Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple's products and ecosystem.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max beats the Galaxy S24 Ultra in several key aspects. Image: Apple/Samsung
Samsung’s 2024 flagship, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, is here to take on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. On paper, Samsung’s newest Galaxy packs superior hardware to the iPhone. But in a true smartphone smackdown — iPhone 15 Pro Max versus Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — which one would win?
It turns out that a phone is more than just its specs sheet. Below are five reasons why the iPhone 15 Pro Max is better than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iOS 17.3 introduces a major new security feature for iPhones. Image: Cult of Mac
iOS 17.3, the third major release of iOS 17, arrived Monday. It packs several new features, one of which is Stolen Device Protection. It also brings the much-delayed Apple Music playlist collaboration.
Once you install iOS 17.3 on your iPhone, check out the new features you must try below.
An iPad Air with a bigger display could arrive in Q1 2024. Photo: Apple
Rumors indicate Apple is working on a 12.9-inch iPad Air due to launch later this year. A new leak shows off alleged design renders of the upcoming tablet.
The CAD renders show that the 12.9-inch iPad Air will resemble its 10.9-inch sibling. However, it apparently will feature a redesigned rear camera module.
Seven months after its announcement at WWDC23, Apple started accepting preorders for its Vision Pro headset Friday morning — and quickly sold out. Shipping dates for the company’s first AR headset slipped within minutes of preorders opening.
The preorder also answered some questions about the Vision Pro. Plus, if you want one, you still have a chance to get one. The $3,499 mixed-reality headset — which Apple hails as the dawn of “spatial computing” — goes on sale February 2 in Apple retail stores in the United States.
Buy a new Apple Watch and it will do so many functions. Just not Blood Oxygen monitoring. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
With the Apple Watch sales ban back, Apple has decided to sell its latest smartwatches without blood oxygen monitoring in the U.S. The tweaked Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models went go on sale starting January 18 across the company’s online and retail stores.
The Cupertino giant is not making any hardware tweaks to the wearables. Instead, it will turn off the blood oxygen sensor feature through software.
Developers can now link to an external in-app payment method. However, they still will need to pay Apple a commission of 12% to 27% on these transactions. And the mechanism for allowing such external payments might prove so onerous that developers take a pass.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a “bad-faith ‘compliance’ plan” Tuesday — and vowed that his company will contest Apple’s plan in District Court.
Save big on Apple's most powerful MacBook Pros. Photo: Apple
Since its launch in late October 2023, retailers have frequently discounted Apple’s M3 MacBooks. Continuing that trend, Amazon is offering hefty discounts of up to $250 on the M3 Max-powered MacBook Pros.
Thanks to the deal, you can get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip and 1TB storage for as low as $2,999, saving $200 from its $3,199 MSRP.
iPhones and other Apple products are getting discounted in China for Lunar New Year. Photo: Apple
Apple will run a promotion in China offering up to RMB 800 ($70 off) on iPhones. The sale will run from January 18-21 and is available through Apple’s online and retail stores in the country.
The Cupertino company is providing discounts on the most popular products in its portfolio, including iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook Air, and AirPods.
iPhone 16 could get a much-needed system memory boost. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple could equip its entire 2024 iPhone lineup with 8GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6E support. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro models enjoy these features.
Additionally, the company might exclusively use Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon X75 5G modem on the iPhone 16 Pro. The non-Pro variants would stick to the X70 modem used by current-gen iPhones.
Apple's reorganization efforts could cost 121 people their jobs. Image: Apple
Apple is shutting down its Data Operations Annotations office in San Diego and merging employees who are willing to relocate with their teammates in Texas.
The move reportedly comes as a big surprise to the California workers. Until very recently, Apple told them they would simply be moving to another location in San Diego.
Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro go live in a couple of weeks. Photo: Apple
Apple’s Vision Pro headset finally has a release date. Apple will accept preorders for Vision Pro in the United States starting Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. Pacific, the company said Monday.
The headset’s retail availability will begin February 2 at all U.S. Apple Stores, with in-store demos also beginning that day. You also can place your Vision Pro order through Apple’s online store.
The Vision Pro headset is almost here. Photo: Apple
Apple reportedly already started shipping the Vision Pro headset in small quantities to its U.S. warehouses. From there, the AR headset will reach the company’s retail stores.
All these preparations suggest a February launch, ensuring Apple will stick to its promised “early next year” timeframe for releasing its next major product.
