Google has confirmed plans to scrap 30-second unskippable ads on YouTube in 2018.
The clips, which users are forced to watch before their chosen video, are seen as a nuisance to viewers. Google will instead focus on “formats that work well for both users and advertisers.”
When there’s no wall outlet within reach, we rely on portable batteries to get our devices through the day. Unfortunately, they’re not always the right tool for the job, since they’re specific to certain device types or connections. That’s what makes the Nifty C PowerPod so, well, nifty.
Compatible with USB types A and C, it’ll give the juice to everything from smartphones to laptops to vaporizers. That’s power and flexibility that’ll fit in your pocket, and right now you can get a Nifty C PowerPod for just $49.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Apple will debut a new red variant of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at a media event in March, a new report claims, citing a Barclays analyst.
The report also claims the March event will see Apple introduce a new iPad Pro lineup, as well as a new Apple Watch band and an added iPhone SE storage option.
Apple has reportedly acquired RealFace, an Israeli startup that developed facial-recognition technology for user authentication.
The news comes shortly after a separate report claiming that Apple is planning to incorporate new biometric security systems into future iPhones starting in 2018.
Several popular Mac apps began crashing over the weekend after their developer certificates expired.
The apps suddenly refused to open due to a change Apple made to its signing policy last year. Apple now requires that all apps from the Mac App Store have a valid provisioning profile that must be updated periodically.
Even though nobody asked for it, Facebook made it so videos play automatically, with the sound turned on, as you scroll by them in your News Feed. Luckily, a simple Chrome extension prevents that from happening — and it doesn’t just work on Facebook.
Apple has reportedly instructed its ad agency, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, to move away from localizing big global campaigns for Apple and more on creating regional campaigns, designed to appeal more specifically to individual markets.
Snapchat Spectacles can finally be purchased online.
Until today, the glasses were only available from a popup store in New York City, or from bright yellow vending machines that popped up randomly in different cities for just 24 hours. Now anyone in the U.S. can get their hands on a pair through the new Spectacles store.
What better way is there to spend a lazy Sunday than by catching up on the best apps you missed over the past week? Fortunately, Cult of Mac has done the leg work for you in selecting what we think are the most important new apps or app updates to arrive over the past seven days.
Check out our picks below. And then get downloading!
Whenever you go online, you’re vulnerable to all sorts of hazards and headaches. That makes the new portable encryption hub at the Cult of Mac Store a must-see.
It’s just one of the awesome new deals we’ve got this week. You’ll also find what amounts to an IP cloaking device in the form of a VPN, a set of five interchangeable lenses for iPhone, and a sleek stand for MacBook Air that doubles as a USB hub. Everything’s going for a fraction of the usual price.
Tired of charging your iPhone with a cable that breaks and frays and barely reaches as far as your arm? Well this week we’ve got a triple solution to that problem, along with a 6-port USB charging hub, powerful software for repairing and recovering your hard drive, and a lifetime of data backup for five devices. They’re all part of the week’s best deals at the Cult of Mac Store, and they’re all discounted by between 40 and 70 percent off. Read on for more details:
This week on The CultCast: According to new reports, the iPhone 8 will get a huge makeover with an edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, a huge battery and more. We’ll tell you everything we know. Plus: A 4K Apple TV is on the way; our favorite TV shows from days of yore; and the search for the perfect corn dog.
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.
It’s no secret that Apple loves to keep products secret, but thanks to a new leak we can now see the crazy lengths the company goes to just to keep prototype iPhones under wraps.
Notorious Apple leaker Sonny Dickson has put out some new images of an ugly iPhone case allegedly used by Apple to keep the iPhone 6s secret. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but there are a bunch of tiny details that help Apple keep features from leaking.
Apple’s latest advertising campaign for the iPad Pro touts how well the tablet works as a PC replacement.
The funny new ads, released today, use real tweets from real people to highlight how the iPad Pro excels over old-school computers in areas like speed, Wi-Fi, productivity and viruses. Each clip is only 15 seconds long — and they all exhibit a playful tone that’s similar to the old “Get a Mac” campaign.
Watch all four right here:
It seems fancy new iPhone 8 concepts are popping up every other day. Some are good; some are just awful. The latest is so pretty it will make your jaw drop. And better yet, it’s a design that could well turn out to be almost identical to the real thing.
You can’t buy smarts, except when it comes to your smart house. Right now at the Cult of Mac Store, we’ve got a bunch of accessories that are sure to make your abode more like the smart home of your dreams.
From an HD home monitoring camera to a Bluetooth power outlet, smart LED lightbulbs and a dual-stream Bluetooth audio transmitter, you can teach any old house some new tricks with this gear. Everything’s available at a significant discount, too!
Apple’s flagship retail store in Sydney, Australia, was temporarily evacuated earlier today as part of a “police operation.”
A sniffer dog was spotted entering the building, while the three-story venue was cleared of customers by police, who also diverted local traffic. According to one customer who was evacuated, store employees were talking about a bomb threat. She noted that police were “very firm in telling people to leave immediately.”
The de-facto head of Samsung, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, was arrested earlier today on alleged corruption charges.
According to the special prosecutor’s office, Lee — who is the heir apparent to the Samsung Group and only son of Samsung’s incapacitated chairman — is being held on charges including bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury.
Apple is set to begin manufacturing iPhones in India whether or not it has received agreement from the government over proposed tax relief incentives, a new report claims.
The first iPhones to be assembled in India are said to be 300,000 – 400,000 iPhone SE models, which will be manufactured at a plant owned by Winstron in Karnataka, Bengaluru.
Microsoft is now rolling out support for the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar in Office for Mac.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint users will get to take advantage of it first, but Microsoft will be adding shortcuts and other features for Outlook and Skype later on.
I’ve never been a fan of Beats headphones. Whenever I’ve given them a go, I’ve found the sound quality to be less than stellar, with far too much bass. So when Apple unveiled Beats X wireless headphones alongside the AirPods last fall, the weird-looking white ones grabbed my attention.
Now that I’ve had a chance to try them both, it’s clear I got that backward. I give you all the details on Beats X versus AirPods in my Beats X review below.
Are your social media profile pictures starting to look old and stale? Then Apple has some killer advice for you: buy the iPhone 7 Plus!
Apple just dropped two new video ads for the iPhone 7 Plus that tout the device’s dual-lens camera. With the new Portrait Mode feature, Apple showcases how you can take your boring profile pictures to the next level.
Check it out:
The amazing minds at Apple have developed a new method of charging electronic devices using tiny magnets.
Revealed in a new patent application published today, the system could be used in a future Apple Watch to allow users to top up their battery by winding the Digital Crown.
Apple once again tops Fortune’s annual list of the world’s admired companies.
Other tech companies in the top 10 include Amazon (No. 2), Alphabet (No. 6), Facebook (No. 9) and Microsoft (No. 10). The company that’s nowhere in sight? Samsung, which is coming off a disastrous year in which its Note 7 smartphones exploded and had to be recalled.
For Apple, on the other hand, this marks the 10th year in a row at the top of the list. Do you think Tim Cook gets bored of winning at some point?
Twitter’s clampdown on social media abuse has begun with a new policy that restricts abusive tweeters.
Those who violate the rules will have their tweets hidden from those who don’t follow them — but the restriction won’t last long.