Apple TV (the hardware, not the streaming service) makes up around 12.5% of set-top boxes in a very fragmented marketplace, according to analysis from Parks Associates.
That lags behind Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV Box, which currently stand neck-and-neck. Nonetheless, Apple TV ranks a few percentage points ahead of Google’s Chromecast. Back in 2017, Chromecast came in ahead of Apple TV. And, as recently as 2018 and 2019, the two remained competitive.
Augmented-reality game Pokémon Go earned more than $5 billion from player spending in the five years it’s been around, says a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower Store Intelligence. Of this, App Store revenue from iOS users accounts for $2.4 billion — or approximately 47%.
Niantic launched Pokémon Go in July 2016. That means the game generated an average of $1 billion per year, making it by far the highest-earning geolocation AR app in the world. In the first half of 2021 alone, Pokémon Go raked in a massive $641.6 million across both Android and iOS.
Cult of Mac‘s review of Apple TV+ crime drama Defending Jacob, said that it was the first show to truly justify the existence of Apple’s streaming TV service. Now it’s got another first under its belt: The first Apple TV+ series to receive a physical media release.
On Tuesday, the show was given a Blu-ray and DVD release, making it the first Apple TV+ show to receive that treatment. Even the likes of The Morning Show and Ted Lasso, Apple’s biggest hits to date, have not been released in this way.
Hello Sunshine, one of the more prolific production companies behind hit Apple TV+ shows, is reportedly considering a sale. And Apple’s said to be interested.
The company is co-owned by Reese Witherspoon, while Lauren Powell Jobs, who was married to the late Steve Jobs, is a notable investor.
Two more classic iOS games are coming soon to Apple Arcade: Super Stickman Golf 3+ and Super Leap Day.
Update: A third game, Ultimate Rivals: The Court, is coming soon to Apple Arcade as well.
San Mateo, California-based smart home equipment maker Brilliant completed its HomeKit rollout with updates adding Apple’s smart home platform to a smart plug and a wall switch.
Brilliant sells a variety of smart products, including wall panels, dimmer switches, smart plugs and related parts.
In something of a rare sensitivity slip-up for Apple, the company is being blasted by STAMMA, the British Stammer Association, over an emoji recommendation that seemingly mocks people with the speech disorder also known as a stutter.
When users write the word “stammering” in the iPhone’s predictive keyboard, it suggests the comical “woozy face” emoji as a substitute. STAMMA CEO Jane Powell described this as “demeaning and damaging.”
Rapper Soulja Boy, best known for his 2007 viral hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” has another claim to fame as well: According to the 30-year-old rapper, Steve Jobs visited him on the set of his first music video and brought him the first iPhone.
At least, that’s the story Soulja Boy shared in a clip from an upcoming podcast interview for Million Dollaz Worth of Game. “I was the first rapper with the iPhone,” Soulja Boy says. “It was ‘Crank That’ video shoot 2007. Steve Jobs and the Apple team came. I was in the swimming pool, doing the instructional dance. Showing the people how to do the dance … They came, they brought me the iPhone.”
The M2 chip, sequel to the inaugural Apple Silicon processor, will debut in the first half of 2022, says a leaker who previously nailed details about the company’s proprietary chips.
The tipster, known as Dylandkt, has an 81.3% accuracy rating according to Apple Track based on 16 previous rumors. Dylandkt said the M2 chip will be released alongside “the upcoming colorful MacBook Air.”
Larry David once played a verbose, neurotic app approval officer in a skit for Apple. But curb your enthusiasm (womp womp) … the video never aired. Clearly someone at Apple didn’t think it was pretty, pretty, pr-et-ty good enough to be shown to customers.
However, the video — apparently shot as a possible intro for 2014’s Worldwide Developers Conference — has been leaked online by Sam Henri-Gold of the dearly departed Unofficial Apple Archive, a former repository of Apple videos no longer around. While Henri-Gold only shared a snippet, the whole video was later posted to YouTube. Check it out below.
The Cult of Mac Store just kicked off its big Fourth of July sale, offering 15% off all items when you spend $50 or more.
Take your pick from some of the best iPhone, iPad and AirPods cases, stands, Apple Watch bands and more — all hand-picked and approved by members of the Cult of Mac team.
The offer ends today, so enjoy it while you can!
Many people have a thing for clean, simple computer setups where distractions are minimized and productivity — of whatever type — is maximized. Redditor CosmicCrispApple seems to find a Zen-like state simply by emphasizing the color white with some black contrast on the desk.
But it’s really not that simple. You also have to keep things, well, simple. And if you do it right, your setup can look and feel as light as air.
Apple’s new iPhone, set to launch in fall, will be named the iPhone 13, says a report from the Economic Daily News, published Monday.
