Try not to be stunned by the new HomePod mini color option. Photo: Apple
Apple just replaced the space gray HomePod mini with a new midnight color option. Monday’s change to the company’s smart speaker lineup is hardly monumental — you might not even be able to see the difference.
Still, the new midnight HomePod mini is also “green.” Apple made it using 100% recycled mesh fabric.
Apple’s revenue in India hit an all-time high of nearly $8 billion in the last fiscal year. The company reported a 33% jump in revenues, up from $6 billion a year ago.
iPhones led the growth, accounting for over half of all Apple devices sold in India.
The first PC emulator for iOS is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. Free app UTM SE allows you to run “classic software and old-school games.”
Apple first rejected the developer’s submission in June, citing a violation of the App Store Review Guidelines. However, Apple appears to have changed its stance regarding PC emulators on the App Store since then.
Which Apple rumor are you most surprised by? Photo: Nathan Bingle/Unsplash License
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We dissect the latest Apple rumors, which go from incredible bummer (Apple Watch) to potential breakthroughs (iPhone and HomePod).
Also on The CultCast:
The latest iOS 18 beta brings some welcome new changes.
A teaser trailer and a release date get us psyched for season two of Severance.
Griffin tells us all about a keyboard with a peculiar name in a new Under Review segment.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
The new Photos app is divisive. Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
With the major Photos app redesign coming in iOS 18, Apple aims for simplicity. However, the version of the Photos app in iOS 18 developer beta 3 is a hodge-podge of design that will confuse users. I think that if Apple doesn’t revise its approach, the company will face significant backlash when it releases the updated app to the public this fall.
Yes, iOS 18 is still in beta. And Apple very well could change the Photos app before its anticipated release in September. I certainly hope Apple tweaks things — I’m writing this as more of a wish list than a design critique. In fact, I already filed my suggestions through the official channel of Apple’s Feedback system (submitted as FB14289280).
As of iOS 18 developer beta 3, Apple has already made a few little tweaks to the Photos app redesign. But unfortunately, there’s been no movement on any of my major criticisms from beta 1. For that reason, I feel obligated to outline the goals of the new Photos app, applaud what it gets right, point out where the design fails, and explain what aspects prove confusing.
I don’t think Photos needs to be reverted entirely to the way it worked before. But these key features need changing ASAP. Keep reading or watch my video.
Apple's CEO said he's developed quite a reliance on the Vision Pro AR/VR headset. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple CEO Tim Cook says he uses his Vision Pro headset every day and explains why he thinks the device is “very revolutionary,” in an interview published Thursday.
“I think it delivers stunning entertainment,” Cook told The Sun in an interview tied to the AR/VR headset’s U.K. launch. “It unleashes this infinite canvas for productivity. It gives you new ways to connect and collaborate. These are just huge ideas that affect all of the things that we do every day, so I’m a huge believer in it.”
Unlike many, this developer actually likes the Touch Bar on his 2017 MacBook Pro. Photo: [email protected]
Apple doesn’t have a very long list of unpopular products or features, but whatever list of shame it may keep probably includes MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. But not everyone hates the feature. The Python developer who runs today’s MacBook Pro setup actually loves it.
"Silo " star Sarah Ferguson peers at you mysteriously in this season 2 teaser image. Photo: Apple TV+
Release dates for new seasons of hit Apple TV+ shows like Severance and Slow Horses are in the news, and now we can add Silo to that list — maybe. The show’s stars and producers will discuss season 2 details at San Diego Comic-Con July 27, Apple TV+ said Friday. And a release date — and maybe more, like a trailer — will probably come out of that panel discussion.
Save on Apple Pencil (USB-C) as a refurb or new. Photo: Apple
Apple began offering refurbished Apple Pencil (USB-C) units Thursday. The stylus, which works with all recent iPads, is available at 12% below the regular cost as a refurb.
Vision Pro is now available in five more countries. Photo: Apple
Vision Pro launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. on Friday. Interested buyers can now go to an Apple retail store in any of those countries for a demonstration. Or just put in an order online.
I just couldn't resist that 5x telephoto zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will seemingly use the same 5x tetraprism camera as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This move will benefit the company’s current prisms supplier, Crystal-Optech.
Apple plans to use a larger tetraprism sensor with 48MP resolution on the iPhone 17 Pro lineup in 2025.
Both Satechi (left) and Zagg (right) offer small travel hubs with additional USB-C ports. Photo: Satechi/Zagg
The new Satechi 4-in-1 USB-C Hub With 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet expands a Mac with a trio of high-speed USB-C ports and fast networking. It launched Thursday at an affordable price. Alternatively, there’s the Zagg 4-Port Hub, which offers a pair of USB-C ports, USB-A and HDMI.
Either of these hubs can make a MacBook into the center of an extensive office setup on the go.
Rashida Jones and her robot star in Sunny on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
Suzie’s Japanese husband and son are missing and possibly dead, so her husband’s secretive company gives her a creepy robot named Sunny as a consolation prize. Together they’ll uncover the dark truth of what’s really going on. Intrigued? Stream the newly released Apple TV+ mystery series Sunny now.
It’s already earned a high score from Rotten Tomatoes.
Apple Pay isn't the only tap-and-go payment option in the EU. Photo: Apple
Apple and the European Commission came to an agreement on opening up iPhone to rival digital wallets and tap-and-go systems. The days of the iPhone’s NFC capabilities being limited to just Apple Pay are at an end. In Europe, anyway.
But in the rest of the world, it’s Apple Pay or nothing.
Apple wants to ship 90 million iPhone 16s this year. Photo: Sonny Dickson/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly wants to ship 90 million iPhone 16 units in 2024. The company hopes Apple Intelligence and other AI features will fuel the demand for its new iPhones.
For comparison, Apple shipped about 81 million iPhone 15 units in H2 2023.
How did that tasty food wind up on your plate? Watch Omnivore to find out. Image: Apple TV+
Upcoming Apple TV+ docuseries Omnivore looks like a visually stunning deep dive into key ingredients that feed the world. The globe-hopping trailer takes us on a whirlwind tour of farmland, fisheries and more. It’s a tasty tease for a show that delivers an international perspective on humanity’s common denominator: food.
Each episode of the show, which arrives July 19 on Apple TV+, focuses on a single ingredient — salt, pork, bananas, etc. — and explores the long path it takes to wind up on hungry diners’ plates.
Transferring from Google Photos to iCloud Photos is as easy as asking. Image: Cult of Mac
It’s now possible to transfer images and videos stored on Google Photos directly into iCloud Photos. Apple and Google cooperated to make this possible.
Wow, these two rivals actually worked together on something.
An Apple Ring should join Apple Watch as a way to let wearers monitor their health. Concept: Victor Soto/BluePoly
Apple’s next new product should be a smart ring. No, not so you can scroll through Instagram on a teeny-tiny display. The Apple Ring would be packed with health sensors that allow wearers to track their exercise and fitness goals while carrying no other device.
It wouldn’t even require developing new technology. All that’s needed is for Apple CEO Tim Cook to make the decision to offer a new type of health tracker.
Samsung unveiled Galaxy Ring on Wednesday, showing that this type of wearable is going mainstream. It’s time for Apple to step in and show its rivals how it should be done.
The new MacBook Air with M3 likely helped push up Mac shipments. Photo: Apple
No PC maker is growing faster than Apple. Mac shipments increased 20.8% year over year in Q2, according to market analysts. That’s a growth rate that dwarfs larger rivals.
It’s the second quarter in a row of double-digit growth for Apple.
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup could see a significant boost in charging speeds, potentially doubling the current fast-charging capability to 40W when using a compatible power adapter, according to a recent rumor.
While late-model iPhones are already pretty fast chargers, twice as fast is a serious improvement.
An M3 MacBook Air and an 11-inch iPad Pro are all this doctor needs. Photo: [email protected]
Is there a doctor in the house? There is with today’s M3 MacBook Air setup. The good doctor finds the slender laptop covers all needs, especially with an assist from an 11-inch iPad Pro, an external monitor and an unusual choice for a desktop speaker.
This glimpse of Adam Scott carrying balloons down a Lumon Industries hallway appeared during the WWDC24 keynote. Photo: Apple TV+
Just as we thought when Apple put out a Severance teaser Tuesday in Morse code saying nothing but “tomorrow,” word of a season 2 air date arrived Wednesday, along with a spooky teaser trailer. But our wishful thinking that the air date would come in fall 2024 was just that. It’s actually slated for January 17, 2025. And in the meantime, the short trailer below is worth a watch. It brings eerie Severance vibes.