El Capitan beta is here to change your Mac. Photo: Apple
Mac owners will finally be able to install OS X El Capitan on machines starting tomorrow, but if you want a taste of the future, registered developers can seed the latest beta of OS X 10.11.1 starting today.
The iPhone 6s is ready to spread across the globe. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple is already looking ahead to how the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will take over the world, according to our survey of individual countries’ region-specific Apple sites.
If you don’t live in one of the first 11 countries that received the new phones on Friday, you may not have long to wait, as our findings reveal the next 105 or so places Apple plans to sell the 6s. Check out the map below to see when it’s coming to your neighborhood if it hasn’t already.
The goBAT 6000 can charge your smartphone up to three times during your outdoor adventures. Photo: SCOSCHE
The whole point of rustic camping or any outdoor adventure is to unplug from the world. But your iPhone and all its apps are so darn useful to your active lifestyle, your idea of rustic still needs a place to recharge the battery.
SCOSCHE Industries has a portable battery pack to help keep things primitive, well for 2015 anyway. The goBAT 6000 can handle mud, water and dubious weather, and has the power to charge your smartphone three times.
Should the Nexus 6P be your next smartphone? Photo: Google
Following their big unveiling in San Francisco this morning, Google’s new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are now available for pre-order. But should you buy one, or is your hard-earned cash better spent elsewhere?
To help you decide, here’s a handy comparison that shows you how Google’s latest devices stack up against the competition from Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and more.
Pixar takes iPad Pro for a test drive. Photo: Michael B. Johnson/Twitter
Apple’s gigantic new tablet just got a huge endorsement from some of the best animators and graphic artists in the world.
Pixar’s animation team got an early hands-on look with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil yesterday, and according to Pixar’s R&D pre-production architect, Michael Johnson, the palm rejection on the iPad Pro is so ‘perfect’ you’ll never have to worry about trying to draw while resting your hand on the device.
New design, new features, new Chromecast. Photo: Google
Google’s inexpensive TV dongle is finally getting a much needed update today as the tech giant revealed two brand new Chromecast models at its press event in San Francisco. Google also loosed a redesigned Chromecast app, Photos support, and Spotify for the video device. The newly-designed TV-centric Chromecast dongle (which comes with an integrated HDMI cable) and a brand-new audio device named Chromecast Audio (also in an delightful dongle design), are both available starting today for $35 each.
Kate Winslet, middle, praises the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Michael Fassbender (right). Photo: Universal Pictures
Michael Fassbender doesn’t look anything like Steve Jobs in the upcoming movie about the Apple CEO’s life, but according to his co-star Jeff Daniels, that doesn’t matter because it’s the most truthful telling of Steve Jobs yet.
“Michael’s really making sure that he tells the truth with STeve Jobs. That he really tries to get to the core of why STeve did this and why he did that,” say Daniels in a new behind-the-scenes video. “It’s certainly not an impression, nor is it intended to be, but the truth is there.”
Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Danny Boyle, and Fassbender all sat down to talk about the movie that will be released next month, providing insight on what it was like to enter the world of the iconic tech figure.
We didn’t expect to see a new tablet from Google today, but we got one, and it wasn’t a Nexus.
It’s called the Pixel C, and it’s a 10.2-inch slate that hopes to take on devices like the Microsoft Surface and Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro with a detachable keyboard and a focus on productivity.
Tim Cook discusses Apple's enterprise ambitions at BoxWorks in San Francisco, September 2015. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple CEO Tim Cook is urging competitors to copy Apple in the fight against climate change.
Speaking today at the BoxWorks 2015 conference at Moscone Center here, Cook said Apple’s rivals should copy its efforts to run their operations entirely on renewable energy.
“We are very focused on the environment,” he said. “Climate change is real, and we should stop denying it.”
The Sport Chant is a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker with 360-degrees of sound. Photo: House of Marley
Music doesn’t always have to be tightly funneled into our ear canals for us to enjoy it. Audio companies are finding ways to bring a big sound to an open space from a portable package.
Add House of Marley to the growing list of Bluetooth, water-resistant speakers currently vying for our listening attention. The eco-friendly audio company created by the family of Reggae legend Bob Marley unveiled the Chant Sport Tuesday, a 360-degree sound chamber about the size of a water bottle.
Apple chief Tim Cook (that's not him in the photo) will talk iOS 9 and the future of work at the BoxWorks conference today in San Francisco. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
SAN FRANCISCO — Will Tim Cook do anything to steal Google’s thunder?
The Apple CEO is back at the Moscone Center, this time for BoxWorks 2105, the annual gathering of customers and developers for enterprise cloud storage company Box.
It’s a rare speaking gig for Cook, who tends to limit his engagements to just a few high-profile events a year. While big and successful, Box’s conference is hardly one of the marquee events on the tech calendar. Unless it falls on the same exact day Google is announcing new products at its big Nexus media event.
“He’s f****ing with Google,” said one analyst in the press room when asked why Cook chose this event.
