A retro-style mechanical keyboard with built-in speaker is the definition of a niche product. But, as far as niches go, I dug it. Even if I’m not entirely ready to ditch my iMac’s Magic Keyboard just yet.
Here’s what I made of my time typing on KnewKey’s Rocksete.
If you have a Mac with a Touch Bar, do this right now. Hold down the Option key (⌥), and tap the volume icon in the Touch Bar. For non-Touch Bar-using readers, this is what happened: The Mac’s Sound Preferences launched instantly.
This is such a typical Mac feature that it should be obvious. But when I shared this tip with fellow Touch Bar aficionado and Cult of Mac writer Graham Bower, he was all like, “Oh!” and, “That’s pretty neat!”
So, what other tricks can be done with the Option key and the Touch Bar?
We will never see a touchscreen Mac. Apple has made this clear over and over. Whenever one of its executives is asked about a touchscreen Mac in an interview, the answer is always the same: macOS is for trackpads, and iPadOS for is for touch. Combining them would compromise both.
I agree. While I do catch myself tapping the Mac’s screen from time to time, there’s no way I’d want the Mac redesigned for touch. For one thing, you’d lose all the accuracy of the mouse, because clicking targets would have to be big enough for your fingers. But it doesn’t matter, because Apple has already made a touch option for the Mac. It’s Sidecar, and it’s amazing.
simpEarlier this week, a security researcher made waves after discovering that the iPhone 11 uses Location Services even after owners block access to the feature. Apple then released a short, vague explanation that actually explained nothing.
Today, Apple finally released a statement clarifying what’s going on. It goes into much greater detail. And it explains why the checks can’t be used to track users.
By now, you know that you can use multiple windows from the same app in iPadOS 13, just like you can on the Mac. And you probably also know that it’s a pain to open a new window from scratch. You have to open the app, then slide the Dock up from the bottom of the screen, then tap the app icon again, then tap the little + icon at the top right.
But did you know that there’s an easier way to open a new window in iPadOS? You can just drag an item to the edge of the screen, and drop it there to open it in a brand-new Split View window. Let’s check it out.
The challenges Apple has experienced with buggy iOS 13 is causing it to rethink the way it builds and tests operating systems, starting with iOS 14.
According to Bloomberg, software boss Craig Federighi recently announced the changes at a “kickoff” meeting. The new approach will make it easier for testers to be able to switch on and off new features. This is so they can better work out how the features independently impact software functionality.
The current MacBook Pro is the worst thing since unsliced bread — at least if you believe my colleague Charlie “glass is half empty” Sorrel. But while people might be happy to dump on Cupertino’s current laptop selection, Apple brought us some amazing laptops in its 40-plus year history.
Here are the inarguable top five Apple laptops of all time.
Apple’s AirPods are brilliant. They’re incredibly convenient, sleek and offer pretty good sound. They also add a layer of functionality you don’t get with many other Bluetooth headphones or earbuds. And I’m not even talking about the new AirPods Pro.
So, now that Apple expanded the AirPods line to include both the standard AirPods, and the pricier (although more feature-packed) AirPods Pro, choosing the right option might not seem so clear. How do you choose the AirPods that are best for your life?
Question: How do you get billboards for a new product up as quickly as possible after launch, without spoiling Apple’s perfectly orchestrated unveiling? Answer: You put up the billboard, then add the product afterward.
If that sounds like way too much effort, we’re guessing you won’t be hearing back from Apple about your marketing job application anytime soon.
I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but the idea of games always seems to appeal to me. That’s why, when Apple Arcade launched, I activated my subscription to test the waters. My hope was that I’d get some clarity before it cost me anything to try.
Now, a month has passed, and I’ve got some mixed feelings about the service. Should I keep paying for it? Are its 100-plus games worth the monthly fee? Can I play it when and where I want? Get the lowdown in my Apple Arcade review.
iOS 13.2 adds controls for Apple’s unpopular Siri data collection program. Now, users can opt in to “Siri and Dictation Analytics,” which translates to letting your iPhone or iPad upload all your Siri interactions so Cupertino can improve the virtual assistant’s accuracy.
Previously, Apple disabled this program because of its unpopularity. Now, it’s back — but under your control.
If you want to stand out in a darkened classroom, Inateck has the iPad keyboard case for you. The outside is professional-looking, and there’s an Apple Pencil slot. But the standout feature is the keyboard backlights, which can be set to more than 100 color combinations.
This affordable case believes in business on the outside and party on the inside. Is it right for you? Find out in our Inateck Stellarie KB02006 review.
iOS 13 is pretty great on the iPhone, but the real deal is iPadOS 13. With the new operating system, Apple split its tablet and phone platforms for the first time since the launch of the original iPad, and the tablet went in a whole new direction. iPadOS is still iOS, but now there are contextual menus, multiple windows for apps, a home screen that isn’t just a blown-up iPhone home screen, and a proper web browser. You can even plug in mice and USB hard drives.
