Mobile menu toggle

Digitimes: 2020 iPhones could get special sensor-shift camera stabilization

By

sensor-shift stabilization
Next year's iPhone cameras could get a nifty new feature.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Some 2020 iPhones will feature special sensor-shift stabilization technology for their cameras, according to Digitimes.

This technology, used in many high-end cameras, would further reduce camera shake on the next-gen iPhone. It differs from the optical image stabilization currently used in iPhones.

It’s the hottest gifts, tech and stuff of 2019, this week on The CultCast

By

CultCast 419
It's time to reveal all our favorite stuff of the year!
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: From the hottest gift of 2019, to our favorite tech and travel locations, catch our picks for Best of the Year!

This episode supported by Squarespace

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code “CultCast” at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

It’s season finale time for The Morning Show and For All Mankind

By

It’s season finale time for The Morning Show and For All Mankind
Two of Apple TV+'s top shows are finishing up for the year.
Photo: Apple

It’s the last Friday before the holidays, and appropriately enough, two of Apple’s most popular Apple TV+ Originals are wrapping up. On Friday, Apple debuted the season finale for both The Morning Show and For All Mankind.

There are new episodes of both Servant and Truth Be Told as well. That’s plenty to keep you entertained between frantic bits of last-minute shopping!

Mario Kart Tour‘s eagerly anticipated multiplayer beta goes live

By

Mario Kart Tour's anticipated multiplayer beta goes live
The wait is over.
Photo: Nintendo

If you’ve beaten the computer a thousand times on Mario Kart Tour (which, let’s face it, is pretty tough not to do), you can finally pit your Mario and Luigi-steering abilities against other flesh-and-blood players.

That’s because Nintendo has launched the eagerly anticipated multiplayer online beta for Mario Kart Tour. You’ll need to sign up to the Gold Pass to play it, though.

AirPods Pro owners scratch and sniff … blueberries

By

AirPods Pro blueberries
Some AirPods Pro owners smell blueberries when they open their new earbuds. An expert says that's not surprising.
Photo: Envato Elements

Some AirPods Pro owners report an unusual smell emanating from the plastic and rubber casings of Apple’s hot new earbuds. Of all things, they say they detect a whiff of … blueberries.

One expert tells Cult of Mac the aroma could be deliberate, or simply a result of chemical compounds in the plastics.

How to breeze through the barrier with Apple Pay Express Transit

By

You don't need to trigger Apple Pay to access the London Underground
You don't need to trigger Apple Pay to access the London Underground
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you thought using Apple Pay was already easy, prepare to be amazed. It’s even easier when you enable Express Transit mode. In New York City, Portland and London, you can now pass the ticket barrier with just a wave of your wrist. And even if your local transit authority doesn’t support Express Transit mode yet, it could be coming soon.

Wanna give it a try? Here’s everything you need to know.

Give the gift of luxury with these high-end Apple Watch bands

By

OleksynPrannyk-red-Apple-Watch
A terrific Apple Watch upgrade.
Photo: OleksynPrannyk

The newest luxury leather bands from OleksynPrannyk are out ahead of the holidays, and they’re a wonderful gift for any Apple Watch owner.

Handmade in the U.S. from soft Italian leather, and available in a number of gorgeous color options, they’re a delight to wear and incredibly long-lasting. They’re also more affordable than they look.

Strobe support coming to iPhone 11, add-on makers confirm

By

With light in hand, the Profoto C1 flash brings studio power to your iPhone photos.
The C1 Light by Profoto is among the Bluetooth-enabled options to add strobes to iPhone photos.
Screenshot: Profoto/YouTube

The iPhone’s Portrait mode lets users add effects that emulate studio lighting. Soon, the iPhone could allow for the real thing.

Apple has added support for strobes as a preview for developers in its Made-for-iPhone licensing program.

Catastrophe creator Sharon Horgan inks Apple TV+ deal

By

shargonhorgan
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney made a hilarious duo in Catastrophe.
Photo: Channel 4

The U.K. division of Apple’s worldwide entertainment team finally inked its first major exclusive-look deal this week, after reaching an agreement with Catastrophe creator, Sharon Horgan.

Horgan, who just finished a similar deal with Amazon, will be reunited with Jay Hunt, Apple’s creative director in Europe. Hunt commissioned Catastrophe for Channel 4 and Amazon.

Cubasis 3 is a total rewrite of a beloved music-making app

By

Cubasis 3 is a complete rewrite.
Cubasis 3 is a complete rewrite.
Photo: Steinberg

Cubasis, the audio workstation app from Steinberg, just got rewritten as a brand new app. Cubasis 3 looks just like the old version, but is all-new, and includes support for the iPhone as well as the iPad. And hopefully, this rewrite also means that in the future, updates that adjust the user interface for new iOS features and screen sizes will be supported a lot faster. It took more than a year for Cubasis to support the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, for example.

So, what’s new in Cubasis 3?

The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition finally hits stores, so let’s party tonight [Book signing]

By

Innovative design: The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition looks like a MacBook.
If you're in San Francisco, come out tonight for a book signing and sale.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Our new book about the Apple community, The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition, is finally available in book stores and on Amazon.

To celebrate, we’re throwing a book-signing party tonight at the publisher’s HQ in San Francisco — and all Cult of Mac readers are invited. Please join me and the book’s award-winning designer, Derek Yee, at the No Starch Press offices. There will be a big sale (and free Chinese food, too)!

How to add your own music to the Mac’s Music app

By

catalina's music app tape
Adding music to Catalina's music app is as easy as using iTunes.
Photo: Namroud Gorguis on Unsplash

In macOS Catalina, iTunes has disappeared. It’s been replaced by the new Music app, which is a version of the iOS Music app. You could never call iTunes “beloved,” but it did its job, and had plenty of power hidden inside its confusing and bloated interface. The Apple Music app, on the other hand, is rather basic. But it still lets you do one thing that remains impossible on iOS: You can add your own music to your library. And yes, it will then sync that music to your iDevices. Let’s see how.

First Little America trailer is a great distraction from US politics

By

Little America was rejected from multiple networks being Apple snapped it up
All 8 episodes of Little America now streaming on Apple TV+
Photo: Apple

The first trailer for Little America, Apple’s anthology series about immigrants, is finally here, and it might just be the antidote we need for these wildly divisive impeachment days.

Clocking in at just over two minutes, the Little America trailer starts with a round table discussion among immigrants from various nations talking about things you’ll only see in America. The trailer then dives into glimpses from the eight different episodes that show the uniqueness of all immigrant stories.

Check it out:

Does Apple’s Night Shift mode really work? New study questions its effectiveness.

By

The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not be worth the hype. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening may be more beneficial to our sleep and health.
The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not live up to the hype.
Photo: Envato Elements

Blue light from iPhones or MacBook Pros might not be keeping people up at night as originally thought, according to new research.

The bottom line … the Night Shift mode on Apple products — meant to dial down the amount of blue light emitted by displays — may not be as effective as expected. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening, and bright, warmer lights in the day might prove more beneficial to our health.

Counterpoint: iPhone rakes in 66% of smartphone profits

By

International governments plan to rethink tax rules for the ‘digital age’
Who knew? Turns out that the iPhone is quite the money-spinner.
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

When you hear about declining iPhone sales and factoids like Huawei overtaking Apple as the world’s second biggest smartphone maker, it’s easy to lose sight of just how successful Apple is at selling phones.

A new report from Counterpoint Research is a reminder just what a profit-generating powerhouse the iPhone actually is. In Q3 2019, Apple captured a whopping 66% of industry profits. Second place winner Samsung, by comparison, pulled in just 17% of handset profits.

Music licensing company takes aim at Apple Music for illegal streaming

By

Music licensing company takes aim at Apple Music for illegal streaming
Apple reportedly didn't obtain the necessary license.
Photo: Stas Knop/Pexels CC

Apple stands accusing of breaking the US Copyright Act by streaming copyrighted songs through Apple Music without the right permissions.

The company Pro Music Rights (PRM) filed its complaint in New York on Wednesday. It describes unpaid royalties and ongoing infringement relating to a number of songs. PMR licenses a couple of million tracks, including works from artists such as A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell, Gucci Mane, and others.

Take your pick of 4 awesome productivity apps for Mac [Deals]

By

Productivity App Main
Any one of these four apps will enhance your Mac's productivity.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Making your Mac more productive can be as easy as getting the right app. So we’ve rounded up four of the best deals on some great software, from a useful screen capture tool to a speed reading helper, an intuitive data syncing tool and a powerful PDF editor. Each one is already discounted, but you can save an extra 15% off when you use the promo code MERRYSAVE15 at checkout.

Disney Magic Kingdoms adds Star Wars content

By

Disney Magic Kingdoms gets added Star Wars content
May the Force Touch be with you.
Photo: Gameloft/Disney

A quirky little indie movie you probably haven’t heard of is coming to theaters this Friday and — oh, who am I kidding, it’s freaking Star Wars!

In an effort to ramp up excitement about The Rise of Skywalker, Disney just added new Star Wars content to its Disney Magic Kingdoms game. Check out a trailer below:

Ex-Apple Store Genius sues Apple for not accommodating his disability

By

Ex-Apple Store Genius sues Apple for not accommodating his disability
Robert Shaw worked in Toronto's Sherway Gardens Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

A former Apple Store Genius is suing Apple for not providing legally obligated adequate facilities to allow him to work with his disability.

Robert Shaw says he was promised that the store he worked at would be fitted with automatic doors and a special table to accommodate his wheelchair. However, this did not happen to the degree allegedly promised.

Last of Australia’s big four banks will offer Apple Pay

By

Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
It might sound like just another Apple Pay announcement, but it's actually the end of a saga!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The last of Australia’s big four banks to adopt Apple Pay says that it will support Apple’s mobile payments service.

While Australia is just one market of many where Apple Pay is available, its arrival in the country has been particularly fraught with challenges. Westpac’s support marks the end of that particular story.

The best USB-C hubs for Mac and iPad 2019

By

Best-USB-C-hubs-2019
There are plenty of good USB-C hubs, but here are Cult of Mac’s favorites.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Nothing expands the capabilities of your Mac or iPad Pro more than a good USB-C hub. Plug one in and you can connect to TVs and tons of other peripherals, including external storage.

There’s an immense variety of these, depending on whether you want portability or a huge number of ports. There are even hubs designed specifically to clip to the side of an iPad.

To help you find the best USB-C hubs, Cult of Mac compiled this list of our favorites.

Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet gets premiere date

By

Apple TV+’s gaming comedy has already been renewed for second season
Apple TV+’s gaming comedy has already been renewed for second season
Photo: Apple

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, the gamer comedy series from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, has finally been scheduled for its Apple TV+ premiere.

All nine episodes of the show will be available globally on Friday, February 7, 2020. The comedy follows the developers behind a fictional game that rocketed up the charts to become the most popular title ever.

Check out the only teaser we’ve seen so far:

Frozen Mac Touch Bar? Here’s how to fix it.

By

To an iPad user, four USB-C ports are a luxury.
Fix a frozen Touch Bar.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Just like anything else on your MacBook Pro, the Touch Bar can freeze and become totally unresponsive. And, just like with every other frozen process on the Mac, there’s an easy way to fix it: You just have to force the Touch Bar to restart.

Today we’ll see how to fix a frozen Touch Bar so you can keep using the MacBook Pro’s best feature.