Apple has been given a welcome reprieve on tariffs for the iPhone, iPad and Mac after President Donald Trump agreed to a limited trade deal with China on Thursday.
The phase one agreement means rolling back existing tariff rates on Chinese goods and canceling new tariff rates that would have gone into effect Sunday.
It may have nothing to do with Jony Ive leaving the company, but Apple has been adding buttons back to its devices. It’s a slow start, but hopefully it’s the beginning of a trend. The new 16-inch MacBook Pro added an Escape key, and a separate power button (you can press the Touch ID button). Plus, the recently introduced iPhone 11 battery case added a dedicated camera button.
After what seems like decades of removing useful hardware features, is Apple finally seeing the error of its ways? And, if so, what buttons would we like to see next? Let’s take a look at the current lay of the land.
iPhone shipments in China reportedly had a rough time in November. According to Credit Suisse analyst Matt Cabral, iPhone shipments declined “meaningfully” last month — to the tune of approximately 35.4% year-on-year.
If true, that’s lagging far behind the rest of the Chinese smartphone market, which increased 0.2% year-on-year.
Apple recently filed a DMCA takedown request relating to information posted by an independent iPhone security researcher. The researcher, Siguza, posted a tweet featuring a possible encryption key for the iPhone’s Secure Enclave Processor.
Apple later backtracked and allowed the tweet to be reposted. Even so, security researchers are accusing Apple of abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Panoramas are those super-wide, letterboxed strips of photos that look spectacular, and that are impossible to fit into Instagram. Maybe you already shoot a lot of panoramas, and maybe you even use the pano camera to create amazing glitch photos.
But did you consider that panoramas don’t have to be super-wide? They don’t even have to be horizontal. Let’s take a look at vertical panoramas — the iPhone photographer’s surprisingly great secret weapon.
The last major iOS 13 update of 2019 is finally ready for your downloading pleasure.
After weeks of beta testing with developers, Apple released iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3 to the public today. The update contains a bunch of critical bug fixes to along with some new Screen Time controls for parents.
iPhone chip-maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) enjoyed a 9% boost in revenue in November.
The increase can be attributed to strong demand for the company’s 7-nanometer chipsets, which power Apple’s latest crop of smartphones. And TSMC is confident the success will continue into the holidays.
Apple Card customers can enjoy 6% daily cash back on Apple purchases over the holidays.
Apple’s newest promotion arrives just in time for the all-new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, which go on sale today. But it applies to any Apple Store purchases — online and in-store — made through December 31.
Google added new privacy protection features to the iOS version of Google Maps today, including Incognito Mode. The new feature, which has been available on Google Maps for Android for a while, makes it so that your searches and other navigation data isn’t saved to your Google Account.
Here’s how to toggle it on and off:
Twelve South has long been making some of the best accessories you can buy for Apple devices. And right now you can save 20% on some of its hottest products in the Cult of Mac Store.
We’ve got great cases for iPhone and AirPods, sweet charging stands for Apple Watch, and more. This sale has a very limited time left to run, so enjoy it while you can.
Apple developers received a fresh batch of new betas for the first time in over two weeks today with new builds of iOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3 and watchOS 6.1.1.
The new iOS 13.3 beta adds a bunch of new bug fixes and performance improvements to go with a couple new feature additions in Screentime for parents.
Apple will begin to phase out Lightning connectivity on iPhones beginning with a 2021 flagship that will “provide the completely wireless experience,” analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors today.
Kuo also said there will be five new iPhones in 2020, four of which will feature OLED screens.
Don’t have anyone to play board games with over the holidays? Now you can enjoy one of the biggest by yourself with the brand-new Monopoly game for iPhone and iPad.
It takes the timeless classic, enjoyed by more than a billion people worldwide, and brings it to life in your palms. And it’s exactly as Hasbro intended it.
It seems like Craigslist has been a cornerstone of the Internet for practically forever. The site pretty much single-handedly killed white pages during the rise of the world wide web, but for some reason, it took until the end of 2019 for Craigslist to finally create its own iPhone app.
