| Cult of Mac

Why the iPod touch is still totally relevant

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It's a repair manual! The iPod touch can be anything.
It's a repair manual! The iPod touch can be anything.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iPod touch exists to be used by waiters, warehouse staff, delivery persons, and anyone else whose employer wants them to use an iOS device as a handheld on-the-job computer. That’s why it just got an update, and it’s probably why it hasn’t — and never will — change size or shape. It is a utility computer. Making it an all-screen, buttonless iPhone-lite is pointless. Adding Touch ID is equally useless when it is used by multiple people.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t also a great device for everyone else. If you need a utility iOS computer, then you should buy it. Musicians are one great example of potential users. Let’s see why the iPod Touch is still great.

You can now use Apple Pay inside Uber Eats

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Uber Eats Apple Pay
Ordering food just got even easier.
Photo: Uber Eats

It’s now easier than ever to pay for Uber Eats orders, thanks to the arrival of Apple Pay.

The food delivery service has finally adopted Apple’s mobile payments platform in almost 20 countries. It makes completing a transaction as easy as tapping your finger or scanning your face.

7 ways working at an iPhone factory will drive you crazy

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Terry Gou
But there's a definite chance of further delays.
Photo: Foxconn

NYU graduate student Dejian Zeng pulled back the curtain on Apple’s factories in a tell-all that details his six-week stint working on an iPhone assembly line in China.

Zeng’s lengthy interview reveals details on everything from conditions inside a Pegatron dormitory to how Apple slowly shifts production for new iPhone models. Some of the most interesting bits, though, are the tiny details that show how working in an Apple factory could drive you crazy.

Here are the wildest details Zeng revealed.

Tim Cook spotted dining with Google CEO

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Does this mean the thermonuclear war is over?
Does this mean the thermonuclear war is over?
Photo: Amit Pradhan

Apple CEO Tim Cook appears to be open to a friendlier relationship with Google than Steve Jobs ever was. Cook got spotted dining with Google CEO Sundar Pichai at one of the top Vietnamese restaurants in Silicon Valley this week. What the two powerful tech leaders were discussing is still a mystery, though.

Here’s another angle:

How to book a reservation through Apple Maps on iOS 10

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Apple Maps reservation OpenTable
Apple Maps makes it easy to get your grub on.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Finding an awesome spot to eat has always been easy on the iPhone. But iOS 10 makes it super-simple to book a restaurant reservation in Apple Maps.

With the new third-party app extensions in Maps, users can now reserve a table without ever leaving the Maps app. Just find the spot you want to dine at, and with a few extra taps you’ll be on your way to a fine dining experience.

Book a reservation in seconds with these steps.

Apple Pay is finally coming to Chick-fil-A

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Chick-fil-A registers are getting an upgrade.
Chick-fil-A registers are getting an upgrade.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

Getting your chicken fix will no longer require a wallet at Chick-fil-A restaurants.

The company’s long-awaited Apple Pay rollout that was announced last year is finally coming to stores nationwide this week, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch owners to pay with a tap.

3D scanner will let you count food calories with your iPhone

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A prototype of NutriRay3D in action.
Photo: NutriRay3D

There are many meal-tracking apps and iOS-compatible smart scales out there, but for really dedicated calorie-counters the problem with the majority of them is that they don’t give you the nutritional content of the exact meal sitting in front of you.

A new high-tech food scanner straight out of Star Trek hopes to help solve that problem, by giving you a new iPhone attachment called NutriRay3D, which will use 3D image processing to accurately calculate the volume and calorie measurement of any meal.

Oreo’s new cookie takes a bite out of Apple’s playbook

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oreo

Photo: Nabisco

Every summer Oreo comes out with a crazy new limited edition cookie to get you to stuff your face with more delicious cream filling. This year’s no different except instead of using watermelon, birthday cake, or lemon creme filling to tempt you, the company has taken a bite out of Apple’s playbook by making the Oreo impossibly thin.