Apple keynotes

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

Get ready to play Wonderlust event bingo

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Basic Apple Guy's richly designed Wonderlust Apple Event Bingo card covers most likely announcements.
Basic Apple Guy's richly designed Wonderlust Apple Event Bingo card covers most likely announcements.
Photo: Basic Apple Guy
Wonderlust 2023

If Apple’s holding a major event, then it’s a good bet someone’s preparing bingo cards for it. Ahead of Tuesday’s Wonderlust event, we found a few options for you to play along while Cupertino’s rumored announcements unfold.

With iPhone SE 2 delayed indefinitely, source confirms Apple nixes rumored March event

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iPhone 11 Pro
With new products not ready to sell and coronavirus concerns on the rise, a source says Apple postponed a planned product event.
Photo: Apple

Apple decided to postpone a March product launch event after continuing delays in the production of an expected successor to the iPhone SE, a source at Apple confirmed to Cult of Mac.

A number of other problems played into the decision to delay the event that was being planned, including the worsening impact of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus in California and elsewhere.

COVID-19 virus means tough decisions about WWDC and rumored Apple keynote

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Apple faces tough decisions about a potential March product event and WWDC 2020 as COVID-19 virus spreads.
Apple faces tough decisions about a potential March product event and WWDC 2020.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

With COVID-19 spreading in the San Francisco Bay Area, and at least one upcoming event at a critical planning stage for the high-tech giant, Apple must make some tough decisions about how to proceed, according to conference experts contacted by Cult of Mac.

Apple faces mounting pressure to decide whether to cancel, delay or change the format of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, typically held in June. The same holds true, although to a lesser extent, for Apple’s rumored March product keynote.

“There’s a lot to consider for Apple and it won’t be easy,” said Ian McGonnigal, marketing executive with Experiential Executive, who has consulted on conference and convention planning with more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies. “Reputation is a huge challenge here and that’s part of it. Companies don’t want to appear tone-deaf to what’s going on out there.”

Rumor mill fail: Apple delivers legit surprises at iPhone 11 event

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Tim Cook delivers the goods at Apple's iPhone 11 event.
Tim Cook has been outspoken about user privacy.
Photo: Apple

In an age when almost every detail of an Apple keynote leaks ahead of time, Tim Cook managed to pull some genuine surprises from the hat Tuesday. Taking the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple HQ, Cook and Co. announced at least three big things we weren’t expecting at all.

This in itself is a surprise. Even though Cook pledged that Apple is “doubling down” on secrecy, most of the big details about new Apple products typically trickle out ahead of time. Most of the main features of the 2019 iPhones already leaked. Every Apple blog and YouTube channel under the sun has been playing with detailed iPhone mockups and models for weeks.

Still, Cook’s surprise trifecta did not consist of insignificant things. All three were fairly big and meaty announcements — and there wasn’t a peep about them ahead of time. Here’s what took us by surprise during the “By Innovation Only” event.

Sketchnotes breeze through WWDC 2019’s biggest surprises

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WWDC 2019 Keynote sketchnotes, part 1 of 4
A quick visual highlight of the WWDC 2019 keynote through sketchnotes.
Photo:

WWDC 2019 bug The WWDC 2019 keynote came packed with exciting announcements.  As in past years, I ended up with four pages of drawings in my notebook. I sketched out the biggest new features coming to tvOS 13, iOS 13, macOS Catalina and watchOS 6. And then there’s the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

As seen in my first sketchnote, above, tvOS 13 adds multi-user support and support for Xbox One and PlayStation DualShock 4  game controllers for Apple Arcade. Meanwhile, watchOS 6 will bring an App Store directly to the Apple Watch, a new Noise app, and a new Cycle tracking app for women.

For a quick visual recap of the highlights  of the WWDC 2019 keynote, check out the rest of my sketchnotes below.

Apple guns for Facebook with new ‘Sign in with Apple’ privacy feature [Update]

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Sign in with Apple
"Sign in with Apple" is a new privacy feature in iOS 13.
Photo: Alfred Ng

WWDC 2019 bug Update: Apple says “Sign in with Apple” will be mandatory for third-party apps that require sign-ins, according to these new App Store guidelines. That means apps that currently use Facebook or Google to sign in will also have to support “Sign in with Apple.”

“It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year,” the new guidelines say.

Apple is targeting Facebook with a new privacy feature in iOS 13 that privately logs users into third-party apps and services.

Called “Sign in with Apple,” it aims to replace popular cross-web login services like ones offered by Facebook and Google.

The new privacy feature prevents third-party apps and web services from tracking users via their logins. It creates private, disposable logins for every service or app.

Apple’s new apps clearly reflect Tim Cook’s values [Opinion]

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Apple services
Part of the whole customer experience business model.
Photo: Apple

Watching Monday morning’s “It’s show time” keynote, I was struck by how much Tim Cook is stamping his values on what Apple is doing.

While writing a book about Cook last year, I accidentally stumbled on six values he has been championing at Apple:

  • Accessibility
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Inclusion and diversity
  • Privacy
  • Supplier responsibility

These are the things Cook has been pushing internally since taking over from Steve Jobs in 2011. These are the priorities of his leadership, reflecting the things he wants to get done and the internal values that guide what Apple employees do and how they do it.

Monday’s keynote was a chance to witness these values in action, to see the kinds of products and services his priorities are helping to create.

Predictions for Apple’s big ‘show time’ event [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 288]

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Get ready for the big event. Apple's
Get ready for the big event.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Brace yourself for an Apple event like no other. In a little over a week, Cupertino execs — and probably a passel of Hollywood stars — will give us our first peek at Apple’s (not so) secret video-streaming service. As the company pushes its growing slate of services, Apple likely will put new hardware on the back burner.

Find out what to expect at Apple’s “It’s show time” event. Then treat yourself to the rest of the week’s best Apple news, how-tos and reviews. It’s all wrapped up for free in the latest edition of the easy-readin’ Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS. Download it now. Or get all the posts in the roundup of links below.

Plus: Don’t miss the big St. Patrick’s Day sale in the Cult of Mac Watch Store.

What to expect from Apple’s ‘show time’ event on March 25

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Apple Show time event
Apple is expected to launch a number of new services this spring.
Photo: Apple

The first Apple event of 2019 is nearly here. Tim Cook and friends are set to take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on March 25 to unveil the company’s newest goodies, only instead of unveiling some shiny new gadgets you can buy, Apple is supposedly going to bust out some services you can subscribe to.

The Apple rumor mill has been working in overdrive leading up the event, so we have a pretty solid idea of what we’ll see.

If you hate Apple keynote spoilers, stop reading now.

Hilarious ‘Bad Lip Reading’ video interprets Apple keynotes

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Bad Lip Reading 2
Remember the time Apple introduced this somewhat unwieldy product?
Screenshot: Bad Lip Reading/Apple

Whether it’s songs or compilations of all the superlatives thrown around, Apple keynotes are frequently the inspiration for some pretty darn hilarious and creative parodies.

Now the folks from the hugely popular “Bad Lip Reading” YouTube channel have stepped into the arena with a video reinterpreting Apple’s recent keynotes. Check it out below:

Apple’s famous hyperbole factory works overtime

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Apple keynotes
The iPhones may change but the words describing remain the same.
Screenshot: James Brown/YouTube

When you compare the iPhone 4 to the iPhone XS, virtually everything has changed. All except the script Apple uses when introducing its new handsets to the public.

This is the tongue-in-cheek observation of James Brown, a YouTuber and Reddit user who posted a video comparing the use of adjectives from Steve Jobs in 2010 with Apple executives talking about the iPhones XS and XS Max at last week’s new product showcase.

Why it’s a big deal that Lisa Jackson spoke at Apple’s iPhone XS event

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Apple VP Lisa Jackson showcases Apple's environmental efforts during the Gather Round event.
Lisa Jackson showcases Apple's green innovation during the Gather Round event.
Photo: Apple

It’s an incredibly big deal that Wednesday’s Gather Round keynote featured Lisa Jackson, Apple’s head of environmental initiatives.

The annual iPhone unveiling is Apple’s biggest product event of the year. Every single word and image is carefully calibrated to do one thing, and one thing only: sell as many of the new products as possible.

So why did Tim Cook turn over several precious minutes to Jackson to talk about renewable energy and recycling?

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s most important WWDC 2018 revelations and more!

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magazine
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: Even though Apple didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises at this year's WWDC.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote lasted nearly 130 minutes and was jam-packed with new software goodies for developers and regular old Apple fanboys.

Apple is doubling down on its software game. And even though they didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises.

What’s new in iOS 12, macOS Mojave, watchOS 5, tvOS 12 and ARKit 2.0? You’ll find these stories and more in this issue. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Speed through the WWDC 2018 keynote with sketchnotes

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Apple WWDC 2018 keynote in sketchnotes, Part 1 of 4.
Sketchnotes deliver all the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights the easy, visual way.
Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac It is always exciting to capture the WWDC keynote in sketchnotes, and this year I filled up four pages of my notebook with drawings showcasing the biggest new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave and watchOS 5.

As seen in my first sketchnote, above, iOS 12 makes performance on both old and new devices a priority. ARKit 2 brings more augmented reality goodness to Apple devices, including the ability for up to four people to share the same AR space at the same time.

For a quick and easy recap of the rest of the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights — plus a bonus sketchnote that proved kind of prescient — check out the rest below.

How to watch Apple’s ‘Hello Again’ MacBook Pro keynote

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Apple's keynote invite makes an awesome wallpaper.
Apple's keynote invite makes an awesome wallpaper.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new MacBook Pro is nearly here!

Months of rumors and leaked images finally culminate today with Apple’s second keynote in two months. Live from Apple’s campus, Tim Cook and Co. are expected to unveil the all-new Mac lineup.

Apple’s “Hello Again” keynote starts today at 10 a.m. Pacific and you don’t need a press badge to watch. All the festivities will be livestreamed from Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, California, so you can follow along on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV.

