News - page 1303

If I had to list the apps I couldn’t live without, Plex would be high up on the list. Think of it like a Netflix for your local video. A multimedia server client for Mac with a slick iOS app, Plex allows you to stream your local television shows and movies on demand to any device on your local WiFi network, or even away from home. It even works on the Apple TV.

Now, Plex for iOS version 3.5 is here, and it brings some cool new features to the already feature-packed app, including the ability to play movie trailers before your movie!

Apple is set to open its new Dutch brick-and-mortar retail store this Saturday, according to ifoAppleStore.

This will be the third Apple Store to open in the Netherlands, with previous retail outfits opening in Amsterdam and Haarlem. The store will be located in Den Haag (The Hague), which is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but an important city since it is the seat of the Dutch government and parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State.

While the world is eagerly awaiting Apple’s next generation iPhone 6, a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models Apple is expected to release may be pushed back due to production issues.

According to Kuo, Apple’s manufacturers are suffering delays related to the devices’ in-cell touch panel production, and also low-yield casing and chassis problems.

Will the iPhone 6 have a sapphire glass display or won’t it? So far, the jurt’s still out, with a leaked ‘sapphire’ panel turning out to be just a different type of Gorilla Glass.

Whether the iPhone 6 will or won’t have a super-hard, nigh-invulnerable sapphire glass screen, though, Apple is still doubling down on its investments into the material. In fact, it was announced today that Apple’s sapphire glass facility is nearly ready for mass production.

There are various smart light bulbs on the market, with the most famous probably being the Philips Hue connected bulb. But new Kickstarter project Emberlight has come up with a unique (and certainly more wallet-friendly) spin on the concept of how best to light your smart home.

Emberlight has produced a device with the ability to turn any dimmable bulb into a smart light, which users can then operate using their smartphone. The project’s developers boast of multiple uses for the Emberlight: ranging from having the lights in your bedroom mimic a sunrise by slowly lighting up in the morning, to creating custom presets for different lighting effects, to having your lights intelligently turn on and off as you move through your home.

Ever since the iPhone 3GS was first released back in 2009, new iPhones have shipped in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flavors, priced $199, $299, and $399, respectively.

But 16GB doesn’t get you very far these days, and although iOS 8 will help users out with cheaper iCloud storage, smartphones like the Amazon Fire are shipping with 32GB of storage these days, minimum.

Could Apple follow suit? According to industry experts, it’s very, very possible.

Ever since it arrived on our computers all the way back in 2000, the makers of The Sims have always been great at providing plenty of expansion packs designs to grow your Sim universe out in a variety of different directions.

That same spirit had carried over to the iOS game The Sims FreePlay, which has just added a “Let’s Eat” update, letting your Sim become a master of the culinary arts.

Today Apple released the fifth developer preview of OS X Yosemite, its next major OS release for the Mac coming later this year.

Like usual, there are some noticeable and not-so-noticable changes in the new version of Yosemite. Don’t worry about spotting them yourself, though. We’ve got you covered.

If you’re worried about noisy plane passengers being able to make calls in the air, the U.S. Department of Transportation is on your side.

The government agency is looking to ban all in-flight calls from cell phones, which would mean that every airline would have to comply with the rule. The other solution is that each U.S. airline gets to establish its own rule on the matter.

Each developer preview of iOS 8 brings new changes to Apple’s mobile operating system in preparation of it’s official fall release, and while the newly unleashed version Beta 5 boasts many bug fixes, some small new changes to the interface have been sprinkled throughout the new update.

In today’s video we go hands-on with iOS 8 Beta 5 and show off all the new tweaks and other additions the new version of iOS 8 has to offer, like accessing Spotlight quicker than ever before, optimization features for iCloud Photos, and so much more.

Take a look in the view above and subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to ensure you catch all our latest videos.

Now that Apple has ceased development of Aperture, it’s time to start looking for alternative photo management and editing solutions. The obvious choice is Lightroom, which Adobe has committed to continue work on heavily in the future.

Adobe is working on a migration tool to take all of your Aperture data and bring it to Lightroom, but until then, the company has outlined how to make the switch on your own.

iOS and OS X weren’t the only platforms that got some Apple beta loving today. A new update for Apple TV beta 4 was seeded to developers as well this morning that comes with a long awaited UI makeover.

Apple still hasn’t completely done away with the grid of icons approach for Apple TV, but it has given the UI an iOS 7-style makeover with a new set of icons that are a lot flatter than their old counterparts.

Apple is putting the finishing touches on iOS 8 ahead of its fall release, and while previous betas brought some surprising new features, the release of iOS 8 beta 5 is mostly full of tiny tweaks, bug fixes and a few small new additions.

Most of the changes might go unnoticed by most users, but iOS 8 beta 5 has a few nice surprises that refine the iOS 8 experience that will make your iPhone feel new once its released in the fall.

Here are all the tiny changes Apple made in iOS 8 beta 5:

Microsoft’s plan to takeover the NFL with its Surface tablets hit a few snags during the debut of its new Sideline Viewing System at last night’s Hall of Fame game between the Giants and Bills.

As part of the new Sideline Viewing System for the NFL, Microsoft is flooding coaching staffs with special Surface Pro 2 units that are designed to replace binders of printed photos, but according to Buffalo Bills head couch Doug Marrone, his team didn’t get access to the new feature.

Along with the release of iOS 8 beta 5, Apple has seeded the newest OS X Yosemite beta build to developers.

OS X Yosemite 10.10 beta 5 is available via the Mac Dev Center or from the Mac App Store. A new build of Xcode Beta 5 wis also available in the Dev Center, along with new builds of Find My Friends, Find My iPhone, and Apple Configurator.

Yosemite brings a revamped UI to OS X along with a host of new features aimed at making your iPhone and Mac work smarter together. No official word from Apple on what’s inside the new preview but we’ll let you know what we find as soon as its installed.

Apple has released iOS 8 beta 5 as an over-the-air update for developers. The update comes after beta 4 was released two weeks ago.

Beta 5 also accompanies OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 5 in the Mac App Store and a new beta seed for the Apple TV.

Apple hasn’t said what’s new in the betas, but we’re downloading the updates now and we’ll have the usual roundup of changes and tweaks to show you shortly.

First released in 2008, Bioshock remains, to this day, one of the most unforgettable first person shooters you can play. The game takes place in the dystopian city of Rapture, an underwater metropolis built upon the ocean floor so that it’s citizens can pursue Ayn Rand style objectivism and eugenics. Pretty soon, everyone’s DNA is “spliced,” they’re all crazy, and it’s total chaos.

It’s a great game, and you can already play it on the Mac, but I never thought I’d see Bioshock come to the iPad. But it very much appears I was wrong.

We all know that in China, clones of the latest iPhone go on sale long before Apple actually starts selling them. But what’s it actually like to own an iPhone 6 knockoff before the iPhone 6 is even available?

Apple is set to open its second brick-and-mortar retail store in Turkey, according to Turkish website ElmaDergisi.

The store is allegedly planned to open this fall, around the same time as Apple’s long-awaited iPhone 6 is set to hit shelves. It will be located in Istanbul’s upmarket Akasya Shopping Center, a shopping mall known for its major brand stores.

First debuted in November last year, the iPad Air is coming up on a year old. In Apple terms, that means it’s due for an upgrade, but we still don’t know what the iPad Air 2 will be. Will it be a spec bump, or will it be a redesign?

According to new leaks from China purporting to be the rear shell for the iPad Air 2, the correct answer is: “A little bit of column A, a little but of column B.”

Over the years, I’ve seen rumor after rumor that Apple would eventually abandon Intel chips in favor of ARM chips. And time after time, I’ve refuted those arguments, saying that a Mac running ARM processors is not likely to happen anytime soon.

But maybe I’m wrong. Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée — himself a longtime skeptic of Apple’s transition to ARM chips for its desktop and laptop computers — says he’s recently been convinced, and even believes that Apple could release ARM-based Macs as soon as 2016.

Apple has a new TV ad out for the iPhone 5s, and it’s the fourth installment in its “You’re More Powerful Than You Think” campaign. The ads have previously shown people using the iPhone to do stuff like play music, workout, and parent.

Titled “Dreams,” the latest spot is a collection of ways people are using the iPhone around the world to make a real impact in the lives of others. Using a combination of hardware accessories and apps, the iPhone is seen helping doctors, firefighters, and more.

This week: now with over 300,000 followers, we welcome back professional Instagram’er Cory @WithHearts Staudacher to share his iPhone photo editing tips and reveal which camera apps he relies on daily. Also on the docket: why our cities deserve municipal internet; unlocking your iPhone gets legal (again); great changes on the horizon for Apple’s Podcasts app; and our musings on the freshly-updated 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros.

Kick back and relax whilst we amuse you with each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.

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