There's a whole lot of cash coming in. Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC
Ahead of Apple postings its latest quarter results today, two of the company’s rivals — Samsung and Spotify — have published their own calendar Q3 results. And they’re good. But there’s a catch in both cases.
Samsung immediately mocked Apple when the company elected not to include EarPods and a charger with the iPhone 12. So of course rumors now suggest Samsung may follow suit by ditching a charger and earphones from its forthcoming Galaxy S21 box.
Samsung has not confirmed that this will be the case. But according to SamMobile, some observers think Samsung will leave out a charger and earbuds from its new handset. Others think Samsung might get rid of only the earphones.
Reddit user @u/ilovenyc’s plant-themed setup is warm and inviting. The favorite part of @u/ilovenyc’s setup is a jaw-dropping, 49-inch Samsung CRG9 Curved Gaming Monitor, which is hooked up to a Mac mini. @u/ilovenyc (who prefers to remain autonomous) says it “never fails to put a smile on my face every time I sit down, whether to work or game.”
Next to the Mac mini, the cybersecurity expert has a PC rig for gaming. It has a AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core Desktop Processor with a NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 graphic card. They are encased in a ZXT H210 Mini-ITX PC Gaming Case.
His Mac may be mini but his screen certainly is not. Photo: Duncan Schultz
Duncan Schultz, a government official from the land down under, started working from his home in Brisbane earlier this year. It turned out to be a great opportunity to upgrade his setup. He got rid of his 2015 iMac and instead bought himself a 2020 Mac mini and decided to experiment. He specced out his Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. He wanted plenty of screen real estate without having two screens. So he connected it to a Samsung 43-inch 4K Smart TV and is not looking back.
This guy knows how to save desk space. Photo: @danbarbera1
When tech YouTuber Dan Barbera built his desk, he wanted something that gave him a lot of space and flexibility. He runs his rig off a 2019 MacBook Pro, so his computer is not chained to his desk. The Autonomous SmartDesk 2 is roomy and gives him the option to sit or stand.
The most accommodating thing on the desk, though, is a 32-inch Samsung Space 4K Monitor. Designed to save space, the hyper-adjustable Samsung Space allows him to push the monitor against the wall, or tilt it all the way down onto the desk, freeing up valuable desk real estate underneath it.
A new material gave Samsung’s latest handset an advantage over last year’s iPhone in a drop test. Photo: PhoneBuff
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra survived a series of drop tests better than the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. And that’s exactly what’s to be expected.
The Note 20 only just started reaching customer’s hands, giving it access to the latest, toughest version of Gorilla Glass. The iPhone 11 debuted almost a year ago, and is about to be replaced.
Apple Watch Series 5 sold especially well in the first half of 2020, raking in plenty of revenue. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
The Apple Watch essentially launched the smartwatch category, and continues to dominate it. And rather than competitors catching up, Apple’s share of this market in increasing. It took in 51.4% of the worldwide revenue from shipments of smartwatches during the first half of 2020, a significant rise from the same period last year.
It's available only in the U.K. for now. Photo: Samsung
Samsung’s answer to Apple Card is here, but the two won’t be battling it out for customers just yet. While Apple Card remains a U.S. exclusive, Samsung Pay Card on Tuesday made its debut in the U.K.
Samsung’s product has some neat advantages over Apple’s, like the ability to link multiple cards together. It’s the result of a partnership between Samsung, MasterCard, and British fintech company Curve.
There are some features in the new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra that Apple should put in the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Samsung’s newly unveiled Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will have to take on the iPhone 12 Pro Max after Apple launches it this autumn.
Samsung’s top-tier handset offers seven features iOS fans should hope will show up in Apple’s next flagship iPhone. But the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also has some real problems.
A free Samsung charger with every phone might soon be a thing of the past. Photo: Samsung
Samsung is reportedly considering not bundling a wall charger with future phones. This comes after reports that archrival Apple is considering the same move for the iPhone 12.
The goal is allegedly the same for both companies: reducing production costs. Taking the charger out of the box would also make shipping cheaper.
The Samsung T7 isn’t much bigger than an Apple Card but still holds 2 terabytes of data. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Samsung T7 holds an amazing amount of data considering its svelte design. This Solid State Drive isn’t much bigger than a business card but holds up to 2TB. And it can be passed around between multiple computers — it’s compatible with Mac and iPad Pro, as well a wide variety of other devices.
I loaded up this recently-released SSD with a variety of files and put it through some real-world testing. Here’s how it stood up.
Apple's struggle to break away from Samsung goes on. Photo: Ben Geskin
One of Apple’s manufacturing partners for iPhone 12 has reportedly failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels this week. BOE is said to have run into quality assurance troubles ahead of mass-production.
It’s not yet clear if this will have an impact on iPhone 12 supply.
Samsung could profit big from the iPhone 12, too. Image: ConceptsiPhone
Samsung will once again play a big role in making the next-gen iPhone as it has secured the majority of orders for the OLED displays for the iPhone 12, claims a report published Wednesday.
The iPhone 12 series of phones is expected to be Apple’s biggest upgrade in several years — featuring a new chassis design, OLED screens in every model, and Apple’s first 5G compatibility. And Samsung, Apple’s long-time frenemy, will seemingly get a big, lucrative piece of the pie.
The Samsung T7 is ultraportable and can be used with Mac or iPad Pro. Photo: Samsung
The Samsung T7 isn’t much bigger than a business card, but the portable Solid State Drive (SSD) is available in sizes up to 2TB. And USB-C brings compatibility with a wide variety of Apple computers, as well as other devices.
Designed to be used on the go, a solid aluminum cases makes it shock resistant from drops up to 2 meters.
The ultrawide curved monitor is eye-popping. Photo: Carlos Azaustre
An ultrawide curved monitor takes any setup to the next level, and Cesar Azaustre’s MacBook-powered rig is no exception. It took a three-year span for the Spanish front-end engineer to assemble this setup — and it does not disappoint.
To control things on his massive $800 screen, he uses the Apple Magic Keyboard and the Logitech MX Anywhere wireless mouse. For Zoom meetings, he leans on a Logitech Pro Stream Camera and a Røde microphone, both top-of-the-line products.
The iPhone continues to be a satisfying hit with U.S. consumers.
For the sixth straight year, iPhones rank as the smartphone with the highest customer satisfaction score among U.S. consumers, according to new data released Monday.
T-Mobile remains the undisputed network operator for the fourth straight year, according to the survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, an economic analytics group.
Could TSMC eventually build A-series chips in America? Screenshot: Apple
Could Apple’s A-series chips eventually be manufactured in the United States? That’s one possible outcome if the Trump administration gets its way. The ongoing debate around domestic chip production and thechips act could play a significant role in shaping this future.
According to a report published Sunday by the Wall Street Journal, the White House wants to “jump-start” the development of new chip factories in the U.S. to help reduce reliance on Asia for critical technology. And it’s in talks with current A-series chipmaker TSMC and others to do so.
Apple Music subscribers can listen to playlists on Samsung smart TVs. Photo: Apple
Apple Music invites people to “Lose yourself in 60 million songs.” Today, you can on a new device – a Samsung smart TV.
Samsung announced Thursday an Apple Music app is now available for its most recent smart TVs. Until the Samsung, an Apple Music app was only available with an Apple TV set-top device.
That's a cat house ... made from a TV box. Photo: Samsung
We know Apple makes some of the prettiest packaging you’ll ever find wrapped around electronics, but it’s really just trash when you’re done with it. Samsung has found a terrific way to make its packaging useful.
Boxes built for the company’s newest TV sets can be turned quickly and easily turned into cardboard cat houses, small furniture, and other useful things when you’re done with them.
Apple's current chips are made with the 7-nanometer process. Screenshot: Apple
The A-series chip in this year’s iPhone 12 is going to include one of the world’s first 5-nanometer chips, created by Apple partner TSMC.
But chipmakers are already looking beyond 5-nanometers when it comes to developing the ultra powerful chips of tomorrow. Rivals TSMC and Samsung, both of whom have previously made A-series chips for Apple, are busy exploring 3-nanometer production processes.
However, according to a report published Monday, Samsung just hit delays with their attempts at creating the next-next-gen chip process.
Wi-Fi 6 will help you binge more shows, faster. Photo: Apple
The two new iPad Pros unveiled Wednesday are the first Apple tablets to support the super-fast Wi-Fi 6 standard.
Apple’s brilliant new iPad Pro ads don’t mention Wi-Fi 6 as one of the headline features, but it’s a huge upgrade in connectivity from the previous generation, offering faster speeds and longer range.
There are many reasons why you’ll be hearing about Wi-Fi 6 a lot more in the future.
How Apple pushed Samsung to be No. 1. Photo: Samsung Rising
New book Samsung Rising tells the story of Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone era. It chronicles Samsung’s decades-long ascent, and the fierce competition between the South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy smartphones and the iPhone.
Smartly written and reported by veteran journalist Geoffrey Cain, Samsung Rising will certainly keep your brain active and your fingers flipping pages.
Geoffrey Cain goes deep on one of Apple's biggest rivals in his new book, Samsung Rising. Photo: Marion Ettlinger
Apple vs. Samsung is the modern Apple vs. Microsoft — a battle between seemingly unstoppable tech titans. In his new book, Samsung Rising, author Geoffrey Cain charts the surprising story of the South Korean electronics giant. He also reveals how a burning desire to beat Apple drove Samsung’s successful strategies.
Cain, a former reporter for Time and Fast Company, based his book on more than 400 interviews. Over the years, he spoke with top Samsung and Apple executives to gain an insider’s perspective on the battle between the two companies. In this exclusive interview with Cult of Mac, he serves up surprising insight into a tech rivalry for the ages.
Apple’s updated gadget cleaning guidelines give you the tips you need to keep your iPhone clean during the COVID-19 pandemic. But if you bought a Galaxy smartphone instead, Samsung will clean it for you.
The South Korean company on Thursday launched the Galaxy Sanitizing Service — a free program that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to rid your handset of germs and bacteria.