Mobile menu toggle

News - page 907

Apple slashes commissions for App Store referrals

By

App Store
Apple is cut affiliates' pay.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has decided to lower the amount of money it pays affiliate who funnel customers to buy apps and in-app purchases from the iOS App Store.

In an email update sent out today to members of its affiliates program, Apple says its cutting commission rates by more than half, leaving companies and websites with less money from what can be a valuable revenue stream.

Apple drops fourth betas for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS

By

RED iphone
Future iPhone displays could all be made by LG.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Just an hour after I finished installing the third iOS 10.3.2 beta on my iPhone, Apple has dropped a fourth. Alongside it comes new betas for macOS 10.12.5, tvOS 10.2.1, and watchOS 3.2.2 — all of which are available to download now if you’re a developer.

Apparent iPhone 8 dummy unit is super-confusing

By

iPhone-8-dummy-1
Is this the real iPhone 8?
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

Thanks to recent leaks, we thought we had a good idea what the iPhone 8 might look like. But forget what you thought you knew about Apple’s next-generation smartphone.

This apparent dummy unit blows all our previous conceptions right out of the water and leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions.

Apple teams up with surprising partner for OLED iPhone

By

battery
The iPhone 8 is set to get a major display upgrade.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has added a petroleum refiner to its list of iPhone suppliers — but, don’t worry, we’re not set for a petrol-powered iPhone any time soon!

Instead, Apple tapped Idemitsu Kosan for its expertise in OLED technology, which the Japanese company started researching way back in the mid-1980s.

Siri can now read out your WhatsApp messages

By

WhatsApp
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest WhatsApp update adds the ability to have Siri read aloud your WhatsApp messages.

You can also use the virtual assistant to compose and send replies, so urgent conversations can continue while you’re busy or driving, and you don’t even need to touch your iPhone.

iPhone 8 mass production is two months behind schedule

By

iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
One of the recent schematics showing the next-gen iPhone 8.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Mass production of Apple’s high-end OLED iPhone 8 is reportedly running a couple of months behind schedule, claims reputable KGI Securities Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo blames production problems related to the phone’s “significant hardware upgrades” for the delay, which is likely to cause mass production to be pushed back to October/November, instead of the usual August/September timeframe.

Why Uber’s rule-breaking app tactics got Tim Cook so upset

By

How much would you pay for lunch with Tim Cook? Photo: Apple
Tim Cook threatened to ban Uber from the App Store.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook dressed down Uber CEO Travis Kalanick — and even threatened to boot Uber out of the App Store — for violating Apple’s privacy rules, claims a new report.

Uber broke iOS privacy laws in an attempt to crack down on a certain kind of fraud in China, in which some drivers would earn incentives by booking fake rides on iPhones, which they then wiped. This allowed them to earn more money.

We deconstruct the new iPhone 8 leaks, this week on The CultCast

By

iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

This week on The CultCast: We deconstruct the latest iPhone 8 leaks! We’ll tell what we’ve learned. Plus: Apple starts testing the driverless car it’s totally not working on; and the best iOS apps for all you marijuana connoisseurs.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.

Apple training documents leak details of self-driving car project

By

lexus
The 2015 Lexus RX450h is Apple's vehicle of choice.
Photo: Lexus

Getting behind the wheel of one of Apple’s self-driving cars requires drivers to pass a series of tests, based on new information about the secretive project that leaked out today.

Details of Apple’s self-driving car program have been revealed by documents filed with the California DMV that shed light on the “Apple Automated System” currently under development.

Should iPhone 8’s Touch ID be on its back? [Friday Night Fights]

By

A sacrifice worth making?
A sacrifice worth making?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Recently “leaked” schematics for Apple’s next-generation iPhone reveal the company could be returning to a sharper, squarer form factor similar to that of the iPhone 5. They also hinted at a big change for Touch ID.

Friday Night Fights bugWith Apple expected to eliminate the Home button from this year’s iPhone, its fingerprint scanner could be relocated to its back — like on many Androids. This would free up space on the front of the phone for a larger display, while maintaining the secure and super-fast biometric sensor we all love.

But is a rear-facing fingerprint scanner a smart move, or should it remain on the front of the iPhone? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the iPhone 8’s Touch ID button.

Last chance for Earth Day bonus: Get an extra $10 for your old Apple gear

By

Earth Day gadget buyback
Save the earth and get paid! Trade-in your old Apple gear this week for cash, and take advantage of our Earth Day bonus: an extra $10 on every trade-in.
Photo: Pexels

Last chance! We’ve extended our special Earth Day buyback bonus until Monday.

Americans throw away 9.4 million tons of electronics each year, according to Earth 911. That’s roughly equivalent to the weight of 1.88 million elephants — way more elephants than are even alive today.

