"Android? Whatever!" Photo: Yoga Hosers/Kevin Smith
iPhone sales may be slowing down, but the popularity level of Apple’s handsets among teenage customers is higher than ever — and increasing all the time.
In an extensive new survey carried out by analysts at Piper Jaffray, entitled “Taking Stock with Teens,” a whopping 69 percent claim to be iPhone owners. Better still, 75 percent of teens say they expect their next phone to be an iPhone.
Get your Mac back up to speed with these handy tips! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
We all know a Mac is the best computer. It’s the most reliable, the least fuss and usually the most snappy. But, as with all computers, the trusty Macintosh can also become sluggish after a while.
In today’s Cult of Mac video, we’re going to show you eight easy, useful tips to speed up your Mac.
Miitomo is raking in the cash. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of MacMiitomo is raking in the cash. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Nintendo fans bemoaned the company’s decision not to use Mario or Link or Donkey Kong in its first smartphone game, but it seems Miitomois doing perfectly well without famous faces.
According to new estimates, the social app is currently raking in a whopping $280,000 every single week.
One of the rarest computers ever assembled. Photo: Bonhams
If you’ve ever wanted to lay your eyes on an original ultra-rare Apple-1 computer — and don’t happen to have a spare six-figures of disposable income lying around — now’s your chance.
That’s because Detroit’s Henry Ford Museum is showing off one of a handful of fully-operation Apple-1 mainboards as a celebration of how far computing (and Apple) has come over the past few decades. You’ll have to be quick, though, as the breakthrough computer is only on display from now until the end of the month.
Somewhere in a garage in... North Korea? Photo: Homefront: The Revolution
From Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle to Mark Millar’s Superman comic Red Son, I’ve always been a massive fan of alternative history stories.
Now, upcoming first-person-shooter game Homefront: The Revolution asks a question as intriguing as any: What would have happened if a technological genius like Steve Jobs came out of North Korea instead of California?
The answer? A trillion-dollar company called APeX, apparently.
Israeli tech firm may not have been the ones who hacked San Bernardino iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The FBI signed a $15,000 contract with Israeli-tech firm Cellebrite to crack the iPhone 5c at the heart of the San Bernardino shooting investigation. However, according to a new report, Cellebrite may not have been the ones who successfully hacked the smartphone, after all.
Instead, the Feds reportedly broke into the iPhone 5c with the aid of a group of professional hackers who discovered and brought to the bureau a previously unknown iOS flaw — letting them get around the iPhone’s four-digit pincode feature, without accidentally erasing the iPhone’s data in the process.
Swift, the programming language that creates apps for all of Apple’s hardware, had a pretty happy 2015, according to a report from job site Freelancer.com.
The data comes from 1,429,842 “good” projects — that is, “those which have been filtered for spam, advertising, self promotion, reposts, or that are otherwise unlikely to be filled,” the published report says. And Swift was the big winner, especially when you compare its numbers to 2014’s.
Mark Zuckerberg was to integrate Facebook-owned, Instagram, WhatsApp and messenger. Photo: Facebook
Facebook’s annual F8 Conference is happening in San Francisco this week. The developer convention has wrapped up its first of two days, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other presenters had a bunch to share about how the social platform is about to transform itself. Some of this news has us more excited than the others but if you’re one of the 1.44 billion users worldwide (thanks, Siri), you’re about to see some changes.
Here’s what’s coming to your feed in the future, where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.
The Sony Action Cam is perfect for all your craziest shots. Photo: Sony
This post is brought to you by Sony.
Competition among low-profile, high-definition cameras keeps getting tougher. For proof, look no further than the latest Sony Action Cam lineup.
Looking something like a futuristic Super 8 in pill form, these powerhouse cameras are as feature-rich as photo gear five times their size. Sony sets its new cameras apart by throwing in attractive goodies and improving upon the previous Action Cam iteration.
Become an Insta-master with these killer Instagram tips and tricks. Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
An update this week has given Instagram a new superpower: You can now stitch together several clips into a single video in the app. Some of the process and details are a little unclear, however, so we’re here to help walk you through it.
Here’s how to make your classic montages in Instagram.
Use Bluetooth headphones to watch Apple TV quietly. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
If you’re anything like me, you knew that the new 4th-generation Apple TV supported Bluetooth devices like the Siri Remote, game controllers, and even keyboards, but you didn’t twig to the fact that it might also let you use Bluetooth headphones, too.
In point of fact, though, it does support them, letting you watch Netflix or game on your Apple TV without the sound of your activities waking the baby or a sleeping partner. How great is that?
Someone didn't quite think through that Circle is mostly square. Photo: Circle
I recall at WWDC 2011 when Steve Jobs introduced iCloud he talked about how up until that point, managing and syncing content across devices was driving everybody nuts. You’d take one photo on one device and would have to plug it in and sync it to another device, which would then offer up some of its own photos and meanwhile none of them are even on the third device yet. It truly was an insane world. But in 2016, the new Circle with Disney aims to solve a surprisingly similar problem.
Managing content across devices has gotten much easier, yet managing the people who use those devices has not. Circle is a brand-new product from Disney that wants to unify your family’s entire online experience. It allows you to set time limits for individual family members, block websites based on your child’s age, and even pause Internet access entirely when it’s time to log off.
That iPhone in your pocket is much more well-traveled than you are. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The various parts in your iPhone have traveled a great distance to reach your pocket — combined, they’ve gone almost as far as to the moon and back.
That fancy Touch ID button on the front of your iPhone 6s, for example, inhabits a 12,000-mile footprint alone, what with the artificial sapphire crystal (originating in Changsha, China) that’s bonded to a metal ring (transported 550 miles from Jiangsu province) and then shipped to a semiconductor plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (another 1,000 miles).
The miles continue to rack up via parts sourced in Europe and shipped to Japan, then finally brought back to Foxconn in China. And that’s just a single, small, unsexy part of the iPhone.
Look, there’s a big smartwatch on the block, but if you’re on a budget and still want to rock some stylish tech on your wrist, check out Pebble Time. It packs everything you look for in a high end smartwatch into a slim, sleek, dare we say sexy form factor that’s certain to please even the most discerning timepiece hunter. It’s a watch that any wrist can benefit from, and right now you can get a Pebble Time for just $119.99.
The reason? No, apparently it’s not got anything to do with Reddit pulling some strings over at Cupertino — although the timing sure makes it appear a bit suspect. Instead, it’s reportedly got everything to do with the fact that the apps allow users to access naughty pictures and other material.
N.Y. cops may soon be able to instantly check if you were using your phone while driving. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Cellebrite, the Israeli tech firm which helped the FBI hack the iPhone 5c at the heart of the San Bernardino shooting case, is reportedly working on a “textalyzer” device that will allow authorities to find out whether a person as unlawfully driving while using their smartphone.
The device would initially be used in New York, where proposed legislation may let law enforcement officials access certain cellphone information — without a warrant — to find out whether drivers are distracted at the wheel.
HTC 10 will stream straight to Apple TV. Photo: HTCHTC 10 will stream straight to Apple TV. Photo: HTC
If you’re thinking about swapping your iPhone for the new HTC 10, that decision just got a lot easier.
HTC has made its new flagship compatible with Apple’s AirPlay platform right out of the box, allowing it to play nicely with your Apple TV and other AirPlay devices without any additional hardware or software.
SPOILER! The last season of Games of Thrones didn’t go too well for Jon Snow, but the internet is seemingly not giving up hope that one of the show’s most popular characters survived an (attempted?) assassination at the hands of the Night’s Watch.
Well, apparently Siri is among the conspiracy theorists not convinced by Snow’s death: With the show’s Season 6 premiere mere days away, Apple’s AI assistant has a few thoughts on whether we’ve seen the last of The Bastard of Winterfell.
The gold iPhone SE is a big seller in China. Photo: Apple
The iPhone SE may not be Apple’s biggest hit in the U.S., but it’s selling like gangbusters in China!
Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White recently visited Apple’s flagship retail store in Shenzhen, where he noted that fresh shipments of the iPhone SE (particularly in the gold color option) arrive each morning, and sell out within just one hour of going on sale.
According to a new report, a plan to provide around 20,000 iPads to London’s Metropolitan Police Service in the U.K. has failed to materialize — despite $8.6 million spent developing custom software, licenses and training.
There's something mythical about Apple's rumored car project. Photo: MGM/Ste Smith
We haven’t heard too much about Apple’s “Project Titan” electric car project since its project lead quit the company, and Jony Ive reportedly put a hiring freeze in place after deciding things weren’t on the right track.
But a new report claims that Apple’s car investigations are continuing to progress — as Apple buys up and leases various buildings in Sunnyvale, with documents filed with the city suggesting that these will be used for automotive R&D.
These pet gifts are even more awesome than a personalized, embroidered collar. And that's pretty awesome. Photo: Meghan Stratman
Did you know that this is National Pet Day in the United States? If you didn’t, go find your pet, give them a hug, and apologize. And if you were aware, go find your pet and give them a hug anyway because they love you.
And you love them right back, so you probably want to celebrate the day by checking out some cool, tech-y ways to make your best non-human friend happy. We’ve gathered up a few cool gadgets and toys that are made just for your buddy. That is assuming you’ve gone the more vanilla, cat/dog/mammal route. If you own anything with scales or spinnerets, you may not get use out of most of this stuff, but it’s pretty cool gear, anyway.
Also note that not all of these things are available currently, but you might still want them on your radar for Dog Kippur or Catsmas or something.
The Apple Watch maker has fired off a shotgun blast of new ads for its wearable device. The spots cover just about everything the smartwatch can do other than, you know, telling the time. And they even bring in a bit of star power to do it. Even cooler, all of the action takes place in minimal environments with colorful backgrounds. It’s like those cool iPod ads all over again.
The woven-nylon Apple Watch band is a winner. Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Best List: Woven nylon Apple Watch band by Apple
If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you’ve probably experienced delayed dissatisfaction. You wait for the product, it finally arrives, you rip it open — and it’s nothing like the picture you saw on Amazon, eBay or whatever. The item is smaller, the color is crappier, the quality’s just not there.
The new woven-nylon Apple Watch bands are similar — but opposite! They look even better than they do on the Apple website. And, despite what you might think about nylon as a watchband material, Apple’s latest accessories pack a premium punch.
Scapple is all about ideas. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you’re getting frustrated with your productivity or workflow at the computer, you might need to get your computer to work with you better. Scapple is a freeform, mind-mapping application that makes it effortless to record your ideas and tease out connections between them.
Once you start using Scapple, it’ll become an invaluable tool for keeping all your ideas in one place for comparison and exploration, and right now you can get it for a mere $8.99.