Disney has a simple message to those sharing a password to its streaming service with friends: Pay up. The password-sharing crackdown the House of Mouse has been threatening officially began Wednesday in the United States, Canada, Europe and elsewhere.
If you watch Disney+ on your iPad, Mac or Apple TV using someone else’s password, the company plans to find you and make you stop.
Don’t be alarmed if your brand-new iPhone 16 prompts you to update to iOS 18 even though your phone is already running iOS 18. And also don’t freak out when you see a fear-inducing “Welcome to iPhone” screen after you update to iOS 18.0 build 22A3354, even though it looks suspiciously like you will need to go through the tedious iPhone setup process again.
Apple is currently distributing an unexpected iOS 18 update to brand-new iPhones that are already running iOS 18. It looks like Apple installed an earlier version of iOS on phones in the factory. Now it is updating them to the latest version.
As Apple says, the update to iOS 18.0 build 22A3354 currently rolling out brings “important bug fixes and security updates” to all models in the iPhone 16 lineup. With any luck, it will fix the touchscreen problems reported by some iPhone 16 Pro owners, but that might just be wishful thinking. (Cult of Mac asked Apple if the update addresses the touchscreen problem. We’ll update this post when/if we receive info on the update.)
You can read the time without even looking at your Apple Watch using a little-known feature called Taptic Time. Hold two fingers on the screen and you’ll feel it tap the time out on your wrist.
This is handy if you’re in a meeting and you need to know the time, but you don’t want to look rude checking your watch. Or maybe you’re in the middle of a presidential debate.
Whatever the situation may be, turning this feature on and familiarizing yourself with it may come in handy.
What do the buttons on the Apple Watch do? The Apple Watch borrows a lot from the iPhone, but the biggest difference between the two devices comes down to the way their buttons work. They do different things whether you click, double-click or hold them down.
In watchOS 10, Apple changed a lot of these features. The software update added a new Widgets view, assigned Control Center to the side button, and changed what double-clicking the Digital Crown does. (For older devices, consult our article about what Apple Watch buttons do in watchOS 9.)
Here’s a guide to the buttons on the Apple Watch.
Certain names in USB-C and Thunderbolt docks and hubs carry a lot of weight, like CalDigit and Satechi — both well-respected brands. But in today’s M2 MacBook Air setup, a discussion broke out over the user’s exceptional experience with a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock and a commenter’s woes over a Satechi Thunderbolt dock. Read some of the commentary and learn more about the gear below.
Apple continues looking into using lower-resolution displays for a budget-friendly version of its Vision Pro spatial computing headset, according to recent reports. They cite resolution much lower than what Apple refers to as “4K for each eye” in the original Vision Pro.
Treblab’s WX8 waterproof earbuds stand up to wet conditions while delivering premium audio. That makes them an excellent choice for staying connected and entertained, even when you might find yourself drenched.
Whether you’re caught in a downpour during your commute, going for a run in the rain or working outdoors, these waterproof earbuds can handle whatever the season throws at them. Even better, they’re on sale for just $24.99.
Whether you’re shooting an iPhone video of a breaking news event, chronicling your global travels for your vlog, or capturing a particularly choice dance move to show off on TikTok, certain tools can help you boost your video quality as well as your creativity. For example, the Hohem iSteady V3 Gimbal Stabilizer is a great tool to steady and extend your shots.
It’s a three-axis iPhone gimbal with a magnetic AI tracker and fill light, a built-in extendable rod and tripod, and a detachable remote control. We explain how this must-have video tool can help below. And what’s more, you can get it now for 20% off at Amazon.
In a move Tuesday that should catch the eyes of Mac-loving creative professionals, Logitech unveiled MX Creative Console. The new device aims to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks for digital creators. So it could rival the popular Elgato Stream Deck.
“The MX Creative Console is designed to help people redefine their workflow, enabling them to work smarter and faster,” said Anatoliy Polyanker, general manager of MX Business at Logitech.
The Apple Music Classical streaming service now includes over 50,000 album booklets featuring in-depth liner notes, translations and more.
These provide music aficionados with the in-depth information they want.
On Monday’s Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the host hits the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City to pick up his new iPhone 16 — and ends up taking a very long walk in Central Park with Apple CEO Tim Cook. And is a walk-and-talk filmed on iPhone 16 of Tim Cook and Jimmy Fallon in Central Park funny? Well, here and there it is.
Along their mildy amusing way, the two chatted about the new handsets, upcoming Apple Intelligence features and favorite hot dog condiments.
