News - page 271

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 15.4 packs a punch with some fun and useful new features. It’s still just a beta, but it will give us lots of new emoji for our critical, high-level communications when it goes live. Plus, the beta includes a convenient new way to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask — just in time for the end of the pandemic! 🤞

Also on The CultCast:

• An Apple event in March looks quite likely.
• Mini-LED iMac Pro might be delayed.
• An Apple car patent sheds light on an advanced sunroof.
• How to download Wordle, just in case The New York Times screws up the popular game.
• Donkey talk!

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 livestream, embedded below (down by the headlines and donkey links).

The amazing Samuel L. Jackson will star in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey when it premieres on Apple TV+ in March. A new trailer gives an advance look at a series that’s sure to be both uplifting and heartbreaking.

Apple’s streaming service also revealed on Friday that the espionage series Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman will debut in April.

In addition, Apple TV+ gave the launch date for more shows coming this spring — all filled with celebrities.

Since Apple Music launched in 2015, it has offered first-time subscribers a three-month free trial — a very tempting proposition in a competitive streaming market. But now the service has cut the free trail for first-timers to one month, starting this week.

Apple Music continues to offer a six-month free trial to those who buy eligible audio devices.

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The third-generation iPhone SE will have a few improvements over the current version, but MagSafe won‘t be one of them, according to a new report coming from Asia.

At this point, it appears the major changes in the upcoming iOS handset will be speed related.

In a first look at season 2 of the political thriller Tehran, Apple TV+ put out a photograph showing the series’ new cast member, Emmy Award-winner Glenn Close. And the streaming service said the first episode will premiere on May 6.

Anyone with a curious cat knows the desktop can be one of their favorite spots. Sometimes it’s like they’re trying to ensure you can’t work, as they sit or stretch out right on top of the keyboard or in front of the screen. And that’s just when you’re sitting there. Who knows what they do when you’re away. Other than dreaming up other ways to hasten your unemployment.

Lucky for you, today’s featured computer setup shows a simple method for protecting peripherals like input devices — keyboard, mouse, perhaps a trackpad — from pushy pets. And if you’ve got canines, take heart. It also works for dog slobber.

Don’t you just hate it when you buy a screen protector that doesn’t cover your iPhone’s entire screen? That’s not a problem with these tough tempered glass protectors from Limited77, which keep your iPhone 13 looking sharp.

Get yours today to save 20% — and enjoy the same discount on all other Limited77 accessories for iPhone and Apple Watch in the Cult of Mac Store.

Apple users do the darnedest things with old gear. Recently a guy stuck a USB-C port in an iPhone X and got $86,000 for it on eBay. We profiled a Romanian developer who designs games for souped-up vintage Macs. Then there was the guy who merged an M1 Mac mini with an iMac G4.

And now we find a clever TikTok user crafting a retro-cool iPad case with an Apple Watch charger out of a classic iBook G3 laptop.

Apple on Thursday confirmed it will charge developers in the Netherlands a 27% cut of sales revenue when they use third-party payment systems. And, just as expected, that has not gone down well with developers.

Steve Troughton-Smith, creator of apps like Broadcasts and Pastel for iOS, called the move “absolutely vile” and said Apple executives “should be ashamed.” Here’s what others are saying.

Activision Blizzard confirmed on Thursday that it plans to bring Warcraft to mobile devices this year. The game has been in “advanced development” since last summer, but this is the first time Blizzard has offered a release date.

It’s not yet clear what the Warcraft experience will look like on smartphones. Fans will no doubt be hoping to get a taste of the original MMORPG formula on-the-go, but some rumors have hinted that it could be very different.

Apple on Thursday published new details on how it plans to handle third-party payments for dating apps in the Netherlands. The document confirms that Apple will continue to take a cut of all net revenues at a “reduced” rate of 27%.

It also states that developers must provide Cupertino with a report of all transactions each month so that they can be invoiced for the commission. Apple says it has the right to carry out audits to ensure accurate reporting.

A new Apple TV+ trailer for the Apple Original documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma shows Honest Abe in a new light, as historians reflect upon what he was really about and how the changing country challenged the president who never asked to be “The Great Emancipator.”

