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I ain’t saying he’s a gold-digger, but Kanye already has an Apple Watch Edition

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Kanye
What would Yeezus wear? Photo: Justjared
Photo: Justjared

Given his unabashed love for “Jony Ives” (sic) and his status as the “next Steve Jobs,” it was only ever going to be a limited amount of time before Kanye West got his hands on a gold Apple Watch.

What may be slightly more of a surprise is that he didn’t just get the regular 18-karat Apple Watch Edition Apple has handed out to seemingly every celebrity who knocks on its doors, but rather the all-gold custom band unavailable to customers, which only Beyonce and Karl Lagerfeld have been spotted wearing so far.

Netflix CEO’s vision for the future of TV sounds just like Apple’s

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Netflix's CEO knows his stuff.
Netflix's CEO knows his stuff.

Netflix is killing it right now, so I’d be inclined to believe founder and CEO Reed Hastings when he chips in with his thoughts on the future of TV.

And, wouldn’t you know it, when he gave a speech about that very subject last week in Berlin, what he described as television’s future sounded a whole lot like what Apple is reported to be unveiling this year.

Never mind the Apple Car, Woz is backing Cadillac

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tesla

Photo: Steve

Steve Wozniak thinks the future is all about self-driving cars, but don’t expect him to be putting his money on the rumored Apple Car.

That’s because the Apple co-founder has signed a deal with Cadillac which will see him not only appear in marketing for the firm, but also offering his thoughts in a technical consulting role.

“I will be meeting with Cadillac, offering tech ideas on what belongs [in future vehicles] and what doesn’t,” Woz told a group of more than 200 people attending a recent presentation hosted by BBVA Compass Bank.

Read the first ever article written about Apple

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Wozniak: Steve Jobs was driven by a desire to be important
Woz and Jobs in their early days at Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s not exactly hurting for press coverage these days. There was a time, though, when the company was desperate for any bit of publicity it could drum up. That time was February 1977, when The Apple Computer Company spoke to Kilobaud magazine for a multi-page feature article.

I don’t know whether my favorite bit of the resulting article is the crowing about 10 Apple computers selling in three weeks (the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sold 10 million in their opening weekend) or Steve Jobs not yet mastering the art of selling by admitting the machine “is not for everybody,” but it makes for fun reading nonetheless.

A few awesome apps you might have missed last week

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Awesome-apps-you-might-have-missed

The App Store is a busy place, and it’s easy to miss an awesome new release, an update that makes an old app worthy of re-downloading, or a hidden gem you didn’t even know you even wanted.

That’s why we’ve done the work for you and collected the most awesome new apps for iOS and the Mac from the past week. We’ve got brand new Mac and iOS apps along with some killer updates this go around.


Awesome Apps

Unicorns, horror and bikes: 8 Instagram accounts to follow right now

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adam-jones
A detail of Adam Jones' art for new Red Hare album. Photo: Adam Jones/Instagram

Instagram has become riddled with so many photos of kitty cats, inspirational sayings and kitty cats spouting inspirational sayings that it has become nearly impossible to find fun and interesting feeds to follow without spending hours staring at your iPhone. So we did it for you.

This is not so much a “best of” list as a starting point that should open your mind to what else is out there in the great big Insta-world.

Apple’s plans for a magical new TV remote, this week on The CultCast

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Save us Apple, you're our only hope.
Save us Apple, you're our only hope.
Photo:

This week: For years Apple has reportedly been working their magic on the worst device in every home—the remote control. And now, with a rumored new Apple TV on the the horizon, we’ll tell you why an Apple-hewn controller could be its flagship feature. Plus: how to create your own Apple Watch band; how to share your digital heartbeat with other lonely Apple Watch wearers; and we vote on our favorite new gadgets on an all-new Faves ’N Raves.

Our thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn virtually any application at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

cultcast-178-post-player-image-thin

Full show notes ahead!

