Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That's because he's a "tablet first" type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don't try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
Arquette bagged an Oscar for her role in Boyhood. Photo: Universal Pictures
Apple TV+ on Tuesday unveiled High Desert, an upcoming half-hour comedy series to star Patricia Arquette, winner of several Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy awards.
Fellow comedian Ben Stiller will direct the first episode. Both Arquette and Stiller will serve as executive producers, too.
Applications that create custom iOS 14 widgets quickly became very popular. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The top three applications on the App Store right now all focus on iOS 14 widgets. They let users create custom Home screen widgets that aren’t tied to other applications.
Apple’s latest operating system adds these mini-apps, and a small selection of them come built into iOS 14. Plus, many third-party applications like browsers and email apps recently released widgets.
But applications whose entire focus is adding useful widgets to the iPhone Home screen quickly found plenty of users. Here are some of the most popular ones available now.
An Apple Watch Series 6 teardown gets down to the tiniest screw and clip. Photo: iFixIt
Apple Watch Series 6 adds a sensor for blood-oxygen levels, but that doesn’t make it thicker. A teardown of this new wearable shows how Apple actually managed to make it a bit slimmer than its predecessors.
Plus, it turns out the device is relatively repairable. More so than an iPhone.
iPadOS 14 and the iPhone equivalent just went out, but Apple is already testing iPadOS 14.2.
Anyone can start testing iOS 14.2, along with the iPad equivalent, thanks to the new public betas released Monday by Apple.
The first developer beta of iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 went out Thursday, just a day after the full release of iOS 14. The most notable new feature in the new betas builds the Shazam music-recognition service into the Control Center.
It’s not clear what’s happening with iOS 14.1, but it isn’t part of Apple’s testing program for developers.
Changing the iPhone or iPad default email application is now possible. And easy. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple just removed one of the biggest remaining restrictions from the iPhone and iPad. It’s finally possible to change the default email application in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 to something other than Apple Mail.
Making the change is easy. However, a current limitation will delay many people from taking immediate advantage of it.
Marble Knights mixes game genres, and supports multiplayer action. Photo: WayForward/Apple
The latest addition to Apple’s gaming service is a rare multi-player title. Marble Knights lets up to four people at once roll together through a sword-swinging adventure.
Apple’s current lineup of tablets offers a lot of overlap in features. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
The newly announced iPad Air 4 is going to make choosing a tablet harder. It borrows so many features from the 2020 iPad Pro models that many who might have gone for one of Apple’s professional tablets should choose this new model instead. But certainly not everyone.
Here’s how these devices compare, with the newly-unveiled iPad 8 thrown in for good measure.
Stillwater on Apple TV+ will teach kids life skills. Photo: Apple
Coming soon to Apple’s streaming service are two animated shows for children. Doug Unplugs is from DreamWorks Animation and based on a successful book series about a young robot. And Stillwater, which is also based on a book series, stars a very wise giant panda.
Apple TV+ also revealed on Thursday that the second seasons of its children’s shows Ghostwriter and Helpsters will both premiere in October.
Adobe Illustrator for iPad will let artists draw with an Apple Pencil. Photo: Adobe
An iPad version of the Adobe Illustrator professional drawing tool is scheduled to launch next month. The desktop vector graphic design app has been “reimagined” for iPad, according to Adobe.
The application is available for pre-order starting on Wednesday.
All these Apple products can be protected with AppleCare+. Photo: Apple
Apple just made its AppleCare+ breakage insurance cover more accidents. In some cases, twice and even three times as many.
The program now offers deeply-discounted repairs on two accidents for every twelve months of coverage. Previously, it only covered a total of two repairs.
The wait is over for both iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple released the full version of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on Wednesday. iPhone owners get Home screen widgets and a new way to organize their devices. And iPad owners get handwriting recognition and new drawing tools.
While reports indicate not everyone has access to the new versions yet, Apple says it released them at 1 p.m. Pacific time. The Golden Master versions of these upgrades went out to beta testers Tuesday.
Apple’s is prepping a pair of over-the-ear headphones, possibly as part of phasing out its Beats brand. Render: Jon Prosser/cconceptcreator
After months of near quiet, a images and even video leaked out supposedly showing Apple’s first over-the-ears headphones, possibly called AirPods Studio.