The four-part series hits Apple TV+ all at once, not one episode at a time, on February 18.

Bacteria is everywhere. Health experts say a lot of it is actually beneficial rather than harmful, but it can still give you the “icks.” If you’re a person who wipes down gadgets a lot because you know your hands and fingers are basically Petri dishes gone wild, Targus rolled out a new active stylus for iPad on Thursday that might suit you.

It’s the new Targus Antimicrobial Active Stylus for iPad, designed to remain 99.9% free of bacterial growth for the life of the product.

Demand for some iPad models outstrips supply. And the result is customers waiting a month or more to receive their tablet. Buyers in some countries who place an order now will be waiting until March to receive it.

The problem is a shortage of the secondary processors used in the mobile computers. Apple just can’t get as many as it needs.

Philips Hue unleashed a dozen new lighting scenes in the Hue app on Monday. So now you can dress up your HomeKit-connected lighting with delightful colorations like Amber Bloom, Painted Sky, Orange Fields and Blue Planet — among many others.

The release comes soon after the company put out a trio of cool vintage-vibe lights for outdoor use.

Why cough up $99 on Apple’s Milanese Loop for Apple Watch when outstanding third-party alternatives are available at a fraction of the cost. SwitchEasy’s stunning Steel Mesh is just as pretty and incredibly solid.

What’s more, it’s now available for under $28 after a 20% discount. Bag yours from the Cult of Mac Store today before the sale ends.

Creeps have taken to selling “silent AirTags” with disabled speakers that other creeps can use for more effective stalking. One such device was selling for $77.50 on Etsy before the “star seller” had a change of heart and removed it.

Apple designed AirTag to emit a sound after it has been away from its paired device for a certain period of time, which can help alert those around it of its presence. Without a speaker, AirTag is much more difficult to detect.

A federal judge this week dismissed a class-action lawsuit that accuses Apple of misleading iPhone customers about its water resistance.

Plaintiffs claimed that iPhone advertising that showed the device exposed to water was “false and misleading,” and allowed Apple to charge higher prices. However, they failed to prove their iPhones were actually damaged by water.

Apple issued a letter to U.S. lawmakers Wednesday urging them not to allow the distribution of iPhone and iPad apps outside the App Store. It insists doing so “would allow malware, scams and data-exploitation to proliferate.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet Thursday to consider the Open App Markets Act, a bill that hopes to prohibit companies like Apple from blocking sideloading and alternative app marketplaces.

Facebook parent company Meta has warned investors that it will lose around $10 billion in 2022 as a result of Apple’s bolstered privacy protections.

The company has been whinging about the improvements, which include App Tracking Transparency, since they were introduced in iOS 14. Its shares dipped more than 20% on Wednesday after it reported its latest disappointing earnings.

If you have a new M1 Apple computer, you are going to want to enter our latest giveaway. Cult of Mac is giving away two USB-C Multiport MX Adapters from Satechi. This adapter allows you to experience the full potential of your M1 Mac with multitudes of data ports using just a single USB-C port.

The USB-C Multiport MX Adapter supports dual-display output on two external monitors for a top-of-the-line desk setup. If you want options for your M1 Mac, be sure to enter this giveaway.

Apple TV+ will present an adaptation of the bestselling novel Dear Edward about a boy who was the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash.

The series is being written and will be showrun by Jason Katims, who created the classic series Parenthood and produced Friday Night Lights.

The Tragedy of Macbeth was the third most watched movie on all the streaming services in the United States during January. And it was only available for half the month.

The Apple TV+ version starring starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand is also getting rave reviews from critics.

The rumored Apple Car may not be on the verge of rolling off the assembly line, but someday a version of it may have sunroof glass that you can darken or lighten with the touch of a button or with a Siri command.

That’s according to a patent the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Apple this week for a sunroof with variable-opacity glass. That means a driver could adjust its transparency.

Who doesn’t love good optical illusions? And they’re especially cool when they result from an unexpected action that works as well as the expected action. Today’s featured computer setup surprised us with a floating display.

Thing is, though, the screen is not mounted on the wall. And it’s not levitating, either.