Apple's new EarPods or third-party fakes? Photo: Weibo
New EarPods equipped with a Lightning connector have again been pictured ahead of the iPhone 7’s launch this fall. It’s thought Apple’s next-generation devices won’t have 3.5mm headphone jacks like all their predecessors, but these EarPods could ease the pain of that loss.
Will the Smart Connector be a nice surprise this September? Photo: Weibo
New photos purported to show the iPhone 7 Plus suggest Apple hasn’t scrapped plans to introduce the Smart Connector after all. The images also reveal another surprising change none of us were expecting.
Meet the Libratone ONE Click. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Libratone makes speakers so gorgeous they look like they belong in a museum more than in my home. The company’s latest wireless speaker is so damn cool I’m tempted to take it with me everywhere.
The new ONE Click speaker from Libratone’s new portable lineup packs more features than any wireless speaker I’ve ever used while coming in a form factor that is adaptable to so many different uses it’ll make your head spin.
Try out Apple's latest OS before anyone else. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iOS 10 public beta is finally here! It’s never a great idea to install beta releases on a primary device, but many of us just can’t wait to get our hands on the latest features. Fortunately, if you update properly, there’s an easy route back if you decide it’s just not stable enough for you.
Our helpful step-by-step tutorial video that will walk you through the whole process!
Is this our clearest glimpse of the iPhone 7 yet? Photo: Nowhereelse.fr
We’re less than two months away from the iPhone 7’s public unveiling, and yet another image has surfaced online that purports to showcase Apple’s next-gen smartphone in all its (relatively unchanged) glory.
Which Apple product do you think deserves more respect? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Not every Apple product has been a runaway success, but that doesn’t mean those that weren’t were complete failures. Products like the Newton MessagePad, the G4 Cube, the Macintosh TV and even the iPhone 5c — which were all considered flops — brought great features and innovations that weren’t appreciated.
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we butt heads over Apple’s most underrated product to date.
Jaybird Freedom wireless earbuds marry form and function, with a very small earprint. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
Best List: Jaybird Freedom wireless earbuds
Promoted by pro beach volleyballer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, the Jaybird Freedom earbuds are premium sports headphones specifically designed for the active, lifestyle-focused consumer. That means those who work out and those who want to look great doing it.
These earbuds bring huge wireless sound to the trail, the gym, the street and anything in between. Jaybird CEO Judd Armstrong stopped by Cult of Mac for a demo, and says the Jaybird Freedom is designed to enhance any athletic and adventurous pursuits.
That's two malware discoveries in one week! Photo: Google
Yet another strain of malware targeted at Mac users has popped up this week to prove you shouldn’t disable the Gatekeeper feature baked into OS X. “OSX/Keydnap” disguises itself as an innocent text or image file, then installs malicious code onto your Mac.
It's easier than ever to get the Amazon Echo to play tracks from Spotify Premium. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Barking out a song request at my Amazon Echo smart speaker, then hearing the track magically start playing, makes me feel like I’m living in the future.
Unfortunately, that feeling evaporates when the song isn’t part of the relatively skimpy Amazon Prime Music catalog. If it’s not there, Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa queues up an annoying 30-second sample — and that makes me realize I’m living in the very buggy present.
Luckily, you can fix that. Here’s how to make Amazon Echo default to Spotify so you don’t get stuck with those annoying song and album previews.
This photo of man and eagle was the grand prize winner in the 2016 iPhone Photo Awards. Photo: Siyuan Niu
The winners of the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards could have made their celebrated photographs with almost any camera. But the iPhone isn’t any camera and our amazement over it hasn’t waned.
And it won’t once you behold the incredible images of this year’s entries.
If you’re planning to install the new macOS Sierra public beta today, one of the first things you’ll want to check out is Siri. The virtual assistant is just as useful on your desktop as it is on iOS, and summoning it is super simple with this keyboard shortcut.
Public testers can download iOS 10 now. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple fans who want to get a glimpse of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra before their public release later this fall will finally get the opportunity to install the new software today.
Coming just two days after the release of the second beta of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra to developers, Apple is now letting members of its public beta program install the new software, which debuted last month at WWDC.
Gain lifelong access to cutting-edge coding education with iOS Online Courses. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
iOS 10 is almost here, and along with it a whole host of new features for enterprising developers to take advantage of. Oh, you’re not a developer? Well that can change. iOS Online Courses is a leading provider of expert instruction in iOS game and app development, and right now you can get a lifetime of access for just $69 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Hands on with iOS 10 Beta 2. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When Apple rolled out iOS 10 beta 2 earlier this week, I rushed to install it straight onto my trusty iPhone — and I had my camera ready to give you a hands-on look at everything that’s new.
Check out the video below to see Cult of Mac’s overview of some of the latest tweaks and updates in iOS 10 beta 2.
