You will definitely want to enable alerts from Cult of Mac. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
It’s unlikely you’ll miss much if you never open the Twitter app again, but there might be a few accounts you follow (like Cult of Mac’s, for instance) that provide worthwhile content you want to see.
Plenty of people unboxing a 2020 iPhone SE used to be Android users. Photo: Apple/TheApplePost
The $399 iPhone SE accomplishes two important goals for Apple, according to a market-research firm. It persuades more Android users than usual to switch to iOS. And the entry-level handset also convinces users of older Apple models that it’s time to upgrade.
A redesigned Wemo WiFi Smart Plug brings HomeKit support to regular appliances. Photo: Belkin
Belkin on Monday began offering a much smaller version of its Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. Like the original, it supports Apple’s HomeKit home automation system. But the updated version of this smart outlet doesn’t crowd the wall socket nearly so much.
It's super-simple. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
You might have assumed it was impossible to capture a CarPlay screenshot; there’s no option for it in CarPlay itself, after all. But not only is it possible, it’s also incredibly easy.
Ustwo Games teased us with Alba: a Wildlife Adventure. Photo: Ustwo Games
Monument Valley was such a huge hit that any follow up offerings from Ustwo Games alway draw attention. On Monday, the company unveiled Alba: a Wildlife Adventure via a teaser video trailer.
Give your Mac a major productivity boost with this bundle of 8 apps. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The biggest limitation on what our Macs can do comes down to the apps we install. This bundle of powerhouse apps includes 8 apps. They cover productivity, creativity, utility and more, so there’s something to make any Mac more useful. And now is the last chance to get it at a massive 93% off the usual price.
iTunes scams have gone on for years. Unfortunately, people still fall for them. Photo: Apple
Apple faces a class-action lawsuit from customers who fell victim to an iTunes gift card scam that they claim the company benefited from.
The scam has been around for a number of years. It frequently involves people being phoned up and asked for money by the fraudsters claiming to be from the Inland Revenue Service (or another governmental department). The scammers ask the victims to pay money owed by buying iTunes vouchers and then handing over the authorization codes.
There's not one clear runaway winner like last year's iPhone XR. Photo: Apple
Apple no longer reveals the exact breakdown of sales when it comes to its individual iPhone models. But a new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners may provide some answers for the quarter ending June 27, 2020.
According to the firm, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro made up about two-thirds of iPhone sales in the United States. This year, sales were split fairly evenly between the two models. That’s very different to Q2 2019 when the cheaper iPhone XR made up 65% of U.S. iPhone sales.
One of the biggest discounts yet! Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
It’s a great time to treat yourself to Apple’s newest AirPods, with Amazon now offering brand-new units for just $129.98. That’s $29.02 off the usual price and one of Amazon’s biggest discounts to date.
The tyranny of portrait mode is coming to an end! Photo: Nintendo
Mario Kart Tour is addressing two big player complaints in its new update — adding landscape mode orientation, alongside portrait mode, as well as alternate game controls.
The update launches tomorrow, July 21. If you’ve not played Mario Kart on iOS for a while, it may be worth checking out this update to see how much these transform the overall gaming experience. Check out the trailer for the update below.
New ad shines a spotlight on talented up-and-coming photographer. Photo: Apple
When I think back to the Mac ads that have been my favorite over the years, it’s the ones that show everyday users (albeit frequently exceptionally talented ones) using Apple products that really stand out.
A celebrity-filled ad that makes you laugh is all well and great, but the ads that demonstrate how Apple products can help to create art or empower ordinary people are some of the most powerful ones. Which is why the latest “Behind the Mac” ad is my favorite 2020 commercial so far.
Apple changed its homepage image to show the civil rights hero and congressman. Photo: Apple
Apple updated its homepage over the weekend to pay tribute to John Lewis, the Democratic congressman and civil right hero, who died Friday at the age of 80.
Apple’s homepage featured an image of Lewis, with the quotation: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Make gaming easy with this wireless controller's multimedia functions, turbo acceleration, and wide device compatibility. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Games are as common on our laptops, phones and tablets as they are on consoles. Unfortunately, playing those games means smudging up screens or hooking up a mouse. Not so with this feature-packed Bluetooth wireless controller.
