Use your phone in one hand without fumbling around. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The iPhone has a one-handed mode for the keyboard and a feature called Reachability for tapping buttons on the top of the screen. Learning how to use both these features can help you shoot out a text or use apps on your phone in one hand while you’re doing something else or walking around with a cup of coffee.
As iPhones continue to get bigger and bigger, these features become ever more important. Here’s how to activate the iPhone’s one-handed keyboard and use Reachability. Keep reading or watch the video.
The M2 MacBook Air is perfect for on-the-go and home-office use. Photo: Apple
What looks like the lowest price ever on the entry-level 2022 M2 MacBook Air just popped up on Amazon. That’s $829, or $170 off the current average price.
Other major retailers are nearly matching that deal at $150 off. So take your pick of your preferred shop, if that matters more to you than grabbing the absolute lowest price.
This might be Apple's next CEO. Does he have what it takes? Screenshot: Apple
John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, reportedly sits at the top of the list to step into Tim Cook’s shoes when the current Apple CEO steps down.
But the real question is, does Ternus have what it takes to fill a role that Steve Jobs once did so brilliantly?
The lingering shot of this little guy giving up the ghost didn't help. Photo: Apple
Apple’s “Crush!” video advertising the new iPad Pro is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way with its graphic destruction of creative tools.
The video first aired during Apple’s “Let Loose” event Tuesday. And when CEO Tim Cook included the video in a post about iPad Pro on X, hundreds of people replied with irritation. You can see some of the strongest reactions, and the video itself, below.
Updates on Thursday: Later on Wednesday Hollywood names piled on with more criticism of the “Crush!” video. Actor Hugh Grant, for example, referred to it as, “the destruction of the human experience, courtesy of Silicon Valley.”
And filmmaker Rizo Sixo Safai made more of a splash when he told Apple he “fixed” the video by running it in reverse with some tweaks, resurrecting the creative tools. See that version below.
It also came to light that Apple’s “Crush!” ad closely resembles an LG Renoir phone ad from 2008, as pointed out in yet another X post (also below) and elsewhere. Some call Apple’s ad a rip-off.
And on Thursday, Apple issued an apology for the ad in a statement to Ad Age, saying the ad “missed the mark.”
“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Apple marketing VP Tor Myhren said. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
Manage all your marketing with Stori. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Creating a brand and carefully crafting all the necessary marketing materials can take a ton of time, skill and/or dollars. But with Stori, you can get everything you need for one low price, and without advanced degrees in marketing and graphic design. It’s much more than an AI logo generator, though. It’s an all-in-one AI branding tool.
Stori makes it easy to craft, share and manage your brand identity efficiently. That means you won’t need to stay up all night figuring out what a brand identity even is, let alone what yours should be. Normally $1,200, you can get the five-year Stori AI Essential Plan on sale for just $149.99.
Apple M4 offers a boost in performance. Image: Apple
Benchmarks giving an early look at the performance of the Apple M4 processor in the 2024 iPad Pro reveal that the new chip is 21% faster than its predecessor.
The processor launched in the latest iPad but is expected to make its way to Mac later this year.
Plugable's new iMac hub is also a small shelf. Photo: Plugable
Plugable AD-6IN1 is a six-port hub designed specifically for iMac that connects to the desktop’s stand so it doesn’t clutter up the user’s desk. It can even be used as a small shelf.
In addition, Plugable introduced a small USB-C Ethernet adapter that can also supply power to a notebook or tablet.
The new Pitaka folio serves as a stand and case for a new 2024 iPad Pro or iPad Air. Photo: Pitaka
The new Pitaka MagEZ Folio 2 serves as a case and holds the recently released M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air in landscape and portrait orientations as a stand, the company said Wednesday. It provides an option for new tablet owners in search of an affordable case and stand.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Pitaka MagEZ Folio 2, the ultimate accessory for the new iPad Pro,” said Pitaka CEO James Zheng. “Designed with the modern professional in mind, this folio combines sleek design, premium materials, and innovative features to elevate the iPad Pro experience.”
iPhone cases from Case-Mate, OtterBox and Speck are included in the sale. Photo: Case-Mate
Amazon bargains site Woot! always brings the bargains on Apple gear and accessories. Now you have your pick of super-low prices on iPhone cases and other accessories, mixed in with some of the same for Android users.
And while the sale includes 85 items as of midday Wednesday, seven have sold out so far. The sale ends May 31 at 10 p.m. Pacific.
Lily Gladstone makes a dramatic return to the big and small screens with "Fancy Dance." Photo: Apple TV+
Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone will follow up Killers of the Flower Moon with a powerful new family drama on Apple TV+, if the trailer the streamer dropped Wednesday for Fancy Dance is any indication.
Fancy Dance premieres in select theaters June 21 and streams on Apple TV+ June 28.
Apple isn't the only option for a cool iPad Pro or iPad Air keyboard case. Like this one from ESR. Image: ESR
Apple unveiled the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air on Tuesday, and third-party accessory-makers were prepared. Logitech, Otterbox, Zagg, Pitaka and ESR have all already unveiled peripherals for the new tablets.
There are keyboard cases, cases, screen protectors ands more.
The Shure SM7B microphone and Focusrite Vocaster Two audio interface are crucial to the user's work on YouTube. Photo: [email protected]
A prolific YouTuber runs today’s featured MacBook Pro setup. And you can tell it’s the pride and joy of a streamer or podcaster just by some of the crucial equipment. Namely, an excellent Shure SM7DB microphone run through a Focusrite Vocaster Two audio interface to ensure high-quality audio recording.
This browser-based AI repurposes content of all kinds, and it's only $150. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Most generative AI requires a prompt, and then it feeds you back the answer that seems most correct based on the data it was trained on. But Unifire is a content-repurposing AI tool that transforms your existing content into another medium. It can turn video into text and perform other cross-medium miracles.
That means, for instance, you can transform audio into a blog post, or turn a podcast into a LinkedIn post. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to Unifire, with 60 generations per month, for just $149.99 (regularly $2,448).
Sennheiser's new Accentum earbuds use photos and an app to map your ears. Photo: Sennheiser
The sleek new Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless noise-canceling earbuds seem destined to compete with top buds like AirPods Pro 2 and the best from the likes of Sony and Bose. Yet they cost just under $200, the German audio brand said Monday, opening preorders with shipping to commence May 21.
So what else sets the buds apart, other than moderate pricing? Accentum earbuds feature Sennheiser’s TrueResponse wavefront sculpting, which analyzes the unique anatomy of your outer ears to create a precise sound projection tailored to you.
Apple's newest Pro and Air iPads do not feature a physical SIM slot. Image: Apple
Following the iPhone’s footsteps, Apple has switched entirely to eSIM on the 2024 iPad Pro and Air. The two tablets’ cellular models lack a physical SIM slot altogether.
With this move, Apple has transitioned two major product categories to eSIMs.
Watch the event in just 3.95% of the time. Photo: Apple
Today’s “Let Loose” Apple event overhauled the iPad lineup. Apple unleashed a new iPad Pro and iPad Air, the refreshed Apple Pencil Pro, a sleek new Magic Keyboard, and lowered the price of the regular iPad. The iPad mini was acknowledged, too.
Comparing Apple Pencil support on new M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air with an older iPad Pro (3rd Generation) Screenshot: Apple.com
When Apple unveiled the Apple Pencil Pro during Tuesday’s “Let Loose” event, the company seemingly bid adieu to the second-generation Apple Pencil. An Apple tool reveals that unspecified Apple Pencil 2 compatibility issues mean the older stylus won’t work with 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air models.
So, if you’re an artist buying a new iPad, or someone who takes lots of handwritten notes, you probably need to budget an extra $129 for a new Apple Pencil Pro.
Gaming is better with more RAM and a faster processor. Screenshot: Apple
Those who want the most powerful 2024 iPad Pro available need to choose one with at least 1TB of storage. Going with lots of capacity brings a faster version of the new M4 processor and twice as much RAM.
The high-storage versions also have the option of a nano-texture display glass.
Getting all these adds considerably to the price tag, though.
Apple gives the world its first look at the Apple Pencil Pro. Photo: Apple
Apple introduced a new third-generation “pro” Apple Pencil at its “Let Loose” iPad event Tuesday alongside new iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The first Apple Pencil Pro brings a new “squeeze” gesture, an internal gyroscope, haptic feedback and Find My support, making it the most capable iPad stylus yet.
Available to order today for $129 — the same price as the second-generation Apple Pencil — the Apple Pencil Pro gains features normally found on styluses for dedicated drawing tablets, like a new “squeeze” gesture and a “Barrel Roll” gyroscope for precise tool controls.
“The new features in Apple Pencil Pro are simply revolutionary,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in the introductory “Let Loose” video. “And we’re also excited that Apple Pencil Pro works with the new iPad Air as well, giving air users yet another pro feature to push their creativity.”
Apple's price cut makes the iPad 10 a lot more affordable. Photo: Apple
Alongside the M4 iPad Pros and M2 iPad Air, Apple announced a price drop for the 10th-generation iPad. The tablet now costs $349, making it $100 cheaper than before.
Additionally, Apple discontinued the iPad 9 from its lineup for good, which retailed for $329. This makes the iPad 10 the entry-level tablet in its lineup.
2024 iPad Pro breaks ground with OLED screen and Apple M4 processor. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple just took the wraps off the 2024 iPad Pro, the first with an OLED screen rather than a traditional LCD. If that wasn’t enough, a brand-new Apple M4 processor powers the tablet, which Cupertino says is the “thinnest Apple product ever.”
“We’ve always envisioned iPad as a magical sheet of glass,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, during Tuesday’s prerecorded “Let Loose” event. “And with this new design, that vision is brought to life more than ever.”
The new Logic Pro 2 for iPad means more powerful tools for making music outside the recording studio. Photo: Apple
Upgraded versions of Logic Pro for iPad and Mac will give musicians and music producers new tools for crafting killer tracks.
New features in Apple’s pro audio software — Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11 — include:
Session Players, which puts virtual musicians in the mix.
Stem Splitter, which producers extract drums, bass, vocals and other instruments from audio files.
ChromaGlow, a processing tool designed to bring analog “warmth” to digital tracks.
“Logic Pro for iPad turns things up for music producers,” said Will Hui, Apple’s product manager for creative apps, in a prerecorded video Tuesday. “Designed for everyone from emerging to established artists, Logic Pro for iPad has delivered the entire studio experience with the simplicity of touch. Logic Pro 2 is so exciting — and it’s smarter than ever.”
Tim Millet, Apple’s vice president of platform architecture and hardware technologies, says the M4 chip was “essential to deliver incredible performance” in the new iPad Pro, which is now “the most powerful device of its kind.”
The M4 chip was a last-minute rumor broken by Mark Gurman, which was dismissed by some as being unfeasible only half a year after M3 rolled out in last year’s MacBook Pro.
The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro packs some big upgrades. Photo: Apple
Apple has finally given the Magic Keyboard for iPad the revamp it deserves. The new keyboard accessory includes an aluminum palm rest, a larger trackpad and a row of function keys.
Given the big redesign, the new Magic Keyboard for iPad is only compatible with the M4 iPad Pros.