Touch Bar - page 3

Curved OLED displays will be exclusive to premium iPhone 8

By

iPhone 7
Not all iPhone 8 models will be created equal.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will indeed bring OLED displays to the iPhone 8 this year, according to fresh reports out of Japan — but you’ll have to pay a premium to get your hands on one.

Sources claim the new 5.8-inch curved display will only be available with the high-end iPhone, while the more affordable 4.7- and 5.5-inch models will carry LCD panels similar to those Apple has been using since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007.

Should Apple give iPhone 8 a mini Touch Bar? [Friday Night Fights]

By

FNF iPhone 8
Wouldn't you want an iPhone like this?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The jury’s still out on whether the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar is a useful upgrade or a fancy gimmick. But according to recent rumors, Apple is already planning to bring similar functionality to this year’s iPhone 8.

Friday Night Fights bugTo make this happen, the company would almost certainly have to drop Touch ID. Would a mini Touch Bar be worth the sacrifice, or would contextual shortcuts and buttons make iOS more complicated than it needs to be?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether a Touch Bar would be a useful addition to the iPhone!

Why has the past decade of PCs been so boring? [Friday Night Fights]

By

fnf
Are you still excited by PCs?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

As a pioneer of personal computing, Apple’s first machines changed the way we looked at computers. In the years that followed, the company broke new ground with incredible innovations that its rivals couldn’t have dreamed of.

Friday Night Fights bugThings have been a little different over the past decade or so. Apple’s innovations haven’t been quite as forthcoming, and while some would say its rivals are catching up, others would argue that the PC industry as a whole has become somewhat boring.

So, why has personal computing gone stagnant? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out!

Gorgeous concept video adds Touch Bar to iPhone 8

By

iphone 8 concept with touch bar
Would Touch Bar make sense on the iPhone?
Photo: ConceptsiPhone/YouTube

The next iPhone likely won’t be out for at least another seven months, but that hasn’t stopped one Apple fan from dreaming up a gorgeous ad for the upcoming device.

Apple is expected to make the bezels thinner than ever on the 2017 iPhone which is rumored to feature a number of new upgrades. The Concept iPhone YouTube channel created a fake ad that shows how Apple might utilize the extra space by turning the home button section into a Touch Bar.

Check it out:

Apple developing custom Mac chip, but it won’t replace Intel

By

2016 MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro already uses a secondary ARM chip.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is developing a custom ARM chip for future Macs, but it won’t replace the Intel processors that have been powering its computers since 2005, according to a new report.

Instead, the chip is expected to work alongside a machine’s primary CPU, handling “low-power mode functionality.”

How to disable word predictions on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

By

MacBook
Word predictions are barred from bar exams.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A number of U.S. states have banned the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar from law exams due to the predictive text feature that suggests words as you type. However, others will still allow it so long as predictive text is disabled.

Here’s how to turn off the feature on your machine.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar banned from bar exams

By

That fancy new Touch Bar could be dead already.
MacBook Pro's Touch Bar "compromises exam integrity."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After being snubbed by some professionals for its 16GB RAM limit and lack of traditional USB ports, the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has now been banned from bar examinations in a number of U.S. states.

A testing company has warned that the Touch Bar — specifically its predictive text feature — compromises exam integrity, so students are forced to use another laptop.

How Apple’s next earnings call could surprise us all

By

Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
The holidays were good to Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When Apple reveals its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 next Tuesday, the company could shock us with another record-breaking quarter.

The Q1 2017 earnings will cover Apple’s first full quarter of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus sales, and Apple should also get a big boost from the holiday shopping season, according to some Wall Street estimates. During its last earnings call, Apple predicted its revenue slump will end as the company finally returns to growth this quarter, but will it be enough to satisfy investors?

Here’s what to expect from Apple’s January 31 earnings report.

This is what the iPhone 8 might look like

By

iPhone8
We hope the iPhone 8 is this beautiful.
Photo: Imran Taylor

An iPhone 8 mockup based on all the latest rumors looks like quite a hit. The iPhone concept art from designer Imran Taylor builds on rumors that Apple might ditch the iPhone 7’s aluminum frame in favor of a stainless steel band sandwiched by two pieces of curved glass.

Taylor’s detailed renders show how incredible the 10th anniversary iPhone might be, if it brings an all-new look rather than relying on the unibody design of the past few years.

Take a closer look.

Apple adds new music tools to Logic Pro X and GarageBand

By

Logic Pro X now supports the Touch Bar.
Logic Pro X now supports the Touch Bar.
Photo: Apple

One of the most powerful synthesizers in the world has finally arrived on iPhone and iPad, thanks to a big update for GarageBand that Apple pushed to users this morning.

Both Garageband for iOS and Logic Pro X for macOS received huge new features today, bringing new music creation tools for iPhone and Mac users, as well as support for the new Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.

Apple loses another key employee to Tesla

By

Tesla
Tesla is siphoning engineering talent from Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The battle between Apple and Tesla to attract top talent revved up to a new level this week after another key employee for the iPhone-maker defected to Elon Musk’s auto company.

Matt Casebolt, who made key contributions to the design of the original MacBook Air, has reportedly left the company to work as an engineer for Tesla.

While Apple goes thin, Windows PCs go fat at CES 2017

By

Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Photo: Acer

CES2017 Apple got some serious flak from fans when it unveiled its new MacBook Pro at the end of 2016, but if CES 2017 is any indicator, Apple’s not in danger of being out innovated by PCs anytime soon.

The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar may not be a phenomenal innovation. And its four USB-C ports mean you’ll need some dongles. But when looking at the competition, the MacBook Pro is hands-down the sleekest, most useful and most beautiful laptop you can get in the world right now.

Look at these embarrassing Windows laptops:

OWC’s gigantic dock adds more ports to the new MacBook Pro

By

OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
Photo: OWC

CES2017 MacBook Pro owners that wish Apple included more ports alongside the Touch Bar can now have the best of both worlds — if they don’t mind slapping a huge dock on their machines.

OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES, the monstrous gadget show happening in Las Vegas this week. The dock is comically large, but it adds a bevy of new features to the MacBook Pro, including extra storage.

Get the touchscreen MacBook that Apple will never make

By

Stop waiting for Apple to put a touchscreen on the Mac.
Stop waiting for Apple to put a touchscreen on the Mac.
Photo: Neonode

CES2017 MacBook Air owners patiently waiting for Apple to come out with a touchscreen laptop can now take matters into their own hands: A new product called AirBar turns the laptop’s display into a touchscreen.

Neonode, the company that created AirBar, unveiled the new sensor — which is specifically designed for the 13-inch MacBook Air — at CES, the world’s largest electronic show taking place in Las Vegas this week.

Apple’s smartest moves of 2016

By

2016 wasn't all missed deadlines and mysterious battery problems for Apple.
2016 wasn't all missed deadlines and mysterious battery problems for Apple.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac Apple pissed off a lot of people in 2016. In hindsight, some of Cupertino’s moves look clumsy, and others seem truly clueless, but Tim Cook and Co. also made some brilliant moves during this turbulent year.

Let’s go to our happy place and relive the smartest moves made by Apple in 2016.

Don’t worry, Tim Cook says new iMacs are coming

By

iMac
The iMac is in desperate need of an update.
Photo: Apple

The iMac didn’t get much love in 2016, but according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, killer new desktop Macs are coming.

In a note to Apple employees, Cook assured staff that desktop computers are still “really important” and that they shouldn’t worry about future machines.