Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple April event is an augmented reality easter egg. It’s part of the company’s ongoing move to draw more attention to AR.
The graphic for the event invite is the Apple logo made out of a swirling line. iPhone and iPad users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and put it in motion.
The next Apple product-release event will happen April 20. Invites went out Tuesday morning for the virtual “Spring Loaded” event, just hours after Siri leaked the date.
Naturally, Apple didn’t announce what’s on the agenda. But rumors point to multiple new iPads, as well as the possibility of next-gen AirPods, a faster Apple TV and the long-awaited debut of AirTags item trackers.
The release of Roku OS 10 brings support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to several more Roku streaming devices and smart TVs. These streaming options were once reserved for pricey settop boxes but are now available on very affordable devices.
Plugable’s USBC-Vameter voltage and amperage meter shows how much power is moving through a USB-C connection. It helps users see what’s happening when their devices are charging… or not charging.
On Tuesday, Plugable released a new version of the tiny multi-meter with an easier-to-read OLED screen and other improvements.
Lisey’s Story, an Apple TV+ series based on a 2006 Stephen King novel, will debut on Apple TV+ on June 4. It’s about the widow of a famous author who discovered a passageway to a parallel dimension that inspired his work.
Unlike many screen adaptations of King’s work, the horror master himself wrote the scripts for Lisey’s Story. The eight-part series stars Julianne Moore and Clive Owen. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions produced the show.
Apple TV+ may be only a bit-player in the streaming wars, but on a pound-for-pound quality basis, it could actually be outperforming its competitors.
That’s according to a new study by Self Financial, which compared TV and movie data from Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Apple TV+ to find out which offered the best quality viewing experience.
AirPods are convenient for a number of reasons: They’re small, sleek and easy to move around with, making them perfect for everything from morning runs to important conference calls. But there is one problem with these nifty wireless earbuds. Because there’s no wired connection, they’ll need to be sufficiently charged at all times.
That’s what makes this 10,000mAh ChargeWorx power bank even more convenient than wireless earbuds. It can charge your smartphone and AirPods at the same time. Available in sizes for regular AirPods and AirPods Pro, this multitasking power bank can power you through outdoor adventures all summer long for the incredibly low price of $41.99.
LG Magna e-Powertrain is the latest company to be linked with Apple to potentially build an electric car.
According to a Tuesday report, the two parties are “very near” to signing a deal, although contract fine print is still being discussed.
Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill Monday that would ban mergers and acquisitions by companies with market caps in excess of $100 billion. If passed, the bill could have a massive impact on technology companies, including Apple.
Apple, for the record, currently has a market cap of $2.2 trillion. Other tech giants worth upward of $100 billion include Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and Netflix.
Siri may have just revealed the date for Apple’s rumored April event. According the voice assistant, Apple’s next event will take place one week from now on April 20.
This is likely to be the event at which Apple debuts its next-gen iPad Pro, the eagerly anticipated AirTags item trackers and a new iPad mini.
There are so many external batteries that it’s hard to stand out from the pack, but the Intelli ScoutPro manages it easily. There’s magnetic wireless Apple Watch and iPhone chargers. Plus the dual USB-C ports can output up to 100 watts each. All told, the accessory can hold up to 24,000mAh and handle up to 240 watt.
I put this power bank through its paces, testing all the ways it can recharge Apple devices. Here’s how it stood up.
With the steady rise of hackers, trackers and big businesses vying for your data, virtual private networks are becoming as necessary as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections. That’s how important it is to protect your data and surf the web freely in the modern digital age.
So getting full VPN protection for the next decade at a fraction of the regular price is a must for the savvy internet surfer. That’s what makes this limited-time deal from VPN.asia such a steal. For a limited time, you can purchase a 10-year subscription to VPN.asia at a 92% discount.
Mythic Quest season two is right around the corner, and Apple TV+ whet everyone’s appetite Monday with a fresh trailer. In the upcoming episodes, the game developers face the pressure of building a critical expansion pack, and some people are handling the stress far, far too easily.
Watch the hijinks now.
