Mobile menu toggle

Newsstand - page 211

3 easy ways to record Beats 1 audio onto your Mac

By

beats-1-radio-shows-day-one - 1

Screen: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

Beats 1 is live 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it’s a fantastic way to get your dose of what’s happening right now in urban music.

Problem is, just like the terrestrial radio that it uses as its model, Beats 1 doesn’t have an archived recording of its shows. If you want to hear a specific DJ or interview, you have to tune in.

There are ways, however, of recording the audio stream with varying degrees of “free” and “easy.” Two of them involve some technical know how while the third will require you to drop some cash. Check it out.

Brad Mangin is one of sport photography’s best shooters – even with an iPhone

By

Brad Mangin's portrait of a high school football player was selected for Apple's
Brad Mangin's portrait of a high school football player was selected for Apple's "Shot on iPhone 6" ad campaign.
Photo: Brad Mangin/Apple

Cult of Mac’s Photo Famous series introduces you to the groundbreaking photographers featured in Apple’s “Shot on iPhone 6” ad campaign.

Brad Mangin’s friends gave him a good ribbing as “the last photographer on the planet” to carry a flip phone. They all had iPhones and couldn’t believe it took him so long to not only own one but discover the picture quality of the phone’s camera.

 
Laughter would turn to admiration in less than a year’s time. Mangin would go on to use his first iPhone to produce a robust baseball essay for Sports Illustrated and get a book deal with his iPhone pictures.

Apple Music could put a serious hurt on your iPhone battery

By

Apple Music
Please, please, please let my charge last all day.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We’ve had a couple days to check out Apple Music, Apple’s song-streaming platform that launched Tuesday. It comes loaded with 30 million songs that you can listen to on demand with a quick search or a request to Siri.

But all that choice and tech power may come at a price, as some users are reporting that the new Music app is killing their iPhone’s battery life.

Want Prince? You’re not getting it from Apple Music — just Tidal

By

The Purple One at the Coachella Festival in 2008.
The Purple One at the Coachella Festival in 2008.
Photo: CC Wikipedia

If you were hoping to listen to Prince on Apple Music, thinking that the purple-clad passionate one’s music would be on the service like many other exclusives on Apple’s new streaming service, you’re out of luck.

The artist currently known as Prince has pulled all of his music from streaming services, except for one: Jay Z’s Tidal, which reputedly has the best terms for mega artists like the Purple Rain lead.

Turns out that doves will cry after all, since they can’t listen to Prince on Apple Music or Spotify.

iPhone 6s likely to receive major camera upgrades both front and back

By

Get ready for a major camera upgrade for the iPhone 6s.
Get ready for a major camera upgrade for the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Apple

Rumors that the iPhone 6s will receive a new 12-megapixel camera with 4K video recording got a boost today — thanks to a document allegedly leaked by a Foxconn employee.

The document also suggests that the iPhone 6s’ front-facing camera will receive a massive upgrade from the 1.2-megapixel sensor found in current iPhones thanks to a new 5-megapixel sensor.

Keep your kids ‘safe’ and remove swear words from Apple Music

By

Parental Advisory label
Apple Music streams music bleep-free unless you take some action.
Photo: Wikipedia

Apple Music is the latest way to stream a ridiculous number of tunes on demand. And with all that variety, you’re going to get some cursing in there. It’s just how a lot of musicians work.

But if you don’t want to hear all of those bleepables and swears, it’s a pretty quick fix to keep it from showing up in your stream. Here’s how to do it.

You won’t find these Apple Music albums on Spotify

By

Taylor_Swift_cover001
Yes, we know. That one.

Taylor Swift fans aren’t the only ones with reasons to celebrate Apple Music.

Apple’s new streaming service boasts over 30 million songs. That’s according to the company, anyway; we definitely haven’t counted them. And even though it’s only a day old, it’s looking like it could have a chance to cut into the business of rival streamers like Spotify. And part of how it’s doing that is by landing content for its library that the other people don’t have.

Here are five albums Apple Music can brag about. Other than 1989, we mean. Because everyone knows 1989 is on there.

Create and share Apple Music playlists with your buddies

By

Like mix tapes for modern lovers.
Like mix tapes for modern lovers.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

One of the cool things you can do with a streaming service like Apple Music, Spotify, or Rdio, is making and sharing playlists. It’s a way to seriously curate your own musical taste, and then show off by sending along to others.

It’s not super tricky, but the downside of such a new user interface like the one in the just released Apple Music is that things may not be where you think they should be.

