Mobile menu toggle

Insurer offers latest Apple Watch for $25 – if you exercise

By

Apple Watch Series 3
Health companies are embracing Apple Watch
Photo: Apple

Signing up for life insurance might just be one of the cheapest ways to get a new Apple Watch Series 3 now.

John Hancock revealed today that it is offering all of its new and existing life insurance customers the opportunity to earn an Apple Watch Series 3 for $25. All you have to do is put in the exercise to work for it.

Letters show just how tight Steve Jobs and Bill Clinton were

By

Steve Jobs and wife Laurene Powell Jobs in the Oval Office.
Steve Jobs and wife Laurene Powell Jobs in the Oval Office.
Photo: Clinton Presidential Library

A batch of newly released files is shedding some light on the relationship between Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Jobs and Clinton were known to be buddies for years, but details of their relationship have been scarce. Now a set of documents from the Clinton Presidential Library has revealed some of the letters the two exchanged. In one note, Steve Jobs even goes so far as to make some cabinet post recommendations to Clinton. the two.

The Roland Go iPhone mixer won’t rock your world [Review]

By

roland go mixer
Like a spider at the center of a fancy audio-cable-based web.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The Roland Go mixer is a little USB-powered mixer that lets you hook up a whole band’s worth of instruments to your iPhone, and record them. You can plug in almost anything, you can listen direct to the mix with headphones, and you can even pipe in music from an MP3 player or another iPhone via jack. On paper, it seems fantastic. In the studio, or bedroom, though, it proves to be just the opposite.

Apple surprises developers with fifth iOS 11.1 beta

By

iPhone
iOS 11.1 is nearly ready for the public.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received the fifth beta build of iOS 11.1 this morning, just three days after Apple released the last batch of updates.

The new iOS 11.1 beta 5 update brings a number of bug fixes and performance improvements to the iPhone and iPad. Apple added a couple of UI tweaks and new features in the previous iOS 11.1 beta build.

Google investigates potentially disastrous Pixel 2 display fault

By

Pixel 2
OLED display is causing issues for Google.
Photo: Google

Apple’s not the only company that’s had issues with OLED displays this year. According to early reviewers, Google’s Pixel 2 XL suffers from screen burn-in, which leaves faint outlines of the phone’s navigation buttons on the display.

Needless to say, that’s a bit of an issue if it turns out to be widespread. Google says that it is “actively investigating” the potential problem.

Does iPhone X show that Apple’s ‘lost its supply chain mojo’?

By

iphone X3
Apple's supply chain may no longer be quite so brilliant.
Photo: Apple

Apple has “lost its supply chain mojo,” claims a new report, suggesting that this year’s iPhone refresh has highlighted that Apple’s once-enviable supply chain brilliance is no longer quite so, well, brilliant.

While there have been component issues Apple has dealt with in the past, this year’s iPhone X manufacturing process has been particularly prone to problems, with the upshot being that supply of the in-demand device is unlikely to match with demand until well into 2018.

iPhone X fever likely suppressing demand for iPhone 8

By

iPhone SE 2 could cost $399 just like the first-gen iPhone SE
Has the iPhone X been the iPhone 8's biggest enemy?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are likely performing worse than expected for a full-number iPhone release, according to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

Instead, CIRP suggests iPhone 8 sales figures are far closer to an iPhone “s” release. That makes a lot of sense, given that the iPhone 8 line is shipping the same year as the eagerly anticipated iPhone X.

Never-ending Apple vs. Samsung battle will continue

By

iPhone with Samsung
They’re still running!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple and Samsung are headed back to court… again.

The two companies are still battling it out over a patent infringement lawsuit that was originally settled in 2012. A successful Samsung appeal means the most recent sum of damages will be reassessed at trial yet again.

Ex-Amazon Studios exec joins growing Apple Video team

By

apple tvPIC
Apple Video has a major new executive.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has hired former Amazon Studios alumni Morgan Wandell to head up its international development for Apple’s original content division, Apple Video.

Wandell’s official job title is international creative development for worldwide video. While at Amazon, he helped develop shows including The Man in the High Castle and Goliath, as well as the upcoming Jack Ryan and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

ARZombi, Placer and other awesome apps of the week

By

Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An app that uses AI to ensure any pictures you want to keep hidden stay that way is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a great app that saves you waiting in line (like for an iPhone X, for instance), a fun zombie-themed augmented reality survival game, and three new characters in one of the year’s best iOS fighting games. Check out our picks below.

