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.
ColorWare can make a set of AirPods Pro uniquely yours. Photo: ColorWare
Apple sells AirPods Pro in any color you want, as long as it’s white. But ColorWare brings some style to these in-ear headphones. The company offers 64 color options, and shoppers can decorate each AirPod differently.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro isn’t quite as svelte as it could be. And that’s good news. Photo: Apple
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is a sign of a fundamental shift at Apple: It includes a keyboard that makes this laptop slightly less stylish but more useful. It’s hard to believe this would have happened in the days when chief designer Jony Ive’s habit of putting form ahead of function still reigned supreme over all Apple’s products.
As Ive slowly exits the company, we’re already seeing products less willing to make compromises in functionality in order to get super-sleek looks.
Open a gate or unlock your bike at just the press of a finger with Tapplock One+. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The combination lock you used in school is a dinosaur now. It’s been replaced with much smarter versions like Tapplock One+. This has a fingerprint scanner, and a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone. It’s a padlock with no key to lose or combination to memorize.
16-inch MacBook Pro sports better fans and a bigger heatsink, allowing it to run faster. Photo: Apple
The just-released 16-inch MacBook Pro handles heat better, giving it faster performance than the 15-inch models introduced earlier this year, even though both laptops use exactly the same processor.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is fast-paced fun, with a great beat. Photo: Apple
Speed and techno-pop blend in Sayonara Wild Hearts, one of the best titles on Apple Arcade. Ride a motorcycle, fly or battle opponents to the beat of the music.
Read on to see why everyone with a subscription to Apple’s gaming service should be playing this new offering.
Apple is suing its former chip engineer, center, for breach of contract. Photo: Nuvia
You may never have heard of Gerard Williams III, but for years he played a large part in designing every iPhone processor. He left Apple early this year, and is now the CEO of Nuvia, a firm headed by three ex Apple execs that’s designing its own chips.
But they aren’t taking on their old company. Instead, Nuvia will make processors for data centers.
Save money on Apple Arcade with an annual subscription Photo: Apple/RosieReality
Children and their parents can enter Rosie’s Reality, a game where they’ll guide this miniature robot through a series of puzzles by building paths with blocks that resemble virtual Legos.
This latest addition to the Apple Arcade service is the only new title out this week now that its total number of games has passed 100.
You can securely answer the ProLine Compact with your iPhone, thanks to HomeKit Secure Video. Photo: Robin Telecom Development/Cult of Mac
A follow-up to the world’s first HomeKit-compatible video doorbell from Robin Telecom Development will support Apple’s new system that makes video security systems more private and secure. It’s quite possibly the first video doorbell to do so.
Almost as importantly, the Robin ProLine Compact is smaller than its predecessor.
Mophie Juice Pack Access adds to the thickness of the iPhone 11, but also adds hours of battery life. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Mophie Juice Pack Access for the iPhone 11 extends the battery life of Apple’s latest handset while also protecting it. This hard case leaves the iPhone’s Lightning port available, while also letting you charge you phone with your MacBook’s cable.
Discover if this is the right iPhone 11 battery case for you in our hands-on review.
5G iPhones will outsell all rivals in 2020. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple will beat out Samsung and Huawei in 5G handsets next year, according to a forecast by industry analysts. This despite accusations by some critics that not putting 5G in the iPhone 11 would put Apple far behind its rivals.
The 2019 Motorola Razr is like a blast from the past. Photo: Motorola
The flip phone is back, baby! A vastly updated — and very expensive — 2019 Motorola Razr uses a flexible display to make an Android-based smartphone with the same basic design as the iconic handset of 2004.
It’s another option in the growing selection of foldable phones — a formfactor Apple is also considering.
Doctors found that if your Apple Watch ECG indicates you have a heart problem, you almost certainly do. Photo: Apple
The electrocardiogram built into recent Apple Watch models isn’t likely to give wearers false notifications that they have atrial fibrillation, a potentially dangerous heart condition. A clean bill of health for this wearable’s ECG is the conclusion of a study involving over 400,000 participants that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Look closely. This Apple Macintosh prototype is different from the final version in a big way.
A prototype Apple Macintosh used in the development of MacWrite can be yours, if you can scratch up about $180,000. It’s almost unique because of a disk drive different from the one used when this revolutionary computer shipped.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is wicked fast. Photo: Apple
Benchmark tests confirm the MacBook Pro released today is as fast as the speedy macOS laptops introduced earlier this year. That’s good news for anyone who’s been nursing along an older MacBook, waiting for this new 16-inch model.
After unveiling it back in June, Apple today bumped back the launch date for the 2019 Mac Pro. This powerful pro-grade product will be available, alongside the high-end Pro Display XDR screen, sometime in December. Previously, it was scheduled to debut in the fall.
The computer boasts a 28-core processor and room for more than a terabyte of RAM. The Mac Pro starts at $5,999, while the Pro Display XDR begins at $4,999. In other words, you’d better hope you’ve got some generous relatives this holidays!
Having the former head of HBO making shows for Apple TV+ could be a big win. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Richard Plepler, who led HBO for almost three decades, is reportedly teaming up with Apple. He’s not joining the iPhone maker, but his production company will create content for Apple TV+.
If a deal goes through, the man who greenlit Game of Thrones would be developing shows for Apple.
The production company behind Sesame Street is also making Ghostwriter. Photo: Apple
Grownup shows drew most of the attention during the launch of Apple TV+, but children’s programming debuted as well, including Ghostwriter. Not to be overlooked, an extended trailer out today puts attention on this educational thriller.
A second beta of iPadOS 13.3 and the iPhone equivalent just came out. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The beta process for iOS 13.3 and its iPad equivalent is moving along. Apple just seeded the second beta of each to developers. The final version, when it’s released to the general public, will help parents limit who their kids talk to with a big improvement to Screen Time.
In addition, there are new betas of watchOS 6.1.1 and tvOS 13.3.
Once rivals, IBM later embraced the Mac, and now thousands of its employees are users. Photo: Apple
Research by IBM found that its employees who use a Mac are more likely to exceed expectations on performance reviews than co-workers with PCs. Mac’s users also make larger high-value sales deals.
Long-time Mac users should find this delightfully ironic, as IBM helped popularize the PC back in the 1980s.
Tablets are a good way to view augmented reality, and Apple’s next AR push could start with the 2020 iPad Pro. Photo: Apple
An iPad Pro in development for next year will be the first with a 3D scanner capable of creating digital representations of real-world objects, according to an unconfirmed report. This will supposedly be used in augmented reality and virtual reality applications.
This scanner will next appear in the 2020 iPhone, and in AR/VR goggles and glasses in coming years.
Sanho HyperJuice can charge all your Apple gear at once. Photo: Sanho
Sanho calls its newly-unveiled HyperJuice “the smallest 100W charger on the market.” Despite the svelte design, it has a pair of USB-C ports that can put out 100W, dual USB-A ports that max out at 18W, and swappable power prongs.
It’s on Kickstarter now, available for well below the eventual regular price.
Apple Watch is already swim-proof, but the next version could take that to new depths. Photo: Apple
It’s not exactly going out on a limb, but respected Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo predicts next year’s Apple Watch Series 6 will be offer better performance than the current one, and include improved wireless speeds. Still, with the launch about likely 10 months away, it’s not surprising that only a few vague generalities can be said about Apple’s next wearable.
What’s more interesting is a mention of enhanced water resistance that raises the possibility of taking this device to the bottom of the sea.