HTC has been getting a lot of stick for its brand new One A9, which looks just like another iPhone clone. But the Taiwanese company insists that the design was its own idea, and that Apple actually copied HTC’s first unibody phone that was released in 2013.
iPhones are pretty tough things, but despite all the Gorilla Glass and engineering magic Apple can throw at them, they’re still susceptible to broken screens when dropped.
That could change in future iPhone models, with a newly-published patent application describing an automated mechanism for protecting the iPhone display with a method straight out of James Bond.
Boomerang is just like Live Photos. Photo: Instagram
Instagram’s new app Boomerang lets users create one-second videos of everyday moments, then share them to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
The new app is a lot like the new Live Photos feature Apple introduced on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Boomerang takes a burst of five photos, stitches them together into a mini-video, then plays the clip in forward and then reverse — you know, just like a boomerang!
Tim Cook visits one of Apple's factories in China. Photo: Tim Cook
One of Apple’s supply chain iPhone manufacturers is under fire for unsafe and illegal labor practices — and for once it’s not Foxconn.
This time the company is Pegatron, which worker rights group China Labor Watch says has not cleaned up its act, despite Apple claiming that it would investigate it back in 2013 after 86 labour rights violations were identified at three of its factories.
Look for a one-fingered salute coming soon to a text near you. Photo: iOS 9.1
Remember in grade school when you learned what the middle finger meant? Twitter was kind of like that Thursday morning as giggly and astonished people reported their discovery of a middle-finger emoji in their iOS update.
This is not new news. We knew the finger would fly when the iOS update was announced earlier. Maybe it got lost in the excitement of finally getting a taco emoji. Who knows. But the tweets about the bird were refreshing 20 and 30 at a time every few seconds this morning.
To most taking to social media, the middle finger feels naughty and delicious.
Tim Cook says Apple will continue to invest in China. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook has stuck his neck out again in support of the Chinese economy, saying that Apple will continue to pour money into the market, despite a slowing stock market and economy.
“I know some people are worried about the economy,” Cook said in an interview with the Chinese Xinhua news agency. “We’ll continue to invest. China is a superb place to be. Nothing has changed that.”
Don't worry. This isn't a vampire. Photo: Hildgrim/Flickr CC
If you’re environmentally conscious at all, or if you’re just trying to save a few pennies on your electricity bill, you’re probably aware that a lot of gadgets suck up a surprising amount of energy when in standby mode.
Consequently, many people suggest that you should totally unplug these “energy vampires” when they’re not in use … but how seriously should you take that? Should you be totally unplugging your MacBook charger, or your iPad charger, when it’s not in use?
This sad, middle finger-free existence is over in iOS 9.1. Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
This week’s update to iOS 9.1 did more than just squash some bugs and tweak the Shift key. It also added a ton of new emojis to your built-in keyboard. If you want to put a number on it, iOS 9.1 adds 184 new, tiny pictures to spice up your text messages.
It may be hard to keep track of which ones are new, so we gathered up the newcomers for your convenience — along with where to find them.
On your marks, get set, GO, tvOS developers! Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
If you’re a developer eager to take advantage of the new Apple TV App Store, today’s your lucky day — because Apple just opened up its submission process for tvOS apps.
Twitter is getting a much needed overhaul on the Mac. Photo: Rus Yusupov
Although the microblogging service pays a lot of attention to its iOS client, even rolling out a new feature called Moments last week, Twitter has traditionally ignored its OS X client. But it’s about to get a much needed update, including a dark mode custom tailored for OS X El Capitan.
The worst time for your Apple Watch to bother you, and Apple makes an ad for it. Screenshot: Cult of Mac
Although Apple’s still remaining mum on official sales numbers, Cupertino isn’t laying off the Apple Watch marketing as we approach the holiday season. Apple just released five new short ads highlighting Apple Watch’s ability to take advantage of Siri, Apple Music, Apple Pay, notifications, fitness tracking and more.
iOS 9 is crushing it in adoption figures. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The public version of iOS 9 has been available for just over one month, and already it’s passed the 60 percent adoption threshold — with 2x the number of users as are currently using its predecessor, iOS 8.
Which is why it’s probably no surprise that, when he took in on himself to organize a surprise party for wife Kim Kardashian’s 35th birthday, a special screening of Aaron Sorkin’s new Steve Jobs movie was top of the list.
Apple is now carbon neutral in China. But it's not stopping there. Photo: Apple
Apple and Foxconn are teaming up to build solar power plants that will ensure its iPhone-manufacturing factories in China run on 100 percent clean energy.
