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.
An overcharged Apple Watch battery can begin to swell up. If this happens, it needs to be replaced. Photo: iFixIt
The battery in an Apple Watch 2 can fail, and even swell up. This is a rare problem, but Apple will fix the watch if it occurs.
Swelling is a problem that has long plagued lithium-ion batteries from laptops, phones, and other electronics. The only fix is a replacement of the battery.
Cameras will be looking for distracted driving in Australia. The U.S. can't be far behind. Photo: NYPost
Cameras that automatically give tickets to speeders are old news. So are red-light cameras. Now Australia is exploring using cameras to ticket motorists who are on their cell phones while driving.
Australia might become the first country to legalize using photographic evidence alone to enforce distracted driving laws.
The FBI took some Congressional-strength flack today for wanting an iPhone backdoor for law enforcement. Photo: Dave Newman/Flickr CC
Congress has called the FBI on the carpet for its attempt to require Apple to build a backdoor into the iPhone. A letter went out today from a bi-partisan group of representativesaccusing the law enforcement agency of over-stating difficulties in unlocked iPhones involved in crimes.
The ten congresspeople wrote that the FBI deliberately didn’t explore all the options to unlock the iPhone belonging to a mass shooter because they wanted an excuse to force Apple to modify iOS so it’s easy for law enforcement to access.
The FCC posted pictures of a gold iPhone X. DOes this mean it's coming soon? Photo: Apple
Apple never made a gold version of the iPhone X, but there are rumors that will change soon. And the FCC added weight to these by releasing a picture of Apple’s flagship smartphone in that color.
The images were submitted to the government agency in last fall, but only recently appeared on its site. It’s not clear if this is a sign that a release in this color is imminent.
Apple flatly denies a persistent rumor that it’s going to end iTunes music sales on March 31, 2019. The basis for the rumor is vague statement from an Apple Music executive and a change in way most people listen to songs.
In the glory days of the iPod, Apple raked in millions selling individual tracks for 99 cents. Fast forward a decade to so, and streaming services are all the rage. This leaves people wondering how long Apple will keep selling music tracks.
No more black bars on either side of iMovie on an iPhone X. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple just updated iMovie for iOS so iPhone X users don’t have to put up with black bars on either edge of their display.
Even better, the new version supports Apple’s Metal API, which means the application now has direct access to a phone’s or tablet’s graphics-processing hardware.
iPhone security is no match for Cellebrite. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Police around the country are buying and using iPhone unlocking tools like GrayKey. These allow access to the contents of encrypted devices involved in crimes.
GrayKey is fairly expensive, and its maker can’t guarantee how long it will work. It depends on a iOS security flaw known only to its maker, and Apple could close this hole at any time. Nevertheless, law enforcement agencies are taking the risk.
Make purchases or get tech support from companies like T-Mobile with Apple Business Chat. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The goal of Apple Business Chat is to make it easy exchange messages with companies. The service just debuted in iOS 11.3, and T-Mobile today joined the handful of businesses that support it.
With it, people can make purchases, schedule appointments, or just ask questions.
The new iMac Pro almost certainly helped give Apple a larger share of the PC market in Q1. Photo: Brian King/Twitter
Apple was a bright spot in the global PC market last quarter. Market analysis firm Gartner says Mac shipments grew 1.5 percent, even as the total market for laptops and desktops dropped 1.4 percent.
The U.S. helped drag down the global totals, with a 2.9 percent decline. Still, that helped push up Apple’s share of the American market to 12.6%.
This privacy pledge in iOS 11.3 is why people can trust Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
People trust Apple. A recent survey found that only a tiny percentage of Americans think the iPhone maker is irresponsible with their personal data.
That’s good news for Tim Cook and co., who have worked hard to differentiate themselves from Facebook, the least trusted tech company by a wide margin.
An augmented reality version of this game could have web a huge win for Apple. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While ARKit gave Apple an early lead when it comes to augmented reality apps, a highly respected analyst thinks a Chinese company has nearly caught up.
As evidence, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo points out that the AR version of enormously popular game Honour of Kings will land on iPhone and Oppo’s inexpensive Android phones at the same time.
Opening a watchOS 1 app on a device running that latest beta of watchOS 4.3.1 gets this warning. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The latest watchOS beta warns that support will end soon for applications that haven’t been updated for years. This is part of an ongoing push by Apple to get all third-party apps that were written for the first-generation Software Development Kit updated to something more recent.