Yes, it's exactly what you expected. Photo: Weixin
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have been brought to life in new design drawings ahead of their official unveiling this fall. The images reveal the larger camera sensor that’s expected to come to the smaller 4.7-inch model, and the all-new dual-lens system coming to the 5.5-inch model.
There's a lot to love in the new iOS 10 beta. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s second beta for iOS 10 is jam-packed with new features and changes to go along with the big batch of bug fixes.
More than 50 changes have been discovered by developers, affecting everything from Apple Music to widgets. A lot of the changes are very minor UI tweaks that would probably go unnoticed by many users, but Apple has also added some huge additions to the Home button, Messages, Notification Center and more.
Bitdefender found a new backdoor into OS X. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s Mac systems have been exposed to a dangerous new piece of malware that allows attackers to take full control of OS X.
The new malware, dubbed Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor by security researchers, provides attackers with a backdoor into OS X systems by embedding a script into a fake file converter application that’s found on many reputable sites that sell Mac apps.
Apple's new sticker packs are awesome! Photo: Apple
Apple has rolled out its first emoji sticker packs for Messages in iOS 10. Available only to those testing its first beta release, the packs include the Smileys, Hearts, and Hands stickers found on Apple Watch — plus a Classic Mac collection.
Add an anonymous second phone line for business, dating, buying or selling online, and more. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
You live in a free country, why should you feel trapped by a bad date or a creepy Craigslist seller who has your phone number? Give yourself a second, anonymous number for making calling or texting with people you’d prefer to keep at arm’s length. Right now you can protect your privacy with lifetime access to a second number through Hushed, for just $25 at Cult of Mac Deals.
This week on The CultCast: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — wait till you hear the latest lawsuit aimed right at Apple’s biggest products. Plus: Leaked photos of EarPods with a Lightning connector look better than expected; why we may never get third-party Apple Watch faces; Netflix is adding a feature it swore would never happen; and a man builds a vibrant photography career in the world of sports with nothing but his iPhone. Oh, and Val Kilmer dances with a carrot in his derriere. Just hit play already.
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.
To run, or not to run? That is the question. Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
Millions of people go running with their iPhone or Apple Watch every day. Logging runs is one of the main features of just about every fitness gadget on the market.
So should you join the sweaty masses and start using a running app? Not so fast. Not everyone is suited to running, and it won’t develop all aspects of your fitness. Plus, there are loads of other kinds of exercise you could be doing instead. What makes running so special?
The set of Time to Pay Off Debts, a film short made with the iPhone 6s. Photo: Conrad Mess
Apple guaranteed the iPhone would reinvent the phone. But filmmaking?
Writer and director Conrad Mess said the iPhone’s red record button turned him into a filmmaker. It helped another cash-strapped director win praise and wide distribution for a feature film he shot on the iPhone 5s that was the buzz of last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The iPhone also is reshaping video journalism, especially across Europe, where news organizations are using the iPhone video camera for an increasing number of stories — and live stand-ups, selfie stick in hand — because the mobile journalist can shoot, edit and share on one device.
Mysterious unmarked vans roaming the Bay Area have been linked to Apple, and are likely generating detailed 3D maps for robot cars. Photo: Business Insider/Stephen Smith
Some new data-gathering vehicles are roaming the streets of San Francisco. They’re unmarked, but are suspected to be Apple’s. They are laden with sensors, but what kind of data are they gathering, and what for?
Experts contacted by Cult of Mac say the mystery vans are next-generation mapping vehicles capable of capturing VR-style, 360-degree street photos. Plus, the vans use Lidar to create extraordinarily precise “point clouds,” a prerequisite for self-driving cars. Mesh those two databases together and you’ve laid the groundwork for an autonomous vehicle’s navigation system.
We've got reviews of iPhone 6 cases in almost every category you can think of. Photos: Lyle Kahney, Milo Kahney, Rob LeFebvre, George Tinari and Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Updated: Check out two new battery cases for the iPhone 6/6s, the Moshi iGlaze Ion and the Spyder PowerShadow.
Protect your iPhone investment with the perfect case. Whether you’ve chosen the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus, and 7 or 7 Plus. Cult of Mac has your phone safely covered. We receive and review a massive number of cases and bring only the best to you here in our review roundup, with new cases to be added each week.
Each case is tried and tested, with iPhone protection being the top priority. If you need something rugged and extra-durable, a minimalist case with sleek lines, or one in which to slip your credit cards and cash, browse our evolving list of featured iPhone 6 cases.
Rocco Mediate hangs out in the locker room during the second round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club earlier this month. Photo: Brad Mangin/PGA TOUR
The photographers were assembled with all their heavy camera equipment, about to walk 18 holes under the hot Florida sun to cover The Players Championship in Ponte Verde Beach when in strolled their colleague, Brad Mangin.
“Where’s your gear?” Mangin was asked. He pulled out his iPhone 6s to a chorus of groans and curses.