Apple moved more smartphones during the 2021 holiday quarter than any competitor. It outsold Samsung, its nearest competitor, by more than 20%.
That said, the number of iPhones that shipped during Q4 2021 dropped a bit year over year.
This week the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America recognized Apple TV+ content with a pile of award nominations — five in the DGA Awards and four in the PGA Awards, both set to take place in March.
Apple TV+’s newest comedy The Afterparty is a lifeless, listless and laughless murder mystery in seven parts told by dozens of narrators. The premise is novel: Each episode, the first three of which premiere Friday, parodies a different storytelling genre.
Executive produced, written and directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord of The Lego Movie fame — and starring a who’s who of contemporary comedians — the show had everything going for it. It is, however, an almost complete misfire.
The Afterparty is neither funny nor fun enough to ever create an identity stronger than any of what it’s lampooning.
Soon you’ll be able to use an emoji to show that your battery is low. Or that you’re melting, are feeling ambivalent or patriotic, or getting teary-eyed. This is because the crop of fresh emoji approved in fall 2021 will debut when iOS 15.4 does.
Then they be used in texts, emails … wherever.
For the first time ever, Apple TV+ has offered the first episode of an Apple Original series — the crime comedy The Afterparty — on YouTube, where you can watch it in full for free.
That’s a promotional angle we haven’t seen before from the Cupertino tech giant. But will it work?
On Fridays it’s fun to focus on computer setups with entertaining features whenever possible. Sometimes it’s seriously vintage gear. Or it could be wacky decor. Once in a while, an exotic location pops up. Today we found one where a brand new M1 Pro MacBook meets a kooky crew of bobbleheads and other figures under a really over-the-top camera rig used as a webcam.
iOS and iPadOS 15 bring a number of big improvements to FaceTime — including voice isolation and the ability to blur your background during video calls like you can on Zoom and other video calling platforms.
We’ll show you how to enable the background blur feature using Portrait mode on iPhone and iPad.
Sick of losing your iPhone under all the clutter on your desk? Laut’s gorgeous Free Stand ensures your smartphone is always easy to see so you don’t miss another notification. It’s also great for hands-free FaceTime calls.
The Free Stand is made from sturdy aluminum and looks right at home alongside other Apple devices. It’s also adjustable, and until the end of today, it’s available from the Cult of Mac Store at 20% off its usual price. You can also save on all other Laut products.
This discount software activation keys post is brought to you by CDKeylord.com.
In its month-end sale, software seller CDKeylord.com offers more unbeatable deals on genuine Microsoft software. Cult of Mac readers can get 30% off the regular price of a Windows 10 Pro key. And when you buy a Windows 10 key, you can get a free upgrade to Windows 11! Just enter the special discount code CULT when you check out to grab the exceptional savings.
See currently available discounts on various Microsoft software titles in the list below.
The first tvOS 15.4 beta brings an improved video player with a built-in “Up Next” queue to Apple TV. The update, released Thursday by Apple, also allows users to connect to captive Wi-Fi networks for the first time.
The changes come after Apple TV got a completely redesigned video player with larger titles and more accessible subtitles in tvOS 15 last fall.
Apple on Thursday rolled out its first iOS 15.4 beta adding the ability to use Face ID with a mask for the first time. Since then, tests carried out by developers have uncovered some additional (and important) tidbits.
Here’s what you need to know.
Apple’s new iOS 15.4 beta eliminates a bug that prevents third-party apps from using iPhone 13 Pro’s super-smooth ProMotion feature.
Until now, apps not made by Apple have been restricted to a 60Hz refresh rate on the company’s newest flagship smartphone. But after installing iOS 15.4, they’re just as silky as apps running on iPad Pro.
The technology behind wireless chargers improves every year. This Magnetic Wireless Charger for iPhone is fast, safe and remarkably convenient for the price. You can get one for $29.99 or two for $49.99 while they’re on sale.
It’s similar to Apple’s MagSafe charger, but more affordable — especially if you buy two. (Can you ever have too many iPhone chargers?)
The Department of Justice, 35 U.S. states, and Microsoft have all backed Fortnite developer Epic Games in its fight against the App Store.
Briefs filed by Epic’s supporters with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit say last year’s ruling — which said the App Store was not a monopoly — is wrong. They also claim Apple is stifling competition.
Apple Music has launched a huge Neil Young promotion just days after Spotify began pulling all of the singer’s content from its platform.
Listeners will today find a “We Love Neil” section under the “Browse” tab that features albums, interviews, and playlists. Cupertino has also send out tweets and push notifications that call Apple Music “The home of Neil Young.”
Apple sold a crazy number of iPhones and Macs during the December quarter. And the result is what CEO Tim Cook called the company’s “biggest quarter ever.”
Take a deeper dive into the details to see how Apple was so very successful.
Technology has transformed just about everything in the modern world and art is no exception. Non-fungible tokens, aka NFTs, are a new way to uniquely register and ultimately protect your art in the open market.
Want to know how to get started with NFTs? This How to Create Your First NFT: The Beginner’s Guide will show you everything you need to know.
Apple raked in $123.9 billion in revenue during the last three months of 2021. That’s a year-over-year increase of 11%. More importantly, it’s significantly higher than financial analysts had predicted.
All that revenue led to quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.10. Again, that solidly beat expectations.
If you want to run more than one display with your M1 MacBook Air or M1 MacBook Pro, Sonnet Technologies just made things easier. The company rolled out new dual-display adapters that let you hook up two 4K displays to your laptop using just one of its precious few ports.
Face ID in iOS 15.4 will let users unlock their iPhones while wearing a mask. No Apple Watch necessary. The system will scan just the area around eyes. It comes with a warning that the change makes Face ID less secure, though.
Apple seeded the first iOS 15.4 beta to developers Thursday.
Apple seeded the first beta for macOS Monterey 12.3 to developers on Thursday. It includes the long-overdue Universal Control feature, suggesting this will finally launch soon.
The beta comes just a day after macOS 12.2 ended testing and was released to the public.
Apple this week dropped a bunch of gorgeous new Unity wallpapers — and a new band and face for Apple Watch — for iPhone, iPad and Mac as part of its Black History Month celebrations.
Here’s how to download them and enable them on your devices.
Want to protect your 11-inch iPad Pro or fourth-generation iPad Air without doubling its size? Check out the new Huex Folio from Laut, which offers a slimline design that includes a screen cover and a home for Apple Pencil.
Bag yours from the Cult of Mac Store with a 20% discount for a limited time.
First there was Touch ID, then Face ID. Now Ear ID could be on the way. Apple filed for a patent on a biometric system using AirPods wireless earbuds.
The idea is that headphones should be able to identify who is wearing them and refuse to work for unidentified wearers. But if the system is accurate enough, it could potentially be used to unlock an iPhone or Apple Watch without needing a passcode.
Hot on the heels of Denon’s launch of a soundbar-and-subwoofer combo with Dolby Atmos for just $449, Sony said Thursday it will offer its own affordable surround-sound rig for only $300. It’s the HT-S400 2.1ch Soundbar, set for launch in April.
At that price, Sony’s new soundbar looks like a solid budget-friendly option for stellar TV audio. Pumping out 330W of sound, it comes with a wireless subwoofer, easy connectivity to the company’s newest TVs and an OLED heads-up display.
Judging by the Denon and Sony launches, it appears an era of high-quality, affordable TV audio solutions is upon us. After all, just months ago, companies raced to put out similar gear that cost many hundreds of dollars more, in many cases.