Apple Music is doing good in the eyes of record labels. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple Music is having a big impact on the profitability of the music industry, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America.
How big? Apple Music is one of the key players driving what looks to be the recording industry’s first back-to-back yearly growth since 1998-1999.
There's a problem with Apple's new EarPods. Photo: Apple
Considering that some people were predicting the iPhone 7 to be a commercial and critical disappointment, the arrival of Apple’s latest iPhone refresh has gone incredibly well.
There have been challenges, however. First there was Hissgate, in which some iPhone 7 Plus owners reported that their handsets emit strange noises when under heavy load. Now there’s a glitch with Apple’s new Lightning EarPods.
Dr. Evans has spoken out about the future of medicine being apps. Photo: DocMikeEvans
Apple added another medical expert to its growing team by adding Dr. Mike Evans, a Toronto-based physician best known for his popular YouTube channel under the name “DocMikeEvans.”
According to a Canadian news report, Evans was recruited after his “peer-to-peer health care” YouTube videos — in which he voices a cartoon doctor, explaining common medical ailments — caught Apple’s attention.
The guys behind MyPhones Unlimited, an Arkansas-based buyback program that we believe pays more than the competition (in nine out of ten cases). Photo: MyPhones Unlimited
A college friend who bought a new phone and was about to trash a defunct iPhone 3G sparked the idea for MyPhones Unlimited, a smartphone recycling service that Cult of Mac recently partnered with.
“Two main thoughts came to mind,” says MyPhones Unlimited founder Gabe Trumbo. “One is that that can’t be good for that to just be thrown away, there has got to be a better way to recycle it. And beyond that, I’m sure there’s still some value in it.”
He was right. Trading in his friend’s phone himself, Trumbo got a bigger chunk of change than he expected — and immediately saw a market coupled to an important problem.
Thanks mostly to Kyle Wiens of iFixit, iPhone teardowns have become a tech culture phenomenon. Photo: iFixit
iFixit’s iPhone 7 teardown involved 30 people in three countries, an X-ray machine and lots of sleepless nights. Thanks to iFixit’s hard work, iPhone teardowns have become a tech-culture phenomenon. Millions of fans eagerly await details of the internal components of Apple’s latest devices.
A lot of this has to do with Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, the second-biggest supplier of Apple parts after Apple itself, and publisher of the huge and amazing iFixit repair wiki.
In this week’s episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk with Wiens about all the work that goes into making the iFixit teardowns for a massive global audience, and the hardware secrets of the iPhone 7.
Google Trips puts travel guide for 200 cities in your pocket. Photo: Google
Planning where to go and what sights to see can take the fun out of a vacation, but Google’s new app is ready to handle all the heavy lifting for you.
Google Trips debuted today on both iOS and Android devices, putting a travel guide in your pocket everywhere you go.
Trips instantly plans each day of your vacation with just a few taps. You set the agenda based on what types of spots you’d like to visit and Google Trips shows you a variety of plans that hit up the most popular local gems.
YouTube is a repository for animated features on the life of Steve Jobs. Photo: Adam Holownia,
With all there is to marvel about Steve Jobs and the story of Apple, it’s easy to forget what Jobs meant to animation.
So it’s not surprising that several animators have sought to capture the near-mythological character of Jobs in animated shorts that can be found all over YouTube.
Apple has perfected the LCD. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone 7 display may be the new device’s most underrated feature, based on an in-depth analysis by display experts.
Apple’s new LCD display was rated as “visually indistinguishable from perfect” when it comes to image contrast and intensity. The tiniest amount of color variation, seen when viewing the screen from an angle, also yielded top marks.
Apple rode the iPhone 7 Plus' wave into 2017. Photo: Apple
The first crisis to hit the iPhone 7 Plus is already here, and this time it could be a lot more annoying than Bendgate and Antennagate.
Some iPhone 7 Plus owners are reporting that Apple’s new devices emit a strange hissing noise when performing processor-intensive tasks. And no one is sure what’s causing it.
This SNES controller has the look and feel of the classic with the functions and features perfect for today's gaming. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you grew up along with the gaming industry, you remember the time when Nintendo was king (before Pokemon Go). Endless evenings spent playing Super Nintendo are among the warmest memories of many childhoods, and this Bluetooth-powered recreation of the iconic controller brings it back. With this controller, you can bring the feeling of the good old days to the best new games, just $49.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
This man is using his iPhone 7 to photograph a deer in a gas station. Seriously. Photo: Apple
Apple debuted three new ads over the weekend: two of them for the new iPhone 7, and one for the Apple Watch Series 2.
