Are you ready to rise in Battle Royale? Photo: Epic Games
Epic Games just rolled out this week’s Fortnite update, giving players a new way to float into battle.
Balloons are the hottest item in the patch notes this week, alongside some nice improvements. Glider re-deploy is sticking around for now, too, but some other items have been banished to the vault.
The UK government wants Apple to open up its NFC chip reader to developers. Photo: Square
The UK government wants Apple to open up developer access to the NFC chips inside iPhones. The reason is because it plans to launch a new app designed to help EU citizens apply for residency in the U.K. after it leaves the European Union.
However, as part of the app, the government wants to let users scan the chip inside their passports with their smartphone’s NFC reader. Unfortunately, while this is possible to do on Android, Apple does not allow developer access in this way. And the British government wants that to change.
No tricks. You're getting a smartphone, kid. Screen shot: GizmoSlip/YouTube
Brandon Baldwin normally hurls iPhones from a couple of stories up to see if they survive as a way to entertain the 3.2 million followers of his YouTube channel, GizmoSlip.
But on Halloween night, Baldwin and his co-hosts decided to see what would happen when you drop an iPhone into the candy bag of a trick-or-treater.
This tough, lightweight, foldable solar charger can charge up two USB devices at once. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
You never know when you’re going to need to recharge your devices. It’s annoying enough when your phone dies at the office, but on a long hike or far from outlets it can be more than inconvenient. So it’s worth having a charger that works even when there’s no outlet to be found.
A deal could bring Beats 1 to broadcast radio. Photo: iHeartMedia
Apple is in talks over acquiring a stake in iHeartMedia, according to a new report.
Sources say the company could invest millions of dollars to help save the struggling U.S. radio group, which filed for bankruptcy back in March. However, negotiations are at an early stage for now and no deal has been agreed yet.
That’s partly because of the price of the laptop, but also because of a bit of belt-tightening on Apple’s part which will reduce how much it has to pay manufacturers.
Tim Cook getting ready to open a can of Mac and iPad whoop-ass at the "There's More in the Making" event in Brooklyn, New York. Photo: Apple
Apple has been killing it this year, and this week’s “There’s More in the Making” event was no exception. People tuning in were treated to the unveiling of a new Mac mini, a stunner of an iPad Pro refresh, a gorgeous new MacBook Air, and more. Heck, there was even a super-hot New York crowd thrown in for good measure!
If you missed the event live, there’s now an easier way to see it than ever. That’s because Apple just uploaded the whole 90-minute event to YouTube.
This mockup shows how the Apple Store could look. Photo: Apple/Foster + Partners
Apple chooses some spectacular, historic locations for its Apple Stores — but those spaces don’t always want to be home to trendy retail stores selling expensive smartphones.
In Stockholm, Sweden, the new government has announced that it will block plans for an Apple Store in the Kungsträdgården park. While it welcomes Apple’s arrival in the city, it says that “Kungsträdgården is the wrong place.”
The iPhone 5 was one of the best iPhones Apple ever built. Photo: Apple
The iPhone 5 may be 6 years old at this point, but for many Apple fans this remains one of the greatest iPhone models ever built, and a genuine classic.
Sadly, there’s a bit of bad (if predictable) news from Apple: According to the company’s latest update of “vintage” and “obsolete” devices, the iPhone 5 is now considered too old for Apple repairs.
Tarah Pro sports earbuds are up to almost any adventure. Photo: Jaybird
Tarah Pro earbuds, the latest wireless sports headphones from Jaybird, take adventure audio to new extremes. With smart new features and an astonishing 14 hours of battery life, these sweat-proof earbuds can go the distance — even if you’re a marathoner.
If you’re a fitness fanatic who constantly crushes your Activity goals during epic outdoor adventures, these might be the perfect Bluetooth earbuds for you.
The Apple Watch Series 4 could help push this wearable to more than 80 percent growth over two years. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The original Apple Watch got off to a slow start and was even labeled a flop. But years later, this wearable has really turned things around.
A market analysis firm says shipments are up significantly this year, and will be even stronger in 2019, with 83 percent growth over a two-year period.
Pixelmator Photo will offer a wide sweep of image-editing tools, many enhanced through machine learning. Photo: Pixelmator
Pixelmator makes image editing software for Mac and iPad, and it’s hard at work now on a new iPad application that uses artificial intelligence to improve its photo-editing capabilities.
The new app — dubbed Pixelmator Photo — will employ Apple’s Core ML (machine learning) technology to intelligently improve the exposure and cropping of images.
Buy an older MacBook Air to save a fortune! Photo: Apple
Apple’s gorgeous new MacBook Air is the upgrade we’ve all been waiting for, but it’s incredibly pricey. If you need a more affordable notebook, you can pick up an older model at a great price from Woot, which has 13-inch units available now for under $490.
That’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. We also have refurbished iPhone 7 units for under $330, 14 percent off the terrific Amazon Fire TV Stick, and more!
Set a timer with the new Shortcuts v2.1. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Amidst the flurry of iPad and Mac news yesterday, Apple also released the latest version of Shortcuts, the super-cool iOS automation app. The big news is the addition of seven new actions for checking the weather, setting timers and measurement conversions. Let’s take a look at Shortcuts 2.1.
New betas of OS upgrades for all these Apple computers were just seeded to developers. Photo: Apple
Every type of Apple computer got an operating system upgrade yesterday, but the company’s coding team apparently never rests. New betas for phones, tablets, Macs, and TVs were just seeded to third-party software developers.
There’s no new beta for Apple Watch because its OS update yesterday had to be pulled.
The iPad Pro has a secure home in the Sutter Tech Sling. Photo: WaterField Designs
If you’re going to move all of your personal computing to a new iPad Pro or MacBook Air, you may want to consider a bag made to fit Apple’s newest devices.
WaterField Designs, makers of bespoke tech cases, has a one-shoulder solution with its all-new Sutter Tech Sling.
The gold MacBook Air looks amazing. Photo: Jessica Whitaker
It didn’t take long for the first unboxing videos of the new MacBook Air to hit YouTube.
Apple just introduced its new MacBook Air yesterday but some lucky YouTubers have already gotten their hands on the new notebook and they’re raving about it.
Virtually every configuration of the new iPad Pro models sold out in the first day of pre-orders. Many went within a few hours, including the most expensive options.
This isn’t a guarantee that demand for these tablets is heavy because we don’t know how many units Apple had prepared for release day. Still, it’s a good sign.
Get more USB ports for your Mac with this brilliant accessory. Photo: HyperDrive
Apple is on a mission to kill all MacBook ports that aren’t USB-C, but thanks to an ingenius new power adapter accessory, you can get back the old school USB ports you’ve been longing for.
HyperDrive revealed its new USB-C Hub for the new MacBook Pros power adapters today. The little attachment connects to your power adapter to add two USB-C ports that can be used to connect USB-A devices, peripherals and hard drives to the USB-C only MacBook Pro.
Reese Witherspoon could earn a massive payday from Apple. Photo: HBO
Apple is spending upward of $1 billion on its original TV shows, and it’s not skimping when it comes to star salaries. According to a recent report, Apple is paying out some of the highest salaries to any actors in television shows. It’s even exceeding the amount paid to the stars of shows like The Walking Dead.
It’s another example of how, when you’re a company the size of Apple, you can afford to throw around some serious cash to bring in top talent.
Apple Pay is gradually expanding its reach. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple Pay is coming to Belgium in November, Belgian newspaper De Tijd reports. It will supposedly be available initially as an exclusive for customers of BNP Paribas Fortis, Belgium’s most popular major bank.
The country already has widespread usage of contactless payments, and has been using Android Pay since early 2017.
Get a bird's eye view of your spending without the need to sync with your bank account. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
It’s easy to lose track of spending during the holidays. As the gift wrapping stack up, a lot of us could use a little help keeping an eye on the bottom line. But no matter the time of year, financial discipline is something everyone can benefit from.
Is your Apple Watch still running with watchOS 5.1? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has pulled the watchOS 5.1 update just hours after making it available to the public.
The move came after reports that the release was “bricking” Apple Watch Series 4 units. Apple has advised those who are experiencing a constant boot loop to contact AppleCare.
iMessage gives Apple a big advantage. Photo: Apple
Mark Zuckerberg says that, when it comes to messaging apps, Apple is Facebook’s “biggest competitor by far.”
That’s because, while apps like Facebook Messenger and the Facebook-owned WhatsApp have to be purposely installed, iMessage comes pre-installed on every iOS device. And that’s not good news for Facebook.