The Logitech Slim Folio is one of the first keyboard cases for the 10.2-inch iPad. Photo: Logitech
The seventh-generation iPad reached customers’ hands this week, and the new owners need cases for this budget tablet. Fortunately, accessory makers stepped up by releasing a range of offerings, with built-in keyboards and without.
Check out the best ones that have been announced to date.
Spotify and Siri are finally a team. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
You will soon be able to ask Siri to play your favorite tracks from Spotify.
The world’s biggest music streaming service just started testing Siri support in iOS 13. It comes after Apple’s latest updates introduced new SiriKit audio APIs that allow third-party access.
If your new iPad looks like this, you're holding it wrong. Photo: iFixit
Apple’s new 10.2-inch iPad only arrived in stores yesterday, and already the good folks at iFixit have gotten hold of the device and cracked it open for a teardown.
Here’s what they found. (Hint: a lot of things stay the same, but there are a couple of neat touches!)
Steven Spielberg’s 1980s anthology, Amazing Stories, is being reimagined for Apple TV+ Photo: Apple
Apple TV+ may not be the only place to enjoy Apple’s original movies. Sources say Cupertino wants to bring its content to theaters in an effort to attract top Hollywood directors.
The move would also make Apple’s movies eligible for big awards.
Besides being a great set of earbuds with 6 hour battery life, these also work seamlessly with a language translation app. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
One of the dreams of science fiction is the ability to put a device in your ear and understand unfamiliar languages. Since we live in the future, that dream is fast becoming a reality.
Kutcher played Jobs in a 2013 biopic. Photo: Jobs movie
During the latest episode of the brilliant hot sauce-based interview show Hot Ones, Ashton Kutcher opened up on the topic of Steve Jobs. Kutcher played Jobs in the 2013 biopic, which landed with a thud at the box office.
Kutcher told the story of how he was hospitalized before filming, after trying to follow Jobs’ fruitarian diet. “Don’t drink too much carrot juice is the moral of the story,” Kutcher said.
We just spent our first week with iPhone 11 Pro... Photo: Apple
This week on The CultCast: We just completed our first week with iPhone 11 Pro, and it’s even better than we hoped. We’ll dive into all the features we love most. Plus: Details are emerging about iPhone 12, and we like what we’re seeing! And is Apple Watch Series 5 worth the upgrade? We discuss …
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create and maintain 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.
This was mind-blowing back in the day. And it's still pretty great today. Photo: Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks gave Gen Xers a reason to get nostalgic when it released updated versions of Doom and Doom II into the App Store. The versions packed all the pixelated monsters and massive weapons you could hope for on an iPhone or iPad.
But while folks were justifiably excited to don their flannel shirts, put on some alt rock in the background, and head back to the glory days of the mid-1990s, the games didn’t totally deliver on their promises. A number of people pointed out that the audio and lighting weren’t correct in both ports. Those problems have now been fixed.
Plenty of folks are buzzing over Apple’s shift to services. From Apple Arcade to iCloud to Apple TV+, Apple’s got a new lucrative business stream which could pick up some of the slack from falling hardware sales.
Keybanc analyst Andy Hargreaves isn’t convinced, however. In fact, he points out that not only are services a competitive market (which everyone knows), but that Apple may actually be headed in the wrong direction.
Swift usage is on the rise again. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple’s own programming language is slowly taking over its mobile operating systems. iOS 13 contains more than twice as much Swift as iOS 12, according to research from Alexandre Colucci.
A huge number of Apple’s own apps and features now contain Swift binaries. A total of 141 have been uncovered in Apple’s most recent iOS 13.1 release.
Fans have had to wait a bit longer this year for their macOS update. Photo: Apple
Apple hasn’t told us when we can expect the public release of macOS Catalina, but a clue on one of Apple’s regional websites suggests that it could very well be next week.
On Apple’s Danish website, it notes that Apple Arcade will launch on the Mac App Store on October 4. Given that Apple Arcade requires macOS Catalina to work, it suggests that this might be when Apple’s next-gen macOS will debut.
The DoBox Pro adds features to an iPad Pro that aren‘t even available in MacBook Pros. Photo: DoBox
DoBox is looking for funding for a desktop docking station that gives the 2018 iPad Pro an array of additional features. A keyboard and trackpad are the most obvious, but there’s also a built-in hub with HDMI and other ports.
On top of all that, the proposed DoBox Pro will have a slot capable of adding up 2TB of additional storage. If you’re searching for a reliable mac docking station that enhances your device’s connectivity, you might want to explore this 6-port hub from Zagg.
Is it time to give up on the Galaxy Fold? Photo: Samsung
Samsung might be facing another Galaxy Fold display fiasco less than 24 hours before the device is set to launch in the U.S.
After canceling the Fold’s original April 26 launch date, Samsung spent months redesigning certain parts of the display to be more durable. According to at least one reviewer of the device though, it appears that Galaxy Fold display could still be very fragile.
The quickest way to see your app updates in iOS 13. Photo: Cult of Mac
iOS 13 did away with the old Updates tab in the App Store, and replaced it with Apple Arcade. That’s pretty bad news if you don’t want to use Apple Arcade. But on the plus side, you can access your app updates from the Home screen using 3D Touch. And the good news is that, in iOS 13, you can also use this trick on the iPad.
Imagine a world where the global space race never ended. Photo: Apple
The final trailer of For All Mankind gives us our clearest look yet at the plot of the alternate-history space-race TV show.
Apple TV+ is set to debut on November 1 with For All Mankind as one of its premiere shows. Previous trailers gave us a glimpse of the bad-guy Russians landing on the moon first — and the feminist angle with female astronaut candidates. Those two plot lines converge in the new trailer, which touched down on YouTube this morning. The new spot reveals President Richard Nixon’s decision to one-up the Russians by putting a woman on the moon first.
If you’re still rocking an iPhone 6S, Apple has an iOS update for you. Photo: Apple
Apple introduced iOS 12.4.2 to fix a security bug that was found by Google Project Zero. After Tuesday’s launch of iOS 13.1, now seems an odd time to be updating last year’s version, but this patch is for iPhones and iPads made in 2014 and before that can’t upgrade to the new version.
In addition, the company released watchOS 5.3.2 for early Apple Watch models. Plus there’s a fresh security update for macOS Mojave 10.14.6. All take care of the same bug.
The new Home screen widget panel on iPadOS 13. Photo: Apple
In iPadOS, the old Today View has shuffled over a little, and now lives right on the Home screen. You can pin widgets there, and they will be permanently shown on the left edge of the Home screen (in landscape, at least — in portrait they will act more like a temporary Slide Over panel).
This changes how we use widgets. Instead of being temporary, quick-info panels, or shortcuts for app functions, widgets are now always visible, and always available to tap. A weather widget can be checked with a single glance, for instance. Ditto countdown timers. And — best of all — Shortcuts can be triggered with a single tap.
Let’s take a look at some great widgets for the iPadOS Home screen.
iOS is designed to hide the screen cutout as much as possible. This might not be necessary next year. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Significant design changes in next year’s top-tier iPhone might push the display size up to 6.7 inches, if an unconfirmed report from a reliable source is correct. This model will also supposedly have no need of a screen cutout — also known as the notch.
The quickest way to get the new 10.2-inch iPad is to go to an Apple retail store today. Photo: Apple
The latest iPad just made its appearance in Apple retail locations. Those eager to get their hands on the first 10.2-inch budget tablet with iPadOS can hurry to the nearest store to pick one up now.
This is currently a quicker option than ordering the seventh-generation iPad for home shipment.
iOS 13 is off to a cracking start! Photo: Mixpanel
One in five compatible devices are already running iOS 13, data from analytics company Mixpanel suggests.
According to the company’s data, as of this morning 20.27% of users are running iOS 13. Meanwhile, 74.66% are using iOS 12, and the remaining 5.08% are running some earlier version of iOS. That still leaves a long way to go — but it’s a fantastic start.
Rosen would turn down 80 percent of what was offered to him because he only wanted the important models. He also couldn't let his collection outgrow another living space. Photo: Adam Rosen
Adam Rosen was happiest standing over an old Mac computer, all pulled apart with wires sticking out and components scattered across his kitchen table.
Rosen knew this part of him might never land him a wife. Who could appreciate a home where each room was a gallery of old working Apple computers?
This private Vintage Mac Museum lost its devoted docent on Aug. 31 when Rosen, 53, died from pancreatic cancer.
Gold Pass costs the same as a subscription to Apple's 100+ gaming service. Photo: Nintendo
Mario Kart Tourwent live this week — and despite being, technically, free to download its in-app purchases make it pretty pricey. Certainly compared to Apple Arcade.
Eagle-eyed gamers quickly noted that Mario Kart‘s so-called Gold Pass subscription will set you back $4.99 per month. That’s the same price that Apple is charging for its entire 100+ game subscription service!
Save massively on up to 5TB of secure cloud storage. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Cloud storage is useful for a ton of different reasons, from personal to professional. But it’s also expensive. This massive discount on terabytes of cloud storage offers a great way to expand storage while saving some dough.
Apple employs some 6,500 people in the U.K. Photo: Apple
Apple’s home town might be Cupertino, but Apple is a truly global company, circa 2019. (And it has been for years, too.) The latest evidence of this is a ranking of the top tech companies to work for in the U.K. Apple came in at number one on the list.
Apple employs some 6,500 people in the U.K. In capital city London alone it employs 2,500 people. Overall, Apple has around 132,000 full-time employees worldwide.