During a White House briefing Monday evening, President Donald Trump praised Google and Apple’s unprecedented partnership to build a contract-tracing tool for both iOS and Android as “amazing.” However, he noted that many people “have some very big constitutional problems” with it.
Trump didn’t spell out the exact problem. But he voiced the concerns of people worried about the privacy aspects of new surveillance technologies.
Apple and Google have given further details on their plans for a joint contact tracing technology to combat coronavirus, saying the program will focus on privacy, will be voluntary, and that data will only be shared with public health organizations.
Since a system software update released in March, Apple’s HomePod smart speaker reportedly runs a version of tvOS, the operating system for Apple TV. The change might make it simpler to update this device, and support older hardware for longer.
The impact of the continuing coronavirus pandemic is starting to show its true colors with an almost 13% market share drop for Apple’s Mac computer line in the first quarter compared to a year ago.
The alternative rock band The Mowgli’s joined the muppets of Apple’s TV’s Helpsters to explain how to correctly use “if” and “then” in a sentence. And not through a boring lecture, but through a song.
Watch a video of them rocking some grammar rules now:
Apple has responded to US lawmakers’ concerns regarding the company’s COVID-19 screening site that was created in coordination with the CDC and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and FEMA.
Earlier this month, lawmakers demanded proof that the new tools protect citizens’ privacy. In its letter addressed to senators Robert Menendez, Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris and Cory A. Booker, Apple details how its site was designed to protect users’ rights during this important time.
The world was starting to develop a healthy skepticism for tech companies and their claims of making data privacy a priority. The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal seemed to get our attention and we began to understand how easy it is for groups to track our digital lives.
Then COVID-19 spread with bullet speed across the world and now surveillance of our movements to track the virus is sounding to many like a good idea.
Your fitness doesn’t need to suffer just because you’re stuck indoors during the coronavirus quarantine. In fact, now is the ideal time to start working on your six-pack. The lockdown won’t last forever. If you put in the work now, you’ll be looking like a ripped ex-con by the time we’re all allowed out again.
This post covers everything you need to know to build rock-hard abs. We’ll dispel a couple of myths that stop you from blasting your belly fat. And, in the video, I’ll show you the two essential types of core exercise you need to know.
Your Apple Watch could eventually keep an eye on more than your physical health. A future watchOS wearable will reportedly monitor the user’s stress level. This could go all the way to warning the wearer ahead of time that they could be close to a panic attack.
Instagram pushed out a big update to its IGTV app Monday focused on helping users discover more content from popular creators directly in the app.
IGTV, Instagram’s house for all long-form video, hasn’t been nearly as popular as the regular IG app, but Monday’s update hopes to change that by putting a bigger focus on creators and discovery.
One of the best keyboards money can buy for iPad Pro now comes with a built-in trackpad. The Brydge Pro+ is one of the first to truly embrace mouse support in iPadOS. And it costs a lot less than Apple’s official Magic Keyboard, which won’t debut until May.
Like almost every other Brydge keyboard I’ve used, this one delivers a terrific typing experience that you can rely on every day. It feels superbly comfortable, and it’s brilliantly designed. It makes your iPad feel like a MacBook in the most elegant way possible.
Despite all that — and my appreciation for Brydge as a company — it’s really hard for me to recommend the Pro+. It gets so many things right, but completely misses the mark where it really matters. Here’s my full Brydge Pro+ review after several weeks of use.
UPDATE: February 25, 2021: Brydge is currently preparing a big firmware update for the Pro+ that promises to eliminate its trackpad issues for good by adding native multitouch gestures. That means the Pro+ will soon offer exactly the same functionality as Apple’s own Magic Keyboard.
We have yet been able to test that firmware update, but we have heard that it lives up to Brydge’s promises. Bear that in mind before reading the rest of our original review below.
Quibi, the new smartphone streaming service with 10-minute program, keeps wracking up the downloads and may give viewers a choice to watch its “quick-bite” shows on streaming TV.
CEO Meg Whitman told an interviewer Monday that Quibi has had more than 1.7 million downloads since launching one week ago.
An all-new iPhone 12 Pro concept is out this week, hot on the heels of the latest report that Apple plans to introduce four 5G iPhones this fall.
The beautiful new video concept created by Donel Bagrov and Anton Panton envisions the most drop-dead-gorgeous iPhone we’ve ever seen, with a slick new body design, haptic volume slider, 120Hz refresh rate display and so much more.
We sure hope the 2020 iPhone looks something like this:
Apple has registered its first COVID-19-related domain name as the total number of global confirmed cases inches towards 2 million this week. The iPhone-maker scooped up the domain name AppleCoronavirus.com but the site isn’t being put to use yet.
Minix Neo Storage Pro is a 480GB solid-state drive that’s also a USB-C multi-port adapter. Plug it into a MacBook and it expands the storage capacity, while also adding HDMI and USB-A ports. And there’s also an accessible Thunderbolt 3 port.
Instagram is adding more web access to its platform with Live Streams now available on your desktop.
This option follow’s Facebook’s rollout last week of Direct Messages on the web version. Facebook owns Instagram.
Apple Maps will soon feature special locators for COVID-19 testing centers.
A testing center’s location will appear with a red medical glyph and a card containing information about the site. The listings will include the name and location of the testing center, the affiliated health care provider and contact information. Apple also asks the testing centers to indicate whether they require appointments or doctor referrals.
Going online can be risky business, so protecting your connection is always smart. And if you’ve got kids, there’s good reason to make sure they don’t end up where they don’t belong. Inappropriate content, excessive screen time, social media addiction, there’s plenty of reasons to get a tighter control of online life at home.
Great Britain’s National Health Service has confirmed plans to use joint contact tracing technology developed by Apple and Google in an upcoming app to warn users if they have been near someone suspected of being infected with COVID-19.
Apple reportedly will roll out a major refresh to its top-of-the-line iPhones in the fall that will see the addition of 5G and a re-design of two models with a slimmer, sleeker design. Sources said the company also plans to release a smaller, less expensive HomePod and an electronic finder technology to monitor the location of anything from keys to a purse.
Some of the discounts in the Cult of Mac Store’s big Easter sale are coming to an end. Don’t miss your chance to bag two Apple Watch bands from Nyloon and save $15.
They’re available in a host of dazzling designs and made from ballistic-grade nylon that’s super-sturdy and incredibly comfortable all day long.
This sale ends later today so take advantage of it before it’s gone!
This week we edit photos using the iPad’s trackpad, solve math problems with a Mac keyboard shortcut, add dynamic complications to our watches with Watchsmith, and more.
Ever plug your iPhone into iTunes and realize you have no idea how to get your music from one device to another? You’re not alone. iTunes is clunky and confusing. Luckily, apps like iMazing stepped in to offer easier and more intuitive iOS management.
Right now, you can get this powerful tool at a gigantic discount.
If you’re asking whether the iPad Pro is a laptop replacement, you’re asking the wrong question. Apple’s tablet is more like a Swiss Army knife that can tackle tasks that a MacBook can never master.
Find out why in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. In the free iOS mag, you’ll also find the latest on Apple’s attempts to battle COVID-19, including a contact-tracing partnership with Google and those rad face shields for health care workers whipped up by Cupertino’s finest.
Plus, you’ll get the usual mix of Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Grab yours now from the App Store.
Friday’s announcement that Apple and Google are teaming up to create a contact-tracing program to stop the spread of COVID-19 generated more questions than answers.
We broke down how these apps could help with our Cult of Mac explainer on the subject. However, we also found a more lighthearted, comic resource that addresses the ins and outs of contact tracing.