Coming soon to an iPhone near you? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
WhatsApp’s latest update give users more time to delete accidental messages after they’ve been sent.
Its message deletion feature, introduced last October, previously gave us just seven minutes to undo a potential mess. Now the “delete for everyone” option is available for just over an hour.
The brilliant series in on its way to iOS as a simulation game. Photo: Westworld
Like a whole lot of folks, I’m a massive fan of Westworld, the HBO TV series which depicts a wild west-themed amusement park, staffed by futuristic robots.
A new game, coming to iOS, promises to bring that same experience to our pockets. No, it doesn’t let you play as a guest, living out your wildest gunslinger fantasies — but instead takes the form of a simulation game, in which you’re tasked with running the park. Check out the intriguing (if ambiguous) trailer below.
The MacBook Air could get a sequel this year. Photo: Apple
Apple is prepping a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook that will debut in the second quarter of 2018. It will reportedly set users back around the same price as the MacBook Air, which would peg it at about $999.
While the report leaves a bit of flexibility by saying that it could be this price “or slightly higher,” this suggests that users could get a price cut versus the $1,299 12-inch MacBook.
A brilliant minimalist settler simulation with added monsters is just of one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”
In addition, we’ve got a great new version of The Sims for mobile, and two Google apps which have received big updates. Check out our selections below.
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we'll show you some incredible tweaks for your home screen! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
It’s not like you can ever find the app you’re looking for on your various home screens anyway, so why not do something fancy with those icons instead? Like, making your home screen an expression of your inner chakra, man. In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we’ll show you some amazing tweaks for your home screen.
Apple takes that bond you have formed with your iPhone very seriously. Photo: Apple
In just 24 hours, Apple went from being ho-hum in charisma to number one in brand intimacy.
What sounds like fickle middle school popularity are actual rankings based on research, data and scientific surveys of, well, fickle people.
Apple ended its workweek ranked first for brand intimacy among millennials, according to a report MBLM, a marketing firm that specializes in helping brands form said connection. Apple as a brand must have worked hard on itself over the last year because it beat out Netflix, which was tops among millennials last year.
Apple fans are leading the adoption of smart speakers. Photo: Apple
Smart speaker sales have exploded, with 47 million Americans now using one, up from about zero two years ago. And Apple fans are leading the trend — they’re 22 percent more likely than Android users to own a smart speaker.
Swift has been a massive success since launching in 2014. Image: Cult of Mac
Apple’s Swift programming language it continuing its ascent through the coding ranks. According to a new quarterly ranking by developer-focused analyst firm RedMonk, Swift has entered the top 10 programming languages as indicated on GitHub and Stack Overflow.
The rest of the top 10 (from no. 1 through no. 9) is comprised of JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C#, C++, CSS, Ruby, and Swift and Apple’s previous coding language Objective-C ranking in joint tenth place.
This week’s episode of The CultCast is packed with great Apple stories. We talk: Reports of a cheaper, smaller HomePod; the end of iTunes; MoviePass tracking your every move; the first security camera for your car; and more! Hit play to catch the discussion.
Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.
Epic is putting Fortnite in your pocket. Photo: Epic Games
Epic Games is bringing its insanely popular Fornight Battle Royale to iPhone and iPad.
It will be exactly the same 100-player game you’ve been enjoying on consoles, with the same map and the same weapons — and it will support cross-platform play between PlayStation 4 and PC. You can sign up to join the beta on Monday, March 12.
Apple remains no. 1... for now. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Amazon could beat Apple to become the world’s first $1 trillion company, a new report suggests.
While Apple’s market cap currently stands at $893 billion to Amazon’s $752 billion, the online retail giant is rapidly closing the gap. By current trajectories, it will beat Apple to the $1 trillion mark by a mere week.
President Obama wants to continue spreading his message. Photo: WH.gov
Apple is reportedly battling with Netflix and Amazon to sign former President Barack Obama to a deal that would see him produce a high profile series of shows with wife Michelle Obama.
These shows will likely focus on the Obamas hosting conversations on a variety of topics, ranging from health care and climate change to nutrition. Unfortunately for Apple, it seems that Netflix may have this deal in the bag!
Apple fanboys get a bad name, but Android users are less likely to switch. Photo: Cult of Mac
Americans are far less likely to switch between an iPhone and an Android smartphone than they once were. A new study shows that virtually all users of both types have little interest in moving to the other team.
Loyalty to Android is just slightly stronger than it is to iOS. Nevertheless, more people are switching away from Google’s operating system than they are Apple’s.
The Ottm wooden Apple Watch band in Gabonese Zebrawood. Photo: Ottm
In the world of watch straps, we think Ottm, a manufacturer of wooden Apple Watch bands, offers one of the best unboxing experiences.
The box itself is plain and simple, but the package is thoughtfully designed, containing extra links and a pin removal tool that makes it very easy to adjust your new band.
The bands are awesome, too. Made from zebrawood and/or sandalwood, each hand-finished strap is eye-catching, comfortable and unique.
We made a video to show you what to expect. And, check out Ottm’s wooden Apple Watch bands in the Watch Store.
Charisma is hard to judge, but apparently Apple doesn’t have it. Or at least it’s less charismatic than many rivals, including Amazon and Google.
“Compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others,” is how the Oxford dictionary defines charisma. Since Apple is known for generating a legion of fans — a cult, if you will — one would expect it to sit at the top of a new survey judging the charisma of various brands. Instead, the iPhone-maker ranked eighth.
Get the best prices we've ever seen on these iPads and iMacs. Photo: Apple
There are great deals, and then there are great deals. These are the latter kind: Right now, you can get the best prices we’ve ever seen on certain iPads and iMacs. Or you can score a $60 cash card when you purchase an Apple Watch from a certain retailer. You’ll find those great buys and more in this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals.
Little league pitcher Mone Davis, one of the subjects Luisa Dörr photographed for TIME Photo: Luisa Dörr
We post our iPhone photos on Instagram and are often content if an image gets a few dozen likes. Luisa Dörr’s iPhone pictures got her a gig at TIME magazine. With the assignment, she landed the magazine’s cover — 12 of them to be precise.
The resulting work featuring some of the world’s most powerful women was published late last year and accelerated the career of the young unknown photographer from a small village in Brazil.
People got bored of Pokémon Go pretty quickly, but 20-foot-tall flesh-eating dinosaurs prove way harder to ignore. That’s the gist of Jurassic World Alive, a new augmented reality game that’s coming to iOS this spring to coincide with the release of the new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom movie.
Taking inspiration from the aforementioned Pokémon game, it lets you capture dinos by walking around, train them up, and then battle them against others. Check out the pretty awesome-looking trailer below.
But there's a definite chance of further delays. Photo: Foxconn
Apple this week acknowledged it is still battling poor working conditions and environmental violations with some of its overseas supplier factories, but highlighted programs to solve ongoing issues, according to a company audit.
Apple’s annual Supplier Responsibility Report addressed conditions at 756 sites in 30 countries last year and scored facilities based on its Code of Conduct.
You’ll have to pay extra to keep four streams. Photo: Netflix
Netflix is bringing video previews to mobile, giving users a 30-second glimpse at shows they may find interesting. On iPhone, you’ll be able to enjoy them in portrait mode so that you don’t have to keep switching orientation while browsing.
Tim Cook is the “Donald Trump of the music industry,” claims outspoken Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose.
There’s no further explanation from Rose, who posted the message on Twitter. It’s probably not meant as a compliment, though. Rose previously criticized Trump for appointing controversial ex-Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as his attorney general and accusing the president of “whining.”
Importing to a password manager will be easy. Photo: Francois Beaufort
Google is making it easier to download all your saved passwords from Chrome. It has long offered the ability to export the data, but the process has been complicated and cumbersome. That’s going to change “soon” with a new export system.
Nintendo is slashing 50 percent off Super Mario Run to celebrate Mario Day on March 10. New players will be able to unlock the full game, which includes six different worlds, for just $4.99 — but only for a limited time.