Apple is allegedly prepping a product line of AR/VR headsets running xrOS. Concept: Amin Jony/Freelancer.com
A new report from a reliable tipster indicates that the second-generation of Apple’s VR/AR headsets will launch in 2025. This will supposedly consist of two models.
But Apple still needs to get the first generation on the market, and it’s possible the release date for the product is slipping yet again.
New iPhone 15 color options have been leaked. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels
A new report lays out possible new colors coming to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineup this year. Thursday’s leak comes just days after the arrival of detailed CAD renders of the upcoming iPhones, revealing upcoming design changes.
You can own one of the first Apple-1 units produced. Photo: RR Auction
An Apple museum could be made of just the items currently up for bid at a single auction. There’s a fully functional Apple-1, an Apple Lisa 1, some technical notes handwritten by Steve Jobs, an original iPhone still sealed in the plastic and much, more.
Many of these items are expected to bring in big bucks.
Apple reports that over two dozen Apple services are having an "outage." That includes many of the most-used ones. Photo: Cult of Mac/Linnaea Mallette/PublicDomainPictures.net
Apple is having a major outage of its online services. No less than 29 of them are reporting major problems, including the App Store, Apple TV+, Apple Music, Podcasts, and some iCloud services.
So it’s not just you. Stop rebooting your computer trying to fix it.
Update:Apple was able to quickly fix some of these, so the current total is eight services still having problems.
Update 2:All problems with Apple online services have now been resolved.
The new noise-cancelling cans share the same processor with Sony's high-end headphones, but not their price. Photo: Sony Electronics
Not into paying what Apple’s top-shelf noise-cancelling AirPods Max headphones cost? You have options. In fact, Sony Electronics rolled out two new mid-tier headphones Tuesday at modest price points — the over-ear WH-CH72ON and the smaller, on-ear WH-CH520.
The higher-end WH-CH72ON set, at $150, costs well under half the price of the brand’s acclaimed WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling cans, but uses the same V1 chip. And the lower-end WH-CH520 headphones, at $60, are just downright affordable.
The Powerstation Pro AC can juice up an iPhone, iPad, Mac and a non-USB device. Photo: Mophie
The new Mophie Powerstation Pro AC is for anyone who has multiple devices they need to charge on the go, and not just phones and tablets. The 27,000mAh external battery includes four charging ports, including an AC socket.
Mophie also introduced updated versions of its more basic Powerstation and Powerstation XL offerings on Thursday. These pack 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh, respectively.
As far as we know, it doesn't run around on its fingertips. But it does charge your Apple Watch. Photo: Design_factory@Ultimaker
Got access to a 3D printer? You can make your own Apple Watch charging stand in the form of “Thing,” the disembodied hand from the Netflix series Wednesday and its Addams Family predecessors, all the way back to the original magazine cartoons.
It might scare some people, but ghoulish types are going to want to make his thing pronto.
M2 Mac mini gets its first discount on Amazon. Photo: Apple
Apple’s powerful M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini are available with their first-ever discount since launch. Depending on your configuration, you can save between $19 to $49 on the 2023 Mac mini.
SwitchEasy's Origami Protective Case really shines as an iPad stand. Photo: SwitchEasy
If you’ve got one of Apple’s wonderful iPads, you need a case to keep it safe. And the cool thing about iPad cases and folios is that they often serve as both protective cases as well as stands. Some even store your Apple Pencil.
And right now you can take 20% off every SwitchEasy iPad case in the Cult of Mac Store. That gives you a choice of 12 different products and a savings of up to $10 each. The sale goes through Thursday, March 2.
Magic Eraser automagically erases unwanted people from your photos. Photo: Google
Google is bringing one of the key Pixel-exclusive camera features, Magic Eraser, to the iPhone. The feature is now available on all smartphones as a part of Google One.
Using Magic Eraser, you can erase unwanted people and objects from your photos with a tap.
This beautifully designed two-volume book delves deep into keyboard history. Image: Marcin Wichary/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Shift Happens, a book about keyboards, is now 400% funded on Kickstarter. This makes it the second-most funded non-fiction book ever on the crowdfunding site. The book, by designer/writer Marcin Wichary, “tells the story of keyboards like no book ever before, covering 150 years from the early typewriters to the pixellated keyboards in our pockets,” according to the project website.
Here's your first look at the iPhone 15. Image: 9to5Mac
3D CAD renders of the 2023 iPhone 15 have leaked online, revealing all the design changes Apple is planning. This includes bringing the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island to the non-Pro iPhones this year.
Like the iPhone 15 Pro, the non-Pro variants will switch to USB-C for charging and data transfer. Thanks to an EU mandate, the iPhone maker seems set on retiring the Lightning connector this year.
In a possible groundbreaking new product, Apple Watch could monitor blood glucose with the help of device strapped to the bicep. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is well-known as a health tracker, but a new report said a secret project dating back to Steve Jobs’ era — to use the wearable to monitor glucose without pricking the skin to get blood — has made headway recently. And that has major implications.
