What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs? Photo: Jigsaw Productions
Steve Jobs had a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant in the workplace, but a new video released by Apple on the 4th anniversary of the Apple co-founder’s death gives fans a closer look at Steve’s softer side.
The never-before-seen video was sent to Apple employees yesterday and obtained by ABC. It shows the former CEO talking about everything from his management strategy (based on the Beatles) to why he wears ripped jeans.
Every year, millions of older smartphones get dumped. Cult of Mac hopes to change that with a new buyback service that pays more than similar programs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
I’m super-excited to announce that Cult of Mac is launching a gadget buyback program that promises to pay more for used and broken Apple devices than Gazelle, Walmart and even Apple itself.
As we enter the annual upgrade season, we’ve teamed up with a U.S. recycling company to offer what we believe is the highest-paying buyback program right here at buyback.cultofmac.com.
We pay cash for old iPhones, iPads, iPods and MacBooks. We accept both used and broken devices — even dead iPhones that have fallen in the toilet.
Your Mac—it just learned some new tricks. Photo: Library of Congress
This week: we’ve spent seven full days with iPhone 6s and we’re ready to report what we love and what we don’t. Plus: El Capitan just made your Mac a lot better! We’ll cover the cool tricks your Mac just learned. And then, how does $9 for an Apple Watch Sport band sound? How about $28 for a Leather Loop? Sure, the fake Apple Watch bands are 1/5 the price of genuine bands, but are they any good? We’ve been testing two fakes to find out, and the results might surprise you.
Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X—learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
Ever wish you could watch all those great Key & Peele or Inside Amy Schumer clips from YouTube on the big television in the living room?
Sometimes the small screen on your MacBook just isn’t large enough to contain all that hilarity. It’s times like these that you’ll want to send video to that massive HDTV, and El Capitan makes it even easier with a new AirPlay feature.
Here’s how to beam your favorite clips to your favorite screen.
This iPhone 6 dock will simplify your life. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Best List: iPhone 6 dock by Kanex
Every now and then, I need to FaceTime with someone. Holding my iPhone still is kind of a challenge when I’m chatting, plus I can’t gesticulate wildly when I’m keeping the iPhone upright with my hands. The folks at Kanex have me covered thanks to this slickly designed aluminum dock for iPhone 6 or 6 Plus (and I’m pretty sure it will work with the newer “s” models, as well).
Where should you buy that fancy new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus from? We've got the skinny. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
There’s never been a more confusing time to buy an iPhone.
If you’re looking for the best deal on a new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, you have tons of options. From Apple to AT&T, Verizon to T-Mobile, carriers and retailers have expanded their options for buying a new iPhone. That, plus an upheaval in traditional cellphone pricing and plans led by T-Mobile, has us all rather confused.
Where can you find a comparison of all the major US options? Right here, of course. We spent the time with our spreadsheets and the websites of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Apple, T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Boost Mobile, and (yes) Consumer Cellular to help you cut through the confusion and find the best iPhone purchase plan for you.
This is a comparison of buying your iPhone 6s, not the coverage or monthly cost of phone calls, text or data on any specific carriers, though that will factor in to your choice, of course.
The Grip&Shoot steadies a smartphone photographer's shaky hand. Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac
Best List: Grip&Shoot Bluetooth smart grip for photographers
Nobody likes a blurry picture. And while smartphone snappers might think they don’t miss a viewfinder, holding an old-school camera close to the face allowed photographers to use their arms against their torsos to steady things.
With a smartphone, which is held out in front of our bodies, there’s far more risk of shake and blur. Luckily, the Grip&Shoot is a simple solution that will steady the hand.
El Capitan beta is here to change your Mac. Photo: Apple
OS X El Capitan promises to redefine the Mac experience with a host of new improvements that make working (and playing) smoother than ever.
There’s a lot to learn about all the new goodies in El Capitan, which finally became available to the public for free today. Everything from Notes to Safari, from AirPlay to Spotlight, has seen gains both big and little.
After spending a lot of time with the new OS, which has been in beta for months, we’ve found 13 killer features every Mac owner needs to know to get the most out of El Capitan. Here they are!
Game Center is causing some problems for iOS 9 updaters. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
If you’ve been having trouble with Apple’s Game Center after upgrading to iOS 9, you’re not alone.
Read Apple’s discussion forums and you’ll find 14 pages of comments from disgruntled gamers complaining about — and trying to solve — this rather massive issue.
Apple doesn't want your iPhone dying if you accidentally drop it in the toilet. Photo: iFixit
No, it’s not a collective delusion — the iPhone 6s really is more water-resistant than its predecessors.
In a new teardown carried out by our friends at iFixit, the iPhone 6s was found to include a gasket-style “mystery adhesive” around the handset display, specially designed to keep water out.
Can't get enough rose gold? Check out these iPhone 6s cases. Photo: Apple
It seems iPhone 6s customers are having a love affair with the new rose gold color option. Numerous reports indicate that it’s the most popular color choice for this year’s iPhone release. It’s all shiny and new as soon as you get it, but ten minutes later you realize you’re probably in the market for a new case. And yes, it’s about to completely shield the rose gold goodness.
You sit back in your chair, sigh and begin to question if there’s even hope left in this universe. The good news is there are more than a few cases that will let you show off that new rose gold iPhone, or even just your deep passion for rose gold as a color and fashion statement. Take a look at a few of your best options.
As a bonus, all of these cases are less than 25 bucks each.
Google is keeping a keen eye on Apple — and promising to do everything faster, better and cheaper than Cupertino. That’s the takeaway from today’s impressive Google event, during which the world got its first look at tons of new services, devices and features coming soon to a screen near you.
Here are all the ways Google answered Apple at the San Francisco event, a few ways Google surged ahead — and some gratuitous jabs at Cupertino.
Tim Cook discusses Apple's enterprise ambitions at BoxWorks in San Francisco, September 2015. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple CEO Tim Cook is urging competitors to copy Apple in the fight against climate change.
Speaking today at the BoxWorks 2015 conference at Moscone Center here, Cook said Apple’s rivals should copy its efforts to run their operations entirely on renewable energy.
“We are very focused on the environment,” he said. “Climate change is real, and we should stop denying it.”
In a newly-published patent, Apple explains how 3D Touch-style technology could revolutionize maps, by letting users animate the screen with different levels of touch.
Apple is finally getting serious about explaining Apple Music to the masses. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
With just days to go before free Apple Music trials start to expire, Cupertino is finally getting serious about explaining exactly how its streaming music service works.
A new wave of “guided tour” videos demystifies Apple Music’s functionality and features — but will this marketing and educational push be too little, too late to stop a wave of defectors from leaving the fledgeling service at a critical time?
Third-party apps are already jumping on board with 3D Touch and so should you. Photo: Apple
So, you’re one of 13 million people to get a brand new iPhone 6S over the launch weekend. Congratulations, you now have access to a faster phone — potentially a rose gold one, better cameras, stronger aluminum and of course, 3D Touch. The latter is actually extremely useful, but it’s only as useful as developers allow.
Since the feature is brand new, 3D Touch mostly works with Apple’s stock iOS apps for quick application shortcuts on the Home screen, plus Peek and Pop inside apps to preview different types of content. A few productive developers saw the light and quickly updated their apps to support this drastically new way to use an iPhone.
You can tell that the future is very bright for 3D Touch as developers are just getting started figuring out how to unlock all of its potential. Until we reach that 3D utopia, here are five terrific apps that already do Apple’s latest innovation plenty of justice.
Apple hits another home run. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
iPhone 6s is a mirror image of its predecessor at first glance, but thanks to improved internals and innovative new technology, it’s very much a different beast.
With Apple’s latest A9 processor, a new 12-megapixel iSight camera, Live Photos, and 3D Touch, this is much, much more than just an “incremental” iPhone upgrade. It’s the iPhone that will change the way you use your iPhone. It’s Apple most exciting smartphone in years.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The embargoes have lifted and the iPhone 6s reviews are in. We’ll tell you what folks love — and don’t –about Apple’s newest iPhone. Plus: Apple car coming in 2019; why we love the new watchOS 2 update; and, with our three-month Apple Music trials running out, we ponder — is the service worth paying for?
Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with more than 3,000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super-powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X — learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
3D Touch is just... awesome! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Even though the iPhone 6s look identical to its predecessor, using the new smartphone is actually way different thanks to 3D Touch and the new Peek and Pop gestures that essentially provide wormholes to other apps. Getting up to speed with the new input method can take some time, so we’ve compiled a list of all the sweet little features you probably didn’t know about.
Here are 11 killer iPhone 6s tips to help you master your new device:
If you’ve braved a line (or just waited impatiently for your mail or a delivery from your local courier) and finally have your hands on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus of your very own, you may be wondering what do do with your new precious. Sure, you could call all your friends and tell them you’re speaking to them through your shiny new gadget, like I did with my Apple Watch.
And I’m here to tell you that everyone loves that.
But you’re probably looking for some cool apps to play around with, and it may be hard to know where to start — especially if this is your first iPhone. So here are a bunch of apps that should be at the top of your list.
Today’s the day Apple’s latest smartphones go on sale in 12 markets around the world, and thanks to some threats I made to the local UPS man last week, my shiny new handset arrived before I’d even had chance to make myself a coffee this morning.
After putting it through its paces for a few hours, here are my first impressions on all that’s new. It’s super-fast, Live Photos are tons of fun, and 3D Touch is a must-have.
A lens attachment with case by Moment is a good compliment to the 12-megapixel camera in the new iPhone 6s. Photo: Moment
Your personal hero now has an S on its chest and, behind it, are some new superpowers. Behold, the iPhone 6s.
But wait: There’s still some money to be spent on a new suit of armor and some other accessories to exploit the talents of the latest hardware out of Cupertino.
Cult of Mac has drawn up a shopping list for you. You could probably squeeze the 6s into the same case and carry on with your current set of headphones, but hey — a new iPhone only comes around once a year.
This year's iPhone could be one of the toughest yet. Photo: Apple
Although we’re not sure if it did much to damage sales, last year’s iPhone launch was marred slightly by the so-called Bendgate problem — most famously shown off by the man who bent an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands.
Given the notoriety that video enjoyed, it’s no surprise that this year’s customers would be willing to put their new iPhone 6s handsets through the wringer to answer the immortal question: Will it bend?
While his testing method isn’t exactly scientific, Australian YouTuber Christian from FoneFox took up the challenge with his brand new iPhone 6s — and the results look very promising indeed.
Apple's new "Hey Siri" feature promises to be a game-changer. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
iOS 9’s new always-on “Hey Siri” feature promises to be a game changer for iPhone 6s-owning users of Apple’s AI assistant. For the first time ever, these owners won’t have to plug in their handsets in order to use Siri’s new voice activation tech.
So how exactly will this untethered “Hey Siri” improve your life? Let us count the ways…
Pegatron will team up with an Indonesian manufacturer.. Photo: iFixit
The new iPhone 6s looks identical to last year’s model, but there are some major differences in the hardware, as revealed by the gadget gurus at iFixit, who have already torn apart Jony Ive’s fabulous new creation.