Foxconn has committed to constructing more than 400 megawatts of solar power plants, beginning in China’s Henan Province, by 2018. Apple will also build an addition 200 megawatts of solar projects throughout China, helping offset the carbon produced by the rest of its supply chain.
The Beddi smart alarm clock has a host of functions. Waking you from sleep is just a start. Photo: Witti
You may have broke your last alarm clock swiping it off your nightstand as you tried to make it stop doing that one thing it’s supposed to do – get your ass out of bed.
In its place comes Beddi, the clock that teams up with your iPhone to wake you, get the coffee started and even hail you an Uber ride. Dock your phone at night for charging, enjoy some pillow talk with Siri, activate a mood light and fall asleep to white noise.
iCloud.com now has Find My Friends. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
You no longer need an iPhone to stalk your contacts on Find My Friends.
Apple updated iCloud.com this morning with a new web-based app for Find My Friends that lets you keep tabs on the location of all of your contacts’ from the comfort of your Mac or PC.
Magna International Inc. is making cars for BMW. Photo: BMW
It’s an open secret that Apple is building it’s own electric car, but according to the chairman of Ferrari, Sergio Marchionne, it’s unlikely that the company will actually manufacture the vehicle on its own.
In an interview this morning on CNBC, Marchionne said that he believes the automotive industry is a space where Apple could really exhibit its skills. However, designing a car and making it are two different things, so Apple will probably have to outsource production.
YouTube is going ad-free, for a price. Photo: Google
Google revealed that it’s getting into the subscription video streaming game today with the introduction of YouTube Red.
The new $9.99-per-month service will give customers ad-free access to all of YouTube’s content, but the company plans to charge customers extra if they sign up through iOS.
The first big updates for iOS 9 and El Capitan were released by Apple this morning, but the company has some smaller updates for the Apple Watch and Apple TV 4, too.
The GM for tvOS was seeded today to developers who already got their hands on the early release Apple TV 4 units. That software will be the final version the new set-top box ships with next week. Apple Watch owners also received an update in the form of watchOS 2.0.1.
The Apple Watch update contains the following fixes:
A new beta is out for OS X El Capitan. Photo: Apple
The first big update for OS X El Capitan has been released to the public today after months of beta testing of its new features and improvements.
OS X 10.11.1 brings more than 150 new emoji characters to the Mac, along with improved compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016, better VoiceOver reliability and numerous other bug fixes. The update can be now loaded through the Mac App Store or via the Software Update option in the Apple menu.
A ton of new emoji land on iOS devices today with the public launch of iOS 9.1.
Apple released iOS 9.1 this morning to users after five beta builds of the first big iOS 9 update were tested by developers. Among the new features: dozens of new emoji for everything from tacos, burritos, unicorns — and even a middle finger.
iOS users currently running iOS 9.0.2 can grab the new software via an over-the-air update or download it directly from iTunes.
Walt Mossberg echoes what others are saying about the Steve Jobs movie: it's inaccurate. Photo: Joi Ito/Flickr CC
Technology journalist Walt Mossberg opened up about the Steve Jobs movie debuting in theaters this Friday and he didn’t have many kind things to say about it. Mossberg, who knew Steve Jobs for 14 years before his passing, recalls the numerous occasions in which they talked and spent time together including in interviews. None of those times, however, seem to add up to Aaron Sorkin’s portrayal of Jobs in the movie.
Not everyone is happy at Apple under CEO Tim Cook. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook heads a company that devotes massive brain power in developing and understanding algorithms. And it was an algorithm that ranked the Apple CEO the nation’s top executive from a list of 250.
ExecRank, a kind of social network for companies to find advisors and board members, uses a statistical and algorithmic analysis to measure 24 categories, including experience, business resolution, company growth and earnings and industry reputation.
Spot the difference. The Apple legal team edition. Photo: Apple/LenovoSpot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic
Jony Ive sure hates rival companies ripping off the iPhone for their latest flagship handset design. Which is why we’d respectfully suggest that Jony doesn’t click the link below, unless he wants to ruin his Wednesday before it even starts.
From the curved edges and color options to the prominent antenna lines, all that’s missing is the Apple stamp of quality. And Jony’s permission, of course.
Apple's building a new office in San Jose. Photo: Apple
Apple has been making some big moves in the north San Jose real estate market lately, and the company just added another big property to its holdings with the leasing of a new site that could hold up to 3,000 workers.