You can now make calls on Slack. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The popular messaging platform Slack is ready to go from text-only to providing voice calls for teams that use the service to communicate.
Starting today, paying teams using the iOS, Mac and Chrome apps will be able to make group calls, giving you one less reason to keep Skype installed on your Mac.
96 percent of Apple employees approve of Tim Cook. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook’s approval rating among Apple employees continues to be one of the best for CEOs in the U.S. according to a new survey from Glassdoor.
Cook moved up two spots this year in the site’s annual Employee Choice awards, becoming the eighth-highest-rated CEO in terms of approval ratings from anonymous employees. Other notable tech CEOs included in the top 10 include Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Marc Benioff.
Get ready to pay for more app subscriptions. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Starting next week, Apple will roll out major changes to the App Store that will effect how — and how much — you’ll pay for some of your favorite apps.
In a rare interview ahead of next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple VP of Marketing Phil Schiller talked about the company’s “renewed focus and energy” on the App Store. He also outlined key changes that will be unveiled during Apple’s WWDC keynote on June 13 in San Francisco.
Among the many changes coming to the App Store are search ads for apps, better revenue-sharing for developers, and new incentives for app makers to switch to subscription-based models.
Varun Shenoy, standing outside Apple headquarters, created an app to summarize the news. Photo: Narendra Shenoy
Varun Shenoy is so busy with high school clubs that require him to keep on top of current events, he has no time to do the reading to keep up with the news.
So Shenoy came up with a solution, an iOS app with a language-based algorithm that distills the essence of news stories and presents the user with quick summaries. His app, Summit, earned him a highly coveted young developers scholarship to next week’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The new MacBook Pro won't be shipping soon. Photo: Apple
Apple will unveil a new MacBook Pro this month along with a minor update to the MacBook Air lineup, according to the latest Apple rumor out of China.
The big announcement will supposedly happen in June, though it might not happen at WWDC. A “reliable Chinese supplier” claims the new MacBook Pro will ditch USB-A connectors, Thunderbolt 2 and MagSafe 2 charging for USB-C, just like the spy shots we posted, but you’ll have to wait a few more months to get it.
Newegg's $1,000 gift card giveaway is your last chance to build the machine of your dreams.
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but $1,000 in gear and gadgets hardly counts as a meal does it? That’s exactly what you can win if you enter the Newegg $1000 Gift Card Giveaway. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your computer or build a new one, get a new phone, beef up the stereo system in your home or in your car, get a new flat screen TV or just some new flats, Newegg’s endless list of products means a cool thousand bucks will get you a lot of cool stuff.
Apple Music could be the death knell for iTunes music downloads. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
With a major Apple Music refresh likely to be arriving at WWDC, there’s no doubting that Apple sees subscription-based streaming music as the way of the future. But where does this leave iTunes music downloads?
Despite Apple’s denials, according to “sources with close knowledge of the company’s plans,” the company continues to plan to “phase out” music downloads in a “just a few years” — depending on how this whole streaming music thing does, of course!
Apple's original flagship store in San Francisco is being quickly decommissioned. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
SAN FRANCISCO — The iconic glass staircase is gone. The interior is being gutted. The Apple logos have been covered up.
Rest in peace, Apple’s original flagship store in San Francisco, which opened to great fanfare just a dozen years ago. Apple recently opened a crazily detailed store just two blocks away on Union Square, and the old one is being rapidly dismantled.
Cult of Maccub reporter Lyle Kahney rode his bike downtown to snap a few photos of the old San Francisco Apple Store before it’s completely gone.
Are you ready for the iPhone 7 Pro? Photo: Martin Hajek
We’ve still got a little over three months before Apple unveils its next-gen iPhone handsets, but — as always — designers are more than willing to help us imagine how different our lives will be come September.
From flip-phone versions of the iPhone to a retro “dumb” version without any of the added goodies, designer Martin Hajek has long been creating iPhone renderings. For these, however, he sticks to what we’ve heard from the rumor mill to bring us concepts for both the iPhone 7 and the possible iPhone 7 Pro.
The new MacBook Pro vs the Old. Photo: Cult of Mac
The next-gen MacBook Pro is nearing completion, according to a new report that claims an Apple supplier has already shipped hinges that will be used in the upcoming 13-inch model.
In order to make the MacBook ultra-thin, Apple will reportedly use metal injection molding hinges from Taiwanese supplier Jarllytec, which shipped them to Apple in May.
You won’t have to go all the way to San Francisco to watch Apple’s big WWDC keynote as it happens.
