Get your WordPress site up quickly with this bundle of 31 responsive themes and templates. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
A huge chunk of the web runs on WordPress, so it’s a great platform for making your voice heard online. But if you’re not super-savvy with WordPress, you’ll benefit from this bundle of responsive themes.
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: The long race to see which U.S. tech giant will become the first company worth $1 trillion is finally over. Apple won. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: It’s official. Apple beats Amazon to the coveted $1 trillion valuation. Tim Cook plays it cool, telling staffers it’s “not the most important measure of our success.”
You’ll find that top story and much more. Check out the the biggest takeaways from Apple’s Q3 earnings call. Feast your eyes on the iPhone X Plus and new LCD iPhone. Plus: Learn how to use the iPhone camera’s manual controls. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
This bundle of lessons will sharpen your public speaking skills so you can convey your ideas more effectively. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Think for a second about Steve Jobs. What do you see? Most likely, it’s an image of the bespectacled, black turtlenecked tech titan talking on a stage. That’s because one of his greatest gifts was public speaking.
We love the high quality of Bezel & Bytes' genuine leather Apple Watch bands with added bling. Photo: Bezels & Bytes
Wearable tech just got way more fashionable with Bezels & Bytes — a San Francisco-based company dedicated to empowering women who love technology with new and fashionable ways to wear it.
These bands are a polished and sophisticated upgrade to the every day Apple Watch band. Made by women for women, these glamorous bands take the wearer seamlessly from work to a night out.
There's now evidence to back up the assumption that the redesign of the 2018 iPad Pro will include rounded corners on the display. Photo: Álvaro Pabesio
It’s looking increasingly likely that the new iPad Pro models coming this fall will look like super-size iPhone X devices. That means no Home button and a nearly-edge-to-edge display.
Everyone has been assuming that this means the corners of the screen will be rounded too, and now there’s evidence of that.
The dual-SIM iPhone will offer twice as many SIM card slots as any previous iOS device. Photo: IFIXIT
Buried in the latest iOS 12 beta is evidence that Apple is going to release the first iPhone that can have two SIM cards installed at once. But most people won’t have the option to buy this device.
The dual-SIM iPhone will reportedly be restricted to just China.
Samsung’s answer to the iPhone X is scheduled to arrive later this month, and thanks to one keen employee, we already know what it will look like.
Samsung New Zealand posted the official Galaxy Note 9 introduction video to YouTube weeks early. It reveals the “super powerful” handset’s design and a number of key features, including an improved S Pen.
The three 2018 iPhone models appear side-by-side, along with possible names. Photo: MobileFun
Apple hasn’t kept a very tight lid on 2018 iPhone rumors. Information about them is leaking out all over. The latest is a video showing two of the three that are anticipated for a September release.
The source for the video also gives possible names for the next iPhone versions.
Snapchat selfie filters are supposed to be fun and are not meant for users to pursue cosmetic surgery. Photo: Pokemon/Snapchat
Some Snapchat users are requesting to go under the knife to get a face that resembles their filtered selfies, according to a cosmetic surgeon who calls the new phenomena “Snapchat dysmorphia.”
These patients are seeking bigger eyes and fuller lips that often come with some of the filters in social media apps, like Snapchat and Facetune, creating a fresh warping of already unrealistic standards of beauty.
Shadow, the service that puts streams a powerful Windows 10 PC to your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is expanding across the U.S.
You can use it to play games, run desktop applications, and lots more — without forking out for a powerful desktop of your own. All you need is a monthly subscription and an internet connection.
Instapaper on Apple Watch was surprisingly decent. Photo: Instapaper
Instapaper has become the latest big service to ditch its Apple Watch app.
The most recent Instapaper app update removes the Apple Watch component, and there are apparently no plans to bring it back. One Instapaper developer explains that it didn’t prove popular enough to warrant a required rebuild for watchOS.
This VPN provider is backed by super secure encryption, Swiss data privacy laws, and lots more. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
When you use a VPN, it’s because you want to protect your online life. That’s a good move, but some providers are more secure than others. So if security is your concerns, check out this deal on ProtonVPN.
Apple's the most valuable company on earth, but it almost wasn't.
This week on The CultCast: The journey to a trillion! How did Apple become the most valuable company on earth? We discuss, and remember the company’s troubled history. Plus: Is the i9 MacBook Pro a total ripoff? One YouTube reviewer says yes, and his tests are convincing. We’ll fill you in. And stay tuned for the sad decline of MoviePass. Is the troubled movie service still worth it?
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.
This prototype Samsung folding phone could be a harbinger of many, many to follow. Screenshot: Samsung
At least four big smartphone makers are reportedly prepping foldable models for 2019. This radical new design could reinvigorate the slowing phone market, hence the widespread interest.
But Apple is a notable holdout. This means it could end up being the only top 5 phone maker not releasing a foldable phone next year.
You might have to pay for another one of these. Photo: Apple
Apple’s decision to do away with the iPhone’s headphone jack in 2016 still causes some fans great pain. The free Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter found inside every iPhone box helps by ensuring you can still use your favorite cans with the latest models — but not for long.
Apple will stop bundling the adapter with its next-generation iPhone lineup later this year, according to a new report. If you don’t already have one, you’ll have to pay to obtain one.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage for WWDC 2018. Photo: Apple
Apple became the first company to ever reach a $1 trillion market cap on Wednesday as its share price soared to $207.39. But according to CEO Tim Cook, this is “not the most important measure of our success.”
In an email to Apple employees, Cook says that financial returns are simply the result of innovation — and that it’s the team behind them that really makes Apple so spectacular.
HomePod and Sonos are totally different monsters. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Sonos shares made moderate gains today during the company’s first day of trading on the Nasdaq. Investors don’t seem too worried that the smart speaker maker faces tough competition from the likes of Apple and Google.
Apple reaching a $1 trillion value gives Guy Kawasaki a lot to think about. Photo: Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki made history with Apple. So you would expect he would have a lot to say today when stock prices surged high enough to make his old employer the first trillion dollar company.
For one thing, the marketing guru behind the success of the Macintosh computer wishes he hadn’t turned down an offer from founder Steve Jobs to return to Apple.
The HAL 9000 Command Console looks just like the original. Photo: Master Replicas Group
Fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey can now get their very own replica of HAL 9000, the iconic and murderous robot from Stanley Kubrick’s seminal film.
Master Replicas Group has created a new smart speaker that looks just like HAL 9000 and it uses voice controls and Bluetooth to become the control center for your smart house.
Shake Shack got early access to new a new Square Reader SDK to create a self-service kiosk. Photo: Square
Square credit card readers are in thousands of stores and restaurants, but the company realizes there are industries where its software isn’t appropriate. That’s why today it introduced the Square Reader SDK, which allows developers to write their own iOS or Android applications to communicate with Square’s point-of-sale machines.
This is the company’s way of getting into industries like transportation and health care.
This rare photo shows the moment that Michael came up with the idea for K.I.T.T's Turbo Boost. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
The iOS Low Power Mode is fantastic, letting you squeeze the most possible uptime from your iPhone or iPad. But what about the Mac? Why isn’t there a Low Power Mode for MacBooks? After all, they’re just as likely to be used away from power as an iPad.
Well, here’s some good news. Using third-party software, it’s easy to put your Mac into Low Power Mode whenever you like. You can get around a third more battery life using an app called Turbo Boost Switcher.