Cult of Mac

Update: Layton: Lost Future HD is now available for $13.99 in the App Store. A discounted bundle ($10 off!) of all three games is also available.

Classic Nintendo DS puzzle game series Professor Layton continues to make its way to iOS slowly but surely.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, the last installment in the original trilogy, which launched on DS a decade ago, is coming to the App Store July 13. Complete with some swanky updated HD graphics for your troubles!

Steve Jobs once said that Apple software landing on Windows was like serving ice water to a person in hell. If a new report from Italian website Aggiornamenti Lumia is to be believed, Windows users may be about to get their first cool, refreshing beverage in a while.

The report states that Apple is gearing up to launch a dedicated Apple app on the Microsoft Store. There’s no word on what this will include. However, it could well be related to Apple’s streaming subscription services making their way to Windows.

Apple reportedly paid out $950 million to Samsung in the April through June quarter for failing to buy a large enough quantity of OLED displays.

This follows a similar situation during Q2 in 2019 when Apple also made a large payout to Samsung for the same reason.

Macs moving from Intel to Apple Silicon could cause Windows computer-makers to dump Intel as well, according to Jean-Louis Gassée, the former head of Mac development back in the 1980s. He thinks the move could be led by Microsoft.

Garvin Ling is a Seattle-based coder whose setup was designed to handle some pretty heavy-duty stuff. The Samsung CJ89 43-inch UltraWide is an absolute mammoth of a monitor. It gives him a ton of screen real estate without sacrificing quality. He runs his setup off a MacBook Pro.

He has an Apple Magic Keyboard with the Numeric Keypad, which accompanies both a Logitech MX Master 2s and an Apple Magic Trackpad. This mouse-trackpad two-punch combination makes for easier and quicker coding and editing.

It’s highly unlikely Apple will ever give us an iPad that runs macOS — and that’s OK. Because with a few tricks (that do not require a jailbreak), you can easily install Mac OS X on your iPad all by yourself.

The process won’t void your warranty or interfere with iPadOS in anyway. All you need is a copy of Mac OS X, an app that lets you run virtual machines, and plenty of storage space.

Check out our step-by-step guide to learn more.

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s retail boss, sent a video to retail employees this weekend asking them to sign up to help customers remotely. She also said they should expect store closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue “for some period of time.”

Separately, Apple told employees that it doesn’t expect to have everyone back in its corporate headquarters before the end of 2020.

Amazon is making the 16-inch MacBook Pro more affordable than ever with $399.01 off the usual price. It’s the biggest discount we’ve seen so far on Apple’s most powerful notebook. Bag yours before it disappears!

Mifa’s Hybrid Sports Leather band for Apple Watch is a steal at $25. Not only is it made from genuine vintage suede, it has a sweatproof silicone backing that makes it as comfortable to wear as the softest sports band.

The layering of materials makes Mifa’s band one of my favorite Apple Watch straps. It’s lightweight, soft and comfortable — and it looks dressy but is designed for action.

If you owned an iPhone that took a performance hit after a controversial iOS update, Apple might owe you $25. The payments follow Apple’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit over “Batterygate.”

However, to get your check, your claim must be received by October 6, 2020. Find out how to apply for a Batterygate payment, and exactly what you need to qualify, below.

Working from home is the new normal, and an Apple video released Monday shows a team using Mac, iPad and iPhone to collaborate on a rushed project.

But this is less an instructional “how to” video and more something we can all commiserate with as the team struggles with kids, cats and crazy coworkers to make a looming deadline.

Enjoy it now:

Apple is reportedly enjoying strong sales of the MacBook Pro, and will increase production in the next few months. Laptop shipments could be up significantly for the third quarter.

All macOS computers seem to be having a strong 2020. In the second quarter of this year, total Mac shipments were up 36%, according to a market-research firm.

The price of AirPods Pro continues to fall this week as Woot offers up brand-new units for just $214.99 — the lowest price yet. The sale is good for today only and stock is selling fast, so don’t miss out.

Idris Elba reportedly signed a first-look deal with Apple. This means the iPhone maker gets the right of first refusal for all projects dreamed up by Elba and his Green Door Pictures production company.

Apple will publish its Q3 fiscal report on July 30, complete with an earnings call to investors with Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri.

The call will take place at 2 p.m. Pacific, according to Apple’s Investor Relations webpage.

Whether for websites, powerpoint presentation, or just design projects, visual elements are an essential element for today’s creatives. But good photos can cost good money, so this massive, lifelong library of visuals is essential.

Apple is investing more than $400 million in affordable housing projects and homeowner assistance programs in California, the company said Monday.

This sizable contribution is part of a multiyear commitment by Apple to spend $2.5 billion fighting the California housing crisis. The money will “support thousands of Californians with first-time homebuyer assistance or new affordable housing units.”

Sometime in 2021 Apple will be the world’s first $2 trillion company, predicts Wedbush analyst Dan Ives in his latest note to clients.

Ives — one of the most bullish of Apple investors — believes that Apple’s “5G tailwinds and services momentum” has the potential to push it past the $2 trillion market cap.

Woot’s spectacular sale on refurbished iPhones is back, with big savings to be had on a wide range of models. Prices start at a mere $99.99 for iPhone 6s and rise to just $769.99 for iPhone 11 Pro Max.

This sale is good for today only. Enjoy it while you can!

Mark Zuckerberg introduced large numbers of people to the idea of taping over their MacBook’s camera when, in 2016, he uploaded a photo that revealed a few of his security measures.

But Apple says using camera coverings can hurt MacBooks. In a new support document, Apple notes that covering the MacBook’s built-in FaceTime camera could interfere with the computer’s ambient light sensor, which is located next to the camera. The sensor controls True Tone and the Mac’s automatic brightness feature.

Apple has acquired the movie rights to an adaptation of graphic novel Snow Blind, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Deadline reported over the weekend.

The movie (and the 2017 graphic novel it was based on) is about a teenager, Teddy, who finds out that his family have been in the Witness Protection Program for years. Now someone after revenge has managed to locate them.

Germs are a major concern these days, so it’s important to stay vigilant. That’s especially true of one of the biggest vectors for germs in daily life: our phones. This sleek, simple desk accessory makes keeping your mobile device germ-free.

Today, the App Store is a part of every iPhone owner’s life — but it almost didn’t happen. Get the story behind that near-miss, plus some other fascinating App Store factoids, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

It’s free, and it also packs the latest Apple news and how-tos. Plus, this week we’ve got reviews of three new Apple TV+ offerings, including Tom Hanks’ World War II movie, Greyhound.

Download it now and enjoy it on your favorite iOS device. (Or use the links below to read in your browser.)

Even if you’re stuck at home, learning a new language offers a passport to the wider world. Picking up a new language happens fastest with full immersion — and technology can make that happen virtually.

Sam Rosenthal held onto his determination to make Where Cards Fall for almost a decade. And it’s paid off, as the game garnered a 2020 Apple Design Award.

In a lengthy interview with Apple, the developer shared insights into the design process for this title. Including how he tends to think of games as buildings the players move around in.

Aspiring developers might learn from his experiences.