Apple’s iPhone sales in the U.S. are starting to flatline, according to data from the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Growth of the iPhone install base in the U.S. has been on a downward trend for years now, but CIRP’s latest report reveals that growth was at its slowest rate ever during the first quarter of 2019.
Apple’s new TV app, available pretty much everywhere with iOS 12.3, lets you subscribe to TV and movie channels, as well as renting films and shows direct from Apple. The bad news is that, if you only want to watch your own sideloaded videos, the app is worse than the old Videos app. But if you subscribe to channels, or would like to, then TV is a fantastic way to consolidate all that entertainment.
And guess what? It’s even useful when you’re traveling or commuting. Today we’ll see how to download and watch TV shows and movies offline.
Perfect Tempo lets you speed up or slow down any song in Apple Music, so you can learn how to play it. Unlike every other app that does this, Perfect Tempo works on any song on the Apple Music service, not just purchased and/or downloaded songs. It also has a great, easy-to-use design, which is way better than the utilitarian drop-down lists of many other apps.
Apple employees once made a parody music commercial just to mock Windows 95. The five-minute skit is incredibly well done and quite possibly the best thing you’ll see on the internet today.
Apple comes in third on this year’s Fortune 500 list, a ranking of companies based on revenue.
Apple lagged behind Walmart and ExxonMobil in terms of revenue. However, it massively outperforms both in terms of profitability. Interestingly, No. 4 on the list — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway firm — is also one of Apple’s biggest investors.
Apple’s custom-built smartphone modems likely won’t make their way into iPhones and iPads until 2025 at the earliest, according to a new report from The Information.
Intel’s strained relationship with Apple is on full display in the beefy report that reveals Apple had problems with Intel long before 5G modems became an issue. Back in early 2017, Intel struggled to supply Apple with an LTE modem destined for the 2018 iPhone lineup. Despite overhauling the modem four times, Intel nearly missed the deadline.
With a podcast like the CultCast, you can drop in and start listening at any time. News-based podcasts are meant to be listened to, and then discarded. Another one will be along soon. But what about more structured podcasts? Podcasts that work episodically, like a TV series? With those, you want to listen from episode one, and listen in order — episodes 2, 3, 4, etc.
But podcast apps don’t let you do this. They’re geared towards disposable, periodically-updated podcasts. They may show you a list of previous episodes, so you can tap to download them manually, but then it’s no longer a podcast.
What you need is a service that takes any podcast feed and rejigs it, serving you a new episode each week as if the series had just started.
Factory is an aptly-named new iPad synthesizer from SugarBytes. In fact, calling it a synth is underselling it — kind of like calling GarageBand a “tape recorder”. Factory does synthesize sounds, but it also has built-in effects, a sequencer, an arpeggiator, and a totally wild DJ-style crossfader, which lets you morph between presets.
The app is ultra-flexible, as capable of finely-crafted sound design as it is of sonic mayhem.
Apple’s work on iOS 12 isn’t quite done just yet.
Even though WWDC 2019 and the debut of iOS 13 is less than a month away, Apple is out with its first beta of iOS 12.4 today. The new beta comes less than a week after Apple released iOS 12.3 to the public, bringing the new Apple TV app to the masses along with tons of bug fixes and performance improvements for iPhone and iPad.
The moment smartphones gained the ability to track the number of steps people took every day, insurance companies were ready to find ways to use that data to offer people cheaper premiums.
The moment that happened, enterprising (and slightly underhanded) entrepreneurs were ready to give lazy people a workaround to make it look like they were walking much further than they really were.
What kind of workaround, you ask? Well, something along the lines of this:
Foxconn is Apple’s biggest supplier, and the world’s largest contract manufacturer. However, that wasn’t enough to stop it from underperforming in its latest quarterly earnings.
The company, whose official title is Hon Hai Precision Industry, reported net profits of T$19.82 billion ($637.26 million) for the first three months of 2019. That might sound good, but it’s down 17.7% from the year-ago quarter.
Apple has finally given us the ability to pay for App Store, iTunes, and Books purchases with Apple Pay.
The company’s own mobile payments system can also be used for Apple Music and iCloud storage subscriptions. Here’s how to set it up.
The 2019 version of the iPhone XR will likely come in two new color options.
Leaked details of the new colors surfaced last week revealing that Apple will opt for Green and Lavender instead of coral and blue. Today we’ve got our first glimpse of what the new colors will look like thanks to some photos of leaked colored glass pieces for the rear casings.
The green one looks especially great:
Apple may soon be forced to raise iPhone prices if Donald Trump’s latest round of proposed tariffs on Chinese imports goes into effect.
Trump wants to slap tariffs on the remaining $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. The Office of U.S. Trade Representative began the approval process this week. Those tariffs could go into effect by June 24 and if that happens, some analysts predict Apple will raise iPhone prices by 14% or more to offset the costs.
Apple Watch wearers now have a couple of style options on how to show LGBTQ Pride, including a new face with thicker threads of color and a choice of analog watch hands.
The Pride face options became available this morning when Apple released watchOS 5.2.1.
Over the last couple years, tons of iOS apps switched from one-time purchases to monthly or annual subscriptions. As a user, this can seem frustrating — or annoying even — but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The rise of app subscriptions brings benefits to users, developers and the app ecosystem as a whole. Whether you’re subscribing to your favorite weather app, task manager or podcast player, the subscription model offers perks that never existed in the one-time-purchase world of apps.
Apple’s updated TV app is finally ready for the public to dive into.
iOS 12.3 was released to the public today, adding the new Apple TV app to iPhones and iPads as Apple prepares to launch its streaming TV service this fall. The update also adds AirPlay 2.0 and Apple TV support to compatible Samsung smart TVs.
A lawsuit targeting Apple and the App Store will be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided.
The case involves whether or customers technically buy apps from Apple, or whether Apple is a middleman connecting app developers with consumers. The Supreme Court ruled against Apple on Monday by 5 votes to 4.
Leaked molds of this year’s iPhone lineup again hint at big camera upgrades for all three models. The molds reaffirm renders recently published by a number of tipsters.
Here’s what they tell us about Apple’s next-generation smartphones.
Since the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is faster than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the tablet is serious competition for Apple’s notebooks. Its design offers many advantages over a notebook, but most people demand a physical keyboard for their primary computer. Of all the options for this, the Brydge Pro comes the closest to transforming a 2018 iPad Pro into a convertible touchscreen MacBook.
Read our hands-on review to see how well this premium keyboard case performs in the real world.
If you’ve been waiting for a deal on a great wireless charger, your patience has paid off! Our friends at Just Mobile have set up an exclusive offer for Cult of Mac Watch Store customers on the AluBase Wireless charger.
You’ll save 25 percent on the AluBase with this special pricing. Normally $39.95, you can get the AluBase Wireless for $30. Add the optional fast charge power adapter for just $5 more. But don’t delay too long! This deal is only good while supplies last. Read on to learn more about AluBase Wireless.
The Mac’s next-generation Music app will be based on iTunes, not ported over from iOS.
Some sources previously stated that the app would be made using Marzipan, which lets developers easily port iPad apps to the desktop. But new information reveals that won’t be the case.
Mother’s Day is on Sunday, so how about gifting a little something for her Apple Watch?
Cult of Mac has rounded up a beautiful collection of Apple Watch bands, chargers and stands specifically picked for Mom in our Mother’s Day Gift Guide.
If you mother is a nerd, a Luddite, a traveler or style maven, we’ve got the goods for her. There’s a unique gift for every Apple Watch-loving momma out there.
We live on our screens. So do germs, bacteria and a buildup of skin oils.
I will spare you the details and, instead, recommend the Häns Swipe-Clean, a wet-dry tool that wipes away the gross microbial life thriving on your iPhone, iPad and Mac screens.
This week on The CultCast: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple’s prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: The magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how (and why) Jony Ive created the massive mystery rainbow stage now present at the heart of Apple Park.
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