Apple has renewed its agreement with Qualcomm to use its 5G modems until 2026. The current deal would have expired at the end of 2023.
The three-year deal signals Apple’s in-house modem is still far from ready. Qualcomm itself was expecting Apple to switch to its modem in 2024.
A new rumor claims Apple could discontinue all its silicone-based accessories this week, replacing them with more eco-friendly materials.
The company strives to reduce the impact of its products on the environment, and this could be the latest move on that front.
Apple will launch the iPhone 15 on September 12 at the Wonderlust event, but you don’t have to wait — leaks have revealed plenty of details already. This year’s models will allegedly be faster in multiple ways, plus there’ll be design changes, including USB-C and the Dynamic Island for everyone.
Here’s everything we’re expected from Apple’s new-for-2023 iPhone lineup.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’re putting our million-dollar reputations on the line with predictions for Apple’s upcoming “Wonderlust” event. Who will come out on top when the truth is revealed on September 12? (See Griffin’s scorecard for our picks.)
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
My Talking Angela 2+ is a virtual pet game. Players help Angela, a fashionable anthropomorphic feline, stay busy in her big-city home. Some off her activities include practicing her dance moves, baking treats, making original music and designing jewelry.
It’s the latest addition to Apple Arcade, a low-cost subscription service that includes hundreds of games.
Apple might not launch M3-powered MacBooks this year. The claim comes from reputed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The TF International Securities analyst did not provide more reason behind this. But given his accurate track record, it’s possible M3 MacBooks might not debut in 2023.
Apple’s biggest event of the year is only a few days away. On September 12, Tim Cook and Co. will reveal at least six new Apple products and possibly more.
The event is titled “Wonderlust” — Apple clearly hopes the new iPhone 15 series and fresh Apple Watch models will fill us with an uncontrollable desire to buy.
Can’t wait to find out what’s coming? We don’t blame you. Here’s everything that leaks already revealed about the handsets and wearables on Tuesday’s agenda.
The iPhone 15 series will reportedly include a new ultrawide-band chip that will make locating the handsets with the Find My application more accurate.
Dubbed U2, the chip will supposedly make its way to many other Apple products over time.
Amazon bargain site Woot! is often cute with its sales lingo for Apple sales like the current deals it offers on 2021 iPad Pro models through September 17.
“2021 Apple iPad Pro (Your Choice): Having an Apple addiction is a very expensive hobby,” it says at the top of the page. So true.
Apple could release charging cases that use USB-C for lower-priced AirPods in 2024, according to an unconfirmed report. A similar case for premium AirPods Pro 2 is expected at Apple’s September event next week.
And Apple might bring USB-C to AirPods Max next year, too, as part of a general move away from Lightning.
Cult of Mac‘s coverage of user computer setups shows lots and lots of people love Studio Displays. And tons of folks love dual-display setups. But two Studio Displays in a setup? You’d think we’d see more of those.
And today’s featured setup not only boasts dual Studio Displays, it sports two Macs — an M2 Mac mini and an M1 Pro MacBook Pro — in addition to a split mechanical keyboard and some 3D-printed parts.
Those eager to see more about the upcoming Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters can finally watch a teaser trailer. It gives the best look yet at the show set in the MonsterVerse that contains Godzilla and other classic kaiju.
Apple also announced that the series will premier in November 2023.
Contrary to rumors, research firm TrendForce thinks Apple will not hike the iPhone 15 Pro’s price. Instead, only the Pro Max model will see a price bump.
The Taiwanese firm predicts the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start at $1,199, a $100 increase from the 2022 model.
Apple and Arm extended beyond 2040 the deal that puts Arm-based processors in iPhone, Mac and other Apple computers.
This enables the Apple’s A series and M series of chips to continue progressing for decades.
Apple released iOS 16.6.1, macOS 13.5.2, iPadOS 16.6.1 and watchOS 9.6.2 on Thursday to address a potentially serious security vulnerability. All the updates fix security flaws, including one that may already have been exploited by hackers to deliver the infamous Pegasus spyware.
So don’t delay — update your devices with these patches soon.
In this week’s giveaway, one lucky winner will receive a Carbon Fiber Apple Watch Band and an Apple Watch Carbon Fiber Case, both from Lululook.
This prize package, worth $150, will protect your Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra to the max.
Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is the perfect laptop for people always on the go. With its M2 Pro chip, the machine can easily handle demanding workloads.
Its starting price tag of $2,499 makes it more expensive than the competition. But Amazon has slashed 10% off the machine’s price, making it cheaper by $250.
Apple quietly added a helpful new “Apps by Apple” section to its website last week. Cupertino’s new guide breaks down the world of great Apple apps into helpful sections all in one place.
Some people wonder if it’s part of Apple’s response to the European Union’s moves to force sideloading of apps on iPhones.
The upcoming series Where’s Wanda? is a dark comedy that follows parents searching for their missing daughter who discover that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be.
It will be the first Apple TV+ series in German.
The slim new Voyager mechanical keyboard that ZSA launched Wednesday, radically split into two low-profile pieces, looks mighty futuristic.
Emphasizing ergonomic typing and loads of customization options, it’s especially useful for laptop users, the company said.
The RayCue 128K looks like a tiny version of the iconic Macintosh from 1984, but it’s useful in 2023. Very useful — it packs 14 ports and Bluetooth speaker. And the display acts as a digital picture frame.
If that’s not enough, the matching “keyboard” adds seven more ports.
The new Baseus PowerCombo Tower Series Power Strip 35W, featuring an LED display and festooned with AC outlets and USB ports, is a great charging station for the desktop, the company said Wednesday.
Baseus called it “the world-first charging station with LED display.”
According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s 5G modem will debut in 2025. The Cupertino giant has been working on its in-house modem for a few years now.
Qualcomm currently supplies Apple with 5G basebands for its entire product lineup. But the company knows Apple is developing its own cellular modem, and it will be ready sooner than later.
Don’t accuse Apple of just waking up to benefits of conversational AI. It reportedly started developers working on voice-driven artificial intelligence systems four years ago.
And the company is now pouring money into the project.
The U.K. government dropped a plan that would have allowed it to access the contents of any online message looking for illegal content. It had sought a way around the encryption that protects messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp.
Apple threatened to disable iMessage and FaceTime in the UK rather than submit to the proposal on the grounds that it would completely compromise the privacy of all users. Other companies said the same about their apps.