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.
Jason Sudeikis plays a clueless college football coach in the comedy series. Photo: Apple TV+
AFC Richmond gets to keep its coach for years to come. Apple TV+ revealed Wednesday that it renewed its sports comedy Ted Lasso all the way through a third season.
The first season recently wrapped up, and received high marks from critics and audiences. And there’s plenty more to come
iPhone 12 display won‘t get scratched any more than other phones. Screenshot: JerryRigEverything
The iPhone 12 display is no more likely to get scratched than its predecessors or competitors. A rigorous test disproves an early report that Apple’s latest is easily susceptible to this type of damage.
This should head off anyone declaring “scratchgate” in the spirit of the iPhone 6’s actually real Bendgate and the MacBook’s Flexgate.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 is the “Goldilocks” of Apple’s four new handsets. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
There’s no need to struggle to decide which of the four iPhone 12 versions is the best. The 6.1-inch “standard” version packs all the features most people need — like 5G and a great camera — while coming in at a price far lower than the Pro series.
After plenty of real-world use, here are all the reasons why the iPhone 12 (non-Pro, non-mini) is the right choice.
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen will star in Platonic, a comedy series exclusively on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple
Apple TV+ just ordered a half-hour comedy series starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. Platonic centers on a friendship that’s maybe not as unromantic as everyone thought.
A revamped Mophie Juice Pack Connect charges your phone with a removable battery. Photo: Zagg/Mophie
There’s no longer a need to buy a new Mophie Juice Pack battery case when upgrading your iPhone. A version launched Tuesday adds 5,000mAh of power to any handset that supports wireless charging, both iOS and Android.
In addition, Juice Pack Connect includes a phone grip that’s also a stand for the phone.
The Apple AirPower charger, which reportedly was brought back to life, is now allegedly dead again. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Development has reportedly once again halted on Apple’s own multi-device wireless charger. This is part of the complicated saga of AirPower, which was publicly announced, publicly canceled, allegedly resumed, and is now allegedly canceled yet again.
The iPad versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint are getting facelifts. Photo: Microsoft
Updates to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPad bring greater support for trackpads and mice. The new versions, which began rolling on Monday, also includes updated start screen and a new ribbon of feature menus.
Doug Unplugs shows children there’s more to life than what one gets from computers. Photo: Apple
Preschoolers will soon be able to learn about life in a computer-animated Doug Unplugs show on Apple TV+. It’s based on a popular book series about a robot boy and his human friends, and makes the jump to TV in mid-November.
A trailer released Monday gives kids and their parents a peek at what to expect from this series developed by DreamWorks Animation.
A new type of screen protection built into the iPhone 12 series helped it survive a brutal drop test better than its predecessor. Both the standard model and the Pro went through multiple drops directly onto the display without breaking.
That wasn’t the case when the identical test was done on the iPhone 11 Pro Max in 2019. But that model older doesn’t have Ceramic Shield.
Dive deep into the iPhone 12 standard and Pro with an X-ray. Photo: Creative Electron
Open up the standard iPhone 12 and and you’d be hard pressed to find a difference between it and the iPhone 12 Pro. An iFixit teardown shows these handsets so similar internally that they can share many parts.
But the news isn’t all good. Another tidbit revealed by cracking open Apple’s latest is that that have smaller batteries than their predecessors.
The Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger might be the coolest accessory with the new version of MagSafe. Photo: Belkin
A selection of accessories that use the new MagSafe wireless charger are ready for Friday’s launch of the iPhone 12 series.
MagSafe used to be for MacBooks, but Apple rebranded it and built it into its newest handsets. Accessory makers are integrating it into wireless chargers and cases. Some of these are pretty cool.
Running an iOS beta can cause problems when you get a new device. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Everyone in Apple’s beta program is running a pre-release version of the next iOS version. Which is great, until you get a new iPhone or iPad. Then you can’t restore the new device from the backup made on your previous one because the old device is running a newer OS.
If you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic — there are a couple of possible solutions. We’ll walk you through both.
Scarlett Johansson is probably best known as Black Widow, but she’ll also star in Bride on Apple TV. Screenshot: Marvel
Scarlett Johansson reportedly will take the lead in an Apple TV+ film. Bride will be about a creation designed to be the perfect wife. And what happens when she rejects the role.
Oscar-winner Sebastián Lelio will direct the film.
The Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis didn’t survive multiple blows from 2020. Photo: Apple
The Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis closed its doors for good. Though it might be more accurate to say the store won‘t reopen, as it’s been shuttered to the public since March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
That didn’t stop the store from being damaged by rioters in May after the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. 2020 has been just extra hard on it.
Zagg Pro Keys has a design that puts it head-to-head with the Apple Smart keyboard. Photo: Zagg
Zagg Pro Keys is a keyboard case for those who want to use their iPad as both a slender tablet and a laptop. There are versions for the new iPad Air 4 and iPad 8.
In addition, the Zagg Pro Stylus debuted on Thursday. It sports two tips, making it a competitor for the Apple Pencil as well as basic capacitive styli.
Halide Mark II sports a new UI intended to make the camera software easier to use and more powerful. Photo: Lux Optics
Halide Mark II brings a significant revamp to a popular alternative camera application for the iPhone. The developer redesigned the software to make it even easier to use for beginners. But it also comes with professional-grade features built in, like new tools for working with RAW images.
There’s a new AirPods audio test tool for Apple techs. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple techs will reportedly use a new bit of kit to evaluate AirPods. The audio test tool will determine if a pair of earbuds have an actual problem, or if the problem is in the ears of their wearer.
Jony Ive, the man who once designed the iPhone, Mac and iPad, is now doing design work for Airbnb. Photo: Apple
Sir Jony Ive, who once headed up the design of all Apple hardware and software, is now working on future Airbnb products. His design company, LoveFrom, will collaborate over the next several years with the vacation rental service.
In general, Apple is good company. But some policies make it look a bit malevolent. These need to go. Composite: Cult of Mac/Mitja Juraja/Pexels CC
Apple must avoid following a path blazed by Google. Years ago, the search giant touted its “don’t be evil” policy. But somewhere along the line, Google lost track of that — and ended up getting sued Tuesday by the Justice Department.
Apple, which faces similar scrutiny by a variety of governmental bodies, has a chance now to drop some of its questionable policies. If it doesn’t, Cupertino could end up facing its own lawsuit(s).
The encouraging news is, Apple is mostly a good company, so a few tweaks now could easily head off much larger adjustments down the line. Court-ordered changes — like a forced sale of the App Store — could prove painful.
Here’s why Apple needs its own “don’t be evil” policy, along with some concrete steps Cupertino can take to prove that it’s actually a force for good in the world.
Discover how an unsuccessful rock band went on to become hugely influential in the Velvet Underground documentary on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple
Apple TV+ is carving out a niche of musical documentaries. It’s latest project is The Velvet Underground. This will be, of course, about the 1960s band that found little success in its day, but went on to be hugely influential.
In France, the Apple Store keeps giving free headphones with every new iPhone sold this autumn. Screenshot: Apple
The Apple Store stopped bundling free headphones with all new iPhones sold this autumn. But that’s not true in France. In that one country, buyers still get a pair of EarPods with their purchase… in a relatively enormous box.
But French consumers don’t get a wall charger in the box. That’s true for every iPhone buyer.
Make Gmail your iOS 14 default email app and it still won‘t stick. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Another significant bug has been found in iOS 14’s ability to change the default web browser and email applications. If third-party apps are chosen, they’ll stop being the defaults when an new version is installed.
The same problem apparently affects tablets running iPadOS 14.
The Mophie 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Mat tries to free families from too many cables. Photo: Zagg/Mophie
There’s a new wireless charging option for multi-device households. The Mophie 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Mat can handle multiple iPhones and AirPods cases in a single unit.
And an USB-A port with Apple Watch adapter raises the total to five.
4G LTE on the Moon isn’t sci-fi. An iPhone could soon be able to make calls from the Lunar surface. Photo: Alex Powell/Pexels cc
Nokia will build a 4G cellular network on the moon. It’ll allow future astronauts to make voice and video calls, but also transmit data and remotely control equipment.
The goal is to have the wireless network in place on Earth’s largest satellite by 2022. It’s part of NASA’s Artemis program, which has the goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the moon by the end of the decade.
Adobe Illustrator for iPad will let artists draw with an Apple Pencil. Photo: Adobe
The wait is over for the iPad version of the Adobe Illustrator. After many years as a Mac application, this professional drawing tool launched Tuesday in the iPadOS App Store.
In addition, Adobe introduced an iPhone version of Fresco, the company’s drawing and painting application previously out for iPad.