An analyst predicts increasing demand for the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Photo: Apple
The number of MacBooks shipping in 2018 will grow by double digits, if a reliable analyst’s prediction proves correct. That would give Apple’s laptops stronger annual growth than iPhone or iPad.
T-Mobile and Verizon are battling it out to see which will offer the best 4G. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A quick and reliable LTE connection is a necessity for any iPhone. Verizon and T-Mobile offer the best 4G performance, with AT&T and Sprint not able to keep up.
All four of the national carriers’ networks show improvement over 2017, but some haven’t yet recovered from the deluge of usage that came when they began offering unlimited data plans several years ago.
Face ID completely changes the way users interact with their iPhone, but imagine if every physical lock could be opened with just a glance.
In Apple’s newest iPhone X ad, the powers of Face ID get unleashed on the real world after a high school girl discovers (or imagines?) she has the power to open anything with her face.
iOS 11.3 finally brings Messages to iCloud. Photo: Apple
The public launch of Apple’s biggest iOS update in 2018 so far might be just a few weeks away, now that developers just received another beta build for iOS 11.3.
Apple seeded iOS 11.3 beta six to developers this morning, bring a bunch of bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements to the iPhone and iPad.
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
My plan to get to bed early last night was ruined when Epic Games dropped a Fortnite Battle Royale invite in my inbox. I had been itching to play it since I signed up for early access on Monday, so I ignored my body’s desperate calls for sleep and dived right in.
I had already played Fortnite on PlayStation 4 and PC, so I had a good idea of what to expect with the mobile version. Epic promised it would deliver exactly the same experience. But I had no idea what the game would look like, or if it would even be worth playing with touch controls.
I was blown away. Here are my first impressions of Fortnite on iOS.
Try loading this bookmark in Safari. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
You probably already know how to save a bookmark on your iPhone or iPad, but you might not know just how many neat things you can do with them. You can customize your Safari home screen to show the bookmarks you want, but that’s just the beginning. Let’s find out how to really use bookmarks on your iPhone.
All your favorite features at the tap of a button. Photo: SwiftKey
SwiftKey, one of the most popular third-party keyboards on iOS, has just gotten even faster and more efficient — thanks to an update which adds a new Toolbar for giving you super-speedy access to the keyboard’s most popular features.
Keep your Mac's drive humming and healthy with this powerful diagnostic and repair tool. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Macs are complex machines, but in some ways they’re a bit like people. Everything they can do relies on a healthy, uncluttered hard drive; the “brains” of the operation. But you can’t take your Macbook to a psychologist (unless that’s your thing), so instead you’ll want a utility app like Drive Genius.
Apple issued invites Friday for an education-themed event in Chicago on March 27.
The invite promises “creative new ideas for teachers and students.” That could indicate the arrival of more-affordable Apple devices — like the new MacBook Air and iPad we’ve been hearing about.
Epic Games has started rolling out the first early access invites for Fortnite Battle Royale on iOS. It seems a large number of fans have been lucky enough to get one, but a handful have been left heartbroken after discovering they can’t play it.
It turns out Fortnite doesn’t support jailbroken devices.
You'll need access to the Edge beta. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft Edge for iOS now boasts support for iPad. It took four months to arrive, and it’s only in beta for now — but it’s exactly the tablet interface you’ve been waiting for.
Siri and HomePod will oblige children in China when they ask for a story. Photo: Apple
This week on The CultCast: Siri sucks, Apple knows it, and Cupertino isn’t sure how to fix it … but there’s still hope. Plus: Our 2018 WWDC hardware expectations!
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.
Speaking at the recent Roth Investment Conference in Laguna Beach, California, Zerella said that, “I have yet to meet anyone who owns an Apple Watch who’s passionate about the product.”
New book will offer a very different view of Steve Jobs: that of father. Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC
Steve Jobs’ daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, is writing a coming-of-age memoir.
Given his immense significance as the CEO who turned around Apple’s fortunes, there are many books about Steve Jobs. This newly announced one written by his daughter will offer a different, more personal take on the late Steve Jobs than most of its bookstore rivals.
"Well, you could start by not slating Siri!" Photo: Apple
Any time you slate a product that a lot of people worked hard on, you’re bound to get some pushback.
In the wake of a recent damning report, suggesting that Siri is broken, and has pretty much been that way since the start, Siri’s co-founder Dag Kittlaus has hit back at one of the article’s claims.
France isn't happy about the App Store. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has responded to the French government’s plans to take it to court over what French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire calls its “abusive trade practices.”
While the French government is critical of Apple for taking a non-negotiable cut of the profits from developers who use its App Store platform, Apple has taken the opportunity to remind everyone of just how good its “app economy” has been for many devs.
Google Lens can pull the contact information out of a business card. Photo: Google
The image-identification technology in Google Photos is now in the iOS version of this software. Google Lens can find objects and text in pictures and then provide more information. For example, by examining a photo of a business card, the artificial intelligence can pull out all the contact information.
The Pod Pro charges Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously. Nomad Rugged Strap with Black hardware shown above. Photo: Nomad
Charging the Apple Watch while traveling can be a little tricky. Generally, I lug along a super-long charging cable and a wall plug to get the job done when on holiday.
Nomad — makers of great Apple Watch straps and accessories — offers a stylish and super-portable charging solution called the Pod Pro. The Pod Pro wraps that lengthy charging cable neatly inside a stylish, round enclosure that also holds a massive 6000 mAh of power — enough to keep Apple Watch juiced up all weekend long.
Read on to learn more about this amazing, portable charging puck, and check out the Pod Pro in our Watch Store!
GrayKey can bypass iPhone security. It’s supposed to be only for police but... Photo: Ed Hardy/ Cult of Mac
More details have come to light about the GrayKey iPhone unlocker, and it turns out it’s even more likely to fall into the wrong hands than first thought.
This tool is very expensive, and is intended for use only by law enforcement, but stolen units could someday be available on the black market where they would be a goldmine for identity thieves.
Business is booming for the App Store. Photo: PhotoAtelier/Flickr
iPhone users in Iran are no longer able to access the App Store starting today.
The App Store ban appears to be IP based, which means there are ways for users to get around it, but it’s unclear whether Apple is behind the ban or if it was done by the government.
A dual-screen MacBook could look a little bit like this. Illustration: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple engineers are looking into a laptop that uses a touchscreen in place of a keyboard. The second screen would be slightly flexible, allowing keys to depress. It would also be extremely customizable –basically like a giant Touch Bar.
While rumors are swirling that Apple will release new products soon, you can get great deals on the latest iPad right now. Plus, this week you can save loads by buying refurbished, unlocked iPhones.
Ever scroll to the top of your photos by mistake? Don't worry. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Ever tap the top of the screen in your Photos library and find yourself looking at pictures from way back in 2005? Did you swipe something the wrong way and end up stranded, viewing photos from years ago?
You probably sighed to yourself, then set to scrolling back to the bottom of the list to get to your latest photos. Big, angry swipes, just to show your iPhone how mad you were.
Well, after today, you’ll never need to to that again, because there’s a shortcut to scroll back to the very bottom of your Photos camera roll.
One state is testing replacing drivers licenses with a mDL app. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPhones already replace credit cards, and a pilot program is exploring the next logical step: a digital drivers licence.
Delaware just began testing a mobile driver license (mDL) with some state residents, checking if a smartphone application can be kept secure while offering real advantages over plastic cards.