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.
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony shows why Apple should go back to doing live events.
No, not because we need to see deranged audience members assaulting Apple execs onstage. However, the mere possibility that something can go seriously sideways gives live events an undeniable advantage over the type of canned productions Apple began cranking out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I’m sure this goes against Cupertino’s deeply ingrained cultural bias toward controlling absolutely everything within its power. But if Apple doesn’t get back to putting on live events, its product launches will drift deeper into the uncanny territory of the overproduced infomercial. That’s boring — and it’s bad for both Apple and Apple fans.
Anyone wondering why they’d want Apple’s much-rumored augmented-reality glasses should watch a new concept video. Rather than focusing on hardware, the concept explores daily use of realityOS, the operating system Apple is apparently creating for its AR glasses.
Watch it now to see what it might be like to wear Apple’s Next Big Thing.
The $1,599 price for the new Apple Studio Display makes it somewhat controversial. Samsung’s response is the $700 Smart Monitor M8, which measures 32 inches and has a UHD resolution.
Samsung clearly has its eye on Mac users. It built Apple AirPlay 2 into the screen. And an image of the display playing Apple TV+ is a prominent part of the press release.
Limited77 is now running one of its biggest-ever sales in the Cult of Mac Store. You can enjoy 20% off all the company’s products for a limited time only.
iPhone cases, MagSafe chargers, charging docks and more are available from as little as $20. Check out the full lineup and bag a bargain before this sale ends.
We haven’t seen a tremendous number of computer setups centered on powerhouse 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pros — much less such workstations featuring both dual displays and paired original HomePods!
But today’s featured setup is an exception. It boasts those impressive characteristics as well as a useful lesson about not judging a book by its cover as well as striving to be kind online.
Do you ever find yourself scrambling to stop music playback on your Mac when a call comes in? QuietMeet is a new app that takes care of that for you.
Compatible with Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime and other popular services, QuietMeet automatically pauses your music when a call comes in — then resumes it when the call has ended. And it never gets in your way.
WhatsApp could soon let mobile users send significantly larger files by message. The platform’s current file size limit is a meager 100MB, but some beta testers have seen that limit increase to a generous 2GB.
Only a limited number of users can take advantage of the change for now. But the hope is that WhatsApp will eventually make the new limit available to all.
Apple is reportedly making big cuts to iPhone SE 3 production less than two weeks after the device made its official debut. Two separate sources claim Cupertino is seeing weaker-than-expected demand for the entry-level device.
One analyst points to the fact that the third-generation is still “in stock” — without any delays in shipping — as proof that it is not selling as Apple anticipated. Shipment estimates have been cut by 10 million units as a result.
Apple is expected to give iPhone 14 Pro a rather significant camera upgrade that could include a 48-megapixel wide angle sensor. It will mean sharper iPhone photos than ever before — but a much bigger camera bump.
According to one analyst, it will be “larger and more prominent” than the humps on previous iPhone models. That’s despite some rumors claiming that iPhone 14 itself would become thicker so that its cameras could sit flush with its shell.
Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to bag an Oscar for Best Picture, thanks to CODA‘s strong showing Sunday night at the Academy Awards. The movie won a trio of the prestigious awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
Troy Kotsur, who nabbed the latter of the three, also made history by becoming the first deaf man to pick up an Academy Award.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first Mac Studio benchmarks make Apple’s much-ballyhooed M1 Ultra chip sound less amazing than we hoped. Maybe it’s not the unhinged beast we expected! But then, what do benchmarks really mean, anyway?
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.
This week’s sponsor is JAMF, an Apple device-management solution that gives individuals and businesses the tools they need to wrangle iPhones, Macs, iPads and more. Register with JAMF now to manage three devices for free.
When iPhone 14 launches this autumn, it’s expected to offer better 5G performance than its predecessors. The iPhone 13 already offers speedy connections, but a new modem in the 2022 version will bring advantages to the next iOS handset.
Chief among these is better connections in areas with weak 5G signal.
Apple is at it again, trying to retain top employees in a competitive marketplace by giving them big money. This time the Cupertino tech giant has handed out a round of special stock bonuses to a group of hardware and software engineers. The amounts range from $100,000 to $200,000.
Cue the lights, strike up the music and let the garden party begin. Ikea’s got a new outdoor lantern coming. What’s interesting is that it doubles as the first Bluetooth speaker on the market with Spotify Tap built in.
The one-touch Spotify functionality isn’t the only music streaming service you can use with the lamp, called the Ikea Vappeby. But it’s handy.
Lego is bringing three new Star Wars diorama sets to a galaxy not at all far away in April, with preorders available now. Aimed at adult fans of the beloved franchise, all three cost under $100 — which is a lot cheaper than some Lego creations.
Lego has done plenty of dioramas, but these Star Wars vignettes are on a smaller, more affordable scale than usual.
Not satisfied with the thermostats on the market that you can use with HomeKit? Aqara is rolling out its HomeKit-compatible Smart Thermostat S3 with Siri voice support.
While the device is initially available only in China, experts speculate it could be coming to the U.S. and Europe, as well.
Alto’s Adventure – Remastered debuted on Apple Arcade on Friday. This is an update to a classic over-the-top snowboarding game.
The revamped version created for Apple’s gaming service includes a new character and new goals but the same sports-fantasy fun.
Ever had trouble getting your Mac to recognize third-party peripherals, like a keyboard and mouse? Today’s featured setup is built around a brand-new Mac Studio mounted neatly on a pegboard behind a Samsung super ultra-wide display. But the Apple desktop computer refused to pair with a Logitech keyboard and mouse, according to the owner.
He said he had to go and buy Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse to establish working input devices. So what happened?
Apple is rumored to be working on a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air — something many of its notebook users have long been asking for. But according to one analyst, the new machine may launch under a different name.
Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, who has reliably predicted Apple’s moves many times in the past, predicts mass production of a larger laptop will begin in late 2023, and that it “might not be called MacBook Air.”
Apple Maps users in Canada can now enjoy a more detailed mapping experience, as well as enhanced navigation, in several big cities.
Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are the latest to get Apple’s most recent Maps upgrades — which first debuted in London, Los Angeles, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area in iOS 15 last September.
The European Union plans to break down the barriers between mobile messaging services. With its Digital Markets Act, it plans to force services like iMessage, WhatsApp, and smaller messaging platforms to play nicely together.
The move would be a major blow to Apple, which has long used iMessage — which it refuses to bring to Android — as a big selling point of iPhone.
Imagine a 1980s-era Macintosh merged with today’s iMac. The result probably looks a lot like SystemSix. The creator calls it “a kind of love-letter to my first Macintosh.”
This hand-made device was assembled from an eInk display, an acrylic stand, a Raspberry Pi 3 and code written in Python.
Irish actress, writer and producer Sharon Horgan is known for some darkly funny stuff. Shows like Catastrophe and Pulling. If you like those, you’ll be glad to hear the Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA Award winner is bringing a new dark-comedy-thriller called Bad Sisters to Apple TV+.
The streaming service offered a first-look photo and cast list on Wednesday. The show’s acting ensemble includes Horgan, of course, but also an interesting lineup of collaborators.
This Cult of Mac giveaway is for the ladies! Five lucky winners will each receive a stylish Napa crossbody iPhone case from Noémie. These cases looks chic and are great for running errands or going out on the town when a bigger bag is not needed.
If you care about fashion (or have a fashionista in the family), and own an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max/iPhone 12 Pro Max, you should definitely enter the latest Cult of Mac giveaway.