Don't splash out for a new model just yet. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Is your Apple Watch stuck in Power Reserve mode following Apple’s recent watchOS 7.2 and 7.3 updates? You might be able to get it repaired for free. Here’s how to find out if you’re eligible.
Christian Roman built his setup for beautiful video and audio: three 5K screens, speakers with a massive subwoofer and pro lighting. Photo: Christian Roman
iOS software engineer Christian Roman has a “love-hate relationship” with his impressive triple 5K display setup.
“It’s fantastic when it works,” he told Cult of Mac. “It’s a nightmare when macOS suddenly decides to stop working with triple screens.”
The alien invasion theme of the Fry's in Burbank, California, looks sadly appropriate now. Photo: Theron Trowbridge/Flickr CC
Fry’s Electronics, a brick-and-mortar retailer and Silicon Valley institution since the mid-1980s, has shut its doors. And, while it might be hyperbolic to say Apple killed the quirky electronics superstore, Cupertino certainly hammered a nail or three in Fry’s coffin.
The chain — which stocked a sprawling selection of TVs, stereos and other electronics alongside computer components, DVDs, groceries and less-savory items — became a go-to for geeks as personal computers took off.
But even with crazy themed stores that made it the “Walt Disney World of electronics stores,” Fry’s couldn’t compete in the sleek new retail world Apple created.
But will it come in Bondi blue? Photo: Jon Prosser/FrontPageTech
For the first time since the iMac G3 in the late 1990s, Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer might come in a range of color options, Apple leaker Jon Prosser says.
In a video published Wednesday, Prosser says 2021’s redesigned Apple Silicon iMac will come in black, white, green, blue and rose gold colors. Those are the same color options the latest iPad Air comes in.
Securely mount your iPhone on an Xbox controller with the OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Playing fast-moving games on a touchscreen is often frustrating. And while iOS supports external game controllers, combining one with an iPhone can be cumbersome. But not with the OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip. It attaches an iPhone to an Xbox controller in a surprisingly usable setup.
I did some gaming with the phone mount to see how it stands up to real-world use. Spoiler: it performed far better than the many cheap alternatives.
Share snippets from your favorite tracks. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 offer the ability to share lyrics directly from Apple Music for the first time. You can use the feature to send snippets from your favorite tracks to social media, messaging apps, and more.
Are you excited about the next iPad Pro? Photo: Apple
Another report published Tuesday adds more volume to the number of stories claiming that the next-gen iPad Pro will boast a mini-LED display.
The report, from Digitimes, notes that Taiwanese company Ennostar is gearing up to begin production of mini-LED backlight units. This will reportedly start at the end of the first quarter or second quarter of 2021.
MacBook Pro is getting a big redesign this year. Photo: Apple
From the sound of things, Apple is going back to the past for its next-gen MacBook Pro — and, depending on who you ask, that could be a very good thing.
The next MacBook Pro is already rumored to bring back the MagSafe charger and kill off the LED Touch Bar in favor of a row of physical keys.
Now, in a new note to clients, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says this year’s pro laptop will come with a built-in SD card reader and an HDMI port. These have been MIA since 2016, when Apple went all in on USB-C — and started ditching MacBook ports like they were going out of style.
Silver Sparrow could be in your M-series or Intel Mac. Here’s how to find out. Graphic: Cult of Mac/Red Canary
Some of the first malware targeting both M-series and Intel Macs has affected thousands of computers. At this point, the malicious code — called “Silver Sparrow” — is not dangerous, and Apple may have pulled its teeth. But users of the latest macOS computers still might want to know if their device has it. And the same goes for owners of Intel-based Macs.
Here’s how to find out if your computer has been hit.
This setup includes 3D-printed elements and Nintendo-inspired decorations. Photo: Vincent Belotti
Vincent Belotti, a mechanical engineering student at Farmingdale State College on Long Island, New York, has a colorful setup — and we’re not just talking about his screensaver. He 3D-prints some of the components in it himself, and he can’t get enough decor related to his favorite games.
3D printing as a hobby
As an engineering student, Belotti has made 3D printing into a hobby. He uses his MacBook Pro to model and slice prints that become components to enhance his setup. They include an Apple Watch dock, shown on the right side of his desk in these photos, and 3D figurines on the shelf above his monitor.
Coming soon to a pair of ears near you? Photo: 52audio
A leaked image posted online over the weekend shows off what may by the third iteration of Apple’s AirPods earbuds (fourth if you count the over-the-ear AirPods Max).
The pictures, which were shared by the Chinese-language website 52audio, depict next-gen regular AirPods with smaller stems and silicone tips, alongside a new LED charging indicator on the front of the charging case.
Apple has more than 20 fresh series and films premiering in coming months. Screenshot: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is prepping at least 21 new shows, movies and additional seasons of current series for release throughout 2021, and possibly beyond. A new sizzle reel gives a glimpse of all of them in two exciting minutes.
Watch it now to get a glimpse of the dramas, comedies, sci-fi and action series Apple hopes will entice audiences in 2021.
And there may have been some surprise announcements.
On this week’s episode of Apple TV+’s millennial melodrama Dickinson, Austin’s drowning, Emily’s flailing, Mrs. Dickinson’s catering two tea parties, and John Brown’s raiding Harper’s Ferry. And that’s just in the first few minutes.
The future hangs in the balance. And with only two episodes left in the show’s second season, every action and word counts. The show only wastes some of them.