If real, these show the headphones will have a squarish design, with curved edges and corners.
One of the. new Apple ads shows a quirky use for the iPad Air 4. Screenshot: Apple
Apple lets its new devices strut in a series of video ads. The iPad Air 4 goes through its paces, with an emphasis on Apple Pencil features. And the Apple Watch Series 6 gets an introductory video, too. Plus, there are two more about Apple Watch in general.
Important new products and services were all highlights of the Apple “Time Flies” September event. Photo illustration: Cult of Mac/Apple
Apple executives took to virtual stages on Tuesday to unveil a parade of important new products at its “Time Flies” event. The much-anticipated Apple Watch made its debut, and a cheaper version too. And the iPad Air got a massive upgrade. Plus, there are new services and more.
Here’s why you shouldn’t overlook anything Apple just announced.
iPad Air 4 greatly expands the color options for Apple’s mid-range tablet. Screenshot: Apple
The iPad Air 4 brings the most significant changes to this tablet since it debuted. The display expanded to 10.9 inches, even as the screen bezels shrank. There’s plenty of other new features too, like USB-C. And new colors and better cameras.
But all these enhancements come with a significant price increase.
Converting a web page into your preferred language is built right into iOS 14 Safari. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
We live in a multicultural world, but a translation feature built into Safari in iOS 14 will make it just a bit easier for us to understand one another. Converting a web page from an unknown languages into your preferred one is as easy a couple of screen taps.
Western Digital’s redesigned mobile SSD is an ideal companion for MacBook or iPad. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Even in a world where everything can be stored in the cloud, there’s still a role for an external drive. Especially if it’s high-performance, and can go anywhere. Western Digital’s new solid state drive is slim and light, but also rugged. And the WD My Passport SSD holds up to 2 TB of data, and is far faster than a traditional hard drive.
Here’s how this newly-released peripheral stands up to real-world use with a range of computers.
The pre-release versions of iOS 14, and the iPad equivalent, are really quite stable. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple unveiled iOS 14 back in June, and it’s chock-full of new features. The long wait for the software’s release must be wearing on many iPhone users. But Apple is almost finished development, to the point where the latest iOS 14 beta is almost as stable as the final version will be. Anyone tired of waiting would be relatively safe installing it.
New rules don’t seem intended to bring the Google Stadia cloud gaming service to iPad any time soon. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple laid out new rules for streaming games services hoping to be listed the App Store. But it’s not clear if the changes will result in Microsoft, Google Facebook and others actually introducing iPhone and iPad versions of their services, which are already available for other platforms.
Apple software chief Craig Federighi is sure to take the virtual stage at Apple’s Sept. 15 event. Photo illustration: Cult of Mac/Apple
Apple will hold an online event on September 15. That’s all we know for sure. But leaks, rumors and unconfirmed reports reveal much more, with multiple new devices supposedly on the docket — although maybe not the one you expect.
An event with no real people in attendance, it likely will follow the template of Apple’s virtual Worldwide Developers Conference from June, which drew much praise. Here’s what you can expect from Apple’s September event next Tuesday.
A low-cost wearable that’s been dubbed ‘Apple Watch SE’ could be on the docket Apple’s Sept. 15 event. Illustration: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Details of what’s been called the “Apple Watch SE” may have leaked out. An unconfirmed report indicates this model will have the same design as the wearable this company released in 2018, but with some of the high-end features stripped out. That will make it a lower-cost option.
An Apple One bundle might become an option to save money on Apple services. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A rumor that Apple plans to offer discounts on bundles with iCloud, Apple Arcade and other services may have been confirmed Thursday. Mentions of the “Apple One” subscription bundle reportedly turned up in the code for Apple Music for Android.
A Monster’s Expedition promises “an adorable and relaxing open world puzzle adventure.” Image: Draknek Limited
A Monster’s Expedition isn‘t the usual puzzle game. It sets itself apart by being an open world. The goal is to make play more relaxing because if someone gets stuck on a particular puzzle, they can head off in another direction. And, of course, there’s a cute little monster involved.
The game debuted Thursday on Apple Arcade, the Mac-maker’s subscription gaming service.