There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the HomePod speaker Apple announced at WWDC last month. But thanks to the firmware that was released to developers on Friday, we now know a little bit more about its internal hardware.
Apple shows off the celebrity pairings that will rev up Carpool Karaoke in a new spot for the upcoming show.
The first star-studded episode premieres on Apple Music on August 8. But you can get a preview of the sing-along show in the trailer below.
Apple is set to unveil its latest earnings report on Tuesday, and Wall Street analysts predict it will probably be the most boring earnings call of 2017.
This will likely be Apple’s last public announcement before it unveils the next generation of iPhones. Apple CEO Tim Cook might drop some hints on what to expect, and when, as investors look forward to Apple’s next big blockbuster quarter. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging the entire event with all the analysis and wit we can muster.
Watch for these five things during the call:
Here’s one reason we still don’t know whether the next iPhone will be called the iPhone X, iPhone 8 or something else entirely. A loophole that allowed intrepid investigators to dig up secret Apple product names has been closed.
It’s like Apple loves secrets or something!
Microsoft’s Word Flow keyboard for iPhone has been pulled from the App Store now that the company’s “experiment” is over.
The unique keyboard, which made its debut last April, was designed for one-handed typing on larger displays. Now Microsoft is advising fans to switch to SwiftKey instead.
Every year, we see some fancy new Android handset try to challenge the iPhone camera, whether it be in sheer number of megapixels or some smart AI image processing technology.
However, Vic Gundotra, Google’s former senior vice president of social, says there’s only serious contender when it comes to making him replace his DSLR: the iPhone.
Samsung may be providing 100 percent of the OLED displays for Apple’s iPhone 8, but according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, LG Display will be playing an increasingly big role in iPhone OLED display manufacturing in the years to come.
Specifically, he thinks that LG will to supply 10-20 percent of the iPhone’s OLED supply by 2019, and 20-30 percent by 2020.
Code confirming the existence of Apple’s infrared facial recognition technology has been discovered by intrepid developer-turned-iOS sleuth Steve Troughton-Smith.
Troughton-Smith discovered the code in the HomePod firmware Apple released late last week. It suggests that previous reports about face unlocking on the iPhone 8, possibly as a replacement for Touch ID, may be accurate.
A stunning minimalist iOS puzzle game, in which you must guide a beam of light through a network of pipes, is just one of the great App Store picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.
We’ve also selected a great music-making app for iPhone and iPad, a smart Bluetooth device finder for tracking down your lost Apple Pencil, and an entertaining parkour endless runner. Check out our choices below.
Capo touch is the iOS version of Capo, an amazing Mac app that lets you slice and dice a song, slowing it down so you can learn it on guitar or another instrument.
Developer SuperMegaUltraGroovy added some great new features to Capo touch version 2.5. If you’re a long-time user, you’ll appreciate the interface tweaks, the Apple Music support and the new audio-scrubbing engine. If you never used Capo, and you play a guitar, you should buy Capo touch right now.
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, amateur podcaster and video-tutorial creator, Chris Ward, shares what he’s learned, along with recommendations on the hardware, software and techniques to get you started podcasting using your Mac.
We’ve got video of iOS 11 beta 4 changes, and how the flashlight mode on iPhone helped a photographer light the simulated workspace of European astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Check out the long-awaited Rainbow Apple Watch Band from Juuk, and more. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
The launch of Apple’s new HomePod speaker isn’t slated until the very end of 2017, but after digging into the software that powers the new device, one developer has revealed a number of features fans can expect.
Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that it’s basically like another iOS device only it doesn’t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.
Next time you go hunting for a famous hidden cave, make sure to turn on the ‘Find My Friends’ app. One lucky climber from the U.K. just found out it can totally save your life.
Mountain rescuers workers came to the ill-prepared hiker’s aid after he was injured during his pursuit of the famous Priest Hole cave at the UK’s Lake District National Park. The hike fell over 60 feet and suffered a serious head injury, but was eventually located using Apple’s app.
Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has reportedly started mass-production of the A11 chip that will power the iPhone 8.
The new chip is said to be based on a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7.
Early benchmarks suggest it will be even faster than the A10X Fusion chip in the latest iPad Pros.
Apple will cough up 3 billion won (approx. $2.7 billion) for exclusivity over LG Display’s new OLED production facility, according to a new report.
It’s thought Samsung has been tasked with manufacturing displays for this year’s iPhone 8, but Apple’s big investment could mean all future handsets use LG panels.
Apple paid $2 billion in cash to settle its most recent patent battle with Nokia.
Neither party revealed the sum when they put their differences aside and entered into a new licensing and business cooperation agreement back in May. But Nokia’s earnings reveal that the Finnish firm received a massive payout to drop its patent lawsuit.
Artificial intelligence is being used for some incredible things, but it’s not always helpful. A new iPhone app that promises to help you identify mushrooms using AI has been labeled “potentially deadly,” and experts say you should steer well clear of it.
Over 1 billion people around the world are using WhatsApp every single day.
The insanely popular messaging service, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, is now processing over 55 billion messages, 4.5 billion photos, and 1 billion videos per day.
Apple has updated its official Apple Store app to allow shoppers to authorize Apple ID payments with Touch ID.
Users previously had to enter their Apple ID password to use this payment method; they could only use Touch ID when paying with a credit card connected to Apple Pay.
It’s time to go pro! This week, you can upgrade your MacBook or iPad and save some cash in the process. You’ll find great buys on high-end Apple gear, plus a super-cheap Apple Watch band, in this week’s roundup of best Apple deals.
Earth Day 2017 has long since passed but Apple’s still not done busting out its quirky videos that celebrate the company’s green environmental protection initiatives.
In Apple’s latest hand-drawn ad published today, the company showcased its efforts to preserve forests so that the paper used in all of its packaging is done in a sustainable way. With a goal of preserving nearly 1 million acres of forest by 2020, Apple hopes 99% of the fibers and papers will come responsible sources and recycling.
Watch Lisa Jackson explain:
Being one of the first to market with new iPhone accessories can mean big business. We won’t get confirmation of Apple’s plans for the iPhone 8 until September, but some companies are already manufacturing cases based on leaks and rumors.
One of those is Nodus. Launched in 2013, the case-maker focuses exclusively on the iPhone, and its plans for Apple’s next big refresh are already well underway. Here’s everything it knows about the iPhone 8 so far, and how it’s fighting to beat others to market.
Having to keeping track of your Apple Pencil with ugly accessories is the worst feature of Apple’s magical stylus. A new iPad app is promising to change that hassle by providing a Find My iPhone like solution for the Apple Pencil.
Apple pulled the iPod nano and iPod shuffle from its website today, confirming that the models have been discontinued.
The iPod touch, which just received a storage boost, remains as the company’s only dedicated music player.
Apple has confirmed that it won’t store or sell any data collected by its HomePod smart speaker.
HomePod won’t send anything to Apple’s servers until a user activates it with the “Hey Siri” command. Apple encrypts any information received after that point. The data gets encrypted and sent using an anonymous ID.