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Cult of Mac’s reviews policy

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Here's what you need to know about Cult of Mac's reviews policies.
Here's what you need to know about Cult of Mac's reviews policies.
Photos: Jim Merithew and David Pierini/Cult of Mac

What we review and how we test

At Cult of Mac, we review all sorts of products, from the latest electronics lovingly created by Apple (and by Cupertino’s competitors) to smartphone accessories, sporting goods, kitchen appliances and other essentials — basically, anything that makes our lives better.

If we review something, we’ve spent time putting the product through its paces, messing around with it, comparing it to similar products and generally evaluating it to death. We’re here to represent the interests of our readers, not manufacturers, and will confidently and honestly report back on what we experience without bias.

Positive reviews should be read as recommendations to the reader and not as promotions for the manufacturer. With that said, Cult of Mac makes these promises as part of our effort to be transparent about our ground rules for writers and our policies on review units and affiliate links.

Reviews and affiliate links disclosure

• We don’t mix business with editorial.
• We clearly mark every review we publish.
• We use affiliate links when applicable, but they have no bearing on our editorial ethics. Writers have no involvement in our affiliate link program.
• We receive no money or compensation for reviews aside from the usual advertising revenue generated by pageviews and the small commissions paid by affiliates when a reader follows a link from our site to their store and makes a purchase.
• We disclose when we receive a review unit from a company.
• We cannot review every product we receive.

Manufacturers: please submit review requests to [email protected]. We treat all correspondence as confidential. If you like, you can send review units for possible review to:

Cult of Mac
Attention: Reviews editor
3150 18TH ST
Suite 277, PMB 201
San Francisco, CA 94110

From time to time, we run sponsored posts, which are clearly marked as such. Find more information on Cult of Mac’s sponsored posts.

Every time a baby is born Apple sells two iPhones

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baby-iphone
Perspective can change everything.
Photo: Tatsuo Yamashita/Flickr CC

Four years ago Apple hit the milestone of selling more iPhones per day than babies born per day. Now, four years later, we wanted to revisit those statistics since iPhone sales have grown quite significantly since then. It turns out, with current sales numbers, Apple sells nearly two iPhones for every baby born.

The math works out like this: Apple sold a record total of 231.4 million iPhones in 2015. Divide that number by 365 days in a year to get 633,963 iPhones sold every single day. The UN estimates that there are 360,000 babies born every day across the world. So technically, that comes out to 1.76 iPhones for every one baby.

Apple drops new betas for iOS, watchOS and tvOS

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There are tons of great iOS 9 benefits that your older iPhone or iPad will use just fine.
There are tons of great iOS 9 benefits that your older iPhone or iPad will use just fine.
Photo: Apple

Apple is serving up a buffet of new software updates with new beta releases of iOS 9.3, watchOS 2.2, and tvOS 9.2 that are being made available to developers and public testers today.

The new betas come more than a week after Apple seeded the last updates for the new software that could be made available to the public sometime later this month, bringing a host of new features to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

Pebble Time, Time Round get permanent $50 price cuts

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pebble-time-time-round-get-permanent-50-price-cuts-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Pebble-Time-jpg
Pebble Time now starts at under $200.
Photo: Pebble
Pebble Time
Pebble Time now starts at under $200. Photo: Pebble

Pebble has slashed $50 off its latest Time and Time Round smartwatches.

The permanent price cut lowers the starting prices of these models to $149.99 and $199.99, respectively — and makes them more competitive against other affordable wearables from the likes of Asus, Fitbit, and Jawbone.

New Apple Campus drone vid shows Tim Cook’s sexy pile of dirt

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Apple moves in early next year.
Apple moves in early next year.
Photo: Jerry Gonzo

Apple is less than a year away from moving into its shiny new campus, but Tim Cook’s beautiful pile of dirt still looms large at the construction site in the latest 4K drone video that shows the progress on the spaceship.

The video shows Apple’s progress installing the largest piece of curved glass ever made, as well as the large white canopies that sprout out of the sides of the glass and metal facade. It also appears that the roof over the auditorium in the heart of campus has been installed.

Check it out:

Watch Apple’s House Judiciary Committee appearance right here

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Apple's General Counsel, Bruce Sewell.
Apple's General Counsel, Bruce Sewell.
Photo: 60 Minutes

Apple’s top lawyer is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee today to discuss balancing Americans’ security and privacy, in light of the company’s ongoing battle with the FBI, which has demanded the company unlock the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone.

