Mobile menu toggle

Luxurious leather makes this Apple Watch band feel buttery-smooth [Review]

By

clessant
Clessant uses prized Barenia leather from the Haas Tannery in France.
Photo: Clessant

Best List: Clessant Black Barenia Apple Watch Band

When it comes to fashion, it’s hard to beat basic black. However, sometimes you want a little something extra — a design that adds subtle interest without going over the top. The Clessant Black Barenia Apple Watch band does the trick, thanks to fine off-white stitching that looks almost like racing stripes.

Updates for your Mac dock, iPhone camera and more [Week’s best deals]

By

The week's best deals include a 3-lens attachment for iPhone, a massively customizable Dock upgrade, and more.
The week's best deals include a 3-lens attachment for iPhone, a massively customizable Dock upgrade, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Welcome to another new week, and another round of great deals on gear and more at the Cult of Mac Store. This week’s best deals include an update for your Mac’s Dock, and a powerful lens attachment for iPhone. Plus, we’ve got days of coding courses and a slick car mount for your phone. Everything is discounted by a third off or more. Read on for more details:

Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone X is Apple’s finest smartphone ever, and much more!

By

cover
iPhone X looks right at home alongside the best products Apple ever made. We won’t forget this stunning smartphone for a long time.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

For iPhone X, Apple did away with aluminum unibodies, chunky bezels, Touch ID and the beloved Home button. In their place, iPhone X sports polished stainless steel and smooth glass, an edge-to-edge Super Retina HD display, and Face ID. The result proves stunning. Apple just made the iPhone exciting again. But is iPhone X worth $999? Red our full review on iPhone X.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Find out how Apple Pay Cash proves Apple hasn’t lost its attention to detail, and learn how to send money to friends using it. Learn how to squeeze more battery life out of iPhone X, and discover all the trick and tips to mastering your new phone. Check out our review of Juuk’s brand-new aluminum Vitero bands for Apple Watch, which are now available for pre-order. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Quick tip: How to make Face ID more accurate

By

VCSEL
The laser in the iPhone X's Face ID could one day transform the speed of broadband.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

What do you do when Face ID doesn’t recognize your face? Do you reposition your face? Reposition the iPhone? Stare a little harder at the camera, to tell it you really mean business?

Stop! Instead of acquiescing to your iPhone X’s silent demands, you should use this as a teaching moment (and show your phone who’s boss at the same time). Face ID learns how your face changes over time, but you can also teach it to recognize you better. Here’s how.

Juuk’s aluminum Apple Watch band goes rose gold [Watch Store]

By

juuk ligero
The Ligero Apple Watch band is built from robust 6061 series aluminum — the same aluminum used in the aircraft, automotive, boating and diving industries.
Photo: Courtesy of Juuk

Juuk’s Rainbow Ligero Apple Watch band is very popular with Cult of Mac readers. The limited-edition aluminum Apple Watch band flew off the virtual shelves of our Watch Store for its striking colors and quality engineering.

The entire Ligero collection also made our top 10 best Apple Watch Series 3 bands. It’s time to introduce the latest must-have finish: Rose Gold.

This band joins a lineup of 10 vibrant colors, five of which are on sale now. Have a look at the Rose Gold, and check out the entire Ligero collection in our Watch Store.

Quick tip: How to scroll to the top on iPhone X

By

iPhone X
The iPhone X is overloaded with essential gestures. Here's another one for you to learn.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Ever since the early days of the iPhone, you have been able to tap on the status bar at the top of the screen to quickly scroll a long page back to the top. You may have been at the bottom of a long document, an epic web page or a particularly brutal Instapaper article, and one tap takes you back to the beginning. It’s a fantastic feature that really saves a lot of crazy finger-flicking, and is just plain convenient. Once you get used to it, the few apps that manage to disable the feature seem broken.

And yet now in the iPhone X, tapping the top of the screen no longer scrolls to the top. But don’t worry: There is still a way to do it. You’ll just have to learn yet another gesture.

iPhone X owners hit by ‘Green Line of Death’

By

iPhone X
Should we call it GreenGate?
Photo: Nate Heagy/Twitter

Apple may have a bit of a screen problem with the iPhone X.

It wouldn’t be an iPhone launch without some sort of “Gate” plaguing devices. Even though iPhone X has only been out for a week, it looks like the “Green Line of Death” is set to be this year’s overblown disaster.

Hacker shows off world’s first successful iPhone X jailbreak

By

iPhone X
Well, that didn't take too long!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is still brand new, but already a jailbreaker in South Korea has managed to figure out how to jailbreak the device.

The functional jailbreak for Apple’s brand new iOS 11.1.1 firmware on the iPhone X was shown off at the POC2017 event in Seoul, South Korea. In an video of the demonstration, hacker Liang Chen of KeenLab was shown executing a jailbreak on the iOS version which Apple made publicly available just yesterday.

iPhone X: Our top likes, our top dislikes! Catch the discussion on The CultCast

By

CultCast 309
What we like and what we don't—catch our unvarnished opinions on iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: The iPhone X may be Apple’s best phone, but it’s not perfect. Catch our first-week impressions to hear what we love (and what we don’t!) about Apple’s very spicy new iPhone. Plus: Our top reasons to not buy an iPhone X; how to use Apple Pay Cash to pay your friends and fam; and catch our list of X-rated tips, aka the really useful iPhone X tips and tricks you haven’t heard about.

