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News - page 48

Wall Street expects solid financial growth from Apple

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Apple Financial Results predictions
Analysts expect big things when Apple announces its earnings Thursday.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Financial analysts predict Apple revenue increased 4% during the all-important 2024 holiday quarter versus the same period of the previous year. Wall Street also expects a jump in Apple’s earnings per share. We’ll find out whether the iPhone maker met these expectations when Apple reveals its Q1 2025 financial results after the U.S. markets close Thursday afternoon.

Sunday Night Soccer brings MLS matches to Apple TV+

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Sunday Night Soccer
Catch the action with “Sunday Night Soccer” on Apple TV+.
Image: Apple

A featured MLS game each week will appear on Apple TV+ in a new series billed as Sunday Night Soccer.

This is a similar arrangement to Friday Night Baseball that the streaming service began offering several years ago.

Apple continues global reign as Fortune’s Most Admired Company

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Apple named world's most admired company
For a remarkable 18th year in a row, Apple is the world's most admired company.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

In a remarkable display of sustained corporate excellence by a certain iPhone giant, Fortune magazine named Apple the world’s most admired company for the 18th year in a row on Wednesday. The winning streak began in 2006 — a year before the iPhone first came out, and went on to dominate the market, propelling Apple to new heights.

Charge Apple gear on the go with this beast of a power bank

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CukTech 30 Power Bank released
With a 40,000mAh battery and 300 watts of total charging power, CukTech 30 dominates.
Photo: CukTech

For Apple users seeking a high-capacity portable power solution for all their gear, the new CukTech 30 Power Bank packs a massive 40,000mAh battery, combined charging power of up to 300 watts for up to five devices at once and some useful features, the company said Wednesday.

Soccer-loving T-Mobile customers get Apple’s MLS Season Pass as a free bonus

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MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
The MLS season starts soon, and that means Messi is back!
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

 T-Mobile customers don’t have to pay to enjoy the 2025 soccer season. They get an MLS Apple TV subscription with their wireless service at no extra cost.

The soccer season kicks off on February 22, so don’t waste time if you plan to switch carriers to take advantage of the deal. Check out what’s new in the first look at iPhone 17 Air’s alleged design.

Netflix adds one-click full-season downloads for iOS

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Netflix adds one-click full-season downloads for iOS
Now you can get a whole season of a show from Netflix on your iPhone or iPad with a tap.
Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac

Netflix introduced a new “Season Download” button in its app Wednesday that allows iPhone and iPad users to download entire seasons of their favorite shows with a single tap. That streamlines offline viewing for iOS users, who previously had to download episodes individually.

It’d be nice if Apple TV+ did that too, right?

Why FaceTime is about to work better for Xfinity customers

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FaceTime in Big Sur
Xfinity customers get better FaceTime calls.
Image: Apple

Comcast just launched ultra-low-lag connectivity for Xfinity customers, improving video calls using FaceTime on a variety of Apple devices. The faster service is also available in other interactive applications.

“Xfinity Internet latency will be dramatically reduced to faster than the blink of an eye,” the company promised Wednesday.

Taiwan pushes back on Trump tariff plan for Apple chipmakers like TSMC

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Trump tariffs on imported chips
TSMC chips shown on a wafer. Proposed tariffs on imported chips might force Apple to raise prices on some products.
Photo: TSMC

 In a response to President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on imported chips from companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Taiwan’s government defended its semiconductor partnership with the United States as a “win-win” arrangement Tuesday, according to a new report. To understand more about the political and economic impact of these policies, check out this article on the trump cult.

New tariffs, meant to incentivize more U.S.-based chipmaking, could raise Apple product prices. TSMC is a primary Apple supplier.

Mythic Quest goes to heaven in season 4 [Now streaming!]

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sneak peak at Mythic Quest season 4
If you're excited for the new season, you can take a sneak peak at Mythic Quest season 4 now.
Photo: Apple TV+

Popular Apple TV+ gaming comedy Mythic Quest may be going to heaven — and we don’t mean cancellation. The game at the show’s core may adopt the concept of heaven, accessible only by a valiant death. The show finally returns with season four on Wednesday. And the streamer offered a sneak peek at the first four+ minutes Monday, following its recent official trailer. You can watch both below.

