Embargoed reviews of the new Apple TV 4K have lifted, and the feedback is… pretty good. With an emphasis on the “pretty,” thanks to the Apple TV’s newfound 4K viewing capabilities.
That’s not to say things are perfect, though.
This week, leap into fall with a new iPhone or MacBook! We found deals on iPhones (including the new iPhone 8), plus a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
This week on The CultCast: iPhone 8 reviews are in! We’ll tell you what everyone loves about the 8, and why you should get one over the X (but probably won’t). Plus: We round up reviews for Apple Watch series 3, and argue over which model is best. And stick around for what we don’t like about iPhone X; Apple’s A11 chip hits a surprising benchmark; tests show iPhone 8 wireless charging is abysmally slow; Apple quietly hikes their iDevice prices; and we’ll tell you all the best AR apps you need to try.
Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to the Apple store in Palo Alto this morning to celebrate the launch of the iPhone 8.
Despite seeing modest lines for the device’s launch around the country, Cook told reporters today he’s “thrilled” with the response to both the iPhone 8 and the Apple Watch Series 3. Many stores across the globe have sold out of the new watch and according to Cook, the iPhone 8 is out of stock in some places too.
The iPhone 8 isn’t getting as hyped a reception from fans as previous models, but Apple’s making a hard push to lure in customers with its latest video.
Apple’s newest commercial gives people 8 things to love about the new iPhone 8, from durable glass front and back to its insanely fast A11 processor. Most fans are holding out for the iPhone X, however, you might be convinced to upgrade earlier after watching the new 47-second spot.
Apple’s new iPhones are its most beautiful yet. And as such, they deserve to be docked in nothing but the finest cradles ever crafted.
Find the perfect dock can be a bit of challenge considering there are a dizzying array of options to choose from. Not all docks are created equal though, so we’ve rounded up the best options for users of all budgets.
These are the docks you should buy:
The new iPhone 8 isn’t just the most beautiful phone Apple has ever made. It’s also one of the toughest ever.
iPhone 8 buyers have already put the new device through a number of torture tests after it went on sale across the globe this morning. Even though the new design sports glass in the front back, early stress tests have shown its more durable than the iPhone 7 in bend test.
Check it out:
Fans queuing for the latest iPhone is something customary for new launches, but according to reports from across the globe, demand isn’t what it has been in previous years.
Interest in the new handset seems to be muted, with Apple stores seeing a fraction of the lines that have greeted previous iPhone launches. At Apple stores in New York City, where typically hundreds of fans are queued up for hours to buy the iPhone, the entire line was gone within the first hour of the store opening.
The cameras onboard the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the “best-performing” smartphone cameras ever tested, according to a report by DxOMark Labs.
Both iPhones surpassed what DxO once declared the best, the Google Pixel. The 8 Plus scored a 94, two points higher than its single-camera sibling. The Pixel and the HTC U11 both rated a 90 while the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 scored an 88 and 85 respectively.
Most people haven’t even laid their hands on one yet, but the good folks at iFixit have already gotten hold of a new iPhone device and cracked it open to see what its insides look like.
While the new handset is very similar to the existing iPhone 7, it does include a few notable differences, which can be described as follows:
To mark the release of the iPhone 8 and iOS 11, Apple has posted two new videos, reminding customers of just how easy it is to use its Apple Pay mobile payments service.
The videos focus on how to use Touch ID to make payments and how to add new payments cards. Check them out below.
Apple’s generous spirit and its bank account continue to keep on giving in light of another major disaster, this time in Mexico.
The company already donated millions of dollars to relief efforts for hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Now Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that the company is sending money to Mexico to help clean up the damage done by the recent earthquake.
Apple’s AirPods and Beats headphones are getting some fresh competition from one of the biggest audio companies in the game. And they’re getting a little help from Apple’s rival, Google.
Bose unveiled two new products today. One is its first ever foray into the world of truly wireless earbuds. The other is a pair of brand new noise-canceling headphones that are also designed to work with Google Assistant.
Apple is out to “sabotage the economic model of the internet” as it protects users from shady tracking while browsing the internet, according to several organizations representing digital advertisers.
Six different digital ad and marketing trade associations recently signed and sent an open letter to Apple opposing a pending Safari update aimed at protecting how your browsing data is used.
Apple’s boss of retail is finally getting some recognition for her large role at the world’s most powerful tech company.
In its latest rankings of the most powerful women in business, Fortune has placed Angela Ahrendts in the top 20 of influencers, raising her up one spot from last year and putting her ahead of executives at companies like Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, and Boeing.
Apple has begun shipping early orders for iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K.
All three devices make their official debut tomorrow, September 22 — one week after they were made available to pre-order. If you haven’t already claimed yours, you’ll now have to wait at least three weeks for it to ship from the Apple online store.
The Apple Watch has come a long way from the first model. With each update, Apple adds important missing ingredients, like GPS, a faster processor, cellular and an altimeter.
So has Apple Watch finally reached its true potential? Cupertino certainly thinks so. Apple COO Jeff Williams described Series 3 with cellular as “the ultimate expression of Apple Watch” at last week’s special event.
But three big problems still remain (not including the cellular connectivity glitch Apple is scrambling to fix ahead of this Friday’s ship date).
Apple has finally increased the cellular download limit for iOS apps.
Following the release of iOS 11, you can now download titles up to 150 MB in size without a Wi-Fi connection. That’s still not enough for many apps and games, but it is a step in the right direction.
Apple’s new Apple TV 4K set-top box doesn’t currently support Dolby Atmos surround sound, an early review reveals. However, this is something Apple plans to add in a future update.
Atmos, along with competitor DTS:X, are next generation surround sound formats, referred to in the industry as “object-based surround.” In contrast to regular surround sound, which sends specific audio tracks to different speakers, Atmos lets sound engineers place their sound “objects” in 3D space, and then makes your sound system work out how to replicate this.
Qualcomm has suffered a blow in its patent royalty battle with Apple after losing two hearings.
The first hearing means that Qualcomm cannot force Apple’s manufacturing partners to make royalty payments before the total quantity of royalties are settled. The second means that it cannot stop Apple from seeking antitrust cases against Qualcomm in other countries.
The iPhone X may be Apple’s most exciting iPhone refresh in years, but it’s causing the company no end of production issues. According to a new report, the iPhone X has run into more late stage manufacturing problems, causing an additional “incremental” delay for shipping.
The result? Final production on the handset hasn’t even started yet.
Big changes have been made to the App Store with the release of iOS 11 and Apple is ready to help users get acclimated in its latest series of ads.
The company published four new videos that showcase some of the new features. iOS 11 users will immediately notice the layout of the store is completely different thanks to the new Today section that makes finding new apps easier. Some of the UI changes have taken some cues from Apple News and Apple Music.
Check it out:
The first wave of ARKit-powered apps is crashing into the App Store this week to change the way you use your iPhone.
With iOS 11, Apple has turned the iPhone and iPad into the world’s biggest augmented reality platform and some of the first offerings from developers are pretty mindblowing. You’ll need an iPhone 6s or above to take advantage of ARKit’s incredible powers, but these apps might convince you it’s worth the upgrade.
Here are 7 ARKit apps you should download right now:
When the iPhone launched 10 years ago, there were two kinds of tap. A regular tap for everything, and a special press-and-hold to get the Home screen icons jiggling and ready to rearrange. That was it. Now, with iOS 11, I have counted at least five different types of tap and press, and that’s just on the iPad. If you count the iPhone, then you also have 3D-Touch to deal with.
Partly this comes down to the new systemwide drag-and-drop capability baked into in iOS 11, and partly it has to do with Apple trying to mimic 3D Touch’s pressure sensitivity on the iPad.
The biggest surprise, though, is that Apple managed to pull it off, even in the early iOS 11 beta I’m running now. Not only are these gestures all intuitive, but the overall feel of interaction has gotten way better.
The next great update for the MacBook Pro may not happen until late 2018 thanks to a delay in Intel’s highly anticipated Cannon Lake processors.
Intel has allegedly decided to push back the launch of its Cannon Lake processors yet again, according to a new report that claims the company is now looking to launch them toward the end of 2018.