With that in mind, let’s jump right in and make a new playlist. Then let’s learn how to share it with our Apple Music buddies.

iCloud Music Library adds DRM without buying you dinner first

By

icloud-music-library-itunes-match
iCloud Music Library is almost identical to iTunes Match with one glaring issue.
Photo: Apple

Well iCloud Music Library is pissing people off already. The new service almost identical to iTunes Match has a DRM problem. Turned on, iCloud Music Library is taking the music you rightfully own and place in your iTunes library and automatically adding DRM protection to it. In essence, it’s placing a lock on music that’s already yours.

Apple Music will be super cheap in some countries

By

Tim Cook talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Tim Cook talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music, the new song-streaming platform that started rolling out yesterday, is currently free for everyone while the company shows off how cool its new product is. After the three-month trial period that we’re all enjoying, however, using the full set of features will cost you.

But for people in developing countries, the burn won’t be nearly as bad.

Did iCloud Music Library break your collection? Here’s a fix

By

Maybe wait until you try this on your own Mac.
Maybe wait until you try this on your own Mac.
Photo: Apple

Several iTunes users have taken to the Apple Discussion forums to complain about iCloud Music Library — part of the iTunes 12.2 update — has destroyed their music libraries.

Discussions user Tuff Ghost explains that everything was fine with his 13,000 song iTunes library, until he installed iTunes 12.2 on his Mac and allowed it to enable iCloud Music Library.

“All of the (sic) sudden it starts overwriting my album art with completely wrong art (example: Weezer showed art for a Radiohead album) on both my iMac AND my iPhone, screwing up metadata by putting random songs in albums where they didn’t belong (there was a Cursive album where the first track was listed as a Foo Fighters song).”

When he clicked to listen to a song, it would play a completely different one, like the metadata for the files was completely incorrect.

If this is happening to you, another Discussions user may have found a solution.

iOS 9 beta users will be able to use Apple Music starting next week

By

iOS 9
Apple Music is coming to iOS 9 soon.
Photo: Apple

If you’re a wannabe Apple Music customer, but currently running the iOS 9 beta, have no fear — since Eddy Cue has confirmed via Twitter that a new beta seed is on the way, offering compatibility with Apple’s newly-launched streaming music service.

Cue didn’t give a precise timeframe, but did note that it would be, “early next week.” Apple’s most recent iOS 9 beta on June 23. Since the company typically releases new beta seeds at fortnightly intervals, it would make sense if the next one arrives next Tuesday.

ProTip: How to listen to the Beats 1 shows you missed

By

If you're looking to catch up with Beats 1, here's how you do it.
If you're looking to catch up with Beats 1, here's how you do it.
Photo: Apple

One of the most highly-touted aspects of Apple Music is the streaming service’s focus on human curation — epitomized by its Beats 1 radio station, which skips algorithmic recommendations in favor of real, breathing human DJs.

If you miss out your favorite show, however, or else want to listen to the music selected by one DJ minus the chat, a neat feature of Apple Music is the ability to easily access the playlist of past shows.

Here’s how you do it.

Why Apple’s Beats 1 radio station is great, and you should tune in

By

Things are looking good for Beats One and leading DJ Zane Lowe, one of the world's top radio personalities.
Things are looking good for Beats 1 and top DJ Zane Lowe, one of the world's top radio personalities.
Photo: Apple

So far, Beats 1 has been absolutely great. I’m a fan, and it’s been less than 24 hours!

Apple’s new global, 24/7 radio station is everything I hoped for — a discovery-oriented platform showcasing what’s new and what’s good. Of all the features of Apple’s big update to its Music services, Beats 1 is what I most looked forward to.

“Our genre is ‘great,'” explained DJ Zane Lowe on his opening show Tuesday. “That’s all we’re looking for.”

And that’s all I’m looking for too. In fact, I’m already obsessed with A$AP Rocky, who was played on Lowe’s show and I’d never heard before (yeah, I know I’m sad). A$AP Rocky is just one of half-a-dozen new artists I’ve tagged in iTunes for further exploration, including Beck, who I thought I hated.

I’m actually worried how I’m going to keep up. But isn’t this what radio is for?

ProTip: Get your Apple Music username before someone else does

By

Add your unique username for Apple Music Connect before someone else snags it.
Add your unique username for Apple Music Connect before someone else snags it.
Screen: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

When you sign in to Apple Music, you have access to Apple’s new music-centric sharing and socializing system, Connect.

While Ping may have come to an an ignominious end, Connect has the advantage of being integrated into the new, exciting Apple Music to the very core, and will let everyone signed into an Apple ID account (not just Apple Music members) use the system to follow their favorite artist.

When you comment on a Connect post, though, you’ll be known by a user name, which uses the @ symbol just like Twitter.

If you want to have something unique, though, you’ll need to act quickly and enter it now, before the service gets clogged up with all the other people that might want your specific user name. Here’s how to do just that.

