News - page 454

The last episode of Amazing Stories season 1 already aired last week, and if you haven’t binged the Steven Spielberg-led series yet, Apple’s new behind-the-scenes look at the show will have you ready to dive in.

Apple published an inside look of Amazing Stories today on YouTube with interviews from executive producers Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. The duo, along with cast members from each episode, discuss their drive to create fantasy and sci-fi stories that still resonate with the complexities of human reality. To be honest, I always thought the show looked kind of boring but this new featurette has me pretty intrigued.

Take a look:

Accessory-maker Casetify on Monday lifted the lid on its exciting new collaboration with Coca-Cola. The partnership will bring a range of awesome iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and other Coca-Cola-branded accessories.

Join the waitlist today for your chance to order as soon as they’re available.

The latest iOS 14 leaks hint that new wallpaper settings and Home screen widgets are coming to iPhone and iPad.

Apple is expected to separate its default backgrounds into categories. It also might give users the ability to place real widgets anywhere they like on their Home screen — a feature Android has had for more than a decade.

Save 20% on the Cult of Mac Store’s entire lineup of awesome accessories from Twelve South. AirPods cases, iPhone chargers, iPad stands and more are all available at a discounted rate for a limited time only.

The sale includes some of Twelve South’s most popular products, including HiRise Wireless, AirSnap, and BookArc. The discounts disappear tonight, so enjoy them while you can!

Along with just about every other part of the education system right now, commencement addresses are going virtual. And who better to deliver one than the much sought-after commencement speaker whose company created FaceTime?

Announced by Ohio State University, Apple CEO Tim Cook will give a virtual address to graduating students this May. The speech will be broadcast online May 3.

iPhone resellers in China are offering big discounts on Apple’s latest handsets in an effort to reverse falling sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suning, one of Apple’s largest retail partners in China, is offering discounts of up to 1,500 yuan (approximately $212) on the iPhone 11 series. The move is expected to trigger further price adjustments on other 4G smartphones.

There’s more evidence that the new low-cost iPhone alternately referred to as the iPhone SE/iPhone SE 2/iPhone 9 is about ready to launch, thanks to two pieces of fresh evidence which appeared over the weekend.

The first is a placeholder page on the major Chinese retailer JD.com. The second is a reference to the “iPhone 9” in a Verizon document about iPhone trade-ins. While there’s no more detail on the phone itself, it suggests that the new iPhone is indeed on its way.

The A-series chip in this year’s iPhone 12 is going to include one of the world’s first 5-nanometer chips, created by Apple partner TSMC.

But chipmakers are already looking beyond 5-nanometers when it comes to developing the ultra powerful chips of tomorrow. Rivals TSMC and Samsung, both of whom have previously made A-series chips for Apple, are busy exploring 3-nanometer production processes.

However, according to a report published Monday, Samsung just hit delays with their attempts at creating the next-next-gen chip process.

Apple’s much-anticipated 13-inch MacBook Pro refresh will arrive next month, according to one popular tipster.

Recent reports claim it will be Apple’s first 13-inch MacBook Pro with a vastly improved Magic Keyboard. The refresh may also bring faster Intel processors, improved speakers and perhaps even a larger display.

A number of big name services have added their support for Apple’s privacy-conscious “Sign in with Apple” feature by integrating it into their apps. These include The New York Times, IFTTT, Medium, Strava, Ritual, Freshii, Fiverr, and more.

It shows how rapidly adoption of the service is increasing ahead of Apple’s June 30 deadline for apps to implement the feature. This deadline was recently pushed back from April 30.

Apple could be in the process of acquiring California-based virtual reality company NextVR, according to a report published over the weekend.

The rumored acquisition, supposedly for an amount in the region of $100 million, is reportedly quite far along. Although it hasn’t closed yet, employees are already being told about possibly relocating from San Diego to one of Apple’s offices.

The iPhone 12 Pro could boast a revised camera array on the rear, complete with a LiDAR scanner like the one found on the 2020 iPad Pro, a new image posted online suggests.

The schematic image was posted on Twitter Saturday by leakster @Choco_bit, who has previously shared information about forthcoming Apple launches. The seemingly Apple-produced image reportedly comes from iOS 14, courtesy of the ConceptsiPhone Instagram.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Sunday that the company is building face shields for medical workers. These are already being distributed in the US, and the plan is to make a million of them a week to be sent to around the world.

In addition, Cook revealed the company has sourced, but not yet donated, over 20 million face masks. The head of Apple said “We’re working continuously and closely with governments at all levels to ensure these are donated to places of greatest need.”

This week we punch through muted, silenced phones with magic alerts, replace $1,300 hardware sequencers with a $20 iOS app, and enjoy Endlesss music jams with anyone, anywhere in the world.

By DP Spender

The launch of the new 2020 iPad Pro brought a plethora of articles from tech journalists asking, “Is this Apple’s laptop replacement?” That question is so open-ended, it might as well be an infinite loop. It’s like asking a toolmaker, “Is your new hammer a suitable replacement for last year’s wrench?”

It is in many ways a pointless question — and one that in my opinion totally misses the point. The question should be, “Does the 2020 iPad Pro get your job done?” To which my answer is yes, but then so did the 2018 model.

All the streaming content of the cable channel Epix is reportedly free to Apple users until May 2. Original shows like Pennyworth and Godfather of Harlem as well a wide selection of movies are available from Epix through the Apple TV app.

Nack’s just-released Base for iMac is a simple solution for the computer’s lack of height adjustability. This hardwood stand raises the Mac’s display up to where it’s more level with the user’s eyes.

Take your mind off the coronavirus pandemic with our latest installment of Apple trivia. This time we focus on Cupertino’s kick-ass wearable. Yes, it’s 10 things you probably didn’t know about Apple Watch. For more diversions, read our latest reviews of Apple TV+ shows: The Amazing Stories season finale and promising new mystery Home Before Dark.

If you must dwell on COVID-19, how about a timely how-to? Learn how to make your own DIY mask (thanks to clever instructions from a legendary Apple coder). Get the low-down on that project as well as more Apple news, how-tos and reviews in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Download it from the iOS App Store now. Or get the week’s top stories below.

Apple has acquired Voysis, an artificial intelligence startup the high-tech company is expected to use to improve Siri and its natural language technology, based on published reports Friday.

Apple is hooking up its employees with some huge discounts on a few of its audio products this week.

It’s unclear whether it’s being done to help employees be entertained while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic or an effort to move surplus units during a sales lull.

A group of U.S. Senators is requesting assurances from CEO Tim Cook that Apple has privacy protections built into the company’s new COVID-19 screening app and website.

Senators Kamala Harris, Richard Blumenthal, Bob Menedez and Cory Booker sent a letter addressed to Cook on Friday voicing concerns about the private health data of Americans.

Say what you will about celebrity influencers. They are using social media to tell millions of followers to stay home and “wash your hands.”

Taking a break from vanity and self-branding (well, sort of), influencers have answered the call by the United Nations to use their platforms to promote public health messages to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

Amazon’s annual shopping bonanza holiday, Prime Day, has reportedly been delayed due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Day, which started in 2015 as a way to boost sales in the summer, is usually held in July, but according to Reuters, the online retailer plans to push the marketing event to August.

NSO Group accuses Facebook of trying to buy access to its Pegasus surveillance software so it could better track the activities of iPhone users.

The spyware supposedly would have gone into Onavo Protect, a VPN app Facebook pulled off the App Store back in 2018 for violating Apple’s data-collection policies.

The wait for Deadpool is finally over in Fortnite Battle Royale. The skin every player has been eagerly anticipating since the start of chapter two, season two is available to unlock, and it won’t cost you a penny if you own the Battle Pass.