The pandemic continues to drive up demand for notebooks and desktops, and Mac shipments saw a triple-digit annual increase in Q1 2021 according to a market research firm. Apple also almost certainly also benefitted from the release of the first M-series computers near the end of 2020.
Web developer LincHayes recently showed off the M1 Mac mini-and-PC-based setup he put together to restart a live tech support business and do some podcasting. It did not fail to impress lots of folks on Reddit.
After all, this is LincHayes’ first time as a Mac owner. And a lot of people relate to running both Macs and PCs in a complex, multifunctional setup with a lot of moving parts.
Microsoft has acquired Nuance Communications, the speech recognition AI company which helped* power Siri.
Microsoft snapped up Nuance for a massive $16 billion ($19.7 billion, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt). That’s the most it has spent on a company since buying LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.
Both Apple and Google have blocked an update to England and Wales’ Department of Health contact-tracing app, built using the tech giants’ API.
The update was intended to be released to coincide with the relaxation of lockdown measures in the United Kingdom. However, it apparently breached one of Apple and Google’s main rules: Apps built with the contact-tracing technology are not allowed to gather location data that could track users.
If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need a fancy, expensive setup to create beautiful, professional-looking videos and photos. But at the very least, you do need to have the right equipment to create high-quality content.
And the first place you can start is making sure you have a combination of the right techniques, proper lighting and the best tools to support your recording device.
Apple TV+ is looking to ramp up its investment in original movies, and has hired a former WarnerMedia executive to help it, according to The Information.
The report cites “two people familiar with the situation” as saying that Apple wants to “beef up its original film production” to better compete in the streaming stakes.
Apple is working on a new smart home product that would combine Apple TV, a HomePod speaker and a camera for FaceTime or Zoom-style video conferencing, Bloomberg reported Monday.
The company “has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but [this] versatile new device in early development could change that,” according to the story, which describes the in-development product as “Apple’s most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date.”
Apple continues to run into production challenges with its next-gen iPad Pro, but they won’t stop the tablet from debuting later this month, reports Bloomberg.
If you plan to get one, you might want to brace yourself for a wait, though. The next iPad Pro — notably, the larger, 12.9-inch model — could prove tough to get your hands on in the early days.
It’s Sunday, and you’re staring at your computer. What’s it gonna be? Work or fun?
Some of the new and upgraded apps in this week’s roundup put an array of clever tools at your disposal if you’re feeling productive. You can free up space on your Mac’s hard drive, download YouTube videos or give your Home app a makeover.
Others focus on fun. They give you new ways to flex your creativity and stay entertained — and maybe even get paid while doing so. Time to dig in!
If you use Apple devices, you might wonder why you would need another cloud storage service. After all, you’re probably already familiar with iCloud, which syncs your photos and music across your devices.
But Apple’s service does come with its own annoyances. For example, there’s no automatic deletion of the photos you choose to get rid of. If you’re looking for the best comprehensive, unlimited cloud storage solution for all your files, look no further than this G Cloud Mobile Backup Unlimited Storage Plan.
Have you ever spent hours scouring YouTube for an accurate instrumental or vocal track from your favorite song? If the answer is yes, you know just how difficult it can be to find a particular isolated track.
EasySplitter is the perfect solution to this problem. The app (iOS or Android) seamlessly splits the vocals and instrumentals from any recorded song. Valued at nearly $600, a lifetime subscription to EasySplitter Pro is now available for just $39.99. That’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of remix freedom.
Adding dozens of new games is great and all, but embracing the past might be the smartest move Apple Arcade made this month.
Now Apple’s subscription gaming service includes two new categories — Timeless Classics and App Store Greats — that showcase just how fantastically fun mobile gaming can be.
The expansion is a real boon for casual gamers who might be more into sudoku than an arty indie game they’ve never heard of. And it makes Apple Arcade’s $4.99-a-month subscription look like an unbeatable deal.
If you haven’t tried Apple Arcade, now might be the time to take the plunge. And if you haven’t checked out Apple One subscription bundles — all of which include Apple Arcade — you might be missing out some real savings.
Read all about Apple Arcade’s power play (and get the rest of the week’s top Apple news) in Cult of Mac Magazine. Download the free app to read on your iOS device, or get the links below.