Mobile menu toggle

News - page 201

How to make parking in the city easier with Apple Maps and SpotHero

By

How to make parking in the city easier with Apple Maps and SpotHero
Apple Maps now has the SpotHero parking-space finder built in. Here's how to use the new combination.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone users can now find a parking space with Apple Maps. Starting Monday, the navigation application has SpotHero built in, giving parking options for more than 8,000 locations across North America.

The feature is free, though the spaces are not. Here’s how to use it.

Old Cinema and Thunderbolt displays handle new gear and gaming [Setups]

By

With the right adapter you can use a new Xbox with an old Cinema Display (on the right).
With the right adapter you can use a new Xbox with an old Cinema Display (on the right).
Photo: [email protected]

So many people love Apple gear because the Cupertino tech giant gets a lot right with its hardware. That certainly includes monitors, and not just the phenomenal Pro Display XDR and new Studio Display. We see a fair number of new computer setups relying on classic Apple screens like Cinema Display and Thunderbolt Display.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro and Xbox setup is a good example. Even with a modern gaming console — and given the right adapter — a display from a dozen years ago is still keeping it real.

iPhone 15 already in trial production

By

iPhone 15 already in trial production
Apple is hard at work on the iPhone 15.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels

The iPhone 15 is reportedly in trial production, a fairly early stage in bringing the product to market. Still, it means the final feature set and design are essentially complete and Apple is thinking about assembling the device.

Trial production is going on at a Foxconn plant in China. The iPhone 15 will also be made in India.

Apple’s first retail store in India takes one step closer to opening

By

iPhone 14 Pro in India
Apple's first retail store in India could finally open its doors soon.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s first retail store in India has moved closer to its opening. After years of delays, the company has started hiring retail store workers in the country.

The company has posted 12 job positions on its career page in India as it looks to fill various retail positions.

No major AirPods, iPad or Apple Watch upgrades planned for 2023

By

Apple logo with red background.
Apple seems to be focusing on the launch of its AR/VR headset this year.
Image: Rajesh

Every year, Apple has some significant hardware upgrades planned for at least a few devices in its product lineup. 2023 could be an outlier, though.

This year, Apple’s major hardware launches will include its first AR/VR headset and the iPhone 15 series. While other products in the company’s lineup will receive a refresh, they will be relatively minor upgrades.

Apple silicon Mac Pro might not feature user-upgradeable RAM

By

Side look at 2019 Intel Mac pro
The upcoming Mac Pro could look like this.
Photo: Unsplash

Contrary to rumors, the upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro might disappoint many in the design department. A new report suggests the forthcoming Mac Pro refresh will have the same design as the 2019 Intel-based model.

The Apple silicon Mac Pro is widely expected to launch later this year. It would stand out in the Mac lineup by offering a certain degree of user upgradability but come with non-upgradeable system memory.

Glacially slow iOS 16 adoption shows Apple has a trust problem

By

Glacially slow iOS 16 adoption shows Apple had a trust problem
Many months after release, still only 70% of iPhones run iOS 16. That's a problem.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Most iPhone users have finally gotten on the iOS 16 bandwagon, according to a tracking company. Adoption passed 70% last week, almost four months after it launched.

That’s significantly slower than iPhone users adopted previous iOS versions. The data shows that people simply don’t trust that Apple’s iPhone updates will be bug-free. Not the way we used to, anyway.

New Apple headset leaks make our heads explode [The CultCast]

By

A manipulated image of a person wearing a virtual reality headset, used to illustrate the contents of The CultCast, our weekly Apple podcast.
Are we the only ones standing around with slack jaws wondering how Apple can make this headset desirable?
Photo: Original photo: Uriel Soberanes/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The more we hear about Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset, the more we’re perplexed about who is actually going to buy one. We take a long, hard look at the latest leaks — and come up shaking our heads.

Also on The CultCast:

  • We might get a raft of exciting new Macs — including the first Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon — at a March event.
  • Apple’s Pro Display XDR and Studio Display get some high-end competition.
  • Sorry, voice actors. AI narrators look like the future of audiobooks (and Apple leads the charge).
  • Our final best-of-2022 picks.

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.

Our sponsor: Squarespace

Squarespace gives you all the tools you need to set up your very own website and commence selling anything online. Start your free website trial today at squarespace.com/cultcast (no credit card required). Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain with code cultcast at checkout.

The best of CES for the Mac? More Retina displays.

By

Left to right: The Samsung ViewFinity S9, Apple Studio Display and Dell UltraSharp 32.
Left to right: The Samsung ViewFinity S9, Apple Studio Display and Dell UltraSharp 32.
Image: Samsung/Apple/Dell

The Mac is hardly ever the focus of events like CES. But at this year’s massive tech conference in Las Vegas, two promising displays were announced by Samsung and Dell.

Any new Retina display options for the Mac are a welcome treat. Let’s see how these new monitors stack up.

20 years of Safari: A visual history

By

Safari @ 20: Visual history.
Safari, the web browser of choice for Mac users since 2003.
Image: Cult of Mac

Over the past 20 years, Apple’s Safari web browser grew from a speedy young upstart to a polished professional. Released on this day in 2003 as a free download, Safari has been bundled with every version of the Mac operating system since.

Take a trip down memory lane as we look at how Safari has evolved over the years.

Happy 20th birthday to Safari, Apple’s browser that blossomed late

By

The original logo for Apple's Safari web browser with the headline,
The first version of Safari, running on Mac OS X Panther. At launch, Apple's browser was fast but buggy.
Image: Cult of Mac

The Safari browser turns 20 years old today, and I remember excitedly firing it up for the first time.

When Steve Jobs introduced Safari at Macworld 2003, he described the brand-new browser as a speed demon and way easier to use than competitors.

“Buckle up,” he said with a smile. “We have done our own browser and it’s hot … it’s sweet.”

A few weeks later, I deleted it in disgust. Safari wasn’t sweet. It sucked!

iPhone SE 4 could have been axed

By

iPhone SE 4 could have been axed
The iPhone SE 3 could be the last.
Graphic: Apple/Cult of Mac

There’ll be no iPhone SE 4, according to a reliable source of insider info. And the previous model is supposedly Apple’s last low-cost handset.

This is not intended to force consumers to buy pricier models. Shoppers are doing that on their own.

Ease your iPod withdrawal with these iPod-inspired accessories

By

Many of Elago's cases provoke nostalgia, like the W7 AirTag Case.
Many of Elago's cases provoke nostalgia, like the W7 AirTag Case.
Photo: Elago

If you’re missing the iPod — the revolutionary music player that Apple unceremoniously killed last year — maybe an iPod-inspired Apple accessory will help fill the void.

In this roundup, we showcase iPod-inspired products from Elago like cases for AirTags and AirPods, as well as an Apple Watch stand. These are just some of the many Elago accessories you can find in the Cult of Mac Store.

Add love and drama to your life with Episode XOXO

By

Become a character in a love story in 'Episode XOXO'
Choose your own romance in Episode XOXO.
Image: Pocket Gems

Episode XOXO is an interactive storytelling game full of love, drama and adventure now on Apple Arcade. It brings a version of the very popular Episode: Choose Your Story game to Apple’s gaming service.

It is now playable on a wide range of Apple computers, from iPhone to Mac.

Developer makes mobile apps with blazing-fast M1 MacBook Pro [Setups]

By

All those smartphones are for testing apps using different OS versions and screen sizes.
All those smartphones are for testing apps using different OS versions and screen sizes.
Photo: [email protected]

It’s always nice to hear from professionals relying on Apple gear and finding it meets or even exceeds their expectations. That’s a good indicator that Cupertino is going in the right direction.

Today’s featured computer setup shows that enthusiasm. A mobile app developer offers high praise for his M1 MacBook Pro. And his stacked displays and raft of AV gear aren’t bad, either. Let’s take a look.

Apple’s AR/VR headset now rumored to debut in spring 2023

By

Apple AR VR headset
Another delay in Apple's AR/VR headset launch.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s AR/VR headset development has reportedly hit another setback. As a result, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now predicts Apple will unveil the headset at a spring media event or at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Rumors so far indicated Apple could hold an event in January 2023 to unveil the long-rumored headset.

Mac Pro and M2 Mac mini pegged for launch at huge Apple event in March

By

A closeup shot of the current Mac Pro:
A Mac Pro with Apple silicon could at last arrive for professionals at a March event.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The long-awaited Mac Pro desktop will finally debut at a big March event, according to a tipster. As will a Mac mini powered by Apple’s M2 chip.

Plus, Apple is apparently getting ready to knock people’s socks off, as three MacBooks are also supposedly on the agenda for the event — including a 15-inch MacBook Air.

Aqara previews video doorbell and other new HomeKit gadgets

By

With AI onboard, the new Aqara G4 Video Doorbell can recognize people.
With AI onboard, the new Aqara G4 Video Doorbell can recognize people.
Photo: Aqara

Smart-home specialist Aqara said Thursday it will expand its product line in the coming months with a new video doorbell, LED light strips, a sensor with artificial intelligence and a smart door lock that works with Home Key. All of the new devices will work with HomeKit and other smart-home systems.

Rather than showcasing new products at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, however, the company put out a video showing off the four items below as if it were at the show.

Apple Fitness+ rings in new year with kickboxing, Beyoncé and more

By

Maybe it's time to get out some frustrations via the new Kickboxing workouts.
Maybe it's time to get out some frustrations via the new Kickboxing workouts.
Photo: Apple

For those still a little hungover from New Year’s Eve, Apple Fitness+ said Thursday it will roll out new offerings starting Monday to help perk you up — or help you sleep, if need be.

The fresh items on offer include a Kickboxing workout type, a sleep theme for meditations, a Beyoncé Artist Spotlight, new Time to Walk guests and three new trainers.

Drop’s affordable new desktop speakers claim audiophile sound

By

Drop's new desktop speakers are designed to sound great from just 2 or 3 feet away.
Drop's new desktop speakers are designed to sound great from just 2 or 3 feet away.
Photo: Drop

Drop, known for mechanical keyboards as well as headphones and other audiophile gear, unveiled its first set of desktop speakers Wednesday at CES 2023. The small Drop BMR1 Nearfield Monitors promise big, clear sound in a small footprint for just $129.

If you noticed that’s not an audiophile price tag, you’re right. So if you want more sound than your computer provides, you can preorder the new monitors on January 31.

New all-in-one charging stand powers up iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch

By

Zens 4-in-1 Charging Station
Get rid of that tangle of Apple charging cables with the Zens 4-in-1 Charging Station.
Photo: Zens

There are plenty of stands that can handle an iPhone and Apple Watch, but the Zens 4-in-1 Charging Station tops that by adding a stand for an iPad, too. There’s even a AirPods charger and an Apple Pencil holder.
Zens also used CES 2023 to unveil other power products for Apple devices.

Trio of new Kensington docks pack in the ports

By

Kensington SD5780T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station
Add very high-speed ports to your Mac with Kensington's latest Thunderbolt 4 dock.
Photo: Kensington

Kensington used CES 2023 to take the wraps off a Thunderbolt 4 docking station that adds eleven ports to Mac or PC.

The accessory-maker also announced at the trade show a smaller, portable USB4 hub with six ports, plus a portable USB-C hub with six ports and a built-in wireless charger.