Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
If you’ve ever tried to learn a new language, you’ll know it’s a hard and incredibly time-consuming process. It’s not much easier for virtual assistants like Siri.
Here are the mind-blowing steps Apple goes through to teach Siri new languages and dialects that help it stay one step ahead of the competition.
It's made from real crocodile leather. Photo: Louis Vuitton
When you spend $700 on an iPhone, the last thing you should do is rely on a $5 case to protect it. Instead, let Louis Vuitton coat it in clunky metal and crocodile skin so you never have to worry about scratches and shattered screens.
Just try to ignore the fact that the case is super-expensive — and just as ugly.
Bumpr is there right when you need it. Photo: Scott Osler
Most of us have a favorite browser, but some of us use different browsers for different purposes. The same goes for email clients. With Bumpr for Mac, you don’t have to be tied to one default; you can switch between your favorites on the fly.
A great deal on a MacBook Air is just the start of this week's Apple deals. Images: Apple, eForCity, i4software, Penom
With new iPads (and new iPad price cuts) on the horizon, you should definitely hold off on buying an Apple tablet for a few weeks. But that leaves plenty of Apple deals: Check out a super-cheap refurbished MacBook Air and several great tech accessories in this week’s roundup.
iTunes is promoting movies and TV shows with strong female characters. Photo: Apple
Apple is going all out to feature great media that promotes strong women by creating special sections in iTunes and Apple Music for International Women’s Day.
iPhone, Mac and Apple TV users can comb through Apple’s handpicked choices in categories like music, movies and books to find stories and entertainment that promotes strong female characters.
A no-frills Apple fitness tracker could get new users hooked on the Activity app. Image: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
The Activity app is one of Apple’s most important and powerful products. Its three brightly colored rings are changing people’s lives around the world, inspiring individuals to make healthier choices throughout their day.
The trouble is, if you want to use the Activity app, your only option right now is to buy an Apple Watch — and Apple Watches are expensive.
With this kind of game-changing product, Apple usually wants to reach as big an audience as possible. Take the iPod, for example. It was too expensive for some consumers. so Apple released a no-frills, sub-$99 version called the iPod Shuffle. Could a similar strategy work for the Activity app? An affordable activity band from Apple could be a Fitbit killer.
We hope the next iPhone is this beautiful. Photo: AlHasan Husni
The rumored “Function Bar” will make a beautiful addition to the upcoming iPhone 8 if it looks anything like the concept created by designer AlHasan Husni.
In the stunning new artwork, Husni imagines how the Function Bar at the bottom of the new iPhone will work. Not only could it make unlocking the iPhone even faster, it could add a whole new set of swipe functions to bring up certain features.
A new iOS 10.3 beta is ready to be installed. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Three new beta software updates have been seeded to developers by Apple today, adding a bunch of bug fixes and performance improvements to Apple’s platforms.
The new builds come one day after Apple seeded a new build of macOS 10.12.4 to developers. The fifth beta builds of iOS 10.3, tvOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.2 can be downloaded by registered developers directly from the Apple’s dev portal.
Imagination Technologies, the company behind the PowerVR graphics technology used in iPhone and iPad, has unleashed its powerful new Furion architecture.
It’s the first major upgrade since the introduction of Rogue, the architecture currently used in iPhone 7, and it’s capable of powering 4K smartphone and tablet displays with four times the resolution of 1080p.
Samsung got dominated by Apple in 2016. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
When it comes to making money off of smartphones, no company is doing it as well as Apple.
The latest data on profits made by smartphone manufacturers reveals that while the iPhone doesn’t dominate the global marketshare, it takes home nearly all of the profits.
The iPad needs support for multiple users. Photo: Jacek Zięba
Now that we know the date for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, it’s officially time to start dreaming of new features that should be added to iOS 11.
Concept designer Jacek Zięba kicked off the dreamfest with one of the coolest iOS concept videos we’ve seen in a while. Check it out:
Cancer Research is one of 21 charities accepting Apple Pay in the U.K. Photo: Cancer Research U.K.
Apple Pay will now allow users to donate money to charitable organizations in the U.K.
The feature was first rolled out in the U.S. late last year, and it’s available on iPhone, iPad, and macOS. The long list of supported non-profits includes the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research U.K., Comic Relief, Oxfam, and Unicef.
Don't get your heart set on OLED just yet. Photo: iDropNews
We’ve all been calling it the iPhone 8 for months, but according to a new report out of Japan, Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone will be named “iPhone Edition.”
The device is expected to be announced alongside the “iPhone 7s” and “iPhone 7s Plus,” but we’ll have to wait longer to actually get our hands on it. What’s more, sources claim that the OLED upgrade we’ve been looking forward to isn’t a sure thing yet.
