Apple is serious about keeping your personal data safe. Photo: Apple
One of Facebook’s biggest critics is teaming up with Apple, which as it turns out, has also been one of Facebook’s biggest critics lately.
Former Facebook employee Sandy Parakilas has reportedly been hired by Apple. Instead of levying criticism at Facebook though, Parakilas has reportedly been hired to help Apple examine its own privacy policies.
Sonos speakers connect to over 80 streaming services. Photo: Sonos
Sonos is about to add a new weapon to its smart speakers that will help make it even more competitive against Apple’s HomePod.
The company revealed today that it plans to bring Google Assistant to its smart speakers later this year. Beta testing for the new feature has already begun, allowing Google’s Siri-competitor to be the main voice input on some Sonos speaker models.
Grovemade has a knack for making beautiful accessories. Photo: Grovemade
Grovemade, makers of some of our favorite wooden accessories for Apple devices, have finally come out with a dock for Apple Watch. And per usual, it’s absolutely gorgeous and subtle at the same time.
Designed to be a dock that doesn’t stick out like an ugly gadget stand, the Grovemade Apple Watch Dock will enhance your desk space with its clean style and seamless functionality.
If you just upgraded to a new MacBook, you’re probably finding it hard to live without all your favorite ports. But if you pick up Elgato’s new Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock, you won’t have to.
The Pro Dock packs the most popular ports you’ll need — including Gigabit Ethernet, DisplayPort, and two card readers — eliminating the need for a bunch of different dongles.
Three layers of protection in five colors. Photo: Altigo
Start-up companies often introduce themselves to the market with a single product. Accessories brand Altigo launched in November with a colorful line of sleek headphones and iPhone cases.
Now two months later at its first CES, Altigo debuts more mobile lifestyle accessories to its growing product line.
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Fortnite is like an unstoppable freight train that continues to plow through players’ wallets month after month. Despite controversial changes and additions to its insanely popular Battle Royale mode, it shows no signs of slowing down.
Even on mobile the game has been incredibly successful, with almost half a billion dollars made on iOS alone in 2018. A whopping $69 million of that was raked in during December, Fortnite’s best month so far on iOS, according to new data.
Haul included counterfeit cables and earphones. Photo: Apple
Apple is planning to present police officers in South Korea with a plaque to celebrate their work cracking down on almost $1 million worth of fake accessories.
The fake products were supposedly shipped in from China under the guise of being official Apple products. Their distributors are under investigation for potential fraud and trademark violation.
Score five utility Mac apps to get you more productive this new year Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Macs are marvelous machines right out of the box. But to become a power user of your powerhouse computer, you need the right apps. So we’ve rounded up four apps to enhance the ways you work with media and data.
The so-called Galaxy Flex be Samsung’s first foldable phone. Screenshot: Samsung
If you’ve been waiting to splash your cash on a foldable smartphone, you’ll be pleased to know that the wait for Samsung’s first is almost over.
The so-called Galaxy Flex will go on sale during the first quarter of this year. It will feature the Infinity Flex display that Samsung showcased at a recent developers conference, and it could cost as much as $2,550 in the U.S.
In the same way that Apple has given us Face ID, Touch ID and good old-fashioned passcodes, so too does Lockly’s new Secure Pro smart lock offer a multitude of ways for users to unlock it.
In addition to a keypad, there’s also a fingerprint scanner, voice assistant integration, and connected mobile app. Oh, and a regular key, of course — just in case you’re one of those people.
Tim Cook took home a tidy paycheck in 2018. Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook took home $15.7 million in compensation for his role as Apple CEO in fiscal 2018, a 22 percent raise on his earnings the previous year.
The figure is approximately 283x the median Apple employee’s pay, which stood at $55,426. That average is more than Amazon’s $30,000 median, but significantly lower than Facebook’s $240,430 and Alphabet’s $197,000.
Everything that makes the Aura Band great is coming to Apple Watch. Photo: Aura
There aren’t many health and fitness statistics Apple Watch can’t track, but to make up for some of those that are missing, there’s the impressive new Smart Strap from Aura.
By sending electricity through your body (without hurting you), the Smart Strap can measure your weight, fat, muscle mass, and more. It won’t cost you much more than a regular Apple Watch band, either.
Unsurprisingly, he won't spill the beans on what they are. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook teased new services that will be coming to Apple users this year. Responding to questions about falling iPhone sales during a CNBC interview, Cook stressed the way that Apple’s services division has grown significantly in the past several years.
“The services are on a tear,” Cook said. “On services, you will see us announce new services this year. There will more things coming.”
Apple has reportedly cut production of its new iPhones by 10 percent. Photo: Apple
Apple has cut its current iPhone production by around 10 percent for the first three months of 2019, a new report claims. This follows Apple’s recent note to investors revealing that declining iPhone sales are causing it to miss its own earnings guidance for the first time in 16 years.
Brydge for 2018 iPad Pro makes this tablet into a notebook. Photo: Brydge
The wait for Brydge’s sweet add-on keyboard for the new iPad Pro is almost over. The company today began taking pre-orders for an accessory that fully embraces the concept of turning this tablet into a laptop.
This premium keyboard has an all-aluminum casing and ships with a magnetic cover that protects the back of the iPad.
A glitter ball represents the concept of low-light and accessibility. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Turned the screen brightness on your iPad (or iPhone) all the way down? Still too much light for you? Reading in bed next to someone whose eyelids seem to amplify light the same way a magnifying glass turns the sun into a death ray for ants?
Then this tip is for you. With a simple triple-tap of the top button or Home button on your iPad, you can dim the screen way beyond its usual limit.
Although your whining, over-sensitive bed partner will likely just start complaining about the noise of those button taps instead.
Tim Cook's year is off to a rocky start. Photo: Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to make an appearance on CNBC investing show Mad Money later today to defend Apple in light of recent setbacks.
The company warned last week that iPhone upgrades for the last quarter were lower than expected. After investors received the guidance on lower revenue for Q1 2019, Apple shares continued their downward slide, which has been pretty much nonstop since the company posted its Q4 2019 results.
The Satechi 75W Dual Type-C PD Travel Charger has ports for all your gadgets. Photo: Satechi
Unlike Apple’s wall chargers that have just a single USB-C port, the Satechi 75W Dual Type-C PD Travel Charger has a pair of them. It also boasts two USB-A ports.
Satechi also just used the Consumer Electronic Show to launch a cheaper 30W Dual-Port Wall Charger.
Sign up for SmartCast 3.0 access today. Photo: Apple
One of the nice surprises to come out of CES this week is that a bunch of TV manufacturers are finally adding AirPlay 2 support to their latest sets. To help you keep track of which ones, Apple has published a list of TVs that are compatible with its streaming platform.
These are the ones to look out for if you want to send content to your TV over AirPlay.
Ikea’s new blinds work with your iPhone via HomeKit or a dedicated app. Photo: Ikea
Too lazy to get up and close the drapes? Then you need Ikea’s new HomeKit-enabled blinds, Kadrilj and Fyrtur. These new powered blinds have already launched in Germany, and can be integrated with your home hub, your Alexa, or your Google Assistant.
Running out of storage space to take all your Apple accessories on the road? The crowdfunded BentoStack solves your storage problems with a compact, multi-compartment storage solution. Photo: Wiplabs
So you made quite a haul during the holidays, now where are you going to store all your new gear?
Japanese Bento boxes are synonymous with convenience, and have many designated compartments to hold and carry a variety of foods — all in one spot. Wiplabs has taken this centuries-old idea forward with the BentoStack, an all-in-one container for organizing all your Apple accessories.
Launched on June 1st, the BentoStack is Wiplabs’ latest crowdfunded product to reach the masses. The ultra-compact design will keep up to 10 Apple essentials organized — Bento box style!
Look out for the suppressed sniper in Battle Royale. Photo: Epic Games
This week’s Fortnite update adds a number of new weapons to the game, including an old fan-favorite. Dual pistols can now be found in almost all Battle Royale game modes, alongside a brand new silenced sniper rifle.
The update will also bring “balance adjustments” for the boom box, the X-4 Stormwing plane, and dynamite.