Mobile menu toggle

News - page 394

Apple could showcase its Apple Silicon Macs at event on November 17

By

Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
"Good morning... for the third month in a row."
Photo: Apple

If rumors are to be believed, Apple is set to host yet another virtual event in November, making three in a row after September’s “Time Flies” iPad and Apple Watch event and October’s “Hi, Time” HomePod mini and iPhone 12 unveiling.

While the November event has yet to be officially announced, notorious Apple leaker Jon Prosser thinks he knows when it will be — and we don’t have long to wait.

These 5G supercuts will burn the word into your brain

By

Apple isn't exactly subtle about pushing high-speed 5G networking. These 5G supercuts from the
Apple isn't exactly subtle about pushing 5G.
Photo: Apple

Apple execs uttered the term “5G” so many times during Tuesday’s iPhone 12 unveiling that they could have triggered semantic satiation. (That’s when you hear something so many times that it starts to sound … really weird.)

If their repetition of the word didn’t burn 5G into your brain — or turn your gray matter into mush — the 5G supercuts that followed certainly will.

Nike offers $75 of freebies to new Apple Card users

By

Become
Open an Apple Card account in the next month and you can get $75 back from Nike.
Screenshot: Apple

Nike offers a bonus for new users of Apple’s credit card. Sign up for an Apple Card, buy $75 or more from Nike in the first 30 days, and get $75 in Daily Cash.

Plus, Nike offers unlimited 3% back at Nike when Apple Card with Apple Pay is used.

Average US customer spends $20.78 a month on app subscriptions

By

Election contributions by Apple employees for heavily toward Democrats
Costs can quickly add up!
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

Recurring subscriptions have changed how we pay for digital content. And, while each service might only demand a couple of our hard-earned bucks at a time, the costs can quickly add up.

According to a report citing data from mobile measurement firm Adjust, the average person in the U.S. spends $20.78 a month on app subscriptions. And, given that this just an average, many spend a whole lot more than that.

Spotify gets an iOS 14 widget that lets you access recent listens

By

Spotify
Spotify makes it easier to access your music and podcasts.
Photo: Spotify

If Spotify remains your main streaming music listening platform, there’s some good news: the streaming giant has finally released an iOS 14 widget that lets you quickly access recently played artists, podcasts, and albums in a single tap.

There are both small and medium-sized versions of the widget. The smaller of these shows your most recently listened to item. Meanwhile, the medium-sized widget offers a more luxurious, five most recent items array.

Best Buy’s Canadian website suggests iPad Air 4 goes on sale October 23

By

iPad Air 4 Touch ID Sensor
Apple previously said the tablets would be available sometime in October.
Photo: Apple

Beyond saying it would be available in October, Apple didn’t announce a precise launch date for the iPad Air 4 when it showed it off at last month’s “Time Flies” event.

Eagle-eyed Apple watchers may have uncovered the official release date, with Best Buy’s Canadian website listing October 23 as the date it will go on sale. While that’s not conclusive on its own, it coincides with a previous date suggested by Apple tipster Jon Prosser.

Here’s how much RAM the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are packing

By

iPhone 12 Pro color options
It seems the iPhone 12 Pro gets a RAM increase from last year.
Photo: Apple

While it’s long been considered a fundamental spec for computers, Apple doesn’t publicize the amount of RAM its iPhones ship with. But newly published AnTuTu scores, referring to a popular Chinese benchmarking tool, appears to shed some light on this year’s iPhone 12 handsets.

They suggest that the iPhone 12 comes with 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 Pro model comes with 6GB of RAM. If accurate, that would be an increase for the Pro models from the 4GB used for both variants of iPhone 11 last year.

Apple demands that Telegram removes posts involving protests in Belarus

By

Telegram flames
More controversy involving Telegram.
Photo: Telegram/Cult of Mac

Apple is currently facing a mini-scandal involving messaging app Telegram and posts made by pro-democracy protestors in Belarus, which Apple asked to be removed.

The posts concern political controversy in the country, following this year’s election of President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko, who has been president of Belarus since 1994, supposedly won 80 percent of the vote in August. However, opposition has accused his party of rigging the election, with the fallout continuing several months later.

Apple stops bundling chargers and headphones with all iPhones

By

An Apple charger and headphones don;t with all its iPhones, no matter when they were released.
This is everything that comes in the box with an iPhone ordered today. There’s no charger or headphones.
Photo: Apple

Apple won’t include a wall charger or a pair of headphones with the upcoming iPhone 12 series. And it doesn’t stop there. The company no longer bundles these accessories with any handset ordered from the Apple Store. Even if they came in the box before.

LiDAR Scanner puts iPhone 12 Pro at the forefront of augmented reality

By

LiDAR in the iPhone 12 Pro is about more than augmented reality.
LiDAR brings iPhone 12 Pro to the cutting edge of AR.
Photo: Apple

The LiDAR Scanner in the iPhone 12 Pro makes Apple’s new flagship device an augmented reality powerhouse. It enables the handset to make an accurate 3D map of its location into which virtual objects can then be placed.

However, the scanner apparently has been added to the iPhone 12 Pro models in a “build it and they will come” strategy. Apple didn’t show many specific applications demonstrating the benefits of the tech during Tuesday’s launch event for the device.

With iPhone 12, Apple finally ditches its outdated ‘S’ naming. I couldn’t be happier.

By

iPhone 12: Say
No sign of an iPhone 11s in sight.
Photo: Apple

There was something big missing from Tuesday’s iPhone 12 event. And, no, I’m not talking about AirTags, AirPods Studio, a new Apple TV, Apple Silicon Macs or live attendees.

The thing that went missing was an “S” at the end of the new iPhones’ names. The demise of the naming convention to indicate alternate-year iPhones marked the end of an era. And it’s totally a good thing.

iPhone 12 costs extra for T-Mobile/Sprint customers [UPDATED]

By

iPhone 12 pricing is lower for Verizon and AT&T customers.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini come with a “T-Mobile Tax.”
Photo: Apple

UPDATE: Apple lowered the iPhone 12 price for T-Mobile/Sprint subscribers on Friday.

 


The prices Apple promotes for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini aren’t for everyone. Subscribers to T-Mobile/Sprint must pay $30 more. The same goes for anyone who wants an unlocked unit.

This isn’t the case for the iPhone 12 Pro series.

Why iPhone 12 mini is Apple’s most compelling new iPhone

By

iPhone 12 mini held up
Apple's best new iPhone of the year is also its tiniest.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 12 mini is, without a doubt, the iPhone I’ll be buying this year. In an upgrade cycle in which I fully expected the iPhone 12 Pro to win me over, the 12 mini emerged as my absolute favorite iPhone of Tuesday’s “Hi, Speed” event — and, perhaps, my most anticipated iPhone in years.

It’s a blend of classic iPhone and modern iPhone: the handset I’ve wanted since Apple devices started growing progressively bigger around the time CEO Tim Cook took the reins at Apple. Here’s what makes the iPhone 12 mini so compelling.

Mario Kart Tour celebrates first anniversary with new characters, courses, Auto Mode

By

Mario Kart Tour was 2019's most downloaded iOS game
The game recently celebrated its first anniversary.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour recently turned one, marking its first year on iOS following its debut in September 2019. To celebrate, the game is offering a slew of anniversary themed celebrations — including new characters, courses, and an intriguing new Auto mode.

Auto Mode can be selected at the beginning of a race. You can then watch the characters speed round the course a bit like an extended demo mode. If you’re into taking screenshots of the game, it’s a good addition since you don’t have to worry about controlling the character.