Apple managed a fine balancing act here. If you update to iPadOS 13 and don’t really think about it, then everything (mostly) works the same, with just extra speed and polish. But if you want to dig in, you will find a whole new computer just below the surface.
The long wait for the next version of iOS is finally over. Apple just released the upgrade to iOS 13 to iPhone users, bringing Dark Mode, a better version of Safari, and lots more improvements.
iPad users won’t get their version until next week. And even iPhone owners might consider holding off until that same time.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max promises up to five hours more battery life than the iPhone XS Max that precedes it. That’s around a 33% increase1. This battery boost could come down to a more efficient OLED screen, a bigger or better battery, a more efficient processor, or — most likely — a combination of these factors.
But whatever the reason, this marks the first time iPhone battery life jumped so much in one generation. Usually, the iPhone sacrifices any excess battery life to get thinner or lighter. And yet the iPhones 11 Pro come in heavier and a hair thicker than their iPhone XS predecessors. What’s going on? Has Jony Ive’s reign finally ended?
Apple is just days away from unveiling the iPhone 11 lineup, but the rumor mill is already turning its attention to the 2020 iPhone.
In his latest research note to investors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the 2020 iPhone will feature an all-new design — the first in three years.
Any iconic person who dies before their time occasionally gets photos shared of look-alikes, raising the faintest shred of possibility that they’re alive after all and just enjoying life out of the spotlight.
There’s no shortage of shots of Tupac and Elvis years after their apparent demise. But this week, the Twitterverse exploded when a photo looking a whole lot like Steve Jobs popped up. The Apple co-founder’s doppelganger is in Egypt, FYI.
Think about your music library for a second. Which of the songs in your library come from Apple Music? Which ones did you add to the library yourself? And which ones have you added to iTunes Match, but haven’t actually made it to your iCloud library yet?
These things are a little confusing. The beauty of Apple Music, and the iCloud Music Library, is that all of your music is there, in one place. But this simplicity also makes it hard to see what’s going on. Happily, iTunes is still more than up to the task, and can even split these songs into individual playlists. Let’s check it out.
Phone calls are so 20th century. Apart from a knock at the door, when else can another person decide to bug you, and then bug you right away, at their own convenience, without getting your permission first?
In the 21st century, we have a name for these people: entitled. Fortunately, it’s easy to bump their presumptuous invasions, and let them know who’s the boss1.
Here’s how to decline iPhone calls (or mute them if you’re feeling particularly passive-aggressive).
Even if you keep your iPhone in a nice case and regularly polish the screen, it is probably a filthy cesspit of germs, fluff and abrasive dust. Fortunately, if you can be bothered to actually do something about it, cleaning your iPhone is easy and rewarding.
Rewarding in the sense that you’ll be rewarded with a pristine slab of glass and steel, instead of having to finger a filth-bomb every time you take your pocket computer out to use it.
Summer! That time of year where you stay in somebody else’s home via Airbnb, crank up their air conditioning and wear a sweater in the house, even though it’s 90 degrees outside. Aka the season where you leave the limitless comfort of your home Wi-Fi, to venture out into the world using just a restricted cellular plan.
Summer revives that old pioneering spirit of hardship, the bare essentials of living, and of making do with whatever you have. And just like the original English and Spanish invaders of the modern-day United States, you’ll have to do without the comforts of on-demand GPS and automatic app updates.
Today we’ll see how you can stretch your meager data allowance while traveling.
There’s good ness and bad news in iOS 13 beta 4 — the good news is that the next version of iOS has gotten some polish, lots of bug fixes, and at least one great new feature. The bad news is that new glitches have been introduced, and that the share sheet is still way, way harder to use than the current iOS 12 version. But let’s take a look at what’s new.
It’s been more than a week since the shocking news that Jony Ive is leaving Apple, and everyone is still trying to make sense of what it means for the company’s future.
According to some, it’s an internal coup: Tim Cook’s operations team finally wrested control from Ive’s industrial design crew, and the company‘s glory days of innovation are over. Others claim Ive’s days have been numbered ever since his dream of a solid gold Apple Watch flopped.
How can there be so many conflicting accounts of one man’s departure? Surprisingly, it may be for the same reason that the final season of Game of Thrones sucked. It all boils down to how we tell stories.
There are plenty of little annoyances that stop the iPad from being as easy to use as the Mac, especially when it comes to working with multiple items. On the Mac you can Select All with the keyboard, and you can easily add and remove items from a selection. You can click an empty space in a Finder window and start dragging a selection. And more.
The iPad sort of incorporates some of these features in some places. But in iPadOS, multi-select has been somewhat consolidated. And it is now arguably as good as the Mac, at least in the places where you can use it.
A new 16-inch MacBook Pro is coming this fall, according to analysts at IHS Markit. This would give it the largest screen size of any MacBook Pro model currently available. (Although it still would be smaller than the dearly departed 17-inch model.)
The analysts claim Apple will unleash the new laptop at the company’s September media event alongside the new iPhone.
