Mobile menu toggle

AR demos show how iPhone can be transformed into a working tape measure

By •

AR Measure
Flashy? No. Useful? You bet!
Photo: AR Measure

Not convinced about how augmented reality has the opportunity to improve our apps? Then check out a couple of neat demos of Apple’s ARKit, the AR toolkit Apple showed off at WWDC to allow “fast and stable motion tracking” for augmented reality apps.

Between them, they depict how you’ll soon be able to use your iPhone as a tape measure by pointing your device at an object or scene, tapping two points on it, and then accurately measuring the distance between them.

Check them out below.

6 things we learned from the creation of iPhone documentary

By •

iPhone doc
Scott Forstall and others chip in to tell their iPhone war stories.
Photo: WSJ

If you hadn’t heard by now, this week marks the tenth anniversary of a little device called the iPhone going on sale. To celebrate, the Wall Street Journal has created a new mini-documentary, entitled Behind the Glass, detailing the making of Apple’s breakthrough smartphone.

Courtesy of interviews with former Apple execs Tony Fadell, Scott Forstall and Greg Christie, here are the top factoids we learned from it.

Relive 10 years of amazing iPhone innovation

By •

iPhone evolution GIF
The iPhone sure has changed over the years.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone turns 10 The iPhone packed a lot into its first astonishing decade. Not only has the device itself evolved significantly since its promising-but-by-no-means-perfect beginnings, but it’s transformed Apple’s business — and many of our very lives — in the process.

All this week, Cult of Mac’s “iPhone Turns 10” series will look at the innovative device’s massive impact on worldwide culture. The iPhone, which launched on June 29, 2007, truly changed the world.

What iPhone milestones have passed since Steve Jobs introduced this stunning hybrid device, which combined a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device? Check out our handy guide to 10 years of iPhone history.

Write a business plan the right way [Deals]

By •

CoM - Bizplan Premium
Building a proper business plan is never easy, which is why it pays to have help.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Today’s entrepreneurial environment is always changing, and there’s just no way forward without a solid business plan. Whatever your idea, it has to be framed with an eye to what investors really expect.

SEGA Forever, Twist, and awesome apps of the week

By •

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

SEGA unleashed some of its classic games for free on iOS this week, bringing a plethora of games from the Genesis era to the iPhone and iPad as part of its SEGA Forever series.

That’s just one of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a great Slack alternative, a nifty WhatsApp upgrade, and a puzzle game that’s sure to appeal to anyone who loves Tetris. Check out our choices below.

Former Apple product design engineer reveals how Apple runs its factories

By •

Instrumental CEO Anna-Katrina Shedletsky
Anna Katrina Shedletsky is a former Apple product design engineer who is using her experience to build AI that helps companies streamline manufacturing.
Photo: Instrumental

On this week’s Apple Chat (the podcast formerly known as Kahney’s Korner): I talk with former Apple product design engineer Anna-Katrina Shedletsky about her take on modern manufacturing and how AI will revolutionize factories. She introduces us to her new company, Instrumental, which is using machine learning to help manufacturers identify and fix problems on their assembly lines.

Using her hard-earned experience at Apple overseeing the production of the first Apple Watch and several generations of the iPod, Shedletsky says machine learning is coming fast to manufacturing. Amazingly, almost all consumer electronics products are still assembled by hand — including hundreds of millions of iPhones.

But that’s changing. Manufacturing is undergoing a huge sea change with the advance of robotics and AI.

Invincible iPhone cases, unlosable backup batteries, and more [Week’s Best Deals]

By •

collage-2017-06-20
Get great new gear for mobile devices, digital photography, and Mac productivity.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Summer’s finally here! Along with the warm weather has come bunch of hot new deals in the Cult of Mac Store. This round, we’ve got a bundle of top shelf Mac apps that you can name your price for. There’s also a universal mount and grip for any mobile camera, and an iPhone case that can survive almost any fall. We’ve even got a powerful backup battery that you’ll never lose thanks to a built-in Bluetooth tracker.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Everything you need to know about HEIF, iOS 11 brings 5 different types of tap, and more!

By •

Cult of Mac Magazine
HEIF is the still-image version of the HVEC video format. Its main advantage for you and me is that photos saved in HEIF are roughly half the size of JPEGs, and of better quality.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format), Apple’s new photo format to replace JPEGs. Discover the many advantages HEIF has over JPEG.

Discover all the great ways to watch streaming soccer this summer on Apple TV with our handy list. Learn how to easily save lots of iMessage pictures and movies all at once toCult of Macthe iPhone Photos app.

And, save 20 percent off Dubai-based Ullu’s luxury Apple Watch bands only for the month of June! Check out lots of new arrivals in our Watch Store!

Click iTunes for a free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine. Here are this week’s top stories.

The powerful iOS 11 features you haven’t heard of, this week on The CultCast

By •

iOS 11 WWDC Hero
This week we'll tell you about iOS 11's best lesser-known features.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: More of the powerful new iOS 11 features you’ve never heard of! Plus: The talented app that will harnesses the power of Apple’s new augmented reality features; Scott Forstall is back, and he’s sharing the bizarre story of how the original iPhone really came to be; and everything you need to know about HEIF, the JPEG-killing format Apple is adopting.

