View profile

This homeless app developer made $20,000 a day

Cult of Mac Today
The theme of today’s newsletter is how to make big bucks.
The first story tells of a homeless indie developer who made up to $20,000 a day with a silly beer-drinking app.
The second recounts how a student scored a huge bug bounty for explaining to Apple how a webcam vulnerability could lead to more serious hacks.
If your thing is glory rather than money, be sure to enter Apple’s latest photo challenge. Apple is asking iPhone owners to upload their best macro photos to the socials with special tags. The winners get a great showcase on Apple’s website.
In other news:
  • President Joe Biden called out “right to repair,” and said his January executive order is already compelling big companies like Apple to make changes on this front.
  • iCloud suffers from unresolved syncing problems that may date back to November!
  • iOS and iPadOS pack a bunch of soothing background sounds that can be played in, well, the background. See our how-to for details on using them to relax.
– Leander Kahney, EIC.
P.S.: We’re running a great deal on Microsoft Office. You can get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and OneNote, all for just $49.99. That’s an 85% savings (normally $349). Hurry, though: The price goes up at the end of the week.

Indie dev made $20,000 a day turning iPhone into a frosty beer
Steve Sheraton is one of the App Store’s original success stories. He was crashing on a friend’s couch when he first got the idea of making a funny video that made it look like he was drinking beer out of his iPhone. A little while later, he was pulling in up to $20,000 a day in App Store revenue.
Student who spotted Mac webcam hack gets record $105,000 bug bounty
Student who spotted Mac webcam hack gets record $105,000 bug bounty
Apple paid a cybersecurity student what’s thought to be a record-high $105,000 bug bounty. Why? He showed the company how hacking its webcams can render the devices fully vulnerable to further attacks.
Apple calls for magnificent macro snaps in latest Shot on iPhone Challenge
Apple calls for magnificent macro snaps in latest Shot on iPhone Challenge
You can take part simply by uploading your macro photos to Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #iPhonemacrochallenge.
Biden says his ‘right to repair’ order changed Apple policies
Biden says his ‘right to repair’ order changed Apple policies
President Joe Biden says an executive order he signed in mid-January forced companies to loosen restrictions on who can repair their devices.
Laut's Inflight Folio case offers slim, stylish protection for iPad Pro — save 15%
A MESSAGE FROM THE CULT OF MAC STORE
Need an iPad Pro case that offers all-around protection without unnecessary bulk? Look no further than the Inflight Folio, on sale for just $38.24 for a limited time.
iCloud syncing problems frustrate devs and users alike
iCloud syncing problems frustrate devs and users alike
A growing number of developers report persistent CloudKit connectivity issues that break iCloud syncing inside their apps. Many say they reported the situation to Apple but have yet to see improvements — or even a response.
Get a vintage outdoor vibe with Philips Hue’s new smart lights
Get a vintage outdoor vibe with Philips Hue’s new smart lights
In time for upcoming spring and summer evenings, smart lighting company Philips Hue offers some cool retro-lighting options for you to try when it’s warm enough to gather outside.
How to play built-in Background Sounds in iOS and iPadOS 15
How to play built-in Background Sounds in iOS and iPadOS 15
One upgrade to Accessibility in iOS and iPadOS 15 is a new Background Sounds feature that plays relaxing audio tracks. Here’s how to use it to chill out.
Tweet o' the day
One more thing ...
“Lincoln did not have a website at the log cabin where his parents home-schooled him, and he turned out pretty interesting. Historical precedent shows that we can turn out amazing human beings without technology. Precedent also shows that we can turn out very uninteresting human beings with technology.” – Steve Jobs
Did you enjoy this issue?

Our daily roundup of Apple and tech news and opinion.

In order to unsubscribe, click here.
If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here.
Manage all your newsletter subscriptions here.
Powered by Revue