Apple’s plans for a string of retail stores in India hit a hurdle last month when the country’s finance minister ruled that Apple must conform to local sourcing laws in order to be granted a permit for the country. Requiring that Apple procure 30 percent of its goods locally, this seemed like it put a decisive halt to plans for Apple Stores in India.
Fortunately, it seems that cooler heads have prevailed — as part of a much larger rethink that goes way beyond Apple.
Happy Sunday everyone! During seven days in which Apple revealed iOS 10 and Mac OS Sierra to the world, developers released some great new apps and updates into the App Store.
From a great choose-your-own-adventure game set in 1979 Iran to a price comparison search app, here are our picks for apps of the week.
Installing the latest tvOS betas on Apple TV is usually a pain in the ass, even when you’re not using shady channels to get developer access.
Getting the betas often requires unplugging it from your TV and connecting it via USB to a Mac, but with tvOS 10 there’s finally a way to install using an iPhone.
Straight off the deals boat, we’re checking out some cool and unique new stuff this week. These deals include unlimited cloud storage for your music to a cup that watches what you drink, a light for late-night Facetime calls, and more. Take a look:
There’s nothing more cryptic than someone else’s notes. Not so Andy McNally’s.
McNally, a senior UI design consultant from Memphis, Tenn., created several great “sketchnotes” of the talks at Apple’s WWDC.
Sketchnotes are a form of visual thinking that combine notes and sketches. They’re increasingly popular, inspiring an army of aficionados and books by noted practitioners. The Core77 design site has a whole Sketchnotes section that’s worth exploring.
McNally kindly allowed us to reprint his WWDC sketchnotes. Check them out:
This week on The CultCast: It’s our WWDC 2016 reactions! Plus: All the WWDC announcements worth getting excited about; the best hidden iOS features not mentioned onstage; more confirmation that a MacBook Pro with OLED touch bar is imminent; and a very strange iPhone 7 rumor surfaces.
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.
This week’s best deals include some high tech goodies. From headphones that send sound straight into your skull, to invincible Lightning cables and the groundbreaking Lytro Illum, and a comprehensive education in iOS development. It’s a red letter week for deals, you should definitely check these out:
At WWDC this week, Apple all but confirmed that Apple Watch is really just a health gadget. Tim Cook described it offhandedly as a “device for a healthy life,” and most of the watchOS 3 segment of the keynote was devoted to health and fitness.
This focus on health makes sense. As an activity tracker, Apple Watch is arguably the best on the market, and watchOS 3 will make it even better. Apple’s wearable is ideal if you are simply looking to live a healthier day. But, despite some minor improvements, Apple Watch still sucks if you are into running.
Cult of Mac has all of this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference covered for you. Check out all the WWDC 2016 announcements worth getting excited about as well as the best hidden iOS features not mentioned by Apple.
It’s all in this week’s free Cult of Mac Magazine. We give you hands-on videos of the latest developments including iOS 10, macOS Sierra, tvOS and watchOS 3. Plus, how to improve your fitness with Apple Watch.
Here are this week’s top stories.
iOS 10 is no small upgrade. It’s actually the biggest we’ve seen since the massive redesign that came with iOS 7 almost three years ago. But is it exciting enough?
Despite all the new features and improvements, iOS 10 doesn’t exactly bring anything groundbreaking. It’s not going to change the way you use your iPhone or your iPad, and it still doesn’t deliver some of the things fans have been calling for.
So, is iOS 10 enough to boost iPhone demand?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over Apple’s latest iOS upgrade.
Apple’s recent Apps for Earth campaign with the World Wildlife Fund has raised more than $8 million to support the organization’s conservation work. The campaign also raised awareness among hundreds of millions of people, Apple says.
One of the best new features of iOS 10 won’t be available for all devices that are compatible with Apple’s jam-packed mobile update.
