Cult of Mac

It’s not yet clear whether foldable phones are a temporary gimmick or the future of mobile devices. But Apple’s certainly interested — and in a newly published patent, it describes its approach to solving one of the most often-raised problems with folding phones.

That problem? How to ensure that a foldable device doesn’t become creased or damaged when it folds. Early folding phones, such as Samsung’s troubled Galaxy Fold, have been plagued by this problem. But Apple engineers developed a solution that could help.

Apple has introduced a new open-source Swift Crypto package which makes the secure capabilities of Apple’s CryptoKit available to the wider Swift community — even if they’re deploying their software on platforms other than Apple’s own.

The new library bolsters the security-minded CryptoKit API Apple introduced at last year’s WWDC event.

Apple’s manufacturing partners in China hope to jump back into action next week, after the coronavirus epidemic forced temporary shutdowns in the country, according to a new report.

Foxconn, LG Display and others “plan to resume full-scale production” on February 10. But with the viral outbreak only worsening as the weeks go on, there’s a definite chance of further delays.

The official Apple TV app is now available on select 2019 TVs from LG. You can enjoy it today in the U.S. and 80 other countries around the world. LG says the app will expand its reach to 2018 sets later this year.

Apple is reportedly negotiating with financial institutions to bring Apple Pay to Israel.

A Hebrew-language report says that Apple has been meeting with banks and credit card companies to introduce its contactless payments system. However, Apple’s fee demands could potentially be a source of disagreement between Apple and the financial institutions in question.

If you’re an old school Apple fan, you may well remember the Cairo font. Cairo shipped with every version of macOS from 1984 through System 7.1. It was computer history’s first “dingbats” font in computer history, meaning a font in which letters are represented by seemingly unrelated graphics.

Now Susan Kare, the iconic Apple designer who created the fonts and icons for the original Mac, has resurrected Cairo as the basis for a new limited edition throw rug design. Searching for the perfect geeky rug design for your office? Look no further.

Tim Cook wants Apple to be a force for good in the world. To help with this mission, Apple offers waivers on the usual $99 developer account fees for nonprofits, educational institutions, and government groups producing free apps.

Now Apple is expanding eligibility to eight more countries. That brings the total number of countries to offer waived developer fees to 13.

Even though every new iPhone, Mac or iPad purchased last fall came with a free subscription to Apple TV+, a relatively small percentage of people signed up, according to an analyst, who estimates that the strategy garnered the streaming service only 10 million subscribers.

Wirelessly connecting a MacBook to a TV is a snap with the IOGear Share Pro. It uses the computer’s USB-C port to stream video to a screen up to 60 feet away, no wires needed.

I fully tested this accessory. Dive in to see how it preforms in regular use.

Order AirPods Pro today from Apple.com and they won‘t arrive before March 3. And other online retailers are also out of stock. Apple has struggled to meet demand for these wireless earbuds since they launched, and there’s no sign it’s catching up.

That said, there’s a way many people can get AirPods Pro without a wait.

I picked up the Smart Folio Keyboard for my iPad Pro a few weeks back, because I was traveling and needed to do some work on the go. I’ve avoided the expensive accessory in the past, because a regular Bluetooth keyboard is so much better — on paper anyway. Even the most basic Bluetooth keyboard offers far more essential features than Apple’s own keyboard case. But after trying the Apple keyboard, I like it a lot. The keys themselves are still awful, but the convenience factor is off the charts.

The long wait for the successor to the iPhone SE may nearly be over and thanks to a new concept ad you can already get a good glimpse of what it will probably look like.

Mauro Battino unleashed his gorgeous iPhone 9 concept ad this morning that’s based on all the latest rumors. Armed with an A13 chip, the best LCD Apple’s ever made, Portrait Mode camera and new colors, the iPhone 9 could become a big hit. The best feature of all though might be its price tag.

