The Force Touch technology seen in the Apple Watch and new MacBook is pretty great and all, but imagine being able to go further than the relatively simple haptic feedback Apple currently offers — by having your future Mac trackpad actually simulate different textures when you run your hand over it.

That’s the aim of a new patent application published today, which describes a new diamond-layered touch surface capable of using a variety of vibrations and temperatures to recreate a range of textures.

Crafting a tiny icon for an Apple Watch app is a huge design challenge. Coming up with one that’s truly adorable – even at 80 pixels by 80 pixels – requires something like a graphic design miracle.

Lucky for anyone strapping an Apple Watch on their wrists this Friday, some designers have been working wonders. Behold the cutest Apple Watch app icons in the world!

A security research firm has uncovered a flaw in Android that allows hackers to steal copies of our fingerprints from the Galaxy S5, and possibly other devices. Samsung says it is already investigating the issue, which will be demonstrated at the RSA security conference this week.

Apple has begun rejecting iOS apps that support Pebble, the immensely popular and more affordable alternative to Apple Watch.

One developer received an email to say that their app, SeaNav US, was no longer welcome in the App Store because it mentions the Pebble — a third-party mobile platform — in its description.

The Apple Watch and everything it will do is not a new idea. Watches for years have been able to store data, give us directions, offer a means to communicate at a distance and, yes, show us our heartbeat.

 It’s just that you couldn’t get all of those functions wearing just one watch. For each function, there was a separate wrist gadget.

So on the eve of the Apple Watch launch, consider the technologically advanced timepieces that paved the way to this momentous day. You might be even more impressed with the power of your new device.

Although it was a little bit of a let-down when it launched on the iPhone and iPad, Minecraft: Pocket Edition has come a long way in the last four years.

As iOS devices have become more and more powerful, Mojang has added back in many of the features it had to strip from Minecraft to get it to run on the iPhone’s limited specs initially. Now one of the biggest missing features from Minecraft: Pocket Edition is in development: The Nether, Minecraft’s hell-like dimension.

If you regret the band you chose for your Apple Watch when you ordered it online, don’t sweat it: Apple will allow you to return it within 14 days for another band. But there’s a few caveats.

Update: The video has already been removed, but I’ve replaced it with a cached version.

We now know what Pharrell Williams’ payment was for his advance gold Apple Watch Edition: Promising to not laugh at Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, and Phil Schiller’s “dad dancing” moves during yesterday’s live concert at Apple’s Cupertino HQ.

In this week’s All-New X-Men #40, long-time team member Iceman comes out as gay — his secret being revealed through an endearing conversation with telepathic teammate Jean Grey.

But Iceman’s far from the only LGBT character in sequential art history. As one of Cult of Mac’s comic gurus, I combed through the archives for six more examples of beloved LGBT comic book characters to demonstrate the medium’s continued commitment to diversity.

The revelation? That’s it’s far from the headline-provoking novelty it once was. And that there are more than you might imagine.

And to think some readers probably figured Tim Cook — with his Tony Stark-like tech fortune and desire to make the world a better place — was the world’s only gay superhero.

Here’s a story you never hear about Mac users.

A 37-year-old Colorado man was so frustrated with his malfunctioning Dell XPS 410 desktop that he pulled out a pistol and proceeded to unload eight rounds right into its worthless side.

Apple has started notifying numerous Apple Watch customers who preordered the device that their orders have shipped, and that they can expect to receive the eagerly anticipated device tomorrow.

Woop woop!

Xiaomi today unveiled its new Mi 4i, an attractive iPhone 5c clone made out of colorful polycarbonate with an affordable price tag. It’s the Chinese company’s first device exclusively for international markets, and it goes on sale later this month.

You can be a fan of hockey, and you can be a fan of iPhone live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat, but according to the National Hockey League, you can’t be both. The NHL has just laid down the proverbial banhammer on Periscope and Meerkat.

Apple wants to overhaul its mapping navigation system, providing a solution that is more reminiscent of a real human navigator, according to a patent application uncovered by Cult of Mac today.

In doing so, the company could improve its long-maligned Apple Maps app, while also gaining ground on rivals such as Google.

Three new videos show how Apple Watch will make fitness and banking easier than ever.

The videos are part of Apple’s Guided Tour series of informational clips, which are a must-watch for anybody anxiously awaiting delivery of their Apple Watch. The latest ones show off the Activity, Workout and Apple Pay apps that will soon take up residence on the wrists of Apple smartwatch owners.

Apple stores won’t let you walk out with an Apple Watch for the foreseeable future, but select boutiques around the world will have certain models in stock this Friday, April 24th.

When shipping estimates for the Apple Watch fell to June in only a matter of minutes, many preorder customers were left frustrated and in despair.

But there’s hope yet: Apple is already preparing to ship Watch orders that originally weren’t slated to arrive for over a month.

When you’re talking about a device like the Apple Watch — which allows you to send something as intimate as your heartbeat to another person — it’s inevitable that hookup apps aren’t going to be far away.

That’s exactly what WatchMe88 represents: an app designed to alert fellow Apple Watch-owners in your vicinity that you’re single and ready to mingle.

What’s the best way to get a gold Apple Watch early? If you’re Pharrell, the answer is to have a concert at Apple headquarters.

Employees at Apple’s Cupertino campus are being treated to a special performance from the ‘Happy’ singer, who was the first person spotted wearing the gold Apple Watch in the wild.

Natatlie Kerris has been one of the most prominent figures on Apple’s PR team for the past decade, but today she announced that she’s ready to jettison from the mothership.

In a message posted on Twitter today, Kerris says she’s stepping away from Apple after working at the company for the past 14 years. The former PR director hasn’t said what she’ll be doing next, but based on the Steve Jobs quote she shared in her tweet, she’ll be moving on to a new adventure soon.

Were you hoping to get your Apple Watch preorder on Friday? We were, but based on the shipment status of our orders here at Cult of Mac HQ, all our watches are still stuck at “Preparing for Shipment” despite the fact we’ve already been charged for the orders.

We asked Apple fans this morning if they’re starting to worry that their preorders might not arrive as quickly as expected and the responses bordered closer to panic than simply worried.

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There’s still no sign whether Apple Watch preorders will actually arrive on doorsteps by Friday, but at least one customer has already received an Apple Watch preorder — sort of.

A reddit user in Australia posted pictures this morning of an Apple Watch charging cable that arrived on his doorstep a few days early, despite the package’s status still being set to “Preparing for Shipment” yesterday.

This is what it looks like when you open the box:

Apple Watch promises to be the most personal device you’ve ever strapped on by keeping track of everything from your movement to your heart rate, 24 hours a day.

Mixing high tech with high fashion can be tricky, but in a new support document, Apple details how it uses what’s known as “photoplethysmography” to track your heart rate by flashing green light at your veins.

Here’s how Apple Watch’s heart rate tech works:

Adobe’s Behance, Adobe Color CC, and Creative Cloud apps have all been updated to include Apple Watch support in a move designed to both sell more iOS apps as well as inspire their current customers to get outside of the computer and create.

“That’s because designers get a lot of their best ideas,” writes Adobe’s David Macy, “not while sitting at our desks, but from interacting with and observing the world around us.”