Free chicken is a great way to get downloads. Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr
The folks at Chick-fil-A have found a magical formula for shooting to the top of the App Store charts: free chicken.
To promote its new mobile ordering app, the chicken-based fast food company is giving away free chicken sandwiches, all you have to do is download the new app and createa Chick-fil-A One account.
Grab a great deal on a refurbished MacBook Pro Ivy i5 Dual 13" Laptop. Photo: Cult of Mac
We’ve got another bonanza of discounted Apple gear, from laptops to desktops. These and more are in the best Apple deals we’ve seen this week.
Used Apple MacBook Air Laptops from $479
Other World Computing discounts a selection of used Apple MacBook Air Laptops, with prices starting at $479. This price was found on a 13″ MacBook Air with Core i5 Sandy Bridge processor, 64GB SSD and 4GB RAM. Plus, all orders qualify for free shipping. Available quantities for some models may be limited. Each is covered by a 90-day warranty.
Apple's legal problems just got a bit better. Photo: Milo Kahney
Apple took a major step this week toward getting out of its $533 million payment to the patent troll Smartflash LLC after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that two of three patents owned by Smartflash are invalid.
The patent agency ruled that the two of the patents shouldn’t have even been issues in the first place because they are abstract concepts and not specific inventions. The USPTO made a similar ruling against one of Smartflash’s patents in March, which could help Apple get the case dismissed.
Microsoft today announced that it’s opening up its HoloLens platform to third-parties — and it has a crazy new ad to celebrate.
The three-minute clip showcases some of HoloLens’ insane capabilities, like turning an old warehouse into a shoe store, putting people from around the world in the same room, and taking you on sublime acid trips without the acid.
Apple's Thunderbolt display hasn't been updated since 2011. Photo: Apple
Apple will not be updating its old ass Thunderbolt display anytime soon, despite rumors that suggested the company was planning to unveil a new 5K Thunderbolt display with a built-in GPU at this year’s WWDC.
Musk is confident Telsa will beat the Apple Car. Photo: Recode/Facebook
Apple should have started development on the Apple Car a lot earlier than it did, according to Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The real-life comic-book superhero sat down for an interview at Code Conference and said that when it comes to autonomous cars, Google won’t be a competitor because they’re not a car company, however Apple will be.
Musk thinks it may be too late for Apple to be truly competitive though.
According to one report, the South Korean company is expected to deliver one inside the Galaxy Note 7 edge, which is due to make its debut in mid-August.
A new iPad Pro update is ready. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
9.7-inch iPad Pro devices that were bricked by Apple’s initial release of iOS 9.3.2 are finally getting some relief today in the form of a new update that should set everything right.
Two dating Mac geeks set a gift ground rule one Christmas: presents must be handmade.
Roberto Hoyos, with the ability to sew in his DNA, crafted seven throw pillows in the shape of the Mac OS X icons. The Apple fan couple is no longer an item — but the pillows are.
So you forgot to activate Find My iPhone when setting up your new iOS device, and now you’ve lost it. Fear not, because thanks to Google, you have a backup service.
Simply type “I lost my phone” into Google Search and you’ll be able to locate all the devices connected to your account.
Apple today kicked off its latest back to school promotion, offering students big savings on wireless Beats headphones when they purchase a new Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Eligible customers are also entitled to education pricing, which reduces the cost of their new device.
New cases designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus strengthen claims that the larger model with have a dual-lens camera system and a Smart Connector. In exchange for those upgrades, it seems Apple really will do away with the headphone jack.
SAN FRANCISCO — Look carefully at the cracks in the sidewalk around Apple’s new flagship store in San Francisco. They all line up with architectural elements of the store.
Some are continuous with the metal panels on the exterior walls. Some line up with the windows, and the huge glass panels that make up the 42-foot high front door. Some of the cracks are continuous with the stone floor tiles inside the store.
In turn, the joints in the floor line up with panels on the wall, which line up with the lighting panels on the ceiling.
In fact, most of the lines in the store — the edges of the glass balconies, cutouts in the middle of the tables, the edges of shelves and drawers — all line up with other elements of the store.
Some of these lines run continously from the sidewalk in front of the store all the way through to the tree-lined plaza in the back. It’s a bit crazy, when you examine it, and very, very difficult to pull off.
