Since being introduced back in 2011, iMessage has gone on to become a monster hit for Apple as a communication tool.
How popular is it? According to Eddy Cue, iOS users cumulatively send up to 200,000 per second: a number which adds up to a whopping 63 quadrillion messages per year.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) might be on course to take over 100 percent of Apple’s A10 chip orders, but that’s not to say that it’s entirely without problems right now.
According to a new report, a recent earthquake which hit one of TSMC’s factories in southern Taiwan caused more damage than initially thought: with resulting wafer shipments for the first quarter of 2016 likely to fall as a result.
Kate Winslet picked up another award win for her role as Apple PR guru Johanna Hoffman at last night’s BAFTA British movie award show.
Winslet’s win was the only prize won by Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs semi-biopic, which was also nominated for “Best Adapted Screenplay” and “Best Actor” gongs for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and lead actor Michael Fassbender, but lost out to The Big Short and Leo in The Revenant.
We’re always keeping our heads up for the best new apps coming to our iOS devices and Apple TVs. We’re like prairie dogs that way, only we’re not as cute, and our homes are only metaphorical holes.
Every week, we round up the coolest new apps (or awesome updates to existing ones) that have hit Apple’s digital storefront in the past seven days. And if you’re spending your Valentine’s Day browsing the App Store for some new utilities, we have you covered. Also, we’re sorry that that is how you’re spending your Valentine’s Day.
Check out our weekly picks for apps of the week below.
Maybe moviegoing audiences didn’t completely fall in love with director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs, but we liked it a lot. And if you also enjoyed it — or are just looking to score yourself a free copy — keep reading.
There’s a lot to know for anyone looking to get into the lucrative field of coding for the web, and it’s a topic that grows every day. That’s why it’s good to develop some solid, focused fundamentals, which is exactly what these four courses offer. Covering Python, Javascript, iOS Xcode and SQL, it’s a great opportunity to develop your skills in one, two, three or four of the most critical corners of coding for web.
Sports apparel makers clearly believe that fitness apps are an important part of their futures. Under Armour and Adidas have invested heavily in fitness apps, and Runkeeper’s recent acquisition by ASICS is just the latest in a long series of app acquisitions by apparel makers.
These companies have big brands and deep pockets. Can an indie developer realistically compete with all that? Gareth Nettleton, VP of marketing for indie fitness app Strava, tells me that like any serious athlete, his hard-charging company thrives on competition.
Ever left the house or office only to realize later that you forgot a file on your Mac? We’ve all done it. This is why I always have Screens VNC running on all my devices. With the help of a single app, you can access and control your Mac from iPad or iPhone, and even other Macs. Here’s how:
Honestly, you know things are grave when the U.S. government thinks we’re behind on something. According to the Government Accountability Office, the United States has dismally low recycling rates for used TVs, computers and other devices.
There’s no national infrastructure for a strong recycling program, so states are left to take on the problem themselves, leading to a patchwork of regulations and inconsistencies on how to deal with it. Luckily, Cult of Mac can help Mother Earth and you at the same time — check out our Apple devices buyback program to either sell or straight-up recycle your used or broken gear.
Take your laptop overseas with you and you’ll likely find, as you crack it open to catch up with the TV show you’ve been binging on, that location restrictions are blocking your stream. That’s not how it should be, and with Getflix you can sidestep annoying and inconvenient location restrictions that come between us and our content. Now you can get lifetime access to more than 100 streaming channels, anywhere around the world, for just $69.
This week: Neighbors complain of “motor noises” emanating from Apple’s secret auto labs; the strange error that’s bricking iPhones everywhere (and how to avoid it); and, has Apple lost their way? Some pundits argue Cupertino needs to shape up and start shipping better products. We discuss!
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 with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast.
Your next MacBook will get more than just a speed bump, with Intel’s powerful new Skylake chips bringing intense performance (and maybe better battery life) to the new laptops we’ll all be drooling over soon.
Find out exactly how these new processors will make new MacBooks rock, plus what you need to know about iOS’ brick-inducing “Error 53,” how to make Siri work even harder for you on your Apple TV, and which are the best ergonomic accessories for your Mac in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.
Here are the week’s top stories.
If you’ve got one of those fancy new Macbooks with the USB-C charging cable, Apple is ready to replace it for you if it’s one of the defective ones.
“A limited number of Apple USB-C charge cables that were included with MacBook computers through June 2015 may fail due to a design issue,” says the Apple web page announcing the program.
Your MacBook might not charge (or only charge intermittently) when it’s connected to one of these faulty cables.
An upcoming update to the iPhone’s Remote app will let it completely control your Apple TV.
