Mobile menu toggle

News - page 978

Should Apple bring iMessage to Android? [Friday Night Fights]

By

fnf_imessage_android
Who wouldn't want to see this?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iMessage is the only major messaging service that’s exclusive to one platform. According to Tim Cook, that’s because iMessage helps sell Apple devices — but does anyone actually buy an iPhone for iMessage alone?

Friday Night Fights bugWould it really hurt Apple if its popular messaging service went cross-platform? Lots of iPhone and iPad owners also use Android devices, and bringing the service to Google’s platform would provide them with a more seamless messaging experience.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we throw virtual hands over whether Apple should bring iMessage to Android.

Guy turns plastic bottles into hydroelectric iPhone charger

By

When portable battery packs just won't cut it.
When portable battery packs just won't cut it.
Photo: Thomas Kim

There’s nothing worse than having a dead iPhone battery in the middle of nowhere, but for science mastermind Thomas Kim, that’s never a problem.

In one of the latest in his series projects where he turns everyday garbage into scientific creations, Kim tapped into the power of beautiful little waterfall by turning a bunch of plastic bottles into a water wheel to generate enough hydroelectric power to recharge his iPhone.

Watch the real-life MacGyver in action:

Apple is ready to pay hackers a big bounty for bugs

By

iOS 10
Apple needs help squashing bugs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s head of security and engineering architecture, Ivan Kritic, revealed yesterday that the iPhone maker is finally creating a bug bounty program that will offer rewards of up to $200,000 to security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s various software platforms.

The news came during a keynote at the annual Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas where Kritic also gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at iOS 10 security as part of Apple’s effort to become more open about its architecture in hopes of improving it.

Hula Wrap takes pain out of packing your MacBook charger

By

Your MacBook charging cable won't get away from you with the Hula Wrap.
Your MacBook charging cable won't get away from you with the Hula Wrap.
Photo: Hula Wrap

Designer Joel Beebe has spent a good portion of his working life tied up in power cords so you don’t have to.

His latest solution is a MacBook accessory called the Hula Wrap, a leather sheath that helps organize your computer’s power cable.

New drone footage puts Apple’s monstrous spaceship into perspective

By

Walking around this place is going to take forever.
Walking around this place is going to take forever.
Photo: Matthew Roberts

Apple’s new spaceship campus is expected to be completed near the end of the year and as a result Tim Cook’s beautiful pile of dirt is finally shrinking now that landscaping is getting underway.

A new drone video of the Apple campus reveals the progress Apple has made on everything from the underground parking tunnels, the ginormous corporate gym, the pond and garden in the heart of campus and so much more. Droner Matthew Roberts covers all the new goodies in his latest aerial video that does a magnificent job of putting the huge scale of Apple’s campus into perspective.

Check it out:

Samsung just tried to patent the Apple Watch

By

Samsung-Apple-Watch-patent
Oh, Samsung!
Photo: Samsung

Ripping off Apple’s iconic designs is one thing, but Samsung just took its copying to a whole new level of stupid by trying to patent the Apple Watch.

Its new filing for a “Wearable Device” uses not one but many sketches of Apple’s popular smartwatch, complete with digital crown and all the same straps.

Apple plans to change the way you find what to watch on TV

By

Get your OCD on with folders on Apple TV.
Finding videos on Apple TV is about to get a lot easier.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has a new strategy for how it will take over your television, only instead of selling you TV streaming service that replaces cable, the company is reportedly working on a interface that will help users find what content is available on every iOS and tvOS app.

Tv programmers and video companies have allegedly been approached by Apple about creating a digital TV guide for iPhone and Apple TV that will let users find video content from HBO, Netflix, ESPN and more without having to actually open the apps.

Apple Store app redesign adds Discover tab with product recommendations

By

It looks so clean.
It looks so clean.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple is bringing big changes to the Apple Store app for iOS today with a huge update that adds product recommendations to the store for the first time.

The Apple Store app redesign features a simplified UI that focuses on making it easier for users to see their reservations, check if a product is in stock at a nearby store, find out when an order is ready and much more.

Apple fixes security hole with iOS 9.3.4 update

By

iOS 9.3 Beta 4
iOS 9 gets one final update.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 9 is getting one final update before iOS 10 makes its big debut this fall. Apple just rolled out iOS 9.3.4, which is an “important security update” that’s recommended for all iPhone and iPad users with compatible devices.

100+ top designers take Apple’s side in fight vs Samsung

By

Samsung
Samsung has Silicon Valley on its team, but Apple has big name designers.
Photo: Jim Merithew

Legendary Braun designer Dieter Rams has joined forces with 110 other distinguished industrial design professionals to support Apple in its long standing fight with Samsung for copying the design of the iPhone.

The group of designers have filed a amicus briefing with the US Supreme Court arguing that Apple deserves the millions of dollars it was originally awarded in court because of the company’s innovative look that let to 1 billion units sold.

Gwyneth Paltrow is bringing her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’

By

planet of the apes with tim cook
Welcome to our new world Gwyneth.
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox/Apple

Apple has signed Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow to join its unscripted series ‘Planet of the Apps’.

Paltrow will be joined by will.i.am and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on the show where all three will serve as mentors and advisors to app developers in the series that will reportedly act as a launch pad to exceptional developers.

10 awesome iOS photo editing apps you need to try

By

Cult of Mac
Want to create some amazing photo effects? Here's the apps to help you achieve them.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There are hundreds upon hundreds of different photo editing apps for iOS in the App Store. So, how would you know which ones are worth trying out? Well, I thought I’d help you out by running through my personal top ten photo editing apps.

Check out my video rundown below.

Today in Apple history: Apple fires first shot in war against Samsung

By

Samsung
The start of Apple's battle with Samsung.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Aug4August 4, 2010: Apple fires the first shot in its apparently never-ending war against Samsung, when a team of Apple executives visit Samsung’s HQ in Seoul, South Korea, and give a presentation with the title, “Samsung’s Use of Apple Patents in Smartphones.”

It marks the official start of a multi-billion dollar battle between the two rivals (and, weirdly, collaborators) which has continued to rage ever since.

Apple Music for Android is finally out of beta

By

Apple-Music-Android
Apple Music for Android is keeping up with iOS.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The first major Android app made by Apple engineers is finally ready for primetime.

Coming over a year after the launch of Apple Music on iOS, Apple released the first non-beta version of Apple Music on the Google Play Store today and it comes with a couple new features.

Another 23 U.S. banks now support Apple Pay

By

Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay's reach extends even further.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple today confirmed another 23 U.S. banks and credit unions now offer support for Apple Pay. The moves comes just a day after Canadian banks Tangerine and President’s Choice Financial also announced support for the mobile payments service.

YouTube feeds addiction for tech unboxing obsession

By

Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Photo: Lamarr Wilson/YouTube

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugMaybe Christmas morning doesn’t come often enough. How else do you explain the full-blown obsession of millions of people who turn to YouTube to watch videos of someone opening boxes containing new products?

Tech companies, especially Apple, know that packaging and how it opens to present you that shiny new gadget is a critical first step towards a love connection. Companies are even conscious of how a sparkling YouTube personality with a child-like excitement for what’s inside the box can help drive sales.

Apple says its gender pay gap has been fixed

By

Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s workforce became a little bit more diverse in 2016 according to the company’s annual Inclusion and Diversity report that was published today, revealing that minorities made up 54 percent of new U.S. hires.

The company is also hiring more women than ever and says it is finally paying women equal wages, and will continue to analyze the salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants of all employees worldwide to solve the gender pay gap once and for all.

Latest iPhone 7 Plus mockup reveals beautiful blue finish

By

iPhone-7-Plus-mockup-blue
iPhone 7 Plus looks beautiful in blue.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Yet another iPhone 7 Plus mockup has been captured on video ahead of Apple’s official unveiling this fall, but this one’s a little more exciting than most.

Not only is it thought to be the most accurate representation of the iPhone 7 Plus we’ve seen so far, but it also comes in a new blue finish that could replace the space gray option in Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup.