Take to the skies from your picnic blanket with this user friendly, super tiny drone. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
That buzzing you hear outside probably isn’t a swarm of bees. These days it’s way more likely to be a drone. They’re everywhere, big and small, so why not get in on the fun?
Sometimes software bugs can be awfully revealing. This week, a security researcher noted how an iPhone-crashing bug occurred whenever some users used the Taiwanese flag emoji in iOS 11.3.
The bug is seemingly an abortive attempt to acquiesce to China’s rules for tech companies to follow, which includes its refusal to accept Taiwan as an independent country. While Apple hasn’t commented on the case, this isn’t the first time it has caved to China’s requests.
Lockbox frees your passwords from Firefox. Photo: Mozilla
You probably have a whole bunch of passwords saved in Firefox if it’s your web browser of choice. And now you can use those passwords anywhere in iOS with the new Lockbox app from Mozilla.
Lockbox is a password manager that promises strong encryption, syncing between multiple iOS devices, Face ID support, and more.
An Apple employee who downloaded blueprints for its self-driving car circuit board and then attempted to flee with them to China has been arrested.
Xiaolang Zhang supposedly told Apple of his plans to join a Chinese self-driving car startup, Xiaopeng Motors, shortly before booking his flight. He was arrested on July 7 after going through the security gates at San Jose airport.
Momoa is soon to lend his hunky brooding good looks to an Apple original TV series. Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia CC
Former Game of Thrones and current Aquaman actor Jason Momoa is set to star in another new Apple original series.
Called See, the show is an epic, world-building drama that’s set in the future. Momoa will play the lead role of Baba Voss, described by trade magazine Variety as, “a fearless warrior, leader and guardian.” So a totally different type of role for Momoa, then!
Two brazen thieves grabbed thousands of dollars worth of MacBooks from a California Apple Store. Screenshot: CBS New York/Apple
Four teens in hoodies brazenly snatched a bunch of MacBooks and iPhones from an Apple Store in California this weekend. The crime is very similar to one committed in New York last week.
The brazen thefts took place so close together it’s not impossible the second was inspired by the first.
Siri's new boss, John Giannandrea, has the job of making this voice assistant less terrible. Photo: Apple
Craig Federighi is no longer in charge of Siri. Responsibility for Apple’s troubled voice assistant has been given to John Giannandrea, who is now in charge of all Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts.
Siri is seen as poor competition for Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, and Google Assistant. Its weakness is hurting sales of Apple products, including the HomePod.
More iPhone buyers selected a newer phone, like the iPhone 8, than when the iPhone 7 line was new. Photo: Apple
Buyers were slow to buy when the latest line of iPhones first launched. But new market research shows today’s shopper is more likely to slap down a credit card for a new model than the previous cycle.
The findings from the group M Science are in line with figures showing the popularity of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
You can use your iPhone to add GPS locations to your old-school photos. Photo: TappyTaps
Four years ago, I wrote a post explaining how to “add GPS to your dumb camera photos using your iOS device.” It was a pretty good how to, but things have moved on and it is now easier than ever to import a bunch of photos into your iPad, and then geotag them using an app.
Why would you do such a thing? Well, how about having all your vacation photos plotted on a map, so you can find where you took them, years, later? Or having your fancy-camera photos show up alongside your iPhone photos when you search for nearby pictures?
Using paper is so old-school. Your iPad is capable of much more! Photo: LiquidText
Paper’s great for some things, but when it comes to reading and taking notes, the traditional medium is mediocre at best. And when iPad apps try to replicate paper, things get even worse.
“It doesn’t work,” said Craig Tashman, developer of the LiquidText PDF Reader app, which Apple showcased in an iPad ad this week. “They end up inheriting the deficiencies of paper without really inheriting the things that make it work.”
Tashman talked with Cult of Mac about his quest to reinvent paper, and the massive benefit of having a $945 billion tech giant giving an indie developer some props.
Want to watch the next episode of your favorite show on the subway? Netflix Smart Downloads makes it easy by automatically replacing each watched episode with the next one. Photo: Netflix
A new feature in the Netflix app will automatically download episodes of your favorite shows. This means they’re waiting on your phone or tablet when you’re ready.
Instagram is beefing up Stories with loads of new features. Photo: Pixabay
Striking up a conversation on Instagram just became as easy as slapping a sticker on your Story.
Instagram revealed today that it has added a new feature called Question Stickers that gives users a new way to ask and receive questions from followers so you can get more acquainted with each other.
