Mobile menu toggle

Pro Tip: How to reveal the Files sidebar in portrait view

By

Files may be clunky, but it's better than this.
Files may be clunky, but it's better than this.
Photo: Phil Roeder/Flickr CC

Cult of Mac Pro Tip: How to reveal the Files sidebar in portrait view This is a simple tip, but until I worked it out it was driving me crazy. In landscape orientation, the iPad Files app’s sidebar is always present, making it easy to get to any favorite folder, location or label, pretty much instantly.

In portrait, though, the sidebar disappears. However, there are two easy ways to make it come back, neither of which involves tapping the back arrow until you arrive at the root level of iCloud Drive.

12.9-inch iPad Pro teardown video reveals smaller battery

By

Disassembling an iPad Pro isn’t for the faint of heart.
Disassembling an iPad Pro isn’t for the faint of heart.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s latest tablet isn’t easy to take apart, even for experts. A video teardown by iFixit documents the difficulties that come from 12.9-inch iPad Pro components held in with tiny screws and glue. Lots of glue.

Still, the hard work revealed some interesting details about the new computer, including the size of its battery.

One week working on the iPad Pro: Not just for professionals

By

IPad Pro one week review
The new iPad Pro is Apple’s best ever portable computer.
Photo: Andrea Nepori

Since I got an new 2018 iPad Pro on launch day last week, I’ve used it exclusively. I haven’t touched my aging, decrepit Mac all week. I’ve used the iPad for work, and for play, so I’ve given it a pretty good workout. The short review is: It’s fantastic, and better in almost every way.

The long review? There are still plenty of annoyances.

Spotify’s Apple Watch app arrives with minimal features

By

Apple Watch
This is the new Spotify app for Apple Watch.
Photo: Spotify

The world’s largest paid music streaming service is finally landing on Apple Watch.

Spotify finally revealed its first app for the Apple Watch today that will give wearers the ability to play, pause and skip songs from their wrist. The first version is a bit limited in features, but Spotify is teasing some cool new options that will be coming down the pipeline real soon.

Why creative pros can’t rely on iPad Pro [Opinion]

By

Is the 2018 iPad Pro or a MacBook a better option for you?
Futurists claim the iPad has already eliminated the need for a Mac. Realists say nah.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Since the new iPad Pro’s launch, debate about the powerful devices has become increasingly polarized into two opposing camps: futurists and realists.

The futurists argue that the iPad is the future computing. Apple’s tablet has eliminated the need for laptops, they say, and anyone who claims they can’t manage their workflows on iOS is living in the past (and should just get with the program).

The realists, on the other hand, retort that while the iPad may be cool, it remains limited by iOS in a lot of very important ways. Those limitations mean it is currently impossible to use the iPad as a primary workstation for pros.

So, who is right?

Screen Time flaw lets kids use Safari without limitations

By

Woman in China temporarily goes blind in one eye after smartphone overuse
Screen Time is a great concept. But it's got its weaknesses.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iOS 12’s Screen Time feature is a great way of making sure that people, particularly children, don’t spend too long using their iOS devices. That’s an important goal, whether you’re worried about the potential mental health impact of overusing technology or just want to stop your kids wasting their time on social media.

It turns out that there’s a workaround on Safari, however — as discovered by the eldest son of computer security expert and iOS hacker David Schuetz.

Pick up a new language with this interactive iPhone app [Deals]

By

Learn up to 130 languages with a lifetime subscription to the uTalk app language learning app.
Learn up to 130 languages with a lifetime subscription to the uTalk app.
Image: Cult of Mac Deals

The benefits of learning a second language are endless. Get fluent, and you can cruise around like a local during trips abroad, expand your business to overseas markets or simply keep your brain stimulated.

Luckily, diving into a new language doesn’t need to be limited to a classroom setting. The uTalk interactive language app makes learning a foreign language simple, fun, effective and convenient. And right now, you can save a bundle on a lifetime subscription to this powerful learning tool.

Goldman Sachs worries that iPhone demand is ‘deteriorating’

By

iPhone XS Max
Apple's new iPhones are great. But are they the money-spinners Apple is hoping for?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Goldman Sachs has added its name to the list of financial institutions worried about stagnating iPhone sales.

“We are concerned that end demand for new iPhone models is deteriorating,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a new note to clients. The firm estimates that Apple will produce 6 percent fewer iPhones next year than it did in the year previous. However, the big investment banking company admits it could be jumping the gun.

Some users mysteriously locked out of Apple accounts

By

Locks 1
It's not yet clear why this has happened.
Photo: William Avery Hudson/Flickr CC

Multiple users have reported being locked out of their Apple devices, receiving messages stating that: “Your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons. To unlock it, you must verify your identity.”

There appears to be no pattern to the users receiving the message, in terms of their prior actions. It could be a fault on Apple’s part or, potentially, something more malicious like an attempted brute force attack by hackers.

Apple lost $190 billion in value over the past 5 weeks

By

Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple has had a rough few weeks.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Some Apple stats are pretty mind-boggling to get your head around, such as the fact that a modern midrange iMac Pro boasts 11x as many bytes of memory as every combined unit of the Apple II ever sold.

The latest insane factoid is a bit less positive, however. After a recent decline in Apple’s stock price, the company has lost more money in 5 weeks — $190 billion — than its accumulated value in its first 30 years as a public company. Wow!

Apple confirms T2 chip will block certain third-party repairs

By

The Apple T2 chip could be the source of mysterious crashes afflicting two of Apple's newest computers.
The T2 chip is great. Unless you want to use a third party repairer.
Photo: IFIXIT

Apple has confirmed that certain repairs for its new Macs, sporting the T2 chip, can only be carried out by officially sanctioned Apple repair shops.

That’s because it contains software locks which brick the computers if they’re not operated on by someone not using Apple’s proprietary diagnostic software, called the AST 2 System Configuration. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens describes this as a “guillotine that [Apple is] holding over” product owners — and potentially third party, unauthorized repairers, too.

5G iPhone probably can’t launch before 2020

By

This Intel modem will likely power the first 5G iPhone.
This modem may soon bear the Apple name.
Photo: Intel

The estimated release date for Intel’s first 5G modem makes it very unlikely a 5G iPhone will be released before 2020. Android devices with this speedy new cellular-wireless technology are expected a year before then.

The 5G iPhone delay is a result of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm.

Enable this great Shoot Mode with Siri Shortcuts to take pictures in peace

By

The iPhone XS is a serious camera, so give it the attention it deserves.
The iPhone XS is a serious camera, so give it the attention it deserves.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Were you ever in the middle of trying to get that perfect photo, framing it just-so, and tweaking the exposure and focus for the perfect shot, when your mother called to remind you of your own child’s birthday? It could totally happen. And for pro photographers using the iPhone as their preferred camera (which is a great idea, BTW), the risk of interruptions is even greater.

That’s why noted iPhone photographer Austin Mann came up with a great way to shut up your iPhone while you’re busy shooting. It’s called Shoot Mode, and it’s yet another example of how useful Siri Shortcuts can be — even in tiny doses.

Optimistic analyst gets gloomy about iPhone XR

By

iPhone XR performance is stellar, far better than many Android devices that cost more.
Some of the early optimism about iPhone XR sales might have been unjustified.
Photo: Apple

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo just slashed his estimates for the number of iPhone XR units that will sell over the next year. That’s a real turnaround, as Kuo had previously been bullish on Apple’s latest handset.

And he’s not the only analyst expressing concerns about sales of the iPhone XR. But it’s also possible this model is just following a pattern first laid down by the iPhone X.

