Cult of Mac

Apple is accused of corporate bullying after reportedly booting rival headphone maker Monster from its “Made for iPhone” accessory program.

Monster claims the move is in retaliation for an ongoing lawsuit against Beats, which is now owned by Apple. Monster was the original contract manufacturer of Beats-branded headphones. The move could seriously impact Monster’s headphone business.

Considering the headphone market is a $2 billion industry in the United States, there’s plenty of money to be lost without Apple’s support.

It might be kind of hard to keep up with all of the Final Fantasy news that’s suddenly everywhere. We have a high-definition remake and an iOS port of PlayStation 1 classic role-playing game Final Fantasy VII in the works, the weird and cute-ish World of Final Fantasy, and trailers everywhere.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a hub that will make keeping track of all of this stuff way easier, developer Square Enix is ready to help you out with that too, thanks to the new Final Fantasy Portal app coming out for iOS

So your iPhone has you convinced you’re a pretty good photographer and it’s time to raise your game with a dedicated camera and all sorts of lenses. You are going to need something to sling your gear.

There are so many types of camera bags – shoulder, belt packs, roller cases – with designs tailored for various kinds of photography, shooting environments and individual preferences. The bag type that is arguably the most versatile is the camera backpack.

Backpacks are ideal when you are in transit with a lot of gear, whether you’re flying or hiking. They are also versatile to comfortably carry as you shoot, especially if you have to bring with you a laptop or change of clothes.

Three respected manufacturers have new bags to meet a spectrum of needs and demands. Think Tank, Lowepro and long-time Apple product vendor, InCase, bring to their latest lines rugged construction and intelligent storage options. Camera backpacks are one of the more pricey accessories, but it’s money well spent to protect your investment in bodies, lights and lenses.

If you love the Kingdom Hearts series of role-playing games, which is a sprawling adventure set in a series of worlds from classic Disney films — or if you’ve never heard of it but think that what I just said sounds like the best thing ever — we have some good news for you: It’s coming to mobile.

Developer Square Enix debuted the new entry in its incredibly nerdy series during its event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo tradeshow today, and while the series is already super cute, the iOS installment really kicks that up a few pegs.

Check it out in the trailer below.

Fans of the Tomb Raider game series will be able to bring the adventure along with them with an upcoming game from developer Square Enix Montréal.

Lara Croft Go is a turn-based puzzle game with a bright, stylized visual style. Square Enix announced it during its Electronic Entertainment Expo event earlier today, and you can get your first look in the trailer below.

The Terminator may have struggled to find John Connor, but he’ll know exactly where you’re going the next time you need directions behind the wheel.

To celebrate the launch of Terminator Genisys, Arnold Schwarzenegger has lent his voice to Google-owned navigation app Waze, so you can get voice-guided directions from the Terminator wherever you go. Just don’t let him talk you into murdering anyone.

Based on the number of times both terms were searched for on Google over the past three months, customers are less interested in the Apple Watch than they are in Apple’s virtually-abandoned relic, the iPod.

That’s according to Google Trends data published by Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves, whose latest note to clients has few kind words to say about Apple’s debut wearable device.

Still waiting for your Apple Watch pre-order to arrive? It might be time to just cancel your order and head down to the local Apple Store.

Apple Stores have allegedly started receiving their first initial shipments of Apple Watch units for sale through in-store reservations and personal pickup when purchased online, claims a new report.

Whether you’re transcribing an interview, replying to emails, or writing the next Great American Novel, it’ll go a lot faster with Dragon Dictate speech recognition software for Mac.

After leaving customers hanging when it came to quickly fulfilling early iPhone 6 and Apple Watch orders, Apple’s reportedly taking no chances with the iPhone 6s.

According to Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves, Apple has upped its order volume for the next-generation iPhone to avoid disappointing customers — and lowering Apple stock prices as a result.

Taking a note out of the James Bond playbook, British car manufacturer Range Rover U.K. has developed a new prototype system allowing its rugged Range Rover Sport vehicles to be controlled remotely by way of a smartphone app.

Sound good? Check out a video below.

From the health-tracking features of the Apple Watch to iPhone cases capable of predicting strokes, there are more and more medical devices involving Apple products.

Perhaps the most amazing so far, however, involves a newly-launched medical technology which allows chronic pain patients to use their iPod Touch to interrupt the pain signals travelling up their spinal cord on their way to the brain.

SAN FRANCISCO — Not content to conquer the Bluetooth speaker market with tubes and bigger tubes, Ultimate Ears made its latest portable audio device look like a lily pad. They made it waterproof, too. The only problem was, the UE Roll sank like a stone.

