Mobile menu toggle

Homemade iPad robot is a piano-playing prodigy

By

iPad mini 4
It turns out the iPad can be a pretty great piano player.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

It’s pretty darn cool watching talented human musicians bust out music using an iPad, but one thing we’re all limited by is the ability to react perfectly to 120 frames of motion each second.

Which is why it’s awesome to see the work of YouTube user DenverFinn, who recently built a D.I.Y. robot with the express aim of breaking the record for iPad piano game Piano Tiles. With the aid of an iPhone and a homemade machine able to hammer a specific tile on the screen when asked to, DenverFinn’s robot shows prodigy levels of piano-playing excellence.

Check out the video below.

Apple continues mobile health drive with new CareKit apps

By

CareKit is designed to put health in the hands of patients.
CareKit apps emphasize patient-led healthcare.
Photo: Apple

Apple today started rolling out CareKit, its recently-announced open-source mobile software framework for health apps.

Beginning today, CareKit will integrated within four iOS apps, including Glow Nurture, Glow Baby, depression medication-monitoring app Start, and diabetes tracker One Drop. More will follow over time.

iPhone demand won’t get better in a hurry

By

iPhone-6-vs-iPhone-6s
Shipments will take another tumble this quarter.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After this week’s disappointing earnings report — which saw Apple’s profits decline year-over-year for the first time since 2003 — many people are speculating on when they can expect to see the iPhone decline turn around.

The answer? Certainly not this quarter, according to a new report which suggests that iPhone shipments are likely to fall to around 40 million units (compared to 51.19 million units) in the next three month period.

Apple Watch ‘only’ owns half the smartwatch market

By

Apple Watch
Ugh, you only sold 52 out of every 100 smartwatches this quarter? Get out of here, loser.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

A new quarterly report by research firm Strategy Analytics has Apple’s share of the smartwatch market falling to just over 52 percent in the first three months of 2016. It’s the latest drop in a week full of disappointing news of the iPhone maker making way fewer billions of dollars than investors expect.

Apple head Tim Cook briefly addressed the Apple Watch “problem” during the company’s earnings call yesterday, but that’s probably not going to stop the cries of doom.

Make your home screen pop with round iOS folders

By

iOS round folders
Man, that looks weird.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Usually, if you want to change the shape of your iOS folders, you need to jailbreak your device or squint really hard or something. But one person has found a way to make your app holders cool-looking and round, and all you have to do is change your device’s wallpaper.

You can see the cool circles in action in the video below.

When Wi-Fi is out, use Ethernet to get online with your iPad

By

When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

iPads are made to go online with Wi-Fi, but what happens when the wireless goes down and all you have is an Ethernet connection to the internet?

With a couple of Apple dongles and a powered USB hub, you can easily use Ethernet to get online with your iPad, no Wi-Fi required.

Here’s how.

Apple seeds fresh batch of betas to devs and public

By

Click here for the new hotness.
New beta software is here.
Photo: Apple

Developers and public beta testers alike can download the latest El Capitan starting today now that Apple has seeded the third beta of OS X 10.11.5, plus the public version of iOS 9.3.2 beta 3.

The new updates come a week after Apple released the second beta builds of the new operating systems. Testers can grab the new software through the Mac App Store if you’re signed up for Apple’s Public Beta Program, but Apple has a couple extra goodies for developers as well.

‘Leaked’ iPhone 7 Pro schematic reveals dual-lens camera 

By

Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The dimensions of the iPhone 7 Pro will be exactly the same as the iPhone 6 Plus, according to an alleged leaked schematic from Asia, but the new device will feature a couple of major physical changes.

Apple is supposedly planning to include a dual-lens camera on the iPhone 7 Pro and, if these drawings are genuine, we might now know what the high0tech camera sensor on the back will look like once it’s released later this fall.

Take a peek:

Google Calendar now helps you find time for more meetings

By

google-calendar-now-helps-you-find-time-for-more-meetings-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604Google-Calendar-Find-a-time-png
Google Calendar just keeps getting better.
Photo: Google
Google Calendar just keeps getting better. Photo: Google
Google Calendar just keeps getting better. Photo: Google

If your schedule looks busier than Best Buy on Black Friday, then the last thing you want to do is dig through it to find time for another meeting. But now you don’t have to.

