Mimestream tops Apple Mail for one specific reason. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
As a Mac user, Apple Mail seems like the obvious email client. It comes installed on every Mac, costs nothing and works with practically every email provider. Yet I prefer using Mimestream’s native macOS app to manage my email.
That’s not because Apple Mail is a bad app. The problem is that Apple Mail treats Gmail like any other email service. Mimestream doesn’t, and that makes all the difference.
Apple wants to pay less for the iPhone 18 Pro Max's OLED panels. Photo: Apple
Apple seems to be squeezing its display suppliers hard this year. The company is reportedly asking for approximately a 20% price cut on iPhone 18 Pro Max OLED panels, even though the screens are getting harder to make.
Apple’s per-panel costs usually go down with each new iPhone generation, but that’s a steeper drop than usual.
Turn your many, many cat photos into a few great videos. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can turn multiple Live Photos shot on your iPhone into a video. Simply select a group of Live Photos taken in a burst, and you can create a single, stitched-together video that you can save to your library and share on social media. It’s a much more accessible way to enjoy those little snippets of video.
Apple art director Sofia Coelho offered a brief peek at the early history of Apple mascot Lil’ Finder Guy. Photo: Basic Apple Guy
Lil’ Finder Guy stands “barely an apple tall,” but the Apple mascot started as something even smaller: a sketch.
Offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at Cupertino’s creative process, an Apple art director revealed early sketches and a prototype behind Lil’ Finder Guy in a LinkedIn post on Thursday. Although the post quickly disappeared, the images showed just how much craft went into a character built to sell a budget Mac.
Geekbench 7 offers an updated scoring system for benchmarking Apple devices, plus Windows and Android, too. Photo: Primate Labs
Primate Labs released Geekbench 7, the first major update to its widely used cross-platform benchmarking suite in three years. The new version introduces redesigned CPU and GPU workloads intended to better reflect how modern applications use today’s hardware, with a greater emphasis on handling video and playing games.
Because the latest version uses a new scoring system, benchmark scores made with the new app can’t be compared with one made with Geekbench 6. So every device needs to be retested.
July 24, 2006: The world gets its first glimpse of Apple’s new wireless Mighty Mouse, a multibutton Bluetooth device with super-accurate laser tracking.
Creating a book doesn't need to be a time-consuming nightmare. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you have a hard drive full of journal entries, blog posts or lecture notes that you’ve always thought could become a book, the Concepts of a Book AI Book Architect gives you a structured way to turn them into one.
There are so many options — and several great ones. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Out of the many dozens of options, which is the coolest Apple Watch face? Every time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I try to scope out which watch face they use. Nine times out of 10, they use either the Modular face or the Photo face (with a Sport band).
This is despite the Apple Watch offering dozens of watch faces, allowing for all kinds of customizability.
If you want to spice up and individualize your Apple Watch, here are the best and coolest faces. And in our video, I rank every watch face on a tier list.
The new Galaxy Z Fold8 gives a glimpse of the foldable iPhone's rumored form factor. Photo: Samsung
Overwhelmingly positive first impressions of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 bode extremely well for Apple, which is prepping to launch a folding iPhone with a similar design.
People who went hands-on with the Z Fold8 after its Wednesday launch praise the device’s wide, compact form factor, which makes it easy to carry and improves the content consumption experience.
That’s great news for the upcoming folding iPhone, possibly called the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra, which reportedly will arrive later this year.
"Hey Siri, am I here to f***ing amuse you?" Photo: Apple
July 23, 2012: Looking for the perfect spokesman for its new virtual assistant Siri, Apple turns to the director behind some of Hollywood’s most violent gangster movies. A new ad shows Martin Scorsese using Siri voice commands on his iPhone to juggle his busy schedule.
One in a string of celebrity-studded ads showcasing Apple’s recently released virtual assistant, it ranks among the best. However, it seriously oversells Siri’s skills.
iPad can handle Xcode. Developers want it. It's time for Apple to deliver. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A recent poll of Cult of Mac readers found very broad support for iPadOS, but a small group remains deeply dissatisfied with the iPad’s software. And while Apple certainly can’t make everyone happy, it could significantly shrink the number of complaints by adding one app. One very long-overdue app.
It’s time for Apple to finally do what developers have wanted for so many years: Bring Xcode to iPad.
Apple App Store app could soon feature an AI shopping assistant to help guide your next purchase. Photo: Apple
Shopping for a new iPhone or Mac will apparently soon come with built-in AI help. Apple is working on a new shopping assistant for the Apple Store app that will use artificial intelligence to answer questions and guide purchases.
Beat ATS with DashResume and land the right job for you. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Built for job hunters looking to land a new position fast, DashResume can blast out ATS-friendly resumes, optimize applications for specific positions, and create unlimited cover letters.
This time-saving tool can give you a leg up on the competition, at a time when you need all the advantages you can get. Even better, this affordable resume maker gives you all those job-seeking tools for a one-time payment of just $39.99 (regularly $139).
The iOS 27 paste shortcut appears right above the keyboard the moment you copy something. Image: Apple
Copy something, and the iOS 27 paste shortcut now pops up right above your keyboard, ready in a single tap.
The new shortcut shows a live preview of your clipboard, meaning you’ll always know exactly what you’re about to paste, whether it’s text, a link, or a photo.
You can now sign up for a WhatsApp account from your iPad. Photo: WhatsApp
After years of delay, Meta launched a native WhatsApp app for iPad in 2025. A year later, it is adding the ability to sign up for a new WhatsApp account right from the iPad.
WhatsApp will also deliver a superior CarPlay experience, allowing you to hear and respond to messages, see your call history and more.
Your iPhone can charge your AirPods. It’s easy. Image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
In a pinch, you can charge your AirPods with your iPhone. This feature can prove very convenient if you know how to use it. You can also use your iPhone to charge your Apple Watch, or even another iPhone.
Apple finally fixes the Hide My Email flaw that allowed others to see the real email address behind an alias. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple finally fixed the Hide My Email vulnerability that allowed outsiders to unmask a user’s real address behind an alias. The patch went live on July 3, closing a loophole that Apple knew about for more than a year.
The fix landed only after the bug became public — and a class-action lawsuit followed close behind. But the bigger question is: Why did it take outside pressure to get Apple to fix it?
The Claude Code iOS Simulator lets you watch the AI work on your app in real time. AI image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Anthropic’s AI-powered coding assistant Claude Code just got a lot more visual for iPhone developers. The new Claude Code iOS Simulator streams your app’s screen live while talking to it, as Claude does the heavy lifting for you.
Available as a public beta for Claude Code Desktop on macOS, it requires Apple’s free coding suite Xcode to work. But you can tap through the simulator anytime while Claude keeps working.
The Apple Upgrade leasing program could let you pay for an iPhone like a subscription, but there’s a catch. Photo: Apple
Apple apparently wants you to stop buying iPhones outright, with the rumored Apple Upgrade leasing program the clearest sign of that shift. But code hidden in the iOS 27 beta hints at what happens if you fall behind on an Apple Upgrade payment — and it isn’t pretty.
According to information that leaked Tuesday, Apple Upgrade will enable consumers to pay monthly for an iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. To go with that, Apple appears to be working on a system that could restrict a financed iPhone if payments lapse.
Mac OS 8 gave Apple a much-needed revenue boost. Image: All About Apple Museum/Modified by Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
July 22, 1997: Apple launches Mac OS 8, its next-gen operating system for Macintosh computers. The OS introduces a new three-dimensional look and makes surfing the internet easier than ever.
The first major operating system refresh for Macs since System 7’s release in 1991, it gets great reviews and is destined to become a big hit with users. However, it arrives at a very challenging time for Apple.
Learn to manage your money with this comprehensive financial literacy course. Illustration: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
If your financial education is lacking, you can turn things around with the Prosper Financial Success System. This comprehensive financial literacy bundle provides lifetime access to financial courses (with more than 150 lessons and counting), plus AI-powered coaching and weekly sessions with a veteran investor.
Apple seeded the iOS 26.6 Release Candidate to beta testers Monday, signaling that iPhone users should circle July 27 on their calendars. That’s the day beta testing is most likely to end with the full release of the operating system update.
Monday also brought the macOS Tahoe 26.6 Release Candidate, as well as equivalents for iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and more. So we also expect the release of these OS updates on July 27.
Would you be interested in getting a Mac like a subscription through Apple Upgrade? AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly preparing a major shake-up in the way customers buy its products. The company plans to launch Apple Upgrade, a subscription-style leasing program that lets customers upgrade to newer devices more easily while lowering monthly payments, next week, according to an unconfirmed report.
It’ll apparently be similar to the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program — which is reportedly getting canceled — but with a much broader range of products covered. There’ll be other differences as well.