Ukraine’s Air Force needs to launch modern U.S.-made missiles from Soviet-era fighter jets in combat. The surprise solution to the disconnect? iPad.
Apple tablets reportedly give the vintage aircraft the ability to control a variety of weapons systems supplied by Western countries after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Two years after the Russian invasion, one of Ukraine’s preeminent Mac software companies isn’t just surviving. In fact, MacPaw is doing pretty well — shiny new bomb shelters notwithstanding.
The company behind CleanMyMac X and Setapp has launched new products — including some designed to take the fight to Russia. MacPaw also opened a satellite office in Boston and donated millions to humanitarian efforts, all while most of the company’s employees have remained behind in the war-torn country.
“Living and working amidst the unjust full-scale Russian invasion poses numerous challenges for our team,” said Nina Bohush, a senior MacPaw PR specialist based in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. “Just imagine a morning that starts with loud explosions outside the window because of another Russian attack … Of course, going through these unprecedented circumstances impacts people’s mental health and productivity.”
Sergii Kryvoblotsky, head of R&D at MacPaw, is raffling off a Worldwide Developers Conference 2019 pin to raise money for Ukrainian aid.
The money raised will go to the MacPaw Development Fund to provide Ukrainian defenders with medicine and protective equipment.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’ve got a date for WWDC22! Now, the only question is, what tricks will Apple pull out of its virtual hat this year?
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Ukrainians have turned to Apple’s Find My device-tracking technology to follow Russian troop movements. After Russian soldiers stole Apple gear during the invasion, the devices’ Ukrainian owners can see and report on where the troops toting the gadgets are going in real time, including a recent retreat into Belarus.
The government of Ukraine recently created a chatbot within the Telegram instant messaging app. It lets Ukrainians use their iPhones to report to their country’s defenders exactly where they see invading Russian troops.
Ukrainian developer MacPaw today released SpyBuster, a new (and completely free!) Mac app that identifies software built by and reporting to “undesirable countries of origin” — such as Russia and Belarus.
SpyBuster also lets you block those connections so that you can prevent additional data being sent to overseas servers, where it may not be protected by the same privacy laws that we’re accustomed to in other countries.
As Ukraine valiantly fights off a terrifying and unjustified Russian invasion, some 1.5 million of its citizens have been forced to flee in search of safety. More than 38.5 million have stayed behind — many of them to fight for their country — and a growing number are now without water, power and food.
Some are working in their bath tubs — the safest place in their homes — while others are sheltering underground as the cities around them are bombarded by Russian missiles and turned into ruble. It is a crisis, the likes of which Europe didn’t think it would have to endure again after World War II.
Ukrainians need all the help they can get. If you want to do your bit, you can donate to one of many charities that are now working to support citizens by providing food and water, blankets and clothes, and other essential supplies. Here’s how to get started.
Russia is considering nationalizing the assets of companies like Apple that pulled out of the country in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, reportedly endorsed the plan on Thursday. The Mac-maker is just one of hundreds of companies that could be affected, but it’s a prominent one.
It’s not known how much inventory Apple left behind after it pulled out of Russia on March 1.
Our friends at MacPaw are stepping up efforts to help provide humanitarian support in Ukraine. While the horrifying Russian invasion continues, the MacPaw Development Foundation is working with partners on the ground to transport, store, and deliver as much aid as it possibly can, as quick as it possibly can.
It is hoping to raise more funds to speed up the process and provide even more — and it needs your help.
Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t often wear colorful Apple watch bands, but he made an exception during Apple’s Peek Performance event on Tuesday.
Cook emceed the event wearing an eye-catching yellow Sport band. Paired with his blue sweater, Cook seemed to be making a subtle gesture of support for the embattled country (yellow and blue are the colors of the Ukrainian national flag).
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We can’t stop speculating about what new Apple gear we’ll see at Tuesday’s big “Peek Performance” event. Best bets are iPhone SE, iPad Air and … some kind of Mac?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Between air raids and missile strikes, Julia Petryk works in her bathtub in Ukraine. It’s the safest place in her Kyiv apartment.
“The last interview I gave for media was in the bathtub,” she told Cult of Mac in an email. It’s “the safest place in the apartment during bombardment.”
Among the various calls for help on behalf of Ukraine during the Russian invasion, software company Skylum offered a way for you to donate a surveillance drone that could help safeguard Ukrainian civilians from the ravages of war.
“You can help Ukrainians to protect themselves as your drone will provide real-time pictures of the situation on the ground,” Skylum said in a blog post Thursday.
Reached for comment via email from Western Ukraine, Skylum Marketing Manager Sabina Iliasova told Cult of Mac how drone deployment will work and why it’s so crucial. She is the contact who will handle donations.
As the Russian armed incursion into Ukraine continues, several developers have pulled their apps from the Russian App Store. Companies that have done so to date include Ukraine-based Readdle, MacPaw and Ajax Systems, as well as Grammarly and Epam, sources have told Cult of Mac.
The app makers add their voices to numerous other companies taking their business away from Russia amid the conflict.
Apple Maps now indicates that Crimea is part of Ukraine. That shouldn’t be a surprise … it is. But the app reportedly showed the peninsula as part of no country in the wake of the 2014 Russian invasion and subsequent occupation.
It appears Russia’s recent invasion of the rest of Ukraine pushed Apple to change the way it labels the region.
After Apple on Tuesday confirmed that it ceased product sales in Russia, CEO Tim Cook sent out an email to all employees that promises to match donations made to help Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion at a rate of 2:1.
“With each new image of families fleeing their homes and brave citizens fighting for their lives, we see how important it is for people around the world to come together to advance the cause of peace,” the email read.
Apple has stopped selling its products in Russia as the country’s war on Ukraine stretches on. The Mac-maker is taking other steps as well, like removing the state-backed news applications RT and Sputnik from the App Store.
“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Apple said Tuesday in a statement. “We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.”
Our friends at MacPaw in Kyiv, Ukraine, are today facing the horrifying reality of a Russian invasion. But they want to assure users of their software — including CleanMy Mac X and Setapp — that support will continue.
An emergency plan is in place to ensure that there are no disruptions to MacPaw’s operations, development or customer assistance. “We’ve been enjoying working for you all these years and appreciate all the trust you’ve put into our company,” said CEO Oleksandr Kosovan in a blog post Thursday. “We won’t disappoint your expectations.”
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, met with Ukraine’s foreign minister at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This looks to be their first meeting after the recent controversy in which Apple displayed the annexed Crimea as Russian territory in two of its apps.
Vadym Prystaiko previously told Apple that it should stay out of politics, and stick to “high-tech and entertainment.”
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has lashed out at Apple over its decision to depict the disputed peninsula of Crimea as belonging to Russia — when Apple Maps is viewed by users in Russia.
In a tweet, Vadym Prystaiko said that Apple should stick to “high-tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side”.
Apple Pay has today arrived in Poland with support from eight local banks.
Apple is expected to add Poland’s largest bank, PKO BP, and others to its roster in September.
Apple Pay has launched in Ukraine, a move that was officially announced by the country’s finance minister Oleksandr Danyliuk on Facebook.
At present, Apple Pay is supported by Ukraine’s nationalized PrivatBank, with the State Savings Bank of Ukraine, a.k.a. Oschadbank, set to follow in the near future.
Square Enix has revealed that it may reconsider its pricing structure for mobile games following critical feedback from users in Western countries. While the Japanese developer is well-known among iOS users for its awesome RPGs, such as Final Fantasy and Chaos Rings, it’s also famous for its hefty price tags, which can often be as much as $18 per title.
When console-quality games are going for less then $5 these days, those prices are a big problem for some.
Since his death in 2011, countless pieces of art have been created in memory of Steve Jobs and his work at Apple, but this is one of the neatest statues we’ve seen that has been dedicated to the Apple co-founder.
Crafted by Ukranian artist, Cryil Maksimenko, the monument was installed in Odessa Ukraine on the one year anniversary of Steve Jobs’s death. It’s comprised of numerous gears, screws, bearings and other pieces from bicycles, motorcycles and cars, which looks fascinating when you look at it up close. Take a look at the pictures below and see for yourself.