We have the technology. We can make the Cult of Mac website better than it was. Better, stronger, faster.
We can and we did (and it didn’t cost us $6 million, either). In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iPhone and iPad, you’ll get the scoop on our website’s redesign, plus updates on Apple TV, opinions on Apple Watch and some totally disarming selfies.
It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for Cult of Mac to run down the week’s best apps. From guerrilla filmmaking to guerrilla warfare, and silent messaging apps to RSS readers, we’ve got something for everyone.
Check out our picks below:
This week: why we might be in for big iPad upgrades this year; our expectations for the iPhone 6C; the one feature we hope iPhone 6S will get (but probably won’t); Woz is worried about Skynet again; and… is Apple building a machine for time travel? You’ll have to press play to find out…
Our thanks to HipChat for supporting this episode. HipChat’s team communication app helps all teams work together more effectively, and gets you the information you need faster than email. Get HipChat Plus free for 90 days at hipchat.com/cultofmac.
Show notes ahead, and they’re excellent.
This week’s soon-to-end deals have got something for everybody. Whether you want to tell animated stories, guard your online and physical wallets, or keep your groove going at the gym, these are all offers worth jumping on before it’s too late.
We’ve seen before that changing from Chrome to Safari can make a big difference on your Mac’s battery life.
But if you haven’t switched from Chrome or Firefox to Safari yet, this fact might change your mind: If you’re a MacBook user, you’re losing an average of one hour of total battery life by using anything but Safari.
Looking for a fun weekend project? Got 36 iMac boxes lying around? Make yourself an iMac hamster wheel.
Apple told investors earlier this month that sales of the Apple Watch have far exceeded its own internal expectations, but some of the companies that are making parts for the new wearable are claiming that they can’t even break even because demand is so weak.
Taiwan’s Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) which makes the system-in-package case that contains Apple Watch’s array of sensors and chips, told investors during a conference call that it still hasn’t reached “break even volume” of two million units per month.
If you’ve been having problems with Apple Music and iCloud Music Library incorrectly matching songs in your library, you’re far from the only one. It turns out the reason is that Apple Music doesn’t use the same method for matching songs you own as iTunes Match does. This results in significantly more errors and frustrated users.
Though iTunes Match used acoustic fingerprinting to identify songs you own and match them for all of your devices, Apple Music uses the metadata of those songs. That means if you change something as simple as the title and artist, it could match to an entirely different song despite the unchanged audio.
As part of the original Macintosh team back in the 80s, Susan Kare created some of Apple’s earliest typefaces and icons, but now the famous designer is ready to bring her iconic skills to Pinterest, as the company’s newest design lead.
We know Apple will launch its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus this fall — you can bet your house on it — but what we don’t know is whether it will be accompanied by an iPhone 6c. For months it looked like the smaller, more affordable model was set to return, however, a recent report said Apple has scrapped that plan.
But does Apple really need an iPhone 6c?
The Cupertino company makes billions every quarter off its flagship models, and it has already stated it has no interest in building “cheap” devices to grab market share in emerging markets. But what about those who want a flagship iPhone that’s small enough to use with one hand?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we take it to a debate!
Keeping enough iPhone cables around the house to your entire family’s devices charged can result in some unsightly blogs of tangled cables. Most charging stations look horrible, or too nerdy to keep in open sight, but the Foaster is hoping the solve that problem by disguising an iPhone charging station in the shape of one of the most ubiquitous kitchen appliances.
Foaster comes with two slots to charge two iPhones at the same time, but it also can be expanded to accommodate two extra iPads. With its built-in power supply, Foaster only uses one electric outlet on your wall, keeping a fresh minimal look.
Check out the full demo:
Instead of using Apple’s CarPlay infotainment system or Android Auto in its 2016 vehicles, Toyota has decided to use a company you’ve probably never heard of to provide navigation and phone connectivity.
Who would’ve thought emojis could prove so controversial?
Following on from the yellow skin color accusations and Russian LGBT emojis attempted banning, the nonprofit group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) has launched a new hashtag entitled #DisarmTheiPhone — calling for Apple to “remove the gun emoji [from iOS] and take a stand for stricter gun accessibility in America.”
