Australian outfit Chargeasap is back on crowdfunding site Indiegogo with new high-capacity power banks for charging gadgets on the go. The Flash Pro works for Android and the MagSafe-compatible Flash Pro Plus is designed for Mac.
Apple is looking to phase out the iPhone mini line in favor of its next-gen iPhone SE, a Wednesday report by Nikkei Asia suggests.
Apple debuted its first iPhone mini with last year’s iPhone 12 generation. However, sales have never materialized to match its bigger siblings like the regular iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. While Apple will release an iPhone 13 mini this year, expect that to be its last.
In its place? More emphasis on Apple’s other low-cost handset: The iPhone SE.
Netflix seemingly isn’t content to compete with Apple (spoiler: it’s winning) over streaming video subscription services only. The media giant has now confirmed that it is planning to launch an Apple Arcade rival — and at no extra cost to its subscribers.
In a letter to shareholders, Netflix noted that it is still “in the early stages of the initiative,” but that it views it as a major piece of the puzzle in terms of dominating the entertainment landscape.
The iPhone 12 has been a major success for Apple, but Wedbush analyst Dan Ives thinks the company’s expectations are even greater for the iPhone 13.
In a Wednesday note to clients, seen by Cult of Mac, Ives suggests Apple is gearing up to produce between 90 million and 100 million iPhone 13 units. That’s a 15% increase year-on-year over the iPhone 12, whose initial orders were for 80 million units.
The analyst also sheds light on when he thinks the iPhone 13 event will take place.
Apple Music will exclusively livestream a special “sold-out listening event” for Kanye West’s 10th album, Donda, on July 22. The event will take place at 5 p.m. PDT, with the album launching the following day.
Donda is West’s first album since 2019’s Jesus Is King, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album. It also achieved the No. 1 position on the Rap Album, Gospel Album and Billboard 200 charts.
Apple’s next-gen AirPods, the third iteration of the company’s regular AirPods, will go into production next month, Nikkei Asia reported Wednesday.
This would be the first upgrade for Apple’s standard issue AirPods since the second-gen version debuted March 2019. The original AirPods made their debut in December 2016.
Although The Problem with Jon Stewart doesn’t premiere on Apple TV+ until September, the comedian couldn’t let Jeff Bezos’ and Richard Branson’s personal space race go by without comment. Stewart posted a video Tuesday making fun of billionaires competing to see who can shoot off a better rocket.
The humor isn’t subtle. Many jokes have been made about how much Bezos’ New Shepard rocket looks like a penis, and Stewart takes the idea and runs with it. If watching a video of giant space penises is going to get you in trouble at work, maybe you’d better wait until you get home to see this one.
If not, watch the mockery now:
A Kickstarter campaign pushes a new iPhone camera grip and MagSafe case combo called the Fjorden. It promises to turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera — while still fitting in your pocket. Its physical camera controls might make a lot of photographers very happy.
Take Tetris and give it some rhythm and you get Tetris Beat, a fresh version of the puzzle classic. It includes music from Alison Wonderland and many other artists.
The game is coming soon to Apple Arcade.
The much-anticipated iPad mini 6 will boast the Apple A15 processor, according to an unconfirmed report. That should bring a significant performance increase. And the tablet will allegedly have a USB-C port and a Smart Connector.
The United Kingdom is developing new antitrust measures and could fine tech giants up to 10% of their annual revenue for breaking the rules. The Digital Markets Unit’s plan is intended to make it easier for U.K. businesses — such as startups, news publishers and advertisers — to compete with established giants like Apple and Amazon.
“Tech has transformed our lives for the better, whether it’s helping us to stay in touch with our loved ones, share content, or access the latest news,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, the U.K.’s secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, in a press release Tuesday. “Nobody wants to see an unassailable monopoly, and our common sense reforms will help protect consumers, support ground-breaking new ideas and level the playing field for businesses.”
Apple is looking to lease a massive production campus in movie capital Los Angeles for future Apple TV+ productions, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The Cupertino company is looking at several possible locations for the hub, which could exceed half a million square feet. Apple already leases several soundstage in LA and elsewhere.
NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware is making headlines again after it was reported that a number of governments around the world have been using it to hack the smartphones of activists, politicians, journalists and other individuals.