Cook is likely to talk up the new iPad Pro and Apple’s enterprise efforts, which include partnering with IBM and Cisco. Read on to see what he says. We’re liveblogging the event. Cook will be onstage at 9 a.m. Pacific.
Google’s Nexus event is starting soon! Photo: Google
After months of leaks and speculation, Google’s new Nexus smartphones are almost here. In just one hour, the company will kick off its big keynote in San Francisco to announce the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P — and maybe even more.
You can follow the whole thing in our liveblog right here starting at 9 a.m. Pacific.
Zane Lowe hopes Beats 1 proves its value to Apple. Photo: Apple
Beats 1 launched triumphantly with Apple Music, but in a new interview with Beats DJ Zane Lowe, the radio presenter admits he’s “not sure” whether Beats 1 is a crucial part of the Apple Music package — although he hopes “there’s a place for it.”
Hopefully this disastrous chapter is over for all involved. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The long-running disaster that was the Los Angeles Unified School District scheme to provide iPads to every student, teacher and campus administrator is apparently over — with Apple among the companies agreeing to pay out a $6.4 million settlement.
The tentative payout is hopefully the last phase in an aborted $1.3-billion plan for the second-largest district in the U.S. to get its hands on new iPads and Pearson educational software.
Not a particularly sweet discovery. Photo: Manchester Evening News
What kind of person hands over $750 for two new iPhone 6s handsets from a person they’ve just met on the street?
Apparently the kind of person who’s then surprised that the bag supposedly carrying his new iPhones instead contains a large amount of sugar, that’s who!
In a newly-published patent, Apple explains how 3D Touch-style technology could revolutionize maps, by letting users animate the screen with different levels of touch.
Apple has updated its website with new details about about its privacy policy and how it uses customer data.
Under the heading “The most personal technology must also be the most private,” the site runs down all of Apple’s core services, and explains how Apple protects user data in each case.
Apple Music's free trial is coming to an end. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
It’s almost the end of September, which not only means the evenings are starting to draw in for most of us, but also that Apple Music’s three-month free trial is about to come to an end — with the $9.99 per month premium service kicking in from October.
After its Apple Music Emmys ad, Apple is making one more big push to sell users on its streaming music service. If you want to throw in the towel before getting charged, however, now’s the time to do it.
Apple is finally getting serious about explaining Apple Music to the masses. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
With just days to go before free Apple Music trials start to expire, Cupertino is finally getting serious about explaining exactly how its streaming music service works.
A new wave of “guided tour” videos demystifies Apple Music’s functionality and features — but will this marketing and educational push be too little, too late to stop a wave of defectors from leaving the fledgeling service at a critical time?
MLB teams can now play with iPads in the dugout. Photo: Keith Allison/Flickr
Major Leaugue Baseball doesn’t have a great reputation of embracing Apple products on baseball diamond, but starting this week, teams will finally be allowed to replace their paper binders with iPads to look up everything from statistics, scouting reports, spray charts.
Teams were given the MLB’s blessing to start using iPads in the dugout during games, however there’s a catch: teams can’t connect iPads to WiFi during games, and all info must be downloaded before the first pitch.
The same shot taken with all 9 iPhones. Photo: Lisa Bettany
The iPhone 6s has the best camera Apple’s ever made, but have you ever wondered how much better the new camera is than the original iPhone that launched back in 2007?
Lisa Bettany put the iPhone 6s camera through its paces in a new comparison test that pits the new device against the previous eight iPhones. Her images show how far Apple’s smartphone photography game has improved since the original iPhone debuted with its 2-megapixel sensor.
Third-party apps are already jumping on board with 3D Touch and so should you. Photo: Apple
So, you’re one of 13 million people to get a brand new iPhone 6S over the launch weekend. Congratulations, you now have access to a faster phone — potentially a rose gold one, better cameras, stronger aluminum and of course, 3D Touch. The latter is actually extremely useful, but it’s only as useful as developers allow.
Since the feature is brand new, 3D Touch mostly works with Apple’s stock iOS apps for quick application shortcuts on the Home screen, plus Peek and Pop inside apps to preview different types of content. A few productive developers saw the light and quickly updated their apps to support this drastically new way to use an iPhone.
You can tell that the future is very bright for 3D Touch as developers are just getting started figuring out how to unlock all of its potential. Until we reach that 3D utopia, here are five terrific apps that already do Apple’s latest innovation plenty of justice.
Apple shares took a tumble this morning. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook revealed that Apple sold more iPhones 6s units this weekend than any other iPhone launch in history, but apparently the historic sales just aren’t enough to please Wall Street.
Keep your Amazon details safe with two-step verification. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The iPhone 6s is so fast, not only does it destroy the iPhone 6 in speed tests, it tops the iPad Air 2 and every Android device on the market, according to initial benchmark tests.
Apple’s engineers managed to make some huge GPU improvements on the iPhone 6s thanks to new technology that allows the the A9 chip to deliver higher performance and lower power consumption. According to early benchmarks by tech gurus at AnandTech, all the improvements add up to make the iPhone 6s nearly twice as fast as the rest of the industry.
In some benchmarks, the iPhone 6s nearly tops the Surface Pro 3: