Cullen Thomas

Author Details

Cullen Thomas's picture

Author Details

Cullen Thomas

Cullen Thomas is a senior instructor at iPhone Life. For ten years as faculty at Maharishi University, Cullen taught subjects ranging from camera and audio hardware to game design. Cullen applies a passion for gadgetry to answer questions about iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple cloud services; to teach live classes; and to specialize in the privacy and security aspects of the Apple ecosystem. Cullen has dual degrees in Media & Communications and Literature, and a Masters degree from the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts.

Offline, Cullen designs videogames with Thought Spike Games, writes fiction, and studies new nerdery.

Mastodon: @CullenWritesTech@infosec.exchange

Email: cullen@iphonelife.com

Signal: +1-512-814-5526

Opinion: I Have Seen the Future with Apple Vision Pro, & It Sucks

Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work. My first experience of VR on a Valve Index is a cherished memory—it was so much fun to explore video game environments as if actually visiting them! When Apple announced its premium augmented reality headset, the Vision Pro, I was about as excited as anybody could be. That is, until I tried it.

Apple released two new iPads Pro with the M4 processor and two new iPad Airs with the M2 processor at its "Let Loose" event. Both are available for purchase as of May 7, 2024, and shipments begin May 15, 2024. Though the updates to these devices are mostly iterative improvements over the previous versions, they essentially check all the boxes on my wishlist, making this, in my estimation, the finest update I’ve seen to iPads and the ideal time to upgrade.

5 Reasons Why We're Ready for USB-C

Apple has retired the decade-old Lightning cable from every product in its lineup. As our existing devices age out of use and we update to new devices with USB-C, we will finally recycle our tangled drawers of old Lightning cables, only to invest in a new collection of USB-C cables to tangle in our drawers. Despite this inconvenience, we’re excited to make the switch. Here are five reasons this change is welcome, plus one thing to bear in mind.

Step Up Your Security: 7 Ways to Up Your Game

There are many frontiers to protect in today’s world. Maybe it’s not enough to install smart blinds to hide from nosy neighbors and add security cameras and smart locks to deter unwanted guests. Now, with cybercrime a multi-billion-dollar global industry, we might also want to choose a secure app to manage our passwords, find a better backup solution to protect our digital archives from cyber theft, and make sure to keep our credentials unique. Check out our selections for the best home security systems, cyber security apps, and media to learn more about how it all works.

Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2

At Apple’s September 2023 announcement event, the tech giant revealed the capabilities of its new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The yearly update to both devices improves the processor to a new S9 chip, which will include AI processing cores for the first time on an Apple Watch. These cores enhance the function of every task that relies on artificial intelligence, from processing photos, to interpreting voice commands, to more accurate typing with autocorrect. Those cores will allow Siri to process some commands on the Apple Watch, without needing to communicate with an iPhone or the cloud. The new chip also enables a whole new gesture the user performs on their watch-arm, without touching the screen. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s latest generation of Apple Watches.

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