Evan Killham - page 11

iPad Mini 4 teardown reveals a miniaturized Air 2

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iPad Mini 4 teardown by iFixit
The EU wants gadgets that are easier to fix and upgrade.
Photo: iFixit

We’ve gotten our first look at the guts of the latest Apple hardware thanks to an iPad Mini 4 teardown that’s appeared online, and the new tablet from the Cupertino company is looking really familiar. But we don’t mean that in a bad way.

Repair-advise site iFixit has sacrificed one of the devices in the name of science and education, and its findings reveal that at its heart, the iPad Mini 4 is a smaller version of the upper-tier iPad Air 2. Here’s what the carnage revealed.

Apple Campus 2 shows major progress in new drone video

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Apple Campus 2 flyover by Above Reno
We're finally seeing some visible progress on the new Apple Campus.
Photo: Above Reno (via YouTube)

Just when we thought we were getting bored with Apple Campus 2 flyover videos, one has arisen that shows how cool this building is going to be.

If you do a YouTube search for Apple’s future headquarters in Cupertino, you can follow its progress from a huge hole in the ground to something that looks like it might, one day, possibly be a building. But YouTube user Above Reno went 250 miles out of its usual domain to capture some impressive, 4K footage over Labor Day weekend that shows that things are coming along now.

Check out the gorgeous video below.

Apple snaps up company to improve its Maps

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iOS 9 transit maps
Now live in France, Germany, Spain, and more.
Photo: Apple

A new acquisition from Apple suggests that the iPhone maker might be getting into the map-making business.

The company paid as much as $30 million for a 12-person San Francisco startup that specializes in parsing location data into visualizations, according to reports.

First Siri Remote cover advocates safe gaming

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Survivor Play for Siri Remote Apple TV
Griffin Technology's Survivor Play hopes to help you get a grip on your Apple TV remote.
Photo: Griffin Technology

The sweatiness of your hands may no longer be a concern when you upgrade to a new Apple TV this fall. A newly announced cover for the Siri Remote claims it will provide grip and comfort while you play iOS games on the big screen.

The accessory is called Survivor Play for Siri Remote, and it comes courtesy of Griffin Technology, known for its rugged and durable phone and tablet cases.

Pro Tip: New emoji aren’t out for iOS 9 yet

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Emojis
How will we express this emotion?!
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bugSome iPhone and iPad users upgrading to iOS 9 today have been looking forward to expressing their love of tacos, burritos, and unicorns — and their disdain for everything else — using the much-touted new emojis, which include the coveted and versatile “middle finger” icon.

But unfortunately for those folks, we’re going to have to wait a little longer to start flipping things the bird.

Apple’s iOS 9 update woes break the Internet’s heart

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iOS 9 not working Twitter
We know you're upset, Sir, but please stop fueling our nightmares.
Photo: @YunnqPrince (via Twitter)

If you’re having trouble downloading iOS 9, you’re not alone.

Apple released the latest version of its mobile operating system today, but a lot of users are getting download errors when they try to snag the new firmware. With nowhere left to turn, they have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations.

Here are some of the more interesting reactions we’ve seen from people who just can’t seem to get that download started.

6 questions we hope Colbert asks Tim Cook tonight

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Stephen Colbert Tim Cook
Late Show host Stephen Colbert will have Tim Cook's ear tonight.
Photo: CBS

Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is hosting Apple head Tim Cook in tonight’s episode, and it’s a pretty big opportunity to have the ear of one of the most powerful business leaders in the country. We’re sure that Colbert already has a list of questions he and his staff have prepared for Cook, but here are some we hope to see when the show airs later.

They’re not all good questions, mind you, but we’d still love to see them.

Apple Music showcases 4 new artists to ‘discover’

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Apple Music is awesome -- but can it replace the iTunes Store?
If you're looking for new stuff to listen to on Apple Music, the company has some suggestions.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music has done a pretty decent job of suggesting content to users over its first couple of months. Between its auto-generated playlists based on your preference bubbles and curation straight from famous acts and DJs, you should have little trouble finding something you might not mind sticking in your earholes. And a new batch of ads for the streaming service has even more suggestions.