Designing for Android: an iOS developer’s perspective

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Photo: Diarmuid Miklós/Flickr
A one-size-fits-all hybrid design for Android and iOS apps is not the best of both worlds. Photo: Diarmuid Miklós/Flickr

As an iOS developer, I’m frequently asked, “When are you going to do an Android version?” Like it is just a matter of time.

But the truth is, we’ll probably never support Android. While there are sound business rationales for this, my motives are rooted in design philosophy.

ICYMI: Essential Apple Watch tips

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A ton of tips for your wrist! Photo: Stephen Smith
A ton of tips for your wrist! Photo: Stephen Smith

This week, we focus on four non-obvious yet essential tips and tricks for using that fancy new Apple Watch on your wrist. Rob plays a new Apple Watch game, calling Lifeline the best game he’s played on his wrist, while Leander takes a speedy trip around the block on Stromer’s amazing electric bike. Luke digs into an Apple patent for a magical new Apple TV remote, and Buster checks in on how the Apple Watch will likely prevent heart attacks in the future.

All that and much, much more in the weekly installment of Cult of Mac Magazine!

Apple plans to use free music samples to bring in subscribers

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Apple has big ambitions for its new music streaming service.
Beats redesign could be unveiled at WWDC. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The days of free music streaming could be over if Apple gets its way, and its ready to make the transition smoother with Soundcloud-like free samples to go with its new streaming service.

Negotiations between Apple and music labels are still on-going for the new service that could launch as soon as WWDC, but according to a new report, Apple plans to offer listeners several ways to still play some music without paying for it.

How Apple Watch could predict heart attacks in the future

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The Apple Watch turns a wearer's heartbeat into something very vivid and visual.
Your Apple Watch could one day warn you of an upcoming heart attack. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch heart rate monitor is far better than everyone thought, and that could theoretically lead to big medical breakthroughs — like the ability to can apple watch detect heart attack before they happen.

Developer Brad Larson dug into raw Apple Watch HealthKit heart rate data after a run and compared it to data from a heart rate monitor he had been wearing. The Apple Watch doesn’t have Food and Drug Administration approval as a medical device, but Larson discovered the wearable is nearly as accurate as an electrocardiogram.

Last-minute Mother’s Day gifts to make your mom giddy

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Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The Moshi Urbana is stylish on the outside and filled with nerdy goodness on the inside. Perfect for mom. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo:

We know all you good boys and girls have had your Mother’s Day gifts wrapped and hidden in the basement for weeks and weeks, but the staff here at Cult of Mac has been so busy covering all the Apple Watch that the holiday crept up on us. So we thought we would share our last-minute Mother’s Day gift guide with you, in case you’re in the same sad boat.

Let’s be honest, though, most of these items come straight from wish lists of the Cult of Mac wives, so even if you already picked out the perfect Mother’s Day gifts for mom, who doesn’t like a “just because you rock” gift?

Moshi Urbana briefcase (above) — $149.95

Smart, stylish and surprisingly spacious, Moshi’s Urbana briefcase will swallow a 15-inch MacBook and still have room for mom’s iPad, books and everything else she always seems to have on hand during a time of emergency. The Urbana offers plenty of pockets for organizing the essentials, plus water-resistant protection from the elements. Geeky enough to make a nerdy mom happy, while stylish enough to not be embarrassing.

Buy from: Amazon

iPhone 7 concept features a home button built into the screen

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Photo:
Hurry up and take my money Apple! Photo: ComputerBild

Given the enormous success of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple’s going to have to pull out all the stops if it hopes to boost sales further with its next major iPhone redesign. This iPhone 7 concept, created by designer extraordinaire Martin Hajek, certainly presents enough of a “wow” factor to do it!

Check out more of Hajek’s pictures below.

ResearchKit as popular as social media, says medical dev

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ResearchKit is just as revolutionary as researchers hoped.
ResearchKit is just as revolutionary as researchers hoped. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

As the largest crowdsourced medical data-gathering app ever, ResearchKit is arguably one of the most important inventions of recent times. And according to LifeMap Solutions, the company behind inaugural ResearchKit app Asthma Health, it’s more than living up to its promise.

