BlackRock, a.k.a. the world’s largest asset manager, has just made a massive investment in Apple, according to its latest Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The firm upped its investment in Apple to a whopping 322 million shares, meaning that now owns the equivalent of 6.1 percent of Apple’s outstanding shares — with a current monetary value of $38.4 billion.
When you go online, you’re exposed to a bunch of hazards and headaches. Whether identity theft, data snoops, or location restrictions on streaming, one of the best ways around the pitfalls of the web can be sidestepped with a virtual private network, or VPN. Private Internet Access VPN will guard your connection even over public Wi-Fi networks, and it’s been shown to keep its users safe from hoaxers. Right now, you can get a 2 year subscription for less than 60 bucks at Cult of Mac Deals.
Simply Mac, the GameStop-owned Apple Authorized Reseller, is closing a number of its stores around the United States.
The list of stores affected hasn’t been released as of yet, but outlets in North Carolina, North Dakota, Montana, Texas and Illinois will all be affected.
Donald Trump has been forced to give up his beloved Android smartphone as he steps into the White House.
He has now been issued a “secure, encrypted device approved by the Secret Service,” alongside a new phone number that only a few people will posses.
Netflix makes some darn good drama shows, but it’s the company’s forthcoming documentary series that really has us interested. Called Abstract: The Art of Design, it’s an 8-part series about visionary designers, set to arrive on February 10.
Despite not featuring Apple (at least, based on what we’ve seen in the trailer), it certainly looks the kind of factual programming that would be of interest to Cult of Mac readers.
Check out the trailer below.
In a perfect world, the next Mac Pro would be better, smarter, faster… and also bigger.
At least that’s how Mac fan and brilliant graphic designer Pascal Eggert envisions the long-ignored high-end Apple desktop. Check out his concept designs below.
The U.S. government has always had a hard time getting techies to work for it, but with a little help from Steve Jobs, the White House’s Digital Service team is hoping that will change.
President Barack Obama created the U.S. Digital Service as a “startup” within the White House in 2014 to help improve and expand the government’s online services. The service just launched a new marketing campaign this week that features Jobs giving inspirational advice to people who want to change the world.
See Uncle Steve posthumously recruit government tech workers in the ad below.
Terrified you’re going to lose your awesome new AirPods? Give yourself peace of mind with PodStraps, a $15 shoelace that hangs your AirPods around your neck and prevents them from bouncing around on the floor when they fall out of your ears.
S Voice, Samsung’s answer to Siri, has been a poor excuse for a virtual assistant for the last four years. But the South Korean company is working on a brand new version for the Galaxy S8 — and it will have features that blow its competitors out of the water.
Before the machines take our jobs, they may help us work better. That was the original promise of computers, but as we all know they’re just as powerful as tools for procrastination as they are for productivity. Brain.fm is a music streaming service that helps you stay on task by generating a soundtrack using brain research to improve focus, foster relaxation, and help settle into sleep. Right now you can get a lifetime subscription for just $39 at Cult of Mac Deals.
Amazon’s Alexa devices were some of the most exciting tech products of 2016, and immediately there were rumors that Apple was planning to follow suit with a standalone Siri — possibly even with the addition of facial recognition tech.
A new report, however, claims that despite its popularity, Alexa has been a massive money drain on Amazon so far. In 2016 alone, it lost Amazon $330 million, and this figure is set to rise to $600 million-plus this year.
Applying a screen protector to your iPhone might prevent it from getting scratched, but it won’t keep it from shattering. That’s why InvisibleShield protectors are now available with a coverage plan that pays you $100 towards your repair bill if your display gets broken.
Rumors that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will come with wireless charging just took another step forward, thanks to a report claiming the company has added a new manufacturer to its supply chain to help achieve this.
The new supplier is Taiwan-based Lite-On Semiconductor, which will reportedly be providing GPP bridge rectifier components to support wireless charging.
Apple has settled a possible antitrust lawsuit to the satisfaction of European Commission regulators and German Federal Cartel Office, after scrapping an exclusivity deal with the Amazon-owned Audible.
The investigation dates back to November 2015, following complaints from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
A court in South Korea has denied a request from special prosecutors to arrest the acting head of Samsung over alleged corruption and bribery charges.
Lee Kun-hee, Samsung’s vice chairman and the only son of its incapacitated chairman, had been accused of using Samsung subsidiaries to make possible bribery-related payments of $36 million as part of a scandal involving the country’s president Park Geun-hye and a confidante.
Hulu has promised it will give subscribers a new live streaming bundle and the ability to download content for offline viewing “in a few months.”
Many of the company’s biggest competitors already offer an offline viewing feature, with Netflix the latest to join the party back in November. Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins assures fans that his team is “working hard” on it.
Apple is expected to launch three new iPad models in various sizes in 2017, but we may have to wait until the second half of the year to get our hands on them.
Sources in Apple’s supply chain have confirmed earlier reports that three new models are coming — but they’re unlikely to arrive this spring as previously anticipated.
Donald Trump sounds confident that Tim Cook will bring Apple manufacturing jobs back to the United States. In a new interview, the president-elect said Cook “loves his country” and has “his eyes open” to building production facilities at home.
In the old days, a piece of string tied around a finger served as a reminder. You just couldn’t forget what the string was for in the first place.
Today, there’s a better way to use your fingers to remember your keys, passport and other personal items with the iOS app Don’t Leave It! Type items into the app you can’t be without and an alert will go off should a certain distance separate you from that particular item.
Keeping tabs on your Apple Pencil is about to get a lot easier once Apple comes out with the second-generation version later this year.
A new rumor out of Asia claims Apple plans to release an updated version of its fancy stylus this spring and like the Smart Cover, it will use magnets to attach itself to your iPad.
One of the most powerful synthesizers in the world has finally arrived on iPhone and iPad, thanks to a big update for GarageBand that Apple pushed to users this morning.
Both Garageband for iOS and Logic Pro X for macOS received huge new features today, bringing new music creation tools for iPhone and Mac users, as well as support for the new Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.
AirPods are the hottest item in tech right now, but you can already bag a discount on Apple’s wireless headphones. Plus, we’ve got iPhones both current- and past-gen to suit every taste and budget, all in this week’s best Apple deals.
Apple’s next iPhone may come with new facial recognition technology and actual friggin’ laser beams, according to an analyst.
By adding lasers near the front-facing camera, Apple will be able to depth-map objects, according to analysts at Cowen and Company. The camera could also be used for image recognition, enhancing security and fueling augmented reality.
Apple is the “most intimate” brand in the U.S., according to MBLM’s new Brand Intimacy 2017 Report.
What is an “intimate” brand, you might ask? According to MBLM, brand intimacy is defined as, “a new paradigm that leverages and strengthens the emotional bonds between a person and a brand.”
Apple Music fans in the United States can now listen to CBS Sports Radio as part of their subscription package, bringing the total number of news and sports radio channels on the service to nine.
“CBS Sports Radio delivers this to fans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so it’s an ideal next step to launch a channel on Apple Music, one of the most popular streaming services today, as yet another way we continue to meet the evolving desires of this passionate audience anywhere and everywhere,” said Chris Oliviero, Executive Vice President of Programming for CBS Radio.