We’re looking forward to this because while we love the Siri Remote that comes with Apple’s latest streaming box, it has a few problems. First, it’s tiny, and we’ve discovered it wedged inside the absolute farthest and darkest corners of our couches far too often. It’s also covered in glass, and while we know that it’s really strong glass, we’re slightly afraid of breaking it because see Point 1: It’s just a little thing.
Third, if the worst happens and we do lose or break our Siri Remote, a replacement costs $79, and then the anxiety starts all over again.
In other words, bring on the update, Apple.
If you’re looking to show a little local pride in Snapchat, the company made it pretty easy to make and upload your own so that you (and anyone else who’s in that location) can swipe right and show off a custom geofilter.
All you need is a graphics program like Illustrator, Photoshop, or (my favorite) Pixelmator, a little bit of time, and you can represent your town with a custom Snapchat geofilter.
Here’s how.
In a court letter today, Apple is insisting that the legal system make up its mind on mobile encryption.
This is a bit of a surprise, and it’s hardly necessary anymore for the case at hand. The defendant has entered a guilty plea since the question of whether law enforcement could induce Apple to access encrypted information on its devices first arose. But in its two-page letter, Apple wants a decision anyway for “efficiency and judicial economy.”
It might also clear up a bunch of its own headaches.
Looking to play a fast-paced, arcade-inspired video game on your iPhone or iPad? Polyblast, like a modern mashup of retro arcade favorites Space Invaders, Missile Command and Tetris, has just gotten a Valentine’s Day update, making this simple yet addictive little shooter a fantastic choice for your day of love.
If you love simple arcade-style shooters, Polyblast will keep you well-sated with solid gameplay mechanics, a delightful visual style, and a soundtrack that’ll take anyone from the era of quarter-gobbling standup cabinets back to their alien-blasting youth.
Check out the video below for a quick look at the game in action.
Once Apple finally unveils its new iPad and 4-inch iPhone, it won’t take long before Apple fans are able to get their fingers all over the two new iOS devices.
Both the iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 will be available the same week they are introduced to the public, according to a new report that claims Apple Stores will have the new devices in stock by March 18th, but there won’t be any pre-orders.
Podcasting has been experiencing a renaissance lately, and for good reason. Podcasts can be about a wide variety of topics, from Apple to sports, comedy, storytelling and so much more. It’s a great time to get into podcasting because the barrier to entry is so low and you don’t have to break the bank to buy a totally workable setup.
Some of the greatest podcasts in the iTunes Top Charts are regularly recorded using sub-$100 to $300 mics. Whether you want to gain influence in a community or nerd out about the latest iPhone, a podcast is a great place to do it.
Every coffee fiend has a morning ritual. For me, it’s getting up before my wife and brewing a half-pot of strong black coffee that we can share. She usually gets up much later than me (lucky her), so a thermal carafe works wonders for us: I can drink mine as early as I like, and she can enjoy hers at a more leisurely hour.
That’s one key reason I’ve abandoned fancier coffee makers and set up shop with a Zojirushi Fresh Brew Plus — among its other features, it boasts the best carafe I’ve ever used.
The first piece of original programming to come out of Apple may star none other than the company’s own employee: Andre Young, aka, Dr. Dre.
The hip-hop mogul turned Beats co-founder is reportedly starring and executive producing the first-ever scripted TV series bankrolled by Apple, but it’s still unclear how Dre’s production will be distributed.
There’s never been a better time to buy Apple’s gorgeous gold Retina MacBook, thanks to a new deal from authorized retailer B&H that cuts up to $350 off the price tag of the sleek little notebook that debuted last year.
The price cut is the biggest discount we’ve ever seen on the new MacBook. At $999, the baseline MacBook model with a 1.1GHz Intel Core M processor and 256GB of storage is now the same price as the baseline MacBook Air that comes with only 128GB storage.
Apple is expected to updated the Retina MacBook later this year, but with prices this low, the super-light MacBook is incredibly tempting.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Star Wars and Mario Kart don’t seem to have much in common at first glance, but when you mash the two mega-universes together at hyperspace speeds, the results are more than super.
Dark Pixel created an incredibly fun new video called Star Kart that imagines what it’d be like if Mario and his pals cruised around the Star Wars galaxy in your favorite spaceships, complete with all the banana peels, golden mushrooms, turtle shells and wacky racing the Nintendo game is known for.
Watch Bowser and Baby Bowser try to take down Mario and the gang as they race from Tatooine to Hoth — and then ultimately the Death Star:
Remember the days before high-speed broadband and photo-realistic graphics, when the best games you could get on PC were things like Win Pool, Brickbuster, and Gopher-It? Now you can go back in time and relive them right inside your web browser.
You know the feeling of trying to plug in your iPhone in the dark? The awful grinding of metal on metal as you miss the socket? The Luminid Touch Light-Up Cable solves that. It’s an MFi-certified charging cord that can help you put an end to the nighttime USB guessing game for only $9.99.