Apple is on a ban-spree! Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Google’s internal apps have been completely disabled from running on iPhone’s and iPads today by Apple.
The move comes one day after Facebook’s internal apps suffered the same fate when Apple revoked the social network’s enterprise certificates that allowed them to install apps without going through the App Store. Without the certificates, Google is unable to test beta builds of its iOS apps.
We’ve seen some terrific discounts on the latest iPad Pro lineup, despite the fact that it hasn’t been out for long, and Amazon’s latest is up there with the best of them. The retail giant has slashed $100 off the 256GB model with cellular connectivity, reducing its price tag to $999.
And that’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup! We also have refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pro units for under $300, and $125 off the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE. Plus, you can save up to 46 percent on some of Logitech’s best accessories for iPad and Mac.
Wait just a minute… Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Did you ever look at the five-minute intervals on the Calendar app’s time picker and think, “I really wish I could set that appointment at 09:03 and not 09:05”?
No, neither did I (nor did anyone else that isn’t some kind of control-freak psychopath). But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Today we’ll see how to tweak the Calendar’s time wheel to show one-minute increments instead of the usual five-minute segments.
Apple is considering a MacBook with a glass keyboard, not a traditional one. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple developed a design for a MacBook keyboard that’s slim, lightweight, silent and can’t possibly have problems with grit in the keys. That’s because it consists of a sheet of glass with raised keys.
Obviously there are drawbacks, but this proposal shows the company’s efforts to innovate.
Gabrielle Reilly embraces form and function with her Airings. Photo: Gabrielle Reilly
Gabrielle Reilly purchased Apple AirPods because there were no wires for her mischievous cat to chew up.
But AirPods came with a new risk of loss from slipping out of her ears. So Reilly, a paralegal from Virginia, created a set of earrings to hold her AirPods.
The launch of the 2018 iPad Pro gave Apple a stellar holiday season in tablet sales. Photo: Apple
iPad shipments grew by double digits last quarter, giving Apple its best holiday period for tablet sales since 2015.Shipments of slates and 2-in-1s had dropped earlier in the year, but analysts correctly predicted this was the result of people holding off for the new iPad Pro.
Some of Apple’s rivals also saw gains at the end of 2018.
Angela Ahrendts giving a sneak peek of the new Fifth Ave store. Photo: Apple
The most iconic Apple store in the world is finally getting ready to reopen its doors.
Apple’s glass cube store on Fifth Avenue in New York City has been temporarily closed for over two years, but according to the property company Apple leases the land from, construction on the store’s expansion is nearly done.
Apple stores are banned from selling the iPhone 7 in Germany. Photo: Apple
Qualcomm is revving up its legal battle with Apple. In a new court filing in Munich, Qualcomm demanded “significant fines” be put on the iPhone-maker for not complying with a previous court order.
Apple was barred from selling some iPhones in Germany at the end of 2018. The company pulled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 at its retail stores, but Qualcomm is crying foul that other third-party shops still had units in stock.
Fortnite players can now start earning exclusive new Marshmello rewards ahead of the artist’s in-game concert on February 2.
There are four altogether, but sadly the Marshmello model that leaked in data files earlier this week isn’t one of them. You can look forward to a new spray, emote, and pickaxe, however.
The iPhone SE is a brilliant handset. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple seemingly scrapped plans for an iPhone SE 2, but there’s good news for fans of Apple’s 4-inch handset. For the third time this month, Apple is offering brand-new, unlocked models of the iPhone SE for up to $150 off.
The handsets are available in rose gold, gold and silver options on Apple’s clearance webpage. The 32GB models cost just $249 and the 128GB models go for $299.
The new iPad mini is more affordable when you sell your old one. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Compal Electronics will be the primary supplier of the next-generation iPad mini, which is expected to launch sometime this year, according to a new report.
The manufacturer is in the process of expanding production capacity with the expectation of increased shipments and revenues in 2019, despite “clouded” economic prospects.
It won’t happen until 2020 at the earliest. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed plans to merge WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger — but says it probably won’t happen until 2020 at the earliest.
In a fourth-quarter earnings call this week, Zuckerberg also explained the reasons behind the plan, such as increased security with end-to-end encryption. Many questions still remain unanswered, however.
Visor offers a new way to do your taxes, using a convenient app to connect with expert advisors. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
The average American spends about 13 hours each year dealing with taxes. That’s a lot of work to get money you’ve already earned. For years the options were either fork over money to a tax advisor, or grind through the DIY process. A new app-based solution called Visor offers a third way.
Foxconn and University Wisconsin officials signing a deal for a research center. Photo: Bryce Richter/University of Wisconsin-Madison
Apple supplier Foxconn may be rethinking its U.S. manufacturing plans in Wisconsin, but the Taiwan-based company wants people to know it’s serious about delivering the jobs it promised.
Responding to a recent report, Foxconn says it will keep its promise to create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin.
It won’t be here until the summer. Photo: Nintendo
You’ll have to wait longer to get your hands on the very first Mario Kart game for Android and iOS.
Nintendo has confirmed that the launch of Mario Kart Tour has been pushed back to this summer. The much-anticipated title was originally scheduled to arrive by the end of March, but Nintendo says it needs more time to “improve quality of the application.”
It is Nintendo’s second big delay in just one week.
The original, now abandoned design for Melbourne's flagship Apple Store. Photo: Apple
A fresh attempt is being made to demolish Federation Square’s Yarra Building in Melbourne, Australia to free up space for a proposed flagship Apple Store.
The application has been made by the square’s management, which argues that the building to be demolished is not in keeping with the other building designs in the precinct.
Apple's FaceTime bug wasn't one of its greatest moments. Photo: Apple
New York Attorney General Letitia James has said that her office is launching an investigation into Apple’s failure to warn customers about its FaceTime bug, which let people eavesdrop on other FaceTime users by exploiting a bug in the software.
James also wants to know why Apple was so slow to address the issue.
It seems more people wanted to gift Galaxy phones than iPhones during the holidays. Photo: Samsung
Apple’s last quarter was so bad the company broke its long-running streak of outselling Samsung during the holiday gift season.
Going back for several years, the maker of the Galaxy line of Android handsets always outsold Apple during the first three quarters, and in total sales for the whole year, but iPhone would came out on top in Q4. Not last quarter.
Google rewards the family that willing shares its data. Screenshot: Google/YouTube
Apple may have another tech giant to deal with over an iOS app that bypasses the App Store and Cupertino’s strict developer terms.
Until late today, Google ran a research app that monitored and analyzed internet usage and enticed users with rewards to download the app directly from Google with a developer’s code and registration.
The newest beta of iTunes blocks people from downgrading their iPhone to an earlier iOS version, but it’s apparently a bug not a feature. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The most recent beta of iTunes reportedly won’t allow iPhone and iPad owners to reinstall an older iOS version. This is apparently the result of a bug rather than a change of policy by Apple.
It seems Apple will continue to allow users to downgrade to a previous version if a serious problem is found in a new one.
The iPad pre-dated the iPhone, at least inside Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The latest version of GoodReader enables iPad users to view two documents side-by-side. It also offers a long list ofimprovements to its built-in PDF viewer and methods for securing files.
This iOS app debuted back in 2009, not long after the original iPad, and has been called a Swiss army knife of file managers.
Your next iPhone might come with 3 cameras. Render: OnLeaks/Digit.in
The 3D sensing capabilities on the iPhone are set to get a big upgrade in 2020, according to a new report.
Apple is supposedly planning to add a laser-based 3D camera system to the 2020 iPhone lineup that will be more powerful than the dot-projection system currently used by the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR for facial recognition.