You can check out what Apple Music wants you to discover in the videos below.

Jimmy Kimmel’s iPhone 6s gag makes Apple owners look foolish

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iPhone 6s versus iPhone 1
I mean, they look the same to me.
Photo: Apple

We’re all pretty excited about the upcoming release of the iPhone 6s, Apple’s latest and shiniest hardware. And it seems that some people are so excited about the new phone that it makes them forget a bunch of things — like what an original iPhone looks like.

Kimmel sent an interviewer out on the street, where he presented passersby with the original, 2007 iPhone, told them it was a demo version of the 6s, and asked them how the “new” phone looks to them. You can see the cringeworthy results in the video below.

Bill Graham Civic hosted Apple’s biggest hyperbole-fest ever

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The iPhone 6s Plus might be hard to find on launch day.
All Apple's saying is that the iPhone 6s will be the most amazing, dynamic, life-changing thing you've ever seen.
Photo: Apple

We get that yesterday’s Apple event was a marketing thing, which is why every presentation began with whoever was onstage telling us how “thrilled,” “excited” or “really happy” they were to be there. And the exaggeration just continued from those intros.

Here are some of the most outlandish and enthusiastically subjective lines that came from the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. We’ve organized them by speaker so you can see who “won” this verbal arms race of canned excitement.

Fancy new smart lock can see who’s at your door

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nucli smart lock by westinghouse
The Nucli smart lock by Westinghouse.
Photo: Westinghouse

Electrics giant Westinghouse is getting into the connected-home game, and its first offering is a smart lock that looks like it should be seeing if it can’t lock down a stabilizer in a Star Wars X-Wing.

The Nucli (which is pronounced “new-klee” and not “nuck-lee,” regardless of how your brain sees it) will offer a wealth of features to help you secure your domain.

Apple Watch is huge in China with 1 million actual users

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Are Apple Watch expectations just too high?
China is definitely getting into the Apple Watch.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is still being pretty cagey about exactly how many Apple Watches it has sold since the wearable premiered in April, but a new report suggests that the device is doing just fine in the all-important Chinese market.

Shanghai-based research company RedTech Advisors estimates that China has more than 1 million Apple Watches in use, and it reached this number in a mere 17 weeks.

Apple-produced shows ‘not that big a deal,’ says Netflix head

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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings isn't worried about Apple getting into producing content.
Photo: Netflix

We’re hearing some rumblings and grumblings that Apple might start producing original content to go along with an updated version of its Apple TV streaming box, and do you know who isn’t worried about it? Netflix.

Reed Hastings, CEO of the giant streaming service, spoke to CNN to discuss his company’s new availability in Japan and its future plans to expand into all of Asia, and he could not have sounded less concerned when the interviewer asked about the rumors of the Cupertino company getting into content creation.

Weather Network app claims it can tell you when it is going to rain

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Back to the Future Part II weather network app
The Weather Network's latest app update might make this a reality.
Photo: Universal Pictures

We’re not quite through 2015 yet, so app developers still have time to make the prophecies foretold by director Robert Zemeckis’ documentary Back to the Future: Part II come true. And to that end, The Weather Network’s latest app update uses radar and algorithms to predict when, exactly, it is going to start and stop raining.

The new feature, appropriately called “Rain Start Stop,” claims to give you a few hours to finalize the details on your outdoor activities.

Electronics-sniffing dogs can root out USB drives

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Bear is one of five electronics-sniffing dogs
Bear is one of only five electronics-sniffing dogs.
Photo: NBC News

Criminals don’t just have to worry about someone finding their drug stashes anymore, as police have started to employ highly trained, electronics-sniffing dogs to root out illegal material on USB thumb drives and SD cards.

Only five dogs have acquired this particular set of skills that can make them a nightmare for cybercriminals and child pornographers.

