n1 - page 4

Why you should check your Apple Watch Activity Trends right now

By

The only way is up. Are your Activity Trends pointing in the right direction?
The only way is up. Are your Activity Trends pointing in the right direction?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch has always tracked your daily physical activity with its three iconic Activity rings. That’s great if you just want to focus on hitting your daily goals. But what if you want to see your progress over time?

iOS 13 solves this with Activity Trends, an all-new tab you’ll find in the Activity app on your iPhone. It provides an indispensable snapshot of how you’ve been doing. Trouble is, it takes 90 days to collect all your trend data. Which means if you checked when you first upgraded to iOS 13, there probably wasn’t much to see.

The good news is that it’s now well over 90 days since Apple released iOS 13. So your Apple Watch Activity Trends should finally be visible. Here’s how to make sense of them.

10 years on: How the iPad changed mobile computing

By

IPad Pro one week review
The iPad changed mobile computing forever.
Photo: Andrea Nepori

There were tablet computers before the iPad, but they were thick plastic laptops with the screens reversed, with awful, bendy TFT screens. The first iPad seems thick and clunky now, compared to the latest ultra-thin iPads Pro, but at the time it felt like a slice of the future.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad a decade ago today, some critics wrote it off as “just a big iPhone.” The only thing was, a lot of people really wanted a big iPhone. And ultimately, the iPad changed mobile computing as we know it.

How to make music like the Apple fan who made Steve Jobs dance

By

How to make music like the Apple fan who made Steve Jobs dance
Jonathan Mann has written a song every day for the last 11 years. That's more than 4,000 songs.
Photo: Jonathan Mann

Few of us know what it’s like to have our music played at an Apple keynote, but 37-year-old Apple fan Jonathan Mann does. Way back in the days of the iPhone 4, he composed a song about Apple’s Antennagate PR disaster. Not only did it get played at an Apple event, it actually made Steve Jobs dance.

For the past 11 years, Mann has recorded a new song every day, using his trusty Mac setup. That’s more than 4,000 songs in total. Now he’s launched a new podcast revealing his creative process. And, true to form, the latest episode features a song about the Mac Pro.

“My first computer, when I was just a toddler, was an Apple IIe,” Mann told Cult of Mac. “My mom used it for work, and my favorite activity was just to hold down different keys on the boot screen and watch the letters go and go.”

YouTube’s Luke Miani reveals lessons on buying old MacBooks by the dozen

By

YouTuber Luke Miani and his pile of MacBooks video
Luke Miani doesn't think you should buy 12 used MacBook Pros. But he will to prove a point about buying used Apple computers on eBay.
Screenshot: Luke Miani/YouTube

Search YouTube for Apple-related content, and you will easily find hosts who unbox, hosts who hack, hosts who fawn, and, of course, plenty who throw snark and shade.

Then there’s Luke Miani, whose Apple-centric videos with a rising number of views fall under a different category: useful.

CES 2020 trends: AirPower alternatives, rise of 5G, tasty TVs

By

CES-2020-trends
It's shaping up to be an exciting year for tech.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

CES 2020The post-holiday tech fest that is CES shutters its doors today for another year. This week’s event has been as weird and as wonderful as any other, giving us a glimpse of all kinds of innovative gadgets on the way in 2020.

Better AirPods alternatives. Wireless chargers that achieve what Apple couldn’t. iPhone cases you can throw on the compost heap when they’re no longer needed. Here are the biggest trends from CES 2020.

How to nail your fitness New Year’s resolution with Apple Watch

By

Ring in the new year with Apple Watch
Ring in the new year with Apple Watch
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

With the holidays behind us and a new decade just getting started, New Year’s resolution season is officially here.

If you want to make amends for your seasonal overindulgence and get in shape for the Twenties, here’s our essential guide to nailing your New Year’s resolutions with Apple Watch.

How to set an Apple Watch Move goal that’s right for you

By

For best results, you should tailor your Apple Watch Move goal to suit your personal situation.
For best results, you should tailor your Move goal to suit your personal situation.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch Activity app sets us three daily goals, for standing, exercise and movement. The first two are the same for everyone: Stand for a minute during at least 12 hours of the day, and do at least 30 minutes of exercise. But the Move goal is different.

For it, you must choose an appropriate goal for yourself, and that can prove a little tricky. Set it too high and it’ll be demotivating. Too low, and it’s just not challenging enough.

So how do you pick the perfect Move goal on Apple Watch?

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the iPhone

By

10-facts-iPhone
Get ready for some iPhone trivia!
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Even if you’re a die-hard Apple fan, there’s still plenty you most likely don’t know about the company’s most popular product. And, whether you want to wow your Apple-loving in-laws over the holidays or just feel the need to fill your brain with some iPhone facts, we’ve got you covered.

Here are 10 things you (probably) don’t know about the iPhone.

