Cult of Mac

If you work at a computer, PDFs probably cross your desktop on the regular. It’s a content-rich format that can make digital documents a pleasure to read. But when the time comes to make changes to a PDF, you’ve got to have the right tools. PDFConverterOCR is a great example, with the ability to convert native or scanned PDFs into a wide range of fully editable document formats. It’s a must have for anyone who regularly deals in digital documents, and right now you can get a lifetime license for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

We’re back for another round of the very best deals on gear and gadgets in the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got an extra huge Bluetooth shower speaker, a simple but powerful mobile VPN, a handy app for cutting down on reading times, and a set of workout-ready Bluetooth earbuds. Everything in this week’s roundup is discounted by 75 percent or more, read on for more details:

Safari on the Mac is almost entirely controllable by the keyboard. You can open tabs, navigate forms on the page, and search through pages. And even if there’s no built-in shortcut, the Mac lets you add custom shortcuts to any menu item. The iPad isn’t quite so well-served, but you’d be surprised at just how many keyboard shortcuts there are for Safari on the iPad. In fact, there are so many great shortcuts that you may even forget you’re not using a Mac. Let’s take a look.

Google brought its Google Assistant to iOS this week, finally giving iPhone fans a taste of the best virtual assistant on the planet. But those on Android are in for so much more, with major improvements on the way, including impressive Google Lens integration.

The changes make it harder than ever for Siri to catch up. Despite the improvements Apple made with iOS 10, it still feels like Siri is well behind its rivals. Is that gap now too big, or can Apple catch up? Will Siri ever be as good as the Google Assistant?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we wage war over virtual assistants.

This post is brought to you by PDF Expert

Students take heed: The winter semester is off and running, and it’s going to be time to turn in term papers before you know it. If you’re stressing out about getting through your reams of writing in a timely fashion, we’ve got a suggestion you might not have considered — writing with PDFs.

PDFs not only produce a great looking final document, they also offer a versatile and flexible format for the writing and research process itself. With the right tool, you can build PDF documents that include time-saving annotations, perfect for highlighting the important parts of your research and adding notes along the way. You can organize your work in super useful ways and create a table of contents for easy navigation.

3D touch is the feature that keeps on surprising you. Just when you thought you’d discovered all its tricks, up pops another one. Today we’re going to see how pressing on pictures in the Photos app offers all kinds of handy shortcuts for wrangling Faces, Albums, and Moments.

Instagram has been a “mobile first” company ever since its inception. Since then, it has gradually changed its course and brought several features to the desktop and the mobile website. As of now, you can browse your Instagram feed and view notifications on the website. However, there are still app-specific features like Stories and uploading pictures that haven’t made their way to the website.

With features such as Continuity and Handoff bridging the gap between the iPhone and the Mac, carrying the iPhone has become less essential. Unfortunately, I still have to reach for my iPhone when I need to upload pictures or view Stories. Wouldn’t it be great to have these features on the Instagram web version? Let’s see how we accomplish that.

Apple’s patented pizza box set the tech press on fire earlier this week when Wired took a behind-the-scenes look at the nearly finished Apple Park campus.

Even though the story packed tons of interesting details about the campus — like how it originally looked like a penis until Steve Jobs’ son intervened — the custom-designed Apple pizza box stole everyone’s attention. The box has actually been on Apple campus for a long time, but was never seen by the public until now.

Apple hasn’t exactly given the iPad first priority when it comes to iOS updates, but that could change next month at WWDC where the company is expected to unveil iOS 11.

Most of the iOS 11 concepts we’ve seen have been all about the iPhone, but iPad power-user Federico Viticci and Sam Beckett created a beautiful concept that shows some big and simple changes that would transform the iPad from a fun tablet into a pro machine. Features like Finder, Drag and Drop between apps, multi-channel audio and more are on display in the fantastic mockup.

Apple, if you’re reading this, please steal these features:

Apple’s own battery case, cleverly titled the Smart Battery Case, has been on the market for over two years now. I had never really taken an interest in it;  it was just another battery case, only this one looked like it was pregnant with an iPod.

That was until last week, when I was desperately in need of some form of charger for my iPhone and decided to pick one up. Since then, my thoughts on what was just an ugly, overpriced battery case have totally changed.

Check out the video below to find out why it’s earned a place in my heart — and is now my favorite iPhone case.

Worry no more about an iPhone 8 delay.

