A Florida man died for refusing to turn his passcode over to his attackers. Graphic: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple believes strongly in protecting our privacy, and that even extends to helping us use strong passwords. Rather than letting us put in weak ones, iOS 12 extends password suggestions to third-party applications.
The next version of Apple’s phone and tablet operating system also makes two-factor authentication easier, and will warn users about weak passwords.
Apple's focus this year is on performance improvements in iOS 12, as well as improvements in macOS Mojave, not new features. And that's a good thing. Photo: Apple
Apple put on a good show for its WWDC keynote, but realistically it was a lot of hype without much substance. Dark Mode for macOS Mojave and Memojis for iOS 12 was about as exciting as it got. And you know what, that’s a good thing.
Both these operating systems have serious problems, and it’s far more important for Apple to spend a few months fixing them than adding new bells and whistles.
There are lots of things that make Apple so great, Cook says. Photo: Apple
Didn’t have a chance to catch Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote yet? Well, you could read our summary, or if you want to watch the entire thing, Apple just uploaded it to YouTube.
Tim Cook and the gang busted out a bunch of new software during the keynote. iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12 and watchOS 5 all got their moment to shine with new features, UI changes and plenty of surprises.
iOS 12 is shaping up to be one biggest software updates Apple’s ever released and it’s so stuffed with major and minor new additions there wasn’t time to go over a lot of them at the WWDC 2018 keynote.
We’ve been combing through the first iOS 12 beta looking for all the new goodies and have found some underrated new features that will totally change how you use your iPhone and iPad this fall.
These are the little iOS 12 features you need to know:
The iOS video player is pretty full-featured, although most of its advanced tracks are hidden. Today we’ll take a quick look at what it can do, including how to control the entire app from a hardware keyboard.
With its upcoming software, Apple addresses some Silicon Valley's most egregious abuses. Photo: Apple
After a particularly rough patch for the tech industry, Apple used yesterday’s WWDC keynote to atone for some of Silicon Valley’s biggest sins. The company showcased key features in its upcoming operating systems that reinforce the fact that it thinks different about how technology should work.
Undoubtedly eager to position itself as one of the good guys, Apple directly responded to some of the biggest tech scandals of the past year.
Adobe announced their new authoring tool for AR, called Project Aero. Photo: Adobe
Hot off the heels of Apple’s announcement of ARKit 2.0, creative software giant Adobe revealed its own foray into augmented reality. Soon many more people should be able to create 3D, animated content that seems to float in the real world.
Pro tip: Don't rely on your web browser to keep track of your passwords. Photo: FirmBee/Pixabay CC
This post is presented by Dashlane.
Doing anything online means remembering a slew of passwords. That’s why we’re strong advocates of using a password manager like Dashlane. But why use a password manager when your web browser offers to keep track of passwords for you?
The short answer is that, in today’s age of security and privacy concerns, password management is about a lot more than convenience.
Some of Apple's iOS apps will be available inside macOS Mojave. Photo: Apple
Apple confirmed during its big WWDC keynote on Monday that iOS apps are coming to macOS.
The company has spent two years developing the frameworks required to make the ports possible. Several of its own iPhone and iPad apps, including Apple News and Voice Memos, will be available inside macOS Mojave this fall.
In a new interview, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, reveals more about how iOS apps will work on a Mac. He also promises that they won’t make your Mac feel like a super-sized iPhone.
Time for bed. iOS 12 lets you choose who can disturb you. Photo: Apple
Maybe the most important new feature of iOS 12 is something that helps you to do less with your iPhone, not more.
If any other company had introduced Screen Time, the new system-wide toolset for limiting phone distractions, then it would (rightly) be dismissed as a gimmick, a sop to the increasing worries about phone addiction. But as is typical of Apple, Screen Time looks like it took a lot of work to get just right.
Screen Time may seem to be about combatting app addiction, and reducing the amount of time “wasted” on your iPhone. However, taken together with the new Do Not Disturb settings in iOS 12, it’s more about putting users back in control of their iPhones.
This iBook definitely won’t run macOS Mojave. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
These are the devices that can run iOS 12 and macOS Mojave
There’s good news and bad news for fans of keeping old hardware running. While iOS 12 will run fine on any device that currently runs iOS 11 — and may even make older hardware run faster — macOS 10.14 Mojave is dropping support for older Macs.
Let’s take a look at which machines will work with iOS 12 and macOS 10.14.
Near the end of Monday’s WWDC 2018 keynote, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi addressed a question that’s been circulating in the tech press for a while: Are Mac and iOS merging?
