Apple CEO Tim Cook called augmented reality “the next big thing” this week. But he kept quiet about his company’s specific plans for this emerging technology. So Cult of Mac reached out to industry analysts, who predict that this year’s iPhone and iPad will come with AR equipment built in. And, for the future, they’re optimistic about Apple’s rumored AR glasses.
iOS 14 almost certainly won’t be unveiled before June, but information leaking out of Apple indicates this next version will offer very wide compatibility for current devices.
News about iPadOS 14 compatibility isn’t quite as good.
This week we type on our Apple Watches, scrapbook everything into Notebooks, flex our brains with MoneyBall and more.
Thousands of people in China contracted the Wuhan coronavirus, and several cities are been locked down in attempts to keep it from spreading during the Lunar New Year. Apple CEO Tim Cook promises his company will donate to relief efforts in China.
After finding fame for getting Steve Jobs to dance to his Antennagate song, Jonathan Mann went on to write tons more tunes (many about Apple). Now Mann, aka the Song a Day Guy, has a new podcast that delves into his creative process. He gave Cult of Mac some insight into the gear he uses to power his musical empire.
Read all about it in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. We’ve also got hot tips for Mac, iPod and AirPods owners, plus a couple of juicy product reviews and recommendations. It’s all yours for free in our weekly iOS mag (or you can get the links below).
The design of the iMac hasn’t changed much in over a decade, but Apple is considering a radical facelift. A proposed future model would consist of a pane of glass that surrounds the display, then curves forward to hold a keyboard and a pair of trackpads.
Ever visit the Apple store for an iPhone repair and notice the Genius Bar uses special diagnostic apps you’ve never seen before?
Apple keeps its internal-use apps on tight lockdown, but thanks to a forgetful iPhone technician, Apple nerds just got an in-depth look at a secret app called iQT that’s used to make sure every single feature on your iPhone is working properly.
Plenty of games drop players into an arena to battle friends or rivals over the internet, but Butter Royale takes a much lighter tone than most. It’s a food fight, not a desperate struggle for survival.
This game for players age 9 and up debuted today on Apple Arcade.
A new analyst report suggests 33.6 million customers were ready and waiting to subscribe to Apple TV+ before its November launch and estimates that number could grow to 40 million subscribers by the end of this year.
If accurate, the numbers from TV industry market analyst Ampere Analysis would put Apple TV+ ahead of Hulu and Disney+, and already at more than 50% of Netflix in the United States.
A dangerous piece of Mac malware that hides as a fake Flash warning is a growing security threat to Mac users with one in 10 Macs infected, according to the security firm, Kaspersky.
The Shlayer Trojan has been active since early 2018 and so far it shows no signs of going away quietly. Shlayer has had an enormous amount of success attacking Macs, even though it’s a rather normal piece of malware.
On this day in 1984, the first Macintosh computers started shipping. Who could have imagined that 36 years later to the day, this iconic machine would be commemorated with a tiny plush pillow that fits in your hand?
Only one person possesses this kind of vision – Roberto Hoyos. His Throwboy brand is launching a crowdfunding campaign today for two new plush Mac toys.
Chipmaker Broadcom has inked two multi-year deals with Apple to sell it some $15 billion in wireless components for its iPhone product line, the company announced in an SEC filing on Thursday.
The announcement did not specify which components Broadcom would provide to the iPhone maker. The deals apply to “Apple products launched during the three and a half year period beginning in January 2020,” the chipmaker said.
This week on The CultCast: It’s not your imagination — Apple changed AirPods Pro and made them worse! We’ll tell you what’s going on. Plus: A new report says Apple caved to FBI pressure to keep your iCloud backups less safe. And stay tuned to hear about about Tim Cook’s favorite new … shower tech? Rub-a-dub-dub, my friends.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast, and use offer code CultCast at checkout for 10% off your first purchase.
An estimated 12,000 people can comfortably work together in Apple Park. But Apple’s a big company — and 12,000 people is only a drop in the ocean.
For that reason, Apple has leased six floors in a nearby office building, just six minutes’ drive from its enormous circular headquarters at One Apple Park Way.
Facebook Messenger could soon add Face ID support to protect your conversations from nosy neighbors.
The feature would prevent access to Messenger until it is first unlocked with your face. It seems like a useful addition to the app for the security-conscious, but it’s still in development for now.
When you hear “Jobs” and “Apple” together you probably think of the dearly departed Steve Jobs. But Apple happens to employ well over 100,000 people worldwide — and now it’s got a fancy new hiring page to help it get even more.
The refreshed jobs homepage boasts colorful Apple logo and acts as an “open invitation to open minds.”
Apple TV+ had its quietest week yet in terms of new shows, with (to the best of my knowledge) zero new programming uploaded Friday.
Apple Originals Servant, Truth Be Told, The Morning Show, See and For All Mankind have now concluded. All eight episodes of Little America debuted last week. And with seemingly nothing new on the calendar until Mythic Quest arrives on February 7, it could be a quiet few weeks on the Apple TV+ front.
Samsung is developing its own AirDrop competitor that will make its debut alongside the Galaxy S20 next month, according to a new report.
Leaked Quick Share screenshots reveal the feature will let users “share instantly with people nearby.” This is separate from the AirDrop rival Google is reportedly planning for all Android devices.
In a feature piece based largely on background sources, The Wall Street Journal on Thursday profiled Tony Blevins, Apple’s vice president of procurement, giving a unique insight into the dog-eat-dog business of buying components from third-party suppliers for Apple products.
Carpool Karaoke is back for a third season and it’s packed with more celebrity appearances than ever before.
The first trailer for Carpool Karaoke season 3 was posted to show creator James Cordon’s YouTube channel this afternoon revealing some big changes coming to the show in 2020. Apple still hasn’t given an official release date for season 3, but the new slate of celebrity pairings have us hyped for its debut later this year.
See how many celebs you can name:
Rocket League developer Psyonix today confirmed it will drop support for macOS (and Linux) in March.
Players will need to switch platforms to continue enjoying the game — or play without its beloved online multiplayer. The move could be a blow to Apple’s rumored plan to enter the desktop gaming market.
Adobe Flash, once a hugely popular way for web browsers to provide multimedia, is almost dead. And Apple is helping bring on the funeral by completely removing support for the Flash plugin from the latest Safari Technology Preview.
Twitter now lets you add Facebook-style emoji reactions to direct messages.
There are currently seven to choose from — one more than Facebook offers — including the familiar thumbs up, laughing face, and love heart. They help Twitter keep up with rival messaging platforms, such as iMessage.
It’s the year 2020 and absolutely everyone is making a streaming service, including TikTok.
The budding social network is hard at work inking licensing deals for its upcoming music streaming service, Resso, that will compete against Spotify and Apple Music. TikTok owner ByteDance reportedly struck a deal with the agency Merlin, which represents tens of thousands of artists, paving the way for the company to launch its music app globally.
Shifting focus from being a video-sharing app to creating a music platform may seem like an odd move for TikTok. But after months of binging on TikTok videos, I’m convinced it could become the biggest threat to Apple Music and Spotify.
Location data, for a long time a river of gold that enriched companies with digital ad revenues, is starting to dry up as more and more consumers deactivate location tracking on their smartphones.
The growing shortage of GPS data became pronounced shortly after the launch iOS 13, which features a pop-up option to cut off tracking if your iPhone detects an app gathering data on your whereabouts.