Take a look at this stunning concept ad:

Apple Watch has always tracked your daily physical activity with its three iconic Activity rings. That’s great if you just want to focus on hitting your daily goals. But what if you want to see your progress over time?

iOS 13 solves this with Activity Trends, an all-new tab you’ll find in the Activity app on your iPhone. It provides an indispensable snapshot of how you’ve been doing. Trouble is, it takes 90 days to collect all your trend data. Which means if you checked when you first upgraded to iOS 13, there probably wasn’t much to see.

The good news is that it’s now well over 90 days since Apple released iOS 13. So your Apple Watch Activity Trends should finally be visible. Here’s how to make sense of them.

The debut of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is Friday, and Apple TV+ released a sneak peek of this comedy about developers at a video game company. The actors discuss how their wildly-divergent characters create the humor in this show.

Watch it now:

Sanho’s new HyperDrive GEN2 multiport hub doubles the data transfer speed, doubles the amount of power delivered, and doubles the video refresh rate compared to its predecessor.

And this USB-C hub truly takes the term “multi-port” to heart — there are versions with 6 ports, 12 ports and 18 ports.

Apple is trying to entice people with an old Apple Watch to upgrade to a newer model with some new trade-in deals.

As part of its promotion for Heart Month, Apple increased the trade-in value for the Apple Watch Series 2 and will give you $100 off the purchase of an Apple Watch Series 5. Other models also received a trade-in value bump, but Apple Watch Series 4 owners might want to hold onto their units for a while longer.

These are the deals you can expect:

If you have a low desk, or you just hate bending your wrists back, then you might consider turning your Magic Trackpad upside down, and using it with the lower end of its wedge away from you. With the trackpad upside-down, its slope will better watch your hand’s natural shape and position.

But flipping the trackpad also flips the direction of the mouse pointer, right? Up is down, down is up, and left and right don’t know where they are any more. Wrong! If you have an older Mac, you can just type a command into the Terminal to allow automatic orientation detection. And on newer Macs — from Sierra onward, I believe — there’s an equally easy trick.

Get fruity with one of Mezando’s magnificent Apple Watch bands. Made from pineapple leaves, they’re super-sustainable and available in a range of styles and color options.

They offer all the charm and durability of a leather strap, but without the obvious drawbacks.

A major manufacturer of Apple products could halt production for another week if the new coronavirus outbreak grows. One source warns that the epidemic could have a “big” impact on the tech giant’s product availability, according to a published report Monday.

Reuters cites sources at Taiwan-based Foxconn who say “almost all” production of the iPhone in China has ceased until at least February 10 and could extended even further.

Samsung’s next big keynote is just over a week away but the biggest surprise has already been spoiled.

Hands-on video of a leaked model of Samsung’s next folding-display smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip, surfaced on the Twitter this weekend showcasing many of the phones features. Tons of details of the phone had already leaked online but now we can finally see the clamshell design in action.

Check out how long the display is:

Wedbush analyst and Apple enthusiast Dan Ives isn’t worried about the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak on Apple’s share price. At least, not yet. In an interview for CNBC show Squawk Box, Ives said he views any dips in Apple’s share price as “buying opportunities.”

And he’s not alone in being optimistic at a time when lots of others are nervous.

Apple News debuted Monday it’s 2020 presidential election coverage and announced plans for various live-stream video coverage of the presidential race beginning with the next Democratic debate in New Hampshire on February 7.

Traveling with your laptop can be nerve-wracking. For many of us, our computers are our livelihoods, so the very idea of them becoming lost or damaged is downright unacceptable. That makes protecting your MacBook with a quality case a no-brainer.

Apple supplier Wistron has plans to assemble printed circuit boards for future iPhones at a new plant in southern India, a new report claims.

Wistron already manufactures iPhone 6s and 7 models in India. It started out manufacturing iPhones for the Indian market by building iPhone SE modes in 2017.

iPhone shipments could fall 10% during the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reduced his forecast to 36-40 million units. His latest report, seen by Cult of Mac, also warns that it’s too early to tell what kind of impact the epidemic might have on Q2.