Cult of Mac

Apple’s new 3D Touch technology will work even if you cover your display with a protective screen, says Apple’s senior VP of marketing, Phil Schiller.

Some iPhone and iPad users upgrading to iOS 9 today have been looking forward to expressing their love of tacos, burritos, and unicorns — and their disdain for everything else — using the much-touted new emojis, which include the coveted and versatile “middle finger” icon.

But unfortunately for those folks, we’re going to have to wait a little longer to start flipping things the bird.

You could be doing a lot more with your computer. The Mega Mac 2015 Bundle will help you get better performance, security and even a couple new tricks out of your Mac. From remote file access to HDR photography, enhanced web searches and tapping into Google’s Deep Dream, and a lot more in-between, there’s something in here for everybody.

It’s all going for a whopping 94% off, just $29.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

iOS 9 includes a new feature that desktop users have had for a while: content blocking. More conventionally known as ad blockers, this software cuts out all the advertisements and other cruft from web pages, allowing faster load times and a more streamlined experience.

Of course, most websites you read these days (including Cult of Mac!) rely on advertising to keep the lights on.

Luckily for all of us, most new content blockers let you whitelist specific sites so you can continue to help them pay their bills.

In a bold new move, Apple has just placed its first Android app on the Google Play Store.

No, it’s not Apple Music for Android, but rather Move to iOS, a new app that lets Android switchers easily transfer all their data and information over to a brand new shiny iPhone.

If you’re having trouble downloading iOS 9, you’re not alone.

Apple released the latest version of its mobile operating system today, but a lot of users are getting download errors when they try to snag the new firmware. With nowhere left to turn, they have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations.

Here are some of the more interesting reactions we’ve seen from people who just can’t seem to get that download started.

Once you get your iPhone upgraded to iOS 9, you might be overwhelmed. While Apple’s new mobile OS doesn’t pack a lot of grand new visual features, the update does include tons of little tricks that make using your iPhone and iPad even more ridiculously easy to use.

Here are all the secret iOS 9 tricks every user should know:

Apple’s flip-flop on game controllers for Apple TV might be bad news for developers, but it’s great news for gamers.

It’s a virtual guarantee that all games will work better out of the box when running on the refreshed Apple TV, which will have its own App Store for the first time.

Months of beta testing and waiting have finally culminated with today’s highly anticipated release of iOS 9, which brings users a smarter Siri, better multitasking on iPad, speedy UI improvements and all-around better performance.

Apple just made iOS 9 available to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users. The new mobile OS, which promises to be significantly smaller than previous iOS upgrades, can be downloaded via an over-the-air update — but the smart move is probably to use iTunes. (After backing up all your data, naturally.)

We’re all going to be diving into the deep end with iOS 9. While many of the changes are subtle, there are a fair number of differences in both the visual style and the under-the-hood workings of Apple’s new mobile OS.

That means this a perfect time to take a deeper look at all the killer stuff you don’t want to miss. These iOS 9 tips will help you make the most of all the great new features.

Apple made two important changes to the way you install iOS 9 that will help out your storage space and probably your anxiety. If you’re like a lot of other people, you were pretty frustrated last year trying to install iOS 8. Your 16GB iPhone already has to store all your apps and photos, and it just seems downright greedy of Apple to ask you to install a software update that would take up even more space. This year’s update should be much smoother sailing.

Hackers have just given iPhone and iPad users a big reason to upgrade to iOS 9 due out later today: it fixes a serious AirDrop security vulnerability.

Mark Dowd, an Australian security researcher with Azimuth Security, revealed this morning that iOS 8.4.1 contains a critic security flaw in AirDrop that could allow an attacker to install malware on any device within range. Worst of all, even if a victim tried to reject the incoming AirDrop file, the bug lets attackers tweak the iOS settings so the exploit will still work.

Check out the lethal bug in action:

If you’ve been anxiously waiting to upgrade your Apple Watch to watchOS 2 today — well, sadly, you’re out of luck.

