Apple has patented new technology that allows an entire iPhone display to become a fingerprint scanner.
The invention comes just in time for iPhone 8, which is expected to come with a Touch Bar-style “function area” in place of its Touch ID button.
Apple “may have over 1,000 engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related” to augmented reality, claims UBS analyst Steven Milunovich in a new note to clients.
Because of this, Milunovich suggests that Apple is viewing AR as one of the next big areas of tech innovation. One possible application could be, “moderate 3D mapping” which might arrive as soon as this year’s iPhone upgrade — along with an AR software development kit.
iOS widgets are a great way to check in on your day. Apple gave us its own take on widgets with the core apps built into iOS 10, but you can do better.
If you’ve never taken a look at some of the great third-party iOS widgets available, you’re missing out. Here are six of our favorite iOS widgets to replace the stock Apple widgets. (If you don’t know how to add widgets, go to the bottom of this post for instructions on adding and using them.)
One of the most important uses of our digital devices is bringing sweet, sweet sounds to our ears. Whether you want to listen to a favorite album or podcast, we’ve gathered some of the best delivery systems for top-shelf sound.
From two different Bluetooth earbud sets to a home audio streaming hub and a set of high-fidelity Bluetooth headphones, there’s plenty here to please your ears.
This week on The CultCast: It’s been five years of CultCasts! We’ll regale you with some of our favorite stories from past shows. Plus: Our hardware expectations from Apple’s rumored March event; why iPhone 8’s wireless charging will probably be lame; Apple has five teams working on next-generation charging tech; why iPhone 8’s camera could pump out industrial-grade slow motion; and Steve Jobs gets a beautiful new home on Apple’s new spaceship campus.
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 designs its products with an affinity for creatives of all kinds. But a French artist known as Monsieur Plant uses Macs to take “Think Different” to another level.
The Apple computers used by Christophe Guinet, 39, are not the tools but the subject in a body of work that integrates life-giving plant matter with life-altering technology.
Apple’s Mac App Store is broken. For developers and Mac users alike, the online store just isn’t working.
It’s too hard for buyers to find good software. And, thanks to Apple’s picky restrictions, the Mac App Store can make life difficult for developers.
Setapp, a Netflix-style subscription service for Mac apps, offers an innovative alternative. Instead of buying apps individually, you rent a bunch of them for $9.99 a month.
While it might sound unnerving to anyone accustomed to the idea of buying Mac apps outright, after using the service for two months, I found it liberating. Setup is dead-easy. And the selection is fantastic. Setapp serves up more than 60 Mac apps, all handpicked by MacPaw, the Mac development company that dreamed up the service.
No matter how much storage your iPhone has, you’ll find a way to run out of it. iTunes doesn’t make managing that data very easy, either. That’s what makes iMemStick so useful. Part thumb drive, part dual-sided USB and Lightning cable, it offers a fast and easy way to store files — documents, videos, photos, etc. — from your iOS devices. It also provides a simple way to move those files to and from other devices.
Think of it as a 64GB lifeboat for your iOS data. And right now you can get an iMemStick 3.0 for just $74.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Google’s awesome Gboard keyboard for iPhone finally supports voice dictation. The feature is powered by Google’s own voice recognition technology, and you can access it quickly by holding down the space bar.
This update also brings new emoji, Google Doodles, and support for 15 additional languages.
The days of sharing one image at a time on Instagram are finally coming to an end.
Instagram revealed that starting today everyone can now post up to 10 photos and videos in a single post, giving users an all-new way to tell stories and share experiences.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar may have some serious keyboard problems.
A number of 2016 MacBook Pro owners are reporting issues with the new keyboard, which features a redesign of the butterfly mechanism that Apple introduced on the super-thin retina MacBook.
The jury’s still out on whether the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar is a useful upgrade or a fancy gimmick. But according to recent rumors, Apple is already planning to bring similar functionality to this year’s iPhone 8.
To make this happen, the company would almost certainly have to drop Touch ID. Would a mini Touch Bar be worth the sacrifice, or would contextual shortcuts and buttons make iOS more complicated than it needs to be?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether a Touch Bar would be a useful addition to the iPhone!
When there’s no wall outlet within reach, we rely on portable batteries to get our devices through the day. Unfortunately, they’re not always the right tool for the job, since they’re specific to certain device types or connections. That’s what makes the Nifty C PowerPod so, well, nifty.
