Apple has acquired an AI company as part of its continued push to embrace artificial intelligence.
The company in question is the Menlo Park-based Lattice Data, which specializes in taking unstructured, “dark” data and transforming it into more useful, structured information. Apple acquired around 20 engineers as part of the deal.
Ever wanted to run your own AI startup, hopefully without bringing about the end of humanity in the process? A new game from the maker of the popular CARROT series of iOS apps gives you exactly that opportunity.
That’s just one of the great apps we’ve got covered in this week’s Awesome Apps roundup. We’ve also got a Snapchat update, a Steam gaming classic finally landed in the App Store, and a great Myst-inspired architectural puzzle game. Check out our picks below.
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we show you how to use Apple’s Music Memos app to record your musical ideas as well as how to hook a guitar up to your iPhone and rock out.
Learn about Tekserve’s impressive Apple computer artifact collection which is now on display in a museum in the Ukraine — at the headquarters of software developer MacPaw.
Check out Cult of Mac Watch Store’s first major sale on Apple Watch straps! Enjoy 20 percent off great brands including Meridio, Strapple, Nyloon and more!
Here are this week’s top stories.
This week on The CultCast: It’s official — the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote takes place June 5. Don’t miss our WWDC 2017 hardware expectations! Plus: Apple quietly acquires one of the world’s best sleep-tracking technologies; why Amazon’s Prime Video app may finally be coming to your Apple TV; our first impressions of the Amazon Echo Show, and the features we hope Apple steals from it; and stick around for a very weird, very tribal “What We’re Into,” the segment where we reveal all the non-tech stuff we’re currently digging.
Our thanks to Casper, maker of the internet’s favorite mattress, for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper is tops and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.
Did you know that you can shoot video and take still photos on your iPhone at the same time?
If not, you definitely need to watch Apple’s latest series of iPhone 7 videos that offer tips on how to capture amazing photos with the camera that’s always with you. Apple posted four more videos today that go with the other photography tutorials that came out yesterday. Now you can learn more about selfies, better angles, golden hour and more.
Watch all four new videos:
A merger between Sprint and T-Mobile could be back on the table, according to a new report that claims informal talks between the two carriers sparked up again this week.
Sprint attempted to acquire T-Mobile back in 2014 but the deal fell apart because of regulatory concerns. Now the heads of both companies have expressed to investors that they’re willing to consider consolidating again.
According to Goldman Sachs, the iPhone 8 is set to be Apple’s priciest iPhone ever by quite a wide margin. A note from analyst Simona Jankowski claims the next-gen iPhone will carry the suitably next-gen price of $1,000.
More specifically, Jankowski predicts that the 128GB iPhone 8 will sell for $999, while the 256GB version will set you back a whopping $1,099.
Apple has added a new “Mother’s Day Challenge” for the Apple Watch, rewarding anyone who can complete a walk, run or wheelchair workout of one mile or more.
Those who complete the challenge get an addition badge in the Activity app, alongside new stickers they can us in Messages, to casually show off among their friends.
Apple has awarded Corning the first grant of its $1 billion investment aimed at boosting high-tech manufacturing jobs in the United States. The glassmaker will receive $200 million.
Corning has worked with Apple for a decade — ever since the original iPhone’s Gorilla Glass — to create the glass found on its devices. Apple’s contribution as part of its “Advanced Manufacturing Fund” will support Corning’s R&D, capital equipment needs, and state-of-the-art glass processing.
I keep telling myself I’m going to buy an old wooden camera with a brass barrel lens and take one of those workshops where I learn some 19th-century photographic process. But I know myself. The steps are exacting and tedious, the chemistry complicated and my patience and attention for such details could fit in a pixel.
So when imaging software company Macphun developed a beautiful set of one-click presets that emulate tintypes and other old photo finishes, I felt like I found a process I could master.
Apple is rightly proud of its great iPhone 7 camera, and in a new series of instructional videos debuting online it wants to make sure that users take full advantage.
The video series, posted on both Apple’s YouTube channel and a new webpage, follows on from the company’s acclaimed “Shot on iPhone” ad campaign, which highlights photos taken by everyday iPhone users. The new videos deal with topics like how best to shoot action or close-ups on your new iPhone.
The feud between Apple TV and Amazon Prime appears to finally be over.
