Mobile menu toggle

Ed Hardy - page 156

HomePod mini music handoffs just got better

By

HomePod Software Version 14.4 debuted January 26.
The littlest HomePod isn’t being overlooked.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The recently released HomePod mini got a raft of new features in a software update released Tuesday. The process of handing off songs from an iPhone to the smart speaker now comes with some visual, audio and haptic effects. And media controls automatically appear on the iPhone when it nears the diminutive HomePod.

watchOS 7.3 brings Time to Walk, Unity Apple Watch faces and more

By

watchOS 7.3 brings several new features to Apple Watch, including Time to Walk
Time to Walk is a highlight of watchOS 7.3
Photo: Apple

Starting Tuesday, Apple Watch users can install watchOS 7.3. This adds support for the recently announced “Time to Walk” audio feature for Fitness+ subscribers. There’s also a new Unity watch face. Plus, the ECG app will be available in four additional Asian countries.

iOS 14.4 brings improvements to QR codes and Bluetooth audio

By

iOS 14.4 debuted to the general public on Tuesday.
iOS 14.4 isn’t a substantial update, but it does include new features.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 14.4 to the general public on Tuesday, along with the iPad equivalent. According to their developer, these allow users to scan smaller QR codes, and to classify their various Bluetooth devices so audio notifications can be routed correctly.

It also closes a security hole that hackers might have actually used to break into iPhones.

Apple secretively staffs up its self-driving vehicle team

By

There are opening on the Apple Car design team.
Looking for a job? Apply to help design the Apple Car.
Photo: pic server.org

Programmers with years of automotive experience can apply now to help create the Apple Car. Apple’s website lists a number of job openings that, reading between the lines, appear to be for the team that’s building Apple’s self-driving vehicle.

Second The Snoopy Show trailer delivers the burst of optimism we all need

By

‘The Snoopy Show’ debuts on Apple TV+ on February 5, 2021.
The Snoopy Show begins with the beloved beagle meeting Charlie Brown for the first time.
Photo: Apple

The Snoopy Show, coming to Apple TV+ in February, puts the focus on Charlie Brown’s irrepressible beagle. A new trailer for the series dropped Monday, and it demonstrates the show is going to come crammed with lighthearted fun.

Watch the just-released trailer now.

Keep your iPhone 12 away from implanted medical devices

By

How it works
Magnets in the back of the iPhone 12 series should be kept away from implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.
Photo: Apple

Magnets and implanted medical devices don’t mix. Apple warned users of the iPhone 12 and MagSafe accessories that these devices all have built-in magnets, and therefore should be kept away from pacemakers and defibrillators that have been surgically implanted in someone’s body for safety reasons.

Time to Walk in Apple Fitness+ makes exercise more inspirational

By

Time to Walk in Apple Fitness+ makes exercise
Country music star Dolly Parton reflects on career, family, and growing up in rural Tennessee in her Time to Walk episode.
Photo: Apple

Time to Walk, a new Apple Watch feature for Fitness+ subscribers, promises interesting and encouraging audio stories to liven up walking for exercise.

Conquer challenging 3D puzzles in Spire Blast on Apple Arcade

By

‘Spire Blast’ launched on Apple Arcade on Friday.
Spire Blast on Apple Arcade asks you to knock down towers with a dragon’s help.
Screenshot: Orbital Knight

Spire Blast, a physics-based match puzzler that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is one of those simple games that so many people find addictive.

Strategically use colored balls to knock down towers. It’s a casual game that’s easy to learn but with multiple levels to keep it challenging.

Brie Larson to star as frustrated scientist in Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV+

By

Brie Larson
Brie Larson can play more than a superhero. She’ll take on the role of a female scientist in a male-dominated field in “Lessons in Chemistry” on Apple TV+.
Photo: Marvel Studios

Brie Larson, perhaps best know for her role in Captain Marvel, will reportedly take the lead in Lessons in Chemistry, a series about a frustrated scientist in the 1960s who’s forced to take a job on a cooking show.

Go Nuts spying on squirrels in new Apple Arcade game

By

‘Nuts — A Surveillance Mystery’ debuted on Apple Arcade on Friday.
Get a taste of what it’s like to be a field researchers in Nuts — A Surveillance Mystery.
Image: Noodlecake Strudios

The squirrels are out there. And no one knows that they’re doing. It’s your job to find out in Nuts — A Surveillance Mystery, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade as well as other platforms.

It’s a game for everyone who thinks they’d be a good spy. Just not a creepy one.

Apple tests fix for Bluetooth fault afflicting Apple Silicon Macs

By

macOS 11.2 is right around the corner.
macOS Big Sur might take care of a pesky Bluetooth problem bothering M1 Mac users.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple seeded a macOS Big Sur‌ 11.2 release candidate to developers on Thursday. Among other changes, it promises to improve Bluetooth reliability, which is probably music to the ears of those using the recently released Macs built around Apple’s first-generation M-series processor.

Watch macOS Catalina running on iPad Pro

By

macOS Catalina on iPad
Running macOS Catalina on an iPad is doable. Not practical.
Image: Yevgen Yakovliev/Cult of Mac

Those dreaming of Mac and iPad someday merging might get a bit of hope from a new video showing an Apple tablet running macOS Catalina. Or maybe not.

Watch it now:

Controversial anti-tracking feature is about to go live in iOS 14

By

Your iPhone will soon offer a bit more privacy.
With iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, applications will have to ask if they can track you.
Graphic: Apple

Apple seeded to developers the release candidates for iOS 14.4 and the iPad equivalent on Thursday. It’s probably the last step before a public release. Among other changes, these new versions will apparently give iPhone and iPad users the option to block third-party applications from tracking them.

Devs can also install watchOS 7.3 RC and tvOS 14.4 RC, which became available Thursday too. But macOS Big Sur 11.2 is still on Beta 2.

Trump snagged the very first 2019 Mac Pro

By

Apple CEO Tim Cook talked Mac Pro with President Trump
“Mr. President, we have some lovely parting gifts for you.”
Screenshot: White House

It’s good to be the president. People just give you things, like the first 2019 Mac Pro assembled in Austin, Texas. Tim Cook gave this pricy computer to Trump, probably after the president toured the factory.

Why a portless iPhone would be a nightmare

By

Apple, please don’t saddle us with a portless iPhone. This wouldn't be better.
This wouldn't be better.
Photo illustration: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A reliable source says Apple is considering stripping the Lightning port from future iPhone models and replacing it with … nothing. Hopefully, it’s not too late to stop this terrible, terrible idea.

A portless iPhone is possible. And there are even a few advantages. But the significant drawbacks make the idea something that should be dropped like a burning bag of poo.

Superstition might keep an ‘iPhone 13’ from happening

By

Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
Is the number 13 too unlucky to be in an iPhone name?
Photo: Cult of Mac

The followup to the iPhone 12 might not be called the iPhone 13. Instead, a reliable source says it will such a minor update it’ll be dubbed iPhone 12s.

And triskaidekaphobia could cause Apple to skip straight to the iPhone 14.

iPad mini 6 might get the big redesign it deserves

By

2021 iPad mini is about to become a lot more useful.
The 2021 iPad mini could be about to get a lot less mini.
Photo: Pigtou/xleaks7

Apple’s smallest tablet is allegedly about to get the redesign so many people have hoped for. The screen bezels in the 2021 iPad mini will shrink significantly, supposedly allowing the display to increase to over 9 inches and become nearly edge-to-edge.

The computer will also reportedly get in-screen Touch ID and a hole-punch camera.

Smart Satechi stand floats your iPad over your keyboard [Review]

By

Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand for iPad review
The Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand securely holds a variety of tablets, in portrait or landscape orientations.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The redesigned Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand transforms your iPad into a desktop computer. And it looks great doing so, holding the tablet so it seems to float over your keyboard.

I added the accessory to my office. Here’s how it works in real life.

ParcSlope stand gracefully supports MacBook or iPad

By

Twelve South ParcSlope is a desktop productivity stand.
ParcSlope props up either a MacBook or an iPad, making them easier to work on.
Photo: Twelve South

Some stands are designed for laptops, others for tablets. The ParcSlope from Twelve South is both. The desktop accessory, announced Tuesday, elevates the back edge of either a MacBook or iPad, allowing the user to either type more easily or draw on the touchscreen.

AirPods Max teardown finds mystery chips, screwy screws and impressive engineering

By

iFixit AirPods Max teardown finds much to like
An AirPods Max Teardown wouldn’t be complete without an X-ray of Apple’s new over-the-ears headphones.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit took a deep dive into AirPods Max, fully disassembling Apple’s over-the-ear headphones. What they found in the teardown was a startling number of different types of screws. But also a craftsmanship that helps justify the hefty price tag.

Tasty renders show 2021 iPad Pro with mystery magnetic connectors

By

This might be the 2021 iPad Pro.
The basic design of 2021 iPad Pro will supposedly be much like its predecessor, but with some interesting enhancements.
Render: xleaks7/Pigtou

Apple will build even more magnets into the 2021 iPad Pro, according to a tipster. The same source also rendered images supposedly based on CAD drawings of the upcoming 12.9- and 11-inch versions.

Other changes rumored for Apple’s next top-tier tablet include an improved screen and optional 5G.

Touch ID could return in 2021 iPhone 13

By

The 2018 iPhone models aren't going to have an in-display Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
Touch ID could be back, but not as you know it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A fingerprint scanner might once again be part of Apple’s iPhone line, according to a reliable source. Touch ID might appear in 2021 alongside Face ID, not in place of it.

Also, Apple reportedly has a folding screen in the prototype stage.

Free Apple TV+ trials extended until July

By

Your free Apple TV+ trial just got even sweeter.
Your free Apple TV+ trial just got even sweeter.
Photo: Apple

Apple just added up to five months to current Apple TV+ free trials. If your free access to the streaming video service was about to expire, it’s instead been extended until the end of June.

And Apple is giving monthly rebates to those who paid for an annual subscription.