Compatible with USB types A and C, it’ll give the juice to everything from smartphones to laptops to vaporizers. That’s power and flexibility that’ll fit in your pocket, and right now you can get a Nifty C PowerPod for just $49.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
This week on The CultCast: According to new reports, the iPhone 8 will get a huge makeover with an edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, a huge battery and more. We’ll tell you everything we know. Plus: A 4K Apple TV is on the way; our favorite TV shows from days of yore; and the search for the perfect corn dog.
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.
I’ve never been a fan of Beats headphones. Whenever I’ve given them a go, I’ve found the sound quality to be less than stellar, with far too much bass. So when Apple unveiled Beats X wireless headphones alongside the AirPods last fall, the weird-looking white ones grabbed my attention.
Now that I’ve had a chance to try them both, it’s clear I got that backward. I give you all the details on Beats X versus AirPods in my Beats X review below.
Apple’s fifth-gen Apple TV will reportedly be capable of streaming ultra-HD 4K images, according to a new report. The new box is codenamed “J105” and could launch later this year.
The article also notes a couple of previously unrevealed details about the current fourth-gen Apple TV, such as the fact that Apple engineers debated packaging it with a dedicated gaming controller as a way to compete more directly with the PlayStation and Xbox.
Apple is making major changes to the iPhone this year as the device celebrates its tenth anniversary. According to the latest claims from one reliable analyst, the iPhone 8 will offer a larger OLED display and a new “function area” that replaces its Touch ID button.
Apple’s new campus isn’t move-in ready just yet, but you can take a virtual tour of the company’s new headquarters thanks to a Minecraft player who painstakingly re-created the entire spaceship.
It took over a year for Alex Westerlund to replicate the Apple spaceship campus in Minecraft, with more than 232 hours invested in the virtual building. Without using help or mods, Westerlund claims his Minecraft Apple Campus is 100 percent accurate.
Take a look:
Still think your Mac is immune from viruses? Think again.
Just a week after a new strain of Mac malware was found hidden inside malicious Microsoft Word macros, security researchers have discovered sophisticated new software from Russian hackers that targets your saved passwords and iPhone backups.
Cult of Mac is stoked to reveal that we’re launching a new monthly video series called iSetups, where we indulge our love for cool Apple setups. For our preview episode, we’re giving you a look at our own video production setup.
Each month, we’ll take a look at the best Mac setups to find inspiration, give tips and suggestions, and, hopefully, be amazed by some gorgeous Apple gear. If you’d like to submit your setup, check out the video below to find out how to get featured.
Apple hid a delightful Easter egg on iPhones for The LEGO Batman Movie, the new animated film that is dominating the box office this week.
In the new film, the Dark Knight has his own helpful digital assistant that responds to voice commands. The voice for the computer is the same one as Siri on iOS, but when Bruce Wayne needs help he just says, “Hey ‘Puter” instead of “Hey Siri.”
Apple quietly updated Siri so that she responds to the command. Here are some of the hilarious replies.
Size won’t be the only thing separating Apple’s next-gen 4.7-, 5.5-, and 5.8-inch iPhones, claims a new report.
According to sources in Apple’s supply chain, the rumored glass exterior form factor will only be available on the larger of Apple’s new iPhones. The smaller sized iPhone will meanwhile continue using an aluminum-alloy chassis, while the mid-sized 5.5-inch iPhone (the current iPhone Plus size) has yet to be determined.
To achieve maximum success, iOS game developers need an idea that’s both reassuringly familiar and strikingly new. That’s exactly what Stagehand delivers: The new platform game employs a clever twist on the popular endless-runner genre, with a sprinkle of ’90s classic Lemmings thrown in for good measure.
“Stagehand is a game that looks like a side-scrolling platformer, but instead of controlling the character, you move the stage,” developer Matt Comi told Cult of Mac. “We call it a ‘reverse platformer.’ The protagonist, Frank, runs and jumps all by himself. It’s the player’s job to make sure he doesn’t run into walls.”
Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.
In his latest research report, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the smaller iPhone will be the first device to feature a stacked logic board design to bring better battery performance.
It’s the iPhone’s tenth anniversary this year, which means there’s no chance Apple is going to deliver another incremental upgrade with an all too familiar design. We’re expecting big things from the so-called iPhone 8 — including a complete face-lift.
Here are our gorgeous concepts for the iPhone 8 based on everything we know so far.