2018 MacBook Pro performance offers the biggest year-over-year improvements since the release of the 2011 models. Photo: Apple
The 15- and 13-inch MacBook Pro models launching this week boast significantly faster processors. Tests with the Geekbench benchmarking tool show speed increases as high as 86 percent.
The improvements come from faster Turbo Burst frequencies and more processor cores.
The third-generation "butterfly" MacBook Pro keyboard has a membrane to keep out damaging grit. Photo: iFixit
Apple made potential buyers of the new MacBook Pro models very nervous when it said no effort had been made to fix the problems plaguing the keyboards in earlier versions. Happily, it turns out the company was fibbing.
Taking apart this just-released Mac laptop shows that Apple definitely modified its butterfly keyboard mechanism to make it less likely to jam.
With so many people working on the Apple self-driving car, it's amazing that the best visuals we have are artists' concept renderings like this one. Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer
Apple stays quiet about it, but the company is clearly developing a self-driving car. And this week the world was given a glimpse inside this project, showing that it’s much larger than many had previously thought.
The FBI arrested a former employee on Apple’s autonomous car design team for allegedly downloading proprietary information and attempting take it to a rival car company in China. The resulting documentation reveals the number of employees on the project.
Oh man, what a week! Today we check out the creative powerhouse that is Affinity Designer, and make some simple case changes with Text Case. How about a brand-new update to the Moment photo app? Not enough? Then perhaps you’ll be satisfied with… Parametric Equalizer!
Upgrade your photography skills for whatever you're willing to pay. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Thanks to smartphones, we’re all photographers now. Not necessarily good photographers, but still, technology has made it so that taking pretty pictures is just a matter of ‘point and shoot’. Of course, if you want to make some money with your camera, you’ll need to upgrade your knowledge along with your gear.
Repping your World Cup team just got easier, as Casetify's inclusive collection features bold designs adapted from the countries' flags. Photo: Casetify
Who will it be? Croatia or France? Wear the World Cup on your wrist with Casetify’s colorful, tournament-inspired Apple Watch bands.
This international collection of bands represents 18 countries, the teams of which are currently battling it out at the 21st FIFA World Cup, held every four years.
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar up the ante for pro users. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple just updated its MacBook Pro line, ramping up performance and adding various advanced features. Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing VP, calls the new Apple laptops “the fastest and most powerful notebook we’ve ever made.”
From heads up displays to emergency multitools, we've rounded up deals on must have travel tech. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The more you see something like a Tesla driving by, the easier it is to feel some auto envy. So we’ve rounded up some gear and gadgets that’ll help make your car a little more future ready. There’s a heads up display, super tough cables, an emergency multi-tool and more. Read on for more details:
Shop Nyloon's colorfully cool collection of NATO nylon bands for Apple Watch. Photo: Nyloon
Nyloon is constantly upping its game. Responding to customer feedback, the company regularly adds new styles and patterns to its lineup of extreme-quality nylon Apple Watch bands. And, now they’ve gone a step further to include a lineup of extra-large straps to fit even the biggest wrists.
For those with larger wrists, finding a comfortably fitting band for one’s Apple Watch is a challenge. The majority of brands out there simply don’t offer extra-large sizing. If this is the case for you, check out Nyloon’s five new bands in extra large, fitting up to 10.75-inch wrists!
Apple R&D spending would have to double to match some of its competitors. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple spent a whopping $12.7 billion on research and development last year. And $51 billion since Tim Cook became CEO. But one analyst says that might not be enough.
The company actually spends less on R&D as a percentage of the money it takes in than many of its competitors. About half as much.
Lambda School's coding academy sounds almost too good to be true. Photo: Cult of Mac
A Silicon Valley is offering wannabe coders the opportunity to get a free MacBook and free housing while taking their 30-week iOS coding course.
Of course, there’s a bit of a catch with the offer. Lambda School CEO Austen Allred revealed his school’s amazing offer along with the stipulation that if you do find a job and start earning over $50k a year, you have to pay the school back.
This week brought the first True Tone MacBook Pro. And that also goes for some external screens, like this Apple Thunderbolt Display. Photo: Apple
The 2018 MacBook Pro models just released are the first with True Tone, adjusting the display to match ambient lighting. Even better, these new laptops can do the same trick on some external screens.
True Tone can “automatically adapt [the] display to make colors appear consistent in different ambient lighting conditions,” according to Apple.
