| Cult of Mac

Smarter design will make your website a love letter to users

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Stop losing traffic because your site is clumsy with this bundle.
Your visitors will thank you for mastering UX design early.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Learning to craft websites that users can easily navigate and enjoy exploring is an in-demand skill that could lead to an exciting career. And an easy way to get started on the web design career path is the 2022 Premier Adobe XD UI/UX Design Bundle.

This 75-hour course bundle can help you understand the principles of web design and some of the software that pros use. For a limited time, it costs only $39.99 (regularly $1,200).

iPhone Studio? Concept mixes Mac Studio design with Apple’s handset.

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Meet the iPhone Studio, a design concept by Antonio De Rosa based on the Mac Studio.
Meet the iPhone Studio, a design concept by Antonio De Rosa based on the Mac Studio.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa

A new design concept has married elements of the recently released Mac Studio desktop computer to everyone’s favorite handset, the iPhone.

The resulting renders, by prolific Italian concept artist Antonio De Rosa, show a sleek “iPhone Studio” with a powerful array of features.

Feast your eyes on these zany Casely iPhone 13 cases

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Casely's new iPhone 13 cases are a feast for the eyes. If you're into that sort of thing.
Casely's new iPhone 13 cases are a feast for the eyes. If you're into that sort of thing.
Photo: Casely

Apple accessories provider Casely is known for its kooky and colorful designs. That remains true with its new iPhone 13 cases. The new Casely iPhone 13 case collections for Apple’s new handsets are full of zany patterns, prints and textures worthy of an Instagram influencer.

Want to make a MagSafe accessory for iPhone 12? Follow these guidelines

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MagSafe on iPhone 12 Pro GIF
MagSafe is back — but not as you knew it.
GIF: Apple

Apple has created a guidelines document for third-party manufacturers who want to create their own MagSafe accessories for the iPhone 12.

It contains specific guidance, such as the fact that MagSafe cases must have a a maximum thickness of 2.1mm, and should be capable of clinging on securely to an iPhone without necessarily having to rely on the magnets to do so.

Best iOS 14 custom Home screens (so far …)

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iOS 14 Home screen modification
Give your iPhone a bespoke overhaul.
Photo: Pogpals

Thanks to iOS 14’s new widgets, seemingly everyone is redesigning their iPhone Home screens right now. Some of these look amazing. Others evoke the eyeball-abusing tragedy of late-stage MySpace, serving as painful reminders of why most of us didn’t become professional graphic designers.

Here are some of the better iOS 14 custom Home screens we’ve seen. (Want to make your own? We’ve got a guide for you: How to give your iPhone Home screen a new look with custom icons).

Meet Jerry Manock, the father of Apple’s Industrial Design Group

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Apple’s first proper industrial designer, Jerry Manock crafted the look of the Macintosh and other memorable computers.
Apple’s first proper industrial designer, Jerry Manock crafted the look of the Macintosh and other memorable computers.
Photo courtesy Jerry Manock

Jerry Manock is one of the great unsung heroes of Apple design. As the father of Apple’s Industrial Design Group, Manock made an indelible contribution to the company’s long line of hit products.

He may not be a household name like Jony Ive, but, starting with the Apple II, Manock played a massive role in making the company what it is today. In an exclusive interview with Cult of Mac, the 76-year-old industrial designer recounts many colorful stories about Cupertino’s past — including one that shows even Steve Jobs got nostalgic.

Is this the bold new look for iOS 14? [Cult of Mac Magazine 337]

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Neumorphism might fix some current iOS problems.
Neumorphism might fix some current iOS problems.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Before iOS 7, skeumorphism’s cartoon realism ruled. Then things swung too far in the opposite direction, with flat white pages, skinny text and occasionally confusing visual cues. An emerging design trend called neumorphism could bridge the gap in iOS 14, according to Cult of Mac’s Charlie Sorrel. With subtle shading and helpful hints, neumorphism could influence the evolution of Apple’s mobile UI.

Read all about this hot emerging design trend in this week’s free issue of our iOS magazine. It also includes the week’s top Apple news stories, along with a passel of how-tos and product reviews.

Most Americans say they won’t buy a folding smartphone

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Xiaomi foldable phone
We're not exactly clamoring for one.
Photo: Lin Bin/Xioami

Someone thinks a foldable smartphone is a good idea. That person, for now, is not the consumer.

In a survey of 11,374 Americans, a whopping 82 percent of the respondents said they have no plans to purchase a foldable smartphone. That doesn’t mean companies need to shut the lid on the idea.

Is neumorphism the big new look for iOS 14?

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Flat UI elements, bolstered with real-world visual cues, make neumorphism easy to
Flat UI elements, bolstered with real-world visual cues, make neumorphism easy to "read."
Photo: MazePizel/Dribbble

Take one look at any screenshot from a pre-iOS 7 iPhone, and you’ll wonder how we ever used such a hideous interface for so many years. The skeumorphic design language included so much fake wood, glossy plastic and gray gradient that there’s almost nowhere to put the actual contents of the app.

iOS 7 went way too far in the opposite direction, with flat white pages and skinny text. Is that a button? Is it just a label? Can I press it? Who knows? We’re still suffering from this UI ambiguity today, in iOS 13. Text got thicker, but it’s still hard to know what to press, and what is just there to be read.

Clearly, there’s a space between these two extremes. Something as clean as iOS 7 and, at the same time, as obvious and usable as iOS 6 and previous versions. But what would that look like? I know what I want it to look like. It’s called “neumorphism,” and it looks fantastic.