This is our best look yet at the iPhone 15 Pro. Image: 9to5Mac
Unconfirmed reports about design changes coming in the iPhone 15 Pro took concrete form as CAD drawings of Apple’s next handset supposedly leaked from a Chinese accessory maker.
These help confirm rumored features like USB-C and the somewhat curvier design.
iPhone users have adopted iOS 16 in large numbers. Photo: Apple
According to official data from Apple, 81% of all iPhones released in the past four years are running some version of iOS 16. That’s a vastly higher percentage than Android users have installed the latest OS update from Google.
But iPad users upgrade at a far lower rate than iPhone users. Only 53% of Apple tablets released in the last four years have iPadOS 16.
If you're an Apple TV+ subscriber and a T-Mobile customer, this deal saves you $79 ($99 for people not already signed up for Apple TV+). Photo: Apple
Cellular carrier T-Mobile said Tuesday it’s offering MLS Season Pass for free to every customer this soccer season. The pass is available by subscription via the Apple TV app on millions of devices, with many matches available on Apple TV+.
So if you’re a T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile customer, MLS Season Pass — the only way to watch all of the league’s live soccer matches this season — comes free when you sign up for it. See details below.
You have to admit, this is a cool idea. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Imagine getting a text from a friend and your iPhone reads it to you in your friend’s voice. Rather than a recording, their speech would be simulated from a voice model.
That’s the goal of a patent Apple submitted recently.
In Tetris, Nikita Efremov (left) plays the long, straight block while Taron Egerton stars as the square block. (Kidding!) Photo: Apple TV+
The Tetris movie isn’t about falling blocks. Instead, the Apple TV+ film is a thriller about how the hugely popular game was brought out of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The trailer clearly shows the struggle an entrepreneur goes through to convince a deeply suspicious communist regime to allow Tetris out of the country.
This patent filing is irrefutable proof that Apple is still exploring a folding iPhone. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
We can be sure Apple isn’t ignoring the folding phone market, even though the company is showing no direct signs of making an iPhone Fold. There’s plenty of indirect evidence, including patent filings that show handsets with foldable screens.
Apple received a new patent approval that shows it’s still thinking about a folding iPhone.
In a few months, we might finally know what Apple AR/VR headset actually looks like. Concept: Adriano Orbarissa/Freelancer.com
Earlier reports that Apple’s VR/AR headset will launch this spring were apparently overly optimistic — the latest leak points to a debut at the company’s annual developers conference in June.
If so, it’s likely to overshadow the new iOS and macOS versions also coming at WWDC23. But that probably would have happened even if the device had been unveiled months earlier, as it’ll include a new operating system for third-party developers to write applications for.
TSMC is investing heavily in an Arizona plant that will make chips for Apple and other companies. Photo: TSMC
TSMC is going large with its Arizona plant. The Taiwanese company that makes processors for almost every type of Apple device committed itself to putting $3.5 billion into its U.S. subsidiary. And that’s only part of the eventual cost.
Apple has already promised to use chips made at the plant.
Official product photo of the renowned USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m) Photo: Apple
Apple issued an important software update recently — and we’re not talking for iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. It’s 2023, so it’s for something way more esoteric: a power cable.
Yes, the USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable comes with a tiny computer inside of it that needs software updates, for some inscrutable reason.
The Qualcomm X75 modem will almost certainly appear in a future iPhone and add support for 5G Advanced. Image: Qualcomm
Qualcomm, the chipmaker that supplies the 5G modems in all iPhones, on Wednesday unveiled the X75, its next-generation modem that will be the first to support 5G Advanced. This emerging cellular-wireless standard will give a speed boost to cellular-wireless networks and make mobile VR/AR more practical.
The X75 probably will be used in the iPhone 16 when it launches in 2024.
With a USB-C connector in addition to a Lightning connector, the controller easily works with both iPads and iPhones. Photo: RiotPwr
Saying Wednesday that it created a “future-proof cloud gaming controller,” RiotPwr released a new iOS gaming controller with both Lightning and USB-C connectors.
“The RiotPWR RP1950 controller [is] the solution for the USB-C cloud gaming crisis for iOS users,” the company added.
Three Macs and a KVM switch with a big external monitor can be the perfect solution. Photo: [email protected]
Today’s featured computer setup employs three separate Macs — MacBook Pro, M1 MacBook Air and M1 Mac mini — connecting two of them to a big external monitor using a KVM docking station.
KVM switches are handy when you don’t want to switch cables from different computers using the same monitor and input devices. But there’s another reason the user, Greg Coit, chose the method.
The monitor's launch comes in April and its HomeKit and Matter compatibility are expected via a pending Dirigera hub update. Photo: Ikea
Ikea unveiled its new indoor air-quality monitor Tuesday. With a name that sounds like a Swedish jet fighter — Vindstryka — it’s designed to help you combat pollutants in your home or office. And it will be HomeKit- and Matter-compatible through the Ikea Dirigera hub after the company updates it.
The Swedish home furnishings giant set an April launch date for the monitor but hasn’t added a price tag yet.
Extrapolations will put a human face on climate change. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s star-studded limited series Extrapolations is set in a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into everyone’s everyday lives.
The trailer for the series gives a dark look at what the end of the century could look like.
Apple Pay Later: For the rest rich of us. Image: Apple
In order to be approved for Apple Pay Later, the company’s own buy now, pay later service, individuals will need to be loyal Apple customers. The service has strict hoops you need to jump through: Apple will check your spending at Apple Stores, purchases and subscriptions on the App Store, Apple Cash payments, Apple Pay history and more.
Even if you work for Apple, you may only be approved for a $1,000 loan. The feature continues to undergo internal testing after being delayed since September, according to Bloomberg.
The Function 101 BentoStack organizer is a bento box for your Apple accessories. Photo: Function 101
“Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet,” goes an old Valentine’s Day saying. And what’s sweeter than saving a few bucks? (Not that your sweetheart has to know about that part when you give them a gift).
The Cult of Mac Store’s Valentine’s Day Sweet Savings sale goes through 11:59 p.m. PST on February 14. You can get 20% off an array of Apple accessories, including organizers, cable blocks and more from Function 101 and stylish stretch-link stainless steel Apple Watch bands and stacking bracelets from Rilee & Lo.
And you can score even bigger savings on iPhone cases and more from other brands.
Pretty Woman is one of several rom-coms now available on Apple TV+. Screenshot: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ subscribers can enjoy a collection of half a dozen classic romantic comedies added to the streaming service just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The list includes Pretty Woman, Never Been Kissed and more.
You can get various versions of the 24-inch iMac, among other gear. Photo: Apple
Amazon-owned discount site Woot! is offering a slew of deals on iMacs, MacBooks and iPads through Thursday.
Some M1 laptops are already sold out, but a lot of gear remains, so jump on this if you’re in the market for Apple hardware. It’s the sort of sale that may make people wish they’d waited to buy instead of going all-in at launch.
Save big on your Apple Watch Ultra purchase with this deal. Photo: Apple
You can grab the Apple Watch Ultra with the Green Alpine Loop for a new low price of $729.99 from Amazon, saving $69.01 on your purchase.
A $50 discount will appear on the listing page, with the additional $19.01 off applied at checkout. Other variants of the watch are available with a more modest $50 discount.
Google Photos app is crashing in iOS 16.3.1. Photo: Ed Hardy and Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Apple’s recently released iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 update broke Google Photos. Users complain about being unable to open the app after updating their device to the latest software build.
Update: A new Google Photos update rolling out through the App Store fixes the crashing issue on iOS 16.3.1. If you have already updated your iPhone to the latest iOS release, grab the Google Photos update from the App Store to resolve the issue.
Each case comes with a clip and a lanyard. Photo: Mujjo
Tech accessories brand Mujjo unveiled its Echelon AirPods Pro Case Monday. It’s a luxurious new leather case for 1st and 2nd generation AirPods Pro, the company said.
iOS 16.3.1 is joined by macOS Ventura 13.2.1, iPadOS 16.3.1, watchOS 9.3.1 and tvOS 16.3.2. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
There are bug fix updates for every type of Apple device out Monday, including Mac and iPhone. Safe to say, if it has an Apple operating system, there’s an update. Don’t go looking for new features though. These are bug fix updates, including tweaks to iCloud, Siri and Crash Detection.
Nevertheless, the new versions are recommended for all users.