Mobile menu toggle

More than a quarter of U.S. households sampled Apple TV+ during lockdown

By

Appletvpluslogo
Apple launched its streaming TV+ service last November.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ reportedly made big inroads while users were stuck home during the coronavirus lockdown, a recent study by Parks Associates claims.

The research firm notes that more than two in five U.S. households with broadband have trialed a streaming video service during lockdown. A surprisingly large 8% of households have trialed four or more. Among new subscribers to TV streaming services, Apple TV+ was sampled by 27% of households, the report states.

Siri activated by ‘a city’ or ‘OK, Jerry’ reveals study of false wake words

By

Siri Lights
Accidental wake words affects all the major smart assistants.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

“Hey Siri” can be inadvertently activated by other wake words including “A city,” “Hey Jerry,” and more, reveal researchers from Germany’s Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Bochum Max Planck Institute.

Siri’s far from the only voice assistant with a weakness when it comes to false triggers, however. The study compiled a list of over 1,000 words that can accidentally activate different A.I. assistants.

Wood, leather and metal are the core elements of this setup [Setups]

By

MacBook Air Setup
This setup screams high quality.
Photo: @vigokrumins

Vigo Krumins is a German-based web designer and when it comes to accessories he does not mess around. He collaborates with different high-quality accessory companies to build his dream setup. He says “companies reach out to me and if I like their stuff, we agree that they send me their products and I feature them in my posts giving my honest opinion about them.”

His monitor is a blast from the past. He has an Apple Cinema Display. Even though Apple discontinued them in 2011, the screen quality is still great. The exterior even resembles the Pro XDR display, albeit bulkier. He has the late 2008 version and has no plans to replace it with a newer monitor, unless of course, “Apple will release a cheaper version of the Apple Pro Display XDR.” Keep dreaming Vigo!

An iPhone running macOS apps could be all the computer you need [Opinion]

By

An iPhone running Mac apps could replace a Mac mini
An iPhone capable of running macOS software on an external display would be a game changer.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Macs will soon use Apple Silicon, the same type of proprietary processors found in iPhones. And an unconfirmed report indicates that Apple is exploring ways to let iPhones run Mac apps on an external display.

If true, an iOS handset could be all the computer many consumers need. They’d never have to buy a Mac again.

This $27 tool helped me ID the Ethernet cables in my wall [Under Review]

By

Elegiant Wire Tracker: This $27 tool will quickly identify Ethernet cables buried in your wall.
If you can't tell which Ethernet cable goes where, this inexpensive tool can help.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Under Review on The CultCast The Elegiant Wire Tracker looks unassuming, but it helped me solve a frustrating problem: identifying the Ethernet cables buried behind the walls of my house. The inexpensive kit consists of a little plastic probe about the size of a Polish sausage and an emitter about the size of an iPhone (only it’s an inch or so thick).

It’s made of blue plastic, so it doesn’t pack that heavyweight “pro” feel, but it seems fairly durable. And if you need to figure out which Ethernet cable goes where, it gets the job done.

Will Smith action film about escaping slavery heads for Apple TV+

By

‘Emancipation’ is coming to theaters and Apple TV+.
The man in this picture made headlines in 1863. His life is being made into Emancipation on Apple TV+.
Photo: Library of Congress

The real-life story of Peter, whose saga of escaping slavery made headlines around the world in 1863, is being made into Emancipation, a film starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua. Apple TV+ reportedly bought the worldwide rights for more than $120 million.

Deadline, which broke the news, called it the “largest film festival acquisition deal in film history.”

Apple Card users can defer July payments if pinched by COVID-19

By

Even Apple Card charges interest.
Cardholders might be able to defer their July Apple Card payment without accruing interest.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The novel coronavirus continues to hurt the U.S. economy, with unemployment about 13%. With so many out of work, or earning far less than they usually do, Apple and Goldman Sachs are offering to let people people struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic skip their July Apple Card payment without being hit with interest fees.

Yoga app accuses Apple of pushing subscription auto-renewals

By

Down Dog's email complaint
The message sent to Down Dog by Apple.
Photo: Down Dog

Another developer is speaking out about Apple’s controlling behavior in the App Store by saying it had an app update rejected because it refused to auto-charge users for its service following a free trial.

“[Apple] can choose to steal from their customers who forget to cancel, but we won’t do the same to ours,” yoga app Down Dog wrote in a recent tweet, saying that this is a line it would not cross.

Apple’s first MacBook Pro with Retina Display is officially obsolete

By

MacBook Pro Retina
So long and thanks for all the pixels.
Photo: Outsider.ne.kr/Flickr CC

Time sure passes quickly! Today, Apple added its first-ever MacBook Pro with Retina display to its “obsolete” list around the world, meaning that it can and will no longer provide any hardware support for it.

Obsolete products are ones whose sales were discontinued more than 7 years ago. In the case of the MacBook Pro, it went on sale in June 2012 and was discontinued in February the following year.

Save $55 on Twelve South’s stunning PowerPic charger for iPhone

By

Twelve South PowerPic
A wireless charging stand that never looks out of place.
Photo: Twelve South

Not every wireless charger is an ugly black box you’ll want to hide away. Check out Twelve South’s stunning PowerPic stand, which cleverly integrates wireless charging technology into a modern photo frame.

Get yours today on Amazon for just $34.99 — a generous $55 off the usual price.

Apple aggressively trying to reduce delays to iPhone 12 launch schedule

By

2020 iPhone 12 concept has a 99% screen to body ratio.
At one point, the iPhone 12 could have been pushed back as far as 2021.
Screenshot: Pallav Raj/ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 12 is reportedly “facing delays of between four weeks and two months” when it comes to full scale production of its four 5G handsets for 2020, a report published Wednesday by Nikkei Asian Review notes.

However, Apple has been “aggressively” trying to reduce these delays which, at one point, could have pushed the new iPhone back to 2021. Suppliers have supposedly been working overtime to reduce a massive wait for this year’s iPhone refresh.

Effortlessly enhance your photos with intuitive tools [Deals]

By

The Smartest, Easiest Photo Editing Software to Turn Shots Into Out of This World Images, Complete with AI Augmented Presets, Tutorial & eBook Guide
The smartest, easiest photo editing software to make your shots shine, complete with AI augmented presets, tutorials, and eBook guide.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter how good your camera is, the photos you get are only as good as what’s on the other side of the lens. Photoshop can work wonders of course, but it’s expensive, and for most people, too complicated to be worth the monthly payments. Not so with this powerful but intuitive photo editing bundle.

New ‘EvilQuest’ ransomware being spread through macOS pirate apps

By

EvilQuest message
This is the message you don't want to see on your Mac.
Photo: EvilQuest

A new macOS ransomware called EvilQuest is reportedly doing the rounds, spread largely through macOS pirate apps. A Mac infected with EvilQuest will suffer multiple problems, including the repeated crashing of the Finder. Most significantly, the ransomware will also hold your Mac hostage: encrypting files unless the user pays $50 to unlock them.

“Maybe you are busy looking for a way to recover your files,” reads an on-screen notification. “Do not waste your time. Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service. We guarantee however that you can recover your files safely and easily and this will cost you 50 USD without any additional fees. Our offer is valid for 3 days (starting now!)”

Former Apple Music marketing boss Bozoma Saint John joins Netflix

By

Bozoma Saint John
Bozoma Saint John on stage at an Apple event in 2016.
Photo: Apple

Bozoma Saint John, the former head of global consumer marketing for Apple Music, is joining Netflix as its new Chief Marketing Officer, Deadline reports.

Saint John joined Apple with the Beats acquisition in 2014. She left Apple in 2017 to join Uber as its Chief Brand Officer, before jumping to Endeavor to become its CMO.

This rig streamlines communication [Setups]

By

MacBook Pro Setup
This setup was designed to get work done.
Photo: Luke Peluso

Luke Peluso runs a mid-sized IT company from his desk so organization is essential. He has to be in constant communication with his team and his clients. That is why he uses both a MacBook and an iPad: the MacBook for work, and the iPad for communication.

His MacBook is a 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro and he primarily uses it for “agency management type software and few Windows-only apps.” The iPad is the 2019 iPad Pro that he uses with a Brydge Pro+ Wireless Keyboard. The iPad is for “iMessage and Zoom meetings,” Peluso says, and that having “separate large device just for communications is very helpful.”

Apple TV+ locks in Defending Jacob‘s creator for more new shows

By

Chris Evans plays a conflicted district attorney in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+.
The man who brought “Defending Jacob” to Apple TV+ will develop more shows for the new streaming service.
Photo: Apple

The writer, director and showrunner of Defending Jacob reportedly agreed to a long-term deal to make additional shows for Apple TV+. Their first collaboration went so well that Mark Bomback signed a exclusive agreement with Apple.

Boys State trailer somehow makes politics look like summertime fun

By

First Boys State trailer makes politics look fun.
Who says politics needs to be nasty?
Image: Apple TV+

It might seem totally impossible in 2020, but upcoming Apple TV+ documentary Boys State makes politics look fun. The first trailer, which Apple released Tuesday, introduces some of the real-life young men who engage in an annual Texas tradition that’s basically summer camp for citizens.

That might sound nerdy and dry, but the first promo spot crackles with energy. It feels almost like a mashup of Election, Dazed and Confused and Napoleon Dynamite (with a little bit of Little America and, hopefully, Meatballs, thrown in to spice things up).

Verizon or T-Mobile might be best option for your 5G iPhone

By

T-Mobile 5G service
T-Mobile offers 5G in more areas than any of its rivals. But Verizon is faster.
Photo: T-Mobile

It’s not too soon to pick out the best 5G network for your 5G iPhone. And right now, there are two top contenders, according to testing dozen by an analytics firm. Verizon offers the fastest download speeds by a wide margin. And T-Mobile offers 5G in a much broader area.

But AT&T is in there swinging too.

Connect your Mac and TV at 5G speeds with Hyper Mirror

By

Hyper Mirror includes a transmitter and a receiver.
Hyper Mirror plugs into a computer and wirelessly streams video to a TV.
Photo: Hyper

There’s no need to string HDMI cables between your Mac and TV with Hyper Mirror. This accessory streams video with the mmWave technology normally found in 5G networks.

Connect a computer to an external display with no wires or additional software. A Wi-Fi network also isn’t necessary.