Google Calendar’s new “Find a time” feature seeks out gaps in your schedule to ensure that you never have to find other things to do when you could be in ANOTHER MEETING! It will even check that your colleagues are available, too.

Finally, an adjustable standing desk you’ll actually use [Reviews]

By

Work healthier with the Pro Plus 48.
Work healthier with the Pro Plus 48.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Spending countless hours sitting in front of a computer every day is bad for your body. Not only do you have to worry about bad posture when sitting for extended periods, but also the fact that you’re probably going to die faster (according to some studies).

A standing desk is a great way to alleviate some of these problems and keep your body active during a long day in the office. And with the Varidesk Pro Plus 48, you can turn almost any standard desk into a height-adjustable standing desk in a snap.

This particular desk is one of the largest models offered by Varidesk, which makes it ideal for multi-monitor setups and those who need plenty of room. It’s also pretty pricey at $495 — but is it worth that price tag?

Oliver Stone amps up spy action in first Snowden trailer

By

The first Snowden trailer reveals how he leaked the NSA's secrets.
The first Snowden trailer reveals how he leaked the NSA's secrets.
Photo: Open Road Films

Joseph Gordon-Levitt busts out his best nerd voice in the first trailer for Oliver Stone’s new film, Snowden.

The film is based on the true story of how Edward Snowden went from enlisting in army reserve, to exposing the illegal surveillance activities conducted by the NSA and thus becoming the most wanted man in the world.

Check it out:

Apple Stores’ biggest fan shined a light on the little people

By

Gary Allen with his son, Devin, at a Beijing Apple Store in 2008.
Gary Allen with his son, Devin, at a Beijing Apple Store in 2008.
Photo: Devin Allen

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugTim Cook, Jony Ive and Apple’s legendary Steves earned their loyal followings.

Writer Gary Allen made sure the foot soldiers — Apple retail workers and even the carpenters who made display tables for Apple Stores — got props for their contributions to Cupertino by way of Allen’s now-defunct website ifo Apple Store.

In doing so, Allen left his own thankful and devoted followers saddened when he passed away last fall from brain cancer.

Instagram could boot app colors to make your photos look better

By

instagram-could-boot-app-colors-to-make-your-photos-look-better-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604Instagram-logo-005-png
Instagram turns black and white.
Logo: Instagram
Instagram turns black and white. Logo: Instagram
Instagram turns black and white. Logo: Instagram

Instagram could be planning to overhaul its mobile apps with a new black and white interface that will make your photos pop.

The redesign has already rolled out to a small number of users as part of an early test, but Instagram won’t tell us if it will be keeping it.

3 ways to keep your iDevice in reach and hands-free [Deals]

By

Bobine's flexible mount easily keeps your phone where you need it and at the ideal viewing angle.
Bobine's flexible mount easily keeps your phone where you need it and at the ideal viewing angle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether it’s in the car, at the office, or anywhere else, sometimes it’s best to just have the phone, tablet or watch where they can be seen while our hands are busy doing other things.

Bobine makes a series of charging grips for iPhone and Apple Watch that are designed to keep your devices where you need them. They’re tough, stylish and perfect for any conceivable use. And they’re on sale now at Cult of Mac Deals. Take a look:

Apple stock plummet erases $40 billion in market cap

By

iphone stocks app
That's a drop the size of Netflix, by the way!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Following yesterday’s disappointing (but inevitable) Apple earnings call, shares in the company fell by more than 8 percent in after-hours trading. For those keeping track at home, that means that Apple’s market value plummeted by upwards of $40 billion — or the equivalent of the entire market value of Netflix.

Fortunately, things are recovering slightly and stock is currently trading down 6.55 percent priced $97.80.

