Cult of Mac

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Drew, two of the high profile executives Apple brought in with its $3 billion purchase of Beats, are profiled in the new issue of GQ. While both have stepped back from their daily involvement with Apple, the article nonetheless briefly touches on Cupertino’s 2014 Beats purchase — and why Iovine says it made total sense for Apple.

Iovine, who stepped aside as head of Apple Music in 2018, said that he and Dre now spend their time searching for the next Steve Jobs, via a focus on education.

On Thursday, Australia became the first country outside of China to reopen large numbers of Apple Stores as 21 of its 22 retail outlets opened their doors again for the first time in more than six weeks.

The Australian Apple Stores, like all others outside China, have been closed since March 14. They were temporarily shuttered due to the spread of COVID-19.

Apple Watch made up a whopping 55.5% of global smartwatch shipments in the first three months of the year, according to a report released Wednesday by a market-research firm.

Apple shipments grew significantly, and so did those of its top competitors. Still, the COVID-19 epidemic is hurting smartwatch sales, and is expected to continue to do so.

It looks like Thomas Parson, a videographer from Wales, works in ex-Apple designer Jony Ive’s famous white room, using just a MacBook Pro and a 24-inch ASUS monitor, with an iPad as a second screen.

He props up the MacBook in a special vertical laptop stand that nicely adds to the overall minimalist design of his rig. He uses Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Mouse and for audio he has a duo of Logitech desk speakers and a pair of Razer gaming headphones.

Great Britain’s National Health Service reportedly asked the developers of its COVID-19 app to investigate switching to Apple and Google’s contact-tracing approach even as its U.K. launch approaches. The move came after widespread concerns over privacy issues and battery life, according to a published report Wednesday.

Sonic loaded its newest soundbar with high-end features, including Dolby Atmos. But the Sonos Arc is intended for more than home theater. It includes Apple AirPlay 2 so it can handle music, podcasts and radio when the TV is off.

iPhone and Apple Watch will soon make it easy to share medical ID information during emergency calls. Basic details like allergies and medications can be sent to a dispatcher during the call.

This feature appeared in iOS 13.5 developer beta 4, which debuted on Wednesday.

Apple’s never going to bring the Mac Pro’s cheese-grater design to iPhone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get a laugh out of the idea. A cheeky new iPhone 12 XDR Pro concept video shows just how ridiculous that would look.

It’s short, it’s sweet … and it’s the craziest iPhone concept we’ve seen in a while.

When a Mac runs its course, most of us would sell it, dump it, or bury it in the attic. Not James Burde.

As a designer and architect at Teiki Design Studio in Vermont east of Burlington, Burde spent his spare time transforming an old Power Mac G4 tower into a cocktail cabinet, aptly named the McMartini.

“It was a flash of inspiration,” Burde told Cult of Mac. “I wanted it to be a gift for my brother and hand it over to him and he’s been using it now.”

Microsoft on Wednesday bumped up the display size of its mid-range tablet, just as Apple did last year. The newly-announced Surface Go 2 has a 10.5-inch screen, as does the iPad Air 3.

And this Windows tablet has a range of other enhancements to allow it to better compete with its iPadOS rival. But it doesn’t often come out ahead.

NBC’s new movie and T.V. streaming service Peacock will be available on iOS and tvOS devices when it launches July 15, the broadcaster said Wednesday.

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, the Cult of Mac Store is making last-minute shopping a little easier with sweet discounts on terrific accessories for iPhone and Apple Watch.

You can save on cases, bands, charging stands, and more from brilliant brands like Twelve South, Mujjo, Elago, and more. The sale is good for a limited time only, so enjoy it while you can!

Consumers once shared an unusually strong bond with Apple. But that reportedly started to slip last year, a trend that continues in 2020. A report released Wednesday on the emotional bonds consumers form with brands puts the iPhone maker in third place overall.

Still, Apple came in at the top of the technology & telecommunications industry, beating Samsung and Google.

Apple spent time reinventing the mouse pointer to make it perfect for iPad, revealed Craig Federighi, the company’s senior vice president of software engineering, in a new interview.

Its brand-new system, which debuted in iPadOS 13.4 in March, is inspired by Apple TV and designed to feel familiar to those who have never used a mouse or trackpad with iPad before.

“We set out to design the cursor in a way that retains the touch-first experience without fundamentally changing the UI,” Federighi said.

Italian carmaker Lamborghini announced Wednesday it will reveal its newest supercar, the Huracán EVO RWD Spyder, using Augmented Reality and Apple’s AR Quick Look on Apple iPhones and iPads beginning May 7.

After months of anticipation and weeks of social media teasing, the TiVo Stream 4K was released Wednesday, a streaming box that brings together on-demand and live streaming services into one device without having to switch from app to app to find and watch shows.

At an introductory price of $49.99 with no monthly subscription for TV scheduling data, the TiVo Stream 4K will take on the Apple TV 4K with a starting price of $179 and the top-selling Roku streaming device.

The disappointing news for Apple TV app users and Apple TV+ subscribers is that TiVo’s newest product currently will not support the app or integration of Apple’s programming as Apple does not have an Android app.

Apple’s newest iPhone SE is a big (literally) disappointment to those who still have a thing for 4-inch screens. But no one is forcing you to go large. Instead, why not pick up an original iPhone SE for as little as $89.99?

Be quick — this sale is good for today only!

Apple has finally acknowledged that some AirPods Pro units can produce “cracking or static sounds” while in use. If you’re experiencing these issues, there are some things you can try that might help eliminate them.

These are the steps Apple says you should take.

Twitter announced Tuesday it has started testing a new way threaded conversation layout meant to make it easier for its users to see who is communicating to whom.

The new layout – being tested on Twitter’s iOS app and via the web – is meant to help users keep better track of long threads and people responding to sub-tweets coming off an original thread.

Apple has lined up new iMac and AirPods refreshes for 2020 that are “ready to ship,” according to a reliable leaker. Both products could appear “at any time,” but it doesn’t seem like Apple has nailed down release dates just yet.

Apple has expanded the data available through its Mobility Trends Reports tool. A report indicates all 50 states are now covered along with about 580 new sub-regions.

The data is meant to help healthcare authorities analyze the spread of coronavirus and slow the spread of COVID-19. It was initially introduced to aggregate data from major cities and 63 countries or regions.

Want to get more from your Mac? We’ve rounded up four apps so you can do just that. From uncovering hidden MacOS features to translating text, voice and images, to an enhanced toolbar and more.

Apple’s second-generation Powerbeats Pro for 2020 have been certified for a third time, this time in Korea, ahead of their release. The registration suggests an official launch could be imminent.

Filing illustrations indicate the new buds will be visually identical to existing Powerbeats Pro headphones, which first debuted last May.

Apple on Monday was hit with a second class-action lawsuit over iPhone XR’s “inferior” Wi-Fi antennas.

The company is accused of hiding the fact that its more affordable handset, released in 2018, shipped with a 2×2 MIMO antenna array, while the pricier iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max packed a 4×4 MIMO array.

The American Film Institute announced Tuesday it has launched a dedicated AFI Movie Club collection of chosen films on the Apple TV app. 

The club is not a subscription service but simply recommendations of content that can be bought through iTunes for $14.99 or rented through Disney+, Hulu, or HBO for $3.99 each.