Cult of Mac

At first glance, the decade-old OP-1 synthesizer from Swedish musical instrument makers Teenage Engineering looks about as standalone as it gets.

The tiny device couples a short, piano-style keyboard with a screen. And it contains a drum machine, several synthesizers, a sampler, a handful of sequencers, a virtual four-track tape recorder and even an FM radio. You can create entire tracks on it with no other gear, or you can hook it up to electric guitars and microphones and bring the outside world in.

But it also pairs surprisingly well with an iPad. You can record audio back and forth, but things go much deeper than that. You also can use the OP-1’s hardware keyboard to play instruments on the iPad, and use iPad MIDI apps to control the synthesizers on the OP-1.

Making music with an iPad and a synth

If you own both pieces of gear already, hopefully this how-to will give you some new ideas about making music with an iPad. But if you only own an iPad, this in-depth article will provide tips for using your tablet with other music gear.

And if you know nothing about the OP-1, or about Teenage Engineering’s work in general, you’ll learn why the company is kind of the Apple of the synth world. Teenage Engineering is known for its incredible interface design — and for having a quirky personality similar to 1984-era Apple, when the brand-new Mac was making waves.

Amazon and Best Buy are now offering some of the biggest discounts we’ve seen on Apple’s latest iPad Pro lineup. And you can make yours even more affordable by selling your old model when you upgrade.

Cult of Mac offers real cash for your old Apple devices, and we typically pay more than anyone else. What’s more, it’s incredibly quick and simple, and we will even buy back battered tech in need of repair.

Two whole years ago, Apple promised pro users that it would completely revamp the Mac Pro. Apple teased that it’s making a modular system that will have the flexibility professionals need.

With Worldwide Developers Conference 2019 on the horizon, our first glimpse of the modular Mac Pro could be less than two months away, but The CultCast host Erfon Elijah is ready to douse your hopes of getting a new dream machine this year.

In his latest video, Erfon goes over all the reasons why the modular Mac Pro sounds amazing in theory but could be a giant dud. From a design that looks like some IHOP flapjacks to pricing concerns, there’s some good evidence to be skeptical about the new computer, especially when you consider Apple’s recent track record with its “Pro” machines.

Watch Erfon count down the reasons why the next Mac Pro might flop.

At first glance, the iPhone Activity app seems pretty simple. It’s basically just a calendar to keep track of your daily Activity Rings. But if you know where to look, you’ll find a surprising number of pro features buried beneath that slick, simple interface.

So check out our top 10 iPhone Activity app tips and discover some indispensable stats that will help take your fitness to the next level.

Turning a tablet into an external display for a laptop isn’t a new idea, but Apple is reportedly going “all in” by building this feature into the next version of macOS.

The iPad will supposedly  function as a touchscreen for Mac software, which should catch the eye of digital artists.

Huawei says it has had no contact with Apple regarding the supply of 5G chips for a future iPhone lineup.

The Chinese smartphone-maker has previously stated it would be willing to work with its rival on a 5G iPhone. However, Apple has not been in touch — despite its struggle to obtain chips elsewhere.

The world was horrified yesterday as Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral was ravaged by fire. Today, offers to help rebuild are pouring in, with Apple joining the chorus of companies and individuals promising contributions.

Smartphone camera advances have been jaw-dropping. Engineers continue to advance low-light performance, while adding computational effects like bokeh and embedding additional cameras with telephoto and ultra-wide lenses.

However, with all the challenges the camera teams solved, one feature lags behind – the flash. But the smartphone photographer who wants to add a hint of studio-quality light, and control in shaping it, will soon have a wireless Bluetooth flash. It should add the pop to their pictures that they desire.

A Swedish publisher has accused Apple of acting like a “whimsical feudal lord” in its monopolistic App Store practices.

In an open letter, publishing giant Schibsted says that, while Apple presents itself as being a more ethical company than other tech titans, it “constitutes a threat as big as Facebook and Google.”

A new Apple Store is destined for one of London’s most luxurious shopping districts, according to a new report.

Apple plans to open a new location in Knightsbridge between high-end department stores Harrods and Harvey Nichols. It will be the company’s sixth store in the capital.

Apple devices famously “just work.” There are occasional lapses, however.

According to an updated support document, Apple has revealed one slightly unusual (and annoying) interaction. Users who are charging the Apple Pencil 2 with their iPad Pro may run into issues unlocking their cars using a key fob.

Microsoft is bringing one of the world’s best racing franchises to iOS. Forza Street features the iconic vehicles you know and love, with one-minute races designed to be enjoyed anywhere.

It will be free-to-play when it lands later this year.

An early Apple tablet is about to be put out to pasture. The second-generation iPad is reportedly going on the “vintage and obsolete products” list at the end of this month.

Most people might be surprised to hear that this device, released in 2011, isn’t already listed as obsolete.

It’s Tax Day, so plenty of people are probably realizing the need for a better way of staying organized in coming years. Notepads are great, but as the tasks stack up you’ll want a tool that’s more flexible, fast and powerful.

A short documentary about the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme is the latest entry in the “Shot on iPhone XS” campaign, which shows what’s possible with the the advanced cameras in Apple handsets.

The 8-minute video is a full of crystal-clear video taken beneath the waves. Watch it now:

Apple’s upcoming streaming video service now has someone in charge of documentaries. Molly Thompson previously held a similar role at A&E Networks.

Action and comedy shows have so far grabbed the most attention at Apple TV+, but clearly educational programming will play a big part too.

Apple’s campaign to convince everyone that the iPad Pro is a true PC replacement continued today with a barrage of six new videos extolling the tablet’s many uses.

Everything from wedding planning to music making has been highlighted in Apple’s new series of iPad Pro videos. Most of the new video are how-to videos, but there is a fun new ad that features a ton of fancy iPad Pro twirling and keyboard flipping as one iPad Pro lover takes his beloved device on an important trip.

Watch all six right here:

The number of smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s HomePod in use around the world is expected to keep growing strongly for years to come. It could pass 200 million in 2019, and pass 500 million in 2023.

Analysts from Canalys indicate the installed base of these devices is now surpassing the number of smartwatches in use. And smart speakers could even outnumber tablets before the end of 2021, they say.

U.S. shopping malls are losing customers at an alarming rate and there appears to be little Apple can do to help save them.

Apple stores are usually viewed as an anchor store for malls because of their high sales volumes and foot traffic they bring in. But a new study found that experimental tenants like Apple aren’t drawing in extra traffic.

The Etch A Sketch has had a Hall of Fame career, but little has changed with the red-framed mechanical drawing toy.

Then Martin Fitzpatrick got a hold of the white knobs – and used the toy to take a picture.

This weekend I made a shortcut that takes a list of songs, adds up the total duration, and shows it in a notification.

The first part was easy. The Shortcuts app has a great action that can tell you anything about an iTunes Media file (or any other media file), including its duration. I whipped up a shortcut to cycle through a list of music tracks, adding up the durations along the way. It took five minutes, tops.

Then things started to go wrong. The shortcut returned the total duration in seconds. I don’t know about you, but for me, a number like 4,166.867 isn’t that useful. I prefer something like 01:09:26, or 1 hour 9 minutes and 36 seconds. The problem was, I couldn’t get from one to the other.

Some of the biggest names in sports can be seen rocking the new Powerbeats Pro in the latest video put out by Apple’s headphone company.

Beats’ new ad unleashes the Powerbeats Pro everywhere from the basketball court to the skate park as superstars like LeBron James and Serena Williams train to dominate their respective games. With over a dozen athletes making a cameo, the action-packed ad has a lot to take in.

How many familiar faces can you spot?

Another of Apple’s rivals have apparently noticed what a huge success AirPods have turned into. Microsoft is supposedly developing its own earbuds.

These will have to face competition from Samsung Galaxy Buds as well as some possible earbuds coming from Amazon. And AirPods too, of course.

Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, is calling for Apple to boost user privacy on iOS by introducing rotating advertiser IDs.

Most iPhone and iPad users don’t know that they can block access to their unique ID, Mozilla says. Regularly rotating IDs would make it harder for companies “to build profiles of us over time.”

Sign the petition to pressure Apple into making a change today.

The founder of Foxconn, whose biggest customer, Apple, helped it rise to be the world’s top contract electronics manufacturer, says he plans to step aside to allow a younger executive to take over.

CEO Terry Gou did not give a timeline when he confirmed to a Reuters reporter his plans to resign from the Taiwan-based company he started with a loan from his mom around the same time Steve Jobs launched Apple.