Apple gave us a glimpse of general counsel Bruce Sewell’s opening remarks yesterday. Apple’s lawyer will ask congressional representatives some tough questions on privacy, but we won’t know what the committee thinks until the hearing gets underway later this morning. A livestream of the event will be available on YouTube when the hearing starts at 10 a.m. Pacific.

You can watch it below:

Attorney general wants Silicon Valley to help catch terrorists who’ve ‘gone dark’

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Apple Security Jacket
Loretta Lynch wants tech companies to work with the government.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Attorney General Loretta Lynch will argue that the U.S. government and the tech industry must work together to take down criminals and terrorists when she speaks at a San Francisco cybersecurity conference today.

While Lynch won’t directly refer to Apple’s current FBI standoff in her speech to tech leaders at the RSA Conference, she will describe the dangers of criminals “going dark” by using technologies such as encrypted smartphones. As such, she wants a “frank dialogue and fruitful partnership” between Washington and Silicon Valley.

San Bernardino survivor’s husband supports Apple against FBI

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iPhone hack
This case is about much more than one iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The husband of a San Bernardino survivor — whose spouse almost lost her life during the mass shooting which prompted Apple’s hacking standoff with the FBI — has said that he supports Apple’s pro-privacy stance.

Salicin Kondoker’s wife was shot three times during the attack, but in a letter to Judge Sheri Pym, Kondoker writes that Apple’s fight represents, “something much bigger than [hacking] one phone.”

PS4 Remote Play is coming soon to Mac and PC

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ps4-remote-play-is-coming-soon-to-mac-and-pc-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2016032016-03-01-140155-jpg
Prepare your PC for PS4 Remote Play.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
PS4 Remote Play
Prepare your PC for PS4 Remote Play. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Playing PlayStation 4 games on your Mac or Windows PC will soon be possible thanks to Remote Play. Sony has confirmed the feature is making its way to desktops soon as it looks to catch up with Xbox One’s close relationship with Windows 10.

Ron Paul defends Apple: Spying has not prevented one terrorist attack

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Ronpaul1
Ron Paul says we should all support Apple.
Photo: R. DeYoung/Flickr CC

Siri loves Ron Paul, and apparently Paul’s feelings toward Apple are mutual.

The former congressman and presidential candidate used his weekly column this week to take on the issue of Apple’s standoff with the FBI — arguing that creating a backdoor for the iPhone would absolutely be a “precedent-setting case,” and stating that, “The government spying on us has not prevented one terrorist attack.”

iPhone hacking case is one step closer to being heard by Congress

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iPhone mobile encryption touch id
The iPhone hacking case is becoming one of 2016's biggest stories.
Photo: Olly Browning/Pixabay

Apple has argued that its encryption beef with the U.S. government should be heard by Congress, rather than the courts, and it appears that certain members of the House Judiciary Committee agree.

According to a new report, select Republican and Democratic party members of the House Judiciary Committee are considering filing a “friend of the court” brief to support elevating the case up to Congress level — although no final decision has yet been made.

iPhone 7 will be as slim as an iPod touch

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ipod-touch
The iPhone 7 may be Apple's thinnest handset yet.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 7 is set to be a whole 1mm thinner than the iPhone 6s, according to a new report — making it the same 6.1mm thickness as the fifth-generation iPod touch.

Considering that the first generation iPhone was 11.6mm thick, this means that Apple will have successfully shaved off almost half the thickness of its slimline iPhone over the course of the handset’s lifecycle, should this rumor turn out to be true. That’s a pretty amazing statistic!

Find out if you’ve been infected by sneaky new Mac malware

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Have you been infected?
Have you been infected?
Photo: Marcin Nowak/Unsplash

Is your Mac infected by newly discovered malware that was ostensibly created by Milan-based HackingTeam in order to gain remote access to your machine?

The new virus uses some old HackingTeam code and some new tricks to hide its tracks, but it’s mostly harmless, according to researchers.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to get it off your system. Here’s how.

Google Maps finally lets iPhone users make pit stops

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Google-Maps-pit-stops iOS
Get it together, U-Stop.
Photo: Google

Android owners have been able to insert detours into their Google Maps routes since October, but now the company is letting iPhone users in on the cool feature.

Starting today, Google is rolling out “pit stop” functionality to the iOS version of its navigation app. The company says it will work in the over 100 countries in which it offers driving directions.

NY judge rules Apple can refuse to unlock iPhone

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iPhone 6 by hurk:Pixabay
The government's case against Apple may be starting to crack.
Photo: Hurk/Pixabay

A New York magistrate judge has said that the government can’t compel Apple to unlock an iPhone involved in a criminal investigation.

In a ruling filed today, Judge James Orenstein has said that he must “reject the government’s interpretation that the [All Writs Act] empowers a court to grant any relief not outright prohibited by law.” This decision is the latest development in a months-long case that may serve as a precursor to the iPhone maker’s larger confrontation with the FBI.

New iPad may pack better camera than iPad Pro

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The next iPad Air could have the same speaker setup as the iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro won't have the best camera for long.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple is rumored to unveil a new 9.7-inch iPad on March 21st, and while it may not pack as big a screen as the iPad Pro, it will be way better at taking photos and videos.

Rather than matching the iPad Pro camera, a new rumor claims Apple may give the new iPad the same sensors found in the iPhone 6s.

How to create cheap bullet-time effects using your iPhone and string

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All you need is string and an iPhone to create this effect.
All you need is string and an iPhone to create this effect.
Photo: Nicolas Vuignier

Swiss freeskier Nicolas Vuignier blew our minds with his incredible slinging iPhone contraption that creates killer bullet-time videos. Now he’s unleashing his creation called the Centriphone to the public and it’s surprisingly simple and super cheap to make.

Vuignier detailed the making of the Centriphone in a new video that runs through the seven different prototypes he tested for weeks before finally coming up with the perfect device that flies around its wielder while capturing jaw-dropping 360 degree video.

The best part of the Centriphone is Vuignier made it an open source project so now anyone can 3D print it at home. Even if you don’t own a 3D printer you can still buy one for just $39.

Here’s how to make your own:

8 alternative Uber logos that are better than the real deal

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uber-new-logo-app-icon
Some freelance designers wanted to help out this atrocity.
Photo: Uber

Given that Uber’s new brand and logo aren’t exactly winning any awards, Freelancer posted a contest for its designers to take a crack at giving the online taxi service a new look. The assignment was simply to submit your own idea of what Uber’s redesigned branding should look like. The site received 147 entries from 27 freelancers and the winner was awarded a cool $100.

Shortly after Uber announced its new logo, people took to Twitter to mock it mercilessly because it’s … well, just not that good. Several of the most popular logo submissions by freelancers are arguably miles better than Uber’s.

Check out the winning design, as well as several honorable mentions, below.

Facebook’s Moments app quietly adds video, new upload settings

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Now Moments lets you add video to your private albums.
Now Moments lets you add video to your private albums.
Photo: Moments App

Getting photos from your friends can be a hassle, but Facebook’s Moments app lets you do just that with a private area where everyone can send their photos from events. Think of it as a private photo album that all of your friends are invited to.

Videos are next, as Facebook’s Moments just got updated in the App store, adding a way to add your videos to existing moments, or creating new ones just for video.

Here’s what Apple’s top lawyer will tell Congress tomorrow

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook and Apple aren't backing down.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s general counsel Bruce Sewell is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, when he’ll go toe-to-toe with FBI Director James Comey over whether the bureau should be allowed to force Apple to create a backdoor into iOS.

Tim Cook already explained Apple’s argument against the FBI’s orders, but today the company revealed what will be Sewell’s opening remarks before Congress unloads a barrage of questions — and he’s got some pretty big questions of his own for lawmakers to consider.

Android Pay is taking its fight against Apple Pay international

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android-pay-is-taking-its-fight-against-apple-pay-international-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201509Android-Pay-png
Android Pay is expanding its reach.
Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google

Android Pay, which made its debut in the U.S. just five months ago, is already gearing up to take its fight against Apple Pay international.

The U.K. will be the second market served by Google’s mobile payments system, according to a new report — and Britons will be able to sign up by the end of March.

This is how Steve Jobs tricked people into working for him

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walt-mossberg-steve-jobs
No one says 'no' to Steve Jobs.
Photo: Joi Ito/Flickr CC

Going into a big job interview can be an incredibly nerve-wracking experience, but when Steve Jobs is doing the questioning, the tension ramps up to an all-new level.

The Apple co-founder was notoriously difficult to work for, thanks to his intense demands. Being interviewed by Steve for a job was even worse, because as one former Pixar employee explains, the Apple CEO pretty much wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

Apple’s privacy fight with FBI could land Tim Cook in jail

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iPhone 6s
And all this over one iPhone!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With Apple not yet willing to accept court orders to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooing case, legal experts are weighing in on what penalties the company (and, conceivably, Tim Cook) may face if the parties involved refuse to do so.

The answer? Anything from some pretty big fines to jail-time for Apple’s CEO.