Fight that e-waste nightmare by trading in your old Apple gear, and you can take advantage of our Earth Day bonus: You’ll get an extra $10 on every trade-in — just use the coupon code “earthday”!

Touch ID moves to the back in new iPhone 8 renderings

By

iPhone 8 rear shell mockup.
iPhone 8 rear shell mockup.
Photo: Weibo

Apple may make the surprising move of relocating the Touch ID button to the back of the iPhone this year, but based on renderings of a leaked schematic, it wouldn’t look that bad.

Several renders, based on the supposed iPhone 8 schematic that hit the internet this week, show what the device’s rear shell might look like during production. It’s not a photo of the real iPhone shell, but for now this is as close to the real deal as we’re going to get.

Here’s another angle:

Apple hires satellite experts for mystery project

By

Is Apple thinking about making satellites?
Is Apple thinking about making satellites?
Photo: NOAA/Flickr

A pair of new Apple hirings may hint that the company is setting its sights on the sky.

Two of Google’s top satellite executives have reportedly left the Alphabet-owned company in recent weeks and were hired by Apple. What they’ll be working on isn’t clear, but their experience indicates Apple could be getting serious about satellite internet.

Everything we think we know about the iPhone 8

By

iPhone 8 concept
Same size as the iPhone 7, but with a bigger screen.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Thanks to a bevy of leaks that flooded the internet this week, we know more about the iPhone 8 than ever before. Even if only half the rumors turn out to be true, this year’s iPhone is set to be the most innovative device Apple has made in years.

Here’s what we know so far.

Snapchat pays record $7.7 million for geofilters patent

By

The previous record wasn't even half that amount.
The previous record wasn't even half that amount.
Photo: Snapchat

Snap, Inc., the company behind Snapchat, just paid a staggering $7.7 million to acquire a “geofilters” patent and prevent it being snapped up by Facebook.

It is believed to be “by far the highest amount paid” for a single patent in Israel — the previous record was less than half that — and it goes to local firm Mobli.

Apple celebrates Turkey’s Children’s Day with new iPhone billboards

By

C97u5xoVYAAKBzO.jpg-large
Apple is celebrating iPhone photos shot by kids.
Photo: Apple

As if it wasn’t hard enough keeping on top of Apple’s business in the U.S., Tim Cook has tweeted out an image as an advance celebration of Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which takes place on April 23.

The image is a variation on Apple’s long-established “Shot on iPhone,” campaign, except this time depicting photos taken by “young talents” in Turkey. Or, at least, young talents in Turkey fortunate enough to own an iPhone!

Overcast app lets you send podcasts to Apple Watch

By

x
Like podcasts? Like Apple Watch? Then this is the app for you!
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Superior iOS podcast app Overcast has issued a new 3.1 update, allowing users to send individual podcasts to their Apple Watch to listen to when they’re not in the immediate vicinity of their iPhone.

This is something that can’t be done with Apple’s official Podcasts app, even though users can send audio files from the iOS Music app.

The one thing Steve Jobs and Bill Gates agreed on

By

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, rivals and friends.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates shared same view on kids and technology
Photo: AllThingsD

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates didn’t always see eye to eye. When it came to their kids’ relationships to technology, however, it seems they agreed on more than they disagreed on.

That’s based on a new interview with Microsoft co-founder Gates, in which he says he and his wife didn’t allow their children to have cellphones until they were 14 — and limited other screen time as well. Jobs did much the same.

Instagram is finally cracking down on fake accounts

By

These Instagram tips will help you connect with photographers who share your interests.
We don’t want to see photos from everyone we follow.
Photo: Lee Peterson/Cult of Mac

Instagram is finally clamping down on fake accounts that aren’t controlled by real users.

Instagress, a service that helped Instagram users gain additional followers for a fee, has been forced to shutdown as a result of the crackdown.

Didi Chuxing may cure world of traffic jams, says Tim Cook

By

tim cook in a car
Tim Cook catches a cab with Didi Chuxing's Chuxing's Jean Liu.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple CEO Tim Cook had nothing but high praise for Didi Chuxing CEO Jean Liu in an exert he wrote about her for Time magazine.

Liu was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2017. Cook, who sits on Didi’s board, was asked to write about Liu and said that her taxi-hailing startup is changing how people in China connect and commute with its convenience and flexibility.

Leaked Apple injuries report hints at AR glasses

By

Google Glass wasn't meant to be a big success... yet.
What will Apple's AR glasses look like?
Photo: Google

New clues about prototype products Apple is currently testing may have just been revealed by leaked documents originating from Apple’s Cupertino campus.

A report on Apple compiled by an Environment Health and Safety contractor has reportedly leaked online today. Inside the report are over 70 different incidents that occurred on the campus. Most of the incidents in the report are fairly ordinary, but a couple entries hint at Apple developing augmented reality glasses.