Apple is no longer the exclusive rights holder to the iPhone trademark in Brazil when applied to handset devices. That means IGB Electronics S.A. and Apple can both sell “iPhones” in the county, even though IGB’s iPhone is, in fact, an Android phone.
Even though Tim Cook and Apple say that the Apple TV is really just a hobby right now, people are scared of it. Intel’s launching a competing product later this year. Samsung’s rushing to get more content on their SmartTVs, and Microsoft and Sony are probably going to announce new consoles this year that will appeal to casual users.
Apple TV really doesn’t do a lot right now other than streaming movies and music to your TV, but it has the potential to become a killer product. Xbox’s founder, Nat Brown recognizes the power of Apple TV and says that if Apple wanted to, it could easily destroy the Xbox, Playstation, and Wii U.
I’ve been in love with the iPhone for the past five years. I got the original as soon as it went on sale in the U.K. in November 2007, and I’ve had every model Apple has released ever since. My job has given me the opportunity to play with plenty of other devices over the years — including those powered by Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone — but I’ve always remained loyal to the iPhone and iOS.
That was until a couple months ago, when my contract ended and it was time to decide which smartphone I wanted for the next two years. I already have the iPhone 5 — I bought it unlocked when it was launched back in September — and I wanted an Android device to replace the Samsung Galaxy Nexus I broke late last year. So I decided to pick up the new LG Nexus 4.
I was lucky; I didn’t have to wait six weeks for the device to arrive from Google Play. My carrier had plenty in stock, so a unit was delivered to my door the day after I ordered it. I was looking forward to testing it out, but I figured I’d play around with it for a little bit, then switch straight back to my iPhone 5 for everyday use. Like the Galaxy Nexus, I thought the Nexus 4 would be mostly used for work — testing apps and writing the odd tutorial for Cult of Android.
But boy, how wrong was I.
Apple has today announced that it has updated its 13- and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro to add faster processors and lower prices. The 13-inch model now starts at $1,499 with 128GB of flash storage, rising to $1,699 for a new 2.6GHz processor and 256GB of flash.
The 15-inch model now offers a faster 2.4GHz quad-core processor as standard, while the top-of-the-line model gets a new 2.7GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory.
Rumors have started to pick up regarding Apple’s foray into wearable technology. Over the weekend, both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on an ‘iWatch’ product.
Now a third report on the mysterious device has surfaced, and it speaks to the level of focus Apple is giving the top secret project.
“I was only checking Twitter,” I exclaimed in shock, as she threw my iPhone across the room, shattering it against the brick wall.
“It’s either me, or the iPhone,” she emphatically declared.
I didn’t know what to say. I had only checked Tweetbot while she was looking at her menu. It had finally come to this. Now I had a broken iPhone and a pissed-off girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.
That little story may not have actually happened to me, but I certainly don’t want it to happen in the future. Like many of you, I’m kind of addicted to my iPhone. It can be a problem sometimes. But I have found a way to conquer my addiction and keep my girlfriend happy. No one wants to face the sadness and/or wrath of a loved one who feels neglected. Love is in the air this week with Valentine’s Day, and you want your romantic endeavors with your significant other to be as meaningful as possible. That’s why you need to use your iPhone like a gentleman.
Google has two founders — and a split personality.
There’s the Sergey Google — the idealistic, Google Glass wearing, Vibram-loving Google where a campus full of brainy geeks invent the future.
Then there’s the Larry Google — the pragmatic, realist Google where starry-eyed optimism is balanced with sound business sense and smart strategic investment, enabling the company to adapt and grow in a changing global marketplace.
Should Google “Larrify” its Android policy and start denying Android access to companies that Google finds harmful to the world — and its business?
During today’s annual Goldman Sachs conference, Tim Cook spoke about the culture of innovation at Apple. While Wall Street has started losing faith in the company’s ability to grow, Cook has “never been more bullish on Apple.”
Cook still sees Apple as the leading innovator in the tech sector, and he believes there are two key aspects that fuel the company’s success.
Continuing his remarks at Goldman Sachs’ conference, Tim Cook made a series of comments in regards to whether or not Apple had reached its limit. His response?
“Apple has made products for years that people didn’t know they wanted and now they can’t live without. We don’t believe in limits.”
Speaking at Goldman Sachs today, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked how Apple intended to address market share in emerging markets, in regards to a cheaper iPhone.
Cook’s response didn’t spill any secrets, but did make it clear that Apple wasn’t interested in just hitting a price point for market share. Apple solves pricing problems by inventing entirely new killer products.
Speaking at today’s Goldman Sachs Tech Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked a series of questions about the recent controversies involving Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn, who believes Apple wants to eliminate preferred stock and is suing the company over it.
Cook’s answers were candid, saying that the issue was widely misunderstood, and that he viewed the lawsuit as a “silly sideshow” that wasted the money of investors.
Few apps have managed to generate as much hype as Mailbox, a new email client for the iPhone. The company behind Mailbox, Orchestra, first teased the app late last year. Mailbox made its triumphant debut in the App Store this past week. Our own John Brownlee gave it a glowing review and called it, “a flawless execution of a great idea that will completely change how you deal with email.” Sounds promising, no?
Most apps do private beta testing until they’re ready to be unleashed on the world. Orchestra, the app company behind Mailbox, has done things differently. You can download Mailbox in the App Store, but the vast majority of people can’t actually use it right now. There’s a reservation system in place that shows where you are in line and how many people are behind you.
There are currently over 800,000 subscribers to Mailbox, and the vast majority are still waiting to be let in. Frustrated you can’t use Mailbox right away? There’s a good reason you have to wait.
We’re huge fans of Orchestra’s email inbox management app, Mailbox, here at Cult of Mac. Less popular around here? The extraordinary queue that Orchestra forces you to sit in before they’ll let you into the app.
The reason Orchestra has set it up this way is to prevent demand from crushing their servers, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying (for more info on Orchestra’s rationale, see this article). When we download apps, we expect to be able to use them right away, not sit in a queue for an indeterminate amount of time.
We can’t help you get to the head of the Mailbox queue, but we can tell you roughly how long you’ll have to wait based on how fast Mailbox has let people into the app in the past. Here’s how.
Warning: This article might deal in stereotypes. Why? Because no matter how much your woman friend might truly appreciate that power drill she’s had her eye on for the last six months (to the point of leaving a copy of Lady Power Tool magazine open on your desk with the page turned to a Makita ad), you’re still going to buy her some horrible pink iPad case with Hello Kitty ears.
So if you’re willing to make the stereotyped move, then so can I. I’ll recommend fancy lotions and cooking gadgets and the amazing (and mythical) “FourSquare for leg waxing.” But probably not for the reasons you’re expecting.
Is this the iPhone 5S? Leaked images purported to come out of Foxconn are claimed to show Apple’s next iPhone, and it looks pretty much identical to the iPhone 5, although some have noted that there’s at least one small change: the iPhone 5S uses the iPhone 4S’s softer vibration component instead of the louder rotating one used in the iPhone 5.
Apple is secretly building an iWatch deep within the confines of its Cupertino headquarters, according to a new report from The New York Times. The device uses curved glass to bend with the movement of the human wrist.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors of a mysterious iWatch. The Times reported that Apple was prototyping such a product in 2011. But with competitors like the Pebble smart watch starting to ship, the era of the iWatch may be drawing near.
Apple’s Siri personal assistant has been in development for 10 years.
Apple doesn’t let app developers use the word “beta” for iPhone apps.
And the company spends millions on — and make billions from — the advertising of their “beta” product specifically.
Given these facts, is it disingenuous, unfair, inconsistent, hypocritical and inaccurate for Apple to continue calling Siri “beta”?
Even if the only traveling you do is from your home to your office, and even if that “office” is actually just your bedroom, then you will probably find the PlugBug wicked useful. But if you ever leave your home country’s own shores, then you might consider the PlugBug World, a globally-aware charger for your MacBook and iDevices.
Don’t use a computer any more? Hate “pirating” TV shows and movies? Wish that your country had something as awesome as Netflix so you could pay and stream everything to your iPad mini? Read on, because you can do just that, and it is dead easy – all you need is a credit card and maybe a half hour to get things set up.
Apple makes some really great software and hardware. We love it. But sometimes there are certain little things you want out of your computer that Apple can’t or won’t provide. That’s why we have jailbreaking and modding.
We love it when someone takes an Apple product and morphs it into something completely different. There have been a lot of Apple hardware mods that have crossed our desks over the last few years. Some have been simple, while others have required over a hundred hours of work. Here are the five greatest Apple hardware mods we’ve ever seen.
Yesterday, there was a bit of a hub-bub about Apple’s enormous $137 billion cash hoard, after David Einhorn, the head of Greenlight Capital, sued Apple over a plan to discard preferred stock and pressed Apple to give a significant chunk of the cash hoard directly to investors. It was such a big deal that Apple felt as if it were forced to respond.
Is there a good reason for Apple to be keeping $137 billion in the bank? Yup, and if you want to know why, all you have to do is look at Dell.
Hot out the oven, a new iOS 6.1 jailbreak is ready to set free your iPhone! On our newest CultCast (episode 58), we’ll tell you why you should and shouldn’t jailbreak your precious iDevice, and the story of how a team of geniuses hacked into the brain of iOS to make it possible.
Then, what’s next for Mac Pro; the apps and gear you need to live an iPad-only life; and our favorite apps and tech on an all-new Faves ‘N Raves!
Eager to listen but not sure how? Easy! Subscribe to The CultCast now on iTunes, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s free Podcasts App.
Time to get CULTY YAAA’LLL. Show notes ahead.
Don’t ever say that the people who work in the Apple Store aren’t actually geniuses. Apple Store employees in the Altamonte Mall in Seminole County, Florida managed to sleuth out a couple of identity thieves who were trying to buy iPhones with stolen IDs.
How’d these Sherlocks do it? They were tipped off by several subtle clues on the IDs themselves, including the fact that they were not made of the correct material, and featured a comical number of misspellings that could only be worse if they wrote down the name of the state as “Flrodia.”
A recent hire by Apple might suggest that Apple is interested in finally following the likes of Samsung and LG and release an iPhone with an Organic LED, or OLED, display.
The iPhone 5 has been jailbroken, and that means that it’s time to install the coolest tweaks and apps from Cydia, the jailbreak alternative to the App Store.
Wondering about what you should install? Here’s a roundup of the very best jailbreak tweaks available for the iPhone 5: