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Judge blocks government from pushing social media censorship

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Social Media
A federal judge blocked federal government contact with social media sites.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A federal judge in Louisiana issued a broad injunction Tuesday limiting federal government contact with social media sites over what the Biden administration may see as disinformation spreading out of control.

The ruling is one of many upcoming that frame a fight over the constitutionality of curbing social media’s influence in light of the First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression.

Reddit’s absurd API price forcing Apollo to shut down on June 30

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New sharing features for Reddit content include rich URL previews.
Reddit's new API pricing is the reason behind Apollo's shut down.
Photo: Reddit

Apollo, a popular third-party Reddit client for iPhone and iPad, will shut down on June 30. This is due to Reddit’s upcoming API policy that goes live on July 1, which makes it untenable for third-party apps to operate.

Apple highlighted Apollo multiple times on-stage at WWDC23 and even showed it as one of the apps for its Vision Pro headset.

The internet won’t stop ragging on Vision Pro’s price tag

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Apple Vision Pro price tag: $3,499.
That $3,500 price tag certainly got people's attention.
Photo: Apple
WWDC23

The $3,499 price of Vision Pro, the long-awaited AR/VR headset Apple rolled out at WWDC23, startles some people. You can find audience reaction videos out there with audible gasps when the price was announced (including among Apple employees, some posts claim). And mainstream headlines are joining in, too.

And of course social media hasn’t let up on the jokey memes. See below for a few choice examples.

Reddit links get fancy in Messages app

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New sharing features for Reddit content include rich URL previews.
New sharing features for Reddit content include rich URL previews.
Photo: Reddit

Reddit updated its iOS app to allow rich-link previews for shared content, the social media chat site said Tuesday. That makes it easier to see what someone texted your way before you click through.

Before now, you’d just see the URL and have nothing else to go on in terms of what was shared, short of words in the URL or an explanation in the sender’s text.

Meet Apollo, the best Reddit client for iPhone and iPad [Awesome Apps]

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Apollo Reddit client on iPhone
Apollo is the best client for reading Reddit on the go.
Photo: Apollo/Joe White

Created by former Apple employee Christian Selig, Apollo for Reddit is hands-down the best Reddit reader out there. Forget the official Reddit client for iOS and iPadOS – Apollo is the app I return to day after day when it comes to exploring the fascinating world of Reddit.

In my view, the official Reddit app feels like a rehashed version of Reddit’s freewheeling website. Meanwhile, Apollo is a proper piece of mobile software — the real McCoy, if you will. It gives you a fantastically effective interface for digesting the mountain of news and topical info posted by Reddit’s millions of users.

Now don’t get me wrong. Apollo is by no means swish, flash and fancy. It’s instead the exact opposite – stripped-down and streamlined. But believe me: When it comes to browsing Reddit while on the move, this app gets the job done.

Reddit updates let you see how others are reacting right now

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New features in Reddit should drive engagement across the site, the company said.
New features in Reddit should drive engagement across the site, the company said.
Photo: Reddit

Social media site Reddit unveiled several new features Wednesday that let users immediately see how others are reacting to content in various ways. The changes should give users a better idea of what’s most popular — or unpopular — on the site. The company said they should increase engagement across Reddit.

The next Mac revolution: Companies rush to buy new M1 machines

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Adobe Photoshop does support the MacBook Pro notch.
"Engineering hours are much more expensive than laptops."
Photo: Apple

The new MacBook Pro lineup is an exceptional upgrade over its predecessors, with new M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets that offer more mobile computing power than ever before. And big companies are scrambling to reap the benefits.

The likes of Reddit, Twitter and others are rolling out 2021 MacBook Pro units to employees so that they can take advantage of the massive performance gains. “Engineering hours are much more expensive than laptops,” one said.

iOS 13 Shortcuts can automatically download new wallpaper

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Cheesy romantic photo on ipad screen
WTF SRSLY Shortcuts?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In iOS 13, Shortcuts has gotten some pretty wild new powers. It can run shortcuts automatically, in the background, for example, based on the time of day, or your location. You can tap your iPhone on an RFID tag, and it’ll fire off a shortcut. You can have your iPhone hand off a podcast from your AirPods to an AirPlay speaker when you arrive home.

And, as we’ll see today, you can have your iPhone or iPad download and load new wallpaper automatically, so you can see a fresh backdrop every morning.

DJ’s MacBook Pro catches fire in shocking video

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White panda
If this incident is any indication, White Panda’s next remix will be lit.
Photo: White Panda

Video of a MacBook Pro catching fire is getting a lot of views on Reddit and Twitter this morning showing a potentially deadly situation.

White Panda, a DJ from the U.S., posted video yesterday of his MacBook Pro a few minutes after the explosion happened. He claims it burst into flame while plugged into its charger.

Watch what happened:

Gutted iPhone 4 turned into a work of art

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iPhone art project
This iPhone 4 was laid to rest to be appreciated long after its last text.
Photo: The Incorporeal/Reddit

We watch with both horror and fascination those videos where someone rips apart the latest Apple gadget to see how it is built.

But one member of the r/iPhone thread on Reddit took the dismantling of his iPhone 4 in a different direction: He artfully arranged the pieces for a framed keepsake.

