Mobile menu toggle

How to use AirPods Pro Ear Tip Fit Test to make them sound their best

By

Ear tip fit test airpods pro
The AirPods Pro come with three pairs of tips.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you ever sat with a pair of earbuds, and a handful of interchangeable silicone tips, and felt a sense of apathy and confusion creep over you, then you’re going to love the new AirPods Pro Ear Tip Fit Test. This clever new feature uses the AirPods Pro’s own microphones to test how well the variously sized silicone tips fit in your ears.

It works really well. The only problem is, the results could be bad news.

Save $700+ on 5K iMac and MacBook Pro [Deals & Steals]

By

Oct-31-19
Some of these are Lightning Deals, so you'll need to act fast!
Photos: Apple, Amazon

Amazon is blowing out refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro units today only. You can save up to $709 on mid-2018 models with beefy specifications. And there’s a whopping $700 off a 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display.

There’s even more to enjoy in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. You can bag a stellar USB-C hub for iPad Pro at 41% off its usual price if you act fast, and pick up a two-pack of anti-spy screen protectors for iPhone 11 Pro for under $8.

Plus, there are sweet savings to be had on Case-Mate accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

New evidence indicates Apple AirTags will land soon

By

New evidence shows AirTags closer than ever to release
Are you excited about AirTags?
Photo: MacRumors

Newly leaked screenshots depict an updated AirTags section in the “Find My” app. Although they are referred to by their codename “B389,” the screenshots show how AirTags findability will work.

AirPods are the rumored item tracker tags which promise to help users to locate bags, keys, and assorted other valuables.

Analyst complains iPhone’s average selling price is slipping

By

Analyst complains iPhone’s average selling price is slipping
Apple needs to ramp up iPhone prices -- or so one analyst thinks.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

There are plenty of reasons to be enthusiastic about Apple’s massive earnings call yesterday. One analyst who’s not happy, however, is Barclays analyst Tim Long. In a note to clients, Long writes that Apple average selling price for iPhones may be slipping.

Apple stopped reporting unit sales for the iPhone last year. Instead, it focused on ramping up the average price it sells each iPhone for. Perhaps not enough, though.

AirPods Pro teardown reveals a ton of tiny tech

By

AirPods-Pro-teardown-1
Yes, that's a button cell battery!
Photo: iFixit

Most of us lovingly look after our newest Apple devices to ensure they last as long as possible. iFixit pulls them apart in the name of science. Its latest teardown victim? AirPods Pro.

You won’t be shocked to find that there’s loads of tiny tech inside Apple’s newest earbuds. But you might be surprised to see how different they are to regular AirPods on the inside.

Apple’s business in China may be starting to stabilize

By

iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Tim Cook has said that China is Apple's future.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

China has been one of the biggest causes of Apple instability in recent times, particularly when it comes to trade tensions between China and the United States. Things may be starting to stabilize, however, as Tim Cook noted in Apple’s earnings call yesterday.

That’s good news when it comes to the country Cook has said is Apple’s future biggest customer.

Tim Cook thinks early adopters will buy both AirPods and AirPods Pro

By

Tim Cook thinks early adopters will buy both AirPods and AirPods Pro
Will people buy both?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook thinks Apple’s awesome new AirPods Pro are “complementary” to the original AirPods. No, he’s not just referring to the fact that there is a space in the market for both products. He thinks many AirPods Pro customers will buy and own regular AirPods as well.

And you know what? Given Apple’s amazing track record in the “hearables” area, I don’t have any problem believing he might just be right.

By the numbers: Apple crushes it again

By

Apple Beta Software Program 2019
Revenue from iPad and accessories like Apple TV is up, but iPhone and Mac are down.
Photo: Apple

A quick glance at the Apple Q4 2019 earnings report shows the company just finished a record three months, but a deeper dive into the numbers reveals how Apple managed to pull in more revenue than it ever has in a July-through-September period, including strong increases from wearables, iPad and Services.

Biggest shockers from Apple’s record-smashing Q4 earnings

By

Tim Cook with money bag
Surprise! Apple made an ungodly amount of money last quarter.
Photo: Apple

Apple shares are soaring in after-hours trading today thanks to yet another record-breaking earnings report.

Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri got on the phone with investors after the numbers came and provided some surprising details on how Apple hit a new high for Q4 revenue despite slowing iPhone sales. While everyone has been focusing on Apple’s booming services business, one of the company’s other product categories has transformed into its true growth engine.

Buy an iPhone interest-free with Apple Card

By

Apple Card with iPhone
Buying an iPhone through an Apple Card just makes sense. And soon it can be done with zero interest.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple Card users can soon use this credit card to buy an iPhone with payments stretching over two years, but without incurring any interest.

It’s already possible to buy an iOS handset through the iPhone Upgrade Program, but this requires a separate loan.

Apple hires another top cardiologist to boost health initiatives

By

Apple health care
Apple Watch’s heart-monitoring capabilities could see future improvements thanks to prominent cardiologists hired by Apple.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Dr. David Tsay recently joined Apple, apparently to bring new features to devices like the Apple Watch that monitor the wearer’s heart. He’s an expert in the field, and also just left a position as Associate Chief Transformation Officer for NewYork-Presbyterian Innovation Center.

This is the second prominent cardiologist brought onboard in two years.

Apple sets new Q4 record with $64 billion in revenue

By

European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple earnings report for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2019 met the most bullish of Wall Street expectations this afternoon with a Q4 record high of $64 billion in revenue and $3.03 earnings per share.

Apple’s stock price started soaring in after-hours trading on news of the positive earnings. With the iPhone 11 on sale for just 10 days during Q4, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave credit to Apple’s booming service business and the Apple Watch and AirPods for pushing the quarter to record heights.

Join the dark side with OtterBox’s Star Wars iPhone cases

By

OtterBox Star Wars iPhone cases
What would the Star Wars saga be without droids and Kylo Renn?
Photo: OtterBox

An addition to OtterBox’s Star Wars iPhone cases celebrates Kylo Ren wearing his helmet again, while a second salutes the droids that are so important to these films.

These two join cases with more than a dozen other designs from Lucasfilm’s ongoing sci-fi saga.

Everything you need to know before Apple’s last earnings call of 2019

By

Earnings call
Get ready for another record breaking quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is ready to unveil its last earnings report of 2019 this week, and investors are anxiously waiting to hear some good news on iPhone sales.

All early indications point to sales of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro performing even better than expected. But because the new devices were only on sale for the very tail end of the quarter, they might not have given Apple the growth Wall Street is desperate to see.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are set to divulge all the details for Apple’s fiscal Q4 2019 earnings on Wednesday, October 30, at 2 p.m. PDT. Per usual, Cult of Mac will be analyzing all the data right when it drops and there are a couple of areas and metrics that are key to keeping Apple’s stock price soaring.

Zadarma’s VoIP app for iOS helps separate business and personal communications

By

Zadarma's VoIP solution now works on iPhones.
Zadarma's VoIP solution now works on iPhones.
Photo: bruce mars/Pexels CC

This VoIP communications post is presented by Zadarma.

Cloud communications platform Zadarma recently released an updated iOS version of its app that offers businesses easy access to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications internationally. Plus, it solves one of modern life’s most annoying problems: keeping business and personal calls and text messages separate.

See featurette gives inside look of Apple’s epic series

By

Apple delves behind the scenes of See in new featurette
Apple delves behind the scenes of See in new featurette
Photo: Apple

Apple is turning up the hype for the launch of Apple TV+ this morning with a new featurette for its big-budget series See.

The two-minute-long video shows never-before-seen clips of the show along with commentary from its creators and the cast. Early reviews for See were less than enthusiastic, but after seeing some of the behind the scenes shots, we’re cautiously optimistic that it could mature into something great.

16-inch MacBook Pro leaks again in macOS Catalina

By

16-inch-MacBook-Pro-keyboard
Are you ready?
Photo: Apple

Another image of a new 16-inch MacBook Pro (above) has been leaked by macOS 10.15.1 Catalina.

The photo reveals a redesigned keyboard layout, with a Touch ID sensor separated from the Touch Bar. But it does not confirm rumors of a return for the dedicated escape key.

It’s also hard to tell whether this keyboard uses the dreaded butterfly switches that MacBook Pro fans want Apple to abolish. And we could be waiting a long time to find out.

AirPods Pro controls: How to customize & more

By

Apple's AirPods Pro, and a dongle for scale.
Control your AirPods Pro by squeezing the stems to play or pause music and noise cancellation.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Your AirPods Pro controls are cleverly incorporated in the earbuds’ stems. The stems are touch-sensitive, and various squeezes or strokes will play or pause music, adjust the volume, answer phone calls, launch Siri, change noise cancellation settings and more.

Here’s how AirPods Pro controls work, and how to customize their settings.

New MacBook Pro with scissor switch keyboard to land in 2020

By

16-inch MacBook Pro concept
What does this mean for the 16-inch MacBook Pro?
Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple plans to deliver a refreshed MacBook Pro with a brand-new scissor switch keyboard in 2020.

One reliable analyst says we can expect to see the machine late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter. Apple could unveil it at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference next June.