Apple’s powerful Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR arrive at last

By

The new Mac Pro is a beautiful beast.
The 2019 Mac Pro workstation and 6K Pro Display XDR display can be ordered today.
Photo: Apple

The wait for the most powerful — and the most expensive — macOS computer ever just ended. Apple began taking orders for the 2019 Mac Pro this morning, after announcing the workstation that boasts a 28-core processor way back in June.

The companion 32-inch Pro Display XDR went up for sale today, too, also at a price that only professionals can afford.

How to log interval workouts with Apple Watch

By

Use segments to log your rest intervals doing HIIT workouts
Use segments to log your rest intervals doing HIIT workouts
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Interval training has become very popular these days, thanks to high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. Proponents of this type of exercise say it delivers many of the benefits of a much longer workout in a short, sharp burst.

The great thing about intervals is that you can do them with pretty much any type of exercise, including running, swimming and cycling. Interval training is also ideal for indoor workouts, like the cardio machines at your local gym. Or you can get creative and mix things up with a jump rope or weights.

Want to give it a go? If so, Apple Watch is the perfect workout companion for interval training.

Cult of Mac book designer embraces ‘think different’

By

cover of Cult of Mac 2E
The Apple inspiration doesn't stop with the cover.
Photo: No Starch Press

Designer Derek Yee asked himself why there weren’t any books about Macs that looked like MacBooks.

So when the assignment came across his desk to design The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition, he thought that making the upcoming book’s cover look and open like a silvery MacBook Pro was a winning idea.

His colleagues at No Starch Press weren’t so sure.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is amazing, but it’s still a Mac [Review]

By

MacBook Pro review
It's about time!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There’s a great Steve Jobs story that somehow seems relevant in a 2019 MacBook Pro review. You probably know it, but I’ll tell it anyway. After the iPad launch, Jobs supposedly walked into a meeting with the Mac team, carrying an iPad. He woke up the iPad, which happened instantaneously. Then he woke up a Mac, which took a while to come out of sleep. Then he asked something like, “Why doesn’t this do that?”

Today, he might take the iPad Pro, and the brand new top-of-the-line MacBook Pro, start them both editing a few images, and wait for the fans to spin up on the Mac. While it cranks up to leaf-blower levels, he’d point at the silent iPad, and make some scathing quip.

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is an incredible computer that’s let down by the red-hot Intel chips inside. Apple’s cool, fast, super-powerful A-series ARM chips can’t come to the Mac soon enough. Using this Intel machine after using an ARM-powered iPad for several years, the Mac feels like there’s something wrong with it. And yet, barely 24 hours into owning one, I absolutely love it.

Apple unleashes 16-inch MacBook Pro we’ve all been waiting for

By

16-inch-MacBook-Pro
The wait is over.
Photo: Apple

The spectacular new 16-inch MacBook Pro we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. Apple today made “the world’s best pro notebook” official, with a larger Retina display and up to 80% faster performance.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro also introduces a brand-new Magic Keyboard that (hopefully) eliminates the problems some MacBook users suffered in recent years. And it’s on sale today!

The MacBook is a disaster. Can Apple fix it?

By

Macbook problems
The Mac is in serious trouble. Can Apple fix things before it’s too late?
Photo: Ales Nesetril/Unsplash

Despite the endless disappointments with iPadOS 13, there’s still no way I’d switch to a MacBook right now. MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) were always the gold (or aluminum?) standard for laptops — reliable, well-designed and long-lasting. Reviewers would even recommend that PC users buy a Mac and install Windows on it via Boot Camp. But today, MacBooks problems abound.

Apple’s laptops are a sorry bunch. And it’s not just the troublesome butterfly keyboard. Every week, I read tweets and blog posts about freelancers and employees of big companies alike losing valuable time as their MacBooks go back for repair for the third or fourth time. So what is happening? What are the biggest problems with today’s MacBooks? And can these MacBook problems be fixed?

AirPods Pro are a steal — even at $249 [Review]

By

AirPods Pro are so popular Apple is struggling to keep up with demand
AirPods Pro are so popular Apple is struggling to keep up with demand
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

It has taken me just over a day to realize AirPods Pro are the best accessory I’ve ever purchased from Apple. They sound terrific, work exceptionally well with other Apple products, and feel great.

They might be pricier than their siblings at $249. But with new features like active noise cancellation and Transparency mode, they’re worth every penny.

Here’s our full review of AirPods Pro.

2020 will deliver Apple’s ‘most impressive hardware’ in years

By

Apple’s first AR headset could launch in 2022, AR glasses in 2023
Next year could bring Apple's long-rumored AR glasses.
Concept: Taeyeon Kim

2020 will be the year Apple unveils its “most impressive hardware in some time,” according to a new report.

Alongside big upgrades for iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac, Cupertino also is expected to deliver its first augmented reality glasses. And they could kick-start an AR revolution.

Apple AR is already here, and you’re probably wearing it right now [Opinion]

By

Apple AR already surrounds us.
Apple’s AR already surrounds us.
Photo: Drew Graham/Unsplash

“Apple is all-in on augmented reality. But where will it lead?” That’s a pretty standard view of Apple’s experiments with visual AR, aka overlaying virtual objects onto the real world, via the iPhone’s camera and screen.

But Apple is already providing a fully immersive AR overlay onto the real world, to millions of users — only it isn’t using a screen. AirPods are augmented reality. They are also a part of a new computing paradigm that Apple snuck into the world without telling anybody. This paradigm currently consists of AirPods, iPhone, Apple Watch and the HomePod. And it is as discreet and low-key as it is important.

Don’t update to macOS Catalina without checking this first

By

32-bit apps are finished.
32-bit apps are finished.
Photo: Avi Richards/Unsplash

Don’t update your Mac to macOS Catalina without doing some serious checking first. The new Mac operating system makes some deep changes, which means that at least a handful of apps on your Mac will break. And that’s probably the best-case scenario. If you’re a long-time Mac user, this could be a chaotic update for you.

So, how do you know which apps are going to break in Catalina? Here are two ways to check.

iPad is catching up with Mac, but it will never be as easy to use [Opinion]

By

It’s not rocket science... oh wait, it is: Opening two files on an iPad.
Opening two files in the same app on an iPad requires rocket science.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Thanks to the recently launched iPadOS, I can finally do simple things on my iPad that I’ve always been able to do on my Mac. Like opening multiple documents in the same app, or installing fonts.

Trouble is, while these things are easy to do on a Mac, they’re fiendishly difficult with an iPad.

In the early days, everyone celebrated the iPad for being easier and more intuitive to use than a Mac. But as Apple crams in more features, that is no longer true. iPad is still easier to use for simple things, but it is much harder and more cumbersome for performing advanced tasks.

iPhone 11 Pro Max: The best gets even better [Review]

By

How gorgeous is the iPhone 11 Max Pro?
How gorgeous is the iPhone 11 Max Pro?
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

This thing is a beauty. The first thing you notice is the glass back. The frosted matte finish makes it semi-translucent, giving it a weirdly illusory depth. It looks great. Not even the controversial, compound-eye camera bump can spoil its good looks. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the best-looking iPhone to date, and I love it.

But don’t be fooled by the familiar design. This year’s refresh makes almost everything about Apple’s most expensive handset better than ever.

It’s faster, stronger and more water-resistant. It packs the best display you’ll find in a phone, and the best camera you’ve ever used. The battery lasts forever. Is it worth its hefty price tag? Absolutely.

Find out more in our full iPhone 11 Pro Max review.

Fast and furious: Everything we saw at Apple’s whipsaw iPhone 11 event

By

Timcook
Tim Cook was in a hurry to reveal Apple's new goodies.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook promised a “huge” morning full of “big” announcements, and boy was he not kidding.

Apple kicked off its 2019 iPhone keynote by diving straight into Apple Arcade. Cook and his colleagues didn’t let off the gas until they squeezed all the juice possible out of Apple’s product lineup 105 minutes later. After promising attendees that innovation would be on full display, Apple revealed it’s coming for your wrist, your pocket, living room, TV, gaming console, DSLR and much more.

This is the start of a whole new era for Apple augmented reality

By

Apple Park ARKit
Apple's augmented reality journey is just getting started.
Photo: Nobuyuki Hiyashi

When Apple introduced ARKit in 2017, the augmented reality platform was hailed as a game-changer. Two years later, Apple’s AR push looks ready to deliver the type of experience that gets CEO Tim Cook so excited he wants to scream.

Thanks to a trio of new augmented reality tools for iOS 13, and the very real possibility of an Apple AR headset on the horizon, 2019 promises to be the start of something truly special for Apple’s augmented reality efforts.

Apple should totally make an all-screen iPhone SE [Opinion]

By

all-screen iphone 5
Who wouldn't want an all-screen iPhone SE?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Years ago, somebody dropped my old iPhone 5, and the screen exploded into a crazed sheet of splinters. Yesterday I finally “fixed” it by sticking a glass screen protector over the whole mess. It still looks terrible, but at least now I can use it without glass shards lodging in my fingertips.

And, now that I can handle the phone again, I realize that I love it. And it got me thinking. Why doesn’t Apple make a phone sized like the old iPhone 5, or iPhone SE, only with an edge-to-edge screen like the iPhones X?

2019 iPhone to bring tougher glass, even better Face ID

By

iPhone 11 R and 11 Max on fence post
These iPhone 11 dummies should be a lot like the real thing.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

This year’s iPhone refresh will introduce new “shatter-resistance technology” and even better Face ID, according to a new report.

It is claimed users will be able to unlock Apple’s next-generation handsets from multiple angles — like when they’re lying flat on a table — thanks to a new Face ID sensor with a wider field of view.