These twistable power hubs work around the globe [Deals]

By

This pair of chargers can juice up your devices almost anywhere in the world.
This pair of chargers can juice up your devices almost anywhere in the world.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Travel a lot? Use a variety of devices? Then you know how much of a headache it can be to keep everything charged. Different countries use different plug types, which can mean carrying all sorts of plugs and adapters around in your bag. But with Twist World’s line of chargers, you can adapt to the charging situation everywhere you go, with a simple twist. We’ve rounded up great deals on a pair of Twist World Chargers, check em out:

Best List: Zens Power Bank is a great little Apple Watch battery [Review]

By

Zens Apple Watch Power Bank
Cool, compact, and incredibly useful.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Update: The Apple Watch Powerbank by Zens is now available at the Watch Store with free shipping!

Best List: Apple Watch Powerbank by Zens

Most external batteries for the Apple Watch are BYOC — Bring Your Own Cable — and have bulky winding systems for tucking the cable away.

Not the compact Apple Watch Powerbank from Zens, perhaps the most portable external battery pack on the market.

Feel the future with wireless charging and more [Week’s Best Deals]

By

Wireless charging, distraction-free writing, and more are part of this week's best deals.
Wireless charging, distraction-free writing, and more are part of this week's best deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week’s best new deals in the Cult of Mac Store include some futuristic goodies. From a wireless charging pad to ultra durable wireless earbuds. There’s also a powerful planning platform for iOS and a distraction-free writing app, all of it discounted by half off or more. Read on for more details:

Cult of Mac Magazine: How to collaborate in GarageBand using iCloud, and more!

By

Cover
With iOS 11, you don't need to go to a recording studio to collaborate on a song.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the great new features in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra is shared documents. You can create almost any kind of file, and collaborate on it with other people. We’ll show you how to share and collaborate using GarageBand in iOS 11.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Find out why Apple’s ‘fast’ iPhone 8 charger isn’t as quick as you think. Teach Siri to pronounce a name correctly, and check out some great leather Apple Watch bands in wood and leather. Don’t miss your last chance to win an a free iPhone 8, and more. Get yourfree subscription toCult of Mac Magazine from iTunes.Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Catch the iPhone X preorder strategies you need to know about, on The CultCast

By

CultCast iPhone X
We've got the strategies you'll need to lock down your iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: You’ll have mere seconds to lock down your iPhone X preorder on October 27. If you’re not ready, you’ll be waiting months! We’ve got the strategies you’ll need to employ to have your order placed seconds after the X goes live. Plus: Steve Wozniak just launched his first new product in years, and it’s actually pretty cool; the really dumb Mac accessory you’ll definitely want; Apple taps one of Hollywood’s best for a new TV series; and stick around for Leander’s new $10,000 bike, Buster’s new affordable action camera, and a new movie service you’ve GOT to try in an all-new Under Review.

Tyke is the Mac’s simplest note-taking app

By

tyke
Tyke is ready to take a note whenever you need it.
Photo: Tyke

Tyke might be just about the simplest app you ever saw. It is also really, really useful. Tyke puts a little icon in your Mac’s menubar, and when you click it, it opens up a text scratchpad. You can jot in a quick note, or paste in some info. And that’s about it.

Apple Music streams will get more weight on Billboard charts in 2018

By

Music Browse iPhone 7
Apple Music is about to have a bigger impact on music charts.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Billboard is making big changes to the way it measures the hottest songs in the country — and that’s great news for Apple Music.

Streams from paid subscription services like Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited will gain influence on the charts starting in 2018, according to Billboard, which revealed its changes today.

How to add any audio file to iPhone’s Music app

By

cd
Your music is so hard to get into the iPhone's Music app, it may as well be on CD
Photo: Lost Places/Flickr CC

It’s 2017, and yet you still can’t add music to the Music app on your iPhone. If you have an MP3 file that somebody sent you, that you downloaded, or that you created with one of the zillions of powerful apps on iOS, you can’t just add it to your library. Instead, you must add it to iTunes on your Mac or PC, and then manually sync it to your iPhone, either over Wi-Fi or with a cable.

It’s absurd, and today we’re going to fix it. You’ll still need a Mac to be running, but at least you don’t have to actually touch it.

Apple seeds fourth iOS 11.1 beta and more

By

iphone 8
A new iOS 11.1 beta is already out!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers just received a new iOS 11.1 beta from Apple this morning even though the company just released a build of the software update earlier this week.

iOS 11.1 beta 4 has been made available today along with the fourth beta builds of watchOS 4.1 and tvOS 11.1. All three of the new betas bring a number of bug fixes and performance improvements to their platforms.