There were problems in the Middle East and Africa, too. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
China might be the focus of Apple’s iPhone sales woes, but it’s not the only market where Apple’s smartphones are running into problems.
According to new IDC figures, during the first quarter of 2019 Apple shipped 2.4 million fewer iPhones to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa than it did during the same three-month span in 2018. That’s a decrease of 22.7%.
The Pixel 3 destroys iPhone in low-light performance. Photo: Google
Apple is developing its very own Night Sight feature for the next-generation iPhone lineup, according to a new report.
Google’s Pixel handsets have been well and truly beating rivals on low-light camera performance for years now. But it is claimed Apple has a similar feature up its sleeve called “Night Mode” — and we should see it this year.
iMovie just got some major updates. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is out with a huge update for the iMovie app on iOS that makes it easy to use your own green and blue screen effects.
Using the new green screen tool, iPhone and iPad users can now swap out a background for something new. This allows you to insert logos, photos or background videos into your videos.
This speaker could become a trigger to play your favorite podcast. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
The iOS 13 Shortcuts app brings plenty of radical changes — automatic scheduled and location-based shortcuts, for example — but one super-neat new feature will make a world of difference. Now, if you have a compatible iPhone, you can combine NFC tags with Shortcuts. That is, you can run any shortcut just by tapping your iPhone onto an NFC sticker.
Seriously. Pretty wild, right? You could tap your iPhone onto a sticker atop a speaker in your kitchen, and it would start playing the radio, for instance. Let’s check out how NFC shortcuts will work.
This could help Apple counter China trade tariffs. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Fears about an impending trade war with China have shaken Apple, which produces the overwhelming majority of its devices in the country.
However, according to Apple manufacturer Foxconn, there’s some good news. It claims it has the capacity to produce all iPhones bound for the U.S. outside of China if it needs to.
iOS 12.3.2 will bring depth back to your Portrait photos. Screenshot: Apple
Apple will roll out a new software update today to fix a Portrait mode bug on the iPhone 8 Plus.
iOS 12.3.2, which comes just two weeks after the release of iOS 12.3.1, is another minor update for most iPhone and iPad users. For those with an iPhone 8 Plus, however, it will bring depth back to Portrait photos.
It beats using a trackpad. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
The updated Preview app in macOS Catalina will let you sign documents using your iPhone or iPad. The process takes just a few clicks and works with any device running iOS 13 or iPadOS.
You’ll be able to record with front- and rear-facing cameras for the first time. Photo: Apple
iOS 13 and iPadOS will give recent iPhone and iPad users the ability to capture images and videos with their front- and rear-facing cameras simultaneously.
Apple says it is also possible to take advantage of multiple microphones to “shape” the sound that is captured. It encourages developers to leverage the new capabilities to bring picture-in-picture and spacial audio to their apps.
Safari is getting a huge upgrade on iPad with the release of iPadOS, but there are some improvements that iPhone users can also enjoy in iOS 13. One of those is a new feature that saves you from forgotten tab chaos.
You won’t have to worry about closing dozens of tabs you forgot all about anymore.
Apple will finally bring mouse support to iPad (and iPhone) when it rolls out major software updates this fall — and that’s awesome. Finally, you will gain full control over your device without needing to lift a finger.
But I think Apple takes the wrong attitude when it comes to mouse support on iOS.
Its current approach could hold back development of the feature later on, and could negatively impact people who really need it. It also goes against Apple’s mission to make the iPad a laptop replacement.
iOS 13 is bringing some huge improvements to Safari, including a desktop-class version for iPadOS that is nearly as good as Safari on Mac.
One of my favorite new Safari features didn’t get any stage time during the WWDC 2019 keynote, but it completely changes the way screenshots in Safari are handled. You’re going to love it.
Nearly 75% of Apple employees are behind Tim Cook’s recent declaration that the App Store is not monopoly.