Apple’s famous hyperbole factory works overtime

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Apple keynotes
The iPhones may change but the words describing remain the same.
Screenshot: James Brown/YouTube

When you compare the iPhone 4 to the iPhone XS, virtually everything has changed. All except the script Apple uses when introducing its new handsets to the public.

This is the tongue-in-cheek observation of James Brown, a YouTuber and Reddit user who posted a video comparing the use of adjectives from Steve Jobs in 2010 with Apple executives talking about the iPhones XS and XS Max at last week’s new product showcase.

Why you shouldn’t keep a large Apple Pay balance

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New ad makes Apple Pay in Messages easy and funny.
Someone who has sent you money can potentially get your Apple Pay account locked. Which might be a real problem for some people.
Screenshot: Apple

Some people treat Apple Pay like a bank account. They keep a balance of cash on this payment system and use it to pay off debts or accept money from friends.

A Redditor has a story that shows a potential pitfall of this strategy, especially if a large sum of money is involved.

Grab Apple’s beautiful iPad Pro wallpapers for free

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One of several iPad Pro wallpapers available for free.
This is one of several iPad Pro wallpapers available for free. No strings attached.
Photo: Apple

 

Anyone in an Apple Store recently may have seen the really spectacular images pre-loaded on iPad Pro models. But now you don’t have to leave your chair to see them because they’re all available to download.

There is a caveat: they aren’t being distributed by Apple, just someone who copied them off a tablet and shared them.

Bassgate: Did software update sap HomePod audio?

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Don't take a chance on a bricked HomePod.
HomePod isn't as bass-heavy as it once was.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s software update released yesterday for the new HomePod may have altered the sound quality on its smart speaker.

Many angry HomePod owners that installed the update yesterday have taken to Twitter and Reddit claiming Apple’s fine-tuning of the speaker with the update has totally ruined how some songs sound.

Civilization VI, Rainbrow, and other awesome apps of the week

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App holiday1
'Appy holidays!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A brilliant iPad port of one of the greatest turn-based strategy games of 2016, Civilization VI, is just of one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week” roundup. In addition, we’ve got neat updates for the official Reddit and Shazam apps, plus a game that you control… using your eyebrows?

Check out our picks below — and have a very happy holidays!

Apple confirms it makes old iPhones run slower (for a good reason)

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iPhone 6S
Does your iPhone 6s feel slower?
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Does your iPhone seem to get slower and slower as it grows older? Well, according to Apple, that is exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Many iPhone users have long suspected that Apple throttles performance of aging iPhones. The popular theory is that Apple does so to entice users to upgrade. However, Apple says there are really good performance reasons behind the practice.

5 outrageous theories about Apple’s iPhone 8 invite

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Apple invite
Apple fans have a lot of theories about the iPhone 8 invite.
Photo: Alberto Bagnoli/Twitter

After the maddeningly vague invites went out for Apple’s next iPhone unveiling, it took fanboys on the internet no time at all to come up with crazy theories about what the picture on the invitation “really means.”

This year’s invite seems very abstract and completely devoid of hints. But if you squint your eyes and huff enough glue, you too can find some clues about what Apple plans to announce on September 12.

Here are some of the most outlandish theories we’ve seen from fans decoding the invite:

Bill Gates says he didn’t copy Steve Jobs

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https---blueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com-uploads-card-image-397526-14cc227c-5195-4fef-a37e-f5984d8d1711
Gates answered fans' questions on Reddit.
Photo: Bill Gates

Among questions on his favorite sandwiches (“Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger”) and whether he can still jump over a chair (probably not), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates got asked whether his company had copied Steve Jobs during a Reddit Q&A on Monday.

Gates denied copying Cupertino — but reminded everybody that Microsoft and Apple both borrowed liberally from another Silicon Valley pioneer.

Expel water from your iPhone speaker grille using only sound

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iPhone 7 soaked in water
A crafty Redditor discovers a simple and free way to clear trapped water from your iPhone 7's speaker grille.
Photo: Apple

Apple touts the new iPhone 7 as being water-resistant enough to take into the shower. There’s really no good reason to bathe with your smartphone, but the point is that iPhone 7 owners don’t need to worry about a little rain or spilled tea.

Naturally, some people waltzed into their shower stalls with their expensive new phones in hand — just cuz — and some found a weakness in the iPhone 7’s water-resistance. Luckily for foolhardy iPhone owners everywhere, a Redditor discovered a simple hack for getting the water out.

Official Reddit app finally gets an iPad interface

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Reddit logo
Reddit finally got around to supporting the iPad.
Photo: Reddit

Seven months after its debut, the official Reddit app has finally been optimized for iPad. The new interface lets you enjoy the most popular posts and the latest memes in all their high-resolution glory on the tablet’s larger screen.

Apple needs to make this Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar

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Touch Bar would make Magic Keyboard even better.
Touch Bar would make Magic Keyboard even better.
Photo: Hazza42/Reddit

Apple’s new Touch Bar looks like the coolest innovation since trackpads, but there’s just one problem: You must buy a brand new MacBook Pro to get it.

It seems inevitable that Apple will eventually bring the Touch Bar to all Macs, so a concept artist created a mockup of what that may look like. It looks like a Touch Bar on a new Magic Keyboard would be even more incredible than on the MacBook Pro.

Take a closer look: