No one can play Fortnite right now. Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
No, it’s not just you — no one can play Fortnite right now.
The hottest game on the planet is down — and has been for over 12 hours — as a result of a database failure. Epic Games is in the process of carrying out major upgrades to its database systems, but there’s no word on when Fortnite will be playable again.
HomePod sales are already suffering. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has been forced to cut HomePod orders as inventories continue to build up in its retail stores, according to a new report.
The $349 speaker enjoyed a promising start when it made its debut in February, but demand has fallen quickly as smart speaker shoppers turn to more affordable options from the likes of Amazon.
This privacy pledge in iOS 11.3 is why people can trust Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
People trust Apple. A recent survey found that only a tiny percentage of Americans think the iPhone maker is irresponsible with their personal data.
That’s good news for Tim Cook and co., who have worked hard to differentiate themselves from Facebook, the least trusted tech company by a wide margin.
Apple Watch is getting a bigger display in 2018. Photo: Cult of Mac
The Apple Watch is set to get some of its biggest upgrades ever this year, including a bigger, brighter display.
Rumors have suggested Apple plans to increase the display on the Apple Watch Series 4 by about 15%. The move could add more room for a bigger battery, but a new concept mockup of the Apple Watch Series 4 shows Apple could squeeze the bigger display into the current design.
Instagram makes sharing Stories simpler. Photo: Instagram
Leaving Instagram is about to get a lot easier.
With pressure rising on its parent company to give users access to all of their data, Instagram says it plans to release a tool that will let you download all of the content you’ve shared on the social network.
Like a tidy stack of documents, right in your Dock. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Left to its own devices, the Dock on your Mac is little more than a list of running apps, plus a trash can. You probably already know that you can force apps to stick around in the Dock for quick-launching, and that you can drag any folder to the Dock and just click it to see inside. But did you know that you can add special folders that show you your recent documents, applications, your favorite items, and more?
The recent documents folder is worth the price of this tip alone (which is $0 BTW), because it keeps track of all your recently-used documents, anywhere on your Mac, and gathers them into one place. If you’re the kind of person who has a desktop cluttered with pretty much all your documents, then fast access to that file you were using one moment ago — and you swear it was right here, oh God where has it gone — is a lifesaver.
An augmented reality version of this game could have web a huge win for Apple. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While ARKit gave Apple an early lead when it comes to augmented reality apps, a highly respected analyst thinks a Chinese company has nearly caught up.
As evidence, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo points out that the AR version of enormously popular game Honour of Kings will land on iPhone and Oppo’s inexpensive Android phones at the same time.
Opening a watchOS 1 app on a device running that latest beta of watchOS 4.3.1 gets this warning. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The latest watchOS beta warns that support will end soon for applications that haven’t been updated for years. This is part of an ongoing push by Apple to get all third-party apps that were written for the first-generation Software Development Kit updated to something more recent.
Unfortunately, this drive is instead causing some developers to drop their out-of-date Apple Watch apps.
The Eneby is $300 less than a HomePod, and it's not like Siri works properly anyway. Photo: Ikea
Ikea’s new Eneby speaker may not pack the smarts of a HomePod or an Amazon Echo, but it’s great-looking and it’s pretty cheap. The new range of Ikea Bluetooth speakers starts at $49. If all you want is a nice, easy speaker for the living room, kitchen, or even the backyard, you should take a look.
Jimmy Iovine is no longer the boss of Apple Music. Photo: Apple
Jimmy Iovine’s tenure as leader of Apple Music appears to have come to an end.
Apple promoted Oliver Schusser to be the new head of Apple Music Worldwide. The move comes right after the streaming service hit the 40 million subscriber mark.
Despite poor demand for iPhone X, Apple seemingly forgot about its flagship smartphone when designing the (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8. This gorgeous concept video below gives us a taste of what could have been — and proves there should be a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone X in the future.
Apple’s most recent iOS updates are causing problems with iPhone displays that have been fitted by third-party repairers. It was initially believed that unauthorized parts were the cause of the issue, but it seems there’s something bigger happening under the hood of your devices.
Even genuine Apple displays don’t work properly if they’re not installed by Apple.
Apple is circumventing the traditional media once again. Photo: Marques Brownlee
The new (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhone 8 won’t start arriving until Friday, but one lucky YouTuber has received an early unit from Apple. Popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee was gifted a pre-release RED iPhone 8 Plus, and has posted an unboxing video online.
Brownlee’s take on the “seriously red” iPhone? That it’s pretty darn great — and the palette swap from white to red frontage, compared with last year’s iPhone, is much appreciated. Check out his video below.
This portable Bluetooth speaker sounds great and can survive almost anything. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Bluetooth speakers have made our music more portable. There’s nothing quite like bringing your tunes to the beach, on a boat, up a hill. There’s also nothing quite like the feeling of dropping your precious electronics into water or onto the rocks.
Could this be one of the year's most visually beautiful iOS games? Photo: Vladimir Beletsky
The Mooseman, a beautifully evocative 2D adventure game, is coming to iOS next month.
Having launched on Steam last year, the game is already a proven winner with players. Boasting a gorgeous wintry palette and plenty of Russian lore thrown in for good measure, The Mooseman puts you in control of a mystical character with the ability to see beyond the physical world. Check out the trailer below.
Team Rumble just got a lot better. Photo: Epic Games
Fortnite Battle Royale’s weekly content update has rolled out on iOS, adding the new Port-a-Fort grenade, squad commands, and more.
Epic has also addressed a whole bunch of pesky bugs — including one that caused weapons to hover in the air when switching quickly between items. There are big changes for consoler and PC players, too.
Apple has had its share of data scandals too, Facebook's CEO notes. Photo: Facebook
Steve Jobs once promised a “thermonuclear war” against Google. Here in 2018, it seems more like Apple is in more of a Cold War with fellow tech giant Facebook — based on recent comments made by both companies.
While we’ve argued before that the congressional investigation of Facebook only helps Apple, it seems that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is doing his best to hurt Apple, too. Here’s how.
Apple has to pay out half a billion buckaroos in damages. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple must pay $502.6 million to patent holding company (read: so-called “patent troll”) VirnetX Holding Corp., a federal jury in Texas has ordered.
This is the latest installment in a dispute that now stretches back eight years. The patents Apple has allegedly infringed one include ones related to secure communications, used by FaceTime, VPN on Demand and iMessage.
A new video shows that upgrading iPhone memory is major job, and an expensive one. Photo: Strange Parts
Ever wondered what it would take to give your iPhone more storage? Apple charges a lot for additional room; maybe you could save a bundle by buying a low capacity version and upgrade the iPhone memory yourself.
A hobbyist successfully took his iPhone from 16GB to 128GB. But as he showed in a video detailing the process, it was a heck of a lot of work.
The FTC said warranty seals like this are illegal. Companies can't forbid third-party repair work. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Federal Trade Commission warned companies today not to tell customers that using independent repair facilities invalidates the warranties on their phones, video game consoles, or cars. Doing so is a violation of U.S. law.
It’s not clear if Apple was singled out by the watchdog agency. But it could have been.
Tim Cook and Prince Mohammed strolling through Apple Park. Photo: Saudi Embassy
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Apple’s new headquarters in California as part of his tour across the western U.S., during which he aims to change the country’s perspective on Saudi Arabia.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand for Salman’s tour of the newly completed Apple Park. The prince even got a special presentation inside Steve Jobs Theatre that focused on Apple’s modern voice applications.
The Microblog app looks pretty great on iPhone. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Facebook tracks your every move and sells the information to people who try to fix elections. Twitter is destroying the fabric of democracy, and doesn’t care. And even if you leave Facebook, it owns Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the biggest social networks outside of itself and Twitter. And now Facebook is promising to let anyone delete their posts, which means that you’ll never really know what’s been happening. IT’s time to leave Facebook and move on, but where?
After all, a social network is pointless if you have no friends on it. Happily, there’s a social network out there already that’s bigger than Facebook, and completely uncontrolled by any single company. It’s the web.
Today we’re going to see how to post your photos, messages, and other rants onto your own microblog, just like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The best part is, you own everything, anyone can read it, and it’s as easy to use as sending a tweet.
Get the best deal around on the best laptop around. Photo: Apple
This week you can find big discounts on the MackBook Pro and a refurbished MacBook Air. Plus, you can save big on refurbished iPhones, discounted iTunes gift cards, and combo charging stands for your Apple gear.
'Focus' is just like Portrait Mode, except it works on video too. Photo: Apple
Getting perfect Portrait Mode photos no longer requires an iPhone with two camera lenses.
Instagram revealed a new feature today that mimics the blurry depth of field on Portrait Mode photos, only it works on older iPhones and even Android smartphones.