Buster Hein - page 19

Sluggish iPhones sales leave Apple with surplus OLED problem

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iPhone X
The iPhone X was the first iOS device to get an OLED display.
Photo: Apple

Weak iPhone sales over the last two years could cause Apple to bring OLED displays to the iPad or MacBooks a bit earlier than expect.

Apple owes Samsung Display hundreds of millions of dollars because it agreed to purchase a certain amount of OLED displays per year. With iPhone sales in a slump, Apple hasn’t bought as many OLEDs as it promised but the two sides are reportedly discussing alternative solutions other than sending a giant pile of cash to Samsung.

Clever concept fixes iPhone’s incoming call problems

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Incoming call
Please make this real.
Photo: Vinoth Ragunathan

The way iPhone handles incoming calls is probably one of the worst UI elements still around in iOS. Instead of only showing a small alert, the entire screen is taken hostage by a caller. This especially sucks in the age of endless robocalls, yet Apple has shown no motivation to change all of that.

Concept designer Vinoth Ragunathan has come up with a clever solution that fixes all that and it doesn’t even require much work on Apple’s part. All you would have to do is swipe up to dismiss the screen.

New Mac Pro grille is actually a terrible cheese grater

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Cheese grater pro
You *could* use the Mac Pro to grate cheese. But you won’t be happy.
Photo: Winston Moy

The new Mac Pro sure looks a lot like a cheese grater, but it turns out that it’s pretty bad at grating cheese.

YouTuber machinist Winston Moy painstakingly re-created the complex circular structure of the new Mac Pro grille using his Shapeoko mill to put Jony Ive’s work to the test. The video of the entire process proves quite fascinating. However, the end result kind of disappoints.

Skip to the 5:30 mark to see it in action:

Apple warns U.S. tariffs would hurt its global competitiveness

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

Apple warned U.S. trade representatives this week that President Donald Trump’s plan to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods will negatively impact its contributions to the U.S. