Mobile menu toggle

News - page 1010

iPhone owners plagued by another iCloud phishing scam

By

icloud_fake
Watch out for messages like this!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone owners in the U.K. have complained about being targeted with a phishing scam trying to trick them into revealing personal information by claiming that there is a problem with their iCloud account.

The scam message appears to come from an official Apple account called “iSupport,” and says that specific iCloud accounts have been deactivated and that users should head to an external website to confirm their user details and “reactivate [their] account.”

Apple will fight China over iPhone trademark dispute

By

There's more than one 'iPhone' in China.
What, this isn't what you think of when your hear the name iPhone?
Photo: iphone.vc

Apple has confirmed that it will, unsurprisingly, fight against the Beijing Higher People’s Court’s decision to strip the company of its exclusive iPhone trademark — by allowing a Chinese company to sell leather purses, handbags, wallets, and smartphone cases bearing the iPhone name.

Because when you think iPhone you automatically think high-end leather goods, right?

iPhone enjoys massive growth in India in 2016

By

Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
The iPhone is big in India!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Right now, Apple has less than 2 percent of the fast-growing Indian market. However, the company is unlikely to remain a bit-player for too long, with a new report stating that Apple shipments in the country grew 56 percent in the first three months of 2016 — making it one of the country’s fastest-growing vendors.

Instagram’s upcoming business profiles look like Facebook pages

By

InstagramCloseiPhone
Instagram is getting more business friendly.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Instagram is about to start looking a lot more like Facebook, thanks to new business profiles pages that are in the testing phase.

Images of the new profiles have leaked onto the internet and they appear to be similar to Facebook’s brand pages, giving visitors more information on how to locate a business. It seems the days of publicly displaying your email and phone number on Instagram are coming to an end.

Whimsical Slime Rancher is now bigger, better, and slimier

By

Glowing graphics and quirky fun will make Slime Rancher a new favorite.
Glowing graphics and quirky fun will make Slime Rancher a new favorite.
Photo: Monomi Park

Slime Rancher, the insanely fun first-person “slimer” from Monomi, is now 50 percent bigger with more slimes and game modes than ever before.

Currently on Steam’s Early Access for Mac and PC, Slime Rancher is a colorful, whimsical game that will capture your heart and game-playing time.

Check out the new trailer for the new Indigo Quarry update to this fun Mac game and see if it doesn’t make you go, “d’awww.”

YouTube might beat Apple to reinventing TV

By

youtube-will-show-hdr-video-on-your-fancy-new-tv-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601LG-HDR-YouTube-png
YouTube Unplugged to stream your favorite cable channels.
Photo: Cult of Mac

If you bought an Apple TV in anticipation of Apple’s rumored TV streaming service, it seems you may have been barking up the wrong tree.

YouTube could beat Apple to reinventing the cable experience, according to a new report. Its new “Unplugged” service will let viewers pay a monthly subscription fee for a bundle of cable TV channels, which will be available for streaming on-demand.

Apple Watch no closer to knocking Fitbit off its throne

By

Apple Watch
Fitbit won't be worried about Apple Watch... yet.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Despite its focus on helping you get fit, Apple Watch is still no closer to knocking Fitbit off its throne.

The company’s much more affordable fitness trackers have helped it claim 61.7 percent of the U.S. wearables market so far, while Apple’s first smartwatch has grabbed just 6.8 percent since making its debut last April.

Apple collectibles are a seller’s market

By

Bids for this Apple I started at $370,000.
Bids for this Apple I started at $370,000.
Photo: Christie's

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugStarting a collection of Apple’s past is relatively easy and often affordable. But once you get started and a pricey, rare object presents itself, will you be able to control yourself?

Here’s a list that will test whether you have the fever and an intense desire to hold personal computing history in your hands. It may also test your fiscal fitness.