Is the 2018 iPad Pro Smart Folio Cover really worth $99? [Review]

By

The Smart Folio Cover also eliminates the camera bump.
The Smart Folio Cover also eliminates the camera bump.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you buy a new iPad on launch day, and you want a cover or case, you’ll probably have to buy one from Apple. The first-party covers are great, but the prices are absurd. After using a Smart Cover on my old 1st-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a few years, I swore to myself that I’d wait it out this time, until good third-party cases went on sale, instead of wasting cash on a Smart Folio Cover.

But, after just a couple of hours with the new iPad Pro, I realized there was no way to carry it in my bag without a case. So I put it back in its box, walked to the Apple Store, and gave Apple another 120 euros (or $136 at current exchange rates). Was it worth it?

Free app boosts iPhone internet speed and privacy

By

Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 app makes web browsing faster and safer.
Switching your DNS server to 1.1.1.1 makes web browsing faster and safer.
Photo: Cloudflare

A new application has the potential to speed up internet access on your iPhone. And Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 app certainly makes everything you do online more private.

What it’s doing is a bit technical, but we’ll do our best to explain the benefits without too much jargon.

Jony Ive’s $250,000 ring dazzles with a unibody diamond

By

Jony Ive ring 1
A one-piece diamond ring looks spectacular. But it'll sure as heck cost you!
Photo: Sotheby's

Want to show your Apple-loving significant other that you really care about them? If so — and you happen to have $150,000-$250,000 at your disposal — you might want to participate in a new Sotheby’s auction for a diamond ring designed by none other than Sir Jony Ive and BFF Marc Newson.

The one-of-a-kind ring was designed to raise money for (RED), a charity that raises money to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa. Over the years, Apple has raised millions of dollars for the charity — and Ive has had the chance to design one-off objects such as minimalist desks in the process.

Enjoy top-rated VPN protection for 1/3 the usual price [Deals]

By

Nord VPN offers top=notch online protection at a bargain price, just in time for your holiday travels.
This is top-notch online protection for bargain price, just in time for your holiday travels.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re traveling this holiday season, you could encounter nastiness other than the cold or flu. Using public Wi-Fi is a prime way to face malware, identity theft and other online threats. So you’ll want to travel with solid VPN protection.

Citibank is worried about weak iPhone XR sales

By

iphone xr
The iPhone XR may not be the sales juggernaut some predicted.
Photo: Apple

Financial services group Citibank has concerns about iPhone XR demand — and it’s worried that this will affect chip stocks.

In a new note to clients, Citi analyst Atif Malik downgraded Skyworks Solutions stock. Skyworks manufactures radio frequency semiconductors, which let smartphones talk to wireless networks. Apple orders allegedly make up 35 to 40 percent of Skyworks’ annual revenue.

2018 iPad Pro teardown reveals a bunch of big improvements

By

2018 iPad Pro teardown
Here's everything you'll find inside the 2018 iPad Pro.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit has finally gotten around to tearing apart the 2018 iPad Pro.

Unsurprisingly, it has discovered lots of big improvements under the hood of Apple’s latest tablet, and more chips than you can shake a stick at. Plus, there’s good news and bad news for DIY repairers.

iPhone triumphs over local rivals on record Chinese shopping day

By

iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Tim Cook looking happy in China. As he very much should be!
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

The iPhone outsold Chinese rivals on Alibaba platforms during China’s Singles Day on November 11. Singles’ Day is a holiday in which people not in a relationship buy themselves gifts.

Alibaba, the e-commerce giant that is the equivalent of China’s Amazon, sold a record $30.8 billion in gross merchandise during the day. Apple’s position as number one mobile brand is therefore pretty darn impressive!

Broadway ditches heavy production books for iPads

By

ProductionPro
A look at the ProductionPro app in use.
Photo: ProductionPro

Broadway producers are ditching the heavy, 10-pound production books they currently use for shows in favor of iPads. These books contain details — swapped out for each new production — about script and choreography changes in Broadway musicals.

Instead of these heavy books, producers on Pretty Woman: The Musical, Kinky Boots and other shows are increasingly relying on the considerably lighter iPad — complete with the app ProductionPro and an Apple Pencil for scribbling notes.