The benefits of being an Apple supplier might be overrated. Photo: Foxconn
Being an Apple supplier can be a curse as much as a blessing for some Chinese companies.
While earning Apple’s business can give a big boost to a company’s stock, a new study found that Apple’s suppliers saw their share prices drop significantly lower than Apple’s stock did during the recent iPhone sales slump.
AirPrint is how printers should always have worked. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
There’s still something kinda magical-feeling about printing documents from your iPhone. Maybe someone sends you a long Word or Pages document that you prefer to read on paper. Or maybe you must sign a hard-copy version of a PDF and send it back via real paper mail.
You may be used to facing a task like this in your iPhone’s email app, and putting it off until you get to your Mac or PC. But chances are, if you own a fairly modern printer, you can just print right from the iPhone. In fact, once you get a taste for it, you’ll prefer printing from iOS. You will never need to deal with drivers, or pick up your 100-page print job only to find every sheet printed too small.
The answer is AirPrint. It’s how printers always should have worked.
Apple is planning to stop selling its cheapest iPhones in India. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is trying a new strategy to boost struggling iPhone sales in India, the world’s second largest country by population. Unfortunately, it’s one that’s going to make the base model iPhones even more expensive for the local population.
No, not that kind of wave. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
If you ever wanted to do any of the following …
Chop up music.
Remove the start or end of an audio track.
Extract the audio from a video.
Convert an MP3 (or any other music file) to some other music file format.
Pretty much anything else.
… then you should grab TwistedWave this second. It’s an essential app for working with audio on the iPhone and iPad. And it’s also really, really quick and easy to use.
Bag yours before they're all gone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple suppliers have taken a hit in revenue during early 2019 as a result of falling iPhone shipments. Analysts don’t expect a turnaround anytime soon with Apple’s smartphone still struggling to catch a break in China.
The Gamevice is good, but not great. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Mobile gaming has never been better, but you’re missing out if you’re playing the latest titles with touch controls. A good controller is a worthwhile purchase, but should you spend $75 on the Gamevice?
It looks great, boasts the best design of any iPhone controller, and never needs charging. It also works with almost any iPhone. The only problem? It disappoints where it matters most.
Did you know you could pick a single frame out of a Live Photo? Photo: Apple
Apple’s latest iPhone tutorials showcase features users should find convenient, like using Face ID instead of a password, picking the best image from a Live Photo, and chatting with an Apple expert to solve problems.
Ulysses 15 adds a bunch of welcome new features. Photo: Ulysses
Ulysses just got a big update for both Mac and iOS, but mostly for the Mac. The best text editor and writing app for both platforms remains the best — only now it does a little bit more. Let’s take a look.
Admit it: You couldn't leave even if you wanted to. Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac
What keeps you locked into the Apple ecosystem? These killer features and services have us totally hooked on the iPhone. Honestly, we couldn’t quit Apple if we tried.
You’ll get our sober rundown of all the things we couldn’t live without if we switched to Android, plus the week’s best news, how-tos and reviews, in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine. Download your free issue for iOS. Or hit the links below to read the stories in your browser.
Bonus: Scroll down to the “week’s best reviews and recommendations” section for a link to enter our new iPhone XS Max and AirPods giveaway!
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
It’s not easy to give up your iPhone. Even if you’ve already decided you want to switch to another handset, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to let go. Apple has you locked in. And for some iPhone owners, there is no way out.
That’s because it’s not just your iPhone that you’d be saying goodbye to. Many other apps and services you use every day — some without even thinking about it — make switching to another platform nearly impossible.
Here are all the ways Apple makes it hard to jump ship and switch to Android.
Samsung's got a folding phone—is a folding iPhone next?
This week on The CultCast: Samsung has been sending Apple foldable screens… is a folding iPhone on the horizon? Plus: Apple may have quietly fixed MacBook Pro’s ‘stage light’ flaw; Apple prepping products that will “blow you away”; and Tim Cook receives a brand new nick name from none other than Donald J. Trump, and his reaction is legendary.
Our thanks to Shapr for supporting this episode. Whether you are looking for investors, a co-founder, a new job opportunity, or just inspiring conversations, Shapr can connect you to professionals who truly want to share tips and help.
Augmented reality will be even better with glasses. Photo: Apple
Apple’s long-rumored augmented reality glasses will finally arrive in 2020, according to a trusted analyst.
The first-generation specs reportedly will function strictly as an iPhone accessory. They will depend on Apple’s smartphone for processing, rendering, location services and just about everything else. Mass-production of the Apple AR glasses could start later this year.
Apple is said to be under pressure to deliver a foldable iPhone that can compete with upcoming devices from the likes of Samsung and Huawei.
Apple “cannot afford to ignore” the foldable phone trend, according to a new report. If the company doesn’t catch up quickly, industry observers warn Cupertino could lose its reputation as being “a leader of innovation.”
DirecTV Now lets you stream TV on your iPhone. Photo: DirecTV Now.
AT&T revealed that it’s finally making it easier to watch DirecTV Now on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV by integrating it into the Apple TV app.
The new update gives DirecTV Now subscribers the ability to keep track of their watching progress for TV series and movies across multiple devices will also bringing custom recommendations on new stuff to watch.
If you keep your stuff in Dropbox, it’s easy to grab a link to a file or a folder. Then you can send that link to another person or store it in, say, your to-do list so you can quickly open it with a click. You can even grab the link inside the iOS Files app.
But if you use iCloud, this simple task is no longer simple. In typical Apple style, a clean UI comes at the expense of hiding almost everything behind multiple taps and cryptic pop-up boxes. But all is not lost. You can actually grab a link to any file stored in your iCloud Drive — and use it in any app you please.
iPhone 8 could be the next Apple handset manufactured in India. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is one step closer to manufacturing flagship iPhones in India for the first time.
India’s IT ministry today signed off on plans to build a local Wistron factory that is expected to produce the iPhone 8. It should make the device significantly more affordable to local consumers in the future.
You can download it from the App Store now. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
You can now play PlayStation 4 games on your iOS device. Sony has finally brought an official Remote Play app to iPhone and iPad, giving gamers the ability to connect to their console and play almost anywhere.
Buying a refurbished iPhone is a great way to save a pretty penny, and now there’s another reason why you should consider avoiding the Apple Store.
One French company is selling rebuilt models that have been painted in pretty colors as part of its “Better Then Refurbished” program. They’re gorgeous, and they cost a lot less.
Apple gives supply chain workers access to coding classes. Photo: Apple
Apple came out with its 13th annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, giving an inside glimpse at some of the biggest issues it’s been battling.
The 66-page report is stuffed with interesting little facts, like how many gallons of water suppliers have saved and the amount of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Apple admits it still has a lot of work to do, but the progress the company has made is pretty impressive. One of the biggest areas Apple emphasizes in its report is the people that work in the supply chain and the educational opportunities Apple is giving them.
Do you have what it takes to join Pixar's posse? Photo: Pixar
Pixar is looking for a good Mac nerd to join its support team.
If you’ve ever dreamed of working for one of the most iconic animation companies in the world, but don’t have any actual animation skills, this might be your best chance.
Make sure you use the right cable. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
However old your iPhone is, it records great audio. You can use it as a dictaphone, to make field recordings of ambient sounds, to “tape” music, and even sample everyday noises and make music from them. But how do you do it? How do you hook up, say, a portable keyboard or an MP3 player to your iPhone, and actually save a recording? Let’s see.
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has quietly updated the female British voice for Siri. The improvements can be heard today on HomePod and iOS devices.
The update comes just a few weeks after Apple updated the male British voice. It is believed the company could be working on improvements for many of Siri’s international voices.
Remember the games you used to enjoy on your iPhone and iPad in the early days of the App Store? The chances are few of them are still supported and available for download today, but the best could soon be making a comeback.
GameClub is a developer that plans to resurrect forgotten iOS games. The first title on its roster is Hook Champ, a game from Rocketcat that first hit the App Store in 2009, and you can play it today by signing up for early access.