Circle April 30, 2020 on your calendar. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Investors won’t get their first glimpse at just how badly the COVID-19 pandemic hurt Apple’s business until the very end of April.
April revealed this afternoon that it will host a conference call with investors on Thursday, April 30, at 2 p.m. Pacific. The company said in February that it expects revenues to come in lower than its guidance due to the coronavirus outbreak that shut down Apple’s stores and production pipeline during the quarter.
An iPad and Mac simulator is helping medical workers learn to use ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Hamilton Medical
A ventilator simulator app for iPad and Mac is helping medical workers quickly learn how to use the life-saving machines during the coronavirus pandemic. The software, originally developed for classroom use, is now being used to train doctors on the fly as demand for ventilators — and professionals who can operate them — soars due to COVID-19.
The free simulator software looks and operates just like the Hamilton-C6, a state-of-the-art ventilator sold by Switzerland-based Hamilton Medical AG, one of the world’s largest medical ventilator manufacturers. Much like a flight simulator for pilots, the iPad app allows medical professionals unfamiliar with mechanical ventilators, or simply rusty after years of not using them, to practice adjusting settings without endangering lives.
“You don’t want to practice on a real patient, so that’s why we developed this simulator that basically provides that interaction,” Alexander Starcevic, director of marketing at Hamilton Medical AG, told Cult of Mac. “It provides you with a real interface that you have on the real ventilator. In addition, you have behind this a patient model that actually responds to what you’re setting.”
Apparently, Amazon knows something we don't know. Photo: Amazon UK
Apple still hasn’t given an official launch date for the new Magic Keyboard that brings the iPad Pro closer to being a PC-replacement than it’s ever been, but Amazon’s UK site may have spilled the beans Tuesday with an update to its Magic Keyboard page.
Netflix just added a bunch of new profile and parental controls. Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac
Netflix finally made it possible to keep your personal profile private from other people using your account with a new update today that lets users create individual pins.
The new feature is part of a larger update that improves on parental controls, allowing content to be filtered based on age and other criteria. If you have kids and don’t want them to have access to your profile and the content on it, or you just got a roommate who always messes up your “Continue Watching” queue, you’ll find the new pin feature to be extra useful.
Apple is ready to help its indie music partners hurt by COVID-19 shutdowns. Photo: Apple
Apple has created a $50 million advance fund to help independent music labels and distributors pay their artists and keep operations afloat.
The global lockdown in an effort to slow the COVID-19 outbreak has been particularly brutal to independent labels. Music stores, in-person venues and TV/movie productions are all closed, killing sales, licensing income and anticipated revenues from shows now canceled.
You can make your own LED face mask if you don't want to buy it. Photo: Lumen Coutre
Face masks are the hottest trend of 2020 whether we like it or not. If you’re looking to level up your mask game while also supporting a good cause, Lumen Couture’s new LED Matrix Face Mask is exactly what you need.
Lumen Couture founder Chelsea Klukas — who is also a product design manager at Oculus — revealed her iPhone-controlled LED mask this week. The device lets wearers draw their own designs and text that are displayed on the front of the mask using a flexible LED panel to unlock endless possibilities.
Aww, isn't that adorable? Screenshot: Facebook/Apple App Store
Facebook wants to give you and your boo some space, so it created a chat app for iPhone users in love.
Tuned is the product of Facebook’s New Product Experimentation Team. The engineers designed the new iOS app to give couples the tools to build a “digital scrapbook.” This is not a dating app, but an app for two people who are already dating.
Who needs to leave the house any more? Photo: Ableton
If you’re a stuck-at-home musician, or just someone who would like to learn to make music with their Mac, then maybe you’ve just downloaded the generous, lockdown-era, three-month free trial of Ableton Live. And if you’re a GarageBand (or Logic Pro X) user, you may be feeling a little lost.
Fear not. I did the same thing last year. At first I was overwhelmed just trying to do basic stuff, like routing my guitar into Ableton or trying to work out why the app offers at least three record buttons.
So, as a relatively fresh Ableton user, I thought I’d make a list of handy tips for new users coming from Apple’s music apps.
Apple Maps helps you find food and medicine during the COVID-19 crisis. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple Maps has been tweaked to make it easier to find businesses people are more likely to need during a shelter-in-place order. The default navigation app for iPhone now gives greater prominence to grocery stores and food delivery than it does to restaurants and fast food chains.
Remo Mac Data Recovery Software lets you preview results before you buy. Photo: Remo Software
This Mac data recovery post is presented by Remo Software.
You may prize your Mac for its security and reliability, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never face a need to recover data. Damaged and corrupted hard drives happen. And sometimes it pays to supplement Apple functionality with third-party choices. That’s why you need an award-winning product like Remo Mac Data Recovery Software.
Apple’s Information Systems & Technology division (IS&T) has come under scrutiny in a new book that analyzes the business practices and cultures of America’s biggest tech companies.
Scoring a coding job at Apple is a dream gig for most developers, but an excerpt from Alex Kantrowitz’s book, Always Day One, reveals that if you accept a job on the IS&T team, you better be ready for “a Game of Thrones nightmare.”
A new way to interact with apps. Photo: Alexander Käßner
This brilliant new iPadOS concept imagines a spectacular “main menu” concept that would change the way we interact with iPad apps.
The feature, designed by Alexander Käßner, would allow for cleaner apps and a standardized method of accessing common functions. It works much like the toolbar every Mac user is familiar with.
I wore a tubular scarf to the grocery store the other day, and spent most of the time breathing shallowly so my glasses wouldn’t steam up. On the bike it was fine, because the wind kept everything clear. But as soon as I stopped, the mask funneled my hot, moist breath onto my specs, and I couldn’t see.
Luckily, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department knows a thing or two about keeping your spectacles clear while you wear a mask. Here’s how to do it.
The middle of a pandemic was a terrible time for Apple to introduce a FaceTime bug in iOS 13.4. Photo: Apple
A bug in iOS 13.4 that broke FaceTime compatibility with older iPhone and iPad models has just been fixed. Apple on Tuesday introduced iOS 13.4.1 and an iPadOS equivalent to repair this problem.
Apple's designers are joining the fight against COVID-19. Photo: Apple
A new support document gives a detailed look at the face shields Apple designed for medical workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic. In true Apple design fashion, the shields are minimalist yet highly functional.
Apple says the shields are fully adjustable and can be assembled in just two minutes. That means workers can spend less time fussing with protective gear and more time helping COVID-19 patients.
We hope Apple adds this much new stuff to iOS 14. Photo: Stijn van Oosterwijk
With all the iOS 14 leaks dropping ahead of WWDC 2020 we already have a pretty solid idea which new features will make the cut, but concept designer Stijn van Oosterwijk has a couple dozen other ideas that would make iOS 14 the biggest iPhone update ever.
Oosterwijk’s new iOS 14 concept video is jammed with new features. The video starts with a new incoming call screen and keeps pouring on other goodies. There’s lock screen widgets, a completely new Tools app, a translate app, an AR experience within the Maps app and so much more.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Beats brand? Photo: Apple
Apple is readying new over-ear headphones and “AirPods X” for 2020 as it plans to slowly “phase out Beats,” a tipster claimed Tuesday.
We could see the company’s new over-ear headphones during the online-only Worldwide Developers Conference this June. However, the company’s sportier take on AirPods is expected to come in the fall. Currently, Apple is supposedly working to clear out Beats inventory.
The app could help monitor spread of COVID-19. Photo: Robert Koch Institute
Germany is launching a smartwatch app to help monitor the spread of the coronavirus.
The app, created by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), is called Corona Datenspende, which translates as the Corona Data Donation. It allows users with devices like Apple Watch or fitness trackers such as Fitbit to share data about coronavirus symptoms to track the spread of the pandemic in Germany.
It includes tighter restrictions on message forwarding. Photo: WhatsApp
WhatsApp on Tuesday outlined measures to keep its more than 2 billion users safe and secure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measures include tighter limits on message forwarding, and working with organizations and governments like the World Health Organization to help connect user with more accurate information.
“We believe that now more than ever people need to be able to connect privately,” WhatsApp said. “Our teams are hard at work to keep WhatsApp running reliably during this unprecedented global crisis.”
Download the newest update today. Photo: Pixelmator
Pixelmator Photo, the desktop-class image editing app for iPad, now takes full advantage of Apple’s most recent iPadOS 13.4 update. Users can enjoy improved mouse and trackpad support, as well as Split View.
The version 1.2 release also brings color matching powered by machine learning, color intensity controls, and more.
Work smarter, not harder with this great collection of 9 Mac apps, for PDFs, graphics, productivity, VPN protection and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Let’s face it, staying productive is hard these days. We’re all spending our time at the computer, so that’s where adding new time-saving tricks and tools can make a real difference. This bundle of 9 Mac apps has something for anyone looking to make more of their daily screen time.
Are you excited about this year's iPhone? Photo: The Hacker 34
New images leaked online seems to confirm rumors that iOS 14 will offer Home screen widgets similar to the ones found on Android. These widgets could potentially provide useful pieces of information to suit each user.
The same image also appears to confirm that the iPhone 12’s notch will hang around for another year. However, although it may get a bit smaller than previous iterations.
A must-have for any RTS fan. Photo: Feral Interactive
World War II strategy game Company of Heroes is on its way to iPhone. The award-winning PC classic has already enjoyed a successful launch on iPad, and will soon be easier to play anywhere.
Could this shed light on Apple's AR headset plans? Photo: v2osk on Unsplash
Appropriately enough at a time we’re worried about touching any surface without immediately washing our hands, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has published an eye-tracking patent application from Apple describing a method of letting users control an interface with nothing more than a simple glance.
The application possibly sheds light on one of the features of Apple’s rumored head-mounted display for augmented and virtual reality.
A great iPad. But not a U1 chip in sight. Photo: Apple
Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber said Monday that he has confirmed “with a little birdie” that there is indeed no U1 chip in the new iPad Pro.
The U1 Ultra Wideband chip debuted with the iPhone 11. It allows the iPhone to detect its exact position relative to other devices in the same room. That gives it a sense of spatial awareness for things like targeted AirDrop by pointing one iPhone at another to share a file.