Siri can now send friends cash using PayPal. Photo: PayPal
PayPal is making it super-easy to send friends money, thanks to new Siri support introduced in the company’s iOS app today.
Now you can use voice commands to tell Siri how much money to send, and who to send it to. All you have to do is set up the PayPal app to give Siri access. Here’s how to do it:
"Apple's North Star hasn't changed," says Tim Cook. Photo: Apple
The U.S. presidential election left people around the world anxious about the future, but Apple CEO Tim Cook rallied employees yesterday saying we all have to keep moving forward.
In an email to employees, Cook told employees that “Apple’s North Star hasn’t changed.” The Apple CEO invoked the late Martin Luther King Jr. in his note, saying, “We only do great work and improve the world by moving forward.”
Omnifone's tech is already inside Apple Music. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
To beef up its streaming music service, Apple has hired some key employees from Omnifone, a company that was a pioneer of in music streaming industry.
Rumors floated this summer that Apple was looking to acquire Omnifone after the company filed for bankruptcy. Instead of buying the whole thing though, a new report claims that Apple instead bought some of parts of Omnifone’s tech and workforce.
Apple has been criticized for its tax structure. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Ireland is set to submit its formal appeal of a European Commission ruling that claimed Apple owes the country more than $14 billion in unpaid taxes.
The controversial tax ruling has been opposed by Irish citizens, a majority of whom say they don’t want Apple’s money. Ireland’s Finance Minister Michael Noonan said today that the country’s government has no choice but to appeal.
Apple just made it a lot harder to hack the iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has seriously stepped up its security game with iOS 10.2, according to a new report that found encrypted iTunes backups are now much more difficult to hack.
Apple News is about to get magazines too. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s News app is getting some much-needed help at selling ads.
Instead of continuing to sell advertising on its own, Apple has reportedly inked an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal that will allow the company to sell ads for the News app.
Gmail gets some much-needed love on iOS. Photo: Google
Google’s official Gmail app for iOS is finally getting some much-needed love. The latest update brings a “fresh new look” that makes Gmail feel like a real app that Google actually cares about — rather than just an ugly wrapper for a mobile webpage.
Feature could save lives, campaigners claim. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Relatives of four U.K. citizens who were killed by the driver of a truck as he used his phone while driving are campaigning for Apple to introduce a feature disabling drivers’ iPhones from working in the car.
“There is an epidemic of people using their phone at the wheel,” said Doug Houghton, who lost two of his sons in the incident. “And what do you do with epidemics? You cure them.”
The Disposable Film Festival showcases video shot on iPhones and similar gadgets. Photo: Disposable Film Festival
Calling all iPhone filmmakers! The Disposable Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 10th annual program in March 2017.
Heralded as the “Oscars of online video,” the Disposable Film Festival showcases the finest films made on everyday devices and “disposable media,” including cellphones, point-and-shoot cameras, DSLRs, webcams, screen-capture software, Flip cams, and newer technology like Google Glass, 3-D printed stop animation, and more.
Apple is making it harder to steal iPhones. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac.
Recovering your lost iPhone may get a lot easier soon, based on a patent Apple was recently awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The new patent describes a method for determining an iPhone’s location after shutdown that would make Find My iPhone work even if a thief turns your device off.
Apple is making hella bank, as the kids say. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The iPhone’s market share is down around the world, but you know what’s up? Its profitability related to other smartphones.
In fact, according to a new report from BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long, Apple accounted for 103.6 percent of all smartphone industry operating profits in the third quarter of 2016.
iPhones were a small part of the overall smartphone pie in Q3. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
iPhones fell to just 12 percent of worldwide marketshare in Q3, claims a new report from Strategy Analytics — totting up the figures for what it claims was the fastest growth period for smartphones in one year.
Android phones, on the other hand, captured a record 88 percent of global smartphones shipments during the three month period. As for BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows Phone? Best not to ask, really!
The new Eve Motion sensor can detect when you get home. Photo: Elgato
Turning your dumb old house into a Jetsons-style smart home of the future just got a little bit easier, with Elgato’s introduction of a super-cheap motion sensor.
The HomeKit-connected device, called Eve Motion, lets users pair it with other smart appliances and gadgets to automate workflows. You can then use Eve Motion to trigger a series of tasks, like turning on the lights when it detects that you walk into a room.
Android 7.1 Nougat is as strong as iOS. Photo: Google
Android gets a lot of stick for being insecure, but it’s not always deserved. According to Adrian Ludwig, director of Android security, Google’s new Pixel smartphones running the latest version of Android are just as secure as the iPhone.
Gone from the iPhone, not from the MacBook Pro. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
A few people were surprised to see a 3.5mm headphone jack appear on Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptop, just weeks after the company very publicly discarded the port for its new iPhone 7.
But according to Phil Schiller, speaking in a new interview, it’s not an example of inconsistency on Apple’s part. Instead, it speaks to a much deeper philosophical question on Apple’s part about the difference between mobile and non-mobile devices.
The iPhone 8 may not be the only Apple product that gets an OLED upgrade next year.
Apple is reportedly testing new displays for next year’s MacBook Pro and is exploring the use of OLED, which offers lower battery consumption, brighter colors and sharper contrasts.
An artist rendering of Apple's store on the north bank of the Chicago River. Photo: Chicago Department of Planning and Development
The new store being built by Apple along the Chicago River is shaping up to be one of the company’s most expensive new locations of 2017.
Apple’s store on the iconic “Magnificent Mile” is being mostly built underground at 401 N. Michigan Ave., but Apple wants the plaza-level entrance to be absolutely fabulous, so it’s going to cost more than $60 million.
This guy spilled his coffee and then sold us his laptop.... Photo: Pexels
With new MacBook Pro models just announced, it’s a great time to clear out your old laptop. Our MacBook buyback program will give you cash to upgrade.
You can still make money off your aging MacBook. Yeah, even those dusty old white ones from 2008. The buyback program will pay you cash for your Apple laptop, whether it’s the newest 15-inch MacBook Pro or a clunker you haven’t touched in five years.
The new MacBook Pro models look super sweeeeet, so it’s a great time to clear out old gear and pad your bank account so you can afford an upgrade.
The new machines are pricey, so you’ll need the extra cash.
The new MacBook Pro has a bit of iOS inside. Photo: Apple
The technology behind the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro couldn’t have been possible if Apple didn’t already make iOS devices, according to Apple’s VP of Software engineering, Craig Federighi.
After helping reveal the new MacBook Pro during Apple’s “Hello Again” keynote, Federighi explained to YouTuber Marques Brownlee that even though Touch Bar seems like an obvious evolution, Apple didn’t want to just slap a touchscreen on the MacBook and call it good. So the company spent years making sure Touch Bar would be something you’ll want to use immediately.
Desktop computers aren’t going away any decade soon. Not if Jony Ive and Phil Schiller have to say anything about it.
In an interview with Ive, Schiller and Magic Man Craig Federighi, Apple’s team of vets explain that they don’t plan to ever morph the iPad and Mac together to make a Frankenstein desktop tablet like the Surface Studio.
The TV app coralls all your favorite content. Photo: Apple
Netflix won’t be embracing Apple’s vision for the future of television.
Apple revealed its plan to own your TV screen today with a new app called TV. The new service aims to unify your TV experience on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV by taking you straight to content, but the two best streaming services won’t be available.
Want to try the new MacBook Pro Touch Bar without dropping a few grand? Photo: Apple
Apple’s new Touch Bar looks like the most exciting new feature we’ve seen on the MacBook Pro in years.
Instead of fumbling to remember shortcuts, Touch Bar puts a handful of commands at your fingertips and dynamically adjusts to whatever app you’re in.
That sounds pretty magical, but what will that actually be good for? Developers will need to add support for their apps, so it might take a few months before Touch Bar really takes off. But if you’re doubting the usefulness of having a touch screen bar at the top of your keyboard, here are the cool things you can do on the Touch Bar.