Mobile menu toggle

Save over $200 on a refurbished iPhone 6 or 6 Plus

By •

iPhone-6-Plus-cam

Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Here’s another great deal on Apple gear, with $229 off a 16, 64, or 128 gigabyte iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. You can still buy the last-generation handset over at Apple, but only in the 16 or 64 gigabyte configurations, so if you’re looking for a high-capacity iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, this is your day.

These iPhone models are still fantastic, and this deal is kind of amazing, especially if you pay up front for your iPhones these days to save a bit of money in the long run.

Apple may unveil 4-inch ‘iPhone 5se’ in March

By •

The successor to the iPhone 5c is nearly here.
The successor to the iPhone 5c is nearly here.
Photo: Apple

Speculation regarding a new 4-inch iPhone coming out of Cupertino has run rampant the past few months with rumors claiming the device will look like an tiny iPhone 6, but a new report claims the device will actually look more like a special edition iPhone 5s.

Hermès’ pricey Apple Watch bands are now available online

By •

The Hermes Double Tour band is now available for everyone.
The Hermes Double Tour band is now available for everyone.
Photo: Apple

You don’t have to visit select Apple Stores to get your wrists on Hermès’ special Apple Watch bands anymore.

After debuting this Fall as limited edition pieces only available at Hermès’ and Apple retail stores, the stylish leather straps can now be purchased via the online Apple Store by any unhip nerd with a credit card.

Should Apple ever release a budget iPhone?

By •

fnf6c
Could a budget iPhone help Apple's smartphone business?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Speculation surrounding a “budget” iPhone died out when Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller promised it would never happen. But with iPhone 6s demand allegedly falling and the global smartphone market becoming increasingly saturated, could a more affordable phone give Apple a security net? Could it prevent the iPhone business from stagnating in the same way the iPad business has?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we bicker like children over these questions and more!

WhatsApp to begin sharing your data with Facebook

By •

whatsapp-to-begin-sharing-your-data-with-facebook-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508WhatsApp-Google-Play-jpg
New features found in the latest WhatsApp beta. Screenshots: Javier Santos
New features found in the latest WhatsApp beta. Screenshots: Javier Santos

WhatsApp made millions of smartphone users happy with week when it announced it will be ditching its annual subscription fee, but its next move might not be so popular.

According to a hidden option found in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, the service is planning to share user data with Facebook “to improve [your] Facebook experiences.”

In Rogue Agent, you’ll do more running than spying

By •

rogue-alert-gameplay - 4
This fun new puzzle game will give you a healthy dose of anxiety.
Photo: Roguebox Studios

You aren’t just any agent. You’re a rogue agent. And you’re trying to escape before the enemy agents find you. That’s the plot behind — you guessed it — Rogue Agent, a thrilling new puzzle game on iOS.

With 52 different worlds, several mini-games and a few power-ups, the spy game makes you constantly try to escape without getting caught. Don’t worry about whether there’s a concrete reason for that because, trust me, you’ll get hooked anyway.

Pay what you want to get your Mac a checkup from the neck up [Deals]

By •

2016 PWYW Mac Bundle

Your Mac was born to perform, but for the rest of its life it’s up to you to make sure it stays in shape. This bundle of a dozen — count em — apps are like taking your computer to a full service health spa. Give your Mac’s hard drive a deep clean, enhance its audio performance, keep track of its activity and eliminate distractions, among a bunch of other uber useful enhancements.

The best part though? You can pay whatever you’re willing to pay for the whole shebang, and a portion of every dollar you spend goes toward the critical work of Save the Children.

Fujifilm is going to make it more expensive to live in the past

By •

Putting a roll of film in your dad's old 35 mm camera is about to get more expensive.
Putting a roll of film in your dad's old 35 mm camera is about to get more expensive.
Photo: Andrew Hutton/ Wikipedia CC

For the photographer still in love with film, the romance is about to get more expensive.

Fujifilm announced it will implement a worldwide price increase for film starting sometime this month. Exact prices were not announced but in announcing the increases, Fujifilm characterized them as “substantial” and “double digit.”

How to use Picture in Picture mode to watch YouTube on iPad

By •

YouTube videos come to Picture in Picture mode on iOS 9, thanks to Corner Tube.
YouTube videos come to Picture in Picture mode on iOS 9, thanks to Corner Tube.
Photo: App Advice

Picture in Picture mode is one of the best features of iOS 9. On iPads, it lets you continue to watch a video from one app (say, Netflix) in the corner of your screen, even while you’re browsing a webpage, reading your email, and so on.

A lot of cool video apps already support Picture in Picture mode, but curiously, Google’s YouTube app isn’t one of them. But if you want to watch YouTube in PiP mode, there’s another app you can try.

AT&T CEO thinks Apple should give up on protecting encryption

By •

Should Apple cave when it comes to encryption?
Should Apple cave when it comes to encryption?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is a fierce defender of its customers’ privacy, which is why every iPhone and iPad has its data encrypted by default. But according to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, Apple and CEO Tim Cook should show their bellies and let Congress decide whether encrypted data should be accessible through backdoors by government agencies.

Tim Cook meets with Pope Francis during whirlwind tour of Europe

By •

CZUJc-lWwAAYN4j
No, my Friday schedule doesn't look so exciting either.
Photo: Carol Glatz

Tim Cook met with Pope Francis today. The 15-minute appointment reportedly took place from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. local time, as can be seen from viewing the pope’s daily schedule, which describes a meeting between the Holy Father and “Signor Timothy Donald Cook, Amministratore Delegato di Apple.”

Apple thinks this house is the Bermuda Triangle of lost iPhones

By •

Dozens of people have been told their lost iPhones are this house. But they're not.
Dozens of people have been told their lost iPhones are this house. But they're not.
Photo: Fusion

Find my iPhone is a fantastic way to recover your iPhone when it is lost or stolen. Most of the time. If you’re Christina Lee and Michael Saba, though, you hate Find my iPhone, because it has ruined your life.

For some reason, Apple constantly reports stolen or lost iPhones as coming from Saba and Lee’s small suburban Atlanta house… even though they are nowhere near by.

Surprise! Samsung disses Apple yet again in its latest ad

By •

surprise-samsung-disses-apple-yet-again-in-its-latest-ad-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201504samsung_pay_0_0-1-jpg
Samsung Pay has a big advantage over Apple Pay.
Photo: Samsung
Samsung Pay has a big advantage over Apple Pay. Photo: Samsung
Samsung Pay has a big advantage over Apple Pay. Photo: Samsung

Samsung has long subscribed to the “If you can’t beat ’em, release a load of ads making fun of them” strategy when it comes to smartphone rival Apple.

In its latest ad, the South Korean tech company keeps this trend alive by recruiting comedian Hannibal Buress to show off Samsung Pay’s big advantage over Apple Pay.

And — you know what — as far as petty ads taking shots at your rivals go, this one actually isn’t bad.

Meet the man who taught Steve Jobs to think different

By •

1280px-Stewart_Brand_-Sausalito,_California,_USA_-at_home-14Dec2010
"Stay hungry, stay foolish"
Photo: Cellanr/Wikipedia CC

Steve Jobs reminisced about acid trips and, despite his status as a “master of the universe,” was also a total hippie, according to legendary Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand.

Brand is making a rare appearance today at San Francisco’s Obscura Digital for an event entitled “The 1960s Revisited: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.” In an interview to promote it, he talked about Jobs’ “hippie-to-tech pipeline” and much more.

Apple hires a top virtual reality expert

By •

grergrg
Apple Goggles, anyone?
Photo: Apple/USPTO

Apple has hired a top virtual reality researcher as it continues to slowly ramp up its focus on the field.

Doug Bowman was previously a professor computer science as well as director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. While there, he was the principal investigator of the 3D Interaction Group, focusing on the benefits of immersion in virtual environments.

Google paid Apple $1 billion to keep its search bar on the iPhone

By •

Got a new iPhone? Set it up right.
Breaking news: There's big money in search.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Breaking news: There's big money in search. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Breaking news: There’s big money in search. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Android and iOS may be mortal enemies in some ways, but Google clearly realizes the value of having Apple’s hundreds of millions of customers use its search engine.

So much so, in fact, that in 2014 Google paid Apple a massive $1 billion to keep its search bar on the iPhone.

