Buster Hein, author at Cult of Mac

Apple and Google in standoff with NHS over contact tracing

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NHS wants Google and Apple to give it more access for contact tracing.
Photo: MIT

Apple and Google are reportedly in a “standoff” with the UK’s National Health Service over the development of the companies’ joint program to build contact tracing APIs.

According to a report from The Guardian, the two companies are taking a strong stand against the NHS’s insistence to break current Bluetooth privacy protocols. The NHS is hoping Apple and Google will lift their limits on how Bluetooth can be used, but Google says those limits are in place so that they can’t be abused for surveillance efforts.

Sleek iPhone 12 Pro concept brings new industrial body to life

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iPhone 12 Pro will likely come in a new midnight blue color option.
Photo: Technizo Concept

Now that the super-cheap 2020 iPhone SE is finally out Apple fans can turn all their anticipations to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro launch this fall.

There has been no shortage of video concept videos imagining what Apple’s first 5G handset will look like, but the latest mockup created by Technizo Concept might be the most accurate depiction of the iPhone 12 Pro we’ve seen yet.

Look at that sleek new industrial body:

Latest macOS beta brings fab new tool for boosting battery life

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
Portable Macs get the most attention in the new Catalina beta.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to developers this morning, bringing with it a major change to the way MacBooks charge.

Several tech sites got an explainer from Apple on how the new Battery Health Management feature works. The tool is coming to every MacBook with a Thunderbolt 3 port — and it could be a godsend to your battery.

During coronavirus quarantine, Apple Watch is some people’s best fitness friend

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Apple Watch helps people like Sune Holt stay fit during COVID-19 chaos.
Stuck in quarantine? Apple Watch can help you stay active.
Photo: Sune Holt

Even people who never realized Apple Watch’s awesome motivational power are standing up and testifying: The device helps get your butt up off the couch during the coronavirus quarantine.

“It’s fantastic that a gadget was the thing I needed to get myself in shape again,” said Sune Holt, an Apple Watch wearer from Denmark. “In November, I feared I wasted my money. Now it’s the best investment in a lifetime.”

3D Touch is dead. Long live Haptic Touch

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Au revoir 3D Touch.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

3D Touch, the pressure-sensitive screen tech ushered in by Apple, has officially met its end.

Introduced as one of the major new features on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple said 3D Touch was going to take multi-touch into a whole new dimension. Jony Ive waxed poetic about the new peek and pop gestures 3D Touch would enable in an Apple video explaining the feature. With the unveiling of the iPhone SE this morning, 3D Touch is as good as dead and we can’t say we’re really going to miss it.

AppleCare+ for iPhone SE gets $50 price cut

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The iPhone SE is the cheapest new iPhone you can own.
Photo: Apple

The new iPhone SE comes with one of the lowest-ever pricetags for a new iPhone. Keeping the new device safe from accidental damage is also ridiculously cheap compared to other iPhones as Apple cut $50 off the price tag for AppleCare+ on the iPhone SE.

Apple introduces Mac Pro wheel kit for only $700

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These wheels aren't cheap.
Photo: Apple

The new iPhone SE isn’t the only new product Apple unveiled today, but unless you already have a Mac Pro and an extra $700 to spend on making it more mobile, you’re probably not interested.

Apple quietly added a new Mac Pro Wheels Kit to its online store this morning, giving owners of the 2019 Mac Pro the option to retroactively add wheels if they didn’t choose the option when the machine was originally purchased.

Slick Apple ad introduces iPhone SE’s killer features

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Behold, the new iPhone SE.
Photo: Apple

The new iPhone SE is finally here and boy was the wait worth it.

$399 gets you an iPhone with the same processor as the iPhone 11 and a camera that is pretty much just as good too. All of that is wrapped in a smaller body that won’t be bursting out of your pockets. Of course, Apple made an awesome new video that will get you hyped to see the iPhone SE in the flesh.

Check it out: