An Apple 5G modem is allegedly in development, and could be in iPhones in a few years. Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple’s move away from Qualcomm modems could begin in 2023. Analysts predict that all the iPhone models released in that year will use 5G modems Apple designed itself.
This is another example of Apple developing critical components for its products in-house rather than depending on an outside company.
A game developer makes good use of wide and tall monitors. Photo: linden_park@Reddit
UK-based Redditor linden_park just updated their setup while working in the early development phase of a new life simulator game set in space among multiple planets and space stations. Covering all that intergalactic territory, it helps to have both wide and tall screens.
An Australian government agency is probing Apple and Google for anticompetitive practices. Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is gathering data for a report on whether Google and Apple abuse their ability to pick default web browsers and search engines in their operating systems to squeeze out smaller competitors.
And Australia is just one of many countries probing the business practices of big tech companies. These investigations might eventually be followed by lawsuits or legislation that forces Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. to change the way they do business.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda touts his company's experience in the car industry. Photo: Toyota
Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda has chimed in on the possibility of an Apple car, saying the automotive industry welcomes new players with “the potential to breathe [fresh] life into the auto industry and give customers a wider range of choices.”
However, he threw minor shade at new arrivals like the Cupertino tech giant, noting how much more experienced Toyota is. “After making a vehicle, I’d like them to be prepared to deal with customers and various changes for some 40 years,” Toyoda said during a Thursday press conference by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Riots broke out at the factory in December. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple contract manufacturer Wistron has reopened the iPhone factory in Karnataka, southern India. The factory was temporarily closed late last year after riots broke out over unpaid wages.
According to the Economic Times, it is currently operating with a reduced workforce of around 6,000 people. This is around half the number that it had late last year. Wistron will reportedly gradually scale back up the numbers.
After talks with potential automotive partners stalled, Cupertino could stick with its key iPhone manufacturer to produce an Apple car, a Thursday report from Bloomberg suggests.
This would mark a big change in Apple’s strategy for breaking into the auto industry. The company previously looked to hook up with an established automaker — albeit seemingly with Apple receiving top billing.
Central Park is unlike any cartoon you've seen. Photo: Apple
Animated show Central Park returns to Apple TV+ on June 25 for a second season. And Apple also revealed Wednesday that this Emmy-nominated musical comedy is definitely getting a third season.
There’s even a video from an upcoming episode to get fans ready. Watch it now.
The Apple MagSafe power bank might look something like this. If it ever gets launched. Screenshot: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech
Two different leakers claim to give the world very early looks at Apple’s MagSafe power bank for on-the-go charging. This will allegedly attach to an iPhone with magnets so it can wireless juice up the handset.
But there are questions whether Apple can fix problems with development and actually release the product.
New AirPods could replace 2019’s AirPods 2 in Apple’s lineup. Graphic: Cult of Mac
Real-world images of the third-generation AirPods allegedly leaked out Wednesday. These could give an early look at the in-ear headphones that might launch before the end of March.
The pics supposedly show that AirPods 3 won’t borrow a major feature of AirPods Pro.
Photoshop now runs natively on the Apple M1 processor. Photo: Cult of Mac
Adobe released the first version of Photoshop with native support for Apple’s new M-series processor on Wednesday. And the company promises that this significantly increases the performance of the software compared to running it on Intel-based Macs.
This was last year's top game -- weighing in at 222MB. Photo: Roblox
Games in the App Store are getting bigger. An average of 76% bigger over the past five years to be precise. That’s according to a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower.
The firm recently analyzed the average file size of the top 100 revenue-generating mobile games on the U.S. App Store for each year since 2016. This includes only the file size of the original download, and not any additional content.
Imagine the hours it took to draw this. Photo: Wahyu Ichwandardi
Using a 1984-era Macintosh 128K and various retro tools, Pinot W. Ichwandardi painstakingly crafted a beautiful pixel art drawing of one of New York City’s most stunning skyscrapers.
Ichwandardi created his stunning image of the Flatiron Building one pixel at a time, a process he calls “pixel knitting” due to its time-intensive nature. But the incredibly detailed artwork isn’t even the point.
“The most rewarding thing from it is the process,” the 50-year-old designer told Cult of Mac.
It just goes to show that even a Mac that’s nearly 40 years old can still be used to make amazing pieces artwork. And you can buy a print of Ichwandardi’s Flatiron Building art — printed on a vintage dot-matrix printer, naturally!
