You can now gain one-tap access to useful commute info. Photo: Google
Google today rolled out a new Maps update for iOS that makes accessing commute information easier than ever.
A new one-tap access bar at the bottom of the app lets you quickly view nearby restaurants and hotels, real-time traffic data, and transit information.
Apple’s HomePod is leaving its mark on wooden tables across the globe, but the folks at Pad & Quill have already come up with an elegant solution to save your furniture from ugly white rings.
The AirPower alternative that won't break the bank. Photo: Plux
Apple’s upcoming AirPower charger is expected to cost a small fortune when it finally makes its debut (who knows when that will be). But there are more affordable options — like Plux, which also charges your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously.
It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have a retro game console that’s small enough to carry on your keychain, an affordable “smart pen” for iPad, and more.
Snapchat isn't willing too many new fans right now. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Snapchat’s not rolling back its new design, despite more than 1 million people (and counting) signing a petition for it to do so.
The company recently debuted its new layout — designed to separate interactions with friends from branded content — but many users have complained that it is difficult to use, prompting a popular change.org petition to revert to its previous design.
The latest iOS bug can crash iPhones that receive a text message containing an Indian character. Photo: Warren R.M. Stuart/Flickr CC
A newly discovered iOS 11 bug lets a text message containing a specific character crash iPhones. It can also block access to Messages, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Outlook for iOS and Gmail — in a way that can be challenging to reverse.
The character in question is from the Indian language character set of Telugu. When a message containing the character is received, iOS Springboard crashes and the aforementioned messaging apps will no longer open.
Facebook wants to take its next step into your home. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The HomePod may have just dropped, but Apple’s not the only tech giant to be getting into the smart speaker business in 2018. According to a new report, Facebook will be launching two smart speakers this year — with July being given as “the latest” that they could make their debut.
One of the world's most legendary investors is doubling down on his Apple love. Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway firm has massively increased its AAPL holdings, while ditching virtually all its IBM stock, showing how confident the super investor is of Apple’s immediate future.
Buffett’s firm increased its Apple holdings by 23.3 percent to 165.3 million shares, according to SEC filings. The firm took a dimmer view of IBM, however, and made the decision to drop a massive 94.5 percent of its holdings, leaving it with just 2.05 million shares.
The HomePod costs a lot more than its rivals, but it costs Apple a lot, too. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple’s $349 HomePod smart speaker costs the company around $216 in components, giving Apple a 38 percent margin.
If accurate (and we’ll come to that!), the figures suggest that despite charging users considerably more money than Amazon and Google charge for their rival smart speakers, Apple is actually earning smaller margins than Google Home’s 66 percent and Amazon Echo’s 56 percent.
But the numbers almost certainly don’t tell the whole story.
A perplexing HomePod setup bug leaves some people exasperated. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
An apparent bug has left some HomePod owners unable to get their new Apple smart speakers up and running. Complaints about a mysterious “Setup Failed -6722” error message surfaced soon after HomePod launched last Friday.
Speidel's Twist-O-Flex stretches up to 5 inches, making it easy to get on and off your wrist. Perfect for him or her! Photo: Speidel
Note: For Valentine’s Day only, all of Speidel’s iconic Twist-O-Flex Apple Watch bands are 10 percent off! Perfect for him or her.
Today’s all about showing the one you love just how much you care. I say it’s a great opportunity to throw a little love your own way.
Speidel — purveyor of the original stretchy, stainless steel Twist-O-Flex bands — agrees. This Valentine’s Day only, treat yourself to 10 percent off these great Apple Watch bands in Silver, Brushed or Black stainless steel. These bands are for both men and women.
Read our full review below and visit our Watch Store to check out these iconic bands.
Think twice before leaving HomePod on your wood table. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
HomePods are already making their mark in new homes across the country — but not in a good way.
Apple customers started noticing that HomePod can damage wood furniture by leaving a white ring after resting on a table for just a few minutes or days.
Series 3 is the best Apple Watch yet. Photo: Apple
There’s no better time than now to get a cheap deal on the Apple Watch Series 3, now that Apple is starting to sell refurbished units.
Apple’s online store stocked up on refurbished Apple Watch Series 3 units this week, giving customers the opportunity to get Cupertino’s best wearable at a discount.
