This week we check out a virtual bassist for your iPad, a music player for iOS that actually lets you load tunes off the internet or from the Files app, and two more hot, hot apps, or app-like services.
Wiplabs' Wall Charging Stand will allow you to charge Apple Watch on any wall socket while neatly storing the MagSafe cable inside the charger. Photo: Wiplabs
For those of us seeking space for yet another Apple Watch accessory, fear not. I’ve found a modern, minimal wall charging stand that powers up Apple Watch directly via socket.
Talk about a discreet and dual-use Apple Watch charging stand. Wiplabs Wall Charging Stand has no footprint. Nightstand full? Desk a nightmare? Pop this into your nearest wall socket, and voila … you’re juicing up Apple Watch.
Business is booming for the App Store. Photo: PhotoAtelier/Flickr
The second quarter of 2018 proved to be the most lucrative period for app developers ever.
Both the Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store saw a record number of new app installs during Q2 2018 and shattered revenue records in the process.
AT&T and arch-rival Verizon will be among the first U.S. carriers to offer 5G. Photo: Luismt94/Wikipedia CC
AT&T promised to bring the next generation of cellular wireless technology to a dozen cities before the end of this year. It just hasn’t revealed which ones yet.
The carrier started the teasing process a few months ago, announcing that Atlanta, Dallas and Waco, Texas, will get mobile 5G.
Amazon's new Part Finder feature for iPhone uses computer vision to identify and buy hundreds of different types of fasteners. Photo: Sheila Sund via Flickr
Until recently, if you needed to replace a screw, nut or bolt, you’d take a trip to the hardware store. With Amazon’s latest update to its iPhone app, there’s no need.
Part Finder is a new feature of Amazon’s camera search that can identify hundreds of types of screws, nuts, bolts, washers and other fasteners. Once ID’d, they can be bought straight from the app.
It's the fullfillment of many a baseball fan's dreams: beer by text. Photo: Aramark
The Philadelphia Phillies and Aramark started a pilot program that lets fans order beer from their seats using an iPhone.
The service makes use of Apple Business Chat, a service that launched this spring designed to let customers send messages to companies without strings attached.
Samsung hits Apple with three more blows in commercials for the Galaxy S9. Photo: Samsung
Samsung continues tyring to sell smartphones with advertising that gives more airtime to Apple.
Three more commercials in Samsung’s “Ingenious” campaign went public today with a belief in accentuating the negative. Each exploits a different criticism of the iPhone X – the need for a dongle, the lack of a fast charger and a camera that gets lower test scores than the Galaxy S9.
Despite faster connections, display support hasn’t improved. Photo: Apple
Apple’s new MacBook Pro lineup has a lot of improvements under the hood that you might have missed. One of those is an upgraded Thunderbolt 3 controller from Intel.
Both the 13- and 15-inch models pack a new “Titan Ridge” chip, but unfortunately for some users, there are big limitations. Don’t rush out to blow your savings on an 8K monitor just yet.
Can you tell the difference? Photo: Jason Keobler/Motherboard
Now that rival smartphone makers have had some time to follow in Apple’s footsteps, you don’t have to spend $1,000 on an iPhone X to enjoy features like facial recognition and an edge-to-edge screen. For instance, this handset looks almost exactly like Apple’s latest flagship, and yet it costs just $100.
But don’t be fooled by its pretty face. This unashamed iPhone X clone is as ugly as sin under the surface, and its poor excuse for security is even scarier.
Ed Sheeran shows viewers how to write a song in his new movie. Photo: Apple Music
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and his creative process will be on full display in Apple’s newest documentary movie, Songwriter.
Filming on the documentary began in 2008, giving fans an unprecedented look at how Sheeran’s songs are created. From the spark of an idea for a song to seeing it sung by thousands of fans at concerts, Songwriter paints an intimate portrait of one of the most popular artists of the last decade. The movie was filmed by Ed’s cousin Murray Cummings and focuses on the making of his third album “÷” that came out last year.
Apple has until fall to plead its case. Photo: Apple
Apple might have been reassured at the news that tariffs in the U.S.’s trade war with China wouldn’t hurt the iPhone and the iPad — but apparently nobody said anything about the Apple Watch.
According to a new report, the latest round of U.S. tariffs on approximately $200 billion goods imported from China could hit Apple’s wearable device.
Figuring out which 2018 MacBook Pro is fastest or cheapest is easy. We puzzled out which offers the most bang for the buck. Photo: Apple
You need a 2018 MacBook Pro, but there are a bunch of configurations to choose from, with the top model more than twice as expensive as the base one. Of course, Apple is asking you to pay extra for a faster processor, but is the additional cost worth it?
We took benchmarking scores for all the variations of the newest macOS laptop and divided them by the cost of each. The results might well surprise you.
The new MacBook Pros are shockingly fast. Photo: Apple
This week on The CultCast: The 2018 MacBook Pro is both a beauty and a beast. In fact, it’s one of the most exciting MBP refreshes in years. We’ll tell you why.
Then: A popular tech reviewer warns that the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s i9 processor upgrade suffers a major flaw; Apple quietly updates MacBook Pro’s keyboard to be more reliable; and we pitch you our favorite new gear and gadgets in an all-new Under Review!
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off your first hosting plan or domain.
Apple is facing the prospect of zero working iPhones in India. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India could require mobile operators in the country to stop supporting the iPhone if Apple doesn’t allow a mobile app that lets users report unwanted calls and messages.
Apple has been going back and forth with officials in India over the government-approved anti-spam mobile app, which Apple has suggested violates user privacy.
Apple's new design (left) vs. its original design (right). Photo: Federation Square
Normally, the addition of a new Apple Store is met with positivity, on account of the prestige and increased foot traffic that it brings to an area. That’s not exactly proving to be the case for Apple’s proposed “global flagship” Apple Store in Melbourne, Australia, however.
Revised drawings for the new store were published on Friday, after Apple scrapped original designs which apparently reminded locals of a toasted sandwich.
People have too much disposable cash. Photo: Epic Games
Whether you like it or hate it, mutli-platform battle royal game Fortnite isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, it’s headed in just one direction: up.
According to a new report from market research firm SuperData Research, the insanely popular game has now sold more than $1 billion in in-game purchases alone. For anyone bemoaning the increasing reliance of games on pushing in-game purchases, this is why we can’t have nice things!
There are deals to had this summer if you just use Apple Pay. Photo: Apple
Apple waited a bit for its summer Apple Pay promotion, but it just kicked off today. On offer are savings from Fandango, SubHub, Groupon, and several other apps.
The exact savings vary from service to service, of course, but they all have one thing in common: when it comes time to settle up, you must use Apple Pay.
George Takei's new House of Cats apps shreds President Trump. Photo: BMAD
George Takei is best known for his iconic role on Star Trek, but he’s also an activist. And a very anti-Trump one. His new app combines two things the internet loves: cats and politics.
House of Cats stars Trumpy Cat, a distinctly non-cute version of the President in feline form.
Daily mixes, hundreds of playlists, discovery weekly, and social features make Spotify the best streaming music app. Screenshots: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Music artists are getting an all-new way to promote unreleased music thanks to a new feature Spotify is rolling out his week.
Getting a song onto one of Spotify’s curated playlists can give a big boost to an artist or band’s visibility on the platform. So starting today, members with a Spotify for Artists account can submit unreleased music directly to Spotify’s editorial team for playlist consideration.
An updated version of HomeKit HomeKit really improves the Wemo Mini Smart Plug. Photo: Wemo
Accessories can now support Apple’s HomeKit without a special chip. The Wemo Mini Smart Plug is the first to use this new system of software authentication.
The Mini Smart Plug ($34.99) offers a single electrical socket that can be controlled by an iPhone though HomeKit. Anything plugged in can be turned on or off remotely, or on a schedule.
This, believe it or not, is a Bluetooth speaker. Photo: Fender
This is Fender’s new Tweed Monterey. No, it’s not a tweed-covered guitar amp from the 1950s, although it certainly looks just like one. It is, in fact, the sweetest-looking Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever seen. It might not be the most practical, most portable or even best sounding Bluetooth speaker around. But if you want people to think you play guitar, this is the perfect accessory for your fake sleeve tattoos.
We bet you'll change your Amazon password after reading this article. Photo: Mike Seyfang/Flickr CC
Go to your Amazon, Zappos, etc. account now and change the password to something stronger. That’s the takeaway from a cyber security firm’s report that says a whopping 91 percent of all attempts to log into e-commerce websites are from hackers.
Attempts by hackers to log into the sites of airlines, banks, and hotels also account for about half of their traffic.
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is on the rise. Photo: AndroidCentral
Apple’s biggest competitor in China could soon supplant it as the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world in terms of units shipped.
Huawei says it’s on track to ship 200 million phones by the end of 2018 after setting a blistering pace of 100 million units shipped as of July 18. That won’t be quite enough to top the number of iPhones Apple sold last year, but 2019 could be Huawei’s biggest year ever.