How to use Night Shift while saving power

By

iPhone 6s Night Shift Low Power Mode
Oh, yeah. It's possible.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

We’ve been using Night Shift on our iPhones and iPads since it launched with iOS 9.3. We aren’t sure if it actually promotes good sleep, but we figure that lowering the amount of blue light that hits us after the sun goes down can’t be a bad idea. The only problem we’ve had with it is pretty simple, though: You can’t use it while Low Power Mode is on.

Low Power Mode is another cool feature; it turns off high-consumption stuff like Siri’s hands-free mode, mail fetch, and automatic downloads to stretch your battery life out until you can get your ailing iPhone to a charger. We assume that the reason you can’t run both simultaneously is that Night Shift is a juice-chugger, but we still miss it when our battery hits a critical low at night. But it is possible to have them both on at once. You just have to trick Siri a little.

Here’s how to do it.

Vote different? John McAfee ‘borrows’ from Apple in presidential bid

By

John McAfee at DefCon 2014.
Here's to the crazy ones...
Photo: NullSession/Flickr CC

Having developed the world’s first commercial antivirus software, John McAfee now wants to clean the malware out of politics — and he’s using one of Apple’s most iconic advertising mantras to do so.

Libertarian presidential candidate McAfee’s new ad encourages American citizens to “Vote Different,” and uses the same verbiage as Apple’s famous “Think Different” ads from 1997. But it features footage of figures like Ron Paul, Aaron Schwartz, Jeffrey Tucker, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk instead of the historical figures in Apple’s ad.

Is it enough to take him into the White House? Check it out below to make up your own mind!

Nintendo bringing Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem to mobile

By

nintendo-bringing-animal-crossing-and-fire-emblem-to-mobile-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604animalcrossing-jpg
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are coming to our smartphones.
Photo: Nintendo
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are coming to our smartphones. Photo: Nintendo
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem are coming to our smartphones. Photo: Nintendo

After the successful debut of Miitomo, Nintendo has announced that its second and third mobile games will be based on the Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem franchises — and are set to debut on iOS and Android devices this fall.

FBI shares its first iOS and OS X vulnerability tip with Apple

By

google-facebook-and-others-following-apples-lead-on-encryption-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iPhone-6s-Live-Photos-jpg
What Bizarro World is this where the FBI helps Apple?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The FBI has informed Apple of a vulnerability affecting older iPhones and Macs. It’s the first time such information has been shared with Apple by the feds under a White House “Vulnerability Equities Process” intended to disclose security weaknesses when they are discovered.

The Vulnerability Equities Process is designed to act as a balance between the desire of law enforcement and U.S. intelligence services to be able to hack into devices and the public interest in warning companies of weaknesses in their systems that may be exploited by criminals.

Apple pushes U.S. government to teach kids how to code

By

Tim Cook takes home $125 million for Apple’s best year since 2009
Tim Cook added his name to this important petition.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With its recent purchase of educational startup LearnSprout and its “Hour of Code” programming classes at Apple Stores, Apple has demonstrated that it’s pretty darn serious about education.

Proving this once again, CEO Tim Cook this week put his name to a petition asking the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to provide $250 million in federal funding to school districts so as to allow every K-12 student in the United States to learn how to code.

Apple revs up R&D spending amid iCar rumors

By

Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

Apple may have reached peak iPhone this quarter after posting declining revenues for the first time since 2003, but rest assured the company is working on the next big thing. 

Tim Cook boasted about the amazingly innovative products coming down Apple’s pipeline, and the company’s latest spending figures show its throwing more money than ever at new ideas. 

8 optimistic takeaways from Apple’s slumptastic earnings call

By

Is it time for Apple to get spiritual?
Is it time for Apple to get spiritual?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac (original image: Wired)

With quarterly revenue declining for the first time in more than a decade, Apple execs Tim Cook and Luca Maestri put on their game faces during today’s Apple earnings call to tell us why things aren’t really all that bad in Cupertino.

The sad truth is that slumping iPhone sales, which joined the iPad and Mac lineups in the down column, will likely take a toll on Apple’s image — and on its stock price.

Still, there were plenty of other intriguing and optimism-inspiring things we heard during Apple’s Q2 2016 earnings call. Here are the most important takeaways from this historic Apple moment.