“As life would have it, it doesn’t float,” said Rory Dooley, Ultimate Ears’ senior vice president, during a visit to the Cult of Mac headquarters.

The solution? Create a tiny life preserver for the UE Roll, and give it away to anybody who orders the hottest speaker of the summer directly from UE’s website (while supplies last).

Apple nearly made a deal with Uber for its new same-day delivery service, before ditching them in favor of startup courier service Postmates Inc., according to a new report.

Apple allegedly considered adopting Uber’s new delivery project, known internally as UberEverything. Starbucks also entered into negotiations with the taxi company, before settling on the same delivery service as Apple.

In the West, the most iconic Apple Store is probably the company’s glass cube for its Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York. In the East, however, arguably Apple’s most recognizable retail outlet design is the 30-foot glass cylinder used for both the company’s Shanghai and Chongqing Apple Stores.

As Apple continues its rise in places like China, it is doing everything it can to stop rivals from ripping off its ideas — which is why it filed a design patent on the building, which was published today — naming none other than Steve Jobs as one of its inventors.

Here’s a unique-looking case for your iPhone that promises to do more than just protect your handset from nicks and scratches.

The Hibiki case for iPhone 6 says that it will also make your audio sound better.

Apple Watch stand makers are responding to watchOS 2’s Nightstand mode feature, which will turn your wearable into a makeshift alarm clock and display the time in landscape mode when it’s charging on its side. New Apple Watch docks are starting to appear to accommodate this feature ahead of the software update coming this fall.

I’ve been loving Apple’s “Shot on iPhone 6” ad campaign, if for no other reason than it gives me hope that one day, I too will be able to capture crazy beautiful images with my smartphone’s camera.

Apple has pushed the campaign with tons of billboards, posters and videos, all shot by various iPhone 6 users around the world. The latest group of short videos features breathtaking shots of the Netherlands, Norway, Oregon and Australia, accompanied by sweet indie jams like “Murakami” by Made in Heights.

Watch all four videos below:

If the fight card featured the urbane intellect of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard against Darth Vader and his command of the Force’s Dark Side, who would win?

We won’t spoil it for you. One fired the fatal shots, but the other got the last word. To say they fought to a draw would not give anything away.

The hilarious writers at College Humor did an animated sketch with the Next Generation cast rattling sabers with the great Sith Lord from his Death Star. The prize was not a planet or some other galactic real estate. It was to decide which series concept is nerdier?

The iPad Pro has pretty much been confirmed by a hidden keyboard in iOS 9, and more clues are popping in the first iOS 9 beta that may reveal the device will have the same pixel density as the iPad Air 2.

GarageBand for Mac is getting a sonic upgrade with 10 new drum settings and 100 new synth sounds designed for electronic dance music and hip-hop tracks.

The new features are coming June 30 — just in time for the launch of Apple Music.

When iOS 9 rolls out to the public this fall, it’ll be iPad users that appreciate it most, thanks to the many improvements Apple has made to multitasking. One of the biggest is Split View, a feature that’s exclusive to the iPad Air 2, which lets you run two apps side-by-side — just like you would on your Mac.

Split View lets you read articles in Safari while composing an email in Mail, enjoy a novel in iBooks while taking notes in the Notes app, and talk to friends via iMessage while organizing your schedule in Calendar.

But is Split View as game-changing as it looks at first glance? You bet it is.

Developer Bethesda had a surprise or two for its showcase at the Electronics Entertainment Expo trade show last night. But the biggest one was a previously unannounced game called Fallout Shelter, a resource-management title for iOS that puts you in charge of a subterranean colony after the nuclear holocaust.

Most surprising of all: It’s out right now, and it’s free.

Spotify’s software engineers have cooked up a new feature that lets you rewind your music tastes to see what they would have been like if you were born in a different generation.

CarPlay and Android Auto are Apple and Google’s first attempts to slowly invade the automobile, but finding a car that supports them hasn’t been easy the past year. If you’ve been curious what it’s like to drive around with either system, the folks at Consumer Reports put the two systems head-to-head during a morning drive to get coffee.

Each interface has its promises, but the report also highlights a lot of areas that need to be worked on — like how you can’t change your car’s FM radio while using Apple Maps. Unlike your car system though, CarPlay and Android Auto will probably be upgraded every year, giving you new features each year, just like your smartphone

Here’s what it’s like to ride with CarPlay and Android :