Here are some of the holiday savings you can make! Photo: Apple
‘Tis the season to be jolly — and, if you’re Apple, to try and pick up a few more Apple Pay stragglers before the year ends.
With that in mind, Apple has launched its special Apple Pay holiday offers, granting users an assortment of festive discounts from 19 different retailers. The discounts are available when you use Apple Pay in certain retailers’ apps or on the web, through December 19. Here’s what’s on offer:
The long-awaited ECG app is almost available on Apple Watch Series 4 (if you live in the U.S.) with watchOS 5.1.2.
It is the first wearable of its kind to offer this functionality, which promises to help uses detect atrial fibrillation — the most common form or irregular rhythm. Irregular heart rhythm notifications have also landed on Series 1 devices and later.
It's going to be a wonderful winter. Photo: Epic Games
Grab your scarf and gloves because winter has arrived in Fortnite season seven.
The massive update brings big changes to the Battle Royale map, including zip lines that help you travel to and from high terrain. It also adds Stormwing planes, weapon and vehicle wraps, Creative Mode, and a brand new Battle Pass with more than 100 new rewards.
A section of the Steve Jobs Apple-1 spec sheet, with two Polaroids. Photo: Bonhams
A vintage handwritten spec sheet in which Steve Jobs called the Apple-1 motherboard a “great deal” has failed to sell at auction.
The document, written in the mid-1970s, was up for auction as part of Bonham’s “History of Science and Technology, Including Space History” collection. Its asking price was $60,000. However, the bidding “only” reached up to $28,000, thereby failing to meet its reserve. A couple of historical Apple items did sell, but for less than expected.
We don't want to get graphic, but Apple's squid emoji would poop out of its face. Photo: Apple
The national nightmare that was “bagelgate” may be over, but Apple is apparently swimming into more controversial emoji territory. This time, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pointing out that Apple’s squid emoji is physiologically incorrect.
Essentially, Apple’s lack of biological accuracy means that its squid emoji would, among other things, poop out of its face. For shame!
"OK, Siri, where's my new iPhone?" Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
You can now use Siri to check up on product availability or the whereabouts of your latest orders, courtesy of the official Apple Store app for iOS.
Version 5.2 of the app adds new Siri Shortcuts support, letting you create custom voice commands to carry out these tasks without having to open the app.
Beddit 3 sees you when you’re sleeping; it knows when you’re awake. Photo: Beddit/Apple
The FCC granted its approval for Apple to make a “Sleep Monitor.” This is almost certainly an improved version of the Beddit, a product the company acquired last year.
It will apparently join Apple’s growing lineup of health-tracking products.
Using Apple’s amazing new Shortcuts app, you can rip a video from YouTube, download it, and store it in a folder on your iPhone — all without using a computer.
Maybe you want to watch some clips on your commute without burning through your cellular data. Or perhaps you’re a language or music teacher, and you want to keep teaching materials offline instead of relying on your pupil’s Wi-Fi?
This shortcut can be triggered in Safari, and will save the YouTube video to your Camera Roll, iCloud Drive, Dropbox or other location of your choice. Let’s get started.
Update to macOS 10.14.2 today for a handful of small improvements. Photo: Apple
September brought macOS Mojave 10.14 with a wide array of new features like Dark Mode. October saw the introduction of version 10.12.1 with Group FaceTime. And today there’s macOS 10.14.2 with… well, what are definitely some very minor improvements.
Apple also just introduced iOS 12.1.1 with improvements for FaceTime and Face ID. In addition, tvOS 12.1.1 was released with some minor bug fixes.
Not everyone gets Steve Jobs to give an autograph. Photo: RR Auction
A piece of a well-known story about Steve Jobs’ disdain for giving autographs goes on the auction block Thursday.
At the 2006 opening of an Apple Store in New York City, the Apple co-founder initially refused the request of a man in a wheelchair who had hoped Jobs would sign his copy of the premiere issue of Macworld magazine.
Jobs, according to witnesses, was joking when he said no. He eventually acquiesced and signed the magazine, “To Matt” followed by “steven jobs.” (He rarely used capital letters when signing his name.)
Chill out with the Apple Watch Breathe app. Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
In today’s fast-paced, connected world, the demands on our time seem endless. We spend much of our day in a state of constant hyperactivity. Apple Watch and iPhone add to the pressure, with their endless notifications telling us what we should be doing, who we should be speaking to and where we should be going.
Fortunately, Apple also offers an oasis of calm that can help us slow down this frenetic pace. The Apple Watch Breathe app draws on the ancient wisdom of Buddhist monks and yogis who practice a technique called “resonant breathing.”
Luckily, you don’t need to be a master of meditation to use the Breathe app that comes built into your Apple Watch. With clever visuals and smart features, it will guide you through this time-honored method for relaxing your body and clearing your mind. It’s a surprisingly subtle and relaxing experience that you might really enjoy.
In this quick guide, we’ll take a look at the origins of the Breathe app, how it works, what the benefits of resonant breathing are, and how to take advantage of this calming tech. So take a deep breath and let’s get started.
iOS 12.1.1 makes it easier to expand notifications on the iPhone XR. Photo: Apple
Apple has come out with a big new update for iOS 12 today that brings a host of new features and bug fixes to the iPhone and iPad.
iOS 12.1.1 is available now as an over-the-air update, adding expanded eSIM support on the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max as well as some changes to FaceTime and fixes for Face ID.
The Health app can be a valuable tool for police too. Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
A UK pharmacist’s attempt to collect more than $2.5 million in life insurance after murdering his wife was thwarted by Apple’s Health app for iOS.
Mitesh Patel strangled his wife, Jessica after five years of planning her murder, according to police. He attempted to make the entire murder look like a break in, but when authorities accessed the Health app on his iPhone and the one on his wife’s iPhone, the data told a completely different story.
Ron Johnson, with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at the grand opening of an Apple Store. Photo: Richard Agullar
Steve Jobs’ hands-on approach to just about every project at Apple is part of his legend.
Ron Johnson, Apple’s first head of retail, offers fascinating detail about Jobs and the work leading up to the first Apple Store during a recent episode of the Gimlet podcast Without Fail hosted by Andy Blumberg.
Jobs was demanding and described by many as often difficult to work with. But Johnson says working with Jobs was a “gift.”
Protect the iPhone XR without spoiling its design. Photo: Apple
Apple has finally started selling its first official iPhone XR case, more than a month after the handset made its debut.
The Clear Case, which leaked out in October, is made with a “blend of optically clear polycarbonate and flexible TPU materials” so that you can enjoy your iPhone XR’s design while keeping it protected.
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now. Photo: Apple
Apple Music could be opened up to businesses to allow streaming in public places.
The “Apple Music for Business” trademark was filed for late last month in the U.S. — and in other territories back in June. The filing states the trademark would be applied to a number of different areas, including commercial use.
AAPL is having a tough time right now. At least comparatively. Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple stock took another plunge yesterday, finishing down 4.4 percent. The reason for the fall is continuing concerns about the iPhone, which have caused numerous analysts to downgrade their price targets for AAPL.
It’s not just Apple that’s being affected, either. The company’s suppliers have also been hit by fears about the future of iPhone sales. Multiple suppliers associated with Apple have seen their stock prices decline by up to 5 percent as a result.
We've rounded up 4 ways to boost your personal or professional skills, from social media marketing to graphic design and way beyond, each for under 20 bucks. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
It’s never a bad idea to make yourself more appealing to potential employers. But there are so many skills to learn, from coding, to graphic design, to Excel, and on and on, it can be hard to know where to start, and education is often expensive. So we’ve rounded up courses that cover all of the above and more, all for less than 20 bucks. Take a look, and pick the ways you want to boost your resume.
You’ll be able to play it first on iPad. Photo: Feral Interactive
Popular construction simulator Tropico finally has a release date for iOS. You’ll be able to play it before the end of the year on your iPad and in 2019 on your iPhone.
Pre-order the game today to have it download automatically as soon as it hits the App Store.
The data center as it would have looked. Photo: Apple
Endless delays may have caused Apple to ditch its plans for a giant data center in County Galway in Ireland, but the repercussions are still being felt.
Galways’s Supreme Court will sit in March to hear an appeal regarding whether An Bord Pleanála, the independent planning body, “breached its legal obligations” by approving the first part of the proposed $960 million Apple development.
It’s your turn to make the rules. Photo: Epic Games
We’re just a day away from the launch of Fortnite season seven and players have plenty to look forward to. One thing we really weren’t expecting was just revealed in a brand new leak.
Fortnite is getting a new Creative Mode that will give fans the opportunity to build their own islands and run their own servers for private Battle Royale matches with custom rules.
According to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, by this time next year the market is set to be flooded with 5G Android phones. “Every Android vendor is working on 5G right now,” he said.