Japan Display makes LCD screens for the iPhone. Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac
Apple display-maker Japan Display may be struggling — but one of its executives apparently hasn’t been. The firm revealed today that it fired an accounting executive last year for allegedly embezzling $5.3 million over four years.
Japan Display is now cooperating with police in a criminal investigation of the unnamed employee.
These MFi-certified earbuds and Lightning cables are also stylish fashion accessories. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
We take our mobile devices everywhere we go, and that means carrying around earbuds and charging cables. So instead of stuffing our bags and pockets with our accessories, why not accessorize with them? These cables and earbuds from WRAPS turn them into stylish bracelets, for the ultimate in functional fashion. Read on for more details:
Apple and Intel have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, claiming that the investment management group is stockpiling patents. It then allegedly uses these patents to demand as much as $5.1 billion in lawsuits filed against tech firms.
Both Apple and Intel are accusing the firm of stockpiling patents, despite it not actually making any tech products. They claim this is in violation of United States antitrust laws.
Are you excited about the arrival of 5G iPhones? Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Ever reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the upcoming 5G iPhones will support both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands. This will allow them to interoperate effectively with 5G cell towers all across the United States.
Apple CEO Tim Cook talks Mac Pro and American jobs with President Trump. Screenshot: White House
President Donald Trump today toured the factory in Texas where the blazing-fast new Mac Pro is being assembled. His tour guide was Apple CEO Tim Cook, further demonstrating the good relationship the two have, despite disagreeing on many topics.
The Banker was originally scheduled to debut last year. Photo: Apple
The Banker, the first Apple TV+ original movie, will miss its world debut this week. Apple pulled the film after allegations of sexual abuse emerged involving Bernard Garrett Jr., the son of one of the men portrayed in the film and a co-producer of the project.
In the wake of recently surfaced accusations lodged by his half-sisters, Cynthia and Sheila Garrett, Garrett Jr.’s name has been scrubbed from the movie’s publicity materials. And the movie, originally scheduled to premier Thursday night at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, has been nixed. Now it’s not clear when it will be released.
The OtterBox Strada leather folio wallet case is a both tough and attractive. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Combining your iPhone case with your wallet is an easy way to simplify your life. Take the OtterBox Strada for the iPhone 11, which offers slots to hold multiple cards, while also wrapping around the front, back and sides of your handset. A leather exterior gives it a luxurious look and feel.
I used an OtterBox Strada for weeks — here’s how it stood up in daily use.
Is Apple trying to silence Guilherme Rambo?
Photo: Twitter
Guilherme Rambo, one of the top Apple secret-spillers, says Apple locked him out of his developer account, preventing him from accessing critical tools needed to create and update iOS and Mac apps.
In a blog post detailing his problem, Rambo revealed that Apple locked him out in August. Since then, all his attempts to resolve the issue met a dead end, he says. Rambo’s post doesn’t mention that he digs through Apple beta software looking for clues about unreleased Apple products — and publishes his findings on 9to5Mac. That might be the precise reason why he’s locked out.
The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition takes another deep dive into Apple fandom. Photo: No Starch Press
Apple fans run on their own colorful OS that seems nearly impossible to hack. This growing subculture is worthy of study — and a place on your coffee table! You can get to know some of the world’s biggest Apple fans, thanks to the rich stories and colorful photographs in The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition, by Leander Kahney and David Pierini.
The book, which hits stores Dec. 17, is much more than an update to Kahney’s 2006 book, The Cult of Mac (which gave this blog its name). Now available for preorder from Amazon, the second edition is a companion volume crammed with new stories and pictures. All told, they paint a picture of a uniquely devoted community.
Apple today dropped its newest Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 11 series. It’s much like its predecessors, but this time around it has a new button that provides instant access to your camera.
Keep your Apple Watch safe with a proper, long, strong passcode. Photo: Chuttersnap/Unsplash
The default passcode length on the Apple Watch is just four digits. And while it’s true that you don’t keep as much sensitive data on the smartwatch as you do on an iPhone, and that your Apple Watch is arguably safer from bad actors because it is always strapped to your wrist, it’s still worth making this passcode more secure. After all, it’s not like you have to enter your strong passcode very often, right?
Today we’ll see how to change your Apple Watch passcode to a longer one. And we’ll also check out a neat feature that lets you skip entering the passcode altogether.
Roger Lynch kickin it in Cannes. Photo: Roger Lynch/Twitter
One of Apple’s biggest publishing partners for Apple News+ is still waiting to be impressed by the fledgling subscription service.
Speaking at Recode’s Code Media conference this week, Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch said the “jury is out” on the service. His less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Apple News+ comes a week after a report claimed Apple is struggling to significantly increase the number of paid subscribers for Apple News+.
Filmic brings live analytics to its new camera app for iPhone. Screenshot: Filmic/App Store
An app developer putting out a camera and photo editing app today is in for a steep, uphill climb. Dozens of apps populate the category and those at the top are holding that place for a reason.
But the name Filmic should grab the iPhone photographer’s attention. The maker of Filmic Pro, the go-to app for mobile filmmakers, now offers a unique camera experience for stills called Firstlight.
If you’re not smart enough to work at Apple, or important enough to be given a tour by Tim Cook, you’ll probably never get the chance to look around Apple Park. Fortunately, travel videographer Yongsung Kim served up the next best thing with an Apple Park video tour.
In a recently published YouTube video, he takes the world inside Apple Park’s spaceship campus in Cupertino, California. The video shows parts of the building you won’t normally see during a trip to the Apple Park Visitor Center. Check it out!
From security cameras to stronger locks and more, we've got some easy ways to make your home smarter. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Houses are mostly brick, wood and/or concrete, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be smart. With the right bit of technology, you can enhance the efficiency, convenience and security of the place where you and your family spend most of your time.
And right now you can save big on four smart home accessories. From easy water monitoring to tougher door locks, they’ll give your home a real boost.
Apple Music is entering the business world. Photo: Apple
Apple is going after the Muzak market with Apple Music for Business, a new service for legally streaming music in public places.
Apple partnered with PlayNetwork, which specializes in providing music for commercial use, for the endeavor. It has been “quietly piloting” the service with multiple businesses for around six months.
Apple will host free coding sessions at retail stores around the world next month.
The Code with Apple events will teach the basics of coding and apps in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. They will also include exclusive labs with app designers and developers.
Cupertino’s revelation about the Apple Maps expenditures came amid answers to questions from the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which is currently carrying out antitrust probes into Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Nintendo has changed its approach to mobile games. Image: Nintendo
Nintendo has revealed details of a pair of paid subscriptions coming to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. We wrote about news of the subscriptions earlier this week, but no pricing information was available at the time.
The new “Pocket Camp Club” subscriptions follow shortly after Nintendo introduced a similar subscription for Mario Kart Tour, with a “Gold Pass” priced at $4.99 per month.
Apple expects the facility to open in 2022. Photo: Apple
Apple today confirmed it has started construction on a new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, that will open in 2022. The facility will initially house 5,000 people, but it has the capacity to grow to 15,000.
It’s part of a broader plan to expand Apple’s prescence in the city, where it has already started producing the all-new Mac Pro.
This answers one big question I had about Apple TV+. Photo: Apple
M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple Original series Servant will debut with three episodes on November 28. As with other Apple TV+ shows such as The Morning Show, Apple will then roll out new episodes every Friday.
That answers one question I’d had about Apple TV’s future launch plans.