These are our favorites! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Accessory makers churned out some awesome new gadgets for the iPad in 2016. From cases to Star Wars toys, loads of new gear came along to boost the capabilities of the world’s favorite tablets.
Whether for the Pro line or the less-powerful Air or mini models, these are the best iPad accessories of 2016.
There is another sticking point in Apple's India expansion. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has a new demand for the Indian government as it barters about stepping up its investment in the country: getting rid of the detailed product information it is asked to print onto its devices — thereby cluttering its minimalist design.
Apple recently made the request to the country’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), which forwarded the message to the Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY) for consideration. No response has yet been issued.
Wistron will help build the iPhone 8. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has added a third manufacturer to its stable for the 2017-era iPhone 8, according to a new report.
The newcomer? Wistron, which previously gained experience as an Apple supplier on secondary iPhone handsets such as the iPhone 5s and, reportedly, the iPhone SE. It will join established Apple suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron working on the next-gen tenth birthday iPhone, which will likely launch next September.
GameSir's M2 GamePad is the company's first iOS-dedicated hand controller. Photo: GameSir
It didn’t take Super Mario Run and its nearly 3 million downloads on day one in the iTunes Store to recognize how serious iOS users are about gaming.
App developers submit hundred of games each day to Apple for iTunes and with a dizzying number of iOS games available, there is an equally impressive number of accessories companies making gamepads for mobile games.
One, GameSir, will debut its first iOS-centric hand controls at next week’s CES in Las Vegas after five years of developing gamepads that have been well received among Android users.
This isn't your normal stress test. Photo: The Backyard Scientist
Apple’s iPhone empire has been made possible thanks to the magic of aluminum. But under certain circumstances, Jony Ive’s favorite metal can be the iPhone’s worst enemy.
The folks behind the YouTube channel Backyard Scientists decided to see what happens when you dunk the iPhone in molten aluminum. Seeing the iPhone get a Terminator 2 type of death is oddly beautiful.
Combo Cleaner includes a powerful antivirus tool backed up by a dedicated team of software specialists. Photo: RCS LT
This post is brought to you by RCS LT, maker of Combo Cleaner.
The vast majority of apps offering antivirus protection run on an open-source engine called Clam AV. It offers a convenient module that app developers can plug into their products for free and get passable antivirus protection.
Unfortunately, you often get what you pay for, which in this case is a subpar detection rate for malware and adware. That’s why a staff-maintained antivirus solution is a better idea.
Getting your hands on AirPods is almost impossible. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple CEO Tim Cook was all smiles during a brief appearance at the New York Stock Exchange this morning. While taking a quick tour of the floor with his nephew, Cook revealed that AirPods are so popular Apple can’t make them fast enough.
Apple's 2016 wasn't exactly inspiring. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
2016 hasn’t been Apple’s best year by a long shot. While the company is still making money hand over fist and has seen its Services division go from strength to strength, Apple also consistently stumbled for the first time in years.
While we remain loyal to the Apple brand, here are our picks for the year’s biggest disappointments.
Truffles served on an iPad plate. Photo: Richie Nakano
A restaurant in San Francisco has begun serving food on iPads. Quince is using the popular tablets as plates in an apparent effort to appeal to younger diners. Each iPad plays a video of a water dog searching for truffles while you eat your meal off its screen.
This is a sight you're not likely to see in your local Apple store. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Our take on Apple’s new wireless AirPods may be that they “just work,” but one thing that isn’t quite so seamless is picking up a pair in person at your local Apple store.
That’s according to airpods.isinstock.com, a website dedicated to providing at-a-glance stock levels for Apple’s AirPods at every Apple retail store in the world. The current grand total of stores stocking the AirPods? A big fat zero.
Organize and charge up all your mobile and wall-connected devices at once. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
We’ve all seen the mess a room can become with all the power cables and power strips our electronics share with our lamps, TVs and other stuff. Lucky for us, GorillaPower has come out with a centralized charger that cuts the clutter, and keeps all your essential electronics juiced up. This sleek, space saving hub can handle as many as 7 devices at once, and right now you can get it for just $59.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
More iPhones and iPads were activated over the festive season than any other company’s handsets and tablets, according to data published by analytics firm Flurry.
Analyzing data about phone and app activation throughout the week leading up to Christmas day and the start of Chanukah, Flurry found that 44 percent of all new activations were for Apple devices — more than twice the number of nearest rival, Samsung.
Apple Watch owners will be rewarded with a special achievement medal for completing the New Year Challenge. Users will have four attempts to complete the challenge, which starts on January 2 and runs through to the end of the month.
Although things may not be quite as they seem. Photo: Sonny Dickson
The name might not make sense, but a “Jet White” iPhone 7 could soon be on the way, according to renowned Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, who posted pictures of just such a handset online this week.
The Jet Black iPhone 7 was one of the hottest iPhone models when the handset first launched back in September. A similarly glossy handset in white could therefore prove to be a nice mid-year iPhone sales booster should Apple choose to go in this direction.
Get refurb deals on Apple gear or the amazing Duet Display at half price. Photos: Apple, Duet
If you’re experiencing a post-holiday spending hangover, don’t fret! There are still plenty of Apple deals available for anybody on a budget. Score factory-refurbished Apple Watches and a popular productivity app at the best price we’ve seen. You’ll find those deals and more in this week’s best Apple deals.
iOS 10's Photos app can automatically recognize content in images. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Researchers on Apple’s artificial intelligence team have published the first ever research paper ever from the iPhone-maker, ending Apple’s long standing ban that safeguarded company secrets.
The paper details methods on how to train AI algorithms to recognize images. Apple’s researchers reveal that they have tried using both computer-generated images as well as real-world images to train to algorithm, but each have serious drawbacks.
Handbrake is our favorite video converter. Photo: Michael Steeber/Cult of Mac
Handbrake has been our go-to tool for all types of video conversion how-tos for years and now after 13 years in ‘beta’ the free software is officially ready for its official launch.
Apple is planning to change its dual-lens camera already. Photo: Apple
Next year’s Plus-size iPhone might come with a slightly different dual-lens camera, according to the latest rumors out of Asia.
Citing supply chain sources, the new rumor claims Apple will reposition the secondary telephoto lens on the iPhone so that it sits below the traditional wide-angle lens.
Keep this single click file recovery app handy for the inevitable moment when your lose a file you really need. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Hard drives, like bodies, can develop issues that need expert help. Whether accidents on the part of the user or just run-of-the-mill file corruption, Disk Drill Pro 3 offers a powerful and simple tool for recovering what would otherwise be lost. It’s a single click disk recovery, and right now you can get a lifetime license of Disk Drill Pro 3 for just $34.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Add a layer of battery backup to your boring old Apple wall adapter. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The standard Apple USB interface for wall outlets is compact and nice looking, but it’s not much use if you aren’t around a wall. NomadPlus doesn’t replace the outlet, but enhances it, adding a 1800mAh backup battery and the ability to charge on the go. It’s like carrying a wall outlet around in your bag, but less weird. And now is your last chance you can get a NomadPlug for just $18.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
'Appy holidays everyone! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
If you find yourself at a loose end today, perhaps after overindulging on the eggnog and looking to sit down for a few minutes, why not check out our picks for the top apps of the last week?
Whether you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or MacBook, we’re confident you’ll find something to enjoy on our list!
No matter how well you take care of an Android phone, the time will come for it to count its last electric sheep. Selling a smartphone, even a functioning one, can be a hassle — and less than rewarding when dealing with the typical Android buyback program or Craigslist buyer.
If you’ve got a Samsung, LG or HTC phone, even one that’s gone completely kaput, Cult of Mac’s buyback program makes it easy to trade it in for the best price.
This powerful and popular sharing and productivity platform is used by some of the biggest names in tech and media. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Working with teammates on their own computers, it sure helps to be able to get whatever’s on your screen onto theirs. CloudApp makes that easy.
It’s an all-inclusive platform for capturing, annotating and sharing everything from screenshots and GIFs to screen video recordings, all via super-quick links and integration with a hundreds of productivity services. It’s used by the likes of Slack, HBO, Facebook, The New York Times, Tumblr, GitHub and many more, and right now you can get a year of CloudApp for your team for a mere $30.
It's been a weird year. And Apple's no exception. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Covering Cupertino is more than just statistics and rumors about upcoming products. There’s plenty of weird Apple news, whether it be a Chinese billionaire buying iPhones for his pet dog or the revelation that, in some alternate universe, Tim Cook could become vice president of the United States.
With that in mind, here are the weirdest Apple news stories of 2016.