Apple display maker losses blamed on sluggish iPhone 8 sales

By

iPhone
iPhone 8 sales aren't great, Japan Display claims.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple supply maker Japan Display has announced disappointing quarterly earnings, based in part on Apple’s shift to using OLED displays for the iPhone X.

While Japan Display still makes the LCD screens for the current generation iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the “sluggish” sales of these devices have meant that its earnings have continued to fall. The company posted a net loss of 68 billion yen ($596 million) for the first half of fiscal 2017, an increased loss from the 16.7 billion yen it posted for the same period in 2016.

Apple diversity report shows the company is still white and male

By

diversity Apple
Apple is pledging to do more on the diversity front.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new video published this afternoon is a celebration of diversity, but according to a recent government filing, the company still has a long way to go before it can really call itself inclusive.

Over 80% of Apple’s senior ranking officials are white males, based on Apple’s updated Inclusion and Diversity report. Most of the numbers are stagnant compared to 2016, but there are a few spots to be proud of.

Drool-worthy concept gives iPhone X a Plus-sized upgrade

By

iPhone x
Bigger is better.
Photo: Martin Hajek

The iPhone X hasn’t even been out for a week but this new concept has got us lusting to upgrade already.

Mockup artist Martin Hajek has created an all-new concept of what the Plus-sized iPhone could look like in 2018 if Apple brings its edge-to-edge display to the larger device and it looks absolutely amazing.

Take a closer look:

Jony Ive talks iPhone X and Apple Park in new interview

By

Apple Park Close up
Hundreds of trees are being planted at Apple HQ.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone X will gain new functionality over the next year, according to Apple design boss Jony Ive.

In a new interview with design magazine Wallpaper, Ive discussed the challenges of designing in an age when products can be unfixed and fluid. With the edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone X, Apple’s now creating objects that don’t even look like they were designed, which is exactly what excites Ive.

How to wirelessly charge your shiny new iPhone

By

The Ikea Riggad wireless charging lamp is more than your typical charger.
The Ikea Riggad wireless charging lamp is more than your typical charger.
Photo: Ikea

“Wireless” charging is possible with the iPhones 8, 8 Plus, and X. Doing so might seem as simple as just tossing the handset onto a charging mat, and largely it is. But there are some tips to make sure charging works as expected, and several things to avoid to make sure your phone ends up full in the morning.

Apple helping FBI with locked smartphone of Texas shooter

By

FBI director says Feds still can't unlock iPhone in Pensacola shooting case
FBI director says Feds still can't unlock iPhone in Pensacola shooting case
Photo: Dave Newman/Flickr CC

Apple says it “immediately” reached out to the FBI to help the agency unlock the encrypted smartphone of the shooter in the Texas church massacre.

The FBI declined to name the type of phone used by suspected shooter, Devin Kelley, but ABC News reported earlier today that the device is indeed an Apple handset.

iOS 11.1.1 arrives to fix that annoying autocorrect bug

By

iOS 11 keyboard
You can finally type "i" again.
Photo: Apple

The annoying iPhone keyboard bug that turned the letter “i” into the letter “a” and a strange symbol is finally dead.

Apple released iOS 11.1.1 to the public this afternoon bringing a number of critical fixes to the iPhone and iPad, including the highly coveted ability to finally type the word “iPhone” like a normal person.

Clips gets iPhone X-powered update with 360-degree selfies

By

Clips
Clips 2.0 is available now.
Photo: Apple

Apple is coming out with a big update to its video-making app Clips today that will be sure to delight users if you’re lucky enough to have an iPhone X.

Clips 2.0 is launching with an all-new feature called “Selfie Scenes” that takes advantage of the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera to create augmented-reality scenes and stages behind the user.

Beautiful wallpapers show off iPhone X’s gorgeous guts

By

iPhone X
Make your iPhone's innards shine forth.
Photo: Ste Smith/iFixit/Cult of Mac

Still looking for the perfect wallpaper for your new iPhone X? The folks at iFixit have come up with a new set of that takes advantage of Apple’s new edge-to-edge display to make it look like your iPhone X doesn’t have a screen at all.

Now you don’t have to pry your screen open just to get a look inside.

This crush-proof battery pack can charge your iPhone multiple times over [Deals]

By

CoM - Zendure 40W Max A-Series 4-Port USB Wall Charger
Liberate your iPhone with these wireless charging solutions.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you are out running errands or on vacation, you’re bound to see that dreaded low battery alert. This battery pack is like no other on the market, a combination of brain and brawn. The Zendure A8 Charger (26,800 mAh) on a full charge can replenish your iPhone with power nine times over. Also, the battery pack is capable to simultaneously charging four devices at once. Right now you can get the Zendure A8 26,800mAh QC3.0 Portable Battery Bank for just $76.46 with coupon code “GIFTSHOP15” at Cult of Mac Deals for a limited time.

Here’s why older models beat iPhone 8 last quarter

By

iPhone 8 Wireless Charging
The iPhone 8 wasn't Apple's top-shipping smartphone last quarter.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone ranked as the world’s top shipping smart phone in the third quarter of 2017 — but the iPhone 8 didn’t even crack the top five.

Instead, older (and cheaper) iPhones dominated the list. That doesn’t mean iPhone 8 tanked, though. A variety of factors account for its relatively low numbers.