Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
Plenty of USB-C hubs have HDMI ports, but far fewer include DisplayPort. The HyperDrive USB4 Mobile Dock offers both. And more. Photo: Hyper
The HyperDrive USB4 Mobile Dock offers ports for both HDMI and DisplayPort, giving users additional options for an external monitor. And the just-launched USB-C hub also includes dual USB-A ports, Ethernet and more.
And all this fits into a package not much larger than a Magic Mouse.
No matter the color, you can find a discount on the iPad AIr 5 today. Screenshot: Apple
The iPad Air 5 has only been out a month and you can already buy it at a nice discount. The 10.9-inch mid-range tablet is available at $40 below the usual cost.
And this deal is on the base model, so you don’t have to pay more to save more. Though you can also get discounts of up to $70 on versions with 5G or more storage.
We'll discover on Thursday how Apple did during Q1 2022. Analysts are moderatly optimistic. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Wall Street analysts harbor modest hopes for Apple’s most-recent financial quarter. They predict the company saw its revenue rise by 5% versus the same quarter of 2021.
The iPhone-maker will announce the results of the January-through-March period ahead of Thursday’s quarterly earnings call. Investors will be looking closely to see how the company is managing the ongoing chip shortage, COVID-19 lockdowns at assembly plants, inflation and other challenges.
iPhone users might soon be able to use tap-to-pay with non-Apple payment systems. In the EU, anyway. Photo: Apple
The European Union reportedly plans to accuse Apple of violating the law by limiting access to the iPhone’s NFC capabilities to the company’s own payment system. The goal is to give rival systems like PayPal access to the iPhone’s convenient tap-to-pay function.
Apple claims the limitation is there to protect users’ financial information. The EU calls it anticompetitive.
Here's a 2014 iMac made into an external display almost a beautiful as a Studio Display. Photo: Luke Miani
An intrepid Apple expert set out to convert an iMac on its last legs into a useful external monitor with the same general design and functionality as a new Studio Display. The inspiration comes from Apple’s recently released monitor using a 27-inch 5K LCD, as do all the iMacs made for many years.
Watch a video of this DYI project to see if this is something you’d like to do with that old iMac you have gathering dust.
Buying a high-end MacBook Pro requires money and patience. Photo: Cult of Mac
People who ordered a top-tier MacBook Pro in February are being notified that it won’t be delivered until June. The delay results from COVID-19 lockdowns in China hampering notebook assembly.
New orders also face delays of several months, making a refurbished 2021 MacBook Pro a better option for some buyers.
In a pinch, your iPad can charge your iPhone. Photo: Cult of Mac
Your iPhone battery has run out, you absolutely must make a call or text, and there’s no wall socket anywhere. If you have an iPad, the solution is easy: Connect the iPhone to the tablet.
Using your iPad to give your handset an emergency charge is a trick you might not have thought of. But maybe it’ll get you out of a jam sometime.
Apple's Self Service Program is a major change to the company's repair policy. Photo: Apple
The iPhone Self Service Program that Apple announced last fall launched Wednesday. It provides customers with the parts and tools they need to repair their own handsets. And it marks a major shift in the company’s approach to hardware fixes.
The program is for individuals, not small businesses.
The front-facing camera in the Apple Studio Display will soon work much better. Photo: Apple
Apple built a fix for the webcam quality issues on its new Studio Display into macOS 12.4, which is in beta testing. This will fulfill Apple’s promise to improve the look of video conferencing done with the camera.
Early tests with the pre-release software show definite improvements.
Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes will star in The Essex Serpent on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
The first trailer for the upcoming historical drama The Essex Serpent dropped Tuesday. It gives a preview of a very complicated relationship between characters played by Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Also, there might or might not be a giant sea serpent involved.
The Samsung T7 Shield is rugged enough to be used outdoors... but you don't have to. Photo: Samsung
The Samsung T7 Shield is a a credit-card size external SSD intended for outdoor content creators or travelers. It’s drop, water and dust resistant, and offers up to 2TB of capacity.
This new rugged version joins other SSDs in the Samsung T7 line.
It seems Apple won't sit quietly while its retail employees unionize. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly working with Littler Mendelson, a law firm with a history of helping companies prevent their employees from unionizing. The move comes in the wake of workers at several Apple stores moving to form unions.
