Apple TV now supports the Dolby Atmos sound bar. Photo: Apple
Apple TV introduced a better picture in 2017 with 4K HDR. In 2018, tvOS 12 will add cinematic sound to match.
Apple announced today that tvOS 12 will support the Dolby Atmos soundbar for an audio format that gives movie sound a kind of 3-D effect. The addition of Dolby Atmos makes Apple TV the only streaming device that supports both Dolby Vision and Atmos.
watchOS 5 makes Apple Watch more useful than ever. Photo: Apple
Apple is adding more ways for Apple Watch wearers to stay active and connected with watchOS 5, its biggest software update for its wearable in 2018.
Developers got an early preview of watchOS 5 today at WWDC 2018 and it’s packed with UI tweaks and a bevy of new features that make Apple Watch a better exercise companion and communication device.
Tim Cook finally got his way — the Stocks app will appear on iPad in iOS 12. And the app also gets a bunch of improvements, so that Stocks might no longer be the first app you hide away in a “junk” folder when you get a new iPhone.
Apple is taking ARKit to the next level. Photo: Apple
ARKit was last year’s big WWDC announcement. This year Apple introduced ARKit 2.0 and, if we weren’t convinced before about the potential of augmented reality, Apple’s presentation went a long way to changing our minds!
The update to the world’s largest AR platform introduces a new more easily sharable file system, improved face tracking, more realistic rendering, 3D object detection, and — most exciting of all — shared experiences.
The new update, which will be available for free this fall, includes ARKit 2.0 with new experiences and support for multiplayer games, grouped notifications, group FaceTime calls, and new apps.
iOS 12 also promises huge performance improvements across all compatible devices — especially older models that have struggled with previous releases.
Are you ready for all the Apple action? Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The first major Apple keynote of 2018 is just hours away, and it’s going to be a doozy. Apple is expected to give us our first look at iOS 12 and macOS 10.14, plus new software for Apple TV, Apple Watch and Apple Music. Some new hardware might also be in the cards as well, but we’ll have to wait until Tim Cook takes the stage to find out.
The WWDC 2018 keynote is set to kick off at 10 a.m. Pacific and we’ll be at the event and live-blogging all the festivities. Come on in and enjoy the fun with us!
Until this fall, these artist's conceptions of the 2018 iPhone models are all there is. Photo: DBS Designing
Just about everyone agrees that Apple is prepping three iPhone models for release this fall. Analysts don’t agree on what these will cost.
Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a long history of being generally correct about Apple’s plans, said today that these devices will have lower prices than some might fear.
"What is this, a campus for ants?!" Photo: Matthew Roberts/Maverick Imagery
Just in time for WWDC, drone videographers Duncan Sinfield and Matthew Roberts have uploaded new drone flyover videos of Apple Park.
The videos show that landscaping is continuing on the spectacular site and more people than ever are working there. Most astonishing of all is a glimpse of the 24-hour window cleaning crew, reminding us of just how massive Apple’s shiny new headquarters actually is. Check out the videos below.
AR will no longer be a solo affair. Photo: Dent Reality
At WWDC, Apple could debut new multiplayer AR tools which allow two iPhone users to share the same augmented reality space.
The news was shared in a recent Reuters report. While short on details, the report suggests that it will be able to do this while minimizing the amount of personal data that is sent to servers.
Apple Music comes to your browser. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Improvements to Apple Music could be showcased at WWDC later today — but one new feature has slipped out early. A new web player gives Apple Music fans the ability to sample and enjoy full tracks in their browsers.
Apple is now handling ordering for even tiny components like MacBook screws. Photo: Apple
Apple is known for exerting a lot of control over the manufacturing of its products, and it’s reportedly set to ramp up this control even further.
Beginning with its new MacBook models, Apple will reportedly carry out direct pricing negotiations for the screws and assorted non-key metallic and plastic parts used on its devices, which are currently purchased directly by its contracted supply partners.