Mark Gurman is Apple PR's worst nightmare. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Few Apple bloggers can strike fear in the heart of Apple execs like 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, and starting next month the ace Apple reporter will be taking his scooping talents to Bloomberg.
Gurman has been one of the most prolific Apple reporters during his time at 9to5Mac. Despite being just 22 years-old, the scoop master has revealed some of Apple’s biggest products and software updates well in advance of their official unveilings.
Now with the full backing of the Bloomberg media machine, Gurman will be extending his reporting skills to cover other tech companies. According to a memo sent to staff by Bloomberg editor Brad Stone, Mark Gurman will now cover consumer products made by Apple as well as its rivals.
China's Dianping app combines crowdsource reviews like Yelp with group discounts like Groupon. Photo: Virginia Werner/Cult of Mac
Mainland China is Apple’s second biggest market, and will one day be its first. The company is making a big push on the mainland, opening new stores and investing in home-grown companies. Why the interest? Because China is the new Japan — it’s where the future is happening. All this week we take a look at the cutting-edge apps that define mobile life on the mainland.
SHANGHAI CITY, China — “Where are we going to eat? Have you DianPing-ed it yet?” These are questions my friends and I often ask each other when we get together. This convenient app, backed by internet powerhouse Tencent Holdings, is a great tool that combines the functions of Groupon and Yelp.
Apple's next Thunderbolt Display won't just be super sharp. Photo: Apple
Apple’s new Thunderbolt Display will ship with a built-in GPU that will provide entry-level and older Macs with enough power to drive its super sharp 5K resolution, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans.
Apple will have to wait until next year for iPhone growth to return. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is confident the iPhone will bounce back from its current slump in demand, but new forecasts suggest shipments will get worse before they get better. Researchers don’t expect growth to return until 2017 when Apple introduces bigger upgrades.
Coach is busting out some fancy Apple Watch bands. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Move over Hermes. There’s a new high-end fashion brand that is ready to capitalize on the Apple Watch and its leather bands will be launching soon.
Coach has secretly listed its first Apple Watch bands on its website. An official unveiling of the luxury leather bands is still in the works, but based on the early listings it appears that the bands will come at a relatively cheap price point.
Apple has begun inviting members of the press to its WWDC 2016 keynote on June 13.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. PT in the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco, and it should deliver our first sneak peeks at iOS 10 and Apple’s next major upgrades for watchOS, tvOS, and OS X.
When the Moog strikes, Parry Gripp writes funny songs about anything. Photo: Dana E. Ross
Parry Gripp was the lead vocalist of a promising pop punk band that had a record deal and stardom just around the corner.
Success never came and just as Parry Gripp was set to give up, a new career in music rose from the ashes — by accident — thanks to the iPhone and Apple.
The technology company was not only fodder for Gripp’s brand of absurd novelty music he was creating but, through iTunes, Apple provided a way for him to publish his music and start to make a living.
Apple has beaten Samsung in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2016 — but only just. While both companies scored exactly the same in 2015, Apple managed to grab an extra point to claim first place all for itself this year.
Could the real iPhone 8 look a little something like this? Photo: TechDesigns
Samsung gets a lot of hate for copying Apple’s first iPhones, but boy how the tables could turn in 2017. According to yet another report, the iPhone 8’s new OLED display will be curved on both sides — just like the Galaxy S7 edge’s.
China's WeChat is a messaging app tha offers just about everything, from text messaging to instant payments. It's a monster, with mote than 1 billion registered users. Photo: Virginia Werner/Cult of Mac
Mainland China is Apple’s second biggest market, and will one day be its first. The company is making a big push on the mainland, opening new stores and investing in home-grown companies. Why the interest? Because China is the new Japan — it’s where the future is happening. All this week we take a look at the cutting-edge apps that define mobile life on the mainland.
SHANGHAI CITY, China — Now that I use WeChat, I don’t need much else when it comes to social media apps. In fact, WeChat has almost entirely replaced text messaging in China. I am able to link up with other WeChat users through their username without providing a telephone number, so it is a great platform for communicating with new acquaintances or people I am working with.
I have hundreds of WeChat contacts, but only a handful of telephone numbers in my iPhone. The app also recently introduced group video messaging and has an extensive WeChat Wallet service (similar to Zhifubao) available to Chinese bank account holders.