Lewis Wallace is the managing editor of Cult of Mac and author of our weekly newsletter, The Weekender.
He's a San Francisco-based writer and editor specializing in technology and culture. He loves his iPhone, hates Siri, and appreciates any hardware that combines form and function.
Prior to Cult of Mac, he juggled words and ideas as culture editor at Wired.com, homepage editor at TechTV, news product manager at NBCi, copy editor at PC World, reporter at The (Hayward) Daily Review and editor in chief of EveryBody's News in Cincinnati.
He earned a bachelor of general studies degree with a journalism certificate from the University of Cincinnati. While in school, he worked as the entertainment editor of The News Record and as editor in chief of Clifton Magazine.
In the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, which one is Thanos? Image: Whelsko/Flickr CC
In an order issued Monday night, a U.S. district judge blocked Apple from revoking Epic Games’ developer accounts as the legal battle between the two companies moves toward trial.
The move protects Unreal Engine, Epic’s software suite that is widely used by other game developers, from becoming collateral damage in the high-profile legal battle.
From meetings and home automation to dispute resolution, these apps make things easier. Image: Cult of Mac
You can get a comprehensive overview of all your HomeKit cams with Eve’s latest app update. And if you spot neighbors doing something fishy on your property, you can use Jury to settle the dispute virtually rather than taking them to court (or throwing fists like a barbarian).
Those are just two of the featured apps in our roundup of the week’s best new apps and updates.
This is a unbeatable deal on a great iPhone charger. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
This Logitech Powered charger is a fantastic way to top off your iPhone. Its unique design lets you slide your phone in vertically or horizontally, so you can watch videos, take FaceTime calls or do whatever it is you do while you juice up your device.
Jason Sudeikas shoots! He scores! Photo: Apple TV+
Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ comedy about a clueless American football coach who lands a job in Britain leading a team that plays that other kind of football, will come back for a second season, Apple said Wednesday.
Jason Sudeikas plays the lead in the show, which debuted on Apple TV+ last week. We’re only three episodes in to season 1, but so far, it looks like a winner. (Don’t take my word for it. Read the Cult of Mac review: Ted Lasso’s heart is too big to bench.)
We love Apple Watch the way it is. And we can't wait for Cupertino to make it even better. Cover: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
When Apple Watch Series 6 arrives — early next month, if history and this week’s leak are any indication — what new features will it bring?
As usual, Cupertino’s pretty locked down. But we hope we’ll get some or all of the bells and whistles in this week’s cover story: What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? It’s our wish list for Apple Watch Series 6.
Read it in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine or get the links below. (There’s plenty of other Apple news, reviews and how-tos in it as well.).
If you want an iPhone 12 Pro, you might be waiting longer than you'd like. Photo: Terquosive Labs
Apple will hold an iPhone 12 event the week of October 12, with the device shipping a week later, according to up-and-coming leaker Jon Prosser. The iPhone 12 Pro would land the following month, he said.
Without citing a source (obviously), he tweeted his “new, adjusted Apple dates” Wednesday afternoon.
Today brings minor updates for iPhone, iPad and Mac users. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple released updates for iOS, iPadOS and macOS on Wednesday that fix a variety of small problems. These aren’t big changes, but if you’ve got one of the problems outlined in the release notes, they should prove quite welcome indeed.
Here’s how Apple describes today’s updates — iOS 13.6.1 (and the iPad equivalent) and macOS Catalina 10.15.6 supplemental update:
This camera-centric setup is easy on the eyes. Photo: Brandon Remler
This standup setup is definitely ready for its close-up. Artfully outfitted by Fujifilm North America salesman Brandon Remler, it sports a pair of laptops. But the real focus falls on Remler’s array of cameras, both film and digital.
“I do primarily use digital,” Remler told Cult of Mac in an email. “I did film for 20 years and it has a great feel and experience. Now moved on to Fujifilm GFX system. Gfx100 or Gfx50 — as well as our other Fujifilm x series (have one of everything so it’s not fair ;-).”
