The Liquid Silicone is super-slim. The Protective Armor is ultra-rugged. Photo: Elago
Elago’s brilliant cases are now available for the entire iPhone 12 lineup. There are four different styles to choose from, from the super-slim Liquid Silicone to the ultra-rugged Protective Armor.
And the best bit? They’re all nicely priced at just $18.
Lens Technology, a Chinese company that makes glass for the iPhone, has allegedly made use of Uighur Muslim forced labor, according to a Tuesday report in The Washington Post.
Documents about the use of alleged forced labor were discovered by the Tech Transparency Project. The research organization detailed how “thousands of Uighur workers from the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang were sent to work for Lens Technology.”
Apple had a gold-plated holiday season. Photo: Apple
It’s been a great, record-busting year for mobile apps — and, unsurprisingly, that translated to a strong Christmas as well.
According to app analytics platform Sensor Tower, customers spent a total of $407.6 million across both the iOS App Store and Google Play over Christmas. This represents a massive 34.5% increase from the $303 million spent this time last year.
Of that, the App Store represented 68.4% of all spending — or $278.6 million in total.
The Apple Watch has come a long way since its early days. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
A Twitter user by the name of @AppleDemoYT has posted images online they claim to be an early Apple Watch prototype, built as part of the pre-production process before Apple introduced the device in 2015.
Such prototypes are very rare, with Apple preferring not to show images that shed light on how it develops products. Somehow this one made it out in one piece — provided it’s legitimate, of course.
Mariah's Christmas special was supposedly a big hit for Apple. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple might make a Mariah Carey Christmas special a regular part of the Apple TV+ holiday slate. A new report suggests Apple and the superstar songstress are already in talks about a 2021 follow-up to the surprisingly popular Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special.
Netflix could spend an estimated $19.03 billion on video content in 2021, data presented by investment bank Bankr suggests.
That would be an increase of 10% from the estimated $17.3 billion it spent this year. It’s also a massive ramp-up from the $2.4 billion Netflix spent in 2013 when it started moving into original productions with shows like House of Cards.
Caviar saw the complaints about the AirPods Max’s $550 price and said “Hold my beer.” Photo: Caviar
The $550 price tag for Apple’s AirPods Max raised no few eyebrows, but the Russian luxury brand Caviar blows that out of the water. It just launched a version of these over-the-ear headphones that is 200x more expensive.
A driverless vehicle from Apple might not hit the roads for close to a decade. Graphic: hatzfeld/Pixabay CC/Cult of Mac
A respected Apple analyst and prognosticator threw cold water on recent reports about a future Apple Car arriving in the next few years. Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s possible a self-driving vehicle from Apple could land in 2025, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the launch doesn’t happen before 2028.
Your new Mac deserves these amazing apps. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you were lucky enough to bag a new Mac for the holidays, you’re probably on the hunt for some awesome new apps to use on it. We’ve rounded up five of the best that we think every Mac owner should be using.
These apps will let you play any video, keep a close eye on precious storage space, extract important data from your iPhone and iPad backups, and more!
Apps! On your wrist! Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Got your new Apple Watch up and running? It’s time to start exploring all the amazing watchOS apps available to you. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites that we think every Apple Watch owner should be using.
Find out how to set up and outfit your new iPhone, iPad, Mac and more. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
If you found some new Apple gear under the tree or in your mailbox, this week’s how-tos are for you. We’ll show you how to set up your new iPhone, Apple Watch, etc., and also recommend some hot apps you should download immediately to maximize your fun and productivity.
Get those tips, plus the week’s to Apple news and opinions, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s our gift to you! Or, like every week, you can get the headlines in your browser below.
Five awesome apps you shouldn't be without. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Got a new iPhone or iPad for the holidays? Make the most of it by getting your hands on some of the best, most useful iOS apps. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites that we think every iPhone and iPad owner should be using.
The new AirPods Max Shield Case ticks a lot of boxes Apple left empty. Photo: WaterField Designs
There are a lot of things to love about Apple’s new AirPods Max headphones, but the Smart Case isn’t one of them. Roundly panned after the high-end cans’ release, it’s just plain weird-looking. Plus, it’s not that protective or functional.
Luckily, WaterField Designs delivered what Apple didn’t. The San Francisco-based maker of luxury bags for all your tech gear just unveiled its Apple AirPods Max Shield Case — and it’s designed with input from Apple fans to make it actually, you know, smart (not to mention attractive).
Festive cheer sold separately. Photo: Luke Dormeh/Cult of Mac
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Apple Park
All the shutters were drawn and the offices dark.
The lunchroom was empty, the desks were all clean
All were working from home due to COVID-19.
"Look what you did, you little Cherk!" Photo: Apple TV+
Among other things, Apple is known for its clear messaging and high level of quality control. Which is why it was slightly strange when a poster for upcoming Apple TV+ movie Cherry failed totally on both these counts. It featured an all-but-illegible title on its “For Your Consideration” campaign poster for Best Picture.
Don’t worry, though. The flick hasn’t been renamed CHERk, 0HER88 or 8HERK in post-production. Nor is this terrible typeface a marketing stunt. Instead, it seems that trade publication Variety just shared the wrong version of the poster.
Apple has significant resources it could use to build an autonomous car. Illustration: Cult of Mac/Wikipedia CC
Volkswagen Chairman of the Board Herbert Diess says he’s excited to see what Apple’s “virtually unlimited” means and resources will mean for the auto industry.
In a German-language post on LinkedIn, Diess wrote:
This is the latest implementation of Apple's privacy ambitions. Photo: Apple
The iOS 14 privacy feature that lets users know which apps are tracking them — and how — has started rolling out for beta users on certain apps.
Apple first showed off the new privacy labels at this year’s virtual Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple asked that, starting early this month, developers submit information to Apple concerning the type of data their apps collect on users.
This data is then used to create nutrition label-type categories that let users easily understand how they are being monitored. It means that, the first time users open an app, they will be alerted regarding this information. This can be used to help decide whether to use a certain app or how to decide sharing settings.
An iPad with an Apple M-series processor should be able to run the Mac version of Photoshop. But not macOS. Photo: Cult of Mac
Future iPads will be built around Apple’s M-series Mac processors, rather than A-series iPhone chips, according to a recent unconfirmed report. This is a much-needed step in Apple tablets becoming all they can be.
A more powerful processor would allow iPads to easily run macOS software. And that’s just one of the game-changing improvements possible for tablets with M-series chips.
The challenges of doing business in China. Photo: AllOfUs
Apple removed approximately 94,000 games from the App Store in China during 2020, The Wall Street Journal reports. This is a significantly larger number than last year’s tally of 25,000 games removed.
The escalation comes as China works harder to clamp down on illegal content on mobile platforms. The WSJ says the larger number illustrates Apple’s “vulnerability to state pressure” on its business.
Facebook argues that it is standing up for small businesses by challenging Apple on its pro-privacy measures. However, it appears that not all Facebook employees are buying the company line.
According to internal message board comments and audio obtained by BuzzFeed News, some Facebook employees think their employer is being a tad disingenuous with its public statements about working on behalf of mom-and-pop businesses.
Apple launched the new program in July. Photo: Apple
Apple has started shipping out special iPhones to help security researchers discover weaknesses in iOS. Apple announced its new Apple Security Research Device Program in July. However, they have only started rolling out the phones now.
Under the program terms, researchers get these special iPhones for a period of one year. They may extend the loan period. These iPhones are far less locked-down than regular iPhones. That makes it easier to find flaws that could help improve iOS security.