iMessage may not be an Apple exclusive for much longer. Photo: Cee Ayes/Unsplash
The European Union plans to break down the barriers between mobile messaging services. With its Digital Markets Act, it plans to force services like iMessage, WhatsApp, and smaller messaging platforms to play nicely together.
The move would be a major blow to Apple, which has long used iMessage — which it refuses to bring to Android — as a big selling point of iPhone.
If someone in 1985 imaginged a Mac made in 2022, it might look like SystemSix. Photo: John Calhoun
Imagine a 1980s-era Macintosh merged with today’s iMac. The result probably looks a lot like SystemSix. The creator calls it “a kind of love-letter to my first Macintosh.”
This hand-made device was assembled from an eInk display, an acrylic stand, a Raspberry Pi 3 and code written in Python.
Eve Hewson, Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle and Sarah Greene in “Bad Sisters,” coming soon to Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Irish actress, writer and producer Sharon Horgan is known for some darkly funny stuff. Shows like Catastrophe and Pulling. If you like those, you’ll be glad to hear the Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA Award winner is bringing a new dark-comedy-thriller called Bad Sisters to Apple TV+.
The streaming service offered a first-look photo and cast list on Wednesday. The show’s acting ensemble includes Horgan, of course, but also an interesting lineup of collaborators.
A rear pocket with a secure snap holds up to four IDs or credit cards. Photo: Noémie
This Cult of Mac giveaway is for the ladies! Five lucky winners will each receive a stylish Napa crossbody iPhone case from Noémie. These cases looks chic and are great for running errands or going out on the town when a bigger bag is not needed.
If you care about fashion (or have a fashionista in the family), and own an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max/iPhone 12 Pro Max, you should definitely enter the latest Cult of Mac giveaway.
Would you want to a Mac monthly subscription? What if it offered a new Mac every year? Photo: Apple
Apple might soon give customers the option to get a Mac or other device with monthly fees, rather than paying the full cost up front. The company is working on a hardware subscription service, according to a reliable source.
Software subscriptions are common, but hardware is a different business. Even so, Apple has already dipped its toe into this market.
A worker inspects machinery at ELYSIS’s Industrial Research and Development Centre in Quebec. Photo: Apple
Apple said Thursday it plans to use the world’s first commercial-grade, low-carbon aluminum in the iPhone SE. It will come from a Canadian company called Elysis. And funds from Apple’s $4.7 billion in Green Bonds supporting green technology will pay for it.
It’s the first aluminum manufactured at industrial scale without carbon emissions. That makes it better for the environment than aluminum produced by other manufacturing techniques.
Roar premieres April 15,, exclusively on Apple TV+. Image: Apple TV+
The trailer for Roar shows the anthology series lives up to its billing as “darkly comic feminist fables.” It will premier on Apple TV+ in mid-April, but the trailer gives an an early look at the array of episodes.
And it’s not the only dark comedy headed for the streaming service. Apple on Thursday also announced Bad Sisters, which will debut later in 2022.
Spotify will be first to offer its own billing method. Image: Google
Google on Thursday confirmed that it will give “a small number of participating developers” the ability to implement third-party payment methods in their Android apps as part of a pilot program called User Choice Billing.
Spotify, first to take advantage of the change, will offer Google Play’s billing system as well as its own. The move puts even more pressure on Apple, which has been fighting hard to block third-party payment systems on iOS.
How is macOS Monterey 12.3 holding up for you? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
A growing number of Mac users are reporting issues with external monitors and game controllers after updating to macOS Monterey 12.3.
Some say their Mac no longer detects connected displays at all, while others are frustrated that their Xbox, PlayStation, and other third-party gamepads are not functioning over Bluetooth — even when the controller is connected.
If, like none of us, you often sit around wishing you could combine your old iPod Hi-Fi with a Nintendo 3DS, today is your lucky day. One YouTube video shows it is possible connect both gadgets — and they work surprisingly well together.
The hack is super-simple, requiring nothing more than a few basic adapters for iPod Hi-Fi’s ancient 30-pin connector, so there’s no need to pull anything apart. And it even allows the Nintendo 3DS to be controlled by an iPod Hi-Fi remote.
Mac Studio's X-ray is oddly terrifying. Photo: Creative Electron/iFixit
The gadget butchers at iFixit have finally gotten their hands on Mac Studio. After many hours on the operating table, Apple’s newest desktop has been pulled apart to give us a detailed look at its compact yet powerful insides.
You may be surprised to learn that many of Mac Studio’s components — including its SSDs and connectivity ports — are modular, which means they can be replaced if things go wrong. But user upgrades are out of the question.
Look closely and you’ll see something odd in an image Apple used to publicize the iPhone’s new digital driver’s licenses. In the upper corner of the Wallet app, where there should be a back arrow, instead there’s what looks like a fancy version of a “hamburger” menu button.
It’s possible the image was taken off a device running a prerelease version of iOS 16, and includes a change coming in the next iPhone operating system.
