Mobile menu toggle

News - page 998

First iOS 9.3.3 beta arrives for developers

By

iPhone
Don’t miss out on iOS 13. Ditch your old iPhone now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has seeded a new iOS beta to developers today just a week after the company dropped iOS 9.3.2 on the public. The new update likely contains a number of under the hood improvements and bug fixes, but Apple may surprise us with a few other tweaks.

Spotify matches Apple Music’s terrific family plan

By

Rap Genius is partnering with Spotify.
Apple Music just lost its big advantage over Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify has finally matched Apple Music’s awesome family plan, giving up to six users unlimited access for just $14.99 a month. Each user gets their own account with their own playlists and recommendations, and there are no restrictions or ads.

Schools in Maine swapping their iPads for MacBooks

By

iPad Pro
Is the iPad an overrated education tool?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has been outspoken about its belief that the iPad can all but replace laptops. Try telling that to the Maine Department of Education, however, who are sending their iPads back to Apple in favor of a swap for MacBook Airs.

According to the report, Apple has agreed to do the “Refresh” swap offer at no additional cost to the school district — which decided to go ahead with it after a survey found that 88.5 percent of teachers and 74 percent of students favored MacBooks over iPads.

iPhone suppliers getting ready to deliver OLED displays for 2017

By

battery
Gorgeous OLED displays are coming soon. But not this year.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 isn’t out yet, and already Apple’s suppliers are reportedly preparing for 2017’s iPhone refresh — by getting ready to build the OLED displays Apple plans on introducing.

Today’s report is based on a 4x increase in orders from OLED manufacturing plant provider Applied Materials Inc., which is being bombarded with orders by other companies eager to get hold of the technology needed to produce OLED displays.

iPhone 7 production orders may far exceed expectations

By

iPhone_6 Plus_Frozen_Snow
iPhone manufacturing might not be experiencing quite the cold snap we think it is.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

What decline? Apple watchers may be viewing 2016 as the year iPhone numbers finally fall off, but that doom narrative is contradicted by a new report suggesting that Apple has placed far higher than expected numbers for iPhone 7 production for this year.

iPhone 7 unibody has four speaker grilles, larger camera lens

By

google-facebook-and-others-following-apples-lead-on-encryption-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iPhone-6s-Live-Photos-jpg
The iPhone 7 may not be such a boring upgrade after all.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A new iPhone 7 leak emerged online over the weekend, showing an apparent Italian case manufacturer that boasts a few tantalizing changes from the current generation iPhone — including iPad Pro-style speaker grilles at both the top and bottom of the case, as well as new layout for the rear camera and flash.

Check them out below.

PDF Expert, Ulterior, and other apps of the week

By

'Appy weekend everyone.As usual, that means we're counting down the top apps you may have missed from the previous 7 days -- everything from an update to a truly excellent game to a fantastic way to keep up to date with your Apple Watch.Without further ado, then, here are this week’s awesome apps!
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

How’s it going, everybody? It’s the weekend — so sit back, relax, and let us introduce you to a few of the apps which were generating headlines over the past week.

Whether it’s a great update for an iOS PDF editor or a fantastic puzzle game you’re looking for, check out our picks below.

Union Square Apple Store, Steve Jobs ‘word’ painting, and more

By

Cover

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Take a peek at Apple’s most amazing store on the West Coast. The Union Square store promises to be every bit as iconic as Apple’s cube on Fifth Avenue, thanks to its incredible glass and metal design and a new prominent location in San Francisco’s popular luxury shopping district.

All this, and much much more in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

Here are this week’s top stories.

Wirelessly charging iPhones plus more whacky stories from the Cult of Mac on The CultCast

By

This priceless Apple artifact has a very peculiar backstory.
This priceless Apple artifact has a very peculiar backstory.

This week, on The CultCast: Apple makes a curious investment in China’s version of Uber; iPhones that charge wirelessly in your pocket; Siri is coming to a Mac near you; more weird and wacky stories from the Cult of Mac; and we tell you what we like (and what we don’t) about the gadgets we’re currently testing in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

Can Siri catch up with the do-it-all Google Assistant? [Friday Night Fights]

By

fnf
Siri's slipping, but can it come back?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

At its I/O conference in California this week, Google gave us a preview of the new Google Assistant that’s coming later this year. It’s like Siri, only it’s vastly more intelligent. It does everything you want a digital assistant to do and more.

FNF-bugAnd just like a lot of Google services, Assistant will be available on iOS — not only in the official Google app, but also inside the new Allo messenger. It will be competing with Apple’s AI in its own backyard, and the Cupertino company should be worried about that.

But can Siri catch up, or have Apple’s rivals now too far ahead in artificial intelligence? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over digital assistants.

10 things you should know about Google’s Gboard keyboard

By

gboard
Gboard is probably the best third-party keyboard on iOS.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google now offers its very own keyboard for iOS, and it’s awesome. It’s packed full of useful features like glide typing and built-in search, and it has a clean and simple design that’s a pleasure to type on. It’s probably the best third-party keyboard on iPhone.

But there are 10 things you should know about Gboard before you get set up.

iPhone robbery in NYC turns subway into a bloody scene

By

iPhone 6 Plus
Just for Cyber Monday!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Police in Brooklyn arrived to a bloody scene at the busy Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center train station on Friday morning after a 33-year-old man was stabbed while riding the N train.

The assailant apparently knifed the victim in the stomach after grabbing his iPhone while the Coney Island-bound train pulled into the subway station.

Indian actor teases ‘Apple VR’ after meeting Tim Cook

By

Virtual reality was one of the first iPhone accessories Apple considered. Photo: USPTO/Apple
Is Apple finally getting eady to make this a reality?
Photo: Apple

Is Apple finally going to dip its toe into the fast-growing world of virtual reality?

Everyone’s been waiting for the Cupertino company to make its move as devices like the Samsung Gear VR become increasingly popular, and according to Indian actor Emraan Hashmi — who met with Tim Cook this week — “Apple VR” is on its way!

Pianist remixes iconic iPhone ringtones into classical song

By

Tony Ann is a master at piano remixes.
Tony Ann is a master at piano remixes.
Photo: Tony Ann

The iPhone’s classic marimba ringtone has grown a bit annoying after nine years of playing in pockets across the globe. We’ve seen the classic tone remixed a ton of different ways, but perhaps none are better than this classical remix cooked up by musician Tony Ann.

The pianist has recreated the most popular ringtones ever into one incredible classic arrangement that includes some little gems from other carriers and cellphone makers that you’ll recognize instantly.

Check it out:

How a viral Steve Jobs tribute sparked one designer’s career

By

Grieving Apple fans took comfort in this tribute to Steve Jobs and turned it into a viral phenomena.
Grieving Apple fans took comfort in this tribute to Steve Jobs and turned it into a viral phenomena.
Illustration: Jonathan Mak Long

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple fans felt a deep sense of mourning in 2011 when Apple founder Steve Jobs succumbed to cancer. With the fifth anniversary of his passing approaching, Cult of Mac looks at the artistic tributes that followed.

The Tumblr bio of Hong Kong graphic artist Jonathan Mak Long reads, “I try to do good work, and the world agrees on occasions.”

The death of Steve Jobs was one such occasion. Within hours of the news, grieving Apple fans across the world took comfort in an image created by the then-teenaged college student of a silhouetted Jobs in the bite of the Apple logo.

Here’s how much the iPhone costs around the world

By

money
Don't lose your iPhone in Brazil apparently.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

How does the iPhone cost where you live stack up against the rest of the world? Deutsche Bank’s annual “Mapping the World’s Prices” report for 2016 has arrived, and it compares the prices of 20 popular items in global cities around the world — including Apple’s iPhone 6.

The big message? Mainly that you shouldn’t misplace your iPhone while in Brazil, India, Sweden, Denmark, Indonesia, or Italy. Check it out below.

Apple may have to ditch Sony cameras to deliver dual lens iPhone

By

Photo: Apple
Sony may have fallen behind on production.
Photo: Apple

Apple may be forced to ditch its chosen dual camera module supplier Sony in favor of LG Innotek, according to a new report claiming that Sony has fallen behind schedule.

Nomura analyst Chris Chang says that he thinks Sony won’t be able to deliver its full share of dual camera lenses for the iPhone 7 due to lower-than-expected yield and damage to its production facility from the April earthquake in Kumamoto. “As a result, we think LGI will gain majority share of the initial dual camera orders from Apple,” Chang writes.

Proof that Apple’s first Brooklyn store is on the way

By

A-rendering-of-247-Bedford-Avenue
A CGI rendering showing how Apple's first Brooklyn store is set to look.
Photo: The Real Deal

Apple’s long-awaited first brick-and-mortar retail store in Brooklyn has been confirmed by a series of job listings posted by Apple.

Jobs include Creatives, Experts, Specialists, Retail Managers, Senior Managers, Geniuses and other positions, on both Apple’s job site and on LinkedIn.

Apple’s environmental VP spreads the good word in India

By

Screen Shot 2016-05-20 at 09.43.46
Apple's environmental VP meets with a school during her time in India.
Photo: Apple/Lisa Jackson

As part of Apple’s top-ranking executive’s trip to India, VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa P. Jackson this week visited “solar mamas” and a rural school where students are taught there lessons using iPads.