Cult of Mac

Apple’s rumored electric vehicle could be just a nice luxury item that appeals to Apple fans with a lot of disposable income, similar to the HomePod or AirPods Max — but far more expensive. Or it could alter the automotive experience in a far more profound, Apple-esque manner.

I’d bet on the latter option. Apple doesn’t do things by halves. Steve Jobs famously stated that he wanted to build a personal computer that would put a ding in the universe. The iPhone, Apple Stores, the Apple Watch, iTunes and the App Store — those all changed the way that we use technology on a regular basis. They solved a bigger problem than just giving us a nice, Apple-branded version of an existing product to play with.

If Apple makes a car, it will likely remake the way we think about cars. Here are five ways Cupertino could do that.

Apple Maps will start collecting crowd-sourced accident reports when iOS 14.5 is released. The beta version already lets users test sharing the locations of accidents, speed traps and other hazards.

This is hardly cutting edge, of course. Google Waze has included the feature for years.

Mophie’s new Wireless Charging Stand+ powers an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously. Plus, it props up the handset so it can be used while charging.

The accessory hit online store shelves on Wednesday.

Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based Edward Wang, Ph.D., is an executive director with Quest Diagnostics. He took some serious time and effort making his setup a clean and powerful tool for health care work and audiovisual play. Once he diagnosed and treated a cable-management malady stemming from several separate pieces of computer and audio equipment, his setup delighted him.

Apple and A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. teamed up to develop “ultra-advanced display technology” at a special facility in Taiwan, a Wednesday report claims.

The Micro OLED displays measure less than 1 inch in size, according to Nikkei Asia. Apple potentially could use the displays for its long-rumored augmented reality glasses.  However, it seems likely it will take “several years” to bring the hardware to market.

Nissan is the latest automaker mentioned as a possible manufacturing partner to produce the rumored Apple car.

Makoto Uchida, Nissan’s CEO, was asked about teaming with Apple at a press conference Tuesday. Uchida responded that Nissan should be looking to “work with companies that are knowledgeable, with good experience, through partnership and collaboration,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

That’s not exactly a “yes,” but it’s certainly not a “no,” either.

Road trips are definitely surging in popularity as COVID-19 strangles air travel. But before you pack your favorite snacks and plan your sightseeing journey, you should be sure you have everything you need to stay safe on the road.

Your iPhone will most certainly be your command center when you pop your vehicle in drive, and any of these 10 car mounts can put it right where it needs to be. They all offer surefire ways to keep your iPhone in view without looking away from the road — and they’re all on sale.

Plus, you can keep your phone conveniently charged at all times, so you can stay connected while barreling down the highway.

According to Apple, a “very small number” of MacBook Pros sold in 2016 and 2017 have an issue that stops the battery charging beyond 1%.

As a result, Apple has launched a free battery replacement program to swap out these faulty batteries — so that customers can join the rest of us in the exclusive “our batteries charge up to 100%” club.

The forced sale of TikTok’s American operations to a group of U.S. buyers including Walmart and Oracle has been indefinitely postponed, The Wall Street Journal reports.

TikTok became a major target of former President Donald Trump, who claimed the Chinese-owned video-sharing service posed a security risk. However, it seems that President Joe Biden’s administration is not so dead-set on banishing the super-popular app from the United States.

A clever trick by designers at Satechi combines an Apple Watch charger and an AirPods charger into a single small accessory. On one side is a charging mat for the wearable, but flip it over to power up the case for Apple’s wireless earbuds.

The Satechi USB-C Watch AirPods Charger debuted on Tuesday exclusively from the online Apple Store.

iPhone 12 mini is the worst selling of the new iOS handsets by a wide margin. Apple should be embarrassed because there was plenty of evidence before the launch that sales would be poor. Take note: Another super-small iPhone would just compound the mistake.

No more 5.4-inch iPhones. Ever.

Apple Car on-road testing increased substantially in 2020. The number of miles driven went up 2.5 times. It’s another sign the company is getting more serious about its self-driving vehicle.

Whether you’re dabbling in creative pursuits or whipping up eye-catching images for your company, sometimes a simple edited photo just isn’t powerful enough to capture your audience’s attention. That’s where Morph Age: Image Morphing & Warping for Mac comes in handy. With this Mac app, you can create unique, interesting animations by altering faces, drawings and other objects in a few simple clicks.