A higher-resolution front camera might finally come to the iPhone in 2025. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple could give the iPhone’s front camera a significant upgrade in 2025. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the iPhone 17 will ship with a 24MP TrueDepth camera and a 6P lens.
The higher-resolution sensor “will significantly improve the image quality” and capture more detailed and sharper selfies. While Apple’s plans for this year remain uncertain, many are speculating about the iPhone 16 concept, which could hint at the direction of these camera upgrades. Learn more about what’s expected for the iPhone 17 here.
2024 iPhones could be all about the little improvements. Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
Apple plans some big upgrades for the iPhone 16 lineup in 2024. The phones could get even bigger displays, with AI integration helping make Siri smarter (and, hopefully, a lot more useful).
These changes should arrive on top of the usual yearly upgrades like faster A-series chips and brighter displays. So, what should you expect from iPhones in 2024? Read below to find out.
No Mac? No iMessage on Android for you then Photo: Beeper Mini
Beeper Mini will soon require you to have access to a Mac for using iMessage on Android. Or you will have to use your friend’s Mac to set up Beeper Cloud.
Beeper’s latest workaround comes after Apple’s crackdown. The service has experienced multiple outages this week, with the company claiming its latest fix will address them and deliver a reliable experience.
The fix is unlikely to be ready by the time the import ban goes into effect, though. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Apple engineers reportedly are racing to create a software workaround ahead of a potential Apple Watch import ban in the United States over a patent claim. Apple reportedly hopes to make changes to the algorithm that measures a user’s blood oxygen saturation.
The move comes amid an ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Masimo, a medical devices company that says the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature breaches its patents. The International Trade Commission ruled earlier this year that Apple infringed on patents held by Masimo Corp., which could result in a ban on the import and sales of certain Apple Watches next week.
As a preemptive measure, Apple says it will pause Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales starting December 21. The company also began sending new marketing materials to its retail stores, promoting the Apple Watch without mentioning the Series 9 or Ultra 2. Apple’s decision to pause smartwatch sales does not affect the Apple Watch SE model, as it lacks a blood oxygen sensor.
2024 Apple Watch might pack some big upgrades. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly plans to launch a redesigned Apple Watch next year capable of detecting hypertension and sleep apnea.
Like the temperature sensor on recent Apple Watches, the next-gen model won’t provide exact blood pressure readings. Instead, it will only show if the blood pressure is elevated compared to the baseline reading. If the watch detects hypertension (or sleep apnea), it might recommend a doctor’s visit.
iOS 17.3 beta 1 does not pack many changes but brings an important new security feature to iPhones. Below are all the changes we have spotted in iOS 17.3 beta 1.
Fixing your iPhone 15 or M2 Mac just got easier. Photo: Apple
Apple Self Service Repair program is expanding to include the iPhone 15 and additional M2 Macs. The company is also making its repair program available in 24 new European countries.
With the latest additions, Apple’s Service Service Repair now supports 35 products and is available in 33 countries.
Apple's Journal application arrives in iOS 17.2. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Nearly two months after iOS 17‘s release, Apple released the iPhone operating system’s second major point build Monday. iOS 17.2 introduces several new features and changes, with many that Apple first demoed at WWDC23 in June.
iOS 17.2’s marquee feature is Apple’s new Journal app, though it enhances several other aspects of the OS. Find out everything new in iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 below.
The head of iPhone's product design is leaving Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tang Tan, the vice president of product design for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, is leaving in February 2024. He reportedly made “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”
Following his departure, Apple will reshuffle and split up the hardware design team to manage Tang’s responsibilities.
Apple builds on NameDrop in iOS 17.2 to deliver an even better way to share passes. Photo: Apple
iOS 17.2 will introduce a new way for sharing boarding passes, tickets and other passes stored in the Wallet app.
Like NameDrop, the iOS feature that lets owners easily share contact info, the new way to share passes will require bringing your iPhone close to the top of another iPhone with the Wallet app open.
But these improvements will come at a price. Image: Apple
Apple reportedly plans to use upgraded microphones on the iPhone 16 series for a better Siri experience. The new mics might feature a better signal-to-noise ratio and improved water resistance.
The improved hardware likely would boost manufacturing costs for Apple. But a better Siri — fortified with artificial intelligence — could gives Apple’s reputation a boost when it comes to AI.