Tiny in size. Tiny in demand. (At least by iPhone standards.) Photo: Apple
The iPhone 12 mini is looking more and more like the runt of the iPhone 12 litter — and not just because of its diminutive size.
While the iPhone 12 series reportedly has been a massive hit for Apple overall, the iPhone 12 mini hasn’t been along for the ride. On Wednesday, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple is “slashing its planned production of the iPhone 12 mini for the first half of this year.”
MacBook Pro is reported to get a big redesign this year. Screenshot: Apple
Apple delayed plans to start mass-producing its next-gen MacBook Pro until this fall, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. Originally, Cupertino was expected to start building the new laptops in May or June.
The next generation of Apple chips incoming. Photo: Apple
Apple is investing upward of 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) in building a European Center for Chip Design in Munich, Germany. This will be used, in Apple’s (translated) words, for developing processes involving “5G and the wireless technologies of the future.”
Munich is already the location of Apple’s biggest development center in Europe. It is home to close to 1,500 engineers from 40 countries. The new initiative will see them joined by hundreds more employees.
Change is intended to avoid user confusion. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is making a minor change to its Apple Podcasts app with iOS 14.5, ditching the “Subscribe” label to one that says “Follow.”
This change reflects language used commonly on social media platforms. Moreover, “Follow” suggests that the podcast is free, while “Subscribe” implies a paid subscription. Especially as Apple moves increasingly into paid subscriptions, this wording alteration is intended to avoid confusion.
Apple TV+ is bringing back the charming It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, which has been on a shelf since 2014. Photo: Apple
It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown will have its Apple TV+ debut on March 26, slightly more than a week before Easter itself. It’s the return of a Peanuts classic from a long hiatus.
In 2020, Apple’s streaming service became the new home of all the Peanuts holiday specials, including this one. And more are being created.
Sonos Roam connects to your Apple devices over more than Bluetooth. Photo: Sonos
The Sonos Roam is a new high-end smart speaker with support for Apple AirPlay 2, so it plays nicely with iPhone or other Apple computers.
The tubular accessory weights in just under a pound, but Sonos says, “precision-engineered acoustics deliver the clarity, depth, and fullness you would expect from a much larger speaker.”
An AirPods Max firmware update is now available. Here’s hoping it fixes a bad bug. Photo: iFixit
Apple’s over-the-ears headphones got a firmware update on Tuesday. It’s not clear what’s in the new software for AirPods Max because Apple never discloses that detail, but many users are hoping it’s a fix for an irritating power drain.
A pair of Apple’s first wearables might sell for a high price because they’ve never been worn. Photo: Heritage Auctions
A couple of pieces of Apple history are on the auction block. An unworn pair Apple Computer Sneakers from the mid-1990s will be sold in the next two days. A rare Apple-branded paddle ball set from the same time is also being auctioned.
AirPods Pro aren’t the cheapest wireless buds you can buy, so the last thing you want to do is destroy them. Protect them with Elago’s gorgeous cases instead, and never worry about them getting beaten up.
Made from natural cowhide leather, they’re brilliantly robust and beautiful. They come in a number of color options, and include a clip that lets you attach them to almost anything.
Rocky Lira works his day job and podcast production here. Photo: Rocky Lira
Rocky Lira, aka “Rocky Bandit,” and his “knucklehead” friends Eddie and Paddy went big into podcasting on a moderate budget recently. And they have the gear and the podcasts in circulation to show for it.
He and his Chicago pals started the weekly show Bums of Manarchy for fun, recording more than a dozen episodes so far. Lira got off to a fast start handling the podcast editing and production. He said he uses an M1 MacBook Pro and an older model, along with two iPad Pros and his iPhone 12 Pro — in concert with a Rode RodeCaster Pro Integrated Podcast Production Studio console.
Easily make FaceTime calls with Belkin’s new charging stand that supports the iPhone 12 series’ MagSafe system. Photo: Belkin
The short list of truly MagSafe-compatible accessories grew a bit on Tuesday, as the Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand can now be preordered. This holds up an iPhone 12 for easy viewing, and includes a pad for AirPods cases that support wireless charging.
This app can’t be a scam. Look at all those positive reviews! Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Stop using the reviews you see in the App Store to help you decide what applications to buy. They’re meaningless because so many of them are fraudulent. And these purchased fake reviews are frequently used to trick people into buying scam applications.
The problem is severe enough that Apple should take reviews completely out of the App Store if it can’t come up with a better solution.