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Buster Hein - page 103

Elon Musk thinks Apple Car will come too late

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Musk
Musk is confident Telsa will beat the Apple Car.
Photo: Recode/Facebook

Apple should have started development on the Apple Car a lot earlier than it did, according to Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The real-life comic-book superhero sat down for an interview at Code Conference and said that when it comes to autonomous cars, Google won’t be a competitor because they’re not a car company, however Apple will be.

Musk thinks it may be too late for Apple to be truly competitive though.

Apple ace reporter Mark Gurman is moving to Bloomberg

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Mark Gurman, of 9to5Mac, chats with a developer at the AltConf Journalist Pitch Lab in San Francisco, CA, June 3, 2014. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Mark Gurman is Apple PR's worst nightmare.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Few Apple bloggers can strike fear in the heart of Apple execs like 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, and starting next month the ace Apple reporter will be taking his scooping talents to Bloomberg.

Gurman has been one of the most prolific Apple reporters during his time at 9to5Mac. Despite being just 22 years-old, the scoop master has revealed some of Apple’s biggest products and software updates well in advance of their official unveilings.

Now with the full backing of the Bloomberg media machine, Gurman will be extending his reporting skills to cover other tech companies. According to a memo sent to staff by Bloomberg editor Brad Stone, Mark Gurman will now cover consumer products made by Apple as well as its rivals.

Coach leaks Apple Watch bands before official unveiling

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Watch out Apple Watch, Google is coming for you.
Coach is busting out some fancy Apple Watch bands.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Move over Hermes. There’s a new high-end fashion brand that is ready to capitalize on the Apple Watch and its leather bands will be launching soon.

Coach has secretly listed its first Apple Watch bands on its website. An official unveiling of the luxury leather bands is still in the works, but based on the early listings it appears that the bands will come at a relatively cheap price point.

Facebook Messenger may soon add end-to-end encryption

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Facebook messaging apps
Messenger is finally getting encryption.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook plans to tighten security on its popular Messenger platform this summer, but it won’t be turned on for all users by default.

Messenger will add a new end-to-end encryption feature that prevents hackers and the government from being able to read your text messages. Facebook won’t be able to read your messages either though, and that will seriously hurt its ability to make bots great if you decide to opt-in to better security.

Apple Campus 2 nears closer to completion in latest drone video

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Apple moves in early next year.
Apple moves in early next year.
Photo: Jerry Gonzo

Construction on Apple’s new campus isn’t expected to be completed until the end of the year, but the spaceship is starting to come into shape in the latest flyover video that shows some buildings have already been completed.

Tim Cook’s beautiful pile of dirt keeps growing in Matthew Roberts’ latest drone footage of the new campus that takes a look at the massive 11,000 vehicle car garage that is nearly finished, as well as a new plaza that’s being constructed near the underground theater entrance.

Watch the action below:

Eddy Cue is Golden State’s biggest cheerleader

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Eddy Cue had the best seats in the house to watch the Warrior's comeback.
Eddy Cue had the best seats in the house to watch the Warrior's comeback.
Photo: SF Chronicle/Twitter

The Golden State Warriors completed one of the biggest comebacks in NBA playoff history last night when they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, and perhaps no one in the arena was as amped as Apple VP Eddy Cue.

You see, Eddy Cue loves basketball. He’s such a big hoops fan that he’s made a habit of getting spotted with some of the game’s biggest stars in the biggest moments. So it should be no surprise that when the Warriors’ local paper announced the team’s win this morning Cue was right on the front page with Steph Curry.

Check it out:

Apple reveals why its Irish data center is so important

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Ireland
A mock up of Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

Concerns about the effect Apple’s massive Irish data center will have on badger and bat populations may have momentarily suspended the company’s plans, but Apple representatives have assured locals the $950 million project will be largely invisible.

Robert Sharpe, Apple’s senior director of global data center services appeared at a hearing in Galway County this week to address concerns about the 500 acre data center and revealed why it’s so important to Apple’s expansion plans in Europe.

Apple’s Echo rival will always be watching you

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img_4184-1.jpg
Can Apple top the amazing Amazon Echo?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Details of Apple’s upcoming Amazon Echo competitor are starting to surface, and it sounds like it could be both Apple’s most futuristic and creepiest product yet. 

The iPhone-maker is considering adding a camera to its Echo rival, according to a new report that claims the device will be able to tell who is using it just by looking at you.

DIY update adds CarPlay to your Hyundai

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CarPlay
CarPlay has a new arrival.
Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai car owners can now get Apple’s CarPlay technology on their dashboard thanks to a new Do-It-Yourself update that has been made available for 2015, 2016, and 2017 car models.

The free update doesn’t even require a trip to the dealer to be installed, and if you want Android Auto, the software can add that too.

