Mobile menu toggle

News - page 589

HomePod is finally on its way to Japan

By

HomePod market share
The new HomePod could offer a neat new feature.
Photo: Apple

Apple is gearing up to launch HomePod in Japan — more than two years after the device got its first unveiling.

Smart speaker shoppers will be able to pick one up in the coming weeks for 32,800 yen (approx. $301). HomePod will then be available in a total of 11 countries.

Apple kicks off China app accelerator with ARKit workshop

By

Apple China
Apple kicked off the Accelerator program with a workshop focused on augmented reality.
Photo: Apple

Apple has opened a new Design and Development Accelerator in China to promote app development in the country.

Located in Shanghai, the accelerator features a range of lectures, workshops, networking events and more covering all of Apple’s different platforms.

HBO Max taps Friends to take on Apple TV+

By

HBO Max
Anyone who enjoys binging Friends episodes better learn this name.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The already crowded market for streaming video services is getting a little more so. WarnerMedia just unveiled HBO Max, which will include original programs as well as shows created for The WB like Batwoman. Most notably, this will be the only place to watch Friends re-runs.

It will face competition from Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and many more.

Trump can’t block protesters from his Twitter, court says

By

President Trump Twitter
Pres. Trump’s Twitter account can’t be just praise. He has to accept criticism too.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A federal appeals court ruled today that President Donald Trump can’t block dissenters from posting replies to his Twitter account.

This upholds an earlier ruling that Trump’s account is a public forum, and therefore preventing anyone from speaking is a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution

Instagram will hold an intervention with your bully

By

a same of how Instagram's Restrict tool will work
Instagram adds more tough tools to fight bullying.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram is adding more muscle to fight bullying, including one tool that appeals to a harasser’s conscious.

Instagram has been addressing online harassment over the last couple of years with options to block followers and report offensive items. But for the first time, artificial intelligence will hold an intervention with a would-be bully.

Apple Music offers 6-month free trial to students

By

Apple Music gift card
You won’t believe how cheap Apple Music is for students.
Photo: Apple

Apple is trying to woo new students gearing up for the school year with a new offer that gives them six free months of service before they have to pay a dime.

The offer popped up on Apple’s educational site just after the company revealed its back-to-school promotion of free Beats headphones with qualifying purchases.

Making music on iPad forced me back to the Mac

By

Tuning a ukulele
Sometime the old ways are the best.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I use my iPad for almost all my computing. I write, read, record and edit music, edit photos — you name it. I’ve used my decade-old Mac less and less in recent years, as the iPad, or rather iOS, has gotten ever more capable.

But this week I dusted off my Mac, ordered some extra RAM (yes, it’s still available!), and fired it up. Why? Because, as powerful as the iPad is, the Mac is still way, way better for some tasks. In my case, that task is recording and editing music.

Latest MacBooks still use Apple’s flawed butterfly keyboard

By

MacBook Keyboard
The keyboard in the newest MacBooks have the same problem as earlier ones.
Photo: Apple

Update Nov. 13, 2019: The 16-inch MacBook Pro released today is the first in years without the Butterfly keyboard. And the head of Apple marketing talks about redesigning this notebook keyboard in an interview.

 

Original article:

The upgraded MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models released today are faster and better looking. However, they still include the keyboard that sent so many of their predecessors to the repair shop.

A rumored redesign apparently hasn’t happened yet.

Waterproof AirPods 3 could launch this year

By

AirPods wall display is on show in New York.
AirPods are reportedly getting some design changes.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple updated the design of its AirPods in-ear headphones this spring but reportedly isn’t resting on its laurels. A redesigned third-generation version will be out later this year, according to a market-analysis firm.

Cinematic lens adds brilliant flare to drone footage

By

anamorphic lens for DJI drones
The Moment Air will soon have its wings to fly on DJI drones.
Photo: Moment

Moment started out making lens attachments to turn the iPhone into a better camera. Now the mobile photography brand wants to do the same for the cameras that fly on DJI drones.

The company designed an anamorphic lens called Moment Air to bring a sweeping, cinematic view — and that distinctive Hollywood lens flare — to footage captured by select DJI drones.

Dr. Mario opens his App Store surgery one day early

By

Dr-Mario-World-multiplayer
Looking for a great puzzle game?
Photo: Nintendo

It’s a rare day that doctors are running ahead of schedule. Fortunately, today is just such a day as Dr. Mario, the classic 1990s Nintendo puzzle game, has landed in the App Store one day early.

Originally expected to drop July 10, Dr. Mario instead went live today. It’s free to download, although there are in-app purchases available for those who hate the idea of socialized health care.

Apple brings True Tone to MacBook Air, faster chips to MacBook Pro

By

The late-2018 MacBook Air with Retina display.
They’re now more affordable, too.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro for the back-to-school season. And they’re now more affordable.

The newest MacBook Air now ships with a True Tone display — just like its more expensive siblings. The newest 13-inch MacBook Pro is powered by faster Intel chips, while the entry-level model now offers a Touch Bar with Touch ID.

Fortnite bags new Air Strike item that’s absolutely crazy

By

Fortnite-Air-Strike
Will we love it, or will we hate it?
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest content update is out right on schedule. This week’s release finally brings the much-anticipated Air Strike item fans have been waiting for — and it doesn’t disappoint.

The device looks like a largely inoffensive canister of smoke when you first pick it up. But throw it at an opponent and they’ll soon find themselves being bombarded by missiles from above.

Wall Street worries put the hurting on Apple’s suppliers too

By

iPhone 8 Foxconn box
A whole lot of companies rely on Apple.
Photo: Feng

It’s not just Apple which relies on, well, Apple to make money. There’s a whole ecosystem of other companies orbiting the giant Cupertino sun, too. And they’re all affected by whatever news raises or lowers Apple’s share price.

That’s what took place this week when Wall Street’s latest wobble about Apple sent out shockwaves through the supply chain. As a result, a whole lot of companies which do business with Apple suffered their own sympathy stock declines.