Here’s how to get in on the action:

You call that boring? Apple’s iPhone 7 event delivers big surprises

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Tim Cook iPhone 7 event
Tim Cook and his crew killed it with the iPhone 7 event.
Photo: Apple

Far from the “boring” launch predicted by haters and relentless Apple rumormongers, Wednesday’s iPhone 7 event delivered plenty of big surprises.

Along with our first legitimate looks at the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and the new Apple Watch Series 2, we got a promising peek inside Apple’s increasingly powerful and polished ecosystem. Here’s what you need to know about Apple’s iPhone 7 event.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus arrive with new colors and cameras

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Say hello to the new iPhone.
Say hello to the new iPhone.
Photo: Apple

The next generation of iPhones has finally arrived. And while they may look a bit boring on the outside, Apple has packed some game-changing features on the inside.

Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at an event today, but scooped itself by tweeting an image of the new devices before they even hit the stage. Yes, the headphone jack is finally dead. But Apple added some insane new features like a dual-lens camera, a sleek new Touch ID button, a water-resistant shell, and a couple new things no one expected.

The biggest takeaways from Apple’s tiniest keynote in years

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A size for every hand.
A size for every hand.
Photo: Apple

Evolution, not revolution, was the tone of today’s low-key Apple event. Smaller is better, says Apple, with two big product “reveals” that show off compact new devices with impressive internals.

While most of the announcements today have already been discussed and dissected, like the 4-inch iPhone SE, new Apple Watch bands and a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro, there were a couple of surprises.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Apple’s oddly low-key “Let us loop you in” event.

Liveblog: Apple loops us in with the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro

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Apple event let us loop you in
Get ready for a new iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Apple

The first big Apple media event of 2016 is finally here.

Months of rumors, speculation and anticipation have been leading up to Apple’s “Let us loop you in” event this morning, at which the company is expected to unveil a new 4-inch iPhone, a new iPad Pro model, and some Apple Watch hardware.

Tim Cook and the rest of the Apple crew are set to take the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific and Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog the festivities. Will there be a “one more thing” at the end to make this a truly unforgettable event? Come follow along with us below:

How to watch the Apple event on March 21

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ipad-pro

Monday, March 21, will be a big day for Apple, with possible reveals of a budget 4-inch iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and maybe even some new Apple Watch bands ahead of the second iteration of Apple’s wrist computer.

Want to watch the Apple event live? Here’s how you do it on any of your Apple devices (and even a PC).

Note: Monday’s Apple event starts at 10 a.m. Pacific. Cult of Mac’s liveblog will start serving up color commentary an hour before that, so don’t be late!

Apple’s iPhone 6s keynote is even more magical as a musical

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Tim cook
Just when you thought Apple's keynote couldn't get any more memorable.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s keynotes typically give you plenty worth singing about, and for “Song-A-Day” YouTuber Jonathan Mann, that’s reason enough to bust out new tunes.

Mann, whose catchy jingles once made Steve Jobs dance, always puts together a musical remix following Apple events, and this week’s jam-packed keynote is no exception.

If you don’t have time to sit through the entire 2-hour-plus event, or simply want to relive the most memorable lines with a catchy electronic backing, this is the video for you. Check it out below:

Speed through Apple’s WWDC 2015 keynote in less than 3 minutes

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Will we see a
What was Tim Cook's "one more thing" at WWDC 2015? Find out in less than three minutes with Cult of Mac's keynote supercut.
Photo: Apple

Not everybody has two-and-a-half hours to watch an Apple event. Tim Cook and crew delivered tons of updates at the kickoff for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and you can speed through all the news with this WWDC 2015 keynote supercut.

It’s just two-and-a-half minutes long!

What to expect from WWDC 2015

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New titles and responsibilities in management could reshape Apple.
The countdown to WWDC 2015's big revelations begins.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With the Worldwide Developers Conference less than a week away, we’ve already got a pretty good idea about what Apple will reveal at this year’s conference.

The company focuses on developer-related products at the conference, but there are plenty of goodies that normals will go crazy for too, like the bevy of improvements coming to iOS 9, a new Apple TV and maybe even a new music streaming service.

Here’s what to expect from WWDC 2015, which runs June 8 to 12 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. (Cult of Mac will be liveblogging the Apple keynote, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific next Monday, so be sure to check back then for news and instant analysis.)

What if Steve Jobs had introduced the Apple Watch?

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post-324572-image-8d267c37138394b1f0d5aa08666e4cb6-jpg
Steve Jobs would have sold the hell out of the Apple Watch.

According to Jony Ive, the Apple Watch project was first touted shortly after Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. But what would it have been like had Apple’s legendary co-founder lived to see the arrival of Apple’s debut into the smartwatch market?

To give us an idea, one dedicated Apple fan cut up and reassembled old “Stevenote” speeches to piece together an Apple Watch ad narrated by Jobs himself. Considering that it relies on old sound bytes about unrelated products, it actually works.

Check it out below. Bonus points if you can work out where each of the quotes originally came from!