Apple Watch’s ECG is incredible. Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
Apple Watch has proven to be a lifesavermanytimesover for its owners but now it’s also being used to help save people that don’t even own one.
A physician in San Diego recently shared how he used the ECG on his Apple Watch Series 4 to detect atrial fibrillation in someone while chilling at a restaurant. And it probably saved the person’s life.
The iPhone X was the first iOS device to get an OLED display. Photo: Apple
Weak iPhone sales over the last two years could cause Apple to bring OLED displays to the iPad or MacBooks a bit earlier than expect.
Apple owes Samsung Display hundreds of millions of dollars because it agreed to purchase a certain amount of OLED displays per year. With iPhone sales in a slump, Apple hasn’t bought as many OLEDs as it promised but the two sides are reportedly discussing alternative solutions other than sending a giant pile of cash to Samsung.
Should criminals have to unlock their iPhones? Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A Florida appeals court has sided with a criminal defendant who refused to turn over his iPhone passcode to the cops.
The 1st District Court of Appeal was responding to a 2018 robbery case in Alachua County. Previous courts had come to conflicting decisions about whether the defendant must reveal how to unlock his devices.
This sleek wireless charging pad can juice up a Qi-enabled iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
More and more Qi-compatible devices are coming out, wireless charging is looking like the new norm. But if you’ve got a bunch of wireless chargers cluttering up your desk, it’s really not worth the extra convenience.
Departing Foxconn chairman Terry Gou has some words of wisdom for Apple. Photo: Voice of America/Wikimedia Commons
Terry Gou, departing founder of Apple’s biggest supplier Foxconn, has urged Apple to move manufacturing out of China. Gou suggests that Apple select neighboring country Taiwan as a location.
This would allow Apple to avoid any tariffs that come from the United States’ burgeoning trade war with China.
Ming-Chi Kuo says some big changes are coming to iPhone.
This week on The CultCast: New iPhone rumors point to some big changes coming in 2020. Plus: Leander gives his take on the new betas; two long-awaited features are finally coming to tvOS; and scientists say iPhone is making teenagers too … horny.
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AT&T came out on top. Photo: Luismt94/Wikipedia CC
AT&T has beaten out its rival networks to claim the title of fastest LTE carrier in the United States.
That’s according to a new rundown of mobile networks by PCMag. The publication issues its report every year, with Verizon and AT&T typically battling back and forth for first place. This year was AT&T’s turn — marking the first time in six years that it’s managed to overthrow Verizon.
Foxconn is the largest private employer in China. Photo: CBS
Foxconn, Apple’s oldest and largest supplier, has announced its new boss. Young Liu will step into the role of chairman after billionaire founder Terry Gou announced that he was stepping down.
Gou, who is 68 years old, is planning to run as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election in the Taiwanese elections.
FTC argues that Qualcomm should have introduced documents earlier. Photo: Pexels
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm may be settled. But that hasn’t stopped Qualcomm from bringing up Apple’s name in court.
As part of a hearing to stop the enforcement of an antitrust ruling, Qualcomm used internal Apple documents as evidence. And the U.S. Federal Trade Commission wasn’t too happy about it.
The Uniq HydeAir sports several unique features along with the expected ones. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Uniq HydeAir isn’t your standard 10,000mAh external battery. Beyond USB-A and USB-C ports, it also lets you enjoy the benefits of wireless charging when traveling. And it even has a built-in stand for your phone.
Charge into our hands-on review to discover if HydeAir is right for you.
The way iPhone handles incoming calls is probably one of the worst UI elements still around in iOS. Instead of only showing a small alert, the entire screen is taken hostage by a caller. This especially sucks in the age of endless robocalls, yet Apple has shown no motivation to change all of that.
Concept designer Vinoth Ragunathan has come up with a clever solution that fixes all that and it doesn’t even require much work on Apple’s part. All you would have to do is swipe up to dismiss the screen.
You *could* use the Mac Pro to grate cheese. But you won’t be happy. Photo: Winston Moy
The new Mac Pro sure looks a lot like a cheese grater, but it turns out that it’s pretty bad at grating cheese.
YouTuber machinist Winston Moy painstakingly re-created the complex circular structure of the new Mac Pro grille using his Shapeoko mill to put Jony Ive’s work to the test. The video of the entire process proves quite fascinating. However, the end result kind of disappoints.
Assemble your tools for a fun hack attack Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
USB is dirty. Just like you’d never stick your body parts into a mysterious public hole, neither should you plug your iPhone into a public charging station. iOS is pretty good at rejecting unknown connections from USB, but why take the risk?
There are a few ways to make public iPhone charging safe. One is to plug into a power outlet using your own plug and cable. But what about on a plane or train, or other public spot where only USB outlets are available? Or a friend’s computer, one that might be riddled with malware? Then you need a custom USB cable, one that only passes power, and not data. The good news is that, if you have an old Lightning USB cable laying around, you can easily fashion your own, just by yanking out two pins from inside the USB plug. Alternatively, a charging keychain can be a great portable solution to ensure safe and convenient charging wherever you go.
The first AR Harry Potter game promises spell casting in the real world Photo: Niantic and WB Games
A much-anticipated game set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World just launched a day early. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has been compared to Pokemon Go, as gameplay revolves around using a phone to find augmented-reality objects scattered around the real world.
When it comes to data security, even smart people make this one incredibly stupid mistake: They use the same password on multiple websites. Even if you use (and reuse) a strong, virtually unbreakable password, this all-too-common blunder instantly leaves you vulnerable. As soon as one of the websites you use your password on gets hacked, it’s going to screw up your week.
Luckily this is one headache that’s easy to avoid.
Apple warned U.S. trade representatives this week that President Donald Trump’s plan to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods will negatively impact its contributions to the U.S. economy.
In a letter written to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple urged the government not to impose tariffs. The new set of tariffs would make Apple’s products more expensive and give Apple’s competitors an advantage.
You could achieve the same effect with a nicotine-stained ziplock bag. Photo: Amazon
One new feature in the upcoming Kindle Oasis will make a huge difference to many people. The new model adds a Night Shift-style display capable of shifting color to match the warmer light of evening.
Other than that, the new Kindle Oasis is almost exactly the same as the current model. But this great new addition means no more cold blue pages when you’re reading in bed at night.
This skull spike is one result of hunching over an iPhone too much. Photo: Scientific Reports
Doctors have noted a change in the shape of many millennials’ skulls: spikes are growing just above the neck, and researchers into the phenomenon blame it on too much cell phone use.
Apple says you should stop using affected machines. Photo: Apple
Apple is now inviting some 15-inch MacBook Pro owners to return their machines for a battery replacement.
The company says some aging units “contain a battery that may overheat and pose a safety risk.” The problem affects machines sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017.
Apple is asking customers to stop using their MacBook Pro if it is eligible for a free battery replacement.
Cook’s award shelf is quickly running out of room. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook will receive the “Champion Award” from GLSEN later this as recognition for his ongoing fight for LGBTQ rights.
Cook says he is “grateful” for the honor and insists Apple’s commitment to inclusion helps it do its “best work, each and every day.” This is one of several awards he has earned for his efforts since becoming Apple CEO.
Adobe has brought its professional photo editing software to the Mac App Store.
Lightroom for macOS is available now as a free download, and you can try it for seven days before deciding whether or not you want to cough up for it. This is the full version of Lightroom — just like you would get from Adobe.
Tim Cook speaks with a worker on an iPhone production line. Photo: Apple
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives thinks this could be a bad time for Apple to shake up its supply chain by moving iPhone manufacturing out of China.
In a note to clients, Ives singles out the first 5G iPhone and the launch of Apple TV+ as reasons why Apple should seek to minimize stress right now. In other words, Apple execs could do without the “gargantuan” headache that shifting around its supply chain would involve.
UPDATE: See the statement received from Google at the bottom of this story.
You might want to think twice about buying used Nest security cameras.
A new report reveals that secondhand models can allow previous owners to spy on new users — even if they correctly follow Nest’s instructions on resetting the device. There’s currently no fix for the security flaw.
With 24/7 access to four UI and UX courses, you can boost your resume at your own pace. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
In the precarious gig economy, there’s no such thing as being overqualified. One of the many great ways to boost your resume is becoming fluent in UI and UX design. In our digital age, there’s almost no industry that these disciplines don’t touch, so it’s a valuable skill indeed.