Cult of Mac

Shopping online is getting a lot easier and quicker now that Apple Pay is coming to web.

The next generation of tvOS for Apple TV will be more powerful than ever thanks to some huge new updates Apple unveiled today at the company’s WWDC keynote.

Apple VP Eddy Cue showed off new features for Apple’s set-top box that make Siri more powerful than ever while also giving developers new tools to create better tvOS app experiences.

Apple’s WWDC keynote just kicked off this morning, but before Tim Cook dove into Apple’s exciting new software updates, the Apple CEO called for a moment of silence in respect for the victims of the Orlando tragedy.

Nerds rejoice. WWDC is finally here!

Apple’s annual developer conference is set to get underway in just a few hours. The company is expected to unveil the future of iOS, OS X, Apple Watch, Siri and much more in what is expected to be one of the most action-packed keynotes we’ve seen in years.

Cult of Mac will be liveblogging all the action of today’s events right here and we won’t stop until every last morsel of info has been dished out by Tim Cook and the rest of Apple’s team. If you’re not sure what to expect from today’s keynote, take a look at this quick refresher — “Everything to expect from Apple’s jam-packed WWDC 2016 keynote” — and then join us for our WWDC liveblog below. The keynote starts Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific.

We’re all stoked for our first previews of iOS 10 and macOS from WWDC, but according to sources familiar with Apple’s plans, it’s going to be Siri that steals the show.

The virtual assistant is expected to make the leap to the Mac for the first time, and could also open up to third-party apps and services — allowing users to check in for flights, book Uber rides, and do more using only their voice.

WWDC is set to kick off in less than 90 minutes and the lines (and hype) building around the event have reached an all-new level of insanity.

Showing up a few hours early to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco was not enough to secure a front row seat to this year’s keynote, thanks to the lines that are so huge you’d think a new iPhone is launching.

Check out how long the line was at 6 a.m.:

When Iron Man charges his iPhone, he probably uses one of Armour’s Lightning cables. These sleek, steel-lined, MFi-certified, charging devices are built to last. In fact, they come with a limited lifetime warranty, making them the last Lightning chargers you’ll ever need to buy. Right now they’re going at a big discount, so take a look and upgrade your charging game.

With WWDC kicking off this week, Apple is embracing its fun, nerdier side with ID badges for the event written in the Swift coding language. (Apple debuted Swift in 2014 at the same developers’ event.)

Check out the Swift-ian goodness below.

June 13, 1989: Canon Inc. invests $100 million in NeXT Inc., the computer company founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple.

The massive cash infusion gives Canon a 16.67% stake in NeXT. It also helps the money-losing company find a direction that ultimately leads Jobs back to Cupertino.

tvOS devs may be driven away from developing for Apple TV, claims a new report citing poor audience retention rates.

Suggesting that users are “generally disinterested” in Apple TV, the report from mobile app analytics company adjust says they found that just 8.9 percent of users return to a tvOS app seven days after installing it. That’s roughly half the number seen on mobile devices, where the comparable numbers stand at nearly 20 percent on tablets and 18.5 percent on smartphones.

Apple’s keynote to kick off this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference is going to be huge. So huge, in fact, that Apple already revealed some stuff early because Tim Cook and his Cupertino cronies won’t have time to cover everything during the jam-packed, two-hour event.

While WWDC might seem like a bit of a snoozefest for Apple fans who don’t know anything about Xcode and Swift, the 2016 edition of the annual developer conference should bring lots of new stuff even normals can get hyped about. The WWDC keynote will give us a peek inside the ever-evolving Apple ecosystem — and thus our clearest picture of the future of all Apple products.

This year, all of Apple’s platforms are set to get major updates, as are some of the company’s most popular services, like Siri and Apple Music. Here’s what to watch for during Apple’s keynote, which will kick off WWDC 2016 next Monday morning in San Francisco.

‘Appy weekend everyone! If you’re anything like me, Sunday’s the perfect time for kicking back and catching up on everything you missed during the week — not least the top apps to have either arrived in the App Store, or been the recipient of major upgrades.

Fortunately we’ve done the hard work of sorting through them for you to pick out to pick out the cream of the crop. Check out our picks below.