Unfortunately, this drive is instead causing some developers to drop their out-of-date Apple Watch apps.
A new video shows that upgrading iPhone memory is major job, and an expensive one. Photo: Strange Parts
Ever wondered what it would take to give your iPhone more storage? Apple charges a lot for additional room; maybe you could save a bundle by buying a low capacity version and upgrade the iPhone memory yourself.
A hobbyist successfully took his iPhone from 16GB to 128GB. But as he showed in a video detailing the process, it was a heck of a lot of work.
The FTC said warranty seals like this are illegal. Companies can't forbid third-party repair work. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Federal Trade Commission warned companies today not to tell customers that using independent repair facilities invalidates the warranties on their phones, video game consoles, or cars. Doing so is a violation of U.S. law.
It’s not clear if Apple was singled out by the watchdog agency. But it could have been.
Teens prefer iPhone over Android four-to-one. And that number is increasing. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Figuring out teens is a challenge for parents and teachers, but there’s one thing you can count on: teenagers love iPhone. A new study shows that a whopping 82 percent of them own one.
And that number is likely to increase. The survey indicates that 84 percent of teens say their next phone will be from Apple.
Don't install iOS 11.3 if your iPhone 8 touchscreen was replaced by anyone other than Apple. Bad things will happen. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
If you have an iPhone 8 touchscreen that wasn’t repaired by Apple, you must not install iOS 11.3. Your touchscreen could stop working.
This problem hasn’t been acknowledged by Apple, but independent phone repair companies are reporting that many iPhone 8 touchscreens they replaced stopped working after the latest iOS version is installed.
Our artist's concept of what the iPhone Xs Plus might look like. And this won't even be the largest of the 2018 iPhone models. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
All of the 2018 iPhone models will have Face ID, according to an industry analyst. This helps confirm earlier reports that Apple is phasing out its Touch ID fingerprint-scanning system in favor of the facial-recognition system that debuted in the iPhone X.
The analyst also indicated that two of the three models coming this fall will have OLED displays. There will be one medium-size and two bigger iPhones, both larger than any before.
An iPhone X emulates Mac OS 8 very well, including running Warcraft II and Sim City 2000. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Because phones are small, it’s easy to underestimate how powerful they are. Give an iPhone a larger display and it would make a fine desktop PC. Case in point: A new video shows an iPhone X running Mac OS 8.1 as well as a couple of games.
Admittedly, Mac OS 8.1 is hardly a modern operating system. (Apple introduced it in 1998.) And some might not be impressed that an iPhone can run an OS designed for 40 MHz processors.
Apple's Apple Files can get documents from many online storage systems, not just iCloud Drive. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Files app can reach documents stored on more than just iCloud Drive. It gives access a whole range of cloud-storage solutions. A new video from Apple shows how to set this up, but it’s a simple process.
This is part of a series demonstrating ways to get more out of an iPad, but this guide applies equally well to iPhone users.
Twitter delayed a controversial change that may squeeze out third-party apps. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Twitter today pushed back a change to its service that will prevent third-party applications from offering notifications to their users. The services that Talon, Tweetbot, Tweetings, and Twitterrific depend on will still be shut down. It just won’t happen when originally planned.
The replacement Twitter is working on might be completely unsuited for the needs of these third-party developers. And deliberately so. They’re trying to get the company to change course.
Pressing and holding a letter on the iPad keyboard brings up accented versions. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The iPad keyboard can quickly enter over a hundred characters, if you know all the tricks. A new video from Apple shows how to type numbers without switching keyboards. It also demonstrates how to access letters with accents. Plus, it shows how to use the keyboard as a trackpad.
A well-known designer has proposed his ideas for Apple headphones, including wireless charging. Photo: Martin Hajek
It’s an open secret that Apple is developing its own over-the-ear headphones, separate from Beats’ products. Well-known designer Martin Hajek dreamed up suggestions for how these super-size AirPods might look.
His concept art shows a heavy influence from Apple’s HomePod smart speaker, and the headphones function in somewhat the same ways.
Apple is serious about protecting the environment. The new Apple Park campus gets all its power from renewable energy. Photo: Duncan Sinfield
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration wants to get rid of the Clean Power Plan, a move that Apple now publicly opposes.
A statement from Apple to the agency this morning asserts that the Obama era plan to require reductions in greenhouse gases from power plants spurs investment in clean energy. Repealing it makes companies less competitive in these technologies.