This year’s Apple Watch upgrade will reportedly add another potentially transformative medical feature: a blood sugar sensor.
That’s according to a new report from ET News, which says both Apple and Samsung will bake the feature into their respective smartwatches — the Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 — later in 2021.
Italian consumer association Altroconsumo launched a massive class-action lawsuit against Apple on Monday, seeking 60 million euros ($73 million) for the alleged planned obsolescence of iPhones.
Specifically, the suit mentions the iPhone 6 and 6s generation of devices. Apple used a software update to slow down these phones’ performance, resulting in the “Batterygate” controversy.
“Planned obsolescence is a deliberate unfair practice to consumers that causes frustration and financial harm,” Els Bruggerman, head of policy and enforcement for consumer right’s group Euroconsumers, told Cult of Mac. (Altroconsumo is a part of Euroconsumers.) “In November 2020, Apple announced that it will pay $113 million to settle allegations that it slowed down iPhones to mask battery issues. That settlement clearly demonstrates that Apple resorted to planned obsolescence as a deliberate attempt to increase renewal of phone, hide issues and deceive consumers.”
Apple says it slowed down the iPhones to preserve battery life and avoid crashes of older devices. Between 2014 and 2020, Apple sold approximately 1 million of iPhone 6 and 6s models in Italy alone.
There’s something strangely nostalgic about Microsoft taking shots at Apple in a commercial. If you were to add in a post-grunge soundtrack, hair with frosted tips, and a supreme overconfidence in the value of any and every .com business, it could be the ’90s again.
Sadly such vintage touches aren’t present in Microsoft’s latest ad — pitting the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 against the MacBook Pro. Guess which one the folks in Redmond, WA think you’re better off buying?
It looks like the MacBook Pro isn’t the only Apple laptop that’s going back to the future. The next-gen MacBook Air supposedly will get MagSafe, just like the MacBook Pro we learned about last week. Plus it should come in thinner and lighter than ever.
Add in the upcoming iMac and Mac Pro redesigns, and this year is looking pretty fantastic for Mac fans.
Meanwhile, this year’s iPhone might be a bit of a welcome throwback as well. You can luxuriate in all the latest Apple news and rumors in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Grab it now to read on your iOS device. Or scroll down for the links to this week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos.
Spire Blast, a physics-based match puzzler that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is one of those simple games that so many people find addictive.
Strategically use colored balls to knock down towers. It’s a casual game that’s easy to learn but with multiple levels to keep it challenging.
Brie Larson, perhaps best know for her role in Captain Marvel, will reportedly take the lead in Lessons in Chemistry, a series about a frustrated scientist in the 1960s who’s forced to take a job on a cooking show.
The squirrels are out there. And no one knows that they’re doing. It’s your job to find out in Nuts — A Surveillance Mystery, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade as well as other platforms.
It’s a game for everyone who thinks they’d be a good spy. Just not a creepy one.
People have been using Face ID to unlock their iPhones since 2017, and their iPads since 2018. But don’t expect to unlock your iMac using facial recognition just yet.
According to a Friday report from Bloomberg, Apple has been developing Touch ID for Mac. However, while it was originally planned for the 2021 iMac redesign, it’s now been pushed back to a later update.
With a new president installed, this has been a big week for the United States — and, to paraphrase Billy Madison, news app are reaping all the benefits.
According to a new report by top app analytics platform Sensor Tower, news apps in the App Store received a nice Inauguration Day bump. Three of the big winners were CNN‘s news app, aggregator News Break, and Newsmax. They respectively jumped 530, 13, and 43 spots in the App Store rankings.
Apple’s next-gen MacBook Air will be thinner and lighter than the current version, as well as boasting a MagSafe charger and, possibly, a redesigned display.
According to a Friday report from Bloomberg, Apple is planning to launch these new laptops in the second half of 2021 or in 2022. This would be the second MacBook Air to feature Apple Silicon processors, following the M1 MacBook Air released at the end of last year.
A pair of reports published by Digitimes Friday add more evidence to previous ones claiming that the iPhone 12 Pro series is proving to be the big hits of this year’s iPhone refresh. The iPhone 12 mini? Not so much.
