Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
We're nearing the end of the 13-inch MacBook Pro era. Photo: Apple
Apple will scrap the 13-inch MacBook Pro this year after introducing a new 14-inch model with a next-generation “M2” chip, one tipster claims.
The company is also said to be planning a new entry-level iPad with a 10.2-inch display — the last iteration before a big redesign is rolled out in 2023 — that will offer super-speedy 5G connectivity for the first time.
Apple will introduce a new Mac Pro with an upgraded M1 chipset by the end of the year to complete its Apple silicon transition, according to a tipster.
Previous rumors indicated the high-end desktop would stick with Intel chips until Apple’s next-generation “M2 Pro” chipset became available. However, a new rumor suggests it will initially get an even more powerful M1 chip instead.
A Raspberry Pi makes it all possible. Photo: Michał Gapiński
Tesla refuses to add CarPlay to its vehicles, so you’re stuck with the company’s own infotainment system — which doesn’t have it own Apple Music app. Or you can hack together a CarPlay upgrade by yourself.
Polish developer Michał Gapiński did exactly that by using a clever trick that involves Tesla’s built-in web browser and a Raspberry Pi. And, believe it or not, everything works exactly as intended.
The Exynos 2200 is the world's first mobile SoC with ray tracing. Image: Samsung
Samsung this week announced its newest Exynos chipset for smartphones and tablets, and it comes with a major graphics improvement that could just persuade mobile gamers to swap iPhone and iPad for Galaxy devices.
The Exynos 2200 is the world’s first mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) with an AMD RDNA 2 GPU that supports ray tracing. It could enable major visual improvements in upcoming Android games — if developers take advantage of it.
Mifa’s Classic Band makes premium leather affordable for everyone, and it’s a sweet Apple Watch upgrade. It’s made from genuine hide that’s 3mm thick for great durability, and combines it with strong stainless steel clasps and adapters.
Get yours today from the Cult of Mac Store to save 15%.
Keep your iPhone quiet when you're busy. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 ship with a brand-new feature called Focus mode that lets you set up different notification profiles based on your activities. You can have one for work, one for play, one for sleep, and more.
Here’s how to create and customize new Focus modes on iPhone and iPad.
The U.K. will spend taxpayer money on a dramatic “publicity attack” against end-to-end encryption, according to a new report. The country apparently hopes to sway public opinion before taking further steps to crack down on the security feature.
A major focus of the campaign will be child safety. M&C Saatchi, the agency hired to run the marketing blitz, reportedly will use child actors to carry out emotive stunts that suggest encryption is being used by predators to conceal their activities.
"Today and every day, we honor his life." Image: Apple
Apple dedicated its website to Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday to mark the holiday that commemorates the late civil rights activist’s birthday. The Apple homepage features a large photo of King, as well as a quote from his 1967 speech at a Philadelphia high school.
“I believe that we can transform dark yesterdays of injustice into bright tomorrows of justice and humanity,” it reads.
Well, that's not good. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
A newly discovered bug in Safari 15 allows any website to track your browsing activity and may even reveal your identity if you’re a Google user.
The vulnerability stems from Apple’s implementation of IndexedDB, a storage API widely supported by most modern browsers. And the problem affects users on Mac as well as iPhone and iPad. Here’s what you need to know.
The premium plan is now priced at $19.99 a month, up from $17.99. Image: Netflix
Netflix has raised its prices for subscribers in the United States and Canada so that it “can continue to offer a wide variety of quality entertainment options.”
Its premium plan, which offers 4K content, is now $19.99 a month. The company’s most affordable subscription, which allows only one stream at a time, is up to $9.99 a month, making it the most expensive video service.
Apple says it was meant to be removed. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iPhone 13 is missing a useful noise cancellation feature for phone calls that is available on earlier models. It was initially believed that its absence was a bug that would eventually be fixed by Apple, but it seems that’s not the case.
Apple Support confirmed to an iPhone 13 owner that the feature is gone from the newest iPhone lineup. And it doesn’t look like it’s coming back.
Translate almost anything in an instant. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Live Text in iOS and iPadOS 15 is a terrific new feature that makes the text in your photos interactive. You can use it to copy and paste quotes, call phone numbers, find addresses and more.
Here’s how to use Live Text on your iPhone or iPad to translate signs, posters, and other things written in a foreign language.
You have until January 31 to save your games. Photo: Humble
Humble, the subscription service that offers a bunch of popular games for an affordable monthly fee, is dropping support for Mac and Linux.
