TechCrunch

Goldman Sachs will get more anonymized data on Apple Card users

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Apple Card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
Apple is the face of the Apple Card, but Goldman Sachs really controls it.
Photo: Apple

Apple updated its privacy policy on Apple Card this week in order to share more data with its card partner Goldman Sachs.

The larger data set is still be anonymized and will reportedly be used to allow Goldman Sachs to create a new credit assignment model so that more people are able to get approval for Apple Card.

Deja vu: Galaxy Fold reviewer reports screen problem after just one day

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Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
Is it time to give up on the Galaxy Fold?
Photo: Samsung

Samsung might be facing another Galaxy Fold display fiasco less than 24 hours before the device is set to launch in the U.S.

After canceling the Fold’s original April 26 launch date, Samsung spent months redesigning certain parts of the display to be more durable. According to at least one reviewer of the device though, it appears that Galaxy Fold display could still be very fragile.

Instagram will finally let you schedule posts for the future

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Instagram lawsuit
Instagram fans have been waiting forever for this.
Photo: Pixabay

Facebook revealed some big updates coming to its tools for creators including one feature Instagram users have been begging for for years.

Post scheduling is finally being adding to Instagram but only for business accounts that are linked to a Facebook page. The feature is being added alongside some other tools for live video broadcasting and analytics on Facebook.

Facebook left huge database of users’ phone numbers exposed

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
Oh look! Another Facebook data leak.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A Facebook server containing hundreds of millions of users’ phone numbers was left completely exposed to potential attackers, according to a new report.

The data linked each phone number to a user’s unique Facebook ID, potentially exposing personal information that could be used against victims. Some of the records also contained the person’s name, gender and country.

The next Mac Pro won’t arrive until 2019

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The Mac Pro is being
Turn your dusty old Mac into a fat stack of cash.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Professional Mac users holding out for the next Mac Pro are going to have to wait at least another year.

After revealing in 2017 that it was completely redesigning the Mac Pro, some fans held out hope that the new Mac Pro would come out by 2018. That’s not going to happen though. In a series of interviews, Apple executives revealed that the new Mac Pro will be a 2019 product.

HomePod meta review: Superb sound, stupid Siri

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The HomePod was a no-show in 2017.
HomePod is finally here.
Photo: Apple

In the first reviews for Apple’s new HomePod speaker, everyone totally raves about the smart speaker’s pristine sound quality. Siri, on the other hand, doesn’t sound so brilliant.

Apple seeded a few review units to major outlets ahead of this Friday’s HomePod launch. The embargo lifted this morning, and the early reviews reveal a few surprising tidbits about the HomePod.

Here’s what people are saying:

YouTube is adding Snapchat-like stories for creators

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Youtube’s Incognito mode
Some big changes are coming to YouTube.
Photo: freestocks.org/Pexels CC

Stories, the short-video format popularized by Snapchat, is making its way to YouTube.

Everyone from Instagram to Facebook Messenger has already copied Snapchat’s popular, so it should be little surprise that YouTube has decided to get in on the action too. The video platform revealed to creators today that it’s working on a new feature called “Reels” that is a lot like Stores. Only it comes with some major differences.

Apple dives deeper into AI with latest acquisition

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photos in ios 10
Regaind could give iOS Photos an AI boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has quietly made another acquisition of a little-known startup that could bring some big benefits to iPhone and iPad users in the future.

A small France startup called Regaind was reportedly acquired by Apple. The company specializes in using machine learning to recognize what’s in a photo, which could boost some features Apple already created in its photos app.

‘Apple should pull the plug’: 10 iPhone predictions from 2007

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iPhone predictions from 2007
They must have been holding their crystal balls wrong.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone turns 10 Predicting the future is tough, even for the experts. That’s the only lesson we can learn from looking back at these horribly misguided iPhone predictions that greeted the device at its launch 10 years ago.

Before most people had even wrapped their fingers around Apple’s first-gen smartphone, tech pundits, analysts and competing CEOs were already writing off the iPhone as a disaster similar to Apple’s previous excursions into video game consoles and the like.

Here are just a few of the laughable reactions that greeted the iPhone in 2007.

Location-based stories are coming soon to Instagram

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Here's what Instagram location stories look like.
Here's what Instagram location stories look like.
Photo: Josh Constantine/TechCrunch

Instagram’s streak of sniping features from Snapchat isn’t about to stop with today’s new addition of Face Filters.

Location-based stories are set to be the next big feature Instagram adds to its toolset, only instead of just copying the way Snapchat curates stories, Instagram plans to tap into one of its ‘hidden gems’ to make stories a powerful tool for all users.

Server logs reveal Apple is testing four new iPad models

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The iPad Pro is about to get even bigger.
New iPads are on the way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Evidence that Apple is testing a new lineup of iPads has surfaced online, adding credence to a recent rumor that new iPads could be unveiled as soon as next week.

Device logs obtained by mobile marketing firm Fiksu appear to show that four different iPad models are currently being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Oculus has no plans to bring VR to the Mac anytime soon

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Alex Heath gets down in the Oculus booth. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
You still can't use the Oculus Rift on Mac.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Mac users hoping to jump into the world of virtual reality will have to wait even longer than expected.

Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell revealed in a recent interview that the company currently has no plans to bring Rift support to the Mac. Even though Mitchell himself is a MacBook Pro user, he says Apple’s machines don’t have the resources to deliver a premium experience

Apple loses big at the Crunchies

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Apple didn't get any of these weird statuettes this year.
Apple didn't get any of these weird statuettes this year.
Photo: TechCrunch

Apple was nominated for three “Crunchies,” TechCrunch’s annual award event for the best in technology. The technology giant lost all three.

Apple’s 3D Touch, the Apple Pencil, and CEO Tim Cook were all put forth as the Best Technology Achievement, Best Hardware, and CEO of the Year, respectively.

None of them won a Crunchie, losing out to SpaceX Falcon 9, Samsung Gear VR, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Of course, having 3D Touch in the same category as a spaceship really shows what an uneven, weird thing the Crunchies are.

The Boombot REX: A Rugged Bluetooth Speaker You Can Take Anywhere [Deals]

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CoM-plox

I’ve got a Bluetooth speaker…and I love it. But when my family and I went camping this summer I left it at home. Why? Because I wasn’t convinced that the environment it would be in was going to serve it all that well. I could have used something more rugged, and even more versatile.

I could have used the Boombot REX.

With a ruggedized ABS housing, Boombot REX goes anywhere, but it also features full fidelity stereo sound, is water-resistant and plays for up to eight hours on a single charge – it’s built tough to withstand the demands of your active lifestyle. And Cult of Mac Deals has it for 23% off the regular price – just $99.99!

Ending Soon: Organize Your iTunes Music Library With TuneUp [Deals]

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CoM - TuneUp

Tired of scrolling through endless songs from burned CDs from years ago and having no idea what each one is because the tracks didn’t quite register with iTunes? Wish you could have more cover art in your collection? Is your iTunes Library teeming with duplicate tracks? This Cult of Mac Deals offer will magically eliminate what ails your iTunes because TuneUp transforms your music collection. Automagically™.

With over 12 million downloads, TuneUp is the best iTunes companion app in the industry, and in a just a few clicks your entire music collection will be fresh and clean. And Cult of Mac Deals has it for only $30!

Organize Your iTunes Music Library With TuneUp [Deals]

By

CoM - TuneUp

Tired of scrolling through endless songs from burned CDs from years ago and having no idea what each one is because the tracks didn’t quite register with iTunes? Wish you could have more cover art in your collection? Is your iTunes Library teeming with duplicate tracks? This Cult of Mac Deals offer will magically eliminate what ails your iTunes because TuneUp transforms your music collection. Automagically™.

With over 12 million downloads, TuneUp is the best iTunes companion app in the industry, and in a just a few clicks your entire music collection will be fresh and clean. And for a limited time, Cult of Mac Deals has it for only $30!

Clean And Organize Your iTunes Music Library With TuneUp [Deals]

By

CoM - TuneUp

Tired of scrolling through endless songs from burned CDs from years ago and having no idea what each one is because the tracks didn’t quite register with iTunes? Wish you could have more cover art in your collection? Is your iTunes Library teeming with duplicate tracks? This Cult of Mac Deals offer will magically eliminate what ails your iTunes because TuneUp transforms your music collection. Automagically™.

With over 12 million downloads, TuneUp is the best iTunes companion app in the industry, and in a just a few clicks your entire music collection will be fresh and clean. And for a limited time, Cult of Mac Deals has it for only $30!

Google: If You’re Not Using Our Mobile Map App, You’re Probably Lost (And Lonely)

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googlegraf
Google's Daniel Graf accepting the 2012 Crunchies award.

Google won the award for Best Mobile Application at the sixth edition of the TechCrunch Crunchies Awards, beating out Grindr, Instagram, and Square.

“I see a few empty seats, so it looks like those guys haven’t downloaded the app and got lost somewhere,” said the Daniel Graf, Google’s director of mobile maps, accepting the statue of a gorilla smashing a TV set.

Get New Logos, Website Redesigns, And More With 99designs [Deals]

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CoM - 99designs

So you’re starting a new venture in 2013. Need a new logo for it? What about getting that web design dealt with so you can launch your first website? Perhaps it’s time to finally consider styling up your business cards?

Whatever your design needs may be, why limit yourself to one designer when you can tap into the talent of hundreds of talented artists? That’s what 99designs offers – and Cult of Mac Deals has an offer that lets you get $50 of high quality design services for only $25!

Linux Creator Linus Torvalds: I Love My MacBook Air!

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Sure, Linus, you can run Linux on a MacBook Air, but why would you want to?
Sure, Linus, you can run Linux on a MacBook Air, but why would you want to?

Linus Torvalds is not a huge fan of Apple products. He is, as he describes himself, a socks and sandal kind of guy, a tinkerer. Even so, the Linux creator is absolutely in love with the MacBook Air… and wonders why the hell other laptop makers can’t come out and release an ultrabook that’s worth a damn.

The New iPad Takes Much Longer To Charge Than The iPad 2

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ipadcharger
Your new iPad will be spending a lot more time with its battery charger than the iPad 2.

Every single thing about the new iPad is more power hungry than the iPad 2. The Retina Display requires more power to drive its double resolution display. The LTE capability requires more battery to suck in faster mobile data speeds. Even the doubled RAM capacity uses more electricity.

Despite all of this, though, the new iPad has the same great battery life as the iPad 2: 10 hours of battery using 3G, 9 hours battery using LTE. Apple’s achieved this extraordinary feat by packing almost twice the battery capacity into the same space.

That’s great news when you’re around town. But it comes at a cost: charging the new iPad to full is a total bitch.

iPhone Nano Rumors May Be Nothing New, But This Time They’re Probably True [Opinion]

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iphone_2011v2

This week, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch all published rumors that Apple plans to compete in the mid-ranged smartphone sector, with the launch of a smaller, more affordable iPhone, to be sold alongside the iPhone 4. At Cult of Mac, we predicted as much six weeks ago.

Of course, rumors of a smaller, cheaper iPhone are nothing new. They’ve been around for almost as long as the iPhone itself. And with good reason. Any seasoned Apple watcher will recognize this as Steve Jobs’ standard MO. Launch an iconic, up-market product, allow the market for it to grow and mature, and when the underlying technology becomes cheap enough, introduce a smaller, more affordable mass market version.