One report claims that Apple manufacturer Foxconn is “expected to see extra momentum in the first quarter of 2021” thanks to Apple increasing orders for the iPhone 12 Pro handsets. A second report, meanwhile, claims that fellow manufacturer Pegatron has seen a slowdown in orders for the iPhone 12 mini. The report blames this on shrinking sales in the US and Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second season of Servant, Apple TV+’s creepy psychological thriller from Tony Basgallop and M. Night Shyamalan, is apparently off to a strong start.
According to a new report, the first episode of season two, which debuted last week, registered double the audience that watched the show “during the same time frame” during season one. That suggests that Servant has spread through word of mouth, as well as potentially indicating that Apple TV+ has picked up considerably more viewers in the past year.
Apple seeded a macOS Big Sur 11.2 release candidate to developers on Thursday. Among other changes, it promises to improve Bluetooth reliability, which is probably music to the ears of those using the recently released Macs built around Apple’s first-generation M-series processor.
Those dreaming of Mac and iPad someday merging might get a bit of hope from a new video showing an Apple tablet running macOS Catalina. Or maybe not.
Twelve South’s AirSnap is a gorgeous leather case that ensures your beloved AirPods are always within reach. It clips onto any bag or jacket so you’ll never forget where you left it, and it’s nowhere near as expensive as it looks.
Apple seeded to developers the release candidates for iOS 14.4 and the iPad equivalent on Thursday. It’s probably the last step before a public release. Among other changes, these new versions will apparently give iPhone and iPad users the option to block third-party applications from tracking them.
Devs can also install watchOS 7.3 RC and tvOS 14.4 RC, which became available Thursday too. But macOS Big Sur 11.2 is still on Beta 2.
It’s good to be the president. People just give you things, like the first 2019 Mac Pro assembled in Austin, Texas. Tim Cook gave this pricy computer to Trump, probably after the president toured the factory.
Beeper is a new all-in-one chat app that merges 15 different platforms into one. That sounds pretty interesting already, but what makes Beeper really exciting is its promise to put iMessage on Android and Windows.
The app, from Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky and his team, is “using some trickery” to make the impossible possible. But you’ll have to cough up a monthly subscription fee if you want to take advantage of it.
Don’t expect too much from Apple’s first virtual reality headset. A new report warns that Cupertino’s first stab at a wearable VR system, which could come in 2022, will be expensive with a limited set of capabilities.
The device is believed to be designed primarily as a “niche precursor” to more ambitious AR/VR glasses that Apple plans to launch later.
Apple will finally shrink iPhone’s notch for its next-generation devices, according to a new report citing sources in the company’s supply chain. Plus, all of the devices will pack even greater sensor-shift stabilization cameras.
It is believed design changes and upgrades to the iPhone’s front-facing Face ID camera and sensors will make the notch shrink possible.
It’s now possible to run Ubuntu Linux on an M1 Mac, thanks to an early build made available by Corellium. The operating system is booted from a USB stick, leaving macOS completely unchanged.
All the files you need can be downloaded now from GitHub, and Corellium says an installation tutorial is on the way.
Edit: Like the creepy girls intoning the return of The Undertaker at Judgment Day 2000, “He’s here.” Or, at least, the game is. You can download it for free from the App Store, with in-app purchases.
There are plenty of subjects I’ll happily geek out about. But pro wrestling and Apple are both prominent players in the top tier. Imagine, then, my excitement when the two get brought together like some odd-couple tag team.
The latest example in this limited convergence genre? A new game called Wrestling Empire, which is set to superkick its way into the App Store soon. Check out the trailer.
A reliable source says Apple is considering stripping the Lightning port from future iPhone models and replacing it with … nothing. Hopefully, it’s not too late to stop this terrible, terrible idea.
A portless iPhone is possible. And there are even a few advantages. But the significant drawbacks make the idea something that should be dropped like a burning bag of poo.
The followup to the iPhone 12 might not be called the iPhone 13. Instead, a reliable source says it will such a minor update it’ll be dubbed iPhone 12s.
And triskaidekaphobia could cause Apple to skip straight to the iPhone 14.
Apple reportedly cut iPhone 12 mini production so it can meet stronger demand for the pricier iPhone 12 Pro.
Cupertino’s smallest handset apparently accounted for just 6% of all sales during the iPhone 12 series’ launch period last fall. And it suffered from lackluster demand ever since.