Hilarious parody edits Siri into 2001: A Space Odyssey

By

Siri
"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that!"
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Let’s face it: Siri is a pretty astounding bit of technology, but even its creators aren’t going to argue any time soon that it’s quite on the level of HAL 9000, the murderous artificial intelligence seen in Stanley Kubrick’s classic sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

As the below hilarious reimagining of one of the film’s most iconic scenes makes abundantly clear. Check it out:

Kohl’s now offering one-tap reward points with Apple Pay

By

Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Kohl's just added a useful new Apple Pay feature.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

U.S. department store chain Kohl’s has announced that it is the first retailer to double-down on Apple Pay by adding the ability for customers to pay with their iPhones or Apple Watches using a Kohl’s Charge store-branded credit card, while simultaneously earning Yes2You Rewards loyalty points — and all with one single tap.

Apple will defend its Ireland data center plans this month

By

Irish flag
New data center will be one of Apple's biggest projects in Europe to date.
Photo: John Hoey/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s proposed 850 million euro ($960 million) data centre in Athenry, Ireland may be one of the most environmentally-friendly projects the company has yet put its name to, but that’s not stopping locals from kicking up a fuss about it.

This month, Apple will defend its plans during a hearing to be held on Tuesday 24 May in Galway City, when Cupertino representatives will attempt to convince An Bord Pleanála, an independent, statutory body which decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in Ireland.

Jony Ive: Apple has a ‘lot to learn’ about wearables

By

A starry-eyed, slurry-tongued Jony Ive raves about the Apple Watch in a new parody video. Photo: Gizmodo
Jony Ive is excited about seeing where the Apple Watch goes in future.
Photo: Gizmodo

Jony Ive suggests that Apple is bound to make some missteps as it continues to explore wearable devices, and offers some vague, tantalizing hints about Apple’s plans for the Apple Watch in a new interview.

“Regardless of whether we declare an interest in fashion or not, we are making products that are more and more personal, products that you wear and you wear every day,” he told Business of Fashion ahead of the Apple-sponsored Met Gala. “We’ve not done that before and we’ve got a lot to learn.”

Apple Music will get a major facelift at WWDC

By

Apple Music
Apple Music is getting a major update in June.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With 13 million subscribers, Apple Music is pretty far from being a failure. At the same time, it’s fair to say that the service probably hasn’t been met with the rapturous applause which greeted, say, the launch of the iTunes Store back in 2003.

That’s about to change at WWDC, however, with Apple rumored to be using the developer conference to unleash “sweeping changes” to its streaming music service.

Apple officially makes one of Steve Jobs’ favorite projects obsolete

By

Steve_Jobs_2007
WebObjects came to Apple when Steve Jobs returned from NeXT.
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

Twenty years after it was first released to the public, Apple has finally confirmed that its WebObjects Java-based web application framework is dead — at least as far as official Apple updates are concerned.

Never heard of WebObjects? You’re probably not alone, but back in the 1990s it was considered a breakthrough product, was one that Steve Jobs was incredibly high on, and officially came over to Apple as part of the historic deal to acquire Jobs’ former company NeXT. Even today, aspects of WebObjects are used to power its online Apple Store and iTunes Store.

Moog’s new iPad synth app is a knob-twiddler’s dream

By

Model_15_app_Horizontal_2
It's the 1970s all over again!
Photo: Moog

If you’re a fan of classic synth music (and, let’s be honest, who isn’t?), you may want to check out Moog’s latest iOS release, which astonishingly recreates the company’s iconic 1973 Model 15 modular synth inside an iPad app.

Considering that a genuine Model 15 will set you back $10,000, and Moog’s app is just $30, that’s a whopping $9,970 discount!

Facebook coughs up $10,000 for 10-year-old Instagram hacker

By

facebook-coughs-up-10000-for-10-year-old-instagram-hacker-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015122015-12-08-140126-1-jpg
It pays to uncover Facebook flaws.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Instagram Android
It pays to uncover Facebook flaws. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

A 10-year-old with insane hacking skills just scored a $10,000 payout from Facebook for uncovering a serious flaw in Instagram.