Apple AR could help you shop for LEGOs in your living room, and help Apple make lots of cash. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Augmented Reality (AR) is still an emerging technology, but Apple is poised to profit from it significantly. Or that’s the prediction of one analyst anyway.
And all the extra billions in revenue wouldn’t require the rumored Apple AR Glasses, though that would help.
One of the biggest password managers for iOS and Mac will not be acquired by Apple, despite rumors to the contrary.
1Password issued a response this morning to a report that Apple is in talks to acquire it saying the rumor is “completely false.” AgileBits, the developer studio behind 1Password, has been independent since its inception and the firm says it plans to remain so indefinitely.
Microsoft Surface Go with Surface Pen ($99), Surface Cover ($99) and Surface Mouse ($49.99). Photo: Microsoft
The iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro are serious competitors, but until now Redmond didn’t have anything to take on the $329 iPad. That changed with the reveal of the Surface Go.
This device is $70 more than Apple’s offering and includes a screen just a hair larger. Let’s take a look at how all of their specs compare.
Snapchat is trying to grow its community after the disastrous redesign. Photo: Snapchat
Snapchat is building its focus on augmented reality Lenses, by giving users the ability to download those created by other users. This follows on from a feature Snap added at the end of last year, giving users the ability to build their own Lenses.
Foxconn founder Terry Gou (right) says he's making the U.S. a bigger focus in 2020. Photo: Voice of America/Wikimedia Commons
Foxconn Technologies is starting a new company in California’s Silicon Valley to concentrate on artificial intelligence for factory floor automation.
The plan comes as Foxconn looks for ways to deal with the slowdown of smartphone sales globally, demands for higher wages and a changing workforce that is sidestepping manufacturing. Foxconn assembles thousands of iPhones and iPads and is among Apple’s biggest contractors.
This kind of display won't be exclusive to Apple's top-end iPhone. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Last year, only Apple’s OLED iPhone X was the recipient of the edge-to-edge infinite display. Owners of the regular iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, meanwhile, had to endure the indignity of the old fashioned iPhone design, complete with bezel.
That appears set to change with the 2018-era iPhone refresh, however. And a new report reveals the technology that will make it all possible.
Design websites that are engaging with this 45 hour bundle Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Creating engaging sites, apps, and content are big business. Whether you’re looking to get a new gig or launch your own project, user interface and user interaction design skills are super valuable.
Or you could just not take massive amounts of coke. Photo: Apple
An Apple a day may keep the doctor away, but that doesn’t mean you should use an Apple Watch to safeguard against ill effects while binging on massive amounts of drugs.
According to a new report, medical experts are concerned that some drug users, particularly people taking cocaine, are using their Apple Watches and other wearables to monitor their heart rate while imbibing.
Apple is poised for a massive 2019, it seems. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple will drop the iPhone X and iPhone SE from its list of available products this year, a new report claims. The reason? To help push a super cycle for the next-gen iPhone handsets that Apple supposedly believes will be, “far larger than normal cycles.”
The report, from analysts John Donovan and Steve Mullane from research firm BlueFin Research Partners, suggests that Apple is planning to build a combined 91 million units of its three 2018-era iPhones, which they think will be named the iPhone 9, iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Plus.
There may already be a way around Apple's USB Restricted Mode. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Yesterday, Apple’s iOS 11.4.1 update secured the USB Lightning port on iPhones and iPads. And already there is a workaround, allowing cops and criminals to retain access to the port, and then use their hacking tools to extract your private data.
MacOS High Sierra is still being updated. In fact, there's a new version out now. Photo: Apple
Apple isn’t quite done with macOS High Sierra, even though most people’s attention is on the replacement, macOS Mojave. What’s likely the final update to the old version, macOS 10.13.6, is now available for download.
The main purpose of this release seems to be bug fixes, but the release notes do mention one new feature.
iPhone hacking is more difficulty if a new "USB Accessories" setting in iOS 11.4.1 is left off. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
The iOS version debuting today partially deactivates the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This makes iPhone hacking more difficult, for both criminals and law enforcement.
Previously, this feature was available in iOS betas. iOS 11.4.1 is the first time it’s been in a public version.
A WiGig iPhone might happen in 2020. This standard is fast but short range. Photo: Wireless Gigabit Alliance/Cult of Mac
Apple appears to be planning to put WiGig in future iPhones. This a version of Wi-Fi that’s more than five times faster than 802.11ac.
An Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modem has reportedly been turned down by Apple because it lacked WiGig. This certainly implies that the iPhone maker will go looking for a modem that does include this feature.