Apple TV’s new ad animates the future of television

By •

Apps are how you get your content now on Apple TV.
Apps are how you get your content now on Apple TV.
Photo: Apple

The Apple TV future of television is apps, says Apple. Whether you’re sitting down to watch The Simpsons on Fox, Game of Thrones on HBO, or racing your buddies in Asphalt 8, these days it’s a good chance you’re using some sort of app.

You’re definitely app-ing it up if you’re using Apple’s latest hockey-puck device, which brought games and media apps to the big screen not too long ago.

The latest ad for the device, up on YouTube now, highlights all the good stuff with a cleverly animated Apple TV. Check it out.

3D-printed Apple Watch stand is Mac-tastic

By •

3D-printed-Apple-Watch-stand-Mac
Wait until you see the rest of it.
Photo: Erich Styger

Some intrepid makers have put their 3D printers to work making cool, retro-themed Apple Watch stands. Specifically, they’re creating ones shaped like Apple’s early, beloved desktop computers like the 128K.

It makes sense, really. The Apple Watch shows the time in big green letters when it’s on its side in Nightstand Mode, and green was basically the only color those monitors were capable of displaying. So that’s where these creators are taking their inspiration for some sweet places to hang their Apple Watches.

How to speed up slo-mo videos on your iPhone

By •

Dogs are good for slo-mo video.
Dogs are good for slo-mo video.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone’s slo-mo function is a ton of fun to use when you’re taking action video of yourself or your buddies as you ski down mountains and base-jump off cliffs. If you’ve got an iPhone 5s or later, you know the joy of capturing all the action in a much slower timeframe and then using it to make fun of the faces your friends make when doing extreme sports.

But what if you want to un-slow all that down, maybe to focus less on the funny faces and more on the fast action?

It’s pretty simple to do, though you might not notice how at first. Here’s how to speed up the slo-mo videos you’ve taken with your iPhone.

WATCHe app makes Apple Watch look oldfangled

By •

WATCHe app
WATCHe lets you turn your Apple Watch into a mechanical timepiece. Kind of.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

A new app for your fancy Apple Watch delivers a super-cool and stylish education on the inner workings of actual watches.

The free app, called WATCHe, shows you the time. Obviously, your Apple Watch can already do that on its own, but the app ups the class by simulating the gears, cogs, springs and movements of an analog watch. And it might actually teach you something.

Space-trippy iOS puzzler splices Bejewelled with Tetris

By •

Abantus Saga 2
Abantus Saga 2's sliding mechanics are deceptively simple.
Screenshot: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

You’d be forgiven if you took one look at Abantus Saga 2 and confused it for yet another tedious match-three game. But if you can get over your prejudice, you’re in for hours of enjoyment. And some frustration. But mostly enjoyment.

The puzzle title, which is out now for free in the iOS App Store, has you sliding around colored and patterned “cubes” (they’re squares, but the on-screen text calls them cubes) to complete full rows and columns. And that’s it — that’s the only mechanic. But what the developer does with it will have you playing and replaying Abantus Saga 2 for hours on end.

You’ll waste 3.5 days of your life untangling Apple headphones

By •

EarPods aren't going wireless in 2016.
EarPods aren't going wireless in 2016.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

This one factoid is the greatest reason why Apple needs to kill the headphone: Over the course of your life, you’ll spend a total of 3.5 days untangling headphones.

Edward Aten decided to dive into the math of how much time is wasted in frustration as you endlessly untangle your Apple EarPods. Depending on your listening habits, you may spend up to 32 seconds a day solving the headphone cord puzzle, which adds up ton of wasted seconds over a 38 year span.

New app turns your iPhone into mobile podcasting studio

By •

Phone in your podcast (no kidding)  with the app ZCast.
Phone in your podcast (no kidding) with the app ZCast.
Photo: Zula

You don’t need a high-frequency antenna or FCC license to be a broadcaster in the 21st century. Anyone can have a podcast – well, that is, anyone with the technical know-how and money for equipment, such as a good microphone, to produce their work.

A company called Zula wants to eliminate what might be the last barrier for the DIY media star. It launched an iPhone app called ZCast, which allows users to produce an audio podcast anywhere with just an iPhone or Mac computer.