Apple could be embracing Chinese manufacturing to help grow its brand in the country. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple may be expanding its supply chain further by buying storage chips from the Chinese memory chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies, a new report states.
What makes this interesting is that the chips will reportedly be used only in iPhones and other devices for the Chinese domestic market. It suggests that Apple may be willing to modify its iPhone manufacturing process in order to please the Chinese government’s push toward more local manufacturing.
You’ll want this year’s iPhone for its cameras. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone’s controversial “notch” will get smaller this year, according to one group of investors.
Apple is expected to integrate Face ID into all three handsets it has planned for 2018. A smaller TrueDepth sensor means the cutout at the top of the iPhone’s display won’t need to be quite so big.
YouTube TV now hosts a whole bunch of new channels. Photo: YouTube
YouTube TV has hiked its prices after adding a whole bunch of new channels.
The service, which came to Apple TV earlier this month, now hosts Turner networks like CNN, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network — but for an extra $5 a month.
HomePod lives up to its sound quality promises. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Professional grade acoustic tests appear to confirm that the HomePod is indeed the real deal as far as speakers go.
Apple has been talking up its smart adaptive speaker and high-end audio processing algorithms since the HomePod was first shown off at last year’s WWDC event. According to Apple, the HomePod can adapt its sound to fill any room it’s put in. It seems it wasn’t kidding!
Here's why it's a win for everyone. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Google will roll out an awesome Chrome ad blocker Thursday that takes aim at some of the most invasive forms of online advertising.
The new Chrome ad-blocking feature won’t annihilate ads entirely. But users won’t need to worry about full-page ads, ads with auto-playing sound and video, or flashing ads anymore.
Drones aren't Apple's favorite technology, it seems. Photo: Kif Leswing/Twitter
Apple has no time for your drones! Yesterday was Apple’s annual investors meeting, and one of the attendees tweeted this photo of signage erected at Apple Park declaring it a “no drone zone.”
Given Apple’s insistence on privacy — and Tim Cook declaring that keeping Apple products under wraps is the “bane of [his] existence” — that’s not necessarily a surprise. Still, it does mean that Apple is seemingly none too happy about the myriad drone flyover videos which keep on showing up online.
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s upcoming 6.1-inch iPhone will be a smash hit, according to one reliable analyst.
It is expected to become the most popular model in the 2018 lineup, thanks mostly to its more affordable price tag. Sales could total a whopping 100 million units over its lifetime.
When you’re a company the size of Apple and under the scrutiny that Apple is, keeping secrets is hard.
That’s what Tim Cook told investors during Tuesday’s annual investors meeting, during which he described how, “keeping stuff confidential is the bane of my existence.” In other words, with the exception of the visitor’s center, you shouldn’t expect a tour of Apple Park any time soon!
Flipboard is a rival to Apple News in the news aggregation space. Photo: Flipboard
The CEO and co-founder of Flipboard has some harsh words for Apple’s rival Apple News aggregation app.
Speaking at the Code Media conference, Mike McCue said that Apple News is “a product … living in the past,” and is lacking behind Flipboard in some very important ways.
Shop Nyloon's colorfully cool collection of NATO nylon bands for Apple Watch. Shown here is the Seafarer. Photo: Christopher Lavan
Note: Buy two nylon Apple Watch bands from Nyloon for $65. Regularly priced at $38.95 each. Sale ends Tuesday, February 13 at midnight. Use code Nyloon65 at checkout.
Nyloon just introduced six fun new designs to its collection of nylon Apple Watch bands right on time for spring shopping. Best yet, these bands compare in quality to Apple’s nylon offering, and cost ten bucks less.
Check out Watch Store’s full lineup of Nylon bands for Apple Watch, and read on to learn more about these must-have straps. Buy two bands for $65 (an 18 percent saving). Use code Nyloon65 at checkout in Watch Store.
The end of money can’t come soon enough for Apple CEO Tim Cook.
During Apple’s annual shareholders meeting today, Cook told investors that mobile payments like Apple Pay haven’t taken off quite as fast as hoped. However, he said he sees promising signs that the death of cash could soon be upon us.