iOS 10.2 brings a bunch of new features to iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Developers received a surprise update for iOS 10.2 this morning after Apple seeded the fifth beta build of the new software.
The new beta comes just four days after Apple released the last version to developers. This time, both devs and public beta testers can get their hands on the iOS update that brings a number of new features to iPhone and iPad.
2017 will be the year of peak iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The crowd of Apple doomsayers grew louder today with a new note from analysts at Oppenheimer claiming Apple is projected to go through a long decline for the next ten years.
Get a lifetime of secure, high speed browsing with a premium VPN. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Getting online, you want to make as sure as possible that you’re not being snooped on, or vulnerable to theft. Hotspot Shield offers a significant layer of defense against these things by encrypting all your online activity via a private, high speed network. As part of the rollout of their new Elite Plus plan, you can get access for as many as 10 devices simultaneously for just $69.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Protesters are taking issue with Steve Jobs and Apple. Photo: Jason Mercier
Plans for a “Rue Steve Jobs” (that’s Steve Jobs Road) in Paris have come under criticism from far-left protesters, who are demanding that the road is instead named after a woman from tech history as part of the march toward “gender equality.”
The group, Front de Gauche, also takes issue with Jobs being name-checked due to various issues that it has with Apple as a company.
It might be time to get a new smartphone. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
WhatsApp is dropping support for older smartphones that aren’t compatible with its latest features. At least one generation of iPhone, alongside older versions of Android and Windows Phone, will no longer be able to use the service at the end of the year.
Only 3/400 counterfeit chargers have insulation to protect users against electric shocks. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Chances are that when you hear the occasional story about an iPhone exploding it’s because its users made the decision to use a dodgy, third-party charger.
But how dangerous are these chargers — and how likely is it that a third-party charger poses a safety risk to you or your family? Pretty darn likely, claim investigators — who have warned customers that 99 percent of fake Apple chargers they looked at failed a basic safety test.
Tim Cook meeting an iPhone manufacturer in China. Photo: Apple
A one-time senior manager at Apple manufacturer Foxconn is facing a possible ten years in jail after allegedly stealing 5,700 iPhones and selling them on for $1.5 million.
The thefts reportedly took place at one of Foxconn’s factories in Shenzhen, China, where the manager — identified only as “Tsai” — used eight employees to help smuggle the handsets out of the building.
When it was introduced in iOS 7, Apple called Activation Lock "a really powerful theft deterrent." Photo: Apple
Since its introduction with iOS 7, Activation Lock has gotten stronger and stronger. But every so often, researchers stumble across a bug that allows it to be cracked. The latest is found in iOS 10.1.1, and it makes it surprisingly easy to get into a locked iPhone or iPad.
Luminar, photo editing software by Macphun, can now be controlled on the new MacBook Pro Touch Bar Photo: Macphun
Macphun, creator of sophisticated imaging software for Mac-centric photographers, has updated its new Luminar app to support the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
Luminar is all-in-one photo-editing software with more than 300 tools, include simple presets, to bring a finished style to the work of photographers of all skill levels. It was launched last month.
The iPhone 6s has more junk in the trunk. Photo: Apple
Apple is offering iPhone 6s customers a free battery replacement for devices that unexpectedly shut down. The problem mostly affects iPhone 6s units made between September 2015 and October 2015.
If you’re not sure when your iPhone 6s was made, you can use a new tool created by Apple to find out if your device has a faulty battery.
High-speed video capture usually requires high-spending. But this fast and furious camera can be yours for less than $3,000. Photo: Kron Technologies
David Kronstein fell in love with the capture of high-speed video while a teenager watching Mythbusters. He wanted one of those expensive cameras so bad and thought he had a shot at one in 2006 when an Olympus i-Speed 2 started at a bid of $150 on eBay.
When the bidding surpassed his college budget, Kronstein said, “Screw it, I’ll build one.”