Check out a video for the campaign below:
No-one does ads with more consistent high quality than Apple. That’s why it’s kind of fun to go back to a time when getting the word out about new products was less about pushing out a sleek new video on YouTube and more about radio spots designed to give potential customers the hard sell.
Stephen Hackett of website 512 Pixels was recently given a stack of old Apple documents, and among them were scripts for three Apple-approved radio ads promoting the Apple IIc during the holiday quarter of 1984: the same year Apple unveiled the original Mac.
Check them out below.
In yet another apparent confirmation that the iPhone 6s will come with Apple’s Force Touch technology, manufacturer TPK is reportedly heading into mass-production of the relevant pressure-sensitives modules, after shipping off small amounts of samples last month.
It’s being a bit shy admitting which company they are for, though. (*cough* Apple! *cough*)
Around four years ago, developers Almost Human released The Legend of Grimrock, a throwback to the first-person dungeon crawlers from the 1980s (Dungeon Master, The Bard’s Tale and even the first Phantasy Star game for the Sega Master System) for Mac.
They claimed it was was coming to iPad “by the end of the year.” It actually took three. I assumed, after all that time, it would never come to iPhone, though… but as it turns out, I was wrong.
For me, it’s the burning question of 2015: “Should I buy an Apple Watch?”
As editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, everybody’s always asking me if Apple’s smartwatch is a must-buy. The simple answer is there’s no simple answer, for reasons that might surprise you.
The Apple Watch went on sale in New Zealand, Russia and Turkey today, with the wearable devices available at the countries’ respective Apple Online Stores and brick-and-mortar retailers.
In Russia, Watches can be purchased in person at iPort, Re:Store, and C-store Internet stores. In Turkey, customers can do in-store pickup at Apple Stores in Istanbul’s Zorlu Center and Akasya Shopping Center. In New Zealand, Watches are available at select Apple Stores.
Minecraft is no stranger to beautiful user-made worlds, but this recreation of the deep sea feels special, even by Minecraft standards.
It actually feels like you’re in a submarine, sinking deep beaneath the waves into an underewater world.
Apple has boosted pay for its contracted shuttle bus drivers ahead of a vote this weekend, in which unionized drivers in Silicon Valley will vote on a package for improved wages and benefits.
Drivers are demanding hourly pay increases to $21-$25, which will then increase again to $22.50-$28.50 in three years. They also want pension contributions, differential pay for shifts, and a six-hour minimum for drivers who don’t want to work split shifts.
Developed by Silvio Rizzi, Reeder 2 was our favorite feed reader for Mac when it was released last year, but design wise, it was themed an OSX Mountain Lion app in an OS X Yosemite world.
Now, Reeder 3 is here, available to everyone as part of a public beta. And not only does it have a new look, it comes with a huge number of new features.
Google Glass has returned to keep looking like a really lame version of the future, according to reports. The company is rolling out a new, office-ready version of its augmented-reality wearable to businesses that aims to correct some of the problems of the earlier model.
The new hardware features a smaller form factor, prolonged battery life, and a faster processor.
If you’re taking your iPhone 6 Plus on vacation with you, and you anticipate being near a large body of water like, say, the Pacific Ocean, it’s a good idea to take precautions. One kayaker’s ounce of prevention worked out for the best when his iPhone ended up at the bottom of the damned sea.
Months later, a scuba diver found the phone and returned it, and they could do that because both the waterproof bag the owner had bought and the phone inside of it were still working perfectly.
The long-rumored update for Apple TV will launch soon, according to a new report that claims Cupertino will launch its radically new set-top box — with thoroughly upgraded hardware and software — in September.
If you’re going to own a Mac, you should maybe put it away somewhere if you’re expecting a visit from Clippy.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon learned that lesson the hard way when he was talking up the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest OS last night. As is his wont, Microsoft Word’s built-in assistant appeared at random, and everything was cordial until the talking paper clip spotted the MacBook on Fallon’s desk.
You can check out the rest of the clip below.