As you’d expect, it’s totally basic.
The living can communicate with the dead — and Niles Mitchell regularly holds seances on YouTube to prove it.
Mitchell is a true medium, putting contemporary technology like the iPhone or Apple Watch in touch with obsolete hardware. He connects the two worlds and gets devices, old and new, to work together in ways likely never imagined by their creators.
Looking for the best wireless charger money can buy this holiday? Pick up the brilliant Zens Dual+Watch. It charges iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously — and it looks terrific.
It’s so good, in fact, that the Dual+Watch was just named the best wireless charger of 2019 by Wirecutter. And you can save $11 on yours today by ordering it from the Cult of Mac Store.
Microsoft just rolled out a nice new update to its To Do app on iOS that makes it easier to keep track of shared lists.
Push notifications are now available to those with personal Microsoft accounts, so you’ll know as soon as a shared list is updated. And it’s now easier to import shared lists from Wunderlist, too.
As 2019 draws to a close, Apple has revealed its picks for the year’s best apps and games. All available through the App Store, of course.
“We are excited to announce such a diverse group of 2019 App Store winners, showing that great design and creativity comes from developers large and small, and from every corner of the world,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing. “We congratulate all the winners and thank them for making 2019 the best year yet for the App Store.”
Check out Apple’s picks below.
The Cult of Mac Store’s mega deal on Twelve South’s stunning HiRise stands ends today. Take advantage of it now to save up to $50 before it’s too late.
Both the HiRise Wireless for iPhone and the HiRise Duet for iPhone and Apple Watch are included in the sale. They’re some of the finest stands money can buy, and they make for terrific holiday gifts.
Black Friday might be over now, but Cyber Monday has only just started, which means there’s still time to save big! There are some terrific deals to be had on the hottest Apple devices and awesome accessories.
Our special Deals & Steals roundup will help you seek out the biggest discounts. Whether you’re shopping for iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, or a brand-new Mac, we’ve got you covered.
Today’s highlights include:
Find all these deals and more in our roundup below.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Apple Pay Express Transit is now available across all Transport for London services — including the Underground, buses, and trams.
Commuters can use the feature with iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for rides faster than before. It does not require transactions to be authorized with a face or fingerprint, so the whole process takes seconds.
With so many iPhone accessories available today, it’s hard to know where to start when buying holiday gifts for the iPhone lover in your life. But Cult of Mac can help.
We’ve rounded up some of the best accessories out there for iPhone owners. We’ve got great cases, superb headphones, gorgeous charging stands, and more.
Prices start at just $25, and many of the products are currently on sale for Black Friday. Snap them up while they’re cheap!
Black Friday has arrived at the Cult of Mac Store, with 20% or more off all Twelve South products for a limited time.
You’ll find gorgeous cases for AirPods and iPhone, elegant stands for Apple Watch, and handy charging accessories on sale now. Prices start at just $27.99.
See what’s on offer today and start picking up some discounted gifts for the holidays.
Retailers just can’t stop slashing prices on Apple Watch Series 3. Amazon is now offering brand-new units from just $169.99 — the lowest price to date! Go grab yours now before they all sell out.
And if you’re after the new Apple Watch Series 5, you will also find up to $80 off that in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. Plus, there’s up to 47% off Anker’s brilliant charging accessories, 50% off the Fire TV Stick 4K, and up to 30% off at Casetify.
Finally, look out for the biggest discounts yet on second-generation AirPods, with prices starting at just $134.
Charging an iPhone used to be so simple. You’d grab your 30-pin dock connector cable, the one that was almost as big as an AirPods charging case, and you’d jam it into the huge slot on the bottom of your iPhone. Then you’d wait.
Today, the kids don’t know how easy they have it. They can plug in a svelte, skinny Lightning cable to charge their iPhones, but they can also opt for several other ultra-modern (and probably fashionable) charging methods. Hell, even the olde worlde cable method has some high-tech, high-speed alternatives.
Let’s get right into it. Here are six different ways you can charge your iPhone.