Mobile menu toggle

News - page 246

MacPaw’s SpyBuster helps you weed out Mac apps reporting to Russia

By

SpyBuster stops apps reporting to Russia
It's completely free to use.
Image: MacPaw

Ukrainian developer MacPaw today released SpyBuster, a new (and completely free!) Mac app that identifies software built by and reporting to “undesirable countries of origin” — such as Russia and Belarus.

SpyBuster also lets you block those connections so that you can prevent additional data being sent to overseas servers, where it may not be protected by the same privacy laws that we’re accustomed to in other countries.

Studio Display adds ‘Hey Siri’ to older Mac models, has 64GB of storage

By

Apple Studio Display
That seems like a lot of storage space for a monitor.
Photo: Apple

Studio Display’s surprisingly powerful internals allow it to enable “Hey Siri” on a number of older Mac models that don’t usually support the feature — including the 2019 Mac Pro and several Mac mini variants.

Users also discovered that Studio Display has a surprisingly large (64GB) amount of internal storage. We already knew that it runs the same version of iOS 15.4 as iPhone, but still, all that space seems pretty overkill.

Apple’s Shazam app adds detailed concert and ticket info

By

Apple's Shazam app has added detailed concert and ticket notes to help artists.
Apple's Shazam app has added detailed concert and ticket notes to help artists.
Photo: Shazam

You may know the Shazam app, owned by Apple, for its ability to recognize songs and artists. But a new update to the app for iOS now also helps you “explore upcoming live music shows.” This comes from a Shazam integration with Bandsintown. Apple and Shazam said the new feature will help increase exposure for artists.

Nintendo ditches yet another of its mobile games

By

Nintendo ditches Dragalia Lost
The game will get its last campaign update in July.
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo today confirmed plans to shut down Dragalia Lost, the free-to-play action RPG built exclusively for mobile devices. The game will get its final campaign update in July before service ceases sometime later.

Dragalia Lost joins a growing list of mobile games that Nintendo has given up on. The Japanese firm closed down Dr. Mario World last year, and threw in the towel on Miitomo and Pokémon Rumble Rush before that.

Apple opens free Learning Coach program for educators in the US

By

Apple Learning Coach
Apple Education Community is also on the way this fall.
Photo: Apple

Apple just launched a new coaching program for teachers that’s designed to help educators make the most of Apple tech in the classroom. The free Apple Learning Coach program, slated to begin this fall, began accepting applications Tuesday.

Cupertino also promises a hub for Apple learning resources and a space for educators to connect and share ideas. The company also plans to integrate Apple IDs with Google Workspace, making it easier for users to keep accounts in sync.

Apple can change Studio Display stands after purchase

By

Apple can change Studio Display stands
Apple can also remove its power cable with a special tool.
Photo: Apple

If you purchase an Apple Studio Display and decide you want a different stand later, you can get it upgraded at the Apple Store, according to a new report. That’s despite Cupertino warning that they’re “not interchangeable.”

Pricing varies depending on the stand or mount you want and your region. It is believed the upgrade kits are only available to Apple technicians and Authorized Service Providers, so you cannot carry out the swap yourself.

VLC Media Player update is packed with useful new features

By

VLC Media Player update is packed with useful new features
VLC Media Player 3.3 has a re-written video playback interface. There are many other new features, too.
Photo: VideoLAN/Cult of Mac

A new version of VLC Media Player for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV includes some much-requested features, including support for accessing files from connected drives as well as spatial audio with AirPods Pro and Max

This is a popular — and free — choice for playing video and audio, and updates are fairly rare. That said, VLC Media Player 3.3 appears to be worth the wait.

Odds of Apple TV+ film CODA winning Best Picture Oscar just increased

By

Emilia Jones stars as a child of deaf adults (CODA) in the Apple TV+ film.
Emilia Jones stars as a child of deaf adults (CODA) in the Apple TV+ film.
Photo: Apple TV+

Taking the top film prize at Saturday’s Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards puts Apple TV+ drama CODA in good stead to win the Best Picture prize at the upcoming Academy Awards. The prize the movie took has been a major predictor of Best Picture winners for decades.

Along with CODA’s win at the PGA Awards, the hit Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso took home a prize.

Apple TV app blocks purchases and rentals on Android TV and Google TV

By

Sony TV with Apple TV+
And they probably won't be coming back.
Photo: Sony

 It’s no longer possible to purchase or rent new content through the Apple TV app on Android TV and Google TV. The block comes less than a year after Apple’s service made the leap to Google’s big screen platforms.

It is believed Apple removed purchasing after failing to strike a deal with Google over in-app commission rates. However, if you’re wondering how to watch Apple TV on Android, you can still use the Apple TV app to access content you’ve already purchased.

Apple App Store, iCloud, other services go offline in major outage [Updated]

By

Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’
Many of Apple’s most-used services went offline early Monday, but things seem to be getting back to normal.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

Update: About two hours after various Apple services experienced widespread problems Monday, the company reported that things should be back online.

It’s not just you: Many Apple services are offline Monday. The outage affects 23 of Apple services, including many high-profile ones that users depend upon. The list of Apple services disrupted includes the App Store, iCloud, Apple Maps and Apple Music.

Mac Studio storage is removable but Apple blocks user upgrades

By

Mac Studio storage is removable
Why, Apple?!
Photo: Luke Miani

Breaking open the new Mac Studio reveals that its solid-state storage modules are easily removable, but you can forget trying to upgrade them. Not only does Apple use a proprietary connector, but it also blocks user swaps in macOS.