Ten years later, he not only built the camera, he is making it available to average consumers at a tenth of the usual price. (High-speed cameras used in laboratories and TV production studios average around $25,000.)
What's black and white and (Red) all over? Photo: Apple
The App Store looks a whole lot like that elevator scene from The Shining today. That’s because it’s gone red to mark Apple’s commitment to World AIDS Day and the Product (RED) charitable campaign.
It’s not just the color that has changed for the day, though. Apple is also offering a plethora of exclusive content that will disappear from the App Store after December 6.
You spin me right round, Jony, right round! Photo: Aicion
Could future Apple Watches ditch the rectangular form factor of current models and opt instead for a round watch design, similar to the Pebble Time Round?
A pair of patent applications filed today suggest this is something Apple is considering. Titled “Electronic device having display with curved edges,” the twin applications make no secret about what they contain.
The question is whether Apple will follow through with them.
Get a lifetime of secure and convenient cloud storage to round out your data backup. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
It is not practical (or all that smart) to keep all your data on a single device. Even external hard drives can give up the ghost before you’ve backed the up, making cloud storage a necessary part of any sensible data plan. Cloud storage can usually be pretty expensive, but pCloud is offering a deal that’s tough to refuse. Right now you can get half a terabyte of cloud storage for life for $59.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
With split-screen multiplayer! Photo: Andreas Illiger
Tiny Wings, one of the most addictive games you’ll ever play on iOS, is now available on the fourth-generation Apple TV. It costs just $2.99, and it comes with a new two-player game mode that lets you battle it out with a friend for the first time.
Apple Pay is in its thirteenth country. Photo: Apple
Apple Pay has arrived in yet another country, with Spain’s Banco Santander bank now offering its customers the ability to use Apple’s mobile payments solution.
“Apple Pay shows we are committed to collaborate and to bring innovation and new technology to our customers to make their payments easier, faster and more secure,” Rami Aboukhair, country head of Santander Spain, said in a statement. “We are convinced our customers will love it.”
It's that time of the year again! Photo: Cult of Mac
Christmas is a great time to pick up cheap games for Mac and PC on Steam, with big discounts on the latest titles and timeless classics. According to a new leak, this year’s sale will kick off on Thursday, December 22.
Drones could be key to improving Apple Maps. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple plans to use a combination of drones, indoor mapping and other smart tech to improve its Apple Maps service, claims a new report.
Employing drones could help Apple catch up with industry leader Google. The search giant has routinely outpaced Apple on mapping technology ever since Cupertino entered the space with its (initially disastrous) Apple Maps in 2012.
Interest in the iPhone 7 is already falling. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly cutting iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus orders less than three months after their debut due to falling demand.
Momentum has fallen “significantly” in China and other markets, according to sources in Apple’s supply chain, and component makers are already shifting their focus to iPhone 8.
Can Fitbit breathe new life into Pebble? Photo: Pebble
Fitness band maker Fitbit is said to be in the process of acquiring Pebble, the company that kickstarted the smartwatch generation. Sources say the acquisition will cost between $35 million and $40 million, and will include the entire Pebble portfolio — including its intellectual property.
Apple sure seems to be doing routers right. At least according to the more than 3,000 customers polled in J.D. Power’s 2016 Wireless Router Satisfaction Report.
Apple came out as the top-rated router manufacturer in Overall Satisfaction, which would be great news for the AirPort team — if Apple hadn’t just disbanded it.
Spark, the stellar email app from Readdle, is finally coming to Mac. The public beta launched a few weeks ago, but starting today now anyone can use the popular app that made its name as one of the best iOS email apps.
Cure your post-Black Friday hangover with great deals on Apple TV and more. Photos: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac, Apple, DirecTV
Congratulations — you survived Black Friday! We were thrilled to see some new highs (and lows) from retailers. But if you missed out on the savings, fear not: Plenty of discounts are still going strong.
In this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals, you’ll see all-time price lows on Apple TV, MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and more. These hot deals either match or beat prices we’ve seen in the last week.