| Cult of Mac

Today in Apple history: QuickTime 5 takes the world by storm

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QuickTime 5 was being downloaded 1 million times every three days.
QuickTime 5 was being downloaded 1 million times every three days.
Photo: Apple

Nov. 28: Today in Apple history: QuickTime 5 downloads fuel web video revolution November 28, 2001: Apple says QuickTime 5 is being downloaded for Mac and PC a million times every three days, putting the multimedia software on track to exceed 100 million downloads in its first year of distribution. The announcement comes as websites adopt the MPEG-4 format, and online video begins to take off in a big way.

In particular, Apple’s movie trailer website proves a massive success. Millions of people download previews of upcoming blockbusters like Spider-Man and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Online trailer releases for films like The Lord of the Rings become buzz-worthy events.

In a pre-YouTube world, Apple has everything to gain!

Today in Apple history: iTunes video takes world by storm

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Kanye West
Artists like Kanye West helped drive music video downloads past 1 million in less than 20 days.
Photo: Rodrigo Ferrari/Flickr CC

October 31: Today in Apple history: iTunes video takes world by storm October 31, 2005: Less than three weeks after launching video downloads with iTunes 6, Apple reveals that it has already sold more than 1 million music videos.

Apple’s dive into the online digital video market — with 2,000 music videos, Pixar short films and a selection of hit TV shows for $1.99 — looks like the logical next step after selling individual songs on iTunes. Passing the 1 million download benchmark so quickly suggests the plan is a roaring success.

Up your streaming game with affordable new teleprompter

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Maintain natural eye contact while your read from a script with Elgato Prompter.
Maintain natural eye contact while your read from a script with Elgato Prompter.
Photo: Elgato

Video streamers with a lot to say know that working without a script can be challenging, and most teleprompters TV hosts use to read while maintaining eye contact are pricey. But the new Elgato Prompter brings the technology to the masses for $280, the company said Tuesday.

So you can look like a pro on your YouTube video or Zoom call. And Promter’s screen serves as an extra monitor for Mac or PC, too.

Røde’s tiny new mic system goes for ultimate ease-of-use

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The compact system is great for use with small cameras and smartphones.
The compact system is great for use with small cameras and smartphone cameras.
Photo: Rode

The new Røde Wireless ME Compact Wireless Microphone System, with clip-on transmitter and receiver, tries to make pro-level audio recording effortless — not to mention inexpensive.

With the new release, content creators who want to hit the ground running with quality audio have another option.

New ‘Shot on iPhone’ video touts super-stable Action Mode

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Normally this shot would be shaky enough to turn your stomach. But Action Mode makes it smoothe.
Normally this shot would be shaky enough to turn your stomach. But Action Mode makes it smoothe.
Photo: Apple

A new YouTube video commissioned by Apple demonstrates how well Action Mode in iPhone 14 stabilizes tricky, action-packed video shots without any special equipment.

And every handset in the iPhone 14 series has the feature, so you, too, can be an action movie director.

Moment’s new Filmmaker Cage for iPhone puts pro tools at your fingertips

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You'll look like a real filmmaker carrying this thing around.
You'll look like a real filmmaker carrying this thing around.
Photo: Moment

Moment added to its lineup of MagSafe-compatible accessories for iPhone Tuesday with three new products and two product updates. The marquee event is the rollout of the Mobile Filmmaker Cage to enhance your iPhone video shooting.

The cage co-stars with the new Moment Strap Anywhere Mount and the new Stick-on Adapter, which can help mount your smartphone in a variety of situations.

Canon unveils ‘true hybrid’ full-frame camera for stills and video

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The new Canon EOS R5 C keeps the R5's still-photo chops but adds unlimited video recording.
The new Canon EOS R5 C keeps the R5's still-photo chops but adds unlimited video recording.
Photo: Canon

On Tuesday Canon rolled out its new EOS R5 C camera. It called the device a “true hybrid” full-frame mirrorless camera for still photography as well as unlimited video recording. The camera combines the company’s stills-focused EOS technology with Cinema EOS into one thick, actively-cooled camera body.

High-end Zorachka Homam camera ups your HomeKit video quality

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Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Photo: Zorachka

Not too long ago you didn’t have a whole lot of choices for high-quality cameras to run with Apple’s HomeKit system, but that’s changing all the time. For example, Zorachka has released its new, high-end Homam 64GB camera. It joins recent offerings from the likes of Aquara, Eufy, Eve and others.