YouTuber Luke Miani pulled apart two Mac Studio machines and discovered that even if you take an original SSD out of one and put it in another, it will simply refuse to boot up.

Here come the Mac Studio-powered workstations [Setups]

By

A new Mac Studio desktop and Studio Display anchor this setup.
A new Mac Studio desktop and Studio Display anchor this setup.
Photo: [email protected]

With Apple’s big “Peek Performance” event only just past and deliveries of newly release products in progress, we see computer setups with new Mac Studio desktops and Studio Display monitors cropping up on social media sites.

Checking in with real people and their first impressions about the gear — and their answers to others’ questions about it — can be a pretty good early look at how things are going with Apple’s latest products.

Apple Watch Series 3 could finally get the boot this year

By

Apple Watch Music
It's about time.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple might discontinue the Apple Watch Series 3 later this year, according to a new report.

The device stuck around this long — five years after its 2017 introduction — as a more-affordable alternative to newer Apple Watch models. But in recent years, performance and storage constraints caused all kinds of frustrations for Apple Watch Series 3 owners.

Apple could keep us waiting for MacBook Air’s big redesign

By

A MacBook Air without a Touch Bar might be in the offing for later in 2021.
The new model is expected to look a little something like this.
Concept: Ian Zelbo

MacBook Air fans may have to wait longer than expected for the ultraportable’s next big redesign. It was predicted to come early this year, but a new report claims it won’t be ready until sometime during the second half of 2022.

There’s also bad news for MacBook Pro fans. It seems updates to the 14- and 16-inch models, which could bring next-generation “M2 Pro” and “M2 Max” chipsets, won’t appear until 2023.

Apple Watch saves Florida woman’s life by calling 911 after hard fall

By

Apple Watch fall detection works on Series 4 and Series 5.
Apple Watch fall detection can save you if you’re knocked unconscious.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Raylene Hackenwerth received an Apple Watch as a gift.. a gift that she says saved her life. The wearable called 911 for her after it detected she had taken a very bad fall. And that’s just the start.

Fall detection is a feature of every model since Apple Watch Series 4.

Why Mac Studio looks odd, and what Apple should have done instead

By

Here's how Apple should have made Mac Studio’s front ports
This isn’t what the Mac Studio looks like. But it should be.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Mac Studio looks just a bit… off. It’s the three front-facing ports. They aren‘t arranged like they should be. The SD card slot makes a horizontal line, but the two USB-C ports are vertical.

It’s an unusual miss for a company that’s typically obsessed with tiny design details.

Apple ‘Election’ ad promotes the power of the new iPad Air

By

In Apple's new ad, student battle for electoral supremacy using the powerful new iPad Air.
In Apple's new ad, student battle for electoral supremacy using the powerful new iPad Air.
Photo: Apple

With Friday being the official launch day for sales of Apple’s new iPad Air (and the 5G iPhone SE), Apple has rolled out a new ad depicting high school students battling to become class president. The powerful new tablet is their primary weapon.

Apple Books releases ‘tell-all’ tome about sinister company behind Severance

By

Apple Books has a
Apple Books has a "tell-all" about Lumon Industries and the "Severance" procedure.
Photo: Apple TV+

Don’t tell Lumon Industries I’m saying this — and later I may not even remember writing it — but Apple Books may be about to blow the lid off this whole “severance” thing.

On Friday it plans to release a “tell-all” book about the sinister company at the center of the chilling drama series Severance on Apple TV+.

Let’s take our workstation outside today [Setups]

By

Working al fresco can be refreshing. Except for the downpours. And the lizards.
Working al fresco can be refreshing. Except for the downpours. And the lizards.
Photo: [email protected]

There’s nothing like taking your work outside on a nice day, especially if it’s a Friday — if you live somewhere that allows it, weather-wise. The sounds of the birds. The feel of the breeze. The smell of exhaust fumes from nearby traffic.

But sometimes it’s not about half-playing hooky while working on your tan and pretending to work. Today’s featured setup, looking quite complete and perfectly productive, was driven out of the house by renovations.

Apple plans ‘lock adapter’ to stop Mac Studio thieves

By

Apple plans lock adapter for Mac Studio
Mac Studio's small design makes it too easy to steal.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to sell a “lock adapter” for Mac Studio that will prevent would-be thieves from swiping the machine from users’ desks, according to one report.

Mac Studio already has a small hole on its base where a lock can be fitted, but it seems there’s not enough room for a standard Kensington option. Apple looks to be working with a third-party on a better solution that will come soon.

iPhone SE 3 cuts carriers out of the buying process in the US

By

The new iPhone SE is available is available in the same colors as before, but it's much-improved on the inside.
It's now a lot easier to buy Apple's most affordable iPhone.
Photo: Apple

The new iPhone SE is Apple’s first smartphone that can be purchased without carrier credit checks in the United States. Customers can obtain the device without having to provide their phone number or Social Security information.

This applies only to AT&T and T-Mobile customers for now, who will be able to take advantage of a new feature called “on-device authentication” during iPhone SE’s setup process. It is also expected to be available on iPhone 14.

Studio Display is powered by the same version of iOS 15 as iPhone and iPad

By

Apple Studio Display runs iOS 15
Yes, exactly the same version.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new Studio Display is incredibly impressive in more ways than one. And while some early reviews note that other excellent monitors are available for less, there are some things that make Studio Display completely unique.

Not only is it powered by an A13 Bionic chip, for instance, but Studio Display runs iOS 15.4. No, not a watered-down version of it, but exactly the same iOS 15.4 build that you have installed on your iPhone and iPad. You just can’t use it.