Mobile menu toggle

News - page 74

iPhone 16 Pro’s display could sport seriously small bezels

By

In a break, Apple may use
Apple really wants to slim down the bezels on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 16 Pro could sport the world’s slimmest bezels on a smartphone. Its borders will apparently measure just 1.2mm, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max having even slimmer bezels at 1.15mm.

The slimmer bezels should help offset the size increase due to Apple using larger displays on its 2024 iPhones.

WWDC24 might bring zero new Macs

By

A black screen with the term
WWDC24 will apparently focus on AI software, with no hardware announcements expected.
Image: Apple

Don’t get your heart set on new Macs launching at WWDC24 next week. A generally reliable tipster predicts that that’ll be none unveiled at Apple’s developer conference.

And not just Macs. Supposedly the agenda includes no new hardware at all.

iOS 18 might make your iPhone weird and wonderful [The CultCast]

By

A weird, panicked emoji to illustrate rumored AI emojis coming in iOS 18. Also, The CultCast logo, episode 649.
Can you handle the weird? AI-generated emojis and wildly customizable Home Screens might make iPhones strangely unique.
Image: Shubham Dhage/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: In the near future, your iPhone might look as wild and unique as you want it to. Home Screen customization options, rumored to arrive in iOS 18, could bring a new level of personality to iPhones. And then there’s the AI-generated emoji we’ve been hearing about.

Hold onto your hats, iPhone owners. Things are about to get weird!

Also on The CultCast:

  • No joke: Siri might get the brain transplant it needs to remain relevant in the ChatGPT era.
  • Fascinating new videos show how rigorously Apple tests iPhones. We’re talking firehoses, an iPhone-flinging robot and a seriously advanced shake table.
  • Erfon wants to get his hands on Nomad’s new tracking card, which works with Apple’s Find My network, fits in a wallet, and recharges via MagSafe.
  • Griffin explains how easy it is to give your Mac a makeover with custom icons, folders and more.
  • And we wrap it up with a new edition of What We’re Into!

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.

Our sponsors: You and CultCloth

  • Listeners like you: Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone. Plus, it helps us secure the future of our flagship podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, suggest show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com or at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com
  • CultCloth: These astounding cleaning cloths will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars and glasses sparkling clean! For a limited time, you can use code CULTCAST at checkout to score two free CarryCloths with any order of more than $20 at CultCloth.co

iMessage could let you animate words in texts in iOS 18

By

Court filings show why Apple didn't port iMessage to Android.
Text animation effects might be coming to iMessage in iOS 18.
Photo: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash CC

Apple could add new text effects to iMessage in iOS 18. One of the effects reportedly includes the ability to animate individual words in a message. If you’re curious about how to bold text in iMessage, Apple has some useful tricks that can help make your messages stand out.

iMessage, Apple’s proprietary instant messaging service, already supports many message effects and animations to add some excitement to texts. The possible new text effects in iOS 18 should make things even more eye-catching and fun.

Keychron brings new ultra-slim keyboard options for Mac users

By

Keychron ultra-slim keyboards -- B6 Pro
This full-sized wireless keyboard goes for $45.
Photo: Keychron

For years Keychron made its bones on good mechanical keyboards. Now it’s jumping into the scissor-switch game with a pair of Keychron ultra-slim keyboards that are direct Magic Keyboard competitors.

They looks the part, include solid features and beat Apple on price by a mile.

This might be the perfect space-saving speaker [Setups]

By

Gallo Acoustics Micro Speaker in matte white
Gallo Acoustics Micro Speaker is small, but it packs a sonic punch.
Photo: Gallo Acoustics

Some people don’t amp up the sound in their computer setups simply because they lack room for the speakers. So they just use their computer or monitor speakers. But what if somebody made tiny but powerful speakers that could fit almost anywhere? Somebody did — Gallo Acoustics Micro Speakers. And today’s Mac Studio setup uses them for rich sound.

