Development of an Apple car just hit another speed bump. Doug Field, who’d reportedly been managing the project, just left to join the Ford Motor Company.
This is surely a blow to Apple’s secretive automotive efforts. And the company was already multiple years away from having anything to put in a showroom, according to the latest leaks.
Some people love to carefully examine Apple event invites as though each one serves as a crystal ball that can show the future. The one that went out Tuesday might have been crafted to suggest that the iPhone 13 will be better at taking pictures of stars. Or maybe it hints that Apple’s virtual-reality headset will be unveiled.
On the other hand, it could be nothing more than a pretty picture.
Bose just rolled out its new flagship soundbar for use with a TV in a home-theater environment — the Bose Smart Soundbar 900. And guess what? The product’s name pretty much matches its price tag — $899.99.
Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple September event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s part of the company’s ongoing move to draw more attention to AR — and make its event invites cooler than anyone else’s.
The graphic for the event is the Apple logo floating over a lake in the evening. iPhone users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and pass through it into a star-lit virtual space.
Signify, the parent company of Philips Hue, put the word out last week that funky new lighting products are coming. Some are out now and some will light up later. A new partnership with the music platform Spotify has launched, too.
Several items offer the gradient technology Philips Hue added last year to its Play Lightstrip.
Apple today confirmed it will host its next big keynote on Tuesday, September 14. The “California streaming” event will likely be focused on iPhone 13, as well as Apple Watch Series 7 and a possible third-generation AirPods upgrade.
You’ll be able to watch the whole thing live online when it kicks off at 10 a.m. PDT.
Kingston Digital is now shipping its new XS2000, a portable SSD featuring USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds in a tiny drive you can slip into your pocket. So you can carry around up to 2TB of data and barely notice it’s there.
Function101 is now offering 20% off select products purchased through the Cult of Mac Store.
Save on the brilliant Button Remote for Apple TV, which we just gave a glowing review, as well as the excellent BentoStack and Cable Blocks. The discount ends later today, so enjoy it while you can.
WhatsApp promises to protect every one of its 2 billion users with end-to-end encryption that ensures their messages cannot be seen by anyone outside of the original conversation. But does it live up to that promise?
A new report alleges that the Facebook-owned messaging platform uses artificial intelligence and more than 1,000 contract workers to examine “millions of pieces of users’ content” using “special Facebook software.”
That’s despite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling the U.S. Senate in 2018 that “we don’t see any of the content in WhatsApp.”
iPhone 13 could make its much-anticipated debut on September 14, according to teasers from one U.K. carrier.
Sky Mobile is already giving customers the opportunity to pre-register for “all the info on the upcoming big announcement.” Those who do will get access to an exclusive offer on the “next generation” device.
WhatsApp could soon give users the ability to hide their “last seen” status from individual contacts. Evidence of the change has already popped up in WhatsApp beta releases ahead of its rollout on Android and iOS.
Apple may be planning to unveil a revised MagSafe Charger alongside iPhone 13. A new version of the accessory, with model number A2548, spilled this week in Federal Communications Commission filings submitted by Apple just last month.
Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.
A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”
Redditor Doyniish runs a Mission Control-looking workstation, thanks a gargantuan monitor in between a substantial 24-inch iMac display on the left and a MacBook Pro on a stand to the right. In the shot, they’re all festooned with open windows, making it look like all the work in the world is in progress at that particular desk.
Apple’s most popular devices could get even more expensive next year, with chip-maker TSMC said to be planning its biggest price increase in more than a decade. The move could also affect companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm.
Sources are blaming the price hike on a number of factors, including higher material costs and the ongoing chip shortage, which has encouraged some device vendors to buy up more components than they actually need.
Germany is calling on the European Union to force smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung to repair and update their devices for at least seven years. It also wants manufacturers to offer spare parts at reasonable prices.
The European Commission has already proposed stricter rules for mobile device vendors. It’s all part of an effort to reduce waste by ensuring smartphones and tablets can remain in use for longer.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Apple to completely abandon its child safety features after their rollout was delayed.
The group says it is “pleased” Apple’s move is on hold for now. But it calls the plans, which include scanning user images for child abuse material (CSAM), “a decrease in privacy for all iCloud Photos users.”
The EFF’s petition against Apple’s original announcement now contains more than 25,000 signatures. Another, started by groups like Fight for the Future and OpenMedia, contains more than 50,000.
Certified Lover Boy, the newest album from Drake, has broken the Apple Music streaming record set by Kanye West just a few days ago.
In just 12 hours after the album’s release at midnight EST on Friday, September 3, it become 2021 most-streamed album and surpassed the 60 million streams that Donda racked up during its first 24 hours of availability.
This week, Cult of Mac is giving away six practical and protective PadFolio Cases for your 12.9-inch iPad Pro from tomtoc, a popular case company. Designed to carry your iPad Pro, keyboard, chargers, dongles and all your necessary accessories, this case will protect your iPad Pro while keeping everything in place.
If you want to make your friends and peers jealous of how super-organized and productive you are at work or school, be sure to enter this giveaway.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like iPhone 13 will come with a secret satellite trick that will give you signal anywhere on Earth! The feature might not prove as groundbreaking as it initially seemed, but it still sounds like a lifesaver.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
Zen Pinball Party lets you have a go on tables with a Kung Fu Panda theme. Or Trolls. Or How to Train Your Dragon. And these are just a few of the options in a game that debuted Friday in Apple Arcade.
And that’s not the only new option. Show off your kitchen skills in MasterChef: Let’s Cook. And Layton’s Mystery Journey+ was also added to Apple’s gaming service.
The Cult of Mac Store just kicked off its sweet Labor Day Sale, offering up to 51% off awesome Apple Watch bands, stylish charging stands, and great cases for AirPods, iPhone, iPad and more.
Take advantage of the discounts before they disappear!
Redditor NotDeadYet7917 dragged himself out of bed on Monday and photographed his M1 MacB00k Air computer setup exactly as it appears in real life. It’s not staged like some of these fancy-schmance setups you see (we’ve seen plenty). And you can tell the workstation is keeping it real by how “lived-in” it looks.
Facebook rolled out a fantasy gaming service for iOS and Android users in the U.S. and Canada this week. Facebook Fantasy Games lets you predict outcomes of sports events and other entertainment, like TV game shows.
Apple Pay’s latest promotion saves new Instacart customers a generous $30 on deliveries worth $50 or more. Existing customers can also save $5 when spending $35 or more. The promotion is available through September 8.
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