Ex-Apple engineer wants you to think different about furniture

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Campaign chair
This may be the iPhone of furniture.
Photo: Campaign

Here’s good news for anyone who has had to carry a heavy couch up or down several flights of stairs and/or through narrow doorways: You can now pre-order a sofa that will fit into easily portable boxes.

This is Campaign furniture, and the company’s head is Brad Sewell, a former supply base engineer for Apple who worked with the iPod and iPhone manufacturing design team and clearly picked up a few tips while he was there. And right away, the company is taking on the big names in affordable home furniture.

How to purge your obsolete Apple Watch alarms

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Are Apple Watch expectations just too high?
The Alarm Clock app is in there somewhere ...
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We love how easy it is to set up an alarm from the Apple Watch. All you have to do is say, “Hey Siri, wake me up at 7 a.m.,” and the digital assistant will put that order in for you.

But this comes a slight inconvenience: What happens to alarms after you’re done using them? Well, if you’re like me, you just turn them off to stop the horrendous buzzing on your wrist and then forget about them. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s how to clear off all of those old, unused alarms with a quickness.

New reader will let you Apple PayAnywhere this fall

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PayAnywhere reader will support Apple Pay
Apple Pay is about to be available in a lot more places.
Photo: PayAnywhere

The updated version of the PayAnywhere mobile credit-card reader is set to launch next month, and it will be all about Apple Pay.

This new partnership will help make good on some of Apple head Tim Cook’s bold claims during the company’s most recent earnings report.

Lara Croft Go puts exciting tomb raiding at your fingertips

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Lara Croft Go screenshot
You're about to murder so many snakes, you have no idea.
Screenshot: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

I’m anxiously awaiting Lara Croft’s next outing on consoles this fall with Rise of the Tomb Raider, but in the meantime, developer Square Enix is tiding us over with Lara Croft Go, a miniaturized adventure starring the iconic graverobber and dinosaur fighter. It’s out now for iPhone and iPad (reviewed version), and like its predecessor, Hitman Go, it’s more about strategy than all-out action.

This game diverts slightly from Hitman, however, doing away with the board game/diorama theme and just sticking our hero into an ancient, turn-based ruin. But that doesn’t diminish its charm or fun at all.

First third-party watch accessory hits Apple Store shelves

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NightStand is the first third-party Apple Watch accessory in Apple Stores.
NightStand is the first third-party Apple Watch accessory available in the Apple Store.
Photo: ElevationLab

You no longer have to depend on the Internet to provide you with third-party Apple Watch accessories, as the company has started stocking them in its gleaming, glass-covered retail locations.

The first accessory on offer is a minimalist charging dock that will be compatible with watchOS 2’s Nightstand Mode when the firmware update launches this fall.

How to fix weak taptic feedback on Apple Watch

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Apple Watch how-to taptic feedback
Here's how to put the tap back into "taptic."
Photo: Apple

Taptic feedback on the Apple Watch felt a little weird at first, but we’ve come to love its gentle nudges to let us know something is going on. But some Cult of Mac staffers have noticed that after time, the taptic feedback has started to feel not so … tappy anymore.

If you’re having this problem, here are a couple quick and easy ways you can try to put the pep back on your wrist.

Pixeljam snubs Kickstarter, rolls out own crowdfunding platform

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Dino Run is part of Pixeljam's crowdfunding experiment.
Game developer Pixeljam is changing crowdfunding for the better.
Photo: Pixeljam

Pixeljam is no stranger to making iPhone and Mac games, but now the studio is taking on another challenge: transforming the way crowdfunding works to make it better for game developers and other creative types.

Company co-founder Miles Tillman describes the crowdfunding project as an “experiment” that’s an alternative to popular services like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Pixeljam’s new platform lets backers donate money just like the others, but prioritizes transparent communication, instant gratification and actually making the game ahead of crowdfunding staples like producing slick videos and stressing out over fundraising goals and deadlines.