A list of potential surveillance targets, which includes more than 50,000 phone numbers, was leaked and obtained by a number of news outlets over the weekend, reigniting concerns over government surveillance.
So, what exactly is Pegasus? And who might be a potential target of an attack? How can you tell if your iPhone already fell victim to the spyware? We rounded up everything you need to know about Pegasus.
In order to quell the spread of COVID-19, at least one Apple supplier set up coronavirus “bubbles” for employees on its production lines, essentially sealing off workers from the outside world.
According to a Tuesday report by Nikkei Asia, several factories in Vietnam — including one owned by AirPods manufacturer GoerTek — took this precautionary measure as COVID-19 cases ramp up in the country.
Apple has delayed its call for employees to return to the office by at least a month, Bloomberg reported Monday. Employees will now return to Apple Park and other locations by October at the earliest.
In June, CEO Tim Cook said that employees should get ready to return by early September. This would be according to a hybrid model in which employees would work at least three days a week in the office, and the rest working from home. But COVID-19 has seemingly (temporarily) scuppered those plans.
Amnesty International accuses governments around the world of using NSO Group’s Pegasus iPhone hacking tool to illegally spy on journalists and human rights defenders. Apple’s head of Security Engineering and Architecture condemns this type of hacking, but also says that such attacks “are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users.”
Apple recently added hydrogen peroxide to the list of cleansers not to use on its products. The chemical is often employed to disinfect surfaces, but it’s not recommended for wiping down your iPhone, Mac or iPad. Or your Apple peripherals, either.
The warning comes as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on.
A Federal Communications Commission certification reveals Bose may be about to roll out a long-awaited new version of its classic noise-canceling headphones. The company’s popular but long-in-the-tooth QuietComfort 35 and 35 II headphones appear to have a new sibling or, more likely, replacement: new Bose QuietComfort 45 over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation.
And the new headphones could arrive quite soon, bringing no telling what sort of upgrades to ANC, Bluetooth and audio quality.
iPhone users can now download iOS 14.7. The update, released Monday, adds reverse wireless charging to the iPhone 12 series, albeit in a limited way. It also includes some promised improvements to the Apple Card, and allows users to manage timers on a HomePod.
In addition, Apple released watchOS 7.6.
Redditor mnsl0826 decided to save some space by standing up his M1 Mac mini vertically at the base of his monitor, rather than laying it flat. It worked for him, but posting about it on Reddit generated heaps of concern about whether you’re supposed to do that.
Anker’s first announced its new PowerWave Go 3-in-1 Stand for charging iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods back in January. Well, it just came out. The cool wrinkle here is a removable power bank to charge devices on the go.
Apple’s VP of Technology Kevin Lynch, one of the key figures in bringing the Apple Watch to market, is now working on the Apple Car project, Business Insider reports.
Lynch, who joined Apple from Adobe in 2013, will be taking on a leading role on the project, which has been going on for almost as long as he’s been at Apple. At present, the Apple Car project is under the leadership of Apple’s AI and machine learning boss John Giannandrea. Giannandrea in turn took over from Bob Mansfield, who retired in 2020.
Breaking up is hard and painful, unless you’re an AirPod. They’re far from loyal, and they will leave you any time and anywhere. That’s why you need Elago’s awesome EarHooks.
EarHooks prevent an ugly breakup by ensuring AirPods and AirPods Pro always stay in your ear — whether you’re working out or squeezing onto a busy train. And you can get yours today from just $10.99.
iOS has clawed back enough market share in the US that it is now approximately even with Android in terms of number of buyers, claims a Monday report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), seen by Cult of Mac. The results, which cover the calendar quarter ending June 30, are a far cry from just four years ago, when US mobile market share approached 70% in Android’s favor.
It speaks to the greater level of loyalty of iPhone users over their Android-loving brethren and sistren.
Apple TV+ won four Daytime Emmy Awards over the weekend, with Here We Are: Notes For Living on Planet Earth picking up Outstanding Special Class Daytime Animated Program and an Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for 3D animator Anne Moth.
Apple also won Outstanding Editing for a Preschool Animated Program for editors Jill Calhoun and Jack Paulson on Stillwater. And Helpsters picked up the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing.
In total, Apple’s streaming service earned 25 Daytime Emmy nominations this year. The four wins is two more than Apple TV+ received last year, when it won for Ghostwriter and Peanuts in Space.
The awards were handed out Saturday night.