Smartphones don’t always need faulty batteries to go boom. One iPhone 6 Plus owner learned this the hard way after being rudely awoken by her handset when it burst into flames on her nightstand.
Apple has created an exciting new industrial process. Photo: USPTO/Cult of Mac
Apple has invented a method for carrying out a “laser polishing” technique which could be used to help create future ceramic iPhones.
The company’s patent application covers an industrial process designed “for polishing a ceramic component using a laser.” The technique could be used to “produce a polished surface” on a wide range of materials, ranging from the white ceramic used for high-end Apple Watch Series 2 models to glass materials, like the reported casing being used for this year’s iPhone 8.
The new MacBook Pro already uses a secondary ARM chip. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is developing a custom ARM chip for future Macs, but it won’t replace the Intel processors that have been powering its computers since 2005, according to a new report.
Instead, the chip is expected to work alongside a machine’s primary CPU, handling “low-power mode functionality.”
This cleverly designed cable includes connections for USB, Micro USB, and Lightning all in one. Photo: Trilobi
This post is presented by Trilobi, maker of the Trilobi Magnetic 3 in 1 MAG Cable.
With all the sleek digital devices in our lives, one thing that doesn’t seem to get more streamlined is the drawer full of cables needed to keep them charged. Thankfully, a sweet, soon-to-be-released cable is about to cure that spaghetti nightmare.
The single photo interface of Instagram is about to see some big changes.
Instagram rolled out a new beta for Android users this week and hidden inside is a new feature that lets users select multiple photos to publish as an album that other viewers can swipe through.
Under CEO Sundar Pichai, Google is betting big on AI. Photo: Google
Apple’s five year reign as the world’s most valuable brand has come to an end. For now.
Even though the iPhone-maker reported historic revenues and profits during its Q1 2017 earnings call yesterday, Google has supplanted Apple in the latest brand rankings.
There was good news all around as iPhone sales, services and even the Mac all performed better than predicted. During today’s earnings call, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri revealed some of the secret sauce that made Apple’s earnings one for the history books.
Samsung was screwed by the Galaxy Note 7 recall. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s stellar quarter for iPhone sales didn’t just put more money in the bank; it also helped the Cupertino company overtake Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone vendor.
According to the latest data from Strategy Analytics, Apple shipped 78.3 million handsets in Q4 2016 — around 800,000 more than Samsung. However, the iPhone wouldn’t have stood a chance if it wasn’t for the Galaxy Note 7 recall.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus helped Apple reverse a three-quarter sales decline. Photo: Apple
The number 7 was lucky for Apple, as worldwide sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus hit a quarterly record and put the breaks on a three-quarter revenue skid, the company said in today’s first quarter earnings report.
Apple saw a 5 percent revenue increase ($54.3 million) with more than 78 million iPhones sold. It was the first full quarter of the iPhone 7, delivered during a time of year that typically generates the best sales figures for Apple because of the holiday shopping season.
Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is set to reveal its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 and, if Wall Street’s estimates are any indicator, it could be Apple’s biggest quarter ever.
After multiple quarters of declining revenues, today’s call could see the company return to growth, lifted by strong iPhone sales over the holidays and a burgeoning services business that has quickly become Apple’s second-biggest moneymaker.
Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are scheduled to hold an open call with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging and analyzing all the action. Get prepped for the call with our guide on what to expect, and join the fun in the liveblog below.
AAPL was up almost 3 percent in after-hours trading to $124.50. Apple stock has been climbing recently but was depressed in anticipation of today’s results.
Tim Cook is thrilled with Apple's Q1 2017 results. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple sold more iPhone units than ever before last quarter, a spasm of sales that finally returned the company to growth, as revealed today in Cupertino’s first earnings report of 2017.
With total revenues of $78.4 billion bringing in a profit of $17.9 billion, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “thrilled” with the results. Wall Street is happy, too: AAPL shares are trading up significantly in after-hours trading.
SiriKit is one of the biggest features in watchOS 3.2. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The first beta build of watchOS 3.2 has finally been made available to developers today, less than a week after iOS 10.3 beta 1 and macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 came out.
Among the new features in watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is a new Theater Mode that makes wearing an Apple Watch in movie theaters a little less annoying for fellow film watchers.
Don't expect smaller iPhones to ever be as good. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Buying a Plus-sized iPhone doesn’t just get you a bigger screen, but also a better phone with more RAM and a greater camera. And there’s a good reason for that.
These things attract a greater number of buyers to Apple’s larger handsets, increasing its profits and the average selling price of the iPhone. And that’s why the iPhone Plus will always be better than its smaller siblings.
The Activation Lock checker has mysteriously disappeared. Screenshot: Cult of Mac
Apple has pulled its iCloud Activation Lock page which helped users find out if an iOS device was locked to an iCloud account.
The tool could be used to verify that a used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch wasn’t stolen before you purchased it — but the website’s URL now leads to an error page.
Let us remind you of the weird Apple products that time forgot. Photo: Hartmut Esslinger
This week on The CultCast: We laugh and cringe about Apple’s weirdest, wackiest and worst products of all time! Plus: How Michael Scott almost single-handedly destroyed Apple; the cool new features in the iOS and macOS betas; facial recognition is coming to iPhone; and a look at the beautiful prototypes that led to some of Apple’s most iconic products.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.
Peter Thiel separates Tim Cook and Donald Trump at tech summit. Photo: Sean Spicer/Twitter
The Trump administration and Apple appear to be patching up their rocky relationship after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with two of Trump’s closest advisers this week.
The holidays were good to Apple. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When Apple reveals its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 next Tuesday, the company could shock us with another record-breaking quarter.
The Q1 2017 earnings will cover Apple’s first full quarter of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus sales, and Apple should also get a big boost from the holiday shopping season, according to some Wall Street estimates. During its last earnings call, Apple predicted its revenue slump will end as the company finally returns to growth this quarter, but will it be enough to satisfy investors?
Here’s what to expect from Apple’s January 31 earnings report.
Grab iOS 10.3 beta 1 while it's hot. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Starting today, all public testers can get in on the new iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4 betas released to developers earlier this week.
If you’re already a member of the Apple Beta Software Program, you can grab iOS 10.3 beta 1 and macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 immediately. If not, just sign up if you want to get early access to upcoming iOS features like Find My AirPods and the new Night Shift mode for Macs.
Random iPhone shutdowns are still happening. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple promised “bug fixes” with its most recent iOS 10.2.1 update, but it failed to fix an annoying issue that causes the iPhone to switch itself off with around 30 percent battery life remaining.
Pop art for the tech generation. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Kitting out your dream geek-room, but don’t know what to put on the walls? Well, have no fear because Retro Patents are here — and they’ve got some unique Apple posters to sell you.
Giving a new lease of life to the original patent illustrations for devices like the iPhone and Macintosh 128K (both of which celebrated their birthdays this month), each $25 print includes the names of its inventors, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reference number, product name, and the date of the original patent filing.
iPhone's switch to OLED could be temporary. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple supplier Japan Display has found a way to reduce the cost of flexible displays by swapping OLED panels for LCD. The company plans to start mass producing its new screens in 2018, and they’re likely to appear in future iPhones.