Apple revealed today that it will offer a live stream of the event, which will be held June 13 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The company is expected to unveil iOS 10, OS X 10.12 and much more at the software-oriented keynote in front of thousands of lucky developers.
Get ready to discover the new Snapchat. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The Discover page on Snapchat has always felt like a disjointed experience from the rest of the app, but starting today Snapchat is rolling out a major update that changes the way you interact with Live Stories from publishers and your friends.
The new design makes previews in the Discover tab a more visual experience by giving publishers the ability to add an image and headline to promote stories. In an effort to get more people to start viewing publisher’s stories, the previews are now located on the Stories page.
Get the new iOS beta while it's hot. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Developers were seeded a huge new batch of beta updates for every single Apple platform yesterday, and now Apple is ready to let public testers get in on the action.
Microsoft has a cunning plan for WWDC. Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr
Windows 10 hasn’t been the hit on mobile that Microsoft hoped it would be, but the company has a new plan to get iOS developers to bring their apps to Windows: poach them at WWDC.
Apple Pay has a new market opportunity. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple’s VP of Apple Pay recently said that Apple was “working rapidly” to bring its mobile payment system to new markets — and according to a fresh report that rapid progress may result in Apple Pay arriving in Switzerland, its seventh market, as early as next week.
Juice up your Apple Watch and three USB devices with this handy charger. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
We take our iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and MacBooks everywhere with us, which means there are that many more chances for a dead battery (and a lot fewer available outlets). Whether at home, in a packed car, on a plane or in another country, these Apple chargers will make sure you’ve got access to power when you need it.
Samsung has been investigating this tech for years. Photo: DVICE
Apple’s been rumored to be investigating flexible iPhone, capable of bending and folding without damage, for years now — but it seems that Samsung may beat Cupertino to actually launching a handset like this into the marketplace.
According to a new report, Samsung is planning to introduce two new smartphone models featuring flexible displays, including one able to fold in half “like a cosmetic compact.”
The latest such example comes out of Cairns, Australia, when a mother used her iPhone 6s’ “Hey Siri” feature to call an ambulance after her one-year-old daughter stopped breathing.
Instagram just added a big new update. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Instagram’s latest update makes it far easier to post from other iOS apps, thanks to a new shared extensions feature which allows users to upload images directly from their image rolls in apps such as Photos.
Apple hasn’t always left users waiting until September to get their paws on the latest iPhone. Back on June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs took to the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference to introduce the iPhone 4.
These days, with the iPhone 4 no longer capable of running the latest version of iOS, it’s easy to look back on the fourth-generation handset as a piece of ancient tech. In fact, the device was incredibly significant: The iPhone 4 introduced some very important features — and also addressed concerns that are still important today.
Check out Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone 4 below.
Troy Carter is bringing his talents to Spotify. Photo: TechCrunch/Flickr
The battle between Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music for exclusive content from artists is about to get fiercer, thanks to a new hire from Spotify that has connections to some of the hottest musicians around.
Troy Carter, the guy who helped turn Lady Gaga and Meghan Trainor into pop superstars, is reportedly joining Spotify to help it scores more exclusive music deals to draw in subscribers.
The long-running ‘Shot on iPhone’ ad campaign by Apple got a big update with eight incredible new videos spots featuring clips from unique locations all across the globe.
Bees, dogs, penguins and even a giant hippo star in the new video ads that were published today. The short clips highlight the iPhone’s video recording features like Slo-Mo and Timelapse while other shots are played in slow-mo. What makes the ads great is the simplicity of each show accompanied by awesome indie jams like “Chocolate (Milk Version)” by Jesse Rose & Trozé.
Coach is getting into the Apple Watch band business. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Coach’s website accidentally leaked details of their upcoming Apple Watch last week, but it looks like you won’t have to wait much longer to get one on your wrist.
The first shipment of Coach’s Apple Watch bands are set to arrive in stores by June 12th, according to a new report that has also revealed some of the details of the bands. Though they’re certainly not as simple as the Hermés lineup, they’re about a tenth of the price and quirky details that will be perfect for fashionistas.
Ray Liotta and DJ Khaled getting their nails did. Photo: Apple
Snapchat philosopher and hip-hop producer DJ Khaled is the latest celebrity to endorse Apple Music in a new series of ads that show Khaled living the life while introducing Naomi Campbell and Ray Liotta to Apple Music.
Along with dropping some major keys in the new ad, Khaled also dropped a fresh new song featuring Drake called “For Free” that’s available for free on Apple Music. The song is so hot it’s already the top song on iTunes.