Run one of the deepest diagnostic tests on the market to keep your Mac running smoothly. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Beneath that shiny Mac exterior is an incredibly complex machine. Unlike an old car, when something falls out of whack, you aren’t likely to fix it yourself.
Fantastic slow-downer app Capo Touch just got even better. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Capo touch is the iOS version of Capo, an amazing Mac app that lets you slice and dice a song, slowing it down so you can learn it on guitar or another instrument.
Developer SuperMegaUltraGroovy added some great new features to Capo touch version 2.5. If you’re a long-time user, you’ll appreciate the interface tweaks, the Apple Music support and the new audio-scrubbing engine. If you never used Capo, and you play a guitar, you should buy Capo touch right now.
One thing that sets apart the amateurs from the professionals is good content, but the other is production values. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, amateur podcaster and video-tutorial creator, Chris Ward, shares what he’s learned, along with recommendations on the hardware, software and techniques to get you started podcasting using your Mac.
We’ve got video of iOS 11 beta 4 changes, and how the flashlight mode on iPhone helped a photographer light the simulated workspace of European astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Check out the long-awaited Rainbow Apple Watch Band from Juuk, and more. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
Get pro-level tools and guidance for screenwriting, graphic design, coding, and more. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
We’re right in the middle of the dog days of summer. But the hottest place you’ll find is at the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve been busy stacking up a bunch of new deals that are ideal for digital creatives. We’ve got a set of lessons in coding for the all new iOS 11, and Adobe’s suite of graphic design apps. There’s also the industry standard app for screenwriters, and a rugged phone tripod for mobile photography and video. Discounts range from 40 percent to 95 percent off, read on for more details:
HomePod will launch in December, but supplies will be constrained. Photo: Apple
The launch of Apple’s new HomePod speaker isn’t slated until the very end of 2017, but after digging into the software that powers the new device, one developer has revealed a number of features fans can expect.
Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that it’s basically like another iOS device only it doesn’t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.
Like a calculator or a vampire, the iPhone’s pedometer loooooves to count. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Your iPhone isn’t slacking off when it sits in your pocket. No, it’s industriously counting your every step, ready to tell you the total so you can celebrate by buying cake if you hit your daily goal. The good news is that the iPhone pedometer comes built-in, and requires no third-party apps to do its stuff. The even better news is that there’s a free app — Pedometer++ — that makes it even better.
Next time you go hunting for a famous hidden cave, make sure to turn on the ‘Find My Friends’ app. One lucky climber from the U.K. just found out it can totally save your life.
Mountain rescuers workers came to the ill-prepared hiker’s aid after he was injured during his pursuit of the famous Priest Hole cave at the UK’s Lake District National Park. The hike fell over 60 feet and suffered a serious head injury, but was eventually located using Apple’s app.
Is this Apple Watch clone worth it's $26,900 asking price? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
This Apple Watch clone costs more than an Apple Watch Edition, but comes with zero apps. The H. Moser Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz might look like it’s straight outta Cupertino, but it’s actually an old-fashioned luxury timepiece.
Would you pay $26,900 for an Apple Watch clone without all the smart functionality? See our video review for more on this completely bonkers Swiss watch.
TSMC has ramped up production for a September launch. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has reportedly started mass-production of the A11 chip that will power the iPhone 8.
The new chip is said to be based on a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7.
Early benchmarks suggest it will be even faster than the A10X Fusion chip in the latest iPad Pros.
The iPhone 7 launched in to positive reviews in2016. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple will cough up 3 billion won (approx. $2.7 billion) for exclusivity over LG Display’s new OLED production facility, according to a new report.
It’s thought Samsung has been tasked with manufacturing displays for this year’s iPhone 8, but Apple’s big investment could mean all future handsets use LG panels.
Protect your sensitive info with this highly rated password manager. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Seems like every time you refresh the news there’s another story about massive leak of private information. Data theft is big business these days. That means having a strong password is an absolute must. It’s a lot easier to do when you have a good password manager.
Keeping Nokia at bay isn't cheap. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple paid $2 billion in cash to settle its most recent patent battle with Nokia.
Neither party revealed the sum when they put their differences aside and entered into a new licensing and business cooperation agreement back in May. But Nokia’s earnings reveal that the Finnish firm received a massive payout to drop its patent lawsuit.
Artificial intelligence is being used for some incredible things, but it’s not always helpful. A new iPhone app that promises to help you identify mushrooms using AI has been labeled “potentially deadly,” and experts say you should steer well clear of it.
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Over 1 billion people around the world are using WhatsApp every single day.
The insanely popular messaging service, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, is now processing over 55 billion messages, 4.5 billion photos, and 1 billion videos per day.
It's now even easier to shop in the Apple Store app. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple has updated its official Apple Store app to allow shoppers to authorize Apple ID payments with Touch ID.
Users previously had to enter their Apple ID password to use this payment method; they could only use Touch ID when paying with a credit card connected to Apple Pay.
Go high-end with steep savings on MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. Photos: Apple, Geotel
It’s time to go pro! This week, you can upgrade your MacBook or iPad and save some cash in the process. You’ll find great buys on high-end Apple gear, plus a super-cheap Apple Watch band, in this week’s roundup of best Apple deals.
Earth Day 2017 has long since passed but Apple’s still not done busting out its quirky videos that celebrate the company’s green environmental protection initiatives.
In Apple’s latest hand-drawn ad published today, the company showcased its efforts to preserve forests so that the paper used in all of its packaging is done in a sustainable way. With a goal of preserving nearly 1 million acres of forest by 2020, Apple hopes 99% of the fibers and papers will come responsible sources and recycling.
Where’s my iPhone? I know I left it around here somewhere Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Your iPhone knows where you are, pretty much all the time, and you probably know that it can share your location with other people, too, if you let it. Many apps ask to know where you are so that they can do their job (a weather app, a mapping app), but the iPhone has a few built-in ways to let other folks know where you are, and also to help you find a lost iPhone. There are so many ways to use location sharing that it can get a little confusing, but really, all those options are connected to the same service.
Adding your Medical ID means that anyone can check your details without unlocking your iPhone. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Inside the iPhone’s Health App, the app that counts your steps and hooks up with other apps to monitor your activity and health, lives your Medical ID. This is a page containing everything important that you might want a doctor or first responder to know in an emergency, and is accessible from your iPhone’s lock screen without a password.
By default, the app only contains your name, and a few details automatically culled from your address book, but fleshing it out is quick and easy. Here’s how to set up your Medical ID with any and all the information you want to make available.
Being one of the first to market with new iPhone accessories can mean big business. We won’t get confirmation of Apple’s plans for the iPhone 8 until September, but some companies are already manufacturing cases based on leaks and rumors.
One of those is Nodus. Launched in 2013, the case-maker focuses exclusively on the iPhone, and its plans for Apple’s next big refresh are already well underway. Here’s everything it knows about the iPhone 8 so far, and how it’s fighting to beat others to market.
It's like Find My iPhone only for Apple Pencil. Photo: Deucks Pty Ltd
Having to keeping track of your Apple Pencil with ugly accessories is the worst feature of Apple’s magical stylus. A new iPad app is promising to change that hassle by providing a Find My iPhone like solution for the Apple Pencil.
We'd love to see Apple lavish some more attention on the HomePod. Photo: Apple
Apple has confirmed that it won’t store or sell any data collected by its HomePod smart speaker.
HomePod won’t send anything to Apple’s servers until a user activates it with the “Hey Siri” command. Apple encrypts any information received after that point. The data gets encrypted and sent using an anonymous ID.
Learn the ins and outs of developing for iOS 11 by building 20 working apps. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
iOS 11 is fast approaching. Along with it are coming a whole host of improvements and entirely new features. That means developers have to catch up before Apple’s latest and greatest mobile operating system drops this fall.
This is what will bring wireless charging to iPhone 8. Photo: Weibo
A new iPhone 8 leak all but confirms one of the handset’s biggest new features.
A component we haven’t seen in an iPhone before — almost certainly a wireless charging module — surfaced recently on a Chinese social network. It appears to be equipped with a Lightning connector and is clearly labeled “iPhone.”