Apple TV could become an Amazon Echo rival

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apple tv and siri remote
A new Apple TV could be Apple's answer to Alexa.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is planning to open Siri up to third-party developers and it appears that Apple TV could be the biggest benefactor from the expanded platform.

In order to better compete with Amazon’s Echo devices, Apple reportedly plans to update the Apple TV with more Siri features that will hopefully turn the device into the hub of everything.

Apple has a plan to revolutionize the Walkie Talkie

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apple-store-union-square
Apple's two-way radios would be perfect for store employees.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

Walkie Talkies could be getting a big upgrade thanks to a new Apple patent that reveals the company has been thinking about more than just iPhones when it comes to two-way voice conversations.

Apple’s new patent describes a revamped wireless communication device that connects to a receiver module via Lightning or standard headphone jack, only instead of broadcasting to other devices using cellular it uses point-to-point ad hoc networking.

Patent troll wants iMessage and FaceTime banned

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Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s most hated patent troll, VirnetX, has hit the iPhone-maker with more legal woes this week, after it requested a court in Texas to have iMessage and FaceTime banned in the U.S.

VirnetX was awarded $625 million in damages after a jury found Apple had infringed on the company’s patents with iMessage and FaceTime. Now the patent troll is asking for an extra $190 million on top of the injunction because it feels Apple’s just been too unreasonable.

Xiaomi has switched from copying iPhones to copying drones

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Xiaomi is now in the drone business.
Xiaomi is now in the drone business.
Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi, aka the biggest copy-cat in tech, has decided to stop ripping off Apple for a bit and instead set its sights on drone maker DJI by unveiling its first cheap knockoff drone, the Mi Drone. And it doesn’t look that bad.

The Mi Drone takes some obvious inspiration from DJI’s Phantom lineup, only its way more affordable. For about $460 you can grab the 4K flier, or if you’re cool with just 1080p video you can buy the cheaper model, priced around $380.

It’s not as portable as other drones we’ve seen like the AirDog, but it comes with 27-minutes of battery life and some killer features that could rival the Phantom 4.

Watch it fly below:

Apple is already working on charging stations for iCar

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Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

The Apple Car isn’t expected to hit the road until 2020 at the earliest, but Apple’s engineers are already laying the foundation for one of the most challenging aspect of electric vehicles: keeping them charged up.

Apple appears to be preparing the ground work for its charging infrastructure, according to a new report claiming the company is scooping up engineers that specialize in electric charing stations.

Apple plans to make Amazon Echo rival by opening Siri

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Siri might gets its own product.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The next evolution of Siri could feature a new Apple product designed to directly compete with Amazon’s successful Echo device.

Apple is reportedly planning to make a rival to the Amazon Echo, but the in order to compete with the device’s incredible array of features and services, Apple plans to open up Siri to third-party apps.

Apple rehires cryptography expert to tighten security 

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apple-store-union-square
Apple is ready to tighten security.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

Renowned practical cryptography expert Jon Callas is returning to Apple to help the iPhone-maker stay ahead of hackers and the FBI in its on going battle with security. 

Callas co-founded well known secure communications companies such as Silent Circle, Blackphone, and PGP Corp. This will be his third stint at Apple where he is expected to ramp up security features across Apple’s wide ranging product line up.

Former Google CEO admits to using iPhone 6s

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iPhone
Even Googlers love iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt has finally come clean to his long love affair with iPhone.

The former Google CEO was spotted using an iPhone to take pictures in South Korea earlier this year and was finally confronted about using the enemy’s device at a CNBC’s Startup Fest in Amsterdam this week.

Schmidt admitted that he does use an iPhone and an Android device at the same time, but one is clearly superior.

Leaked iPhone 7 Pro mold reveals dual-lens camera

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Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will most likely introduce its first ever iPhone with two cameras on the back later this year, but it appears the feature will be exclusively available on the iPhone 7 Plus, and not smaller the iPhone 7.

A set of alleged production plates for the iPhone 7 lineup has leaked out of China along with a schematic that shows the camera opening for the iPhone 7 Plus is wide enough to hold two separate camera sensors.

Take a look:

This emoji iOS trick will change the way you search

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Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Emoji have rapidly changed the way we conversate in the digital age and now thanks to a new feature in iOS, they’re about to change the way we search too.

iPhone and iPad users can now use emoji as search terms in the iOS spotlight feature that’s accessible on any home screen by swiping down.

The feature is actually super-useful, though it doesn’t work with all emoji. Looking for a place to have a beer with a buddy? All you have to do is tap the beer emoji icon and Spotlight will bring up suggestions for drinking holes that you can open in Apple Maps.

Here are some of the emoji you can use for search: