One of Apple's self-driving test vehicles. Photo: Bloomberg
Apple’s effort to build its own self-driving car has hit some more speed bumps in recent weeks.
Some of the best minds working on Apple’s Project Titan team have reportedly left the iPhone-maker to join one of the hottest autonomous vehicle start-ups in Silicon Valley.
Google AMP is bad for the web, and Apple is fixing it so you don't have to. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Google’s web-hostile AMP scheme makes copies of web pages, shrinks them, and serves them instead of the original when you click on a Google search result. It renders your content in non-standard HTML, and removes the original link to the article’s source. Whenever you share the page you’re reading, it forces you to share a the Google AMP URL instead of the original.
Unless you’re using an iPhone, that is. In iOS 11, Mobile Safari strips AMP from any links you share. And iPhones running iOS 10 will load the non-AMP version (i.e. the original version) of a page if you press a link with 3D Touch.
The smart speaker market is suddenly starting to look a lot more crowded.
Sonos has been making some of our favorite wireless speakers for years but it appears that the company is planning to challenge Apple, Amazon, Google and Samsung with its own smart speaker that will also be powered via voice.
Google has expanded the reach of the Google Assistant on iOS.
Until today, the feature was only available to iPhone and iPad users in the U.S. — but now you can access it in a number of new countries throughout Europe, including the U.K.
Apple TV can't compete with Roku. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The gap between Apple TV and Roku continues to widen — only not in Apple’s favor.
According to the latest research data, Apple TV is getting absolutely dominated in the streaming set-top box race. As top rival Roku inches closer toward taking over half the market, Apple TV still struggles to crack into the top three streamers. And the future isn’t looking too bright.
Pollen forecasts right inside Google search. Photo: Google
Google just became an even more useful place for pollen allergy sufferers. You can now view a five-day pollen forecast right inside your search results when using a mobile device to find pollen or allergy information.
Amount will bolster Apple's services business. Photo: Google
Google could pay Apple as much as $3 billion this year in order to remain the default search engine on iOS devices, a new report claims.
The claim comes from Bernstein analyst A.M. Sacconaghi Jr. If true, it would represent a sizable increase from the $1 billion that Apple was paid by Google for the same reason back in 2014.
Don't be fooled into clicking dangerous links. Photo: Google
Google has updated its Gmail app for iOS to introduce anti-phishing security checks. The app automatically detects suspicious links in your emails, then warns you that they might be dangerous when you tap them.
iPhone users are at risk without this feature. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has been urged to bring an emergency location feature that could save countless lives to the iPhone.
Advanced Mobile Location (AML), a technology that allows the emergency services to more accurately locate a person in danger, was brought to Android over a year ago — but it still isn’t available in iOS.
The Tradfri lineup is now even smarter. Photo: Ikea
Ikea’s smart lighting range is now compatible with HomeKit. The company rolled out an update for its wireless hub today that adds the feature, as well as Google Home and Amazon Alexa integration.
It's now easier than ever to share maps and videos. Photo: Google
Google today rolled out a nice new Gboard update for iPhone, adding the ability to send drawings, Google Maps, and YouTube videos. The additions make the best third-party keyboard on iOS even better.
We'd love to see Apple lavish some more attention on the HomePod. Photo: Apple
Apple has confirmed that it won’t store or sell any data collected by its HomePod smart speaker.
HomePod won’t send anything to Apple’s servers until a user activates it with the “Hey Siri” command. Apple encrypts any information received after that point. The data gets encrypted and sent using an anonymous ID.
Tim Cook and Donald Trump don't agree on much. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
U.S. President Donald Trump revealed today on Twitter that he is reversing former President Barack Obama’s decision to allow transgender men and women to serve in the military. And he’s already drawing tons of fire from Silicon Valley.
Apple CEO took to Trump’s favorite social network to blast the decision saying it’s discrimination. Other tech icons are joining his side too with their voices of descent for the president’s actions.
Should Apple rethink its TV strategy. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple TV still isn’t doing any damage to Roku’s control of the TV streaming media player market, based on the latest study that show’s Apple device is still sitting in fourth place in the rankings.
Get a big discount on your new MacBook Pro. Photo: Apple
Google Chrome has been updated to take advantage of the Touch Bar on newer MacBook Pro models. It provides handy navigation shortcuts, fast access to your favorites, as well as a hybrid search and address bar.
If you’ve decided to choose Google Play Music over Apple Music, you’ll be pleased to know the service is now compatible with CarPlay. Simply update to the latest version of the app on your iPhone and you’re good to go.
Google's next Pixel phones will be squeezable. Photo: Google
Google’s next-generation Pixel smartphones will finally give pure Android lovers an alternative to the iPhone’s 3D Touch. But it won’t be anywhere near as good.
Instead of using pressure-sensitive displays like Apple, the company is said to be ripping off the new HTC U11’s squeezable edges.
Giant tax bill against Google has been overturned by a French court. Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC
A Paris court has thrown out the 1.11 billion euros ($1.27 billion) tax bill that France’s tax authorities were demanding from Google — although the French government has said it will appeal the decision.
The verdict could potentially have implications for Apple, which has also found itself on the receiving end of a costly tax bill in the E.U.
The new Ticwatch starts at just $99 if you act fast. Photo: Mobvoi
Apple Watch has a new rival, and it’s one that Apple should be worried about. That’s not because the new Ticwatch is better, but because it’s ultra-affordable at under $100.
For that, you get a simple and colorful design, GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and Android Wear 2.0.
iPhone 8 rumors haven't had an impact yet, either. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
iPhone 7 sales remain “steady” despite the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and a flood of iPhone 8 rumors.
A new report suggests that Apple’s most recent smartphone is dominating the premium smartphone market in the U.S. alongside its main rival, and there’s little sign of a mass-holdout for the big refresh this fall.
Apple News is about to get magazines too. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple may be planning to loosen its tight control of the way ads are run on the Apple News app. And that could mean big bucks for publishers.
A money fix for the app is supposedly in the works, according to a new report that claims publishers potentially could soon make the same amount of money off ads in Apple News as they do from their own websites.
We'd love to see Apple lavish some more attention on the HomePod. Photo: Apple
There isn’t an Apple product Samsung doesn’t have an answer to, so it’s not surprising to hear the South Korean company is developing its own HomePod rival.
It will be powered by Bixby, the Galaxy S8’s new virtual assistant, but it’s likely to be a while before it’s ready to hit the market.
A lot has change since 2007. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
As the iPhone turns 10 years old this week, the Apple’s long streak of dominance makes it seem like iPhone will rule the tech world for the forseeable future. Nothing last forever though, so what could the iPhone look like in 2027 when technology is more seamlessly embedded in our lives?
Cult of Mac is collaborating with Wired U.K. all this week for an in-depth look at the iPhone’s lasting impact and possible future. Tech experts that Wired talked to are pretty optimistic that the iPhone will still exist in some form 10 years from now. But interacting with it will be completely different.