Apple Music’s setup screen is short a few bubbles

By

Apple Music bubbles
Some things are missing from this picture.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Apple Music launched today, and so far people seem pretty happy with the new platform. But that isn’t to say that we haven’t found a few complaints to pick out.

We don’t like the new app icon, for one. And some of us are having trouble finding the music we own mixed in with all the streaming stuff. But probably the biggest issue we — and a reader or two — have had concerns the taste-selection screen when you first set up Apple Music.

Here are some of the important bubbles we couldn’t find when we first opened the new app.

How to not get auto-charged for your Apple Music subscription

By

You'll still get your three months, just not charged for the fourth automatically.
You'll still get your three months, just not charged for the fourth automatically.
Screen: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

So, you’ve gotten the three month trial subscription for Apple Music, right? How exciting!

Chances are, you’ll forget all about it and, whether you love the service or not, you’ll get auto-charged in September for the $10 to $15 you chose when you signed up for your Apple Music subscription.

If you want to make sure that you aren’t automatically charged again, here’s how to turn that function off.

Twitter’s response to Apple Music reads like a eulogy for Spotify

By

Excitement for Apple Music came with an enthusiastic farewell to Spotify for some on Twitter.
Excitement for Apple Music came with an enthusiastic farewell to Spotify for some on Twitter.
Photo: Twitter

Two minutes after Apple Music launched Tuesday, Hans Metzke was listening to it on his device. He hit pause on his excitement to send out this Tweet: “And we’re live! Awesome! Bye Spotify.”

Apple Music users immediately took to social media to sing the praises of Apple’s new music streaming service. At the same time, many were saying farewell to music streaming’s current king, Spotify.

Whether Apple Music, which is currently free for the three months, will usurp Spotify or the other big player, Pandora, remains to be seen.

A focus on discovery makes Apple Music a serious contender

By

Even Taylor Swift loves Apple Music.
Discover stuff large and small with Apple's new Music service.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

I’m a streaming music junky. I gave up collecting, owning, and maintaining music files on my own Mac years ago and I’ve never looked back. It’s the only sensible way to have access to millions of songs without having to worry about storing them.

I’ve used and tested Rdio, Spotify, Beats Music, and other on-demand streaming services over the past few years, so it made sense to check out Apple Music, the new on-demand service to come out of Cupertino.

It’s going to take some time to dig in deep, but so far, Apple Music is proving to be an amazingly comprehensive streaming music product that focuses on discovery, something that the competition struggles with. Within minutes of downloading iOS 8.4, I’m already listening to a playlist of artists I know as well as those I don’t – a perfect blend of old and new.

I’ve found a new streaming service to love in Apple Music, and I think you will, too.

Apple Music review roundup: Cupertino is hitting all the right notes

By

Apple-Music-iPhone
Apple Music sounds like a game changer.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music is set to launch at 11am ET/8am PT today, alongside the release of iOS 8.4. As we count down the minutes, however, we can entertain ourselves with the first batch of “early impression” reviews for Apple’s new streaming music service.

Has Apple done it again? With minor quibbles, the answer certainly seems to be a resounding “yes.” Check out some of the review highlights below:

How to reset and re-pair your Apple Watch

By

Apple Watch reset
Apple Watch reset
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If your Apple Watch stops responding to your iPhone, you can reboot it or you can turn the Bluetooth connection off and on. If that doesn’t work to reconnect your Watch, you might need to reset it, and then you’ll need to re-pair it.

Here’s how.

Swift schools Apple, Macbook’s missing feature, and more on The CultCast

By

eddie-taylor

This week: the cool features in the new iOS 9 and El Capitan betas; Taylor Swift starts a royalty battle with Apple; the ridiculously low payouts artists get from music streaming; the new Macbook’s big missing feature; and the magic of Apple advertising.

Our thanks to Bushel for supporting this episode, the simple-to-use cloud-based tool that anyone can leverage to manage the Apple devices in their workplace. Get Bushel for free for up to 3 devices when you sign up at Bushel.com/cultofmac.

cultcast-185-post-player-image-thin

Show notes after the jump.

Apple vs. Google: Which has the upper hand in innovation?

By

fnf_1024

To succeed in tech, you must be a master of innovation. No two companies understand this better than Apple and Google, which have become kings of the industry thanks to a string of incredible ideas that have shaped the technology we rely on today.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2But which company is continuing to innovate in 2015? Is it Apple, with its fitness-focused Apple Watch, Apple Pay, and a new streaming service that hopes to save the music industry? Or is it Google, with Google Glass, self-driving cars, and secret robots?

Join us as we take it to a debate in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac.