Mobile menu toggle

MacBooks become modern art on gorgeous walnut stand [Review]

By

Yohann Macbook stand
The Yohann Wood MacBook Stand is artful and sturdy.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

In German, the boy’s name “Yohann” means “gift of god.” The same could be said about the Yohann MacBook stand, a sculptural walnut base divine in both look and function.

You may want to say a little prayer when you place your MacBook Pro on this elevating perch for the first time, though. You will wonder how this thing can support your rather expensive machine.

New wireless fast charger wins with aluminum and USB-C

By

A new iPhone wireless charger uses USB-C.
A stylish new iPhone wireless charger uses USB-C.
Photo: Satechi

Satechi has a new wireless charger for Qi devices, including all recent iPhone models. This includes a USB-C port and can transmit power as quickly as iOS and Android devices can receive it. 

Its casing has a more modern look that previous versions from this company.

Instagram goes to war against fake follows and likes

By

Instagram lawsuit
Instagram is fixing its fake likes problem.
Photo: Pixabay

Using a third-party app to gain followers and likes on Instagram are about to become a lot less effective at artificially growing audiences.

Instagram revealed today that it is going to war against fake follows and likes by using AI to identify accounts that engage in the practice. Starting today, Instagram says it will remove inauthentic likes, follows and comments from accounts that use third-party apps to boost their popularity.

This is the message you’ll see if you’re guilty:

RødeCaster Pro is the perfect box for iOS podcasters

By

The RødeCaster Pro bundles everything you need to record a podcast in one box.
Everything you need to record a podcast, in one box.
Photo: Røde

Podcasting on iOS is perfectly feasible, as long as you don’t want to use Skype or FaceTime to talk and record the audio at the same time. The new RødeCaster Pro mixer/recorder neatly sidesteps this issue, as well as putting everything a podcaster might need into one sturdy box. And because the hardware is made by Røde, it’s probably pretty good.

Google Photos can now adjust background blur on Portrait Mode pics

By

Google Photos library backup on iPhone X
Google Photos is the photo and video backup app we all wish Apple would give us.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

You no longer need to buy the iPhone XS or XS Max to take advantage of one of the best features on the new devices’ camera.

Google Photos pushed out an update this morning that allows any iPhone owner with a Portrait Mode camera to adjust the background blur after a photo has been taken.

Brilliant Pod Case concept turns Apple Watch into iPod

By

Podcase
This needs to be a thing.
Photo: Joyce Kang

iPod lovers have been waiting years for Apple to resurrect its portable music player, but a brilliant new concept case could give us the next best thing.

Designer Joyce Kang created a brilliant mockup of a case for Apple Watch that transforms it into a music player reminiscent of the original iPod. The tiny case even comes with a working click wheel — and still gives you access to Apple Watch’s best features!

RAW Power brings new powerful photo editing tools to Mac, iOS

By

RAW Power
RAW Power for Mac 2.0.
Photo: Gentlemen Coders

Photographers who use the RAW Power software get a new slew of tools today with the release of a 2.0 version for both Mac and iOS.

RAW Power 2.0 brings new adjustments for chromatic aberration, perspective, a monochrome mixer and a new set of features that deepen the richness of photos called Enhance.

iPhone should prioritize battery over design, says ex-Apple evangelist

By

battery
Would you take better battery life over a thinner iPhone?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s former “chief evangelist” Guy Kawasaki thinks the company has made a massive mistake by prioritizing sleek smartphone design over improved battery life.

“If Apple introduced a phone that had double the battery life but was also thicker I’d be buying it tomorrow,” he told The Australian Financial Review. “You have to charge your phone at least twice a day, and God forbid you ever forget to do that.”

Weak iPhone demand rumors put the hurt on Apple stock

By

money
Apple stock is suffering right now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple stock has continued to slide in the wake of negative stories about iPhone order numbers. AAPL shares lost up 2 percent in premarket trading.

At time of writing, they are valued at $193.53 per share. That’s down from the $232.07 Apple hit in early October, back when the company was comfortably valued at over $1 trillion.

Apple reportedly cuts both iPhone XR and XS orders

By

iPhone XS Max
Suppliers supposedly aren't too happy about it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has reduced its orders for both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.

This comes at a time when the overall smartphone market is slowing down. This is supposedly making it difficult for Apple to accurately forecast just how much demand there is for each of its three smartphone models.

Tim Cook: Tech hasn’t done enough to push gender diversity

By

Cook
Tim Cook gave an in-depth interview to HBO.
Photo: Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Tim Cook thinks the tech industry has “missed” doing enough to push gender diversity to break up the male dominated culture in Silicon Valley.

Cook answered the question as part of an Axios interview on HBO, which aired on Sunday. In addition to talking gender diversity, Cook also discussed his daily routine, concerns about the mental impact of Apple devices on users, and privacy regulation.

Tumblr vanishes from the App Store

By

The Tumblr iOS app currently can’t be installed.
The Tumblr iOS app currently can’t be installed.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Tumblr is gone from the iOS App Store, but exactly why remains a mystery. Still, there’s speculation that Apple cracked down on the blogging app for being used to disseminate content that violates Apple’s guidelines for third-party software.

Oath, the developer of Tumblr, promises that it’s working on the “issue.”

Brydge taunts us with iPad Pro keyboard we can’t have

By

An iPad trackpad?! Too bad it’s only a dream.
It could be so much better.
Photo: Brydge

An accessory maker shared a picture of something many people would love: a clip-on iPad Pro keyboard with a trackpad. Sadly, Brydge’s concept device just isn’t possible because iOS doesn’t support external pointing devices.

At least, that’s true for now. But mouse/trackpad support is a often-requested feature, and there’s reason to think Apple is at least considering it.

UPDATE: Turns out Apple was considering it, and mouse/trackpad support is built into iPadOS 13. Learn how to use a mouse with your iPad.

One wonderful week with the new iPad Pro [Cult of Mac Magazine]

By

What did we do before this wonderful thing arrived? One week with the 2018 iPad Pro.
What did we do before this wonderful thing arrived?
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Seven sinfully satisfying days. That’s what the Cult of Mac staffers who ponied up for the new iPad Pro describe as they recount their first wonderful week with the stunning Apple tablet. (Even the ones who still think it’s not really a legit laptop replacement are swooning.)

You’ll find those sober assessments, plus new how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Pick up your free subscription on iTunes now. Or, if you like, read on for the week’s best stories.

Spoiler alert: Our free iOS mag is going to look better than ever if you’re one of the lucky ones reading it on a new iPad Pro.

Pick the power pack that fits your needs [Deals]

By

We've rounded up some of the best deals on portable power packs, in time for Black Friday holiday shopping.
We've rounded up some of the best deals on portable power packs, in time for Black Friday holiday shopping.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When it comes to mobile devices, you can never have too much power. Being mobile means being away from wall outlets when you need them most, so we’ve rounded up some of the very best deals on portable power packs.

From solar-powered and tough to ultra-compact, sleek and everything in between, all of them are discounted by more than half.

Adobe Lightroom plays nice with new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil

By

Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom mobile updates bring Apple's latest mobile tools into the fold.
Illustration: Adobe

Adobe added fresh tasks to its iOS version of Lightroom so that it can be used with Apple’s newest mobile tools.

Beginning today, Lightroom Mobile will support both the latest iPad Pro models and the redesigned Apple Pencil. With the pencil, users can double-tap to switch between paint and erase modes with certain tools.

Roli Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition adds touch control to Mac

By

Any Songmaker Kit can be turned into the GarageBand Edition.
Any Songmaker Kit can be turned into the GarageBand Edition.
Photo: Roli

Roli makes touch-sensitive controllers for music apps, and they come in Blocks, little modular units that can be snapped together via magnets to form bigger, better controllers. They’re kind of like Transformers for music. Now, Roli will now sell you a GarageBand-friendly version of its amazing Songmaker Kit, optimized for use with the Mac version of GarageBand.

But what if you already bought a Songmaker Kit? Should you return it and buy the new one? Nope. The hardware is exactly the same, all you need is a software update.

Today we’ll see what the Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition can do, and find out how to update your own Blocks to use it.

Watch an iPad Pro bend with embarrassing ease

By

JerryRigEverything
Zach Nelson's iPad Pro teardown video was a snap.
Photo: JerryRigEverything/YouTube

An 11-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil were the focus of what seemed like a routine unboxing video. That is until the host used his bare hands to destroy both devices.

If you’re among the 2.7 million viewers to JerryRigEverything on YouTube, you’ve come to expect the unusual durability tests host Zach Nelson puts to the latest tech gadgets.

Your GPS is about to become way more accurate

By

Apple Maps, Waze, etc. will know just where you are thanks to Europe’s Galileo satellite system.
Apple Maps, Waze, etc. will know just where you are thanks to Europe’s Galileo satellite system.
Photo: European GNSS Agency

Phones and other devices located in the U.S. are now permitted to access signals coming from the European equivalent of the GPS system, named for the astronomer Galileo. This should make them significantly more accurate.

Recent iPhones have the hardware necessary to receive these signals, so it’s just up to Apple to add this feature.

Sweet new accessory puts a different spin on Mac

By

Orbital 2
It's like a knob for your Mac. Wait, that came out wrong!
Photo: Orbital 2

The Microsoft Dial, one of the innovative features of the company’s Surface Studio, is coming to Mac. Well, kind of.

Taking the form of a hockey puck-style knob, the Dial offers another way to interface with your computer. That means things like turning up and down volume, rotating images, or adjusting brightness.

While Microsoft isn’t actually bringing the device to Mac, a very similar product — called the Orbital 2 — is coming to Mac next year. And, by all accounts, it’s pretty darn brilliant.

Walmart set to become a bigger online retailer than Apple

By

Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
But that's not because Apple's not making major bank!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Walmart will overtake Apple to become the third largest e-commerce retailer in the United States over the holiday season, analysts at eMarketer predict.

According to the firm, Amazon will remain in dominant position as the number one retailer, accounting for a massive 48 percent of online retail spending. Amazon is followed by eBay, with a projected 7.2 percent of the market, followed by Walmart, and then Apple.

Deck out your MacBook ahead of Black Friday [Deals]

By

We've rounded up some of the best deals on the best accessories for MacBook.
We've rounded up some of the best deals on the best accessories for MacBook.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Pretty much every MacBook user can benefit from a good accessory. So we’ve rounded up some of the best deals on the best peripherals for MacBooks, just in time for Black Friday. Below you’ll find great deals on USB adapters, docking stands, breakaway cables and more!