Our thanks to Blue Apron for supporting this episode. Blue Apron makes it easy to cook delicious meals at home. Get your first three meals free at BlueApron.com/CultCast.

Leaked dummy unit provides new look at iPhone 8

By •

iPhone 8 dummy
Is this our best look yet at the iPhone 8?
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

An iPhone 8 “dummy unit” made from leaked parts give us an early glimpse at what Apple’s next big upgrade might look like.

Its form is similar to that of recent handsets like the iPhone 7, but with a larger edge-to-edge display that will help it compete with rivals like the Galaxy S8.

WhatsApp adds capability to share any file type

By •

WhatsApp
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Everyone’s using WhatsApp these days, which makes it an ideal platform for quickly sharing files with friends and colleagues. And it just got even better at doing that, because you can now use WhatsApp to share any file type.

Tesla wants to create an Apple Music rival for its cars

By •

music streaming
Elon Musk wants his cars to come with their own streaming music service.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tesla is considering launching its own streaming music service, and it’s already in talks with players in the music industry about doing so.

According to a new report, Tesla has held conversations with all the major music labels about launching its service — which would come bundled with its cars, as opposed to being a standalone service like Apple Music.

India demands information about Apple’s investment plans

By •

Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
The Indian government wants reassurances that Apple's serious about India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Indian government has reportedly asked Apple for more in-depth details about what it offers in terms of job creation and investment, in exchange for the government offering it additional tax concessions within the country.

Apple’s been seeking tax concessions to set manufacturing facilities in India for some time, but has been rebuffed. Now that one of Apple’s suppliers, Wistron, is officially building iPhones in the country, it seems the Indian government is ready to reconsider. Maybe.

Become a creative pro with Corel Paint and more [Deals]

By •

The Corel Painter 2017 Bundle
Master Corel's many creative facets with this bundle of comprehensive lessons.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Since the very beginning, Corel has been at the forefront of digital publishing, design and illustration. Their suite of creative tools are powerful tools for creatives of all levels and types. Their flagship application, Corel Paint, is an essential tool for countless digital creatives.

Apple invites users to donate following U.K.’s Grenfell Tower tragedy

By •

Donation
Apple is making it easy to donate.
Photo: Apple

Following the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy in London, Apple has updated its U.K. homepage to make it easy for people to contribute toward fundraising, by purchasing the charity single or making a direct donation.

The Grenfell Tower fire started on June 14, with the 24-storey residential tower block being engulfed in flame in the deadliest fire in Great Britain since those caused by the air raids during World War II. Up to 79 people died as a result of the blaze.

iOS 11 beta has already been jailbroken

By •

iOS 11 Control Center
But don't expect to get your hands on it just yet!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iOS 11 beta has only been available for a few weeks, but already it’s been cracked by some enterprising jailbreakers — although don’t expect to be able to get your hands on it just yet.

The iOS 11 beta 2 jailbreak was shown off by security researchers at the recent Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) 2017 in Shanghai, China. Photos of the demo were posted online by Min Zheng, Senior Security Engineer at Alibaba.

Best List: Espin electric bike is a nice ride at a budget price [Review]

By •

Espin Sport electric bike
The Espin electric bike is a fun and functional electric bike at an entry-level price.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Espin Sport electric bike

I love electric bikes, but a lot of them look butt-ugly. Their batteries and motors are strapped to the frame, ruining their lines. Stromer’s bikes, which integrate motor and battery into the frame, are a notable exception. But the latest Stromers cost an eye-watering $7,000 and up.

Enter Espin’s electric bikes, which look like Stromer’s but cost just $1,888, a steal for an eBike this capable and fun.

Satellite footage shows Apple Park’s evolution over time

By •

Apple hQ
Apple's massive HQ has come a long way in the past two years.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s enormous $5 billion Apple Park campus has come a long way in the past two years, as a new video makes clear.

Taken by Planet Labs, a company with the goal of selling high-resolution satellite imaging, it depicts construction on the new headquarters from September 2015 through the present day. Check it out below.

Apple rolls out iOS 11 mall and airport maps

By •

airport maps iOS 11
Never get lost in an airport or a mall ever again.
Photo: Cult of Mac

As promised at the WWDC 2017 Keynote, Apple has started rolling out airport maps and shopping mall maps. If you’re running iOS 11 beta, then you can visit airports in San Jose and Philadelphia, as well as shopping malls in San Jose and San Francisco. The new view shows indoor maps of these locations, with a new tappable info section that lets you find the exact terminal or donut store you’re looking for.

Apple’s new Chicago store roof looks like a giant MacBook

By •

Chicago Apple Store
The new Apple Store in Chicago.
Photo: DNAinfo/David Matthews]

Construction on Apple’s new flagship store in Chicago is nearing completion this week as crews were spotted adding a finishing touch to the roof that wasn’t in the original plans.

Early renderings of the metallic roof for the Michigan Ave store showed a pretty plain looking roof, but a new Apple logo has been added to the top and it makes the entire roof look like a giant MacBook.

Check it out: