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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Jump into the chaotic world of a hit Nickelodeon show in Loud House: Outta Control, a new Apple Arcade game. Guide Lincoln Loud and his sisters through through the craziness before the clock runs out.
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 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.”
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Retailers that advertise with Apple’s AR Quick Look now have the option to add a “buy now” button directly in the augmented reality experience. Before this, shoppers could only look at items superimposed onto the real world.
This is just the latest part of Apple’s growing embrace of augmented reality.
Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has sworn off big expensive motion picture cameras for the camera in his pocket. Your iPhone is no different from his, so get out there and make the movie that’s locked in your head. It could win you $10,000 in the Moment International Film Festival.