Apple has patented new technology that allows an entire iPhone display to become a fingerprint scanner.
The invention comes just in time for iPhone 8, which is expected to come with a Touch Bar-style “function area” in place of its Touch ID button.
The jury’s still out on whether the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar is a useful upgrade or a fancy gimmick. But according to recent rumors, Apple is already planning to bring similar functionality to this year’s iPhone 8.
To make this happen, the company would almost certainly have to drop Touch ID. Would a mini Touch Bar be worth the sacrifice, or would contextual shortcuts and buttons make iOS more complicated than it needs to be?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether a Touch Bar would be a useful addition to the iPhone!
Still think your Mac is immune from viruses? Think again.
Just a week after a new strain of Mac malware was found hidden inside malicious Microsoft Word macros, security researchers have discovered sophisticated new software from Russian hackers that targets your saved passwords and iPhone backups.
According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.
Apple’s latest beta software for Apple Watch brings two new handy features in addition to the general bug fixes we expect to see with each release. Check out the video below to see watchOS 3.2 beta 1 in action.
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.
Apple makes iOS more secure with almost every update it rolls out, but there’s always a glitch somewhere that slips through the net.
The latest is a bug in iMessage that allows any iPhone running iOS 10 to iOS 10.1.1 to be crashed with a simple text message.
The original iPhone nearly came with a digital click wheel that mimicked the iPod’s interface, according to video of an alleged prototype running the software that has not previously been made public.
Former Apple engineers confirmed in the past that Apple created a click-wheel-based solution for the iPhone’s software during the early stages of development, but until now, no one outside Apple had seen what it looked like.
2016 hasn’t been Apple’s best year by a long shot. While the company is still making money hand over fist and has seen its Services division go from strength to strength, Apple also consistently stumbled for the first time in years.
While we remain loyal to the Apple brand, here are our picks for the year’s biggest disappointments.
Apple’s swanky new AirPods are finally shipping, which means the teardown experts at iFixit have pulled them apart to give us a glimpse at their internals.
The AirPods themselves are filled with tiny components and copious amounts of glue, while an X-ray scan of their charging case could reveal the reason behind the lengthy shipping delay.
The writing has been on the wall for smartwatches ever since Cupertino chose to focus on sports and fitness features for Apple Watch Series 2. Smartwatch sales are plummeting, and fitness seems to be the only profitable area remaining in the wearables sector.
More evidence of this trend emerged this week, with smartwatch trailblazer Pebble reportedly being acquired by fitness wearables specialist Fitbit. We might very well be witnessing the demise of the smartwatch as we know it.
So how did we get here? Is Apple Watch really only fit for fitness, or could it still one day fulfill its destiny and become a true wrist-based computing platform?
Rumors continue to stack up claiming that next year’s iPhone will ship with a curved display, but The Wall Street Journal suggests that such a smartphone is just “one of more than 10 prototypes being considered.”
My shiny new MacBook Pro finally arrived. What kind of YouTube channel would Cult of Mac be running if we didn’t film a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar unboxing?
In today’s video, I open up my new space gray laptop, fire it up for the first time, and record my first hands-on impressions. Check it out below.
The indie rock band Airplane Mode does indeed get its name from the feature on an iPhone that shuts off wireless transmission.
The name and the resumes of three of the band’s musicians — well-established iOS designers — have led more than a few people to assume they have found a source of cute parody music about Apple culture.
In fact, you won’t find any iPhones, iMacs or odes to Steve Jobs in the lyrics of the tight, hard-charging synth-driven music. However, the band’s roots in Apple culture permeate everything else, from its use of technology and understanding of social engagement to its start-up energy.
And there is one other way: Airplane Mode is making money.
There are few things to complain about with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but Bluetooth connectivity could be one of them.
Lots of customers have reported Bluetooth problems since upgrading to one of Apple’s latest handsets. Recent iOS 10 updates were supposed to bring a fix, but they don’t appear to have eliminated the issues for everyone. Here are three ways you can try to fix Bluetooth yourself.
In the early ’90s, Pixar was in the middle of creating its first movie, Toy Story, but the company was in disarray. It was bleeding cash and floundering around looking for a business model.
To help turn it around, Steve Jobs hired Lawrence Levy, a former corporate lawyer, to help figure out how to make Pixar a real business.
In this week’s episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk to Levy about how exactly he and Jobs made Pixar into one of the most successful movie studios in history.
While Apple is touting the new MacBook Pros as a major evolution of the laptop, the internet is in open revolt over the cost of the new machines.
The new MacBook Pros will set you back at least $200 more than last year’s models, and sometimes much more.
The top-of-the-line 15-inch MacBook Pro, for example, costs an eye-popping $4,299 — without tax, and with no preinstalled software.
Prices are even worse in Europe and Asia, where potential buyers are wondering if it would be cheaper to fly to the U.S. to buy a new machine than get one at home.
Apple’s adaptive OLED touchbar for its next-gen MacBook will be called the “Magic Toolbar,” according to a trademark filing made earlier this year.
The trademark filing was made by a dummy corporation called “Presto Apps America LLC” on February 5, 2016. Interestingly, said corporation happened to use the same lawyers as those who applied for the trademark “AirPod” in Indonesia, Canada and Malaysia.
Two people couldn’t have been further apart as they sat close to each other on carpool rides to swim meets. Steve King was a jock. The other kid was a geek.
But the geek did something one day that King would never forget. King watched as his teammate made a horrific turn at the wall in the backstroke and popped up in a neighboring lane.
Steve Jobs was immediately disqualified. He got back in his lane and finished the race.
Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL may pack the fastest smartphone camera, but when it comes to raw processing power the iPhone 7 leaves the new handsets in the dust.
Early benchmarks for the Pixel have already leaked for the device, which was unveiled Tuesday. And according to the tests, Google’s phone can’t even top the performance of the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE.
Apple’s new jet black iPhone 7 is nearly impossible to find at stores, and the shortage isn’t going to get better anytime soon, according to one of the most accurate Apple analysts in the game.
In a shocking new speed test, the new iPhone 7 blows away the Galaxy Note 7 so completely you might forget about the Samsung phone’s other problems.
Watch the iPhone 7 versus Galaxy Note 7 in this new head-to-head video, created by PhoneBuff.
At first glance, the iPhone 7 looks just like the iPhone 6s … and the iPhone 6. It feels the same in your hand, too. Unless you buy the jet black model, or you’re upgrading from a 4-inch iPhone, you’re not going to get any surprises when you pull this baby out of its box.
But there are some subtle changes you’ll appreciate. This is the iPhone you already know and love — only much, much better.
Apple Watch Series 2 has finally landed, and while it may look almost identical to its predecessor, it comes with some significant improvements that make it worth the upgrade.
Fans can look forward to a faster processor, Apple’s brightest display yet, greater water-resistance, and a built-in GPS. There’s also a stunning new ceramic model.
Apple is finally set to unveil something new on September 7. While the company hasn’t said what it will be, it’s pretty much certain a new iPhone or two will make an appearance at the invite-only San Francisco event.
The Apple rumor mill has been churning out juicy details about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus for months and, if you stare at the blurry lights on Apple’s invite, you just might pick up a few more clues about what to expect during next month’s keynote.