Mobile menu toggle

This charging system works better than AirPower would have [Review]

By

Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System review
Scosche BaseLynx is one system, but it lets you mix and match the types of chargers you need: iPhone, Apple Watch, etc.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Scosche BaseLynx can quickly charge every Apple device you have — AirPods to MacBook Pro — either wirelessly or via cable. And this system is modular so you can get just the components you need and not the ones you don’t.

I’ve used it to power my Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad. Here’s how it survived real-world use.

Apple Watch detects teen’s rare heart ailment

By

Apple Watch heart rate monitor
An Apple Watch can constantly watch for problems with your heart.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A 13-year-old Oklahoma boy sent a frightened text to his mother after his Apple Watch showed his heart rate was at 190 beats per minute while he was sitting still. But thanks to this warning — and a lengthy operation — he’s back to playing sports.

A USB-C charger packs more computing power than NASA’s first moon rocket

By

Apollo 11 Guidance Computer with Anker PowerPort Atom PD 2
One of these two has a lot more computing power. It’s probably not the one you’d expect.
Photo: Wikipedia CC/Anker

Even today’s simplest accessories include more powerful computers than were used decades ago. To demonstrate, an engineer set out to prove that a USB-C charger from accessory-maker Anker includes a more capable CPU than the one that guided Apollo 11 to the Moon.

Swipe these Samsung ideas, Apple! [Cult of Mac Magazine 336]

By

Apple should fold these Samsung features into the next iPhone.
Apple should fold these features into the next iPhone.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

With Samsung trotting out its newest smartphones — including one that folds like a clamshell, and one with an advanced camera system — it’s time to compare the South Korean company’s offerings to Apple’s gear.

Cult of Mac identified five features Apple should totally swipe from Samsung for the next iPhone. Find out about Samsung’s state of the art — and what it means for Apple — in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine. The free iOS mag is stuffed with Apple news and opinion, tips and how-tos for Apple device owners, and product reviews and recommendations. Download it to read on iPad, or visit the links to this week’s top posts below.

Jump on Presidents Day deals on gear and gadgets [Deals]

By

Gear Gadgets Roundup
Score deals on wireless headphones, wireless power banks, even a charging case that doubles as a gaming console.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days, any distraction from politics is a welcome thing. So take this Presidents Day to swoop up some awesome deals on gear and gadgets. That includes VPN subscriptions, noise-canceling headphones, a 3-in-1 wireless power bank, even a phone case that doubles as a gaming console.

Apple wants to ditch Qualcomm’s 5G antenna on 2020 iPhones

By

Qualcomm headquarters
Sounds like Qualcomm and Apple still have a love-hate relationship.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm’s 5G antenna design isn’t up to par with Apple’s design standards, reveals a new report that claims Apple is building its own antenna for this year’s 5G iPhones.

Fast Company claims Apple has decided to do the design work itself on the 5G antenna but it will still use Qualcomm’s 5G modem chip. If true, Apple would be adding an extra level of difficulty for churning out a reliable 5G iPhone during one of its most anticipated upgrade cycles in years.

Health officials distribute iPhones to cruise ship hit with coronavirus

By

iPhones for quarantined cruise passengers
Stranded passengers can get news and medical consultations with government-issued iPhones.
Photo: Jun Masuda/Twitter

Japanese health officials passed out some 2,000 iPhones to quarantined passengers stuck on board a cruise ship with an outbreak of coronavirus.

The iPhones will allow stranded passengers to consult with doctors, order medications and work through anxiety with mental health professionals.

This shortcut mutes iPhone audio when you enter Do Not Disturb

By

mute audio orange speaker
Quiet!
Photo: Oleg Laptev/Unsplash

The Do Not Disturb mode built into iOS is excellent. It hides incoming alerts, and generally stops you from being disturbed by outside forces. But it won’t save you from yourself. What if you accidentally click on a YouTube link or — more likely — that GIF you clicked in Tweetbot turns out to be a noisy video? The sudden racket will surely wake your spouse.

Today we’ll see how to make a shortcut that automatically silences your iPhone whenever it enters Do Not Disturb mode.

URcdkeys offers Cult of Mac readers 20% off Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades

By

Cult of Mac readers can get 20% off Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades from URcdkeys.
Cult of Mac readers can get 20% off Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades from URcdkeys.
Image: URcdkeys

This Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades post is presented by URcdkeys.

If you’re running Windows 7, you should know Microsoft Corp. stopped supporting that version of the operating system in January. So you’re past due for an inexpensive upgrade courtesy of URcdkeys, which is currently offering 20% off various Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades for Cult of Mac readers when they use a special code at checkout.

Beijing Apple stores reopen with temperature scans and free masks

By

coronavirus
Apple stores in China are taking coronavirus concerns very seriously.
Photo: Eunice Yoon/ CNBC

Apple retail stores in Beijing are taking customers’ temperatures and requiring them to wear surgical masks as the area tries to normalize amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Five Apple stores in Beijing reopened their doors with limited hours today after being closed since last month. CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon posted a video from one of the newly reopened stores and the inside is shockingly empty.

Take a look at the entrance process:

Google is readying its own Apple News competitor

By

Apple News
Apple News+ growth has been unimpressive so far.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google is allegedly planning to launch its own news aggregation service that will compete directly with Apple News.

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Google has been in talks with multiple publishers about paying a licensing fee for content used in its upcoming news product. So far it sounds like the company is mostly talking to publishers outside the US, but the company says it views the initiative as an important tool for an informed democracy.

