Beeper Mini reverse engineered iMessage to send blue texts like an iPhone, but Apple blocked it, citing security and privacy concerns. Photo: Beeper Mini
Security and privacy concerns caused Apple to block messaging service Beeper Mini, the company said Sunday. But on Monday Beeper Mini got around the block and pledged to keep making its service available.
This followed Beeper Mini’s highly publicized launch on December 5. It said it had successfully reverse-engineered iMessage to turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones.
From that moment, many people wondered how long Apple would let it stand (just a few days, it turned out).
Update: Beeper Mini is back with improvements, according to a new blog post that puts the ball back in Apple’s court. Beeper said it’s willing to share its codebase with an independent research firm and reirterated it could add a pager emoji to enable filtering of Beeper Mini messages in iMessage. See more on the story so far below.
The best tablets in the world are about to get even better. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest Apple rumors point to a jumbo iPad Air and even-better (and pricier) iPad Pros landing in early 2024. Plus, Apple’s powerful M3 chip reportedly will come to more Macs.
We run down what it all means. Brace yourself for performance!
Also on The CultCast:
Cool new features coming to next-gen iPhones will make Apple’s world-beating smartphone even better. We’re especially excited about a turbocharged Action button.
Government spying on push notifications is definitely a thing.
Installment number one of our “best of 2023” picks. These fabulous things made us quiver with joy this year.
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.
Check out our guide for gifting Apple products this holiday season. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You’re running out of time to buy the Apple gifts your loved ones want for the holidays. If you need to buy an iPhone, iPad or AirPods, you need to make a well-informed decision quickly — but how do you know which model to get?
Any sealed surface will take Xvida's mounting pad to magnetically hold your iPad. Photo: Xvida
iPads are light and easy to handle, but sometimes you need your hands for other tasks — like glancing at a recipe while cooking. That’s where Xvida’s Magnetic Wall Mount for tablets comes in super, well, handy.
And it’s available now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $25.
The largest iPad Air yet is on the way. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The long wait for fresh iPads will reportedly come to an end in March 2024. The first 12.9-inch iPad Air will launch then, according a reliable Apple tipster, as will the much-anticipated iPad Pro with an OLED screen.
In addition, new versions of Apple Pencil and the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad will also be unveiled at the same time.
Discounted iMacs are on the gift list this season at bargain site Woot! Photo: Apple
Amazon bargain site Woot! would never miss out on giving you discounted gift options on Apple gear for the holidays, and so it offers a sale right on the heels of Cyber Monday.
iMacs, Mac minis, MacBooks, iPads, Studio Displays — the list of 18 items at up to 51% off is well worth a look. Sale goes through December 5, but these deals likely will sell out early.
These Black Friday Apple deals are still live! Image: Rajesh/Cult of Mac
Black Friday and Cyber Monday provide an excellent opportunity to buy a new MacBook, iPad and other Apple products at heavily discounted prices. This year, we saw some hefty discounts on Apple gear during the shopping marathon.
But what if you missed buying the MacBook or Apple Watch you wanted? While Black Friday and Cyber Monday might be over, the deals are not all gone. Check out the five best Apple deals that are still live below.
Keep your iPad safe and secure at all times in a rugged Zugu case. Photo: Zugu
The prize in this week’s giveaway is every iPad owner’s dream: an iPad case from Zugu with a built-in Apple Pencil holder. We teamed up with Zugu to give five lucky winners the chance to win one of these fantastic iPad cases.
Zugu’s cases start at $49.99, fit a wide array of iPads, and come in nine different colors. So if you win, you will be spoiled for choice.
Check out these amazing Cyber Monday discounts on some popular Apple products. Photo: Rajesh
Did you miss buying your favorite Apple gear or accessory during Black Friday? Do not worry, as Cyber Monday is here. This is probably your last chance to get a new MacBook, iPad, or Apple Watch at its lowest price before the holidays.
You can get the recently launched M3 MacBook Pro with a 10-core GPU for just $1,449 ($150 off). You can score even bigger discounts of up to $250 on the 15-inch MacBook Air. The Apple Pencil 2 is also down to its new lifetime low price of $79.99 after a massive $49 off.
While Apple is running its own shopping event for Cyber Monday, you should look at deals from third-party retailers, as they are offering bigger discounts. However, as always, these prices could change at any time and/or the products could sell out.
There are some great deals to be had on Apple gear and accessories during the 2023 Black Friday sales. Photo: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
Update: Black Friday might be over but the deals certainly are not. Many of the best deals on Apple products are still live and you can score some hefty discounts on them this shopping season. In fact, some of these deals disappeared for a while on Black Friday — like the iPad (9th gen) for just $229 (save $100) — then reappeared at some point!
There are lots of great Apple deals to be had on Black Friday 2023 — just not from Apple itself. Apple is usually pretty stingy when it comes to Black Friday (Tim Cook loves his margins!). This year, you can get an Apple gift card worth up to $200 when you splash out on select products, but the latest and greatest — iPhone 15, M3 MacBook Pros, iMac, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — are not included.
However, there are great savings on Apple products from third-party retailers like Best Buy, B&H Photo, Target and Walmart. All these stores offer significant discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPads, iPhones and more. Here are the best deals on Apple gear we’ve found.
Who will take over when Tim Cook finally steps down as Apple CEO? Apparently, he has some ideas.
Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Tim Cook recently said Apple has “very detailed” succession plans for when he eventually steps down as CEO. Plus, the company definitely plans to hire from within. That got us thinking … who’s next in Apple’s game of thrones?
Also on The CultCast:
OLED screens might come to iPad Air and iPad mini somewhat soonish.
Europe’s busybody technocrats have some more grand plans for Apple and other manufacturers. We’ve got mixed emotions.
Sonos reportedly wants to take on Apple TV and AirPods Max with rival products.
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.
You can get the iPad 10 or the iPad 9 at $100 below the usual cost. Photo: Cult of Mac
iPad 10 is a capable tablet for school or fun, and you can now grab one for $349. And the entry-level iPad 9 is down to a mere $229. That’s $100 off either model, a truly significant saving on what are already Apple’s lower-price tablets.
The holiday season is almost here, and those planning to gift an iPad can take advantage of these deals before they go away.
Just how extreme is the MacBook Pro's thermal throttling? Original photo: Christopher Burns
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Tests performed on the M3 MacBook Pros reveal the performance-crushing effects of thermal throttling and skimpy RAM. Erfon is not impressed!
Also on The CultCast:
Apple shocks everyone by pledging to support Rich Communication Services for better texting between iPhones and Android devices.
Griffin runs down some of the most interesting new features coming soon in iOS 17.2.
Apple reportedly plans to overhaul the iPad lineup next year, and a mammoth 12.9-inch iPad Air is apparently on the menu.
If the iPhone 16 gets exclusive AI features, will Siri really get smarter? We’re extremely skeptical.
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.
A refurbished iPad and an accessory bundle featuring Beats Flex headphones makes a perfect gift. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Looking for a Black Friday sale on an iPad? For a limited time, you can score an incredible deal on a near-mint refurbished iPad bundled with all the accessories you could need — including a set of Beats wireless headphones.
Through November 26, this combo goes for only $219.97, with no coupon necessary.
OLED iPad models might come in big and small sizes. Image: Cult of Mac/Apple/Paul Inkles
Add iPad Air and iPad mini to the list of Apple tablets getting OLED screens. At least, that’s what an unconfirmed report coming out of Asia says. And the mini will supposedly get a boost in display size.
The top-of-the-line iPad Pro models will reportedly get the enhanced display type much sooner, though.
A 12.9-inch iPad Air could join the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2024. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple could overhaul its tablet lineup in 2024, delivering the first 12.9-inch iPad Air and upgrading iPad Pro models to OLED displays and the company’s fast new M3 chip.
The upgrades could help boost iPad shipments to between 52 million and 54 million units in 2024, up from about 50 million in 2023.
iPhone and other Apple devices may have much better batteries within a couple of years. Photo: PBKreviews
Apple is developing greatly improved batteries for its future devices, according to a new report. It appears the iPhone-maker wants to create a custom process in-house and own it — rather than outsourcing — just like it did with Apple silicon chips.
You don't need a console to play Resident Evil Village, just an iPhone 15 Pro or a recent high-end or mid-range iPad. Photo: Capcom
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max owners can start playing the console-quality version of Resident Evil Village. The survival horror game hit the App Store just in time for Halloween.
It can also be played on iPads with high-end processors.
Multiple new iPads could be just five months away. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Spring 2024 could bring array of new iPad models, according to a reliable Apple tipster. This might include models from the smallest iPad mini to the largest iPad Pro.
Some of the changes will be only a faster processor, but other tablets will supposedly see more dramatic improvements.
Apple Pencil (USB-C) with iPad is the lowest-cost stylus made by Apple. Photo: Apple
Apple just took the wraps off a lower-price version of its iPad stylus. The new Apple Pencil uses a USB-C port for charging so it’s a better fit for use with the budget iPad.
“Apple Pencil has revolutionized note taking, sketching, and illustrating, unleashing endless possibilities for productivity and creativity,” said Bob Borchers, Apple VP of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Combined with the versatility of iPad, the new Apple Pencil unlocks another great option to experience the magic of digital handwriting, annotation, marking up documents, and more.”
The new version is $50 less than Apple Pencil 2, the premium model. But it lacks some of the features of the top-of-the-line version.
New iPads with faster chips could arrive soon. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple could announce new iPads as soon as Tuesday, according to a new report. The company could unveil a new entry-level iPad, an updated iPad Air and the iPad mini 7.
All refreshed iPads purportedly will sport a minor spec bump but few other changes.
These are the Prime Big Deal Days you don't want to miss. Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Did you miss buying your favorite Apple gear or accessory during Prime Day earlier in the year? Worry not, as Amazon is back with its Prime Big Deal Days, offering hefty discounts on a hoard of Apple products and accessories.
There are great deals on MacBooks, AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads and other Apple accessories that make your favorite products much more affordable.
Make your iPad into a screen for any device that supports HDMI output with Lux Orion and an adapter. Photo: Lux
You can make your iPad into an external screen for your Mac, a Nintendo Switch, a camera or another device. All you need is the free Lux Orion application and a relatively cheap adapter.
Lux, the maker of the brilliant Halide camera application, made Orion just for fun. But it’s very useful, too.