| Cult of Mac

Apple is serious about strapping a camera to your wrist

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The camera looks like its part of the loop band.
Photo: USPTO

It seems inevitable that a camera will eventually find its way onto the Apple Watch, the only question is ‘how’? The USPTO awarded a new patent this week that reveals one pretty novel idea Apple has come up with that would allow the Apple Watch camera to be reversible.

It doesn’t look very sleek, but it could be pretty useful:

Clueless Jeb Bush just discovered his ‘Bat Phone’ (Apple Watch) makes calls

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Jeb Bush is amazed by his "Bat Phone."
Photo: Des Moines Register

Jeb Bush is a huge Apple Watch fan even though he knows how to use it about as much as he knows how to beat Donald Trump. The presidential hopeful is always incorrectly referring to the device as an “iWatch” — and apparently didn’t discover until today that it can make calls.

Bush received an untimely call during an interview Wednesday with The Des Moines Register’s editorial board, but had absolutely no idea where the talking voice was coming from. After reassuring reporters that his “watch can’t be talking,” Bush was politely informed that indeed it can.

“I’ve never had my Bat Phone turned on,” exclaims a befuddled Bush in the video. “That’s the coolest thing in the world.”

Watch the goofy incident below:

Apple is getting sued for buying iWatch ads on Google

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Apple Watch 2 will focus on battery improvements instead of display.

Irish software development studio Probendi is suing Apple in Europe over the use of the term ‘iWatch’ in its search engine ads.

Court documents filed by Probendi in Milan claim that even though Apple doesn’t own the trademark for iWatch, it has used iWatch wording on Google in an effort to direct customers to the Apple Watch website.

Catch our Spring Forward event hopes and expectations on this week’s CultCast

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Apple Watch time y'aaaall!
Apple Watch time, y'aaaall!

It’s time… for our Apple Watch desires to be fulfilled. With the big day coming March 9th, catch our Spring Forward event expectations, all that we know about the Apple Watch thus far, and our expectations for other Apple hardware announcements. Plus: why Apple watch will replace your keys; Apple adds cars to its list of products; and since the new Photos app for Mac just hit public beta, we’ll tell you what we like and don’t about Apple’s iPhoto replacement.

Our thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn virtually any application at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

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Full show notes ahead!

Get photography tips from an Instagram pro on this week’s episode of The CultCast

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Photo courtesy of @Withhearts, the prince of Instagram
Photo courtesy of @Withhearts, the prince of Instagram

This week: As promised! With over 430,000 Instagram followers, photographer Cory Staudacher, aka @withhearts, joins us to talk mobile photography, his favorite photo apps and gear, and his tips for capturing beautiful images with your favorite iDevice. Plus, someone tries to burn down the Mrs. Doubtfire house—time for a drive-by fruiting; prepare thy wrists, the  Watch may cometh in March; and details on a radically new Macbook Air.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Squarespace 7 is live, and it’s their biggest update in years. Now building a beautiful website is faster and easier than ever. Learn more at Squarespace.com/seven and use code “CultCast” at checkout for 10% off any order.

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Full show notes ahead!

Your new 30K iWatch is just a click away

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Got $30k to drop on this diamond encrusted Apple Watch bracelet? Photo: Mervis
Got $30k to drop on this diamond encrusted Apple Watch bracelet? Photo: Mervis

We don’t know when Apple Watch will hit stores, but if you can’t wait to strap your wrist with the most luxurious Apple product ever created, Mervis Diamonds has the perfect band to match the 18k gold Apple Watch you’ve been lusting after. And it’ll only set you back $30,150.

‘Call it the iWatch and we’ll kill you’

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Just don't call it the iWatch. Photo: Apple

Having written about the Apple Watch for months before it was announced, I’ll admit it was difficult to stop referring to the device as the “iWatch.” Even Tim Cook has slipped up and used that name in interviews, suggesting that this is the name Apple’s wearable debut had inside the company.

With that in mind, CollegeHumor has created a hilarious public service announcement video entitled, tactfully enough, “Apple: Call It the iWatch and We’ll Kill You.”

$5,000 Apple Watches and the good and bad of iPhone 6 on The CultCast

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The reviews are in! We’ll tell you what people love and don’t about the iPhone 6… Then, RIP, iPod Classic. We remember the humble beginnings of the device that built the new Apple. And finally, Apple announced a base price of $349 for the Apple Watch, sure, but the prices for the other editions might make even Rolex envious. All that plus the lesser known features of iOS 8; how to get U2 out of your iTunes; and a new social video app has us taking more selfies than ever.

Titter your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode! Squarespace is the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. For a free trial and 10% off, visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code “CultCast” at checkout.

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Fantasy keynote shows how Steve Jobs would have sold us on Apple Watch

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How would Steve Jobs have introduced the Apple Watch? Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

Apple fans will never revel in the glory of another Stevenote. But an essay that imagines how Steve Jobs would have introduced the Apple Watch just might be the next best thing.

Lesson No. 1: He wouldn’t have called it the “Apple Watch.”

Apple Watch gets trademarked in Europe

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Picture: Apple
Picture: Apple

While the rest of us were celebrating the unveiling of Apple’s much-anticipated smart watch on Tuesday, Apple’s European legal team was busy rushing to file six trademark applications for the name “Apple Watch.”

Of these applications, four featured the Apple logo in front of the word “Watch,” while the other two referred to the two words “Apple Watch.”

Apple’s legal firm filed the trademarks under a total of 11 International Classes for protection and clarification, covering areas including financial transactions, fitness and wellness sensors, and more.