A recent survey found that Qualcomm and Spotify employees are the biggest Apple haters with over 80% responding that recent App Store monopoly claims are legit. The overall tech industry appears to be split on the case though with 54% of employees from the biggest companies taking Apple’s side.
Not everyone should use a mouse. Especially not this kind. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
You might think it would be pretty simple for Apple to add mouse support to its mobile operating systems. But that’s not so. The company reportedly spent years developing its newest accessibility feature.
Apple is also keen to stress that mouse support in iOS 13 and iPadOS is for certain users — those who cannot easily use touch. It was not added to replace touch for the average iPhone and iPad user.
iOS 13 could help keep your iPhone battery from aging too quickly due to overcharging, thanks to a new feature hidden away in the raft of new updates.
Apple came under fire for lowering CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries during the end of 2017. $29 battery replacements were offered as an apology. Now it appears that Apple has come up with another novel solution to ease battery woes.
Apple wants to take on Tile. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
References in iOS 13 all but corroborate earlier reports that Apple is working on its own item-tracking accessories.
It is thought Apple plans to compete with Tile by offering “tags” that can be attached to bags, keys, and other valuables. You will then be able to track them using the new Find My app coming this fall.
"Sign in with Apple" is a new privacy feature in iOS 13. Photo: Alfred Ng
Sign in with Apple might be the most underrated feature to come out of the WWDC 2019 keynote. A lot of analysts, including Cult of Mac founder Leander Kahkney, think it’s a big shot at Facebook. The social media giant has become one of the iPhone-maker’s favorite companies to hate on recently, but Apple CEO Tim Cook says the new feature isn’t targeting Facebook.
Wow, iOS 13 is quite something. We got most of what we wanted, and a lot more. Proper USB support, an improved Files app, plus a radical new UI paradigm for the iPad. And what about that mouse support!
Let’s take a look at the main points. And over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be going extremely deep on everything that’s new in iOS 13.
iOS 13 leaks continue to trickle in ahead of today’s big reveal at WWDC. The latest shows Apple’s revamped Reminders app for iPhone for the first time — and it’s in dark mode.
The WWDC keynote is one of Apple's biggest events. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Today Apple will announce iOS 13, possibly the new Mac Pro, plus a slew of Mac and Apple Watch-related news. Cult of Mac will not be live-blogging the action — instead you can join our WWDC 2019 watch party or follow along on Twitter. And as always, you can watch the show live.
We’re expecting to learn all about the incredible new iOS 13, which many expect will turn the iPad into some kind of Mac Pro-beating powerhouse1. Also expected is a Marzipan update, and perhaps our first peek at the real new Mac Pro.
Whether you’re watching on your Mac, your iPhone or iPad, or your Apple TV, we’ll show you how to tune in.
You can even show up at an Apple Store and watch it on the big screen!
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is just days away and it’s shaping up to be one of the most software-packed events in the company’s history.
New software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and more will be shown off for the first time when Tim Cook takes the stage on June 3rd. Most of the event will be focused solely on Apple’s biggest software updates of the year, but there’s a chance we could see some new hardware too.
What could be more refreshing than a rhubarb and soda drink, with something in the background? Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Background refresh is what lets your iPhone and iPad download your email while your iPhone is sleeping, to update your weather app while you are sleeping, and to grab all kinds of data so that it’s ready before you need it — news feeds, notes-app syncing, and pretty much anything else.
However, as revealed this week by the Washington Post, plenty of bad apps are abusing the background refresh mechanism. They are using it to send your private data — you location, your email address, your phone number, and much much more.
It’s likely that this is happening to you, because background refresh is enabled by default for newly-installed apps. Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to fix. Today we’ll see how.
Don’t use generic passcodes. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Over 25% of phones can be cracked just by using one of the top 20 most used four digit PINs.
Cyber security expert Tarah Wheeler shared a list of the most popular PINs based on the findings of the folks at the SANS Institute, which is one of the largest cyber security organizations in the world. Some of the passcodes on the list aren’t surprising but there are a couple combinations that we didn’t expect to see.