We’re breaking off a brand new week, and as usual we’ve got a bunch of brand new deals. This round, we’ve got a portable VPN portal, a year of Adobe Creative Cloud with comprehensive lessons, an uber-classy iPhone wallet, and more. Take a look:

This week, on The CultCast: it’s our WWDC 2016 predictions! We’ll tell you what hardware and software to expect. Plus: Apple makes huge changes to the prices you’ll pay for apps; this year’s Back to School specials are some of Apple’s best yet; and Steve Jobs… the opera? Don’t miss more weird and wild stories from the Cult of Mac.

Our thanks to Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

Another week, another round of great deals. This week, we’ve got a pair of extra long Lightning cables, two web-securing VPN subscriptions, and an Apple Watch charging hub. Each one is worth checking out, and worth more than you’ll pay.

Get ready for next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2016! We give you a sneak peek of what to expect in Apple’s keynote on Monday in San Francisco. Plus, teenager earns scholarship to WWDC by creating his own news app.

Listen to former Apple ad man Ken Segall — who put the “i” in iMac — discuss what he learned in 12 years working with Steve Jobs on Cult of Mac’s brand-new podcast Kahney’s Korner.

All this, and much much more, in Cult of Mac Magazine, free for you right now.

Here are this week’s top stories.

If you want to get in shape, the best way to get started is with some fitness testing. That might sound challenging, but luckily your Apple Watch is all you need to test yourself to the limit.

Fitness tests enable you to establish a baseline so you can see how your physical condition improves over time. And if you are already a fitness fanatic, regular testing enables you to identify areas of weakness and optimize your training program. Here’s how to make the Apple Watch a part of your essential fitness testing.

Apple’s MacBook Pro redesign this fall will bring big changes to one of its most beloved notebooks. According to recent leaks, the machine will pack an OLED touchpad above its keyboard, and only USB-C connectivity.

Some fans aren’t happy about that. Many love the physical function keys already found on the MacBook Pro, while others don’t believe it will be a suitable “pro” machine without standard USB ports. But isn’t it time they moved on?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the rumored changes to the MacBook Pro.

Pretty soon when you’re shopping online, Apple Pay might become the quickest way to checkout instead of using PayPal.

Rumors have been floating around the web for months that Apple plans to bring Apple Pay to the web and according to a new report, Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote will be the site of the grand unveiling.

Remember those awesome pictures you used to take on your Game Boy Camera? Now you can snap them on your iPhone, thanks to BitCam.

Created by Iconfactory to celebrate its 20th anniversary, BitCam brings retro photography from the ’90s back to life. It even has an 8-bit interface inspired by Apple’s early Mac OS operating system.

There are only a few days left before Apple unveils its biggest software updates of the year during its WWDC 2016 keynote, and the final preparations are underway.

Apple’s iconic logo was just placed on the side of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco where Tim Cook and company are expected to announce some huge features coming to iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more.

Cult of Mac got an early look at Apple’s decorations for the event which construction crews are still working on.

Check it out:

Television and cinema have mostly failed in presenting a Steve Jobs story that earns the approval of knowledgeable Apple fans.

Now it’s opera’s turn to make something compelling.

After opening up a fancy new retail store in Union Square, Apple no longer needs its original San Francisco store on 1 Stockton Street — but it won’t be empty for long. New plans reveal there is demand for the space from one of Apple’s partners.

Ken Segall is a former Apple ad man who worked closely with Steve Jobs for more than a dozen years. Segall is the guy who put the “i” in iMac and worked on the famous “Think Different” campaign.

The big lesson he learned from Steve Jobs was keeping things simple. But easier said than done. How exactly do you keep things simple?

Segall went out and found 40 business folks who keep things straightforward. His new book based on those interviews is called Think Simple:How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity.

In a new podcast, Kahney’s Korner, Segall talks about some of those lessons, how Steve Jobs kept things uncomplicated and about how Apple is doing these days without him.

This episode of Kahney’s Korner is supported by TunnelBear, an award-winning service that gives you fast and private access to the internet.

Leaving your damaged phone, computer, or other device at the shop is a guarantee you’ll be wasting a bunch of your cash and time, but we’re left with little choice. Electronics these days are built to be hard to repair, unless you’ve got the right tools. That’s what the DIY-repair revolutionaries at iFixit are offering with this 64-bit Driver Kit, the toolbox you need to get your own gadgets back up and running. Right now you can get it for $34.95 at Cult of Mac Deals.