Siri could let you control individual apps in iOS 18

By

Siri with AI artificial intelligence
AI could finally give us the Siri we deserve.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Nadezhda Moryak

As a part of its AI upgrade, Siri in iOS 18 will reportedly enable control of individual apps through your voice. Apple has supposedly  upgraded its voice assistant’s underlying architecture using LLMs to achieve this.

Additionally, Apple will process many basic AI tasks on-device in iOS 18 for faster response and a better user experience.

Camp Snoopy series trailer packs summertime cuteness

By

Camp Snoopy series trailer
Get ready for summer camp and wilderness hijinks with the Peanuts gang.
Photo: Apple TV+

Attention Beagle Scouts: Get ready for summer camp with the Camp Snoopy series trailer Apple TV+ dropped Wednesday. The Peanuts gang heads off to the woods soon. Kids and parents alike might get a kick out of it.

The series debuts on Apple TV+ June 14.

Connect with 4 monitors using Satechi’s new Thunderbolt 4 dock

By

Satechi Thunderbolt 4 DisplayLink dock
Finally, you can overcrowd your setup with tons of external displays!
Photo: Satechi

The new Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with DisplayLink uses DisplayLink software to enable Mac users to connect with up to four external monitors, in addition to accessing 96W power delivery for a MacBook and realizing blazing-fast Thunderbolt 4 data transfer speeds, the company said Thursday. If you’re looking for a versatile port hub to expand your Mac’s connectivity, check out this 6-port hub from Zagg.

Tune in to the WWDC24 Apple Music soundtrack

By

WWDC24 Apple Music playlist
Apple Music features a WWDC24 playlist to get you in the mood.
Photo: Apple

With Apple’s massive annual software confab known as WWDC24 coming up fast on June 10, the iPhone giant decided it’s time to rock out with a special WWDC24 Apple Music playlist. The WWDC24 Hello list of tunes features music by Billie Eilish, Good Neighbours, Glass Animals and other artists.

Check it out below! This probably won’t be as controversial as the streamer’s top 100 albums list and its surprising No. 1 pick.

Still snarky, Carrot Weather 6.0 blooms with fresh features [Awesome Apps]

By

Carrot Weather 6.0
Carrot Weather 6.0 arrives with a raft of new features. And with rising sea levels, it may need a raft.
Photo: Carrot Weather
Awesome Apps

The latest major update to the popular and snarky Carrot Weather app brings a delightful array of new features and improvements. It adds a dynamic “garden that grows over time” as part of a redesigned interface, along with line charts for hourly and daily forecasts, integrated weather news from around the world and more.

But of course it will still call you a “meatbag” and act surprised you’re still alive if you haven’t opened it lately. New Carrot Weather 6.0 is now available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.

Logitech launches designed-for-Mac desktop keyboards in multiple sizes

By

Logitech launches designed for Mac desktop keyboards in multiple sizes
Logitech MX Keys S Combo for Mac includes a new keyboard and mouse for your desktop.

Mac users in the market for a new desktop keyboard have new options from Logitech. There are small and large models and an ergonomic one, too. Plus a mouse.

The additions to the lineup include MX Keys S for Mac, MX Keys S Combo for Mac, MX Anywhere 3S for Mac, MX Keys Mini for Mac (in Space Gray), and Ergo Series Wave Keys for Mac.

StreamSaver bundles Apple TV+, Netflix and Peacock for $15 a month [Now available]

By

StreamSaver combines Apple TV+, Netflix and Peacock
Comcast now offers StreamSaver with three top streaming services bundled together.
Photo: Apple/Netflix/NBC

Streaming TV fans now have the option to bundle Apple TV+ with Netflix and Peacock. And Xfinity StreamSaver is only $15 per month, a savings of 35% off getting the services separately.

It is a significant new option for cordcutters who want to save money.

Apple News+ subscription growth blows away major media sites

By

Apple News+ subscription growth
Since Apple News+ launched in March 2019, its subscription growth has been impressive.
Photo: Apple

The Apple News+ service is growing its subscription rate about four times as fast as major news sites like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, according to a new report.

Hey, when you sell the hardware, you have an advantage in attracting users’ eyeballs to content, too, right?

