This week we use AirBuddy to bring iOS-like AirPod integrations to the Mac, we play the amazing Synth One on our iPhones, and use the Apple Pencil to play music. And that’s just the beginning of this week’s amazing app roundup.
Reading is a skill, and to get the most out of what you read takes practice. But there’s no gym for the eyeballs and brain, so besides reading more, where do you go?
You can’t do much better than this massively discounted bundle of speed-reading software and exercise tools. Altogether it would normally cost almost $700, but right now you can get the 2019 Award-Winning Speed Reading Bundle for just $19.99.
Amidst a seemingly never-ending barrage of criticism, Siri is once again looking for a new team leader. After reports of infighting and disagreements about how to advance Siri last year, the internal development team is without direct leadership … again. This time, though, the move was self-inflicted and strategic.
After enduring a rough quarter, Apple tells the world what went wrong. But even more interesting is what went right — and what that means for Apple’s future.
Get our take on what you really need to know from Apple’s latest earnings call, plus the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos. You’ll find it all in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.
Everyone owns valuables they want to keep safe, from jewelry to passports to medication. But keeping the stuff we need on a daily basis in a traditional metal safe just isn’t practical. Ever tried to enter a passcode on a safe’s clunky dial in a rush? It’s hard, by design.
For many folks, Google is the front page of the internet. You don’t type Facebook.com into your browser. You just type “Facebook,” and then click the first Google result. Or you do a basic search by tapping in what you’re looking for.
But Google is way more powerful than that. You just have to learn a few of its secret code words, and then you can slice and dice your searches like a pro. No more wading through pages of results to find what you want. Use these tricks, and you’ll almost always get what you want on the first page. You can even ask Google to show you the weather.
The iPod Touch might make a comeback in 2019 now thanks to some new renders we’ve got a glimpse of what it might look like.
Apple hasn’t released a new iPod Touch since 2015. Rumors indicate that an update could come out this year. Details are pretty scarce on what the new features could be, so the folks at ConceptsiPhone busted out a brilliant imagining some sleek new additions that would make it truly lust-worthy.
Get ready to drool:
How a Foxconn factory in Wisconsin takes shape depends on what day of the week it is.
Today, company CEO Terry Gou is committing to a “Gen 6 fab facility” in the dairy state after having a “personal conversation with President Donald Trump.
How many jobs will come with a Gen 6 fab facility or what exactly it will build is not known. A Gen 6 factory typically builds screens for smartphones, tablets and small televisions.
Apple will comply with a Russian law that could force them to decrypt data on Russian customers at the government’s request.
The law took effect last year and requires the tech giant to store data on servers in Russia for up to six months. Apple acquiesced to a similar law last year in China, a smartphone market in which it has invested heavily.
Apple is hiring in its media group devoted to audiovisual media. After digging through the company’s job openings in recent months, an analyst believes these new employees are for the anticipated Apple TV streaming service.
This company has been paying to have TV shows and movies produced for months, but has so far kept quiet about its plans. That’s expected to change soon.
The latest rugged folio case from Urban Armor Gear protects the 2018 iPad Pro models without adding too much bulk. The Metropolis also adds some industrial style, and it includes an Apple Pencil holder.
Don’t miss our review of this rugged folio that starts at $59.95.
Today is the first day of Heart Month, and Apple is going all in with a special Apple Watch activity challenge and health education sessions at Apple Stores in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
Apple did not wait for February to help customers understand the health of their hearts. Last fall, the tech giant showcased the Apple Watch Series 4 with an electrocardiogram feature that some customers say alerted them to life-threatening heart conditions such as AFib.
Don’t miss out on cheap Apple devices in the post-holiday sales.
You can save a pretty penny on a sweet upgrade, whether you need a new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac — and we’ll help you get the money you deserve for your old gear.
Cult of Mac typically pays more than other trade-in services for aging Apple gadgets, and we won’t leave you waiting weeks for your cash.
Apple’s sudden shutdown of Facebook’s internal apps for iOS created enough chaos this week that some working for the social network company were openly talking about quitting, according to reports.
The Facebook employee apps show shuttle schedules, campus maps, and company calendars. Apple disabled all of them Wednesday after it learned Facebook ran a research app where iOS users could be rewarded for their data, a sideloaded app that violates Apple’s developer rules.
Whether you’re addicted to Twitter, obsessed with Fortnite or wasting the day away on Netflix, you can kill hours on your iPhone without ever doing anything useful or productive.
Instead of mindlessly killing time, Brilliant gives you a way to expand your mind and learn something new every day.
Some iOS 11 users are having trouble accessing the App Store and Apple Music, according to online reports.
The services have been unusable for over a day for a number of users who are yet to upgrade to the latest software — despite being shown as online on Apple’s System Status page. There is a weird workaround that has proven useful for some, however.
Apple has apologized for its FaceTime bug, and assured customers that an iOS software update is coming next week to fix it.
The FaceTime flaw allowed users to see and hear individuals before they answered a Group FaceTime call. Apple took the Group FaceTime servers offline after the news broke, but from the sound of things, it regrets how long it took to deal with the situation.
The higher the quality of video gets, the harder it is to make the files work on the variety of devices we use. That’s because all kinds of new formats, codecs and other standards create compatibility issues. Even the sharpest 4K footage ever won’t look its best on your iPhone if it’s not in the right format.
The U.K. government has an idea for getting around the thorny issue of tech companies creating a backdoor for encrypted services: just let government agents be able to listen in on encrypted communications.
That’s the so-called “ghost proposal” being put forward by officials from Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a close surveillance partner of the U.S. National Security Agency. The proposal would make it possible to inject hidden participants into secure messaging services.
This week on The CultCast: A new report details what’s (probably) next for Apple’s 2019 and 2020 iPhones. Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E. Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018. And we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super-smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in an all-new Under Review.
Our thanks to Dashlane for supporting this episode. Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It’s so good, even Leander Kahney’s mommy uses it. Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.
During good times, Apple’s record-breaking share buyback has been credited with helping with a stock market boom.
Something weird happened in December, however. When Apple’s stock price was tumbling from its record high, Apple stopped buying back shares. Clearly the whole “buy low, sell high” thing doesn’t always apply!
Samsung may have accidentally given us an early glimpse at its first foldable phone — weeks before it gets its official unveiling.
A foldable device appears in a one-minute teaser posted and then quickly removed by Samsung Vietnam. But is it really the handset that will be revealed during a big Samsung Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 20?
Nintendo has confirmed that Dr. Mario will be its next franchise to make the leap to mobile.
Dr. Mario World is scheduled for a worldwide release in “early summer” on Android and iOS. It will be developed by Nintendo, Line, and NHN Entertainment, and just like the rest of Nintendo’s mobile lineup, it will be free-to-play.
I’m still blown away that the developers of Rome: Total War for iOS were able to take the classic PC strategy game and translate it almost perfectly to Apple’s touch-based mobile operating system.
Well, the game just got even better since its latest update adds 8 more playable functions, and numerous other updates. Check out more details below.
Having apparently proved its point, Apple has restored its access to enterprise certificates for both Facebook and Google, essentially un-breaking their internal apps.
In a statement to the New York Times‘ Mike Isaac, Facebook confirmed that Facebook is currently “in the process” of returning its internal apps to working order. Google, meanwhile, confirmed to Bloomberg that it was, “working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps.”