Starting February 1, the company will roll out a new business model for Humble Choice, which will require a brand-new app that’s only available on Windows. You have until January 31 to download games you already own.
New renders of an “iPhone SE 3” show off a gorgeous design upgrade with an edge-to-edge display and no Home button. The device looks a lot like iPhone XR, but with the same dimensions as the current iPhone SE.
These images are said to be based on leaked CAD drawings, but before you get too excited, they’re probably not accurate. At least not for iPhone SE 3.
Apple won't offer security updates on iOS 14 anymore. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is more aggressively encouraging users to update to iOS 15 by stopping security updates for those who don’t.
Cupertino previously made security improvements available as a separate release — and vowed to keep delivering them for those who stick with iOS 14 “until you’re ready to upgrade.” Just a few months later, that’s changed.
They want Garena Online's Free Fire to be pulled. Photo: PUBG
The developer of battle royale hit PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, more commonly known as PUBG, is suing Apple and Google for refusing to remove an alleged clone from the App Store and Google Play.
Krafton Inc of South Korea and PUBG Santa Monica have filed a complaint that focuses on Free Fire, a battle royale game developed by Garena Online. They want the game pulled from Android and iOS, plus monetary damages.
Who needs the App Store? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Fortnite is returning to iPhone and iPad — but you won’t find it in the App Store. Starting next week, the hit battle royale game will be available to stream through Nvidia’s GeForce now, complete with brand-new touch controls.
Players will initially have to sign up to join the closed beta, which requires an active GeForce Now membership, designed to help Nvidia test server capacity and performance. But Fortnite eventually will roll out to all GeForce Now subscribers.
The move is somewhat of a kick in the teeth for Apple, which has been determined to block Fortnite on its own platforms since it booted Epic Games, the game’s creator, from the App Store for breaking the rules.
Cloud gaming is taking off in a big way, and Apple isn't part of it. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple is missing out on another major revenue stream by ignoring cloud gaming services, according to market experts.
While rivals like Amazon, Nvidia and Microsoft are reaping the rewards of a gaming industry boom that’s only expected to get bigger, Apple is leaving money on the table. But there is a simple way it could enjoy a piece of the pie.
Why is Apple struggling to hold onto its chip-makers? Photo: Benjamin Balázs
Another key chip designer has left Apple for Microsoft. Mike Filippo, who joined Cupertino in 2019 after a decade with Arm, is the second processor engineer Apple has lost in as many weeks after Jeff Wilcox left to join Intel.
Filippo will reportedly work on server chips for Microsoft’s Azure group, which is said to be pushing forward with its own silicon for cloud computing services.
Firefox is broke. But you can fix it. Image: Firefox/Cult of Mac
A growing number of Firefox users on Mac (and Windows) are reporting that they are unable to load any websites. The browser hangs indefinitely and shows nothing at all, thanks to what seems like a background server error.
The good news is that there is a relatively simple fix that you can implement yourself until Firefox eliminates the problem for good. We’ll show you how.
It's now available to all. Image: Dropbox/Cult of Mac
The next-generation version of the Dropbox app for macOS, which finally adds native support for Apple silicon chips, is now available to all in beta.
It comes less than a week after Dropbox began testing Apple M1 support with a small number of users. You can try it out for yourself by enabling “early releases” in your account preferences. We’ll show you how.
Please don't, Apple. Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iPhone 14 Pro will feature a strange “hole + pill design” for its front-facing camera and Face ID sensors rather than a notch, according to an analyst.
It was previously believed that Apple would use a hole punch cutout, like a lot of rival smartphone makers. Then that changed to a pill-shaped camera cutout. Now, one analyst, who has proven reliable in the past, says we should expect both.
Live Text works surprisingly awesomely in iOS 15. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
iOS and iPadOS 15 introduce a brilliant new feature called Live Text, which not only identifies text in your photos, but also allows you to interact with it. You can use it for all kinds of things, like making a call, sending an email, or looking up directions to an address.
Here’s how to use the feature to copy and paste text from your images on iPhone and iPad.
Forza Street is just too different to actual Forza. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Microsoft has confirmed that it is throwing in the towel on the only Forza game we got for mobile devices. The free-to-play Forza Street will get its final update this month before closing this spring, just two years after it landed.
“We’re proud and grateful for the community of players we were able to build with Forza Street,” Microsoft said. “We want to use what we learned on building new and exciting Forza products.”