The tiny multitasking menu at the top of each application is a significant improvement in iPadOS 15. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
With iPadOS 15, Apple makes the iPad’s multitasking system much more intuitive. I’ve been testing it with the first beta of this OS update, and I’m quite pleased with the changes.
Here’s how the new iPad side-by-side multitasking system works in real life. And why I think it’ll bring this feature to more users.
Want to relive Craig Federighi’s daring iPad catch from Monday’s keynote, set to a toe-tapping tune? Of course you do. Fortunately, Jonathan Mann is here to help.
Mann, a prolific musical YouTuber, has been writing songs about Apple dating back to the days of Antennagate and the iPhone 4. None other than Steve Jobs once played one of Mann’s iPhone ditties on stage at an Apple event. Each year after Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Mann pens a song based on the event.
His song this year won’t leave you any the wiser if you didn’t watch this year’s WWDC keynote. But it will certainly get you nodding your head — and reliving that Federighi catch over and over. Check it out.
Selling your old Apple device to buy a new one can be a high-stakes game. Do it before Apple announces the replacement and you can bank a few extra bucks because a) you’re selling the latest-gen product and b) the market’s not yet saturated with other sellers doing the same thing.
The catch? You’d better be confident that Apple’s going to announce the product you think it will. Because if it doesn’t, you’ll be stuck with no device at all. That appears to have happened to a handful of Apple users who were confident that Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote would include the launch of next-gen MacBook Pros powered by M2 chips.
Apple didn’t unveil new laptops — and now people who sold their computers to gear up for new ones are not too happy about the situation.
... if you have a spare iPhone or iPad. Photo: Apple
Itching to get your hands on iOS and iPadOS 15 as soon as possible? The first developer betas are out now, and although we definitely don’t recommend installing them just yet, we’ll still tell you how to do it.
All you need is an Apple Developer account and an iPhone or iPad.
Apple CEO Tim Cook wraps the WWDC21 keynote on June 7, 2021. Photo: Apple
Some new features really stood out when Apple revealed the next versions of all its operating systems during Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. Users of iPhone, Mac and iPad, and Apple Watch, too, can look forward to welcome improvements this fall.
We picked out the best of these to make sure they don’t get overlooked.
watchOS introduces a new Portrait mode watch face with depth effect Photo: Apple
We got our first glimpse of the OS that will be gracing everyone’s wrists this fall when Apple showed off watchOS 8 during Monday’s WWDC keynote.
This update looks like more of an evolution than a revolution. Text editing gets a little easier. And we’ll get various small enhancements for the apps we already know and love, like photo sharing and a redesigned Music app.
Big Sur is dead. Long live macOS Monterey! Photo: Apple
macOS Monterey will bring a plethora of nifty new abilities to Mac — and, in the process, help make Macs work even better with iPhones and iPads.
Announced Monday during the Worldwide Developers Conference’s opening keynote, it will be the first new Mac operating system following the arrival of Apple Silicon across the entire product line. This year’s update isn’t close to the giant redesign that was 2020’s macOS 11 Big Sur. But macOS Monterey 12 nonetheless boasts a bevy of exciting new features.
Apple is taking even more shots at advertisers in the WWDC 2021 Privacy updates Screenshot: Apple
Apple is bringing big privacy-focused changes to its Mail app and other parts of its ecosystem, the company said Monday.
“At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering. “We don’t think you should have to make a tradeoff between great features and privacy. We believe you deserve both.”
Apple took the wraps off iOS 15 on the opening day of its WWDC conference. Screenshot: Apple
iOS 15 just made the jump from rumor to reality. Apple is bringing major new features to FaceTime, Messages, notifications, and more. Many of the applications that come bundled with iPhone are getting updates, like Apple Maps and Weather.
However, some features people had been hoping for didn’t make the cut, like interactive widgets.
iPadOS gets widgets you can place anywhere — just like iPhone. Photo: Apple
Apple today gave iPad owners their first peek at iPadOS 15 with a revamped Home screen and more powerful multitasking. The update also introduces bolstered privacy controls and some welcome changes to notifications.
iPadOS 15 makes its public debut this fall alongside iOS 15 and other software updates for Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Developers can get their hands on the very first betas later today.
Get ready for updates to five operating systems. And maybe a pair of new MacBooks. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
June 7 will be the single most important day of 2021 for Apple. It’s the start of the annual Worldwide Developers Conference where the company will ceremoniously unveil fresh operating system updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and more.
Big changes are anticipated for iPadOS 15, and some nice enhancements are also predicted for iOS 15. The improvements in macOS 12, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 are likely to be more modest.
But the show won’t stop there. While WWDC is supposed to be about software, there’s a good chance we will see new MacBooks announced Monday as well.
Amazon plans to combine every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the United States into a shared “mesh network” to ensure devices stay online even when disconnected from their owners’ home Wi-Fi connection.
The system, called Amazon Sidewalk, faced scrutiny over the lack of transparency with regard to its rollout. Many people also express concerns about the potential privacy issues it could raise.
Not interested in taking part? Here’s how to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk before it goes live on June 8.
Not interested in likes? Get rid of them. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Facebook and Instagram have added the ability to hide likes and view counts — a feature that’s been in the works for a while. You can block counts on your own posts and well as on those from others.
We’ll show you how to enable the setting inside Facebook and Instagram for iPhone and iPad.
Where will the Fox family go next season? We can't wait to find out. Photo: Apple TV+
The Mosquito Coast, the bold Apple TV+ potboiler about a family on the run from the law, wraps up its impressive first season this week with the end of the road — a few roads actually — in sight.
It’s a gripping finale that will leave you breathlessly waiting for the show’s just-announced second season.
A new house calls for a first-time home office with an ultrawide monitor and plenty of toys. Photo: StevenJ95
Redditor StevenJ95 recently moved from an apartment to a house, allowing him to have a new home office. For the first time. He’s got room enough in there for his MacBook Pro, his Samsung curved ultrawide monitor and even his Tesla Model S, Cybertruck and Supercharger.
OK, those last three are two diecast model cars and a cute little desktop Tesla charger for phones and such. But he does have a real Tesla Model 3 — which he sensibly parks elsewhere — as well as a lot of enthusiasm for the brand, judging by how he decorates his setup.
Julianne Moore shines in this adaptation of Stephen King's novel. Photo: Apple TV+
With Lisey’s Story, Apple TV+ officially enters the Stephen King business, a step every streaming service must eventually take. The new miniseries, based on King’s novel of the same name, just so happens to boast an astonishing pedigree. So the inevitable move reads less like calculation and more like certainty for once.
This is a miniseries that, at least initially, looks like it’s firing on all cylinders.
Alive? Dead? Maybe not even Tim Cook knows for sure. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
What does Apple’s oft-discussed, never-shipped AirPower charging pad have in common with Baron Samedi, the voodoo priest from the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die? Two things predominantly: 1) People think they’re folklore until they actually appear, and 2) They seemingly can’t die.
That’s right: After dodging death more times than Evel Knievel, a new Bloomberg report claims that AirPower is back on. Again. Or, at the very least, the project still has a heartbeat.
Apple wants to keep its iPad line hot coming out of the pandemic. Photo: Apple
Apple is planning some exciting new additions for its iPad line. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to bring wireless charging to the iPad Pro, along with the first iPad mini redesign in six years.
The wireless charging iPad will supposedly debut in 2022. The redesigned iPad mini — complete with narrower bezels and possible removed Home button — will meanwhile arrive later this year.
The safe and easy way to share HomeKit control. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
If you’re going away this summer and leaving your home in the hands of someone else, you might want to give them control of your HomeKit devices. And it’s really easy to do that inside the Home app.
Here’s how to invite anyone with an iPhone, iPad or Mac to control your smart home gadgets as a guest.
100% BPA-free and environmentally friendly. Photo: SwitchEasy
Keep your AirTag protected and secured to almost anything with the simple, stylish and affordable SwitchEasy Skin.
Made from sturdy silicone, the Skin is non-toxic and environmentally friendly. It shows off both sides of your AirTag while allowing you to easily attach it to backpacks, purses, suitcases and more.
Some low-light photos look better without Night mode. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Want to capture a low-light photo without using the Night mode feature on newer iPhone models? It’s real easy to turn off right inside the built-in Camera app. We’ll show you how.
All hail Techin Park, developer of Paste Keyboard and new king of the App Store. Photo: Techin Park
A simple copy-and-paste app called Paste Keyboard shot to the top of the App Store charts this week after languishing in obscurity for years.
Made by 28-year-old South Korean developer Techin Park, the keyboard app hitched a ride on TikTok’s massive success — and then dethroned it as the most popular app in the United States.
“Everyone is curious how such [a] simple idea, copy and paste, has trumped the almighty TikTok in app rank,” Park told Cult of Mac. “Copy and paste is a feature we all use at least once daily. Not many think it’s special. But in reality, increasing efficiency [when it comes to] how we copy and paste can save a lot more of our time than we possibly think.”
And, apparently, score you crazy numbers of downloads, too.
Three setups in one makes for hot fun in the Arizona sun. Photo: Tyler Botha
Arizona-based Tyler Botha, aka theallseeingeye on Reddit, is a TV-focused copywriter for a San Francisco startup and a retired pro DJ. The setup and epic gear list he sent to our attention does triple duty with a capable “WFH Desk,” a powerful “Gaming Corner” and a remarkably complete “DJ Desk.”
Talk about “complete.” Botha’s gear list, represented in the links below, is probably the longest one ever published in a Cult of Mac Setups article. You don’t have to be a DJ to appreciate it, but it helps.
The 120Hz screen in the iPhone 13 might require a heftier battery., Screenshot: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech
An improved display in the iPhone 13 series reportedly will force Apple to put in a larger battery, making the upcoming handsets slightly thicker.
This could mean we finally get an iPhone screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The faster rate makes the user interface of a phone or tablet just a bit smoother and more responsive.
Unlikely to roll off the lot until later this decade. Concept: LeaseFetcher
The bumpy, pothole-filled road to Apple Car continues, with Bloomberg claiming Wednesday that Apple has “lost multiple top managers of its self-driving car team” in recent months.
The company reportedly has hundreds of engineers working on self-driving software, along with multiple groups of employees working on a physical vehicle. However, multiple managers on the project have thrown in the towel this year alone. That’s never a great look.