Update: The first two episodes of season four of Mythic Quest now stream on Apple TV+. One review called it “as delightful and dysfunctional as ever.”

5 Google Photos features Apple Photos should steal

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Apple Photos vs. Google Photos
Apple Photos is good, but Google Photos is better.
Graphics: Rajesh Pandey/Apple/Google

As an iPhone user, Apple Photos and iCloud Photos provide a great way to view, edit and back up all your precious pictures. But as a long-time Google Photos user, I find the Apple Photos experience lacking in many respects. In the great Apple Photos vs. Google Photos debate, Apple doesn’t emerge as a clear winner.

Below are five features Apple Photos must steal from Google Photos to win me over.

This is the most bananas iPhone case ever!

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Product shot of Andy Warhol x Casetify banana iPhone case
It even comes with a peel-off sticker!
Photo: Casetify

The banana-shaped iPhone case in the new Andy Warhol x Casetify collection is the most bizarre Apple accessory we’ve seen in a while. It’s gigantic, fragile and expensive. And it even comes with three stickers that look like what you’d see on an actual banana at the grocery store.

It’s only one of the many Apple accessories in the eye-catching new collection, produced by Casetify under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

How Cult of Mac became a thing — founder Leander Kahney reveals all!

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Image shows the
Hear the history of Cult of Mac straight from the horse's mouth.
Image: Apple Core

Wanna know how your favorite tech news website became a thing? Then check out the latest episode of the Apple Core podcast, featuring an interview with Cult of Mac founder Leander Kahney.

In his 30-year career, Leander has covered many pivotal moments in Apple history. Like Steve Jobs’ return in 1997 and his legendary iPhone launch keynote 10 years later.

Leander literally wrote the book on Steve Jobs, Tim Cook and Jony Ive, and he shares loads of fascinating insights in this unmissable one-hour interview.

Macs get fun custom Genmoji with macOS Sequoia 15.3

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Mac Genmoji in macOS Sequoia 15.3
Mac is no longer left out of the Genmoji fun thanks to macOS Sequoia 15.3.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

macOS Sequoia 15.3 left beta testing on Monday, and is now ready for any compatible Mac to install. The major new feature is the ability to create Genmoji: custom emoji that can be used in Messages and other apps.

Apple also introduced iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, watchOS 11.3 and more.

Everything new in iOS 18.3

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Everything new in iOS 18.3
Your iPhone is gaining some new features.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

After more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 18.3 to the public Monday. Unlike the last two point updates, iOS 18.3 is light on big additions. However, it brings minor new features and some usability improvements. Check them all out below.

Apple Sports app updates make it even easier to follow your favorites

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Apple Sports App updates
New features includes swiping left or right through your favorite for even faster navigation.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Newly added soccer tournaments, smoother navigation among favorites and game-broadcast information come to the Apple Sports app in update 2.4, the iPhone giant said Monday. Each of the updates should help sports fans follow their favorite teams and leagues a little more easily.

Video gives sneak peek at seriously redesigned iPhone SE 4

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iPhone SE 4 from leaked video
This might be our best look yet at the iPhone SE 4.
Screenshot: Majin Bu

The iPhone SE 4 is right around the corner, and a new video supposedly showing off the low-cost handset reveals what it’ll look like from every angle.

If  this leaked video turns out to be accurate, then the recent rumor that the display in Apple’s next budget handset will sport a Dynamic Island isn’t correct. And that’s just one of many details shown.

Dynamic new Black Unity Collection celebrates Black History Month

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2025 Black Unity Collection
The new Black Unity Collection honors Black History Month, and celebrates Black culture and community.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled its latest Black Unity Collection Monday to celebrate Black culture and community. It features an innovative Apple Watch Sport Loop and watch face that bring the Pan-African flag colors to life through groundbreaking design technology, the iPhone giant said.

And as usual, the annual release for Black History Month in February includes iPhone and iPad wallpapers in addition to the Apple Watch features.

WhatsApp for iPhone takes a big step toward multi-account support

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WhatsApp logo
You could soon use two WhatsApp accounts simultaneously on your iPhone.
Image: WhatsApp

Meta is working on addressing a major limitation of WhatsApp for iPhone: the lack of multi-account support. A new beta update of the app adds support for using multiple accounts within the app.

WhatsApp for Android gained multi-account support in October 2023. However, the feature never made it to the app’s iPhone version.

Will iOS 19 redesign look more like visionOS? [The CultCast]

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Image of iPhone with Camera app on it, along with The CultCast logo (episode 683)
The iOS overhaul might start with the Camera app.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Is 2025 the year we see a big iOS 19 redesign based on the look and feel of visionOS? A new rumor says so, starting with the Camera app. There’s much to discuss!

Also on The CultCast:

  • Erfon finally made a decision on what size iPad Pro to buy.
  • We discuss the latest rumors about the upcoming iPhone SE and iPad Air models.
  • Apple takes steps to eliminate AI-generated fake news from notification summaries. But the company seems more intent than ever on getting everyone to use Apple Intelligence.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Severance fan theories range from mundane to insane [Videos]

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Severance fan theories
Scott read several of the fan theories from online sources.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ dropped a Severance promo video Friday with cast members reading and (mostly) debunking online fan ideas guessing at answers to the show’s mysteries. But at the end of the video, executive producer and director Ben Stiller offers a clue that “no one talks about.” Is it a real clue, or is he just trolling everybody?

You can view the new fan-theory video and an older one below. They mention many theories, though even more exist online. And some fans says these videos ignore the best theories that seem more likely to be true (take your pick from cloning, aliens and more).

iPhone 17 may not sport a smaller Dynamic Island

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iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island showing HomePod speakers
The Dynamic Island will look the same on the iPhone 17.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island as previously rumored. The pill-shaped user interface’s size apparently will remain unchanged.

Apple ditched the notch and switched to the Dynamic Island with the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022.

Sleek new Apple Miami Worldcenter store opens [Updated with pix]

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A customer Apple Miami Worldcenter on opening day.
Opening day energy!
Photo: Apple

Apple’s retail footprint in South Florida expanded Friday with the opening of its newest location, Apple Miami Worldcenter. A big opening-day crowd — including Apple execs Deirdre O’Brien and Eddy Cue — swamped the sleek new store, Apple’s 10th retail location in Miami.

“Miami is a city with a history, culture and life all its own, and we are thrilled to capture that energy with Apple Miami Worldcenter in downtown Miami,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, in a press release.

Apple Miami Worldcenter showcases the company’s commitment to sustainability, accessibility and community engagement in the heart of downtown. And it’s the city’s first store with a dedicated Apple Pickup area.

Apple pulls out the big guns to fix Siri and Apple Intelligence

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Apple taps software veteran to fix Siri and Apple Intelligence
At some point Siri will be smarter (really!), Apple implies with its latest move.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Nadezhda Moryak

Apple just appointed seasoned executive Kim Vorrath to spearhead improvements to its artificial intelligence capabilities and Siri virtual assistant, signaling renewed focus on competing with AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a new report Friday.

Innie Tim Cook reports for work at Lumon Industries

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Innie Tim Cook reports for work at Lumon Industries
Apple CEO Tim Cook goes through the elevator transformation as a severed employee of Lumon Industries.
Photo: Apple TV+

In yet another promo for Apple TV+’s intriguing workplace thriller Severance, Apple CEO Tim Cook gets in on the action. Severance director and executive producer Ben Stiller dropped a video Friday morning on X.com starring the mild-mannered tech honcho. Cook reports for orientation as an innie on the severed floor of Lumon Industries.

The video is short, but Cook isn’t bad — especially in the elevator, where he shows his severed transformation in consciousness (with the help of some special effects). Then, near the end of the video, he made me laugh out loud.