This week we edit photos using the iPad’s trackpad, solve math problems with a Mac keyboard shortcut, add dynamic complications to our watches with Watchsmith, and more.
If you’re asking whether the iPad Pro is a laptop replacement, you’re asking the wrong question. Apple’s tablet is more like a Swiss Army knife that can tackle tasks that a MacBook can never master.
Find out why in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. In the free iOS mag, you’ll also find the latest on Apple’s attempts to battle COVID-19, including a contact-tracing partnership with Google and those rad face shields for health care workers whipped up by Cupertino’s finest.
Plus, you’ll get the usual mix of Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Grab yours now from the App Store.
Friday’s announcement that Apple and Google are teaming up to create a contact-tracing program to stop the spread of COVID-19 generated more questions than answers.
We broke down how these apps could help with our Cult of Mac explainer on the subject. However, we also found a more lighthearted, comic resource that addresses the ins and outs of contact tracing.
The free “Today at Apple” education workshops are back on, even if your local Apple Store remains closed.
The tech giant launched an “at home” edition of its in-store sessions Friday to keep your creative juices flowing while quarantined at home under COVID-19 lockdown orders.
Apple and Google revealed Friday that they’re teaming up to take on one of the most colossal tasks in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19: contact tracing.
If you’re like me, you probably hadn’t heard about contact tracing until the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s proven to be an important tool in countries that have seen a drop in their reported cases of the coronavirus.
With a little background, here are the basics of contact tracing and what you need to know.
Scrappers makes taking out the rubbish less a boring chore and more an epic battle. Up to four players control robot garbage collectors as they clean up a grimy city. But watch out for rival teams!
“Creativity Goes On” is a touching new video from Apple that highlights people working from home, learning from home, FaceTiming one another, and more, with Apple products. It’s inspirational at a time when so many are self-isolating during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Instagram has been a little more desktop-friendly lately. On Friday, the photo-sharing app gave users the ability to read and send direct messages from a desktop computer.
Facebook, which owns the app, had signaled last year that it wanted to make private messaging easier across all of its apps regardless of device.
In a rare moment of collaboration, Apple and Google said Friday they have teamed up to create a contact-tracing program that uses smartphones to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The privacy-focused solution created by the companies will use anonymous Bluetooth “chirps” from phones as a way to tell where an infected person has been and who they’ve come in contact with.
Apple is working on a totally re-designed, wireless charging pad with the ability to route power to exact areas to prevent overheating, according to Front Page Tech analyst Jon Prosser.
Prosser reported Friday that engineers on Apple’s Sharing and Proximity team and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic recently received prototype units of something called “C68”. AirPower isn’t mentioned by name, but descriptions and details appear to match Apple’s failed charging mat.
Apple will “likely” launch a low-cost iPhone 9 as early as next week, according to an analyst report published Friday.
Travel difficulties caused by the coronavirus outbreak may push back the release of the largest iPhone ever until late fall, the analyst said. However, other new iOS devices are still on schedule for September.
Apple feels for all the energetic kids getting antsy under stay-at-home orders.
The tech giant released a worksheet with 30 creative activities designed for kids 2-8 but could also be fun for the adults in the house.
HBO reversed its plans Friday to drop support for second- and third-generation Apple TV units saying it would extend its policy until May 15.
In a comment to Cult of Mac, the company said it would continue support for the older devices “a few additional months.”
HybridDrive offers up to 2 terabytes of additional storage in a small USB-C plugin for MacBook or iPad Pro. This add-on is also a multi-port USB-C hub with HDMI, dual USB-A ports and SD card readers.
The Cult of Mac Store’s big Easter sale is in full swing, offering sweet discounts on top brands like Juuk, Mujjo, and Monowear. We’ve got Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, charging stands, and more — all available at up to 78% off the usual price.
The sale won’t last long, so enjoy it while you can!
Looking for a new Mac but don’t want to put a dent in your bank account during the COVID-19-induced economic meltdown?
Apple added a bunch of 2018 Mac mini and 2019 Mac Pro units to its online refurbished store late Thursday, offering customers huge savings with the same warranty as a brand-new machine. In the case of the Mac Pro, you can save up to $4,000!
Apple TV+ could become the home of Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese’s next major film.
Scorsese’s project, Killers of the Flower Moon, is reportedly looking to find a new partner to produce or distribute the film after Paramount Pictures balked at the estimated $200 million budget.
This week on The CultCast: A tipster says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro is right around the corner! We’ll tell you what we know. Plus: Apple is readying its secret over-the-ear headphones, and a mysterious little product called the AirPods X. We discuss! And we wrap up with a USB-C charger that can charge it all, Logitech’s new StreamCam and a double-duty iPhone/Apple Watch stand in an all-new Under Review.
Facebook announced Thursday a new feature designed to help reduce distractions from the social network by letting users temporarily mute push notifications.
Called “Quiet Mode,” the new setting can be activated within a scheduled time period or set intervals.
Apple followed various other streaming services Thursday, making a handful of its original Apple TV+ shows and movies available for free to anyone with an Apple ID.
Dickinson, Little America, Servant, For All Mankind, Snoopy in Space, Helpsters, Ghostwriter and The Elephant Queen are available now in the United States. In many other countries, the free Apple TV+ streaming begins April 11. It remains unknown how long the shows will be available at no charge.
Apple updated its COVID-19 screening application for iPhone with information from each U.S. state’s health department to help users know what’s expected in their area.
This fits with the goal of Apple’s app — giving people resources to stay informed on steps they can take to protect their health during the coronavirus outbreak.
LG took the wraps off a dozen large-screen TVs on Thursday, all of which support Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit so they can be integrated into an iPhone-controlled smart home. Screen sizes for these 2020 TVs range from 49 inches all the way up to 86 inches.
A cyber-security firm in the United Kingdom has identified 32 iOS apps that it dubs “fleeceware” for subscriptions and in-app fees that amount to a form of online fraud.
More than 3.5 million iOS users installed the apps, most of which were image editors, QR and barcode scanners, horoscope and fortune-telling apps and face filters for selfies. Two astrology apps making the list are among the first 20 in top-grossing iPhone apps in the UK.
NASA needs your help on its mission to save the planet’s coral reefs. The US space agency created a new video game for iPhone, iPad and Mac that sets players off on an underwater voyage to map coral reefs around the world.
Dubbed NeMO-Net, NASA’s game uses real 3D imaging data obtained during recent drone flybys in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and elsewhere. Players set off in their own ship, the Nautilus, and scan the ocean floors identifying and classifying different corals.
Apple hasn’t abandoned the idea of building reverse wireless chargers into its devices. It’s been considering for years the idea of enabling a MacBook to send power to an iPhone without the hassle of wires. And the ability to recharge another handset, or an Apple Watch, was supposed to be a feature of the iPhone 11, but it didn’t happen.
Nevertheless, undeniable evidence that Apple engineers are still working on the technology came to light on Thursday.