Apple might right-size the Touch Bar lol. Image: Devin Pickell/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac
Apple now has engineers “actively engaged in the project” of adding touchscreens to Mac computers, starting with the popular MacBook Pro. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, a consistent and reliable leaker, the first Mac with a touchscreen display could ship as soon as 2025.
The product is evidently still being tested internally, with no definitive plans for a product launch set in motion.
Take professional aerial footage with this $99.99 camera drone. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
In case you haven’t looked up in the sky lately, you should know that this past year has been a big one for drones. You don’t have to keep track of all the amazing innovations happening on the cutting edge to know that it all boils down to one thing for regular users: It’s getting a lot more affordable to own some truly impressive drone tech.
Case in point: The Ninja Dragon Alpha Z, which comes outfitted with twin hi-resolution cameras — and is available for less than $100.
Apple might be about to give old-fashioned buttons the heave-ho. Photo: Apple
Apple is reportedly phasing out traditional buttons, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro models. The handsets will still seem to have them, but it’ll be a high-tech trick performed with haptic feedback.
The change should make the iOS devices more durable and waterproof.
Text renders more clearly on the MacBook Pro's Liquid Retina XDR display than on the ultra-wide monitor. Photo: [email protected]
With modern computer displays, you can have brilliant colors, tons of screen real estate and even a cool curve in the screen. But will you be happy reading text on it? That’s not necessarily a sure thing.
In today’s featured MacBook Pro-based computer setup, a developer finds she likes her 34-inch curved ultra-wide display, but not in every possible way. She craves more pixels, having been “ruined” by her MacBook Pro’s crisp display.
Apple Watch 6 was the first model to include the pulse oximetry sensor. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
A judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Tuesday that Apple infringes on one of medical device maker Masimo’s patents for light-based pulse oximetry sensor functionality and components used in Apple Watch 6 onward. The sensor measures blood oxygen levels.
Next the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will decide whether to ban imports of Apple Watches that include the sensor, Masimo said.
A redesigned MacBook Air surely helped push up 2022 Mac shipments. Photo: Apple
Apple’s shipments of Mac desktops and notebooks grew modestly in 2022, according to market research firm. That’s in stark contrast to shipments of PCs that dropped enormously last year.
And Apple could have done even better if it hadn’t pushed back the release of new Macs past the fourth quarter.
The compact Maxlight Mini flashlight can go almost anywhere. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Whether you dropped your keys outside or just want to see clearly during your dog’s late-night walk, a flashlight is a great thing to have around. Instead of lugging one of those big, beefy lights with you everywhere, keep things light with an Eight-in-One MaxLight Mini.
This compact utility flashlight packs eight useful tools into a tiny frame. And you can get two MaxLight Minis for just $29.99 (regularly $54).
Apple wants to shift away from Samsung for its product displays. Photo: Unsplash
Apple wants to reduce its reliance on sourcing displays for its products from Samsung and LG. So, the company is working on its own custom displays that it intends to use as early as 2024.
This would mark another move from Apple to develop more components it uses on its devices in-house.
Take advantage of limited-time low pricing on unlimited access to e-learning courses. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Those with a curious mind can continue to expand their horizons from home thanks to e-learning options. For a limited time, we’re serving up a special offer on a package that’s primed to elevate those efforts.
Featuring highly popular language app Rosetta Stone, The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle is currently available for a fraction of its standard cost. Normally sold for nearly $1,800, this bundle pairs Rosetta Stone with StackSkills Unlimited, which is loaded with classes led by more than 350 experts, for only $149 combined.
It's not a fountain pen. It's Adonit Star. Photo: Adonit
Adonit Star is an iPad stylus for those who love antiques but don’t want to forgo modern technology. It’s designed to look like a fountain pen, not the usual plastic pencil.
It’s an accessory any 19th century lawyer would be proud to own. But is surprisingly affordable.
Grovemade's popular desk shelves now come in white oak. Photo: Grovemade
Home-office goods maker Grovemade rolled out white-oak versions of its popular desk shelves Tuesday, adding a classy new option for anyone trying to improve their computer setup.
You can get the new desk shelves in small, medium or large sizes. They’re not cheap, but you deserve to have nice things.
Yale's new smart safes come in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions. Photo: Yale Home
Worried about keeping your valuables safe? Venerable lock maker Yale said Tuesday it has two new smart safes for you: Yale Smart Safe and Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi.
And you can control the new safes using the Home app via HomeKit. Or, in the case of the Wi-Fi-enabled safe, with the Siri voice assistant.
iPhone 16 Pro might show only a holepunch camera. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Face ID sensors reportedly will be hidden from users in next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. That would free up space for more screen area.