Cult of Mac housekeeping: External links will now open in new tabs

By

Cult of Mac logo
Heads up: We're changing the way external links open on the site.
Photo: Cult of Mac

A note to Cult of Mac readers: We’re changing the way external links open on the site. Instead of opening in the same tab, external links will now open in a new tab.

In the last few years, opening external links in new tabs has become a widespread practice in digital publishing. Many of the web’s most influential sites, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Reddit and Quora, open external links in a new tab.

We’re making the change to keep up.

Soaked! Take a peek at how Apple tests iPhone water resistance.

By

iPhone water testing
Watch as a water cannon blasts an iPhone.
Photo: Marques Brownlee

Popular tech influencer Marques Brownlee shared a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday from his visit to Apple labs that do durability testing like iPhone water testing. You’ve probably never seen iPhones this wet. And you’ve probably never subjected yours to such punishment.

Along the way, he fit in an interesting video chat with Apple hardware honcho John Ternus about product reliability versus repairability, below.

Teen’s dislodged AirPod tracks alleged hit-and-run driver

By

AirPods tracks alleged hit-and-run driver
Here's the car the sheriff's department tracked with the help of an errant AirPod earbud.
Photo: Martin County Sheriff's Office

AirPods are great earphones, but did you know they can also be crime fighters? In Florida, a dislodged AirPod tracked an alleged hit-and-run driver after a bike-riding teen’s head went through his passenger window and the earbud popped out and got stuck under a floormat.

Location tracking on that little earbud led straight to an arrest on felony charges.

A setup so clean it looks AI-generated [Setups]

By

Dough gaming display setup
A user joked that this setup is so clean it looks like artificial intelligence generated the image.
Photo: [email protected]

When one commenter saw today’s Mac Studio workstation, they said “Setup so clean it looks AI generated. I like it.” Well, we also like the Mac Studio and custom PC setup, especially for its innovative use of a portable display alongside its main external display, which is a killer gaming monitor we’ve never seen before.

First Apple Store in Malaysia sports wild, tiered-pyramid roof

By

First Apple Store in Malaysia
This rendering shows the unusual tiered-pyramid roof design of the new store.
Photo: Apple

Apple continues its retail expansion in Southeast Asia with its first store in Malaysia — Apple The Exchange TRX. It’s set to open June 22 in Kuala Lumpur at The Exchange TRX mall. And you should check out the roof on this thing. It looks like a tiered pyramid.

Apple The Exchange TRX will be Apple’s sixth store in Southeast Asia. And it already has wallpapers for your device screens.

From the didn’t-know-we-needed-it department: Lego Apple Store

By

Lego Apple Store
The roof and parts of the wall come off this thing so you can access the detailed interior.
Photo: Legotruman

Just when it seemed like Lego had finally represented all cool things with its complex sets, along comes a fascinating new Apple Store design. But it’s not officially Lego yet. It’s a fan submission to the Lego Ideas website that could go into production if enough people support it.

The details in this thing are incredible. Seems like it’d be a lot of fun to build. But first Lego and Apple will have to sign off on it.

Apple shares WWDC24 schedule highlights, Design Awards finalists

By

WWDC24 schedule
Apple confirmed the WWDC24 Keynote for June 10 at 10 a.m. Pacific, among other details.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s much-anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24) will kick off with a 10 a.m. Pacific keynote address on June 10, followed by the Platforms State of the Union address at 1 p.m. Pacific, Apple confirmed Tuesday. Along with the WWDC24 schedule information, it also presented the finalists for the Apple Design Awards it will bestow at the show.

As usual, the conference will highlight what’s new and upcoming with the company’s software ecosystem.

Slim new Find My tracking card recharges via MagSafe

By

Nomad Tracking Card with iPhone
You can use Find My on your iPhone or another device to track the card.
Photo: Nomad

The slim new Nomad Tracking Card works with Apple’s Find My app on your devices and recharges via MagSafe to help you keep tabs on your wallet, purse or other valuables, Nomad said Tuesday.

The credit card-sized tracker goes for $40 individually or $120 for a four-pack.