Cult of Mac

As a kid, Viktor Domonyi loved early computer role-playing games like Wizardry and Eye of the Beholder. Now that he’s grown, the 41-year-old Hungarian web developer-by-day, games developer-by-night wants to bring them back. And he’s willing to sacrifice massive quantities of free time to make his dream a reality.

Welcome to the world of Moonshades: a new (yet convincingly old school) RPG that’s just landed in the App Store. For fantasy fans who wish their 2020 was a bit more 1990 in style, this is the dungeon-crawler for you.

Samsung has issued invitations for an “Unpacked” event on February 11 when it will reveal its new Galaxy S11 lineup.

Recent rumors have suggested even better cameras will be the handset’s main selling point. iPhone 11 Pro overtook Samsung devices in DxOMark camera rankings last fall, but its time in the top four may be short-lived.

Tim Cook earned $125 million in Apple’s fiscal 2019, according to Apple’s latest SEC regulatory filings. That works out at more than $342,000 a day, or $28,538 per hour for a 12-hour shift.

But while Cook’s pay packet puts him firmly in 0.001 percenter territory as far as earnings go, it’s not a record year for him. In fact, Cook took home $11 million less than he did in 2018.

An iMac for sale on Apple’s website for a mere $999 sounds like reasonable value. Until, that is, you realize that the computer in question is from 2006; pre-dating even the first generation iPhone.

That’s what Twitter user @DylanMcD8 recently discovered on the Apple Online Store. Sadly (or perhaps not), it doesn’t seem that Apple is actually planning to start selling the 14-year-old iMac 17-inch 1.83-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo again. It appears to have been the result of some kind of technical issue.

Apple’s first night at the Golden Globes didn’t go exactly as Tim Cook may have hoped — with none of the nominations for Apple TV+ show The Morning Show resulting in award wins. Adding insult to injury, returning host Ricky Gervais quipped that Apple used sweatshops to make its products. And even drew parallels to terrorist group ISIS.

CEO Cook was in attendance for the ceremony.

Americans activated far more iPhones during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day than Samsung handsets, or those of any other rival, according to a market-research firm. Apple completely dominated holiday smartphone sales, making nine of the 10 most activated devices that week.

This is an important metric because it’s the busiest time of the year for device activations.

Flame and cold seemingly perform spectacular stunts in Apple’s latest “Shot on iPhone” video. A pair of artists use the capabilities of the iPhone 11 Pro camera to create Experiments IV: Fire and Ice.

Watch it now:

A Michigan man demonstrates why you should take off your Apple Watch before committing a crime. Even when you’re faking one.

Sean Sammit claims he was attacked outside the synagogue where he works, but the heart rate monitor in his wearable shows something different.

If you love making music, then you’re in the right place. If not, then next week I promise to write more about some non-music apps again — if the developers release some. Until then, we can bomb the bass, make some tunes with Tune Maker, get Unisonic with JAX, and take control of our stereo widths, all with the tap of a touch-screen.

No matter what you do or where you work, chances are you encounter some part of Microsoft Office. So whether it’s spreadsheets, Word documents or presentations, doing better with MS Office suite means doing better work, and getting certified means getting better jobs.

New year, new you! With the Twenty-twenties just getting started, it’s time to get rolling on your New Year’s resolutions.

If you want to make amends for pigging out and get in shape for the new decade, we have an essential guide to nailing your New Year’s resolutions with Apple Watch.

Plus we have a guide to getting started with HomeKit automation, some juicy new iPhone 12 rumors, and advice on how to control a remote Mac using iMessage screen sharing. It’s all in this week’s free Cult of Mac Magazine.

Spending time at a computer means screwing up your spine. Doing yoga and other stretches or exercise between screen sessions can help, but with this tiny smart trainer, you can correct your posture while you work.

The holiday shopping season is behind us, but demand for AirPods Pro still exceeds supply. Orders placed on Apple.com won‘t ship before early February.

But those who live in a large metropolitan area have an option that could get them Apple’s new in-ear headphones much sooner.

On the iPhone and iPad, you can capture any image you see just by grabbing a screenshot. Pretty much everyone knows the power+home button, or power+volume-up button combo that snaps a screenshot and saves it to your photo library. You can even crop the image before saving it, to remove surrounding distractions. But what about video? Or music? Is it possible to take a “screenshot” of the music playing on your iPhone? Find out how to play music while recording video iPhone with this helpful guide. Or capture a YouTube video? Yes it is. In fact, you can even “screenshot” a video, and then extract the music from within. Here’s how: with screen recording.

Customers ready to click the “buy” button on a pair of new AirPods now have the option to have Apple customize the charging case with a name, phrase or emoji.

Apple posted a banner ad on its website to announce that its free engraving services now extend to AirPods and AirPods Pro.

In the just-launched Doomsday Vault, the Earth’s climate has collapsed and it’s up to you to save the few remaining plants. This Apple Arcade title promises puzzles suitable for all ages.

The upcoming Nanoleaf​ Learning Series home-automation products are designed to learn users’ needs and react proactively. These smart switches and smart bulbs support Apple’s HomeKit, so they can be controlled from an iPhone, too.

Nintendo’s new subscription model seems to be paying off in droves for the company — as shown by the company’s most popular mobile game, Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart Tour debuted to massive download numbers in late September 2019. According to Apple it was the most downloaded App Store game of 2019. But as figures exclusively obtained by Cult of Mac show, it’s proving quite the money generator as well.

Facebook remains one of the most powerful platforms for reaching an audience and customers. But you can’t get the most out of Facebook marketing without learning the ropes.

This week on The CultCast: According to a new report, Apple is prepping a new super-charged gaming Mac for WWDC! We discuss… Plus: full-screen TouchID will be replacing FaceID in a notch-less 2020 iPhone, at least according to a new rumor.

Our thanks to Linked In for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.

It’s Friday, which means, among other things, that it’s new Apple TV+ episode day; providing hours of fresh viewing to while away the first weekend of 2020.

Or, rather it would be if the well of new Apple TV+ shows wasn’t already running weirdly dry. Just 53 days since launching, Apple TV+ this week gained just two new episodes of shows — a total of 74 minutes of new content. That’s MacBook Air thin.

Apple shares hit an historic $300 milestone Thursday, representing a new overall all-time high. The amazing figure gives Apple a market cap of $1.3 trillion. That takes Apple a whole lot closer to the once crazy dream of being valued at a whopping $2 trillion.

New Year’s Resolutions for Tim Cook, anyone?

Don’t miss your chance to save 15% on all of Mifa’s amazing Apple Watch bands in the Cult of Mac Store.

The traditional Classic Leather band, rugged Hybrid Sport band, and stunning Sparkle Bracelet are all available for less than $22 today. This sale ends tomorrow, January 3, so enjoy it while you can!

At the end of November last year, I took delivery of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Around a month later, thanks to Apple’s generous holiday return policy, I returned it. You can read my first impressions, but they mostly remain the same after a month of use. In short, it’s a fantastic MacBook. But in my conclusion, I wrote this:

But really, this Mac is fantastic. My Cult of Mac colleagues tease me that I buy Apple gear, and then immediately send it back. This new MacBook is staying with me.

So, what went wrong?

Forner HBO chief executive Richard Plepler has signed a five-year deal with Apple to make original feature films, documentaries and television series for Apple TV Plus.

Plepler was at HBO for 27 years and played important roles in the rise of original programming at the network.