Apple plans to unveil an Amazon Prime Video app for Apple TV at its Worldwide Developers Conference next month, according to a report that claims the new app will go live this summer.
iTunes is finally coming to the Windows Store.
Microsoft made the surprise announcement today during its Build 2017 developers conference, which also included the unveiling of a new tool that lets developers create iOS apps on Windows PCs.
Developing iOS apps no longer requires access to a Mac, thanks to a new program introduced by Microsoft called Xamarin Live Player.
Microsoft unveiled the new tool today at its Build 2017 developer conference. With Xamarin Live Player, developers can deploy iOS apps directly to an iPhone using Visual Studio on a PC, removing altogether the need for a Mac to code.
Lady Gaga is the queen of provocative visuals. This has been her undisputed title ever since she performed on stage in a dress of raw beef seven years ago.
Now her devoted fans have her help in expressing themselves in roaring Mother Monster fashion on iOS with Lady Gaga emoji, a series of animated iMessage stickers and GIFs that debuted today.
Apple wants to give users new ways to interact with Siri, according to a patent application published today.
The patent describes how users may be able to engage in text-based conversations with Siri using an app like Messages. This wouldn’t just be accessible to single users, but could also be drawn on by multiple users in a group chat, perhaps similar to the way that Google’s Gboard keyboard allows users to search without having to load up an app like Safari.
From 1994 until 2004, the sitcom Friends was a pop culture phenomenon. But according to Rachel Green actress Jennifer Aniston one thing would stop the show from working today: the iPhone.
“If Friends was created today, you would have a coffee shop full of people that were just staring into iPhones,” Aniston told Arianna Huffington on Wednesday’s episode of iHeartRadio’s Thrive Global Podcast. “There would be no actual episodes or conversations.”
Being there for you when the rain starts to pour? Apparently there’s no app for that.
Apple’s A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has reportedly begun production of the new A11 chip for the upcoming iPhone 8 and possibly the upgraded iPhone 7s handsets.
When legendary Mac repair shop Tekserve closed its doors last summer in New York City, Apple fans of a certain age experienced two deaths.
They bade goodbye to the original Genius Bar, technicians that had been servicing their devices for nearly 30 years. Those fans would also never again stare at Tekserve’s impressive Apple computer artifact collection, which was quickly auctioned off to an unknown bidder for $47,000.
The collection returned to a museum display today, more than 4,600 miles away in the Ukraine. Its new home is at the headquarters of software developer MacPaw.
Apple will be building a massive $1 billion expansion of its Reno data center, five years after it first opened the Nevada facility. The expansion will provide 100 new jobs in the region, while construction will add an extra 300 temporary positions.
“We’re excited to be increasing our contributions to the local economy with an additional $1 billion investment to expand our data center and supporting facilities,” said Apple spokesperson John Rosenstock.
We’ve got deals on Apple Watches — Series 1 and Series 2 — as well as the new 9.7-inch iPad and other desirable devices in this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals.
If you’ve been waiting (and waiting) to get your hands on a pair of AirPods, now’s your chance. Apple’s wireless headphones currently appear to be in stock at Verizon Wireless with fast, free shipping.
Grab ’em while they last!
Beloved indie RPG To The Moon has just arrived on iOS in a stunning HD, remastered version from Ragnarok Online devs XD Network.
Originally released on Steam way back in 2011, the beautifully heartwarming game tells the story of two doctors who travel back through a dying man’s memories to help fulfill his final wish — and discover why he made the wish he did.
Check out the trailer below.
Apple is constantly talking up the importance of India as a growth market, and a new report from Kantar Wordpanel illustrates exactly why that is.
According to the report, smartphone penetration hit a 48 percent growth rate in the first quarter of 2017. That’s considerably up from the 16 percent growth rate seen one year earlier. In a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, that’s a massive target market!
Thanks to some factory CAD images and high-quality renders, we’ve gotten our clearest look yet at Apple’s next-gen iPhone — if leakers @OnLeaks and tech blog @GearIndia are to be believed, that is!
The images depict a powered-off iPhone 8, sized somewhere between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, although slightly thicker than both. As previously rumored, they show the expected vertical camera setup and edge-to-edge OLED infinite display with no Home button.
Want a closer look? Check out more pictures and a video mockup below.