Catchy toe-tapper sets Tuesday’s iPhone 12 event to music

By

Lisa Jackson
Yesterday's keynote reimagined as a pop hit.
Photo: Apple

Musician Jonathan Mann’s got more stickability than the new MagSage connector on the iPhone 12. Since gaining the attention of Apple fans with a song about Apple’s Antennagate PR disaster that even made Steve Jobs dance, Mann unleashes a new Apple-themed song every time the company does a media event.

His latest (mildly NSFW) song, “Does this iPhone have 5G,” sets to music some of the social media reactions to Apple’s Tuesday product showcase. Check it out.

Apple seeds iOS 14.1 golden master to beta testers

By

iOS 14.1 is almost here.
Less than a month after the release of iOS 14, Apple is close to releasing iOS 14.1.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple gave developers access to the final pre-release versions of iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 on Tuesday. This is an important last step before releasing these upgrades to the public.

However, we don’t yet know when they’ll be available for iPhone and iPad.

Apple leaks must make things completely crazy in Cupertino

By

When will the Apple leaks stop?
Some people love Apple leaks. Other people surely hate them.
Photo: Apple

I imagine Tim Cook seething with rage.

And I imagine workers in Apple’s marketing department filled with a gut-churning mixture of righteous anger, paranoia and dread.

What could cause such unpleasantness inside the pristine glass walls of Apple’s spaceship HQ (or within remote employees’ home bubbles)? Tuesday morning, images of the entire iPhone 12 lineup and HomePod mini leaked just hours ahead of Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event.

5 big takeaways from the iPhone 12 launch event

By

The Apple “Hi, Speed” event was critical, including the iPhone 12 launch.
Apple called Tuesday’s event “Hi, Speed,” a reference to the iPhone 12's super-fast 5G networking.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event included the company’s most critical release of 2020: the much-anticipated iPhone 12 series. And a long-awaited cheaper HomePod, too.

Here are the most important takeaways from Tuesday’s event to put these new products in context.

All the things we didn’t get at Apple’s ‘Hi, Speed’ event

By

Hi, Speed event image with wishlist in background
Apple's "Hi, Speed" event offered up some nice updates to the iPhone 12 and HomePod, but left some boxes on the wishlist unchecked.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

It happens before every Apple event. The rumor mill, tech blogs (hello), and iPhone-obsessed nerds pin every hope, dream and desire on the next version of Apple’s devices.

More often than not, those desires are dashed, pushing those wants off to another event. While Apple’s iPhone 12 event showed the steps the company is taking toward iterating on its most popular device, there were also some things left on the wish list.

Apple resurrects MagSafe as snap-on iPhone accessory system

By

How it works
What's old is new again.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s beloved MagSafe branding made its return at Tuesday’s “Hi, Speed” Apple event. And, if it’s not quite like it was before, isn’t that the same as every single story about something being brought back from the beyond?

The new, different version of MagSafe will allow users to snap on accessories to the back of their iPhones. Think wallets, cases and — in a new move for Apple — its first official wireless charging pads for iPhone.

iPhone 12 Pro dazzles with new design, 5G, improved cameras

By

iPhone 12 Pro in Pacific blue
iPhone 12 Pro is "the photographer's iPhone."
Photo: Apple

The wait for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max is over. During its big “Hi, Speed” keynote on Tuesday, Apple showcased its latest flagships with a dazzling new design inspired by iPad Pro, super-fast 5G connectivity, and the latest A14 Bionic chipset.

The lineup also brings new color options, improved cameras, and MagSafe — but not as you know it. You can preorder yours this Friday, October 16, before the new handsets make their official debut one week later on October 23.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini look anything but standard

By

iPhone 12
The first 5G iPhone is here!
Photo: Apple

Apple showcased the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 handsets Tuesday, showing just how powerful an “entry level” smartphone can be.

While these don’t pack as many features as Apple’s Pro phones, there’s a whole lot to get excited about. Here’s what you get with Apple’s “regular” iPhone 12 phones.