Don't use the Apple Watch while driving, y'all! Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
A woman in Canada has been fined for using her Apple Watch behind the wheel of her car.
Victoria Ambrose was charged with distracted driving and told that an Apple Watch is no safer “than a cellphone taped to someone’s wrist.” She had argued that the existing 2009 law about distracted driving did not apply because it referred to a “handheld wireless communication device.”
Tim Cook with a 2018 WWDC scholarship winner. Screencap: Apple
The winners of scholarships to Apple’s worldwide developers conference got a special bonus: the opportunity to meet CEO Tim Cook.
These students used their coding skills to demonstrate that they belong at this year’s WWDC. In return they receive free admission, free lodging, and help with travel expenses if needed.
Another lawsuit accuses Apple of knowingly using a defective MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard in laptops like this one, Photo: Apple
Thinking perhaps that third time’s the charm, another lawsuit has been filed claiming that the keyboard used in the MacBook Pro is defective. Like the two prior ones filed last month, this seeks to become a class action.
All of these suits claim that the keys in Apple’s laptop can become permanently jammed, and a very expensive fix requires replacing the entire keyboard and other components.
Heart rate variability is a new metric that reveals your stress level and whether you have recovered from your last workout. We show how you can use it to optimize your training and more! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Imagine if your Apple Watch could tell you which days were best for you to do a workout, and what kind of workout you should do. Well it can, sort of, thanks to a hidden feature that few people have yet discovered or know how to use.
This week we get productive, with colorful new features in the Ulysses word processor app, amazing new keyboard controls in Things for iOS, and more. Check out our awesome apps of the week.
Not even water can stand between an iPhone and this charger. Photo: CheeNYC
Our iPhone charging cables will soon disappear thanks to the promise of wireless chargers. CheeNYC, a relatively new Qi tech company, has a beauty aptly named ONYXX.
It is smooth black and shiny, looking very much like the gemstone with the same name, especially when it is wet. The ONYXX is made for the outdoors with components that are resistant to dust and “splashing” water.
A macOS update adds support for Messages in iCloud. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple released macOS 10.13.5 today, an update that brings the long-awaited Messages in iCloud feature to Mac users.
The new feature, which Apple rolled out to iPhones and iPads earlier this week in iOS 11.4, should free up space on your Mac. More importantly, it will finally allow you to sync iMessages with all your Apple devices via the cloud.
The iPhone that never was! Photo: Spellbound Productions
How do you follow a project like the Macintosh? A high-flying Apple spinoff called General Magic tried to answer that question in the early 1990s.
After revolutionizing the personal computer, a team of ambitious ex-Apple engineers set out to build a connected touchscreen mobile device that prefigured the iPhone by 25 years. Their startup, General Magic, became one of the hottest ventures in Silicon Valley — before it all came crashing down.
“That period is one of the most important in computing history,” Sarah Kerruish, co-director of new documentary General Magic, told Cult of Mac. “It’s when handhelds were first realized, and when we saw the first early stages of the internet. General Magic combines these profoundly important threads in technology.”
But don't let the emojis do all the work. Photo: Cult of Mac
Apple hasn’t even previewed iOS 12 yet and we’re already talking about iOS 13, thanks to a bunch of new emoji. Emojipedia has revealed the list of character candidates for 2019, which includes a bunch of new expressions, animals, and more.
Huawei made the jump from two lenses, left, to three. Will Apple do it this year? Photo: Huawei
Another day, another analyst, another report speculating about a future iPhone with three lenses.
A Korean newspaper reporting on an expected Samsung Galaxy S10 with three rear-facing cameras casually mentioned Apple’s first planned three-lens iPhone will be an iPhone X Plus that could launch as early as this year.
This could be the affordable alternative to iPhone X. Photo: OnLeaks/MySmartPrice
Apple’s new 6.1-inch iPhone might be delayed until November, according to one report. But you don’t have to wait until then to see it. The images and video below provide our very first glimpse at what will be a more affordable alternative to iPhone X.