If true, then Apple is going to do what it can to prevent the thousands of employees at its 250+ retail locations in the United States from organizing for collective bargaining.
Apple has confirmed that a pair of its services are having issues. Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC
Anyone experiencing trouble with the App Store or Apple Music on Monday can relax. Apple reports that it resolved the issues that plagued these services earlier in the day.
This is after they were down for about eight hours.
Pit yourself against the demonic forces of Skarn, Lord of Damnation in Diablo Immortal. Photo: Blizzard Entertainment
Diablo fans will be soon able to answer the call to battle on their iPhone. On June 2, Blizzard Entertainment will launch Diablo Immortal, a massively multiplayer online action role-playing game for phones and tablets.
There’ll also be a PC version, and players will be able enjoy the game across platforms.
Apple is warning developers of "outdated" applications that they'll soon be removed from the App Store. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Numerous developers report that their applications that aren’t being actively updated will soon be kicked out of the App Store. This is apparently part of an ongoing effort by Apple to remove “outdated” software from the store.
Devs must submit new versions of their applications to stay in the store, which means they’ll have to comply with newer Apple policies.
Blast off! Moonshot – A Journey Home premiered Friday. Photo: Noodlecake Games
Physics-based puzzlers are all the rage, and the latest Apple Arcade game takes the concept to the stars. In Moonshot – A Journey Home, players use a slingshot to reunite a wandering moon with its home planet.
It debuted Friday on Apple’s gaming service, which now offers more than 200 titles.
2nm processors made by TSMC will be faster while using less power than today's 5nm iPhone and Mac chips. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPhones will continue getting smaller, faster and more efficient processors for years to come. TSMC, the company that manufactures all Apple’s chips, says it should be able produce processors in 2025 that are an amazing 2nm. These should make today’s fastest Macs and iPhones look like slugs in comparison.
Rival Intel is working hard to keep up. It says it’ll pass TSMC in a few years – but it’s missed plenty of similar self-imposed deadlines over the years.
The iPhone 13 dwarfs the iPhone 13 mini in size as well as sales. Photo: Apple
The iPhone 13 series is selling very well… with one exception. The iPhone 13 mini is not attracting U.S. buyers, according to a report by a market-research firm.
This helps explain why the upcoming iPhone 14 series isn’t expected to have a “mini” version with a 5.4-inch screen.
The M2 processor could be a highlight of WWDC22. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
The wait for a redesigned MacBook Air with an M2 processor will be over soon, if a tipster is correct. The notebook will supposedly be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. And a version of the Mac mini with the M2 allegedly will be unveiled at the same time.
If true, these will be the first Macs with the improved replacement for Apple’s M1 processor.
Turning a design into a product doesn't have to happen in China. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple will increase the number of countries where it does an important phase in developing products, according to a industry analyst. Currently, its R&D-oriented New Product Introduction (NPI) sites are in China, but the company plans to build NPI offices in other places as well.
Recent COVID shutdowns — which have disrupted several recent products — are supposedly the reason for the change.
Idris Elba will star in Hijack, a thriller series on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ landed Hijack, a thriller starring Idris Elba set on a plane that’s been hijacked. It will be a seven-episode series covering seven hours of action, so it’ll be told in real time — a technique that should be familiar to fans of 24.
Apple’s streaming service loves thrillers, and already has quite a few of them, with more on the way.
Both Brave and DuckDuckGo have moved against AMP, one of the ways Google tracks users. Image: Brave/DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo and Brave have started bypassing Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages. Brave says, “AMP harms users’ privacy, security and internet experience.”
The web browsers will ignore these pages, which are surreptitiously hosted by Google, and give users the original publishers’ webpages instead.
The JetDrive Lite 330 might be the best option for Time Machine backups for the 2021 MacBook Pro. Photo: Transcend
The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 is now available with 1TB of storage. This SD card is designed specifically to add to the capacity of the 2021 MacBook Pro, and sit flush with the card slot.
Once inserted, the card acts like any other drive. And data transfers are fast enough for Time Machine backups.
There's new firmware for the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack, and you are going to want it. Photo: Cult of Mac
Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack now wirelessly charges iPhones up to 50% more quickly. Ever since the external battery launched in 2021, it topped out at 5W. But now it can wirelessly juice up an iPhone at 7.5W.
Even better, getting the improvement doesn’t require buying a new one — anyone who has the power bank can upgrade it. Here’s what to do.