Given that last year’s iPhone was named the iPhone 12, it may not sound much of a surprise to hear that it’s successor is named the iPhone 13. However, guessing the name of this year’s handset upgrade has proven surprisingly tricky.
Apple has thwarted an attempt by multiple Chinese tech companies to get around its App Tracking Transparency feature, the Financial Times reports Monday.
The group of tech companies includes Baidu, Tencent, and TikTok parent company ByteDance. They supposedly worked with a couple of Beijing companies to find a new way to get around Apple’s new privacy measures.
However, Apple blocked updates to several apps that included the workaround, called the Chinese Advertising ID (CAID). In doing so, it enforced its rules in a way that may have surprised the companies in question.
Having only fairly recently completed its massive Apple Park campus in Cupertino, Apple’s now “ramping up” efforts to decentralize its workforce, says Mark Gurman in his latest “Power On” column for Bloomberg.
This means reluctantly embracing the idea that not everyone wants to live and work in Silicon Valley. While Apple execs have supposedly fought against this way of thinking for years, recruitment challenges are now causing them to reassess the situation.
The app for Didi Chuxing, the popular Chinese ride-hailing service, has been removed from the App Store in China, citing privacy concerns.
This is no usual case of Apple booting an app from the App Store for failing to measure up to its standards, though. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook sits on Didi’s board of directors, and Apple previously invested $1 billion in the Chinese Uber rival. Instead, the ban was ordered by China’s Cyberspace Administration of China regulators — citing “serious violations [regarding] collection and usage of personal information.”
Apple TV+ just keeps adding new movies and shows, but how many people are watching? Only Apple knows for sure.
An entertainment industry expert takes a look at the current state of Apple TV+ — and outlines what the future might hold for the streaming video service. Read the Q&A to find out what “success” might look like for Apple TV+.
That’s our cover story in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it to read on your iPhone or iPad, or get the links to the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos below.
If you plan on camping this summer, make sure to bring a Portable Solar Panel from Choetech. This solar panel delivers 80 watts via four output ports. It’s the coolest thing that you never knew you needed.
If you want a fully charged iPhone at all times, even in the great outdoors, make sure to enter this week’s giveaway. Enter and you could win one of two Portable Solar Panels.
A year and a half in, Apple TV+ remains something of a black box. Ever since the streaming video service’s launch in November 2019, Cupertino has refused to reveal hard data about just how well Apple TV+ is doing.
In some respects, the future looks promising. Apple TV+ continues to add high-profile projects to its production queue. Apple TV+ shows and movies continue to rack up awards. And upcoming originals like an epic sci-fi adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and the second season of surprise hit Ted Lasso are generating buzz.
Plus, with the original one-year free trials ending — and new free Apple TV+ trials slashed to just three months — the $4.99-a-month streaming service seems increasingly confident about its value proposition for viewers.
Still, the Apple TV+ library continues to be dwarfed by rivals like Netflix and Disney+.
So what does the future hold? And what does “success” look like for Apple TV+ anyway? Cult of Mac asked the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a pseudonymous entertainment executive who writes about the business, how Apple TV+ is faring and what to expect next. His responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
People who use the video-streaming app Twitch can now join the platform’s “Watch Parties” on iOS and Android devices, according to a tweet sent out Friday.
Focused since its launch on bringing people together to watch and comment on video gameplay, Twitch also does drama and comedy. Its Watch Parties let Twitch users stream Amazon Prime content.
The third-party Controller for HomeKit app’s new version 5.4 update adds something users have wanted for a while. It’s a full backup and restore process that includes the HomeKit codes identifying the devices and accessories you include in your home automation.
Randomo_redditor runs her MacBook Pro and iPad with a monstrously wide Dell monitor, at 49 inches. But even that curved showstopper fails to provide enough real estate for all she does. So she added a 27-inch Dell display in portrait mode on the side. If you’re searching for the best monitors for Mac Mini, you might find this Samsung ultra-wide monitor setup to be a great option.
Now she can fit everything on the screens. And we do mean everything. Randomo already made the most of her widescreen by using an app to split the screen into thirds, for different uses.
Dell’s slick new UltraSharp Webcam takes a page out of the 2021 iPad Pro’s book with a Center Stage-like advanced AI auto-framing feature. It keeps the subject — most likely your face, on a video call — centered in the frame and in focus, even if you move around a lot.
The new Dell 4K webcam isn’t cheap, you may notice. But for the $199.99 price tag, you get some nice features.
Solitaire Stories is a new twist on the popular card game. Rather than just stacks of cards, there’s a storyline. And games get progressively harder to increase the challenge.
This is the latest addition to the Apple Arcade subscription gaming service for iPhone, Mac and more.
Twitter is exploring a new “trusted friends” feature that gives users more control over who can see certain tweets.
The move could make it possible to block some followers from seeing select posts — without actually blocking their accounts. It comes after rumors claimed Twitter is planning to add groups support to its platform.