Highlighting the new waterproofing features of all the devices, along with the low-light camera sensor of the next-gen iPhone, they’re strong, artistic ads — which do the job of explaining to you what Apple’s new smartwatch and handset are capable of, without making it feel like you’re being given the hard sell.
Corden swims with apples. It's, like, a metaphor. Photo: Apple
Hot off his genuinely hilarious skit with Tim Cook at the start of the recent iPhone 7 media event, James Corden is back alongside Apple executives for a new ad for Apple Music.
Playing himself, Corden pitches various off-the-wall concepts for an Apple Music ad, to more and more bemused reactions from Apple execs Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue and Bozoma Saint John.
The iPhone 7 Plus handled the tricky light of sunset over the U.S. Open stadium court. Photo: Landon Nordeman/ESPN
Photographer Landon Nordeman generally knows what to expect when ESPN calls him to shoot an event. But for the recent U.S. Open tennis tournament, ESPN needed Nordeman to report to the courts in Flushing Meadows, NY without any of his cameras.
Once there, an ESPN photo editor discreetly placed in his hands a sleek new piece of gear that would not be available to a clamoring public for two weeks – the iPhone 7 Plus.
“I was excited once I learned it was the iPhone, but thought I would only get to use it for an hour and have to give it back,” Nordeman told Cult of Mac. “I had the phone and shot with it for four whole days. I loved it. I really loved it.”
This is why you don't rush products. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Samsung’s disastrous Note 7 debacle — in which exploding handsets caused the company to withdraw all 2.5 million handsets already shipped — was reportedly the result of rushing to beat Apple.
According to a new report, Samsung saw an opportunity to capitalize on what it felt was likely to be a comparatively boring iPhone 7, and decided to break speed records unveiling a phone it thought could appeal to disappointed would-be iPhone customers.
September 19, 1988: Apple debuts the Macintosh IIx, an incremental upgrade of its fantastic Macintosh II.
The updated model is the first Mac to come with Apple’s new, improved 1.44MB floppy disk SuperDrive. It also packs a hefty price tag of between $7,769 and $9,300 — the equivalent of $15,817 to $18,934 today.
So don’t even try complaining about the cost of an iMac, circa 2016!
You've got the new phone, now get this case that protects and adds 140% charge to the iPhone 7. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Another week, another new batch of big deals on gear and gadgets. This round we’ve got an iPhone 7-ready power case, professional level training in Excel, a cleverly designed wall charger, and three years of top shelf VPN protection. If you’re online and use a smartphone (hey, that’s me too!), there’s something here to pique your interest. Read on for more details:
What kind of Apple deals can you expect to find this Black Friday? Photos: Apple, Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple fans may be resigned to paying full price for their gadgets, but we’ll certainly see Apple gear on sale this Black Friday season. The trick to finding these bargains is knowing where to look — and that’s anywhere but the Apple Store.
This week, on The CultCast: The AirPod reviews are in, and we’re excited. Plus: the iPhone 7 carrier deals you need to know about; iPhone 7’s Jet Black’s micro abrasions; Series 1 vs. Series 2 Apple Watch; and, Apple, the new NASA?
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device that visits at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off.
Take the padlock off of your PDFs with this all-in-one suite of software tools. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Welcome once again to the weekly roundup of the best deals at the Cult of Mac Store. This week we’ve got a software tool for getting under the hood of your PDFs, a brand new line of Bluetooth earbuds, a Rosetta Stone box set, and a portable drive that’ll add 64GB to Mac, PC, and iOS devices, most of them going for less than half price. Read on for more details:
Get in shape with your new Apple Watch. Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
If you’ve just bought a shiny new Apple Watch Series 2, hoping it will help you get in shape, then here’s some advice: Invest a little time setting it up so your wearable is tailored to your personal fitness level and goals.
These quick and easy setup tips will help you get the most out of your Apple Watch fitness routine.
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the new Cult of Mac Fitness Handbook. It’s coming soon, loaded with iPhone and Apple Watch fitness tips — and it will be exclusively free for Cult of Mac readers.
Same on the outside. Different inside. Photo: iFixit
The new Apple Watch Series 2 is more repairable than Apple’s original wearable, according to the first teardown to pry open the new device.
Apple Watch Series 2 looks exactly the same as its predecessor on the outside. On the inside it’s an entirely different story, as Apple’s engineers have refined the internals and made it a bit easier to work with.
Mo money, mo problems. Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac
The iPhone 7 launch comes with just a little bit of bad news for Apple.
A federal jury in Texas has ruled that the iPhone-maker has infringed on patents held by a subsidiary of Acacia Research Corp, resulting in a hefty fine.