It's actually fairly simple to get this software running on an iOS device. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
If you’ve always dreamed of running a Windows or Mac operating system on iPhone or iPad, this is your lucky day. We’ve got how-tos that show you how to run Windows XP or Mac OS X on an iOS device. It turns out it’s not that difficult — and it doesn’t require a jailbreak!
If you’re not up for a weekend project like that, don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of other good reading in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and enjoy all the week’s top stories on your iPad or iPhone.
It’s got plenty of Apple news, including info on iOS 13.6 and the other software updates Apple released this week.
Turn your devices into powerful musical playmates. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The internet has revolutionized music, and so have mobile devices. That’s as true of learning music as it is for listening to it, as these three deals demonstrate. With them, you can gain command of the ukelele, master Apple’s powerful Logic Pro X music-production program, and learn thousands of tunes straight from digital sheet music.
Audiophiles will be drooling at the mouth when they see this setup. Photo: @connellmccarthy
Connell McCarthy is a senior designer for Shopify by day and moonlights as a musician. His setup was built to handle both of these activities.
He works at a Strucktube table, by Tokyo Desk, which gives him a ton of space to work with. His monitor is the LG 32-inch FreeStyle IPS Monitor which gives him good screen quality without breaking the bank. The nerve center of his rig is a MacBook Pro.
The medical mask emoji has way too much in common with the disappointed face emoji. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when wearing a face mask slows the spread of this disease, Apple really must change its medical mask emoji. It seems like a small tweak, but it’s important.
Currently, the face shown is unhappy about having to wear a mask. The design needs to show the person is glad to do their part.
This week's gigantic Twitter hack gives us the creeps. Image: The CultCast
This week on The CultCast: A massive Twitter hack has Apple pushing a bitcoin scam to millions! Plus: iOS 13.6 brings some cool new features to Apple News. And we’ll tell you the newest info on Apple Glass, while pondering the fate of Jon Prosser, the prolific Apple insider who vanished right after leaking details on the AR specs.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Necrobarista is a “spellbinding story of necromancy, friendship, and letting go.“ Photo: Route 59
The Terminal is a back-alley cafe where the dead mingle with the living. Necrobarista, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is the story of Maddy Xiao, the new owner and an amateur necromancer.
Route 59 calls its creation “a unique take on the visual novel medium.” It offers a free-roaming first-person perspective on a 3D world with anime aesthetics.
India is an increasingly important part of Apple's supply chain. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Yet another major Apple contract manufacturer is embracing India as a possible location for building iPhones. According to Bloomberg, Pegatron is the third major iPhone maker — after Foxconn and Wistron — to explore setting up a plant in India.
Do voice assistants like Siri give companies an unfair advantage? Photo: ECR Group/Flickr CC
Does the voice data harvested by voice assistants like Siri give tech giants an unfair marketplace advantage? Lawmakers in Europe are currently pondering that exact question.
A European Commission investigation into the matter will look at whether this data is being used to stifle competition and maintain the position of companies like Apple and Amazon in the marketplace. This most notably relates to the rapidly expanding constellation of smart, connected devices.
Give your privacy a serious boost with lifetime subscriptions to a pair of killer services. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The more we learn about how much of our information is up for grabs, the more it makes sense to protect ourselves. Privacy and security are precious, and we’ve got a great deal on a pair of powerful tools for preserving both.
Apple is changing terms to make them more inclusive. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple has made plenty of public-facing moves to show its push for diversity in tech. But it’s making some behind-the-scenes changes, too — like tweaking the terms in its developer ecosystem to remove words the company no longer considers appropriate.
Examples include switching “master” code repository to “main” code repository, and changing “blacklist” to “deny list.” Here’s what Apple had to say in its announcement:
Worldwide app downloads have boomed over the past three months, hitting an all-time high of 37.8 billion downloads, a new report by app analytics platform Sensor Tower claims.
Of that number, 9.1 billion were from the App Store. The remaining 28.7 billion was from the Google Play store for Android users. Both saw considerable growth versus last year. That’s despite the effects of coronavirus and the subsequent economic downturn.
This is located close to the site of Apple's first ever China Apple Store. Photo: Apple
Apple opened its first store in China back in 2008 at Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun mall. Now, more than a decade later, it has opened a spectacular new Apple Sanlitun store adjacent to the now-shuttered location of the original.
Apple Sanlitun is twice the size of the original Beijing store, and includes a viewing gallery, boardroom (for users to get advice from Apple experts), and a forum for future live events. Check out the pictures below.