Lewis Wallace - page 2

Apple released iOS 18.7 and iPadOS 18.7 on Monday to close a lengthy list of security holes.

The updates address a wide array of threats, from unexpected app or system termination to an app being able to spy on users’ keystrokes. If you’re not updating to iOS 26 or iPadOS 26, which also arrived Monday, you should grab these security updates as soon as possible.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After Apple’s truly Awe Dropping event, we’re picking up the pieces and discussing iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and the rest of the new hardware.

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple built iPhone 17 Pro like a tool for professionals. But is the cosmic orange color undeniably vibrant?
• The new Apple Watches look like solid additions, although the Apple Watch SE 3 gets the most meaningful upgrades.
• AirPods Pro 3 make one of our favorite Apple products even better.
• Somewhat surprisingly, Apple extends marquee features of Apple Watch Series 11 and AirPods Pro 3 to older devices.
• And finally, we go over the results of our Awe Dropping predictions game.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The new Center Stage front camera in the iPhone 17 lineup uses advanced hardware and AI magic to rid us of a thoroughly modern annoyance: having to flip your grip to capture a landscape selfie.

“We are thrilled to introduce our phenomenal new Center Stage front camera,” said iPhone product manager Megan Nash during Tuesday’s Awe Dropping event. “It gives you more pixels, more flexible ways to frame your shot, and incredible stabilization.”

The hardware secret that unlocks this new age of selfie supremacy? A square sensor that’s bigger than ever — almost twice the size of the iPhone’s previous front camera. It’s coming soon to a bar near you in the super-slim iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max, all of which Apple unveiled Tuesday.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With Apple’s Awe Dropping event bearing down on us, it’s time to once again put our professional reputations (and our personal dignity) on the line with our traditional predictions game!

Who will win this time? And will a CultCast listener steal the glory once again?!?

Also on The CultCast:

• A stripped-down version of the Vision Pro, possibly called the Vision Air, could reduce the strain on users’ necks (and wallets).
• A proposed iMac Lego set is gaining supporters online. Let’s take it over the top!
• Apple wins one in court — and it’s a big one. A judge rules that the $20 billion payments that Google forks over to Apple each year can continue.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version on YouTube.

Google can continue its search deal to pay Apple billions of dollars a year for a prime spot as Safari’s default search engine, as long as it’s not an exclusive placement, a court ruled Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta said the proposed banning of such payments — which amounted to $26 billion to Apple and others in 2021, and likely grew since then — would actually help Google. Such a move also posed a “substantial risk of harm” to Apple, consumers and Google’s other partners, he said.

“Google will not be barred from making payments or offering other consideration to distribution partners for preloading or placement of Google Search, Chrome, or its GenAI products,” Mehta wrote in the 226-page ruling released Tuesday. “Cutting off payments from Google almost certainly will impose substantial — in some cases, crippling — downstream harms to distribution partners, related markets, and consumers, which counsels against a broad payment ban.”

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: A string of leaks from Majin Bu showcase a new line of “TechWoven” iPhone cases. This looks to be Apple’s replacement for the hated FineWoven cases, with a new material that will make the whole thing less sucky.

But does the world really need a replacement for leather iPhone cases?

Also on The CultCast:

• iPhone 17e might take a welcome trip to the Dynamic Island, and the Apple Watch might add Touch ID.
• An eye-popping eight-display setup leaves us slightly amazed and full of questions.
• Anker’s brand-new iPhone power bank is super-slim and super-cool.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

Apple Original Films said Monday it acquired The Dink, a new comedy movie starring Jake Johnson as a faded tennis player who embraces the sport that shall not be named: pickleball.

Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) will direct a promising cast led by Johnson (New Girl and Minx), along with Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris and Chloe Fineman.

Comedy legend (and Severance executive producer) Ben Stiller will make an on-screen appearance. As will actual tennis stars Andy Roddick and John McEnroe.

Apple pledged Wednesday to make 100% of the glass screens on all iPhones and Apple Watches in the United States for the first time. The company committed $2.5 billion as part of its expanding partnership with Corning, which will produce the iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass at its plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

“We’ve worked with our partners at Corning to build the world’s largest and most advanced smartphone glass production line,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a White House briefing Wednesday afternoon, during which he committed an additional $100 billion investment in American manufacturing. “I’m pleased to announce that very soon — this is for the first time ever — every single new iPhone and every single new Apple Watch sold anywhere in the world will contain cover glass made in Kentucky.”

In an unusual all-hands meeting Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook assured employees that Apple won’t drop the ball when it comes to artificial intelligence. Calling AI “as big or bigger” than the internet, Cook said the company will rise to the occasion.

“Apple must do this,” he said. “Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab. We will make the investment to do it.”

In addition to hyping the company’s AI efforts, Cook expressed excitement about all the “amazing” new Apple products in the pipeline. And Apple software chief Craig Federighi told his colleagues not to worry about the long-delayed smarter Siri — a key component of Apple’s AI-infused future.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple reportedly plans to release its cheapest MacBook ever next year. This low-cost laptop might run on an iPhone chip and help Apple convince more people to switch from Windows machines.

Could playful colors — and possibly a plastic case — make this low-end Apple laptop a hit?

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple might lean on Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT to power the long-delayed smarter Siri.
• A new timeline lays out what to expect from the next three years of Apple Vision headsets and smart glasses.
• In the how-to segment, we discuss our picks for the best Apple Watch faces. We also talk about why you might want to change things up.
• In the new listener question segment, we explain what to do when you’re low on iCloud storage.
• And in an all-new Under Review, Leander describes the benefits of three inexpensive aftermarket CarPlay screens.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video, embedded below.

My go-to Apple Watch Ultra band sports an American flag and a Velcro-style fastener that makes it easy to take on and off. And thanks to a sizzlin’ summertime deal on Amazon, you can grab one for less than $10.

The manufacturer’s name is Hehighti. (Never heard of ’em before buying on Amazon.) And the product’s ridiculous full name is “Rugged Nylon Band for Apple Watch Ultra Band 49mm 45mm 44mm 42mm,Soft Sport Loop Adjustable Wristbands Replacement Strap for Apple Watch Band iWatch Ultra Series 9/8/7/SE/6/5/4/3/2/1,USA Flag Army Green.”

But don’t let that Amazon SEO garbage, or the fact that the band’s not made in America, keep you from jumping on this patriotic deal.

June 12, 2005: Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers a brilliant commencement speech to graduating students at Stanford University.

Packed with incredible insights, the motivational speech includes many memorable lines that capture the essence of Jobs’ incredible life — and provide a template for success through following your passions. And he does it all in less than 15 minutes.

A “haptic trailer” for Apple Original film F1: The Movie adds a new dimension to all the roaring race cars and manic pit stop maneuvers. When viewed on an iPhone, the first-of-its-kind trailer triggers the device’s Taptic Engine in sync with the on-screen action.

The unique trailer Apple released Monday is the buzziest movie gimmick since Percepto!, the system of electric buzzers placed underneath theater seats by director William Castle to stoke interest in his 1959 horror flick The Tingler.

The new Liquid Glass look of tvOS 26 gets out of your way so you can enjoy movies and TV shows more easily. And along with the gorgeous new transparent design, tvOS 26 brings new features that should make using Apple TV even better.

“tvOS brings the best of Apple into your living room,” said Apple TV product manager lead Justin Washington during Monday’s WWDC25 keynote.

“With tvOS 26, we’re making Apple TV more enjoyable than ever,” said. “And it all begins with the new design with Liquid Glass, which looks incredible on the big screen. App icons feel more vibrant, thanks to their layered design and new specular highlights that bring depth and detail to every edge.”

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest video from Front Page Tech leaker in chief Jon Prosser gives us a closer look at what iOS 19 might look like. Its glossy UI elements and rounder “squircles” for app icons get us pondering the future. And the feud between Prosser and Bloomberg scoop machine Mark Gurman gets us laughing!

Also on The CultCast:

• The iPhone 17 Pro might not look as different as previous rumors indicated.
• The threat of rising prices due to tariffs propels some shoppers to Apple stores for a little (probably unnecessary 😬) panic buying.
• On a related topic, if you thought Apple might move its manufacturing to the United States to avoid import tariffs, don’t hold your breath.
• And finally, Griffin explains how you can do almost anything on your iPhone using voice commands.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Griffin goes deep on the M3 iPad Air and the M4 MacBook Air, which he recently reviewed from his unique perspective as a Mac mini fanatic. He loved them both, but which one rules the day? And can either of them come close to his desktop dynamo?

Also on The CultCast:

• Erfon digs into the M3 Ultra benchmarks.
• There’s a shakeup in Siri land! Can the new boss fix Apple’s virtual assistant and/or deliver Siri’s promised AI upgrade?
• Surprise, surprise — Apple is working on a new monitor.
• iOS 19 might turn AirPods into real-time translators, which sounds like a killer feature for travelers.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple’s new immersive concert video Metallica will give Vision Pro owners a unique experience of one of the band’s pulse-pounding shows. Filmed during the band’s M72 World Tour, it captures three Metallica songs in ultra-high-resolution, 180-degree video and Spatial Audio.

In a press release Tuesday, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich described the immersive video as a revolutionary twist on the standard concert film.

“Game-changing is putting it lightly,” Ulrich said. “Seeing our concert like that, along with the energy of the Mexico City fans — it’s very immersive, and it’s super-fun. We’ve always been interested in pushing the boundaries, and Metallica on Apple Vision Pro is exactly that.”

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: There’s plenty to talk about after an absolutely magical barrage of new Apple products unveiled this week. We discuss the highlights (and lowlights) of all the new Macs and iPads.

Also on The CultCast:

• What’s in the latest iOS 18.4 and visionOS 2.4 betas? Griffin gives us an overview of new features.
• Erfon struggles with yet another Apple buying decision.
• Griffin gives the iPhone 16e a surprise rave review.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple confirmed Friday that the smarter Siri promised at WWDC24 isn’t coming together as quickly as anticipated. After touting the minor Siri upgrades that already rolled out, a company statement ended on a depressing note.

“We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps,” said Apple spokeswoman Jacqueline Roy. “It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”

This confirms multiple previous rumors indicating that users pining for a smarter Siri shouldn’t hold their breath.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: A new leak of CAD files gives us our supposed first look at the full iPhone 17 lineup. And, looking further into the future, it sounds like Apple ironed out the final wrinkle that was holding back a folding iPhone. We discuss the latest iPhone leaks and rumors, digging into what sounds good and what sounds bad. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for an action-packed gaming experience, Smoke Lara takes you on a thrilling adventure—check out our Guardian of Light iPhone review to learn more.

Also on The CultCast:

• What’s new in the first iOS 18.4 beta? Griffin gives us the rundown on new iPhone features coming soon.
• iPhone 15 Pro users can look forward to Visual Intelligence, one of Apple’s more useful AI tools.
• New MacBook Airs should be coming our way in the very near future.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Tim Cook’s cryptic tease about “the newest member of the [Apple] family” fuels speculation about what new products the company will announce. Let the predictions begin! While Apple’s future continues to spark debate, it’s interesting to look back at past predictions—such as when CNN speculated about Apple’s downfall. Ever wondered how much is CNN worth? Check out this historical perspective on Apple’s supposed decline.

We made our predictions live on the podcast. You can play along in our predictions game.

Also on The CultCast:

• The new Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds offer cool features — and come in hot colors.
• Erfon defends his decisions re: his recent MacBook Pro and iPad Pro purchases.
• Apple’s venture into robotics sounds pretty serious. What might the first products look like?
• And finally, the first folding iPhone might arrive next year. The latest rumor gives us hope.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Our first glimpse at Apple’s AI-powered robotic lamp makes us giddy with hope for the secret iPad-on-a-stick project we’ve been skeptical about in the past. The surprisingly lifelike Apple robo-lamp looks just like Pixar’s Luxo Jr. How cute is that?!?

Join us for the conversation about the future of Apple robotics. (We really want the lamp.)

Also on The CultCast:

• Apple’s M5 chip is coming soon. How good will it be? And what product will it appear in first?
• Griffin tells us all about Apple’s new Invites app, which makes party planning simple and elegant.
• Erfon provides an update on his recent MacBook Pro and iPad Pro purchases. The 14-day return window is about to slam shut — and he’s not sure he’s keeping either of them! He explains why.
• We weren’t sure we could top the Andy Warhol banana iPhone case, but Zugu’s iPad case with a built-in dead man’s switch is right up there on the “crazy products we love” list.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulls the plug on a secret AR glasses project. What does this mean for Vision Pro?

Also on The CultCast:

• Erfon discusses the pros and cons of the 13-inch iPad Pro.
• Apple’s latest earnings call yields some astonishing factoids.
• Apple still plans to fix Siri — and to roll out the delayed CarPlay 2.
• We end with a laugh at one of the craziest iPhone cases we’ve ever seen.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The banana-shaped iPhone case in the new Andy Warhol x Casetify collection is the most bizarre Apple accessory we’ve seen in a while. It’s gigantic, fragile and expensive. And it even comes with three stickers that look like what you’d see on an actual banana at the grocery store.

It’s only one of the many Apple accessories in the eye-catching new collection, produced by Casetify under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Is 2025 the year we see a big iOS 19 redesign based on the look and feel of visionOS? A new rumor says so, starting with the Camera app. There’s much to discuss!

Also on The CultCast:

• Erfon finally made a decision on what size iPad Pro to buy.
• We discuss the latest rumors about the upcoming iPhone SE and iPad Air models.
• Apple takes steps to eliminate AI-generated fake news from notification summaries. But the company seems more intent than ever on getting everyone to use Apple Intelligence.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.