Despite announcing last week that watchOS 2 and iOS 9 would be released today, Apple has just dropped the bombshell that Apple Watch users won’t be upgrading their operating systems quite yet, thanks to the discovery of a critical bug.

When you back up your iPhone before upgrading to iOS 9, you have a couple of choices. You can use iCloud or iTunes.

For your best, most comprehensive backup, connect your iPhone (or iPad) to iTunes. Seriously, iTunes backs up almost everything — and it’s your best bet for downloading iOS 9 when the upgrade becomes available today.

Here’s how to do it.

AT&T is increasing its data cap to 22GB for customers who are still grandfathered into unlimited data plans. This is more than four times the 5GB cap previously offered to LTE subscribers, and more than seven times the 3GB cap offered to 3G subscribers.

Update: Apple has delayed deployment of watchOS 2, possibly for a day or more, after discovering a bug that’s taking longer to fix than expected.

Are you ready? It’s finally time to update your Apple Watch to watchOS 2. The software upgrade will let you run third-party apps right on the Watch without your iPhone, add nightstand mode and new watch faces (including your own photos), and much more.

If you’re ready to make it so, read on and get all these new features on your wrist today.

China seems to have a bit of a problem with certain members of the population trying to trade vital organs for Apple’s next-gen iPhone 6s.

Responding to this, a local sperm bank at Renji Hospital in Shanghai is offering donors the cash to buy Apple’s new handset in exchange for a sperm sample.

“No need to sell your kidneys – you can easily have a 6s,” the hospital writes in an online posting.

That’s advice worth living by!

For years, Pop Chart Lab’s Insanely Great History of Apple has been one of our go-to Christmas recommendations for the Mac fan in your life. Now those devious bastards have updated it with all of Apple’s latest and greatest products, right before the holiday.

iOS 9 won’t shock you with a bunch of whiz-bang new features or a drastic new look, but in many ways, Apple’s latest mobile operating system is more important than its two immediate predecessors. While iOS 7 and iOS 8 laid a foundation that embraced the future of mobile design, iOS 9 is making all those changes worth a damn.

Apple drops iOS 9 today, bringing a more intelligent UI, better built-in apps, a smarter Siri and much more. Our iOS 9 review shows how the new software makes everything you do on your iPhone or iPad easier — and far faster — than ever before.

Just a few days after they were offered the opportunity to buy a unit early, at least one developer has already received a new Apple TV dev kit in the mail.

Time’s a crazy thing: it’s different everywhere! So if you’re wondering when iOS 9 will drop tomorrow, well, it’ll probably be different from us depending on where you are.

Thankfully, just by consulting this chart, you can know exactly when you should start tapping the update button according to where you are in the world.

Behold! The iOS 9 Worldwide Release Time Chart!

Talk about finding a unique way to recycle your Apple packaging!

A newly-expecting mother recently broke the news about her pregnancy to the father by hiding the positive pregnancy test in an Apple Watch — prompting a spontaneous heart-warming reaction.

Seriously, the guy couldn’t have been any more chuffed if he had just been handed a $17,000 Apple Watch Edition.

Either that or he’s wondering where the Apple Watch itself went.

Indian Prime Minister and noted iPhone user Narendra Modi has requested to meet Tim Cook during his upcoming visit to the U.S. — reportedly to discuss the possibility of Apple investing in R&D and manufacturing in his country.

Modi arrives in New York on September 24 and 25, before heading to the West Coast on September 26 and 27.

Like everything else Apple does, its top-notch Apple University internal business training center doesn’t exactly scrimp when it comes to paying its employees.

According to a new report, Apple University faculty member James Phills — formerly a professor at Stanford University and Yale School of Management — makes upwards of $1.7 million per year teaching business skills to Apple employees.

Nice work if you can get it, right?

iOS 8 is about to join the big tech scrapyard in the sky, but before it’s replaced by iOS 9, Apple has posted one last set of adoption figure — showing that a whopping 87 percent of eligible users upgraded to Apple’s last-generation mobile OS.