The secret effort, known as E5, could involve a device that straps to the bicep and works with the watch. If it comes to market, it could disrupt industries and help millions of diabetics.
Apple TV+ said you can ask this guy questions on Thursday. No, seriously. Photo: Apple TV+
Jon Stewart, longtime host of The Daily Show and current host of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+ — and to many folks a sort of comedic conscience of the nation — will take your calls on Thursday, February 23.
That’s the same day the streaming service said six new episodes of Stewart’s show would air weekly starting Friday, March 3.
Meanwhile, he’s doing a livestream on the The Problem‘s YouTube channel at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. “He’ll be taking your calls,” the show tweeted.
M2 iPad Pro gets a big discount and drops to its lowest ever price. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple’s 2022 11-inch iPad Pro is available with massive discounts of up to $200 on Amazon. The deals are on the 1TB and 2TB variants, with the 512GB configuration seeing a sweet $50 discount.
Amazon is discounting both Wi-Fi and LTE models of the M2 11-inch iPad Pro to record low prices.
The little Bose speaker on the stand to the left of the display is, apparently, a keeper. But it's hard to come by. Photo: [email protected]
The main gear in a computer setup might be perfectly impressive, like the Mac Studio desktop machine in today’s featured setup. But that’s not what everyone looking at the workstation notices and talks about on social media.
Instead, the coveted items in this particular setup are a Bose speaker system folks are having a hard time finding, plus a Belkin Continuity Camera mount that helps you use an iPhone as a webcam.
The Sonos Era 300 is the larger and better-equipped of the two new smart speakers. Photo: Sonos
A new leak indicates Sonos will release its new Sonos Era 100 and 300 smart speakers in March with a slew of features that challenge Apple’s recently relaunched HomePod.
Of the two new Sonos speakers, the pricier Era 300 features a version of spatial audio. Both support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB-C line-in for versatile connectivity. The Era 100 is likely to replace the much-liked Sonos One, launched in 2017.
The 3nm chips TSMC makes all go to Apple. Photo: TSMC
TSMC can now make 3nm processors, and Apple is all in. Literally all in — it’s reportedly buying the Taiwanese foundry’s complete output of 3nm chips.
This will be in the form of the upcoming Apple A17 and M3 processors, which are expected to both be made with the new process. It will make them faster and more energy efficient.
Apple Watch imports might be banned in an ongoing patent dispute. But that's unlikely. Photo: Apple
A decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission to block Apple Watch imports reportedly received a go-ahead from the Biden administration.
That would be a devastating decision, except that the ITC’s ruling is based on Apple Watch violating patents owned by AliveCor, and the U.S. Patent Office has ruled those are invalid. AliveCor is appealing, though.
Apple leads the list of Fortune's World’s Most Admired Companies All-Stars. Photo: Fortune
Apple once again tops Fortune‘s list of the most admired companies in the world. It’s an honor Cupertino earned many times before. “For the 16th consecutive year, Apple finishes first in our annual ranking of corporate reputation,” noted Fortune.
Other tech giants that made the top 10 include Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet/Google.
Linux has officially added support for Apple silicon in its latest release. Ubuntu and Fedora, two of the most popular distributions of Linux, will soon be integrating this feature.
While it’s still early for Apple silicon support, and not all computers with M-series chips will work, this is a significant milestone for Linux users. Computer scientists, programmers and hobbyists have not yet been able to fully take advantage of Apple’s powerful new hardware.
OtterGrip promises solid protection, MagSafe compatibility and a pop-up handle. Photo: OtterBox
OtterBox is known for its very protective iPhone cases, and its new OtterGrip Symmetry Series case adds a twist: a pop-up handle. Surprisingly, this doesn’t interfere with MagSafe wireless charging.
The design was good enough to win an Innovations Award at CES 2023 in January, and the case is now available to order.
You can adjust the stand's height to bring your MacBook's screen to eye level and align it with your main external monitor. Photo: Twelve South
Accessories maker Twelve South introduced a successor to its original HiRise stand for MacBook released about a decade ago — the new HiRise Pro for MacBook. You can watch the video below.
You can adjust its height for almost any use, it matches Apple’s Pro accessories in color and finish, and it features a spot in the base where you can insert a MagSafe charger to juice up your iPhone and other gadgets.
Three bright new colors of Beats Fit Pro earbuds are coming Thursday. Photo: Beats
When Apple subsidiary Beats launched Beats Fit Pro in 2021, the earbuds were noted for high-level features a la AirPods Pro. But unlike AirPods Pro — or any AirPods, which are steadfastly white and only white — Beats came in a choice of four colors.
Beats has added more colors since, including a brand new choice of three hues available Thursday — coral pink, tidal blue and volt yellow.
Apple Watch is already helping researchers study heart health in various ways. Photo: Apple
Apple highlighted Apple Watch’s potential as a heart-health monitor on Tuesday, referring to its increasing usefulness to health researchers and medical personnel.
In addition to the ResearchKit and CareKit programs rolled out in 2015, Apple said it launched its Investigator Support Program. In it, health researchers get Apple Watches to study the heart.