Mobile menu toggle

News - page 865

New Apple data center will boost iCloud in China

By

Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple will help launch a new data center in the Guizhou province of China to boost iCloud services locally.

A new report claims the company has signed a cooperation agreement with the government to invest $1 billion in the facility, which will be maintained by a third-party.

Apple issues security updates for all devices

By

mac security
Apple released new security updates to keep malicious hackers out.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple issued a laundry list of updates on most of its operating systems to resolve what appears to be security soft spots.

Cupertino offered few specifics but the list includes macOS, tvOS, iOS, watch OS, Safari and iTunes and iCloud for Windows.

Super-smart rings, secure GPS trackers and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

By

ORII smart ring
ORII is a smart ring that's actually smart.
Photo: ORII

Crowdfund Roundup bugMaybe smartwatches aren’t your thing, but what about an impressive smart ring that lets you take calls, interact with virtual assistants, and more without being too intrusive?

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have the world’s first graphene headphones, a fidget spinner that you can connect to your smartphone for ultra-cool LED effects, and more!

Everything new with Siri in iOS 11

By

siri ios 11
Siri gets a lot of love in the latest iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra updates.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Siri often gets dinged for being stupid, but significant upgrades in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra make Apple’s AI assistant smarter than ever. With advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, Siri sounds slicker and understands you better on Apple’s updated platforms.

Siri also learned a lot of new tricks, and can now offer suggestions inside other apps. Here’s a brief look at everything new with Siri in iOS 11.

Woz says iPhone worth high price, even in China

By

Woz: I don’t think true self-driving cars will arrive in my lifetime
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has a growing fascination with cryptocurrency.
Photo: Nichollas Harrison/Wikimedia Commons CC

The iPhone is lagging behind competitors in China. But if Apple notices a sudden uptick in sales, they may have an old friend to thank.

At a tech conference in the Guangdong province of China Tuesday, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak praised Chinese manufacturers for making smartphones with great functions and affordable prices.

But Woz said the iPhone is still worth the extra money.

Apple stops giving Nokia the stink eye

By

Nokia digital health
Nokia’s health devices could return to Withings.
Photo: Nokia

Apple is again selling Nokia devices after settling a legal battle over patent infringement.

Nokia health accessories, which are compatible with iPhone and iPad, returned to the Apple online store on Wednesday almost two months after the two companies reached an agreement.

Apple’s new machine learning blog underlines its focus on AI

By

Machine learning
Apple is in the blogging business.
Photo: Apple

For a long time, Apple segregated itself from the rest of the artificial intelligence community, refusing to attend conferences, or to let its researchers publish their work in existing journals.

Today, Apple got around this second problem in the most Apple way possible: by launching a machine learning journal of its own.

Maybe Apple hasn’t given up on iPhone SE just yet

By

iPhone SE camera
Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone SE in May.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple hasn’t given up on its smallest, most affordable iPhone just yet.

A new report claims the 4-inch iPhone SE is due for a refresh soon, and that it will get its very own event this August. What’s more, the new model will be even cheaper than the one Apple sells today.

Apple funds suppliers who fight back against Qualcomm

By

encryption
And just when we thought this case was calming down!
Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC

Apple is reportedly paying the legal costs of four of its assemblers, Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal, as they challenge Qualcomm in court.

In a filing made late Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, the Apple suppliers allege that Qualcomm has violated two sections of the U.S. antitrust law, the Sherman Act.

Samsung has no interest in taking on HomePod

By

HomePod
Samsung doesn't want to fight HomePod... yet.
Photo: Apple

Samsung currently has no plans to take on HomePod with a smart speaker of its own.

Recent rumors have claimed the South Korean company is working on a standalone Bixby device, but a source familiar with its plans says the market is too small to be profitable.

Spotify sued for allegedly streaming 2,445 songs without permission

By

Spotify
Spotify has found itself the subject of two new legal battles.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify has been hit with two new lawsuits from music publishers claiming that the streaming music giant has illegally published songs from the label, without the proper permissions.

Artists’ work that is covered in the lawsuit include Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, and Guns ‘N Roses, and others. 2,445 songs are highlighted by the lawsuit.

Nintendo Switch’s new voice chat app goes live… kinda

By

Nintendo Switch
Want to chat to your friends on Switch multiplayer? There's an app for that.
Photo: Nintendo

Ahead of launching Splatoon 2 this Friday, Nintendo has published its Nintendo Switch Online app in the iOS App Store.

While the features won’t be available prior to July 21, the app will allow users to carry out voice chat and access the SplatNet 2 portal, where it will be possible to view your game stats, buy extra gear, and invite friends to compete in battles.

Apple creates new managing director role for its Greater China expansion

By

New China VP
Isabel Ge Mahe is currently Apple's vice president of Wireless Technologies.
Photo: Apple

Apple has appointed a new vice president and managing director of its Greater China region. Isabel Ge Mahe is currently Apple’s vice president of Wireless Technologies, having worked for Apple since July 2008.

In her new role, she will be based in Shanghai, but report directly to Tim Cook and Apple COO Jeff Williams.

Steven Soderbergh’s secret iPhone movie has Hollywood abuzz

By

Soderbergh iPhone movie
Director Steven Soderbergh has reportedly made movie magic with an iPhone.
Photo: YouTube

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has the kind of filmography that gives him plenty of negotiating power when requesting money to make a film.

But the star filmmaker is a fan of low-budget, experimental movie-making and one of his upcoming titles was reportedly shot on an iPhone.

Google Glass gets makeover for factory floors

By

Google Glass 2.0
Google Glass 2.0 with a new lunch-bucket worker image.
Photo: Google

Google Glass was a bold look at the future to the select “explorers” who tested the personal computing eyewear in 2013. It also looked funny and creepy to the rest of us.

Today, Google rolled out polished new Glass Enterprise Edition, a workplace tool with valued applications in fields ranging from manufacturing to health care.

iPhone will power spectacular $99 AR headset

By

Mira
2017 is set to be the year of augmented reality.
Photo: Mira

Apple’s own AR headset may still be a rumor, but if you want to get hold of an iPhone-friendly augmented reality headset you’ll be able to do it later this year — for just $99!

Made by Los Angeles startup Mira, the Prism resembles a slimmed-down version of the $950 Meta 2 AR headset. The new device boasts a small, motion-sensing controller with a Gear VR-style trigger. Check out the teaser trailer below.

Why Apple investors should quit worrying about iPhone 8 delay

By

iPhone 8 mockup
Here's how Apple will make iPhone 8 feel less expensive.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple investors have been urged to “quit worrying” by one analyst, who insists the “short-lived” iPhone 8 delay won’t impact stock price.

Robert Cihra from Guggenheim doesn’t deny that iPhone 8 will launch late, but he’s confident fans will wait, rather than jump ship.

Animated avatar grooves alongside human in cool new ARKit demo

By

AR
Tim Cook is hella excited about AR. We can't disagree with him!
Photo: Normal VR

Another day, another great showcase of Apple’s new ARKit augmented reality platform, as created by ingenious independent developers.

This time round, the work is by New York developer Normal VR. Devs at Normal used Apple’s augmented reality tech and graphics engine Unity to craft a cool demo showing a cartoon avatar matching the movements of a human user. Check it out below.

Samsung may take over iPhone A-series chip manufacturing next year

By

Samsung
Apple and Samsung are BFFs again.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Samsung will reportedly resume production of Apple’s A-series chips for the iPhone from next year, having lost out on orders to TSMC in recent years.

If true, the move is a major win for Samsung, which has increasingly been Apple’s go-to manufacturer as of late, to the betterment of both companies.

WhatsApp will let you watch YouTube videos within chats

By

Facebook messaging apps
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp is working to add inline YouTube support to its app, allowing users to enjoy videos within their conversations. The feature will take advantage of the Picture in Picture feature in recent versions of iOS to prevent pulling you away from your conversation.

Apple makes it easier for devs to respond to App Store reviews

By

Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
Customer Support staff can now answer your mean (or nice) reviews.
Photo: Apple

Apple is making it easier for developers to interact with their customers by changing the rules concerning responses to App Store reviews.

Instead of being limited only to developers with admin access, Apple has now made it possible for the newly-created Customer Support developer roles to also respond to reviews posted on the Mac and iOS App Stores.

Qualcomm CEO hints that Apple feud could be settled out of court

By

encryption
Things may not wind up in court after all.
Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC

It seems that the once-rapidly escalating war of attrition between Apple and Qualcomm may be coming to an end.

Speaking at the Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen this week, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that issues such as the one between Qualcomm and Apple, “tend to get to resolved out of court, and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t expect that to be the case here.”