In an official ResearchKit blog post, a rep for the company describes how users are as engaged with Asthma Health — an app which monitors asthma symptoms across a variety of conditions — as they are with social networks and games!

Ericsson takes lawsuit against Apple to Europe, wants up to $725 million per year

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple could be about to hand over a whole lot of cash. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Claiming that Apple is infringing on several of its patents, Ericsson has ramped up its legal efforts against the company by expanding lawsuits to cover Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.

“Apple continues to profit from Ericsson’s technology without having a valid license in place,” said Kasim Alfalahi, chief intellectual property officer at Ericsson, adding that he is confident the courts will resolve the matter fairly.

What Westeros would look like in Apple Maps

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The Lands of Always Winter look like my backyard. Photo: MongoLife/Etsy
The Lands of Always Winter look like my backyard. Photo: MongoLife/Etsy

Let’s just leave aside the obvious Apple Maps jokes and focus on how cool this Etsy user’s Westeros map is.

It’s the continent where the war, sex and epic political conniving takes place in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, made to look like a modern map you might find on your iPhone or Mac.

How cool is that?

Fitbit lists Apple Watch as risk to investors in IPO filing

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Apple Watch Activity
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Fitbit is looking to make a splash on Wall Street by filing to go public. The company behind the Flex activity trackers announced it is looking to raise $100 million in an initial public offering later this year.

Fitbit sold 10.2 million devices last year, and is the first wearable technology company to go public. But now that Apple Watch is available to the public, Fibit is warning investors in its filing that it could potentially be “more competitive than our products and services.”

Full quote below:

Thor’s giant schlong makes its debut in Vacation reboot

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Yeah, we cropped it. Photo: New Line Cinema
Yeah, we cropped it. Photo: New Line Cinema

Rusty Griswold is all grown up in the upcoming reboot of classic comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation. If you’ve ever laughed out loud when someone says “prairie-doggin’,” you’ll love this new reboot just as much, what with it’s scatological and sexual humor.

Bonus: The new red-band trailer for the upcoming flick gives us a look at Thor’s Chris Hemsworth playing an Airbnb owner and showing off his six-pack abs (along with his other, less-family-friendly assets).

$14,000 turntable won’t wear out your vinyl. What a deal.

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Does this look like an old Betamax player to you? Photo: ELP Japan
Does this look like an old Betamax player to you? Photo: ELP Japan

If you’ve got an extra $14,000 to $18,500 sitting around, you might consider grabbing yourself one of these bad boys from Japanese manufacturer ELP.

The ELP Laser Turntable promises the best in fidelity when playing your precious vinyl records because it uses a laser, not a needle, to decode the music that’s been cut into your LPs.

iPhone addiction destroys the world in this hilarious short film

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The perils of smartphone addiction. Photo: Min Axel
The perils of smartphone addiction. Photo: Min Axel

I’m addicted to my iPhone. Aren’t we all? The addiction is so deep and universal that CultCast host Erfon Elijah spent a good three minutes yesterday convincing me it’s totally OK to cruise Instagram from a urinal.

“Just don’t don’t gram yourself,” he said.

Worse things could come of a smartphone addiction than an accidental nudie pic, and that’s exactly what happens in this hilarious animated short film. Cartoon characters, completely oblivious to the world around them, stay glued to their screens and continue to tap, tap, tap away while slamming into poles, getting stripped of clothes, and walking into burning buildings.

Check out the funny three-minute film:

World’s hottest Bluetooth speaker shoots actual flames

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The Sound Torch Bluetooth speaker is ready to set your ears, and hopefully not your house, on fire. Photo: Sound Torch
The Sound Torch Bluetooth speaker is ready to set your ears, and hopefully not your house, on fire. Photo: Sound Torch

Do you like your music hot? I mean really hot?

If so, the Sound Torch could be the Bluetooth speaker of your dreams. The in-development audio device is headed for Kickstarter with a proof-of-concept video that should make fire marshals nervous.

See it in action, and get a taste of the creators’ crazy ambitions, below.