Cult of Mac

iOS’ Files app is one of the best new features in iOS. It lets you move files from app to app almost as easily as in the Mac’s Finder. The problem is, not all apps support it. To use an app with Files, that app needs to either accept files dragged onto it via drag-and-drop, or it needs to integrate the Files picker.

But you can still use Files with some older apps, or apps from developers who don’t want to add support: Many file-based apps will open up a web server to let you load stuff in via a browser on a Mac or PC. We can exploit this old-fashioned workaround with a workaround of our own, effectively adding local Files support. And don’t worry, it’s dead easy.

Instagram is testing a feature that allows users to share their stories directly to WhatsApp.

They appear as WhatsApp status updates, and just like on Instagram, they’re visible for 24 hours. It seems only a small number of users have access to the feature for now.

As machines and computers become a greater part of daily life, the need grows for people who can build interfaces to connect us. So user interface and interaction design are among the most profitable skills you can learn.

Samsung’s next Galaxy S flagship phone will reportedly make use of a new AI processing chip to offer features similar to the iPhone X’s Face ID and Animojis.

According to Samsung, its new chip will offer, “realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face.”  Remember that recent Samsung ad about how it beats Apple to every important smartphone feature? Well, you should probably forget about it temporarily.

Don’t let the possibility of screen burn-in put you off the iPhone X.

A new test proves Apple’s handset is much more resistant to burn-in than its OLED rivals. It would be near impossible for the device to suffer screen burn during normal use.

Apple is adding a new crime-based original drama series to its collection of original shows.

Are You Sleeping stars Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer from The Help, and is being adapted from a novel by Kathleen Barber about a Serial-style crime podcast which reopens a murder case.

AT&T has promised to begin rolling out a true next-generation 5G network in a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year.

The pledge follows international 5G standards being agreed upon last month by 3GPP, the body responsible for developing and governing cellular standards.

A midrange model of Apple’s new iMac Pro comes with a massive 11 times as many bytes of electronic memory as the Apple II, the company’s first breakthrough computer.

Doesn’t sound all that impressive? We’re not just talking about a single Apple II unit. Instead, that figure refers to the sum total of all electronic memory ever installed on all 6 million Apple II computers ever built!

Cult task manager and notes app Taskmator just got an update that brings it into the 21st century. The iPad app, which continues the work of the abandoned TaskPaper for iOS app, finally supports the big screen size of the 12.9-inch iPad, as well as adding some general polish to the user interface and preferences.

The critical design flaw discovered in the way Intel CPUs process information has reportedly already been fixed by Apple in a recent release of macOS.

Apple’s fix came out at the beginning of December with the release of macOS 10.13.2. But according to one developer, the company has a few additional patches for Intel’s blunder in a current beta build.

The first batch of beta software updates for 2018 has already arrived from Apple.

Developers received four new beta updates this morning, including the third build of iOS 11.2.5 which includes a host of bug fixes and performance improvements for the iPhone and iPad.

One of the craziest omissions in GarageBand for iPad and iPhone is the lack of a master track for mixing. A master track sits in your GarageBand window alongside your recorded instruments, and lets you apply EQ and effects — bass, treble, reverb, and so on — to the entire song. Even in the amazing new GarageBand 3.2, there’s no proper master track.

But there is a workaround that is both easy, and as good as having the real thing. Let’s check it out.

If you want a HomeKit-compatible electrical outlet, but don’t want an ugly wall wart jutting out of your conventional plug, you’re about to get a new option. The ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet will work like other smart plugs. But it looks like the ordinary power outlets hardwired into your walls.

Apple’s iPhone battery replacement program could cause the company to lose out on millions of new iPhone sales, according to analysts at Barclays.

It was revealed last month that the company intentionally throttles CPU speeds on some iPhones with older batteries to provide an overall better experience. Apple has offered $29 battery replacements to make up for it, but that might be bad news for its bottom line.

Take your Apple Watch Series 3 into hospital and it could suffer a few health problems of its own. Users are reporting that Apple’s latest wearable randomly reboots in a hospital environment, and it appears specialist equipment is the cause.

Apple fans are handing over silly sums of cash to get their hands on the iMac Pro’s exclusive space gray accessories. Sellers are taking advantage of the early demand to recoup a large chunk of the $5,000-plus they paid for their new machine.

Apple has responded to the recent cold weather in Chicago by “re-programming” the roof of its new Apple Store on Chicago’s waterfront so that it doesn’t form dangerous icicles.

As we reported at the end of last month, Apple’s flagship Chicago Apple Store on North Michigan Avenue recently ran into problems when the roof, designed to look like a giant MacBook, seemingly struggled to cope with the snowfall — resulting in the closure of the retail store’s outdoor area.

Apple Music’s biggest competitor is about to become a publicly traded company.

In an effort to finally become profitable, Spotify has reportedly filed IPO documents confidentially with the SEC and the stock could be available to the public soon.

LG will be the sole supplier of OLED displays for an upcoming iPhone X Plus, according to a new report. Sources say the device will arrive during the second half of 2018.

Is 2018 the year you resolve to move forward with your business idea? That’s great, now it’s time to start planning.

Amazon and Google’s aggressive pricing of smart speakers could hurt Apple’s HomePod, claim analysts.

A new report notes that both Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Google Home family of devices were so heavily discounted over the holidays that they likely lost their companies a few dollars per unit. This is in sharp contrast with the kind of pricing that Apple plans for its $349 device, when it goes on sale in early 2018.

A major security flaw discovered in Intel chips requires a software fix that could negatively impact the performance of your Mac. The “design blunder” affects all Intel chips produced in the last 10 years, according to one report.

A Sacramento man has plead guilty to scamming Apple Stores across the United States out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of several months.

33-year-old Marcus Israel Butler carried out his scam, involving debit card fraud, in Apple Stores in Sacramento, Modesto, New York, Baltimore, Chicago, North Carolina and Alaska.

There’s a good chance you’ll never have the opportunity to work at Apple, let alone attain the success of chief designer Jony Ive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sit like Jony Ive — and, no, we don’t mean on a giant pile of money in front of a white backdrop.

According to a new report, Apple Park uses design firm Barber Osgerby’s Pacific Chair throughout its campus. The elegantly simple chairs, designed to promote collaboration between employees, retail for $1,185. (Although Apple likely got a bit of a discount on a bulk order of 12,000 units!)

Apple’s first quarterly earnings call of 2018 will take place on Thursday, February 1, the company has revealed.

Apple will host a conference call to discuss its first fiscal quarter results for the year. This will happen at 2:00 p.m. PT or 5:00 p.m. ET, and is available to listen to online.