At this point, if you’re not browsing the web through a VPN, you’re doing it wrong. The internet is a scary place after all, full of snoops, data thieves, and headaches like location restrictions on streaming content. One of the first steps to take in protecting against these things is a virtual private network.
It’s getting hot out there. But it’s still nowhere near as hot as the new deals coming into the Cult of Mac Store. This week we’ve added an app that’ll change how you work with PDFs, and a set of future-ready Bluetooth earbuds. There’s also a comprehensive set of courses in Apple’s Swift coding language, and an app that turns your phone into a mindfulness tool. Most are discounted by half or more, read on for more details:
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we review the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which was unveiled at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Also, get a first look at the new iPad in our featured unboxing video.
Check out leaked photos of alleged big changes coming to iPhone 8. Rumors say it will feature an all-glass design in the front and back in order to support wireless charging.
Discover five new ways to extend your MacBook battery life, and get a hands-on look at the new features coming to watchOS 4.
And, save 20 percent off select, name-brand leather bands for Apple Watch through this Sunday at our Watch Store! Featured brands include: Jack Foster, Arrow & Board, E3 Supply Co., Form Function Form and OleksynPrannyk. Use code FATHERSDAY2017 at checkout.
Click iTunes for a free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine. Here are this week’s top stories.
This week on The CultCast: Early reviews for the new iPad Pro and HomePod show Apple’s done it again. Plus: Someone in the Apple supply chain just accidentally leaked some of iPhone 8’s marquee features; speed tests show a big CPU boost in the new MacBook Pro; Apple finally offers us iCloud Storage sharing; our favorite unannounced iOS 11 features; and we’ll tell you what we like (and don’t) about the apps and gadgets we’re currently testing in an all-new Under Review.
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 percent off any hosting plan.
GarageBand’s most recent update for macOS adds a few neat new Mac-only features, but perhaps its biggest addition is for iPad users. Now the Mac version of GarageBand can sync a cut-down version of any song with the iPad or iPhone, allowing you to add new tracks, then sync them back with the master project back on your Mac. It’s a feature that only came to Logic in January of this year.
This is big, because it lets musicians use the full power of the Mac GarageBand in their studio or bedroom, and still add tracks to that project from a phone. You could, for instance, take a mix with you to band practice, lay down some new tracks on your iPhone, then sync them back.
Setting up a new iOS device is pretty easy, but it’s about to get even easier thanks to iOS 11’s new Automatic Setup feature, which lets you hold your old device near your new one to transfer across essential info.
All you need to set up a new iOS device are your iCloud login details, and the password for your WiFi network. But even that can be a bit of a pain, especially if you use a super-secure passwords that you store in something like 1Password. In order to get to your passwords, you need to install 1Password. But in order to install 1Password, you need to input your iCloud ID and your WiFi login. Automatic Setup will put an end to that.
The launch of the iPhone 8 may not happen until October of this year, based on the comments of one of Apple’s suppliers that is making a key component for the new device.
Apple allegedly plans to take its augmented reality tech to the next level by adding lasers to the iPhone 8. One of the companies that is likely supplying Apple with the parts, Finisar, dropped some details during its latest earnings call that hints when fans can finally expected to see the iPhone 8.
Backing up your iOS devices can be a pain — but not if you have iMazing Mini, a smart yet simple new tool from DigiDNA that makes backups a breeze.
It not only gives you more control over your data, but it can perform backups wirelessly on a schedule that suits you. It also has a whole bunch of other awesome features, and it’s completely free — without any pesky ads.
Smartphones have basically become a synonym for distraction. With so many people staring into their glowing rectangles, it’s hard to believe they could help someone become more present in the moment. Turns out it might actually be true.
Do you a) like Eddy Cue, b) want a sneak peak of Apple’s spectacular new Apple Park campus, and c) have a truckload of money to spend?
If the answer to this is “all of the above” then you might be interested to hear of a new Charitybuzz’s latest auction — offering a lunch date with Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Amazon is coughing up a whopping $13.7 billion in cash to acquire Whole Foods Market.
The two companies will merge but Whole Foods stores will continue to operate independently, with co-founder John Mackey retaining his role as CEO. The move instantly gives Amazon almost as many stores as Apple.