You'll be amazed at how easy GIFwrapped makes finding the perfect animated GIF. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
In the ’90s and early 2000, animated GIFs were a staple of web design. Today, they’re still imperative to the web, but for entirely different reasons. With GIFwrapped, you can search a massive database of GIFs, create a personal library of your favorites, and save the ones you find on social media for later.
A recent study on the repairability and security of smartphones found that the iPhone 6 has been the worst iPhone of the last five years when it comes to failure rates.
The 6.1-inch model in Apple's 2018 iPhone lineup is noticeably larger than 2017's iPhone X. Photo: Jonas Dähnert
Two new iPad model numbers filed by Apple in Eurasia, along with a bunch of potential new iPhone models, may hint that Apple’s big 2018 launch is nearly here.
Warning messages from your landlord aren't always a joke, but a new ad for Apple Pay in Messages is. Screenshot: Apple
Apple Pay isn’t just for trips to Starbucks. It can also be used to send or receive money from friends. Or your landlord, as shown in a humerous new ad.
Money can be transferred in a simple text using the Messages app. This works for sending and receiving the cash, after Apple Wallet has been properly set up.
Watch the new advertisement for Apple Pay in Messages now:
Apple Photo Lab will bring pro-level skills to your iPhone photographs. Photo: Chase Jarvis/YouTube
Apple and photographer Chase Jarvis, who built CreativeLive into one of the world’s top online education platforms, have teamed up to teach pro tips to iPhone photographers who visit their local Apple Store.
Apple Photo Lab, announced by Jarvis in San Francisco Thursday, will roll out in more than 500 Apple Stores across the world.
The star-studded series seems to have done well for Apple. Photo: Apple
Apple Music’s Carpool Karaoke spinoff has been nominated for an Emmy in the “Shortform Variety” category.
It will compete with digital shorts made by the likes of The Daily Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The awards will be part of the Creative Arts Emmys handed out on September 8 and 9. It looks like Apple’s original content efforts are headed in the right direction!
Instantly get 10 premium Mac apps for whatever you want to pay. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
There are basically three ways to upgrade your Mac. You can replace some of the hardware, like the RAM or hard drive; you can replace the whole computer; or you can get new software.
The iPad is going to get a powerful new graphics tool. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
There are some great graphics apps available for iPad. One which has been largely absent up until now? The proper full version of Adobe Photoshop.
Fortunately, that looks like it will change this year as Adobe Systems plans to launch the full version of the iconic photo-editing app for iPad. The move is part of a new strategy designed to boost subscription sales by focusing on mobile apps.
It's the most powerful update in years. Photo: Apple
This week on The CultCast: It’s the best update in years. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about Apple’s very powerful new MacBook Pros. Plus: New Mac minis are on the way; Ming-Chi Kuo confirms Apple’s about to update its entire product line; how coke heads use Apple Watch to maximize their high. Finally, we talk killer whale attacks, port wines and the story of Saturday Night Live’s world-renowned sax player on an all-new What We’re Into.
Complications could keep us waiting for Apple’s more affordable iPhone. Photo: OnLeaks
Apple has ordered more than 24 million iPhone displays from LG as it prepares to start manufacturing its next-generation devices.
The South Korean company is expected to supply around 20 million LCD panels for the all-new 6.1-inch iPhone, plus 4 million OLED panels for a flagship model.
LG is also said to become the primary supplier of OLED displays for next year’s devices.
Texture is dropping $5 off its Premium tier. Photo: Apple
Texture, the digital magazine subscription service Apple acquired back in March, is simplifying its fee structure. Previously, Texture offered a $9.99 Unlimited Basic Plan and a $14.99 Unlimited Premium Plan, with the difference between the two being the addition of weekly magazines.
Now Texture has lowered the price for the Premium Plan to $9.99. In essence, this means that all customers should now have access to the widest possible range of publications for just ten bucks a month!
A new petition accuses the MacBook 'butterfly' keyboard of failing when a single speck gets in the wrong place. Photo: Apple
Worldwide personal computer shipments are finally making a comeback after a six-year slump in sales.
The latest report from Gartner estimates that during the second quarter of 2018 PC shipments finally grew year-over-year for the first time since the first quarter of 2012. With 1.4% overall growth for the market, PC makers have a lot to be happy about, and Apple’s shipment numbers were some of the best in the bunch.