scenes and the poster with Cult of Mac. Check them out below.

Apple TV+ hires new head of documentaries

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Molly Thompson brings decades of experience to the Apple TV+ management team.
Molly Thompson brings decades of experience to the Apple TV+ management team.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming streaming video service now has someone in charge of documentaries. Molly Thompson previously held a similar role at A&E Networks.

Action and comedy shows have so far grabbed the most attention at Apple TV+, but clearly educational programming will play a big part too.

Love Notes to Newton tells story of Apple’s most important failure [Review]

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Love Notes to Newton
Both the MessagePad 120 and eMate devices grew out of the Newton project.
Photo: Love Notes to Newton

The Newton MessagePad is simultaneously one of Apple’s biggest flops and one of the company’s most underrated products.

A series of PDA devices available during the 1990s, today Newtons are much-sought-after relics among a group of enthusiastic Apple fans. These collectors recognize the devices for the forward-looking gadgets they truly were. The Newton product line is now the subject of a new feature-length documentary, titled Love Notes to Newton. Can it do justice to its beloved subject matter?

Eddy Cue blasts new Steve Jobs documentary

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Eddy Cue, Apple's Mr. Fix-It, leaving a New York courtroom like an OG. Photo: Apple
Eddy Cue, Apple's Mr. Fix-It, leaving a New York courtroom like an OG. Photo: Apple

Alex Gibney’s documentary about Steve Jobs debuted at the South by Southwest film fest in Austin this weekend, and the first reviews have called film a “coolly absorbing, deeply unflattering portrait of the late Silicon Valley entrepreneur.”

Eddy Cue took to Twitter this morning to blast the Oscar-winning director’s film, saying he was “very disappointed in Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.”

Here’s what Cue had to say about the documentary:

Despite Apple hostility, director promises ‘impressionistic’ portrait of Steve Jobs

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What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs?
New documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine paints an "impressionistic" portrait of the late Apple chief. Photo: Jigsaw Productions
Photo: Jigsaw Productions

The director of a new documentary about Steve Jobs says his film won’t be a straightforward biography of the late Apple leader. Instead, Alex Gibney says he “set out to do an impressionistic film, structured in a way like Citizen Kane.

He also says his film, titled Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, will delve into Jobs’ character and whether he abandoned his counterculture values after turning Apple into a tech behemoth.