If true, under-display Face ID might mean that the days of the Dynamic Island are numbered, even though the feature only recently debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro.
At $400, the iPad mini 6 provides a lot more value for money. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Did the iPad mini catch your fancy? Amazon has a killer deal on Apple’s smallest tablet, knocking $99 off its retail price.
After the discount, you can get the 2021 iPad mini for $399.99, down from its original $499 MSRP. This is the same price the tablet was available for during Black Friday.
Paul Walter Hauser lit up Black Bird with his depiction of suspected serial killer Larry Hall. Photo: Apple TV+
BOSTON — Before he put pen to paper and gave us violent sagas of lowlife P.I.s and desperate criminals, Dennis Lehane used to deliver flowers to a hospital next door to the Liberty Hotel. Now the novelist, who acted as writer and showrunner for the brilliant Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, is sitting here in the Liberty, so named because of its former vocation: a prison.
It’s an appropriate setting. Black Bird tells the true story of Jimmy Keene, a prison informant who risked his life to nail a serial killer. (The series is based on Keene’s autobiographical novel, In With the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.)
Lehane and his chilling Black Bird star Paul Walter Hauser sat down with Cult of Mac and other journalists recently to discuss their critically acclaimed Apple TV+ show, which is racking up nominations as awards season gets underway. If Black Bird’s outstanding cast and crew receive the recognition they deserve, the show stands a good chance of picking up a handful of awards — and adding to the growing glow of prestige programming on Apple TV+. (Update: Hauser won the Golden Globe on Tuesday night for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.)
In the group interview, Lehane and Hauser talked motivation, working conditions and seeing into the mind of a psychopath, among other things.
★★★★☆
Multiple Macs can share a 4K screen with IOGear's new USB-C/DisplayPort switch. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Your Mac and MacBook can easily share a monitor, and quickly flip between them, with the IOGear 2-Port 4K USB-C KVM Switch with DisplayPort Output.
I tested it in my home office, and it really reduces the hassle of switching between two computers. And it lets the computers easily share a wired mouse and keyboard.
This wallet-size, folding wireless charger can juice up three Apple devices at once. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Nobody said you have to wait for spring cleaning to tidy up a little. If you’re sick of cable clutter, a simple solution is to get rid of most of your cords and replace them with a multi-surface wireless charger. The MagStack is a foldable, three-in-one wireless charging station that works with any Qi-compatible phones or Bluetooth earbuds, and it’s on sale now for the best price online. Get one for just $44.99 (regularly $69.99).
A future Apple Watch Ultra might include a cutting-edge microLED screen. Photo: Apple
Apple will bring a microLED screen to its wrist wearable, according to a reliable source of insider info. This would replace the OLED displays currently in Apple Watch.
A switch to microLED would bring an improved type of screen: brighter and less prone to burn-in.
Apple is highlighting iPhone 14's Action Mode in a new ad. Photo: Unsplash
Apple has released a couple of new ads highlighting the iPhone 14’s Action Mode and the Undo Send feature in iOS 16’s Messages app. The features are available on both regular iPhone 14 and 14 Pro series.
This is the second ad Apple has released since the iPhone 14 release to promote Action Mode. The advanced stabilization mode provides gimbal-like stabilization.
Apple Maps now has the SpotHero parking-space finder built in. Here's how to use the new combination. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPhone users can now find a parking space with Apple Maps. Starting Monday, the navigation application has SpotHero built in, giving parking options for more than 8,000 locations across North America.
The feature is free, though the spaces are not. Here’s how to use it.
With the right adapter you can use a new Xbox with an old Cinema Display (on the right). Photo: [email protected]
So many people love Apple gear because the Cupertino tech giant gets a lot right with its hardware. That certainly includes monitors, and not just the phenomenal Pro Display XDR and new Studio Display. We see a fair number of new computer setups relying on classic Apple screens like Cinema Display and Thunderbolt Display.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro and Xbox setup is a good example. Even with a modern gaming console — and given the right adapter — a display from a dozen years ago is still keeping it real.
Apple is hard at work on the iPhone 15. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels
The iPhone 15 is reportedly in trial production, a fairly early stage in bringing the product to market. Still, it means the final feature set and design are essentially complete and Apple is thinking about assembling the device.
Trial production is going on at a Foxconn plant in China. The iPhone 15 will also be made in India.
Apple's first retail store in India could finally open its doors soon. Photo: Cult of Mac
Apple’s first retail store in India has moved closer to its opening. After years of delays, the company has started hiring retail store workers in the country.
The company has posted 12 job positions on its career page in India as it looks to fill various retail positions.