Apple is asking customers to consider a donation to flood relief efforts in India. Screenshot: iTunes
Customers shopping the iTunes or App stores are being asked to consider monetary donations for flood relief in Kerala, India.
Banners seeking donations began appearing on both sites Wednesday and directed concerned customers to button presents that make donations in increments of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $200.
This is an almost impossible lighting situation for most automatic cameras. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
White balance is one of the most important settings on any camera. It can make the difference between vibrant, accurate colors, and a muddy, flat mess. It is also the setting least likely to be tweaked manually by casual photographers. There’s not even a good way to adjust white balance in the iPhone’s own Photos app.
But don’t despair. Today we’ll learn everything you need to now about how white balance works, and what to do with it.
Microsoft Word 2019 requires running a somewhat recent version of macOS. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft clearly expects Office 365 for Mac users to keep their computers at least generally up to date. The company requires users to run macOS Sierra or a newer version to have access to additional features coming next month.
Subscribers who are running 11.12 Sierra or its replacement 11.13 High Sierra in September will get an upgrade from the Office 2016 client to Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac.
A new Apple Watch doesn’t have to break the bank. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
This year’s Apple Watch refresh could be the biggest yet. With rumors surrounding a new design and a larger edge-to-edge display, every smartwatch wearer is going to want to upgrade.
To help you pay for yours, you can turn your old Apple Watch into real cash. And we can show you where you’ll find the best price!
The wait for Apple to acquire a popular music-identification app is almost over. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple has been trying to buy Shazam since last December, but the deal has been held up for months by regulators in the EU. That’s reportedly just about to change.
It’s likely Apple wants this music-identification app as part of its ongoing battle with Spotify.
A picture and three words are advertising gold. Photo courtesy of Jen Pollack Bianco
Within a week’s time, two of the Apple’s biggest rivals got caught using misleading photos in ad campaigns that promoted the quality of their smartphones’ built-in cameras.
The embarrassing screwups of Samsung and Huawei showcase the simple brilliance of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign.
Day One makes some pretty sweet-looking journals. Photo: Day One
Day One, the super-popular journaling app for people who want their most important thoughts, experiences, and notes to be left to future generations, just got a huge update. Day One version 3.0 gets a whole new editor, plus audio recording and a bunch of other tweaks.
It's a great time to buy older Apple devices. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is expected to introduce three new smartphones this fall — all of which will include some of the best features of iPhone X. But it seems it could have another surprising refresh up its sleeve.
One developer has discovered references to an unreleased device that closely resembles the iPhone 7.
Boasting superior sound quality and a high-quality finish that ditches metal and plastic for distressed leather and fabrics, Cavalier Maverick is one of the best smart speakers we’ve tried.
It’s a third-party Amazon Alexa, offering the same functionality as an Echo, but in a far more premium package. And with a pretty neat mobile twist, too.
Airmail 3 could leave you open to attack. Photo: Airmail
Airmail 3, a popular email client for macOS, ships with big security vulnerabilities that could put users’ personal data at risk.
Researchers uncovered an exploit that allows attackers to steal users’ emails and attachments simply by convincing them to open a message. Here’s how it works.
Tim Cook will have another reason to smile this week. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook is set to rake in around $120 million in Apple stock this week, thanks to another year well done as Apple CEO.
Cook will receive a maximum of $560,000 shares on Friday. This is split into two separate awards: 280,000 shares for his continuing service as Apple’s chief executive, and another 280,000 on condition that Apple’s stock market return over the past three years exceeds two-thirds of the other stocks in the S&P 500.
Shocking incident took place in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Apple
A 23-year-old iPhone X customer in Bangkok has apologized after a shocking video of him punching a female retail store employee in the face went viral on social media.
The customer, called Kritpan Kitjit, supposedly became enraged after claiming his iPhone X’s Face ID feature did not work correctly. Kitjit demanded a replacement handset, but was denied due to the fact that the complaint didn’t hold up to inspection.
Score lessons in 6 languages on any mobile device, for 92 percent less than the usual cost. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
As the world shrinks, the reasons for learning a new language are growing. But the time and consistency for language study can be elusive. So this deal on portable, flexible, lifelong language lessons is a must-see for any aspiring polyglot.
Team Rumble just got a lot better. Photo: Epic Games
It’s hard to escape tricky situations in Fortnite Battle Royale, but not if you have a rift in your pocket. This week’s update will add the Rift-To-Go into the game, giving players a quick and easy route out of intense fights when things aren’t going their way.
Apple's App Store cash cow may not last forever. Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The App Store is a big money spinner for Apple, but that could change if more developers, helped by regulatory intervention, push back against the commission that Apple currently takes.
In a note to clients, Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter suggests that this could cost Apple up to $16 billion annually. This follows news that Netflix is currently experimenting with a way to circumvent the cash it has to pay Apple.
Bid goodbye to Office Sway for iOS. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft has confirmed plans to discontinue its Office Sway app for iOS.
The service will no longer work on iPhone and iPad as of December 17, 2018. Sway will be removed from the App Store two months earlier. You will still be able to access the service through your web browser, however.
Jen Folse presenting at an Apple event in September 2015. Screenshot: Apple
Jen Folse, the former Apple TV executive who is best known to Apple followers for her on-stage presentations at Apple events, has left the company for the startup Caffeine.
Caffeine is a social broadcasting platform for gaming, entertainment, and other artistic content. Folse will take the role as new Vice President of Product, helping to company to create its product roadmap, among other things.
You can get hired at Apple even without a fancy piece of paper telling people you got a lot of book learning. Photo: Duncan Sinfield
The traditional life plan includes four years of college then a good job. But not everyone takes this path, and sometimes the lack of a college degree keeps some people from getting a job they are otherwise qualified for. But not at Apple.
Following a non-traditional career path is no problem getting hired at Apple. And that goes for positions beyond working at its retail stores.
Apple India seemingly can't open its own a flagship store like the one in NYC, so it's forced to turn to franchisees to do it. Photo: Simone Lovati/Flickr CC
It’s going to be years before Apple India can hope to open flagship retail stores. So the company is allowing local franchisees to open huge Apple stores in major cities to take their place.
India puts stringent requirements on companies who want to open retail stores, and so far Apple hasn’t met them.
This book is definitely meant to be read later -- it's not even written yet. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Instapaper and Pocket are the big two read-later services. The former locked out European users for months and months earlier this year, and the latter is, well, it’s fine I guess. Both of them do a great job of letting you save articles from the web and read them later in a clean, text-and-images-only format.
But what if you want something controlled just by you? A read-later service that doesn’t mine your saved articles to make recommendations — one that just turns your read-later list into nicely formatted, text-only articles. Then you should try Indiepaper. Let’s check it out right now.
New York Times writer Nathaniel Rich Photo: Democracy Now!/YouTube
Apple is adding a highly anticipated climate change drama series to a burgeoning roster of original television content that may one day rival Netflix.
Apple reportedly fought off aggressive competition to produce a TV series based on Nathaniel Rich’s New York Times Sunday Magazine story entitled “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change.”
With cellphones, international calling got more complicated. Depending on your provider and your plan, dialing up your friend or loved one abroad could be free — or painfully pricey.
Instead of dropping coin for an international plan, you can pay as needed with an international calling app like KeepCalling. It offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive cellular plans, phone cards and online calling cards. Plus, its high-quality connections come free of extra charges and maintenance fees.