Cupertino says it is working to address any identified holes that weren’t already patched, and the company reminds fans that the software built for iPhone boasts the best data security available to consumers.
The first iSetups episode shows off three Mac setups. Photo: Cult of Mac
If you’re a computer scientist, you can never have too many Macs. Just ask Richard Crossley, a Ph.D. candidate currently studying “optimization in high-performance computing to achieve maximum resource efficiency.”
It probably shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that Crossley’s got a pretty vast Mac collection. Check out his system, as well as other impressive Mac setups, in this week’s episode of iSetups. It’s Cult of Mac’s new monthly show highlighting the best Mac setups submitted by viewers — plus tips and tricks for how to improve them.
You've never heard Marimba like this. Photo: Seth Kranzler
Apple’s iconic Marimba ringtone has been remixed a countlessnumber of times since the original iPhone came out, but a new remix inspired by composer Steve Reich will leave you totally hypnotized.
Created by artist Seth Kranzler, “Marimba Ringtone Phase” replicates Reich’s style by playing the ringtone on two iPhones ringing at slightly different tempos. The trippy effect puts an all-new spin on a classic tune.
The CIA has been hoarding zero day exploits. Photo: US Gov.
WikiLeak’s trove of CIA cyber documents is being hyped as one of the biggest leaks since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA. But according to one of the world’s top jailbreakers, you shouldn’t believe the hype.
Cyber security expert Will Strafach, who gained notoriety under the name Chronic for finding zero-day exploits used for jailbreaking, says iOS users don’t need to be worried.
Help turn these awesome ideas into reality! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
If you still feel like smartwatches have no use, how about one that’s designed for on-the-go gaming? Gameband is built to be the most powerful wearable you can buy, with long-lasting battery life and expandable storage.
It’s just one of the awesome projects included in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We’ve also got a beautiful mechanical keyboard inspired by traditional typewriters, headphones that help you concentrate, and more!
The CIA's new headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Although Google’s Android dominates the worldwide smartphone market, the CIA concentrated on Apple’s iOS because of its popularity among global elites, WikiLeaks reports.
The huge trove of leaked CIA documents, codenamed “Vault 7” and released Tuesday by WikiLeaks, reveals that the CIA formed a special unit called the Mobile Development Branch (MDB) to infect smartphones. And within that unit, Apple’s iOS was a prime target.
Why buy healthcare when you can eat an iPhone? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Are you unable to afford your new health insurance premiums now that Obamacare might be going away? Well, according to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, you should trade in your iPhone.
The GOP’s replacement plan for Obamacare has been met with plenty of hate from both sides of the aisle, but in an interview this morning, Chaffetz pointed out that people just aren’t focusing on how the new law will give us all more choices.
A document in WikiLeaks' massive Vault 7 release holds a key to deciphering CIA jargon. Image: WikiLeaks
A secret document buried in WikiLeaks’ “Vault 7” data dump serves as a sort of Rosetta Stone for the CIA’s extensive hacking operations targeting iOS devices and other consumer electronics.
The entire hacking arsenal of the CIA has been dumped online and the entire internet is freaking out.
WikiLeaks dropped a data bomb Tuesday with its massive document dump, which it claims is one of the biggest in history. Secrets on how the CIA hacked devices made by Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft are now available for all to see. But should you start freaking out just yet?
Cult of Mac talked to a number of iOS security experts to make sense of all the new info. While it’s tempting to panic, there’s a lot more you need to know first.
Wikileaks' "Vault 7" data dump allegedly reveals CIA hacking tools used to compromise iPhones, Android phones and other devices. Image: Gordon Johnson/Pixabay
The Central Intelligence Agency has been using malware to spy on iPhone and Android users, according to the largest-ever publication of confidential documents from WikiLeaks — and the spy tools are now in the hands of others.
As part of a covert hacking program, the CIA created a “malware arsenal” and dozens of “zero day exploits” to infiltrate smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs to extract data and turn them into covert microphones.
But the agency recently lost controls of these tools. Those who have obtained them now have “the entire hacking capacity of the CIA” at their disposal, according to WikiLeaks.
The quickest and easiest way to get paid for your old devices. Photo: MyPhones Unlimited
Trying to make some easy cash? If you’ve recently upgraded devices and have an old iPhone, iPad or MacBook laying around to sell, we have your answer. By using our online buyback program, you can receive the biggest bang for your buck with the easiest trade-in program on the internet.
It takes less than two minutes to get a quote — we’ll mail you a prepaid box to send us your device, and we cut checks within 24 hours of receiving the device!