A complicated, multibillion-dollar intellectual property battle between Apple and chipmaker Qualcomm will soon move through courts and hearing rooms across the globe.
More than 50 lawsuits have been filed in six countries, however, the outcome from upcoming hearings in the U.S. China and Germany could prod the feuding tech companies to negotiate a settlement, according to a Bloomberg report.
After beating out every other photo-sharing platform and stealing Snapchat’s lunch money, Instagram is jumping into video.
A new report claims the service is adding support for uploading videos up to an hour in length. It is also in talks with content creators and publishers about the possibility of delivering original long-form videos that could compete with shows from the likes of Apple and Netflix.
Rumors of Apple introducing a triple-lens iPhone in 2019 is picking up steam after an analyst told investors the three lenses were a likely push to make the iPhone the top augment reality device.
Jialin Lu, a Deutsche Securities analyst, is among the latest in a number of tech observers who believe Apple is planning a three-lens rear camera set-up, though some speculate the third lens may be added to expand the reach of the handset’s zoom function.
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: We’re expecting big things from iOS 12, including a whole host of improvements that will make our devices more stable, and plenty of welcome bug fixes. Apple will surely surprise us with some nice new features, too at WWDC 2018.
Here’s our lengthy wish list for this update, which includes a Home screen overhaul, a more powerful FaceTime, better multitasking, and more!
You’ll find that story and more in this issue. Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend with three days of great savings on Apple Watch bands and accessories in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
Entrepreneur Luo Yonghao has a smartphone company in China that is losing money and has yet to capture even 1 percent of the market share.
So the CEO of Smartisan is making a lot of noise — including firing potshots at Apple — to raise his brand’s profile.
Correction: This post has been updated to indicate that the Siri “leaks” making headlines this week appear to be leftovers from WWDC 2017. The somewhat cryptic Siri responses, which caused some confusion, appear to have been removed by the Siri team.
When asked about Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developer’s Conference, Siri very sweetly dishes two interesting bits of news. Apple’s voice assistant will get a new voice, and she will lend it to a new HomePod.
Despite closing in on becoming the country’s first trillion dollar company, Apple took a small drop in the annual Fortune 500 rankings.
The rankings released this morning put Apple in the number 4 spot as ExxonMobile leapfrogged the iPhone-maker and Berkshire Hathaway to claim the number 2 spot.
The wait for an iPhone replacement battery has reportedly shrunk to little or nothing. This is good news for anyone with an older model who wants to take up Apple’s offer of a new battery at a discount price.
The company will swap out an aging battery for just $29, less than half what it used to cost, as an apology for surreptitiously throttling some devices.
Thanks to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a backlash is brewing against the way tech giants like Facebook monetize data. This could result in government regulation, which has the potential to upend the business models of some of the world’s biggest companies.
Luckily, Apple is practically immune. Here’s why 2018’s biggest tech scandal could actually help the world’s biggest tech company.
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple will take a field trip out of Silicon Valley to host its first major event of 2018 next week. Instead of focusing on iPhones and Apple Watches, this keynote will be all about education and creativity.
Rumors have been swirling for months that new MacBook Airs and an updated, inexpensive iPad could arrive this spring. We might see those, but Apple probably has a couple other surprises in store that you haven’t heard of. Here’s what to expect from Apple’s education event next Tuesday.
You’ll find that story and more in this issue. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
Music service Spotify has added a voice search feature to its iOS app that allows users to find song tracks, albums, and playlists.
The new test feature takes Siri out of the equation. With Apple trying to grow its music streaming service, it never allowed Spotify to integrate with Siri, including with Apple’s first smart speaker, HomePod.
Apple has formerly requested approval for its Shazam acquisition from the European Commission.
EU antitrust regulators confirmed last month that they had launched an investigation into the deal following concerns from seven European countries. Apple will get a decision next month, but it may not be final.
An Apple prototype of an early laptop, one of only four known to exist, sold on eBay Tuesday evening for more than $16,000.
It was the second time the owner of the Apple Macintosh Portable M5126 – fully functional and with a rare-for-its-time backlit screen – tried selling the test device on the auction site. Last month, bidding closed at just over $10,000 but the buyer backed out.
In just 24 hours, Apple went from being ho-hum in charisma to number one in brand intimacy.
What sounds like fickle middle school popularity are actual rankings based on research, data and scientific surveys of, well, fickle people.
Apple ended its workweek ranked first for brand intimacy among millennials, according to a report MBLM, a marketing firm that specializes in helping brands form said connection. Apple as a brand must have worked hard on itself over the last year because it beat out Netflix, which was tops among millennials last year.
Apple this week acknowledged it is still battling poor working conditions and environmental violations with some of its overseas supplier factories, but highlighted programs to solve ongoing issues, according to a company audit.
Apple’s annual Supplier Responsibility Report addressed conditions at 756 sites in 30 countries last year and scored facilities based on its Code of Conduct.
A rare Macintosh prototype that was once rescued from the trash recently sold for more than $10,000 on eBay.
But the winning bidder backed out and now, the clear-plastic Macintosh Portable M5126 laptop is back on the auction site. Bidding started at 99 cents with no reserve.
A Piper Jaffray survey of iPhone users who did not upgrade to the iPhone X came to a predictable conclusion: Most were satisfied with the performance of their current model and many find the X too expensive.
However, the financial services firm predicts Apple will coax some upgrades out of these users with a line of new iPhone models this fall, one of which is expected to be more affordable.
Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have corroborated reports that the company is working on new over-the-ear headphones. The high-end cans are scheduled to launch later this year, but Apple is currently facing “challenges” in development that could lead to a delay.
A reliable source says Apple is working on audiophile-grade headphones with built-in AirPods magic. AirPods Pro? SIGN US UP. Catch the discussion on The CultCast. And stay tuned for: How Apple plans to revolutionize healthcare; the cool, weird and wacky HealthKit gadgets you’ve never heard of; and we wrap up with pro-level whistling, rock accordion, and the best actors of all time in an all-new Get to Know Ur Cultist.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.
If you think Apple has lost its innovation mojo, these T-shirts are for you.
Throwboy’s new iWantMore line expresses the frustration of anybody irritated by iOS bugs or underwhelmed by the MacBook Pro.
Many people can’t bear to part with their old computers, and slowly build a collection of aging models in their basement. Benj Edwards took that impulse to the next level: He owns at least 228 unique devices, many of them classic Apple products going back to the 1980s.
Now he’s put them all up for sale. Ready to start your own computer museum?
The Computer History Museum named former Apple executive Dan’l Lewin as its new CEO and President today.
Lewin was one of Steve Jobs’ top guys back in the early days of Apple. He served in a number of marketing roles from 1981 to 1985 and was recruited by Jobs to join his new company, NeXT, after Jobs was fired from Apple.
A signature feature of Samsung’s new Galaxy S9 flagship phone is AR Emoji, which bear a very strong resemblance to Apple’s Animoji. But Samsung’s mobile chief claims that’s a complete coincidence.
Warren Buffett doesn’t use an iPhone, yet it is one of the big reasons he invests so much money in Apple stock.
Buffett told CNBC on Monday that his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bought more in Apple than any other stock over the last year, making it the second-biggest holding for the company.
When the entire mobile phone industry heads to Barcelona next week for Mobile World Congress 2018, there will be one notable absence: Apple.
Cupertino doesn’t do trade shows. Not even really big ones like Mobile World Congress. Yet, despite its absence from the massive Spanish trade show, Apple’s influence will loom large over Barcelona’s beautiful horizons. Cult of Mac shows you five things Apple fans should look out for at MWC next week.
In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Enter to win a HomePod through Cult of Mac Deals. Learn how to drag and drop text between apps on iPad. Shop Casetify’s Stainless Steel Mesh Bands in two new finishes — Gold and Irisdescent — in our Watch Store. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