Alice, played by Ayelet Zurer, finally gains the upper hand this week. Photo: Apple TV+
Losing Alice starts to wind down its look at the perverse triangle formed by a screenwriter, a director and their star in the Apple TV+ psychothriller’s penultimate episode.
The time has come for Alice to direct David and Sophie in their big, erotic close-up. Can they find the chemistry needed to sell it before the wheels come off the machine and Sophie is found out?
The MagSafe connector made a return with last year's iPhone refresh. GIF: Apple
Apple reintroduced its MagSafe branding for the magnetic charging and clip-on accessories system for the iPhone 12. But it’s hoping to introduce the best accessory yet with 2021’s iPhone refresh: a magnetically attached battery back.
This will reportedly wirelessly charge handsets on the go, extending the time you can use your iPhone between charges. Unfortunately, Apple is apparently having a few teething problems with it — and these could prove fatal.
The Cold War heats up -- on the moon! -- in Season 2 of For All Mankind. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s alternate-history space race extravaganza For All Mankind is back for a second season (with a third already paid for). Things are different on the moon but they’re very much the same in the drama department.
Activation Lock prevents anyone else from taking over your Apple device. Here’s how to turn it off. Graphic: Cult of Mac
When you sell an iPhone, Mac or other Apple computer, it’s critical to turn off Activation Lock or else the buyer won‘t be able to use the device. It’s easy to do when you still have the product, and not that much harder if you’ve already sold it.
Expect big and little iPad models at the Apple March event. Artists Concept: Cult of Mac
iPad fans should mark March 16 on their calendars. Apple will reportedly unveil faster iPad Pro models, a significantly redesigned iPad mini and AirTags item-location trackers at an event on that date.
Previous leaks already spilled many details about these upcoming devices. Now Korea’s Economic Daily News reports that Apple will take the wraps off these products on March 16. This is expected to be a virtual event broadcast to the public.
And you thought 5G was impressive! Photo: Qualcomm
The iPhone 12 was Apple’s first 5G iPhone, ushering in the start of a new era of high-speed connectivity. But Apple’s already gearing up for 6G technology, even if it knows that it’s many, many years away.
As noted in a new report from Bloomberg, Apple has started posting jobs ads for wireless system research engineers who could help Apple develop and prepare for the next, next generation of cellular connectivity.
These roles are based in Silicon Valley and San Diego. Early suggestions regarding 6G speculate that it could be 100x faster than 5G.
Del Yocam (center) chats with Steve Jobs. Photo: Del Yocam
Long before Tim Cook brought his operations wizardry to Apple, Del Yocam lent his logistical prowess to Cupertino. Apple’s first chief operating officer, he helped transform the company from a chaotic, scrappy startup into a streamlined manufacturing powerhouse.
He also served as an early mentor to Steve Jobs, the young Apple co-founder who sometimes seemed out of his depth in 1979.
“When I first got to know him, he was lost,” Yocam told Cult of Mac. “He was no longer involved in the Apple II and no one wanted him around, especially management. He didn’t care about money at that time. He was like an orphan, living away from home.”
In many ways, Yocam was the proto-Tim Cook, a manufacturing and operations specialist who helped transform a dysfunctional startup into a massive, moneymaking leader of the early PC industry. He also helped take the rapidly growing company international.
Yocam deserves more credit for helping build Apple than history has so far accorded him. He was one of the main players at a crucial point in Cupertino’s history.
Yocam, now 76, recently talked with Cult of Mac about Apple’s early days. In this exclusive interview, he discusses his friendship and working relationship with Jobs, Apple’s challenging, fascinating, and sometimes malodorous co-founder.
He also reveals new details about Jobs’ tearful ouster from Apple — and how Jobs later offered him an amazing job, only to revoke it at the last moment.
SwitchEasy CoverBuddy adds extra protection for iPads that are used with Apple’s clip-on keyboards. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Apple Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard for iPad are amazing but they prevent putting the tablet into most cases, so it has to be “naked” when not clipped to the keyboard. That’s no problem for the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy, a protective case that Apple’s clip-on keyboards can work right through.
The Apple portable that never was. Photo: Action Retro
Long before we all started carrying around powerful computers in our pockets, there was the tiny Toshiba Libretto. A game-changing device when it arrived in the 1990s, the Libretto downsized the entire Windows PC experience into a subnotebook the size of a paperback.
As the world’s smallest commercially available Windows PC, it certainly proved revolutionary. The only problem is the Libretto was … well, a Windows PC.
YouTuber Action Retro recently set out to right that wrong with an awesome Hackintosh project. After transforming the diminutive Libretto into a miniature Mac, he spoke with Cult of Mac about the experience (and his love of vintage Macs).
New mobility metrics in the iOS Health app provide essential data on how you’re walking. Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
The new Mobility Metrics feature that Apple added in iOS 14 offers important insights into your health and fitness. Using its built-in sensors and some extremely smart software, the iPhone in your hip pocket captures data and analyzes how you walk at all times. Then, the Health app serves up seven key measurements that provide an overall picture of your strength, coordination and cardiovascular health.
Even if you don’t experience any mobility difficulties, you might still be interested to see what these new stats reveal about the way you walk.
Twelve South ParcSlope securely supports an Apple laptop or tablet. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tilting up the base of your MacBook makes it easier to type. And it elevates the screen to be nearer eye level. The Twelve South ParcSlope is a simple, sturdy laptop stand that offers both benefits. And you can use it with your iPad, too.
I used the ParcSlope for several days to see how well it performed in real-world use. Read on to see what I found out.