Apple might combine video and music into one subscription. Photo: Apple
The new Apple TV 4K with faster A12 Bionic processor, high frame rate HDR, and all-new Siri Remote is out now. Prices start at just $179, and there is a way to make yours even more affordable.
Sell your old Apple TV (and other Apple devices) to Cult of Mac today and we’ll send you a nice stack of cash to make your upgrade more affordable.
3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1? Photo: Typical_Andrew@Reddit
If you owned a new MacBook Air with an M1 chip and 16GB of unified memory, how much would you have to do at once for it to freeze, bringing up the spinning beach ball of death?
A Macintosh signed by Apple's co-founder is like the Mac fan's Holy Grail. Photo: MacPaw
Fancy seeing an original Macintosh 128k, signed by Steve Wozniak? Want to feast your eyes on Apple’s first “portable” computer, which tipped the scales at nearly 16 pounds? How about eyeballing a rare Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, the only computer Cupertino ever made that was delivered to customers in a limo, and installed by Apple employees wearing tuxedos?
If you answered “yes” to all these questions, then there’s one more to ask: Are you willing to catch a flight to Kyiv, Ukraine — approximately 6,000 miles from Apple’s home in Cupertino — to look at them in person?
Antonio García Martínez, a former Facebook product manager, was recently hired and fired by Apple within the space of a few weeks. In a recent Twitter Space chat with journalists Kara Swisher and Casey Newton, Martínez opened up regarding the specific writing from his book that was widely circulated before his Apple departure. The book describes San Francisco Bay Area women as “soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of sh*t.”
"Good morning. I've got some great testimony to share with you today." Photo: Apple
You don’t get bigger witnesses when it comes to an Apple trial than Tim Cook. Cook, the 10-year CEO of Apple, will today take the stand in the ongoing court case pitting Apple against Fortnite maker Epic.
With the trial expected to end Monday, Cook’s Friday testimony will be a “One more thing” event as Apple’s lawyers attempt to dismantle Epic’s case (and vice versa on the part of Epic’s legal team).
Blue bubbles good. Green bubbles bad. Or something. Photo: Killian Bell's Peartree Productions/Cult of Mac
Considering that blue and green aren’t too far apart on the color spectrum, the difference between sending blue bubble messages and green bubble messages is pretty stark. The former, of course, means that the user is sending an iMessage, while the latter is a generic SMS, probably from an Android device.
For years, a certain segment of the population have mocked the green bubble crowd — with the gist being that a green bubble sender must have something wrong with them if they don’t own an iPhone. In a recent tweet, the CEO of a popular startup noted something else: That green bubble startup founders may have a tougher time landing investment.
“Unfortunate reality: if you don’t have iMessage, you are less likely to succeed at work,” Joshua Browder, the CEO of legal tech firm DoNotPay, tweeted this week. “The blue bubbles build trust!”
PopGrip for MagSafe and PopWallet+ for MagSafe attach to an iPhone 12 with magnets, not adhesive. Photo: PopSockets
The new MagSafe system for iPhone is a huge boon for PopGrips. A new collection of these pop-up phone handles can cling to the magnets built into the back of the latest Apple models, but also be easily detached.
PopSockets released PopGrip for MagSafe and PopWallet+ for MagSafe on Thursday, and these don’t have to be glued on. Or built into cases.
Rebecca Ferguson will star in Wool, a drama series based on Hugh Howey’s New York Times bestselling trilogy of dystopian novels. Photo: Apple TV+
The collection of sci-fi series available on Apple TV+ is growing again with a series order for Wool. It’s based on a bestselling trilogy of dystopian novels, and will star Rebecca Ferguson.
When available, it’ll join several other sci-fi series on Apple’s streaming video service.
Apple shows what the world would look like if brick-and-mortar businesses were just as nosy as apps.
Apple has a new video for all the people who took a TL;DR approach to the iPhone’s new App Tracking Transparency. Rather than read an explanation of the feature that debuted in April, there’s a short video showing what the world would look like if brick-and-mortar businesses were able to follow people the way apps can.
It’s not a good day for iMessage Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC
Update: Apple fixed the problem it was having with iMessage on Thursday.
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If you aren’t getting texts from your friends, don’t blame your iPhone. It’s a larger problem. Apple reports that its iMessage service has been having difficulties for several hours.
Connect an iPhone to legacy speakers over AirPlay 2 with Belkin’s Soundform Connect. Photo: Belkin
The audio limitations of Bluetooth have been much in the news lately, so Belkin picked the perfect time to launch Soundform Connect. The wireless adapter allows iPhone users to communicate to any speaker over AirPlay 2… that’s Wi-Fi and high-quality audio.
Apple once labelled the Apple TV a “hobby.” Now, six generations down the line, it’s proven it’s longevity as an interest for Apple. But is it the “must-have” streaming box the company has long promised?
With the review embargoes having lifted for the 2021 Apple TV 4K, it seems like Apple may have finally cracked the formula. And all it took were some neat upgrades and switching out that darn Siri Remote for something a whole lot better.
5G has been a killer feature in Japan. Photo: Apple
The iPhone 12 series has led a massive boom in smartphone shipments, particularly 5G models, in Japan.
According to a new report, Japan was the recipient of a 17% boost in smartphone shipments over the past 12 months. There was also a massive 40-fold increase in 5G handset shipments. Of the 5G smartphones, the iPhone 12 series made up almost half.
The folks at UK catalog-based retailer Argos screwed up by making the new Apple TV 4K available to customers one day early, before realizing their mistake and pulling availability. But seemingly not before a few lucky customers managed to get hold of the new streaming box.
Apple showed off the new sixth-generation Apple TV 4K in late April. It boasts Apple’s A12 Bionic chip and, most importantly, a redesigned version of the much-hated Siri Remote.
Zhang Yiming, CEO and co-founder of TikTok maker ByteDance, has announced that he will step down from his role leading the company. Co-founder Liang Rubo, currently the company’s head of human resources, will replace him in the role. Zhang, 38, will instead focus on “long-term strategy” for the company.
TikTok has enjoyed a period of one year at the top of the App Store as the most popular non-gaming app on the platform. However, it’s also seen its fair share of challenges during that time — most notably in the U.S. when former President Trump labelled it a threat to national security.
Craig Federighi says iPhone does a better job of protecting customers than macOS. Photo: Apple
Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of software engineering, told a court on Wednesday that there’s more Mac malware available than Apple’s executive team is comfortable with. And he says iPhones do a much better job of protecting users.
Federighi was testifying at the Epic Games v. Apple trial explaining why he thinks the iPhone-maker’s tight control of the iOS App Store is necessary.
Testing is on for iOS 14.7 beta 1, along with upcoming versions of macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple hasn’t yet given regular users access to the most recent iPhone and Mac updates but is already testing their replacements. The first betas of iOS 14.7 and macOS 11.5 were seeded to developers on Wednesday.
The same goes for iPadOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6 and tvOS 14.7.
Perhaps AirPods will be able to play Apple Music’s new lossless option. Photo: Apple
There’s hope for AirPods users unhappy that the new Apple Music lossless option won’t work on their wireless headphones. Tipster Jon Prosser said on Wednesday that Apple will introduce a software update that will allow the earbuds to play lossless audio. Supposedly, AirPlay and Wi-Fi are just waiting to be enabled in AirPods.
AssistiveTouch lets users control Apple Watch by clenching their fists. Photo: Apple
Apple plans to release software updates this year that will make its devices far easier to use for people with mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive disabilities.
The features include AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, which offers astonishing new ways for people with limited mobility to control the smartwatch without tapping its screen. The new feature uses Apple Watch’s array of sensors to interpret the wearer’s movement into interactions.
Cupertino showcased AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch — which lets users maneuver a cursor on the wearable’s screen simply by clenching their fist and pinching their fingers together, among other things — in a remarkable video. (We embedded the video below — definitely watch it.)
But AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch is just the beginning of Apple’s latest big push into accessibility.
Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this "after" photo. Photo: yyzgal@Reddit
In the before-and-after pics of Reddit user yyzgal’s dual-monitor/MacBook Pro setup, guess which one has the stenography machine? Trick question. They both have it.
And it’s what most Redditors admiring the new-and-improved setup wanted to talk about in the comments section of yyzgal’s setup post. Well, that and the Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck hidden behind the laptop in the setup’s “after” photo (above).
The Zagg Pro Keys with Trackpad (center), a new version of the Rugged Book (left) and the Pro Keys without trackpad (right). Photo: Zagg
The Zagg Pro Keys with Trackpad isn’t just for pro-grade iPad users because anyone might want the option to turn their tablet into a laptop. The new keyboard case is compatible with the 11-inch iPad Pro, the 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 10.2-inch iPad.
Zagg also introduced on Wednesday a version of Pro Keys without a trackpad for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. And the accessory maker launched a Rugged Book keyboard case for the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 10.9-inch iPad Air.
Reviewers shared their real-world experiences with the M1 processor and the mini-LED screen in the 2021 iPad Pro. Photo: Cult of Mac
The 2021 iPad Pro successfully combines a gorgeous display with a blazing-fast M1 processor, according to the first wave of reviews published Wednesday.
Chris Velazco from Engadget said, “this might be the best portable computer Apple has ever made.”
This is Apple Watch Series 7, according to tipster Jon Prosser. Highlights include flat edges and a new color. Concept: Jon Prosser/RendersbyIan
The next-gen Apple Watch could get a huge makeover, with a new, flat-edged design and a green option reminiscent of the AirPods Max.
The redesign would bring Apple Watch into line with the flatter design language and form factor of current-gen Apple products including the iPhone 12, iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple tipster Jon Prosser revealed the info about the upcoming wearable, likely to be marketed as Apple Watch Series 7, on an episode of his Genius Bar podcast with Sam Kohl.
Prop up an iPad with the Moft Snap Tablet Stand. Then fold it flat. Photo: Moft
The iPad doesn’t include a kickstand, but the Moft Snap Tablet Stand can be attached to any full-size model, propping the screen up at a variety of viewing and working angles. And it’s easily removable, slim and weighs in at under 5 ounces.
Even better, it’s compatible with the Apple Magic Keyboard.