What if Siri was actually (gasp!) useful? Image: Google Gemini/Cult of Mac
Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of false advertising and unfair competition, after the personalized Siri features it promoted when launching iPhone 16 saw significant delays. Now, many iPhone users can lay claim to payouts.
Soon it might not matter than your gym doesn't have an app that supports Apple Wallet. AI image: Gemini/Cult of Mac
iOS 27 will bring a long-requested upgrade to the iPhone Apple Wallet application: the ability for users to create their own passes directly within the app, according to report published Monday.
If true, this would significantly expand how iPhone owners manage everyday cards and tickets with the app.
This 2019 MacBook Pro with an Intel chip will not get macOS 27. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Anyone still using an Intel Mac needs to know that when macOS 27 launches this fall, it won’t be available for computers that don’t use Apple’s own processors.
It’s not like your Intel-based Mac will suddenly explode in your face because it’s running an older version of macOS, but the odds of getting hacked go up considerably. Here’s why.
iOS 27 could support an upgraded Camera app with a Siri camera mode plus an overall overhaul of the voice assistant. Photo: Chat GPT/Cult of Mac
Apple will put artificial intelligence front and center in the iPhone camera with a dedicated Siri camera mode coming in iOS 27, according to a new report. The move signals the company’s push to make on-device AI feel less like a hidden feature and more like a core part of the iPhone experience.
Check back what they really said. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can record a phone call on your iPhone for future reference using a built-in tool. This feature is a great way to refer back to a previous conversation. Who said what? What date did they say? What exactly did you agree to?
If your device supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll get transcriptions of the phone calls, too. They’ll go in a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app.
If you used a shady call recording app before, you can bid it adieu. There’s a convenient button built right into the Phone app. Here’s how it all works.
The Mac mini just got a lot harder to buy. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of mac
Apple’s $599 M4 Mac mini is the latest casualty of the ongoing DRAM shortage. The machine is no longer available for purchase on Apple’s website.
It’s possible this is a sign that a new model with a faster processor is imminent. But for now, only the M4 Pro Mac mini is available, and with ridiculous wait times stretching into July.
The first Apple car, a collaboration with VW known as the iBeetle, rolls onto the scene. Photo: Volkswagen
April 22, 2013: The world gets its first Apple car. Well, kind of. In reality, the iBeetle is a collaboration with German automaker Volkswagen that offers a car “stylistically linked” to Apple.
This means Apple-inspired colors, a built-in docking station for your iPhone, and a special app that lets you control the car’s features.
The next-gen Mac Studio reportedly won’t ship until this fall. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
The wait for Apple’s much-anticipated M5 refresh of the Mac Studio just got longer. The company will reportedly delay the launch of the next big MacBook Pro refresh to 2027 as well.
The ongoing DRAM and NAND flash shortages are to blame for the delay, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The latest rumor gives us a better idea what to expect from Apple's smart glasses. Illustration: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: New details emerge about Apple’s smart glasses, including possible shapes, sizes and colors.
Now for the important question: Will we — or anybody else — actually want to wear a pair?
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Apple reportedly plans a last-ditch effort to get its Siri team up to speed on AI-powered coding. Meanwhile, Siri’s worse than ever! Will Apple make the WWDC26 deadline for the Siri upgrade?
The tech behind the first folding iPhone’s (supposedly) crease-free screen sounds insane.
A MacBook Pro setup puts the weirdest hinged screens we’ve ever seen front and center.
And finally, Griffin shows us how to walk back one of macOS Tahoe’s most divisive design decisions.
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.
Apple wants to make your iPhone into your car key, if it can keep getting automakers to cooperate. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Update: And just like that, now Lexus enters the fray. Reports indicate the Toyota-owned luxury brand will add support for iPhone car keys in the coming months, according to references found in Apple’s backend code. It joins many others.
From a single BMW model in 2020 to dozens of brands today, Apple Wallet’s digital car key keeps gaining momentum. Could it soon become as standard as a seat belt? It looks to be headed that way, at least — and for good reason.