His answer was direct and unequivocal: “No.”
Then he delivered a “sneak peek” of Apple’s long-rumored cross-platform project codenamed “Marzipan.” In line with the past six months of rumors, the idea of the framework is to allow UIKit-based iOS apps to run natively on Mac. While that probably sounds exciting to Mac owners, it could yield an unwelcome unintended consequence. It could trigger a “lost year” for Mac apps.
Toshiba was once a leader in the PC industry. Photo: Toshiba
The Foxconn-owned Sharp Corp. has agreed a deal to acquire an 80 percent share in Toshiba’s PC business. Foxconn currently assembles Macs for Apple, while Sharp is an iPhone display maker.
The move won’t compete directly with Apple, although it puts Foxconn and Sharp in charge of a company which, at its 2011 peak, sold 17.7 million PCs in a year. That number fell to just 1.4 million units last year. Toshiba led the world in producing some of the earliest laptops. Its first laptop launched in 1985.
iOS 12 makes small but significant changes to the user interface on Apple tablets, paving the way for an edge-to-edge Super Retina HD display and Face ID.
This app makes it easy to keep your Mac healthy and clear of junk files. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
It’s important to keep a hard-working, complex machine like your Mac clean and well-maintained. For most of us though, computer care stops at emptying the recycling bin and wiping the screen. So it’s nice to know there’s an app that can do the work of cleaning and tuning our Macs.
Apple rewarded the best apps of the 2018 crop. Photo: Apple
Apple has revealed the winners of its prestigious 21st Apple Design Awards, offering a nice boost to the indie developers in question and some good recommendations for users.
The awards span nine different countries and a variety of app types, from note-taking apps to games. Check out the winners below.
Has Apple changed its mind about Steam Link? Photo: Screens
Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to include new rules for remote desktop clients.
Apps can no longer display a “store-like interface” that allows users to “browse, select, or purchase software” they don’t already own, but they can allow transactions if they are processed by a host device.
The change comes just a few weeks after Steam Link for iOS was rejected by Apple because it allowed purchasing inside PC games. It’s not yet clear whether the new rules pave the way for Steam Link’s approval.
Tim Cook at yesterday's WWDC event. Screenshot: Apple
Following yesterday’s WWDC keynote, Tim Cook participated in an interview on CNN with Senior Technology Correspondent, Laurie Segall.
In a wide-ranging interview, Cook discussed everything from the threat of machines taking over to the “fundamental human right” of privacy to why he’s not interested in running for office. Here are the big takeaways:
Unlocking tools that quickly enter thousands of passcodes though the Lightning port can be blocked out with iOS 12. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This is a clear attempt to make useless the unlocking tools employed by law enforcement.
Police across the country are purchasing a tool called GrayKey. When hooked to an iPhone’s Lightningport, this swiftly enters thousands of passcodes until the correct one is reached. Deactivating the Lightning port would block its use.
Sketchnotes deliver all the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights the easy, visual way. Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac
It is always exciting to capture the WWDC keynote in sketchnotes, and this year I filled up four pages of my notebook with drawings showcasing the biggest new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave and watchOS 5.
As seen in my first sketchnote, above, iOS 12 makes performance on both old and new devices a priority. ARKit 2 brings more augmented reality goodness to Apple devices, including the ability for up to four people to share the same AR space at the same time.
For a quick and easy recap of the rest of the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights — plus a bonus sketchnote that proved kind of prescient — check out the rest below.
Face ID in iOS 12 can be trained to recognize an "alternate appearance," allowing multiple people to unlock an iPhone. Image: CultOfMac/9to5mac
The first iOS 12 developer beta debuted after today’s WWDC keynote. Intrepid souls who’ve already installed this early version on their iPhone X noticed that Face ID can be trained to recognize more than one person.
This removes one of the significant limitations of Apple’s new biometric security system.
A little self-deprecating humor goes a long way in Apple's new video. Photo: Apple
Apple kicked off WWDC 2018 with what was perhaps the best damn video the company ever created.
Taking a page out of David Attenborough’s playbook, Apple crafted a hilarious nature mockumentary all about one of the world’s most extraordinary species — developers — making their annual journey to the great plains of WWDC.
Prepare to laugh your ass off at The Developer Migration!
WWDC 2018 was packed with new software. Photo: Apple
Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote lasted nearly 130 minutes and was jam-packed with new software goodies for developers and regular old Apple fanboys.
But if you were hoping to see some shiny new hardware unveiled at today’s event, you were in for some big disappointments. Apple is doubling down on its software game. And even though they didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises.