Angela Ahrendts wants Apple stores to be locally relevant. Photo: Apple
Angela Ahrendts is behind Apple’s strategy of rethinking its retail stores to play a bigger part in local communities, Apple’s senior vice president of retail revealed in an interview at Fortune‘s “Most Powerful Women” conference Monday night.
Portrait Mode is nearly ready for primetime. Photo: Apple
The fourth beta build of iOS 10.1 was seeded to public testers today by Apple after the company gave developers a first look at the software last week.
The new beta comes less than a week after Apple seeded iOS 10.1 beta 3 to testers, bringing a number of bug fixes and as well as support for Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Siri is about to get a lot smarter thank to Carnegie Mellon researcher Russ Salakhutdinov, who announced today that he is joining Apple to lead the company’s artificial intelligence efforts.
iOS 10.0.3 is just for iPhone 7 owners. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has rolled out iOS 10.0.3 to address cellular connectivity issues with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The update is not available to download on older handsets, which were not affected by the bug.
Samsung has pointed plenty of customers in Apple's direction. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Samsung may have acknowledged that its disastrous Galaxy Note 7 debacle is likely to cost it $5.3 billion, but the real cost — the negative impact on customer loyalty — may turn out to be the real killer.
That’s according to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who suggests that around 5-7 million ex-Note 7 customers will become new iPhone 7 customers as a result of losing faith with the Samsung brand.
Facebook Messenger is going on a data diet. Photo: Rob LeFabvre/Cult of Mac
Facebook Messenger can be a real data hog if you’re a frequent user — especially if you send and receive a lot of GIFs, images, and videos. But that’s going to change thanks to a new Data Saver feature that’s currently being tested on Android.
Would an Amazon Prime-style service work for Apple? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple should take a note out of Jeff Bezos’ playbook and launch an Amazon Prime-style subscription service, claims an analyst for Goldman Sachs.
“We think Apple should launch a subscription bundle as a way to reinforce iPhone loyalty and leverage it into content,” Simona Jankowski writes in a new note to clients. In the brief, Jankowski and colleagues ponder the potential of a $50 monthly subscription that would get customers the latest iPhone plus other services like Apple TV, Apple Music and freemium access to the iTunes library.
Will the Apple Car remain a concept forever? Photo: Motor1
Apple’s “Project Titan” automotive project is not enjoying a smooth ride, according to a new report that claims the company is no longer interested in building an Apple Car.
The Jamaica-branded Apple Watch strap. Photo: Apple
It’s well known that Apple, like many multinationals, uses a variety of non-U.S. countries to help reduce its tax bill. However, what is less well known is that the company also takes advantage of some interesting pieces of international legal minutiae to keep its future plans secret.
In particular, Apple is a big fan of Jamaica when it comes to filing trademark paperwork about its upcoming products — since Jamaica doesn’t easily provide would-be snoopers with a way to search databases about newly-filed information.
Tim Cook is eying Japan for Apple's AI research hub. Photo: Scott Schaut/Mansfield Memorial Museum
Apple’s new R&D base in Yokohama, Japan, will focus on artificial intelligence and other related technologies, Tim Cook has revealed.
The new facility is set to be completed by December, well ahead of the projected date of March 2017. In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Cook called it a center for “deep engineering,” and said it will be “very different” from the R&D centers Apple plans to build in China.
Useful upgrade or unnecessary gimmick? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s new MacBook Pro is right around the corner, if recent rumors are to be believed, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most significant refreshes we’ve seen in years. Spy photos all but confirm a new OLED touchbar is coming, but is this advanced hardware really necessary?
Those who are excited about it can see the how customizable function keys might improve their experience in macOS, while others believe it will be little more than a gimmick.
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether the MacBook Pro really needs an OLED touchbar.
Looking to get up to speed on the week’s hottest apps? We’ve got your back!
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This week on The CultCast: Learn Instagram tips, tricks and techniques to take beautiful iPhone photos and build a massive following. Plus: The crazy exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 saga ends with a strange twist; rumors point to Macs with radically new e-ink keyboards; and an honest look at Siri versus the AI competition.
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Apple isn’t the only smartphone maker that wants to kill headphone jacks.
Removing the 3.5mm audio port from the iPhone 7 was the most controversial design decision Apple has made in years. Now some leaked photos have revealed that HTC plans to copy the move on its next flagship device.
The Jet Black iPhone will be a scratch-magnet. Photo: Apple
Apple stores across the United States are suddenly flush with stock of the iPhone 7 Plus.
Finding the jet black iPhone 7 Plus at Apple retail outlets has been an impossible task ever since the device launched last month, but a site that monitors supply shows that tons of Apple stores just got the rare item in stock.
The Note 7 is all washed up. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Issuing a global recall for the Galaxy Note 7 is going to cost Samsung even more money than it expected.
Samsung released a statement to investors today revealing that its fiery phablet will hurt overall profits for the next two fiscal quarters, costing the company a total of $5.3 billion.
Tim Cook and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must be talking about the Note 7. Photo: Sourikantei/Facebook
Apple CEO Tim Cook made a pit stop Friday at the office of Japan’s prime minister to talk about Apple’s growth in the country.
Cook told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Apple’s new R&D facility in Yokohama will be completed by December, well ahead of the projected date of March 2017. Apple says it hopes the new R&D facility near Tokyo will help it forge more local partnerships to source parts for future Apple products.
They'll bring the Google Assistant to your wrist. Photo: Android Police
Google stepped up its fight against the iPhone when it launched its new Pixel smartphones earlier this month, and now it’s preparing to take on Apple Watch, too.
According to the latest whispers, the company will launch its first Android Wear watches — complete with Google Assistant — in early 2017.
The wait for Apple Watch Nike+ is almost over. Photo: Apple
Apple’s website confirms that Apple Watch Nike+ will become available October 28. Customers can preorder all four models of the device now, with prices starting at $369 for the 38mm variant and $399 for the 42mm.
With a MacBook Pro refresh coming soon, older refurb models are going for a song. Photos: Apple, Haier
Grab a refurb MacBook Pro at the best price we’ve ever seen, or an iPad Smart Cover also at an all-time low. These offers and more are in this week’s best Apple bargains.
Apple is the U.K.'s top tech employer. Photo: Apple
An early preview of Apple’s redesigned London store reveals lots of new plants, simplified shelves and tables, as well as untethered iPhones and iPads that visitors can pick up and carry around the store.
Apple’s flagship Regent Street store, closed since June for the major remodel, is set to reopen Saturday. Early photos and a video tour show off the retail outlet’s uncluttered new look.
Custom graphics chips could be Apple's next big move. Photo: Apple
Apple is siphoning talent from one of its key partners, Imagination Technologies, which makes the graphics chip for the iPhone 7.
The British chipmaker was rumored to be in acquisition talks with Apple earlier this year. Apple told the press it wasn’t interested in buying Imagination Technologies, but based on a slew of recent hires, the iPhone-maker does want its employees.