Raise to Wake is such a simple and transformative new feature in iOS 10 that it feels like iPhones should have had it for years. Turning on the lock screen by just picking up your iPhone makes getting to notifications and apps quicker, but unless you have an iPad or iPhone released in the last year, you won’t get to enjoy it.
Apple is said to be cutting its iPhone orders ahead of another weak quarter to prevent a build up of inventory. The move means it will likely miss Wall Street estimates again, but analysts expect over a year of growth after iPhone 7.
Getting your hands on a rifle emoji is about to get a lot harder for all smartphone owners thanks to Apple.
The Unicode Consortium proposed earlier this year to add a rifle emoji as part of the Unicode 9.0 release this year, but according to a new report, the controversial firearm won’t make the cut after Apple campaigned internally to have it removed.
The paint is still drying on iOS 10 after just being unveiled earlier this week, but one UI designer has already come up with an amazing redesign of the Notifications screen, and we hope Apple’s paying attention.
Notifications have a bigger emphasis than ever on the lock screen now that Slide to Unlock is dead, however the way Apple displays them is kind of ugly if you get multiple notifications from the same app.
After Apple brings an OLED touch pad to the MacBook Pro later this year, the feature is likely to make its way to other notebooks — and maybe even the Magic Keyboard. This awesome new concept video imagines what that might look like.
In my line of work, conducting interviews and attending press conferences, a fully charged iPhone is a necessity. I don’t want the constant worry of watching my phone’s battery slowly die down as I search for the nearest power outlet.
To alleviate the fear of an undercharged iPhone, battery packs and cases are must-haves. And, while I appreciate the convenience of an external battery pack, they are often too bulky. A battery case is another option as it will house my phone and battery pack in one handy spot — again resulting in added bulk, especially when my phone is fully charged and I don’t need the battery attached 24/7.
Why hasn’t anyone thought of combining the two? Accessory-maker Moshi has heeded the call with its iGlaze Ion battery case for the iPhone 6 and 6s.
Check out the video below for my full review.
We’re not ignoring you, we swear, it’s just that our ears are busy with a fresh shipment of awesome earbuds and headphones. From bone-conductive to reinforced earbuds and on-ear bluetooth, these are some of the best sounding, most feature rich, and least expensive groove delivery systems we’ve had the pleasure of trying. Take a look and see if anything catches your eyes, or ears.
SAN FRANCISCO — If you want to make a truly killer app, here’s a crucial part of the creative process you shouldn’t overlook: Give your “finished” software to someone, ask them to do something with it, and then shut the hell up.
Observe their interaction with the app, and you’ll learn what you’re doing right — and what you’re doing wrong.
That priceless piece of advice comes from Bill Atkinson, an Apple veteran who coded some of the greatest Mac software of all time, including HyperCard and MacPaint.
The first iOS 10 beta only made its way into the excited hands of developers this week, and already prolific iOS hacker iH8sn0w has managed to create its first jailbreak and post the proof online.
Talk about hitting the ground running!
Apple has just hit its latest setback in China, after a court ruled that it had infringed on the design patent of a Chinese smartphone maker and may have to stop selling the iPhone in Beijing as a result.
Bluetooth is getting a big upgrade that’s going to make marrying your gadgets easier and more reliable. The latest Bluetooth 5 standard is twice as fast, has four times as much range, and requires even less power.
Sir Jony Ive is now Dr. Jony Ive, thanks to one of the most prestigious universities in the U.K., which gave Apple’s design guru an honorary doctorate in science.
Squarespace is making it super simple for its bloggers to publish their content to Apple News. Stories will carry the same design as your Squarespace website, and will include all embedded media, links, and more.
Buying the iPhone 7 Plus might not be as big an upgrade as some Apple fans were hoping for this fall.
Apple has allegedly decided to scrap plans to include a dual-lens camera sensor on the back of the iPhone 7 Plus, according to the latest rumor from China that claims the tech isn’t quite ready.