Martin Scorsese is the latest star to land at Apple TV+. Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr CC
The next Goodfellas or Taxi Driver might be an Apple Original. Cupertino signed Martin Scorcese’s Sikelia Productions to a first-look deal that will see him direct and produce films and TV shows for Apple TV+.
It’s the latest high-profile pact signed by Apple execs as they seek to corner the market on the world’s most talented visual creators. The company continues to hustle, buying big-name properties and signing directors, actors, producers and other top Hollywood talent to exclusive deals.
Running Windows on a Mac just got better. Again. Image: Parallels
Parallels Desktop 16 for Mac launched Tuesday, bringing new features and performance enhancements that mean the virtualization software delivers the “ultimate Windows-on-Mac experience,” the company said.
The update also preps the popular software for the upcoming release of macOS Big Sur. That required a major effort from Parallels’ engineers.
“We had to re-engineer all of the (kernel extensions) that we would need from scratch to work with the new macOS kext that’s integrated into the product,” said John Uppendahl, Parallels’ VP of global communications, during an online briefing about the software. “And to give you context, that alone took 25 man-years of engineering work.”
Here's why we love this longtime Apple exec. Cover: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
We’re all going to miss Phil Schiller now that he’s stepped down from his role as Apple’s marketing chief. He was a close friend of Steve Jobs, and he played a major role in Cupertino for decades.
To be clear, he’s not leaving Apple entirely. Instead, he became an Apple Fellow (and he’ll run the App Store and Apple Events). Still, it’s a big change for Cupertino. In tribute to an Apple OG, let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive Phil Schiller’s greatest hits.
That post is just one of the good reads you’ll find in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and get all the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos in an easy-to-read package.
This might be the most unusual iPad Pro stand yet. Photos: Craig Smith
For law teacher Craig Smith, working from home meant improvising. And the inexpensive but effective DIY setup he concocted throws together a couple of strange Apple bedfellows: He uses a vintage PowerBook G4 to elevate his main computer, an 11-inch iPad Pro.
“I needed a little more room to spread out and not feel claustrophobic,” Smith told Cult of Mac. “So, I moved my setup to the dining room table that seats six, as I have little need these days to use it as a spot to actually dine.”
That’s when he got creative with ergonomics and pressed his vintage PowerBook into service as an iPad stand.
Time to get back in the game! Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
If you put your fitness goals on the back burner due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s time to turn up the heat. And if you own an Apple Watch, the wonderful wearable is your ultimate post-lockdown fitness pal.
These tips will help you get back in shape, post-lockdown, with a little help from your friend. Find out how in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now to read on your iOS device, or follow the links below to read this week’s top Apple news, how-tos and reviews in your browser.
We're going to be waiting a little bit longer than usual for this year's iPhones. Photo: Ben Geskin
The 2020 iPhones likely won’t arrive until October at the earliest, Apple said during Thursday’s earnings call.
“Last year we started selling new iPhones in late September,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later.”
Get ready for another stock split, Apple investors! Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Apple’s board of directors has approved a four-to-one stock split, the company said Thursday. AAPL stock, which closed Thursday at $384.76, should go for around $100 a share when the split occurs in late August.
The news, revealed in Apple’s blowout Q3 2020 earnings report, means investors with one share at close of business on Aug. 24 will be given three additional shares trading at one-fourth the price. It’s basically a psychological move that makes Apple stock seem more affordable.
Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices. Photo: C-SPAN
Apple CEO Tim Cook defended App Store business practices and said his company treats all software developers equally as he faced questioning Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee.
Cook said it’s in Apple’s best interest to treat devs fairly. The company wants the best and brightest to write iOS apps, he said, because killer software proves essential for a company engaged in a “street fight for market share in the smartphone business.”
The award-winning iPhone photog shares some of her secrets for capturing the perfect moment. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Dimpy Bhalotia’s captivating pictures racked up big wins at this week’s prestigious iPhone Photography Awards. Find out how she does it — and how you can take better pictures with your iPhone — in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. The free iOS mag was built for reading on your iPad or iPhone.
Grab it now and get your weekend reading squared away. We filled it with how-tos for all your Apple gear and reviews of things like new podcast Apple News Today. Plus, you’ll get your fill of Apple news (like Cupertino’s big commitment to go 100% carbon neutral).
Download it now. Or hit the links below to read the stories in your browser.
Take this simple precaution to keep your chats private. Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Facebook Messenger’s new App Lock feature lets you add an extra layer of security to the popular chat app. iPhone and iPad users can switch on Face ID or Touch ID so they never need to worry about anybody seeing their messages.
The previously rumored feature, which Facebook rolled out for iOS devices Wednesday, is easy to enable. Plus, you can tweak a setting to make sure App Lock works ideally for you. Here’s all you need to do to turn on Face ID or Touch ID for Facebook Messenger.
Apple News Today is a news podcast with zero partisan rage. Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Apple News Today, the breezy new podcast showcasing the day’s top news stories, sounds perfectly peppy and polished. Maybe too perfectly polished, in fact — you won’t find a single rough edge on this slickly produced daily news report, which Apple unleashed last week with iOS 13.6. You will endure no energized, partisan rants, either. These straight-down-the-middle reports won’t get your blood boiling while you make your morning coffee or tea. If you’re tired of partisanship, this is the antidote.
What you will find in the weekday audio show is steady promotion of the Apple News app, and of Apple News+, the company’s reportedly struggling subscription news service. This upbeat and earnest free daily news briefing basically functions as a Trojan horse for getting in the ears of potential Apple News+ subscribers.
It's actually fairly simple to get this software running on an iOS device. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
If you’ve always dreamed of running a Windows or Mac operating system on iPhone or iPad, this is your lucky day. We’ve got how-tos that show you how to run Windows XP or Mac OS X on an iOS device. It turns out it’s not that difficult — and it doesn’t require a jailbreak!
If you’re not up for a weekend project like that, don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of other good reading in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and enjoy all the week’s top stories on your iPad or iPhone.
It’s got plenty of Apple news, including info on iOS 13.6 and the other software updates Apple released this week.
Apple News layers on new features in iOS 13.6. Photo: Apple
Apple released iOS 13.6 Wednesday, boosting its Apple News offering and bringing other new features to iPhone and iPad.
As expected, the company added audio versions of key stories from Apple News+, the paid version of its news aggregation service. Apple also added a new daily audio show called Apple News Today, which is available in the free version of the Apple News app.
In addition, the company beefed up its list of organizations pumping news content into the service. However, the Apple News audio features will only be available to U.S. users, the company said.
Did you own an iPhone throttled by Apple? If so, you could get a $25 check. Photo: andri333/Pixabay CC
If you owned an iPhone that took a performance hit after a controversial iOS update, Apple might owe you $25. The payments follow Apple’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit over “Batterygate.”
However, to get your check, your claim must be received by October 6, 2020. Find out how to apply for a Batterygate payment, and exactly what you need to qualify, below.
It’s free, and it also packs the latest Apple news and how-tos. Plus, this week we’ve got reviews of three new Apple TV+ offerings, including Tom Hanks’ World War II movie, Greyhound.
Download it now and enjoy it on your favorite iOS device. (Or use the links below to read in your browser.)
Tap the little speaker icon to hear the name pronunciation Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
If you’re applying for jobs and want to help recruiters avoid an awkward moment as they struggle to pronounce your name, a new LinkedIn feature can help.
It just takes a minute to record the proper pronunciation of your name and add the audio clip to the networking and job-search platform. Here’s how to do potential recruiters a solid — and how to have a little (possibly ill-advised) fun if you dare.