According to the latest rumors surrounding Apple’s next-generation smartphone, a launch will go ahead in September as originally planned. Analysts say they see no delays in the company’s supply chain, and still expect the iPhone 8 to enter mass production on time.

Tis the season for a spring clean, which can mean anything from simple tidying up to a major upgrade. Considering all the money and time you’re likely to spend on any significant improvements, it’d be a big help to get a look at what the final result will be ahead of time. Thankfully, technology offers a ready solution that’s also affordable. Live Home 3D Pro is a powerful Mac app that makes it easy to build fully realized buildings in 3D, from basic structures to complex buildings of any size. And right now you can get Live Home 3D Pro for just $24.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Ghouls’n Ghosts may have first landed in video arcades almost 30 years ago in 1988, but it’s finally arrived on iOS — opening it up for both a whole new generation of gamers, and anyone wanting to get a quick nostalgia boost on their commute to work.

New York state records show that Apple has been lobbying hard against the Fair Repair Act, a bill that would force companies to sell replacement parts to customers.

Apple isn’t the only company opposed to the bill. According to New York State’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics, others include Verizon, Toyota, printer company Lexmark, heavy machinery marker Caterpillar, phone insurance company Asurion, medical device company Medtronic, and the Consumer Technology Association are also fighting against it.

This week, on The CultCast: new MacBook Pros at WWDC? Insiders say yes! We’ll tell you all we know. Plus: why future Macs might get much faster CPUs; Apple makes a big move to bring manufacturing back to the US; and we’ll wrap up with 5 weird and whacky facts about the new Apple Park campus.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.

Apple has blamed a third-party battery for the explosion of a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Apple does not specify which batteries should be used with its devices, and the owner, who was wearing the headphones when they blew up on a flight between Australia and China, is “disappointed” with the company’s response.

Rumors that the iPhone 8 may come with a $1,000 price tag are seemingly backed-up by a new report claiming that components for the next-gen handset will be considerably higher than those for its predecessor.

According to China’s Economic Daily News, the 3D Touch module alone for the iPhone 8 will cost 150 percent more than the comparable module for the current LCD iPhone.

Apple is reportedly planning to increase production of the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro ahead of its official debut.

The device is said to have entered mass production back in March or April, with monthly shipments currently at around 500,000 units. However, in July, that figure will rise to 600,000.

The next major breakthrough for Apple Watch is currently being tested by none other than Apple CEO and fitness freak Tim Cook.

A new report claims that Cook has been spotted walking around Apple’s corporate headquarters wearing a special Apple Watch attachment that could be a game-changer for people with diabetes.

The iOS Photos app might just look like a simple grid-like list, but it has a ton of hidden power. For instance,  you can see your photos on a full-screen, 3-D Flyover map. And with one simple swipe on a photograph, you can see where it was taken, see other photos taken nearby, and collections photos that your iPhone figures are related to the one you’re looking at. It’s a fantastic way both to find out more about your pictures, and to browse. After all, why limit yourself to flipping through pictures, one by one, in the order you shot them, like some film-camera using hipster luddite, when you can see your photos on a map in Apple’s glorious 3-D Flyover view?

SwiftKey, one of the most popular third-party keyboards on iOS, now supports a whole bunch of new languages and new themes. Its design has also been overhauled to provide a more pleasurable experience, with an updated emoji panel, settings menu, and icon.

Pioneer today unveiled its latest lineup of NEX aftermarket head units — all of which come with CarPlay as standard.

Each features an improved touchscreen up to 7 inches in size, and Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calls and media streaming. They can access Spotify on your iPhone without using CarPlay, in addition to videos stored on a USB stick.

Photographer, videographer and online instructor Cielo de la Paz uses the iPhone and other Apple products for a lot of her work. She never envisioned she’d find value in the new Apple AirPods.

But she recently discovered how the AirPods’ Bluetooth microphone, combined with the iOS app MoviePro, solves a big problem when she shoots some of her tutorials.

Apple has risked upsetting customers in China by revealing plans to take a percentage of donations that are sent to content creators on social media, via the “tip” function of local apps like WeChat.

Apple previously told developers to disable the feature, but it has since reconsidered and decided that this represents an opportunity to make some money. Since they are considered in-app purchases, Apple wants to take its usual 30 percent cut of payments.

As part of some big improvements coming to Windows 10, Microsoft is stealing the iOS Control Center to give users a quick and easy way of changing display brightness and toggling settings from the desktop.

Unlike Apple’s Control Center, however, Microsoft’s will be customizable.