As part of its renewed focus on original programming, Apple has hired two Sony Pictures Television presidents, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, for positions overseeing worldwide video-related work for the company.
“Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television,” said Eddy Cue, who the two new recruits will report to. “We have exciting plans in store for customers and can’t wait for them to bring their expertise to Apple — there is much more to come.”
In love with your new iPad Pro? You can thank Microsoft for that.
Microsoft executive Ryan Gavin claims Apple’s latest take on tablets wouldn’t have happened without the Surface Pro. It is a “clear example” that the company is following Microsoft’s move into ultraportable 2-in-1 machines.
Microsoft has beaten Apple to delivering a wireless keyboard with biometric security.
Its new Modern Keyboard is built out of aluminum to be slim and strong and features a hidden fingerprint scanner that makes login passwords a thing of the past. It’s also compatible with your Mac.
One of the fascinating tidbits of Apple history that emerged online this week was the story that Phil Schiller was insistent that the original iPhone ship with a physical keyboard.
Only problem is, no-one seems to know whether it’s true or not. Former Apple exec Tony Fadell claimed it is. Schiller denied it. Now Fadell has denied it, too, but the author he told the story to is sticking by what he was told. What a mess!
We know you’re starting to come down off your WWDC high. To ease your transition, check out a rare offer on the latest Apple Watch, and the best price we’ve ever seen for an iPad mini 4. Find out where to snag these big bargains and more are in this week’s roundup of best Apple deals.
Apple is stepping up its video game by hiring one of the key employees from YouTube that helped the service become the world’s biggest video streaming platform.
Vijay Karunamurthy, who worked at YouTube in its early years and then went on to co-found the food rating app Nom, has reportedly joined Apple, though the company is staying tight-lipped on what he’s working on.
IBM is expanding its efforts to be the go-to company for mobile enterprise software by opening up new Garages that will serve as hubs for the quick design and deployment of MobileFirst apps.
Apple and IBM created the MobileFirst partnership three years ago as a way to push iPhone and iPads into the enterprise markets by coupling them with software built by IBM. With the expansion of new Garages, more international business will have access to the companies’ business tools.
When Macphun entered the imaging software game, it wanted to make products as powerful as Photoshop, Aperture or Lightroom yet with fewer clicks to well-styled photos.
Today, Macphun released an update to its all-in-one editing app Luminar that can make a photo beautiful in still fewer steps.
How does one sound?
I could be the poster boy for Apple’s “iPad problem.”
That problem, in a nutshell, is this: Even long-in-the-tooth iPads several generations old continue to work just fine for many everyday tasks. That, in turn, slows the upgrade cycle. iPad sales drop, and pundits pile on to declare that Apple is doomed. Again.
I’m one of those cheapskates who couldn’t be bothered to shell out for a new iPad over the past few years but a freak accident — and the surprisingly convincing unveiling of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference — finally coaxed me out of iPad complacency.
I’m thrilled I finally wised up. The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro is a beast of a machine that’s so fast, smooth and responsive that it makes me feel like I’m in a sci-fi movie interacting with a killer device that hasn’t been invented yet. It feels like the future!
Access to free music continues to make Spotify a much more popular platform than Apple Music. The company now boasts more than 140 million active users worldwide, with its free, ad-support tier growing more than 50 percent year-over-year.
Twitter has begun rolling out the latest version of its mobile apps today, introducing a big redesign that unifies the user experience across Android and iOS.
It’s prettier and easier to navigate, but it still doesn’t deliver the option to edit tweets.
Former iOS chief Scott Forstall has been pretty much MIA since leaving Apple in 2012. However, he will be making a rare appearance to talk Apple next week.
In a public fireside chat with long-time tech journalist John Markoff (for my money, one of the best tech writers working today), Forstall will discuss working with Steve Jobs on the project which became the iPhone.
Apple wants to make your iPhone a “one-stop shop” for all your medical data.
A secret team is working to make multiple logins for different medical services a thing of the past by turning the iPhone into a central hub of information about doctor’s visits, lab test results, prescription data, and more.
Our iPhones are beautiful and fragile devices. If you’re not crazy, you protect yours with a sturdy case. But even with a ‘premium’ case, you can never be quite sure that your phone won’t break into pieces when the big drop comes.