Apple’s second-generation iPhone SE 2 will be its most affordable smartphone yet, according to one reliable analyst.
The upcoming device, which is expected to look like iPhone 8 and be powered by Apple’s new A13 Bionic chip, is expected to cost less than $400 when it goes on sale in early 2020.
This week we check the weather, take a nap, edit photos on our Macs using Apple Pencil, and enjoy Catalina’s Catalyst apps.
This week, the best deals in the Cult of Mac Store run the gamut. For starters, we’ve got an awesome iTunes alternative for iOS management, and an energy saving smart bulb with Home App integration. Additionally there’s a powerful email manager, and a comprehensive training bundle for Adobe Creative Cloud. Some are discounted by over 95%, so read on for more details:
Apple charges $1099 for an iPhone 11 Pro Max, but the components for this high-end smartphone with assembly cost less than half the selling price.
Gear4 cases can save an iPhone 11 or 11 Pro series from breaking if dropped quite long distances, but they aren’t as bulky as typical rugged cases. The lineup for all three of Apple’s latest is surprisingly attractive, given how protective they are.
I tried out several of Gear4’s offerings, and find they might be just what your new iPhone needs.
Itching to upgrade your Mac to Catalina? Time to hit the brakes, buster. Before installing macOS Catalina, it’s essential that you do a little due diligence. The new operating system brings some pretty deep changes, and you don’t want to descend into chaos. This macOS Catalina upgrade tip will help you assess the situation.
You’ll find that critical information and more in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Get it now from the iOS App Store. Or hit the links below to read this week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser.
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.
Apple TV+ could have 100 million subscribers in 3 to 4 years, according to an analyst that’s bullish on this streaming service set to launch next month.
Strong demand for a rival is bad news for Netflix.
In iOS 13.2, Siri can announce your incoming messages and read them to you. This is the kind of feature that is so useful, and obvious, that it seems like it should have always been there. It’s called Announce Messages with Siri, and it does just that.
Here’s how to set it up and use it
The Apple Arcade catalog continues to grow with five new games for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV available today.
Inmost, an atmospheric, story-driven platformer from the creators of Stardew Valley, is one of the highlights. It helps takes the total number of Apple Arcade games for iOS and tvOS to 80.
Keeping your iPhone charged on the go usually means carrying at least a Lightning cable and a backup battery. But with the Nomad, you get everything you need in one accessory. And right now, you’ve got a rare chance to snag one at a massive discount.
This week on The CultCast: Apple’s AR glasses are about to be announced! At least according to one very reliable analyst…. we discuss. Plus: Mac OS Catalina is out, but you probably shouldn’t install it—we’ll tell you why. And Final Cut Pro just got massively faster thanks to a new update, and a long awaited iOS 13 feature finally goes live.
Our thanks to Linked In for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.
As Apple draws fire for banning a mapping app that proved useful to Hong Kong protesters, CEO Tim Cook defended the company’s decision. In an email to employees, Cook explained why Apple pulled HKmap.live from the App Store.
Cook said Apple received “credible information” from Hong Kong’s tech crime and cybersecurity unit that the app “was being used to maliciously target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present. This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm.”
A battery test pitting the iPhone 11 Pro Max against its arch-rival, the Samsung Galaxy Note10+, found that Apple’s new flagship handset outlasted its competitor by over two hours.
In iOS 13 and iPadOS, you can easily collect a bunch of Live Photos, and combine them into a single video. It’s great for sharing, or just making a cool remix of your clips. And this isn’t another one of those (awesome) posts where we use Shortcuts to do the dirty work. Making Live Photos videos is a new feature built into the Photos app.
Here’s how to use it.
This week, email service Fastmail added snooze to its web and iOS apps. You can now click on a button inside any email in your inbox, and make it disappear until you’re ready to deal with it.
Got a late-Friday-afternoon work email from your boss, and don’t want to see it every time you check your mail over the weekend? Worried that you’ll get so used to ignoring those great tips for your vacation that you will forget about them when you actually go away? Do you already use your email inbox as a de-facto to-do list, and would love more control?
Then Fastmail’s snooze is for you. Let’s see how it works.
It’s no surprise that the new iPhone models are positively drool-worthy. It’s also no surprise that they’re expensive. So if you’re shelling out the cash for Cupertino’s latest mobile device, you ought to consider protecting that investment. And with this roundup of awesome cases, you can even add some extra style and utility, too.
Clear the clutter on your bedside table with the Zens Stand+Dock. This stunning charger tops up iPhone and AirPods simultaneously and eliminates messy cables that are forever in your way.
A built-in USB port on its base also allows you to charge a third device — like your Apple Watch. And with up to 20W of power output, there’s more than enough to go around.
Here’s why we love the Zens Stand+Dock.
Developers using Apple’s system to convert iPad software to macOS say Catalyst still needs lots of work before it can fulfill its promise.
The functionality is mostly there, but some features are missing and there are complaints about the style of the resulting apps.
One of the defining characteristics of digital watches in the 1980s was the hourly chime. Every morning during school assembly, 9 o’clock would arrive, and with it a chorus of chimes, like electronic tweety birds at dawn. The double beeps filled the school hall. The teachers had long since given up trying to make us turn them off.
Now, you can experience the same thing with your Apple Watch. You can even make the chime sound like a real little birdie!
The Soviet Union may have collapsed. But Vladimir Lenin, the country’s first leader, lives on, thanks to an audiovisual show still running on a small network of Apple II computers at a museum outside Moscow.
The Apple II is as revered by geeks as Lenin is by nostalgic Communists. Both proved revolutionary. And while the carefully edited story of Lenin might seem interesting to museum-goers, the unvarnished tale of the vintage Apple tech is more compelling.
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.
You could be waiting longer than anticipated to get your hands on Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro. One trusted analyst says the refresh will arrive in early 2020 with the iPhone SE 2, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come even later.
This could mean that October Apple event we’ve all been waiting for won’t happen after all.
Our technology evolves every year. But the outlets we use to keep our gadgets running haven’t changed for decades. We’re so used to juggling adapters and cables that when a wall outlet can charge your iPhone, it’s a little jarring.
Apple will launch its first augmented reality glasses in the second quarter of 2020, according to one reliable analyst.
Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities says the device could enter mass-production before the end of this year. The news comes just weeks after one rumor suggested Apple had shelved its AR glasses plans.