Apple introduced macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to the public on Tuesday, taking care of a bug that prevented some MacBook Pro models from charging.

The update also removes security problems. Plus, Apple also released updates for macOS Catalina and Mojave to remove the same security bugs.

You’re probably already protecting your AirPods Pro charging case, but what about the beloved little buds themselves? Elago’s new earbuds covers help keep them free from grime and provide a more secure fit.

They’re ideal for running, cycling, and other workout activities. They also come in a number of cool color options — including one that glows in the dark!

Brisbane, Australia-based defense contractor Duncan Shultz loves Dungeons & Dragons. And that’s the main action his Mac-mini-and-wide-screen setup sees, although he also admits to using it to work for a living. An Aasimar Sorcerer’s got to eat, after all.

“The wide screen is simply awesome for my uses,” Shultz told Cult of Mac. “Specifically in running online D&D games. I can have video conferencing, multiple browsers, streaming software and other tools all open and accessible.”

In addition to the aforementioned sorcerer character — goes by the name of Selinth, BTW — Schultz is a dungeon master for Curse of Strahd campaigns, one online and one in person. Online he uses the Roll20 website and in person he uses EncounterPlus for iOS and macOS.

Qualcomm unveiled a 5G modem that potentially could increase the network speed of future iPhones. The new Snapdragon X65 promises 10 gigabit per second connections, as well as reduced battery drain.

In its announcement Tuesday, the chip maker didn’t specifically say the modem is headed for Apple products, but the iPhone 12 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 modem for 5G. And the two companies have a multiyear chipset supply agreement.

A mere 18 steps recorded in an iPhone’s Health app helped send an Alabama man to prison for 16 years. He claimed he was sleeping when his webcam model wife was accidentally killed. But his iPhone said differently.

According to the latest news, talks between Hyundai and Apple may have stalled. Still, if things start up again, the South Korean automaker’s E-GMP platform could be key to Apple’s ambitions to build an electric vehicle.

Hyundai’s promising E-GMP platform has a lot to love.

If you’ve ever wondered why Apple doesn’t do more manufacturing in the United States, a new report by Bloomberg offers a few answers. Covering the career of CEO Tim Cook, the article details the challenges of U.S. manufacturing, as epitomized by Apple’s Mac Pro factory in Austin, Texas.

“It was an experiment to prove that the U.S. supply chain could work as good as China’s, and it failed miserably,” a former senior manager is quoted as saying.

You may have considered the benefits of learning a second language — bilingual speakers can potentially have access to a broader range of career opportunities. But, have you considered learning American Sign Language? The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 28 million Americans (about 10% of the population) have some degree of hearing impairment — and about 2 million people within this population are classified as deaf.

However, only 10% of these 2 million people were born deaf, and the other 90% became deaf later in life. That means there’s a huge population of people you could help in various roles and connect to by learning ASL — and this Complete 2021 American Sign Language Master Class Bundle helps you master useful signs and communicate in just 75 hours.

Apple supplier Wistron said Tuesday that it is currently looking to restart iPhone production at its factory in Karnataka, India. The factory was shuttered at the end of 2020 after riots broke out.

However, Apple notes that the company is still on probation — and that it will be keeping a close eye on it going forwards.

Google and Facebook are rivals of Apple, but they also rely on it a whole lot — as a new report by app analytics platform Sensor Tower makes clear. It highlights how Google and Facebook were two of the top three publishers on the iOS App Store in January, with Google holding the top spot.

It’s the perfect illustration of the “coopetition” relationship that exists between the tech giants.

We’re spending more time online than ever these days, and hackers and data thieves aren’t exactly getting less menacing. You can stay safe online with this Windscribe VPN Pro Plan, which encrypts your internet connection whether you’re using public or private Wi-Fi.

Apple could have decided on the look of the first folding iPhone. Previously, the company was thought to be considering two options, but the winner is a “flip phone” design, according to a trusted Apple prognosticator.

The same source also has a hint that the folding iPhone might cost less than rival flexible phones. But it supposedly will not arrive before 2023 (and could come even later). With Apple’s focus on durability, the foldable iPhone could incorporate an advanced Liquidmetal hinge to improve longevity. Read more about Apple’s potential innovation here.