★★★★☆
The iPhone 16 Pro is a much-refined iPhone. All the features that make the it pro have been improved. The cameras are better, faster and higher-resolution. The screens are bigger, the bezels smaller, the chips faster. Even Siri works better!
But the bright colors of the iPhone 16 are swaying a lot of people back to the entry-level models, and I don’t blame them. The iPhone 16 Pro is for those who want the top 10%, the uncompromising best-of-the-best — if you can live with a gray phone.
This year, the best gets a little better all around. Keep reading or watch the video.
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max owners are complaining about problems with the big, beautiful touchscreens on their new phones.
Users report their iPhone Pros don’t properly detect all their touches and swipes, leading to a frustrating experience.
Apple claims the iPhone 16 Pro ships with “2x tougher than glass on any other smartphone.” And it survived a series of realistic drop tests with only a few scuffs. Yet more rigorous testing suggests it’s not a tough as its predecessor.
The iPhone 16 Pro might be more prone to damage upon fall due to its slimmer bezels and increased weight.
Need a great new laptop, but don’t want to wait for Apple’s models with M4 chips to come out? (Or maybe you just don’t want to spend that much.) Well, you can’t do much better than a few hundred bucks off M3 MacBook Pro models. Amazon offers some smoking-hot prices on 14- and 16-inch versions with various specifications. Take a look at some bargains below.
If you love gardening or you’re just curious about nature, Plantum is a must-have addition to your iPhone. The plant ID app serves as a sort of pocket botanist, enabling instant plant identification by photo for all kinds of flora.
For a limited time, you can get lifetime access to this AI-powered app for only $14.97.
If you’re serious about high-quality audio, you should crank up the quality level of audio components in your computer setup just like you do in your living room. Today’s MacBook Pro user maxes out sound using Audioengine speakers mounted on stands along with a powerful Audioengine subwoofer on the floor under the desk. So they can get clear and detailed audio at low volume, but they can also shake the whole room with powerful sound when they want.
★★★★★
I’d like to save you between $200 and $400. It’s easy: Don’t assume you must buy an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max to get an excellent handset. The more-affordable iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are both brilliant.
Traditionally, customers choose the basic iPhone because they’re willing to forgo cutting-edge features to get a cheaper device. But the gap between iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus versus the Pro versions proves quite narrow. My time reviewing Apple’s latest iPhones shows that if you go with a “regular” iPhone this year, you will give up less than you think in exchange for significant savings.
With the 2024 Major League Soccer season ending in October, fans can watch the remaining games as well as the playoffs for only $10. That’s the current cost of an MLS Season Pass.
Even better, Apple TV+ subscribers can get in on the action for free.
iFixit says the iPhone 16 is “Apple’s most-repairable iPhone yet. ” This is thanks to Apple making several internal changes, including using a new glue to hold the battery in place.
On the flip side, you’ll need a new tool to debond the glue from the battery and chassis.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Griffin takes the wraps off his new iPhone 16 Pro in desert titanium — and he doesn’t like what he sees. The new “color” revealed in his iPhone 16 Pro unboxing fails to knock our socks off.
Still, there’s plenty to talk about, though, including the new Camera Control and how third-party case manufacturers are coping with it.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple Intelligence is not a part of iOS 18’s initial public release. Apple plans to debut its AI features with iOS 18.1 sometime in October and continue improving them with subsequent releases.
With iOS 18.2, Apple Intelligence will gain features like Genmoji, Image Playground app, and optional ChatGPT integration.
★★★★★
I find going to the mall for an Apple Store sales event exciting yet brutally soul-sapping, even when a preorder makes pick-up relatively easy. But it’s well worth it when it results in the excellent new Apple Watch Series 10 on my wrist. I actually couldn’t wait to write this Apple Watch Series 10 review.
Larger, thinner, lighter and more lushly curvaceous than predecessors, the 10th anniversary Apple Watch is, technically, a redesign. But it feels like a bunch of iterative improvements more than a huge overhaul. And yet those small changes simply add up to great — with only a couple of small caveats.
Three years after its launch, the iPhone 13 Pro can still hold its own in 2024 with a great display, excellent cameras, and decent battery life. However, the iPhone 16 Pro packs some compelling new features that make it worth upgrading from your old iPhone.
What are these improvements? When comes to iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro, is the upgrade worth it? Check out our detailed specs comparison to find out.
An iPhone 16 Pro teardown reveals significant internal changes. This includes a compact and denser motherboard and a metal-enclosed battery.
Surprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s battery is still enclosed in black foil.