Or it might be only a glitch, and we’re trying too hard to see what Apple has planned.
The MacBook Air line could expand with a model that sports a 15-inch display. Image: Cult of Mac
A 15-inch MacBook Air is on Apple’s agenda for 2023, according to a reliable source. And the current 13-inch version could be replaced by a one with somewhat larger screen.
In addition, the same source says the display in the budget iPad is in for a size increase, too.
If you like to wear your Apple Watch to the gym as well as the office, you need a band that’s ready for anything. And you won’t find better than the brilliant (and insanely affordable) silicone band from BluShark.
Available in a bunch of great color options — as well as smooth and textured finishes — the BluShark band is wonderfully comfortable no matter what. It’s also surprisingly tough and easy to clean. Bag yours today for just $10.
The 2022 Kia Niro hybrid SUV will feature Car Keys functionality. Photo: Kia
In 2020, Apple launched Car Keys as part of CarPlay in iOS for use with a range of BMW models, allowing owners to use their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock their car. But soon owners of certain Kia and Genesis car models will be able to do the same.
Making a Gif with Twitter’s iPhone app is a snap. Photo: Cult of Mac
Twitter made creating a GIF as easy as posting an image. Using the iPhone camera, users can capture a short video in the social-networking service’s app that is automatically converted into a GIF.
Here’s how to make your own GIFs with the Twitter app. It’s easy and fun.
The Mac Studio replaced an LG 5K monitor. So far, no complaints. Photo: [email protected]
The official release date for sales of Apple’s new Studio Display was Friday, March 18 — same as the Mac Studio desktop computer. Both are winning accolades — the desktop more than the display, actually — but in the days since launch we’ve seen quite a few more of the displays cropping up on social media site posts by new owners than the desktops.
There could be various reasons for that. It could mean more people are buying the displays. Or maybe display shipping has been more efficient. Or it could be that displays are simply a little faster and easier to add to a computer setup, so they’re showing up quicker.
Today’s featured setup pairs the new Studio Display — which ousted an LG 5K monitor — with a 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
A whole bunch of other states will also add support. Image: Apple
Apple on Wednesday confirmed that digital driver’s licenses and IDs are now available inside the Wallet app in Arizona. Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico have also pledged their support.
Cupertino first announced its latest Wallet upgrade at WWDC 2021 last June. This is the first time it has been made available to iPhone users.
Samsung is already hiding cameras on its Z Fold3. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iPhone 15 Pro, which is expected to make its debut in 2023, could be Apple’s first handset with Face ID sensors hidden beneath its screen. This would reduce the amount of display space the front-facing sensors require.
A new report claims Apple will use technology currently being developed by Samsung to make the upgrade possible. In the meantime, Cupertino is gearing up to replace iPhone’s notch with a number of smaller, more subtle cutouts.
Credit Kudos is now an Apple subsidiary. Image: Credit Kudos/Apple
Apple this week acquired Credit Kudos, a credit checking startup based in the United Kingdom, according to sources familiar with the matter. An update to the Credit Kudos website confirms it is now an Apple subsidiary.
The move has ignited rumors of an upcoming Apple Card expansion into the U.K. Apple fans on the other side of the pond have been eagerly anticipating its arrival since Apple Card first made its debut in the U.S. in 2019.
It’s a whole new world… of violence. Photo: Disney
Disney is taking many of its classic characters in a darker direction with Disney Mirrorverse, an RPG for mobile devices. Alternate-reality versions of these screen icons will have to team up face a “dark, unrelenting threat.”
Disney revealed Monday that the game will launch June 23. There’s also a trailer to whet players’ appetites.
The LinkedIn profile for Lumon Industries takes issue with the recently released "tell all" book about the fictitious evil company. Photo: Red Hour Films
Every company doing perfectly reputable, above-board business today needs a crisp and descriptive LinkedIn profile. And yes, that includes harrowingly evil and entirely fictitious firms like “Lumon Industries.”
That’s right. Lumon, the ominous company that serves as a setting in the creepy drama Severance on Apple TV+, has a new LinkedIn profile. And it attempts to set the record straight about what some people are saying about the company.
Creators of Apple podcasts will soon be able to access metrics about their followers. Photo: Apple
Apple said Tuesday it’s rolling out a Podcasts update for creators, offering follower metrics and other features. That should help those who produce podcasts to monetize them, in part by tracking their audience through a variety of metrics.
Enabot's slogan for the Ebo Air and Ebo SE robots is "always together." Photo: Enabot
Talk of artificially intelligent personal robots may make some people think of Terminator and “the rise of the machines,” but relax, there’s likely plenty of time before they take over. All nervous kidding aside, in the meantime, companies like Enabot are putting out affordable robots with practical uses. The company launched one on Tuesday.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the company released its Ebo Air “social companion robot.” The little rolling orb is designed to keep the home safe and loved ones entertained and connected, from pets to kids to grandparents, the company said. If you’re interested in learning more about the latest advancements, check out theEbo robot and its enhanced features.