The Helsinki-based boy, who can’t even open a Facebook account for another three years, found he was able to alter code on Instagram’s servers to delete comments posted by any account.

People can’t stop running into Google’s autonomous cars

By

people-cant-stop-running-into-googles-autonomous-cars-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201605Google-autonomous-vehicle-accident-report-jpeg
Yep. This is a form that exists now.
Photo: Department of Motor Vehicles

Google’s autonomous cars have taken to the road with the rest of us normals in our comparatively Flintstones-esque, human-directed rides. And the very small brush-ups are starting to come in.

In fact, the California DMV has created a form just for reporting accidents involving at least one self-driving vehicle, and it publishes these reports on its website. And while the doomsayers and doubters have wrung their hands about cars plowing into trucks filled with baby penguins, the truth is that the dozen or so accidents on the list are so hilariously small that they hardly seem worth the paperwork at all.

They should definitely file the reports; don’t get us wrong. But we imagine an eye-roll or two while it happens.

Apple hires Google X Lab co-founder to work on health projects

By

Apple's latest hire specialized at building robotic hands.
Apple's latest hire specialized at building robotic hands.
Photo: University of Washington/Flickr

Apple has added yet another wicked smart talent to its ranks recently by hiring famed robotics expert Yoky Matsuoka.

Yoky was working as the head of technology at Nest before joining Apple. She was also one of the co-founders of Google’s X Lab and is a MacArthur genius award winner.

Apple only sells these retrotastic T-shirts at its campus store

By

These Apple t-shirts will bring a retro nerd vibe to your wardrobe,
These Apple t-shirts will bring a retro nerd vibe to your wardrobe,
Photo: Cabel Sasser/Twitter

Looking for a T-shirt that will be the envy of all your Apple fanboy friends?

The Company Store at Apple’s headquarters on 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino has stocked up on some great retro shirts that you won’t find anywhere else. The new items feature the rainbow Apple logo and clip art created by Susan Kare for the original Macintosh created by Susan Kare. There’s also one with the original Apple logo drawing with Isaac Newton.

Take a closer look at the new Apple T-shirts:

WhatsApp wins encryption victory in Brazilian courts

By

whatsapp-wins-encryption-victory-in-brazilian-courts-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508WhatsApp-Google-Play-jpg
WhatsApp is getting its own day(s) in court.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
WhatsApp
WhatsApp is getting its own day(s) in court. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Apple’s encryption showdown with the U.S. government may be more or less dormant for now, but Facebook-owned WhatsApp has its own courtroom drama happening in Brazil. It scored a slight win today, however, as a judge overturned a decision yesterday that would have shut the whole thing down across the country for several days.

The controversy surrounds the messaging app’s end-to-end encryption. Specifically, the developer’s inability (and/or unwillingness) to crack it to comply with law enforcement requests.

Spotify just got a lot easier to navigate

By

Spotify
Meet Spotify's new nav bar.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify is ditching its hamburger button for a more familiar navigation bar on iOS, making it quicker and easier to access your music and features like Spotify Radio.

Users in some countries — including the U.S. — can enjoy the changes today.

Meet the loyal Newton fans who keep the device alive and kicking

By

Keeping the light on. A group of enthusiasts who keep their Apple Newtons aglow.
Keeping the light on. A group of enthusiasts who keep their Apple Newtons aglow.
Photo: Adam Tow

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugGrant Hutchinson has never owned an iPad. He does, however, own some 15-dozen Newton devices, a few of which he uses every day to help manage tasks, a schedule and software clients.

Why would Hutchinson cling to and even rely on a clunky obsolete digital message pad, an Apple failure so big it inspired f-bomb rage in Steve Jobs and a week’s worth of damning Doonesbury comic strips?

Hutchinson is just one of a few thousand people worldwide who collect and even use Apple’s first mobile computing device, discontinued in 1998 after a number of incarnations over a rocky five-year run.