Pro colorist pans Apple Pro Display with science and one-liners

By

YouTuber Vincent Teoh reviews Apple Pro Display
World's best pro display? Vincent Teoh says not so much.
Screenshot: Vincent Teoh/YouTube

Professional colorist and YouTube HDTV reviewer Vincent Teoh says he cannot recommend Apple’s $5,000 Pro Display XDR to creatives who do commercial color grading.

But the pricey monitor’s “beautiful design will look good in the office of a divorce lawyer,” Teoh says.

You can now stream Pandora from your Apple Watch without an iPhone

By

Apple Watch Series 5 California Face
It could be one of many new faces.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The newest update to Pandora for Apple Watch gives you the ability to stream music without being connected to your iPhone.

The feature takes advantage of changes made in watchOS 6, which rolled out last fall, that allow third-party apps to stream audio on Apple Watch. Of course, you’ll need a device with LTE connectivity to enjoy it.

Apple shipped 2.6 million HomePods during all-important holiday quarter

By

Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
HomePod is still a bit player in the smart speaker market.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple sold just 2.6 million HomePods into the retail channel worldwide in the last three months of 2020, a new report claims. While that is up from the 1.6 million units it shipped the same quarter a year earlier, it’s still a fraction of the total shipped by market leader Amazon.

“The price is still very high,” David Watkins, director at Strategy Analytics, told Cult of Mac. “That closes the door to a huge swathe of potential customers.”

Here’s your last chance to save on lifetime access to this top-reviewed language app [Deals]

By

Babbel App Image
Learn 14 languages and get over 10,000 hours of high-quality, bite-size language education online.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Studying any language is a lifetime endeavor, so the tools you use to learn should be yours forever. With this deal on one of the most popular language learning apps around, you can get a lifetime subscription for al 60% discount.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10X OS is ‘very smooth’ on a MacBook

By

Windows-10X-MacBook
And it's still in preview for now.
Photo: @imbushuo

Microsoft is working hard on a new version of Windows that promises to be faster, more efficient, and more secure. Windows 10X is available only in preview form for now, and it already runs surprisingly well on a MacBook.

One developer installed an early version of the software on an Apple machine, and it is proving to be “very smooth” so far.

iPhone SE 2 will be a low-cost powerhouse, and we talk details, on The CultCast

By

CultCast 427
Apple's prepping iPhone SE 2!
Photo: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple is prepping iPhone SE 2, but trouble in China could mean massive production delays across the entire tech industry. Plus: macOS leaks hint at big CPU upgrades on the way; and a celebrity calls out the MacBook’s troubled keyboards.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast, and use offer code CultCast at checkout for 10% off your first purchase.

Supreme Court rules Apple is breaking the law not paying employees during bag searches

By

Anti-robocall bill is one step closer to being passed into law
Court has ruled on complaint dating back to 2013.
Photo: rawpixel.com/Pexels CC

Should Apple have to pay retail employees during mandatory bag and iPhone searches at the end of their shifts? Yes, says California’s Supreme Court.

The battle over off-the-clock work has been raging since 2013. Apple previously won at the trial level in District Court for the Northern District of California. However, a new ruling says that Apple broke the law by not paying workers for this time.

5G iPhone may not offer 2×2 uplink support after all

By

Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
Are you excited about the arrival of 5G iPhones?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12 is poised to pack a lot of exciting features. One that won’t be on the list? Support for a 2×2 uplink, according to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo previously suggested that the 5G iPhone 12 would support 2×2 MIMO uplink, potentially meaning slightly faster maximum uploads. This was part of a report claiming that the iPhone 12 series devices would use up to six power amplifiers for improved connectivity. In a new report obtained by Cult of Mac, Kuo now says they are likely to include just one or two.

LGBTQ docuseries Visible: Out on Television can now be seen on Apple TV+

By

Visible
Every episode of new docuseries now available to watch.
Photo: Apple

Apple Originals docuseries Visible: Out on Television has debuted on Apple TV+. The five-part series examines the history of LGBTQ representation on TV. It blends archival footage with new interviews with stars including Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and others.

Check out a trailer below.

US slams Huawei with racketeering charges

By

Huawei
Huawei has been relentless in its pursuit to become the world's biggest tech company.
Photo: AndroidCentral

Apple’s biggest competition from China just got hit with the R.I.C.O.

The FBI and US Department of Justice revealed this afternoon 16 charges filed against Huawei, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers. Prosecutors claim Huawei conspired to steal trade secrets, commit wire fraud and conspired to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

We’re still digging into the 56-page indictment, but it looks like Huawei was on a two-decade-long streak of keepin it gangsta.

YouTube TV cancels all App Store subscriptions

By

YouTube in Safari on iMac Pro
YouTube TV is making some customers jump through hoops to keep their subscriptions.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Everyone who subscribed to YouTube TV via Apple’s App Store got a notice today that their subscriptions will be canceled next month. They’ll have to resubscribe on the YouTube website.

How sneaky kids use AirPods to ‘talk’ in class

By

fake AirPods talk in class
Totally legit Apple AirPods.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

When I was a kid, we communicated in class by writing notes on pieces of paper, and passing them to other kids. It was called “passing notes,” and is now probably taught in schools as an artisanal pastime, along with “going outside” and conkers. In 2020, kids use insane workarounds to avoid actual writing.

Today we’ll see how to “pass notes” using nothing but two $700 iPhones and two $160 pairs of AirPods.

Underwater iPhone case goes deep for stellar pics

By

AquaTech AxisGo waterproof case
Your iPhone photos will go below the surface.
Photo: AquaTech

Yes, the iPhone 11 Pro is waterproof-ish enough to survive a good soaking in a pool, lake or ocean. But why chance it when you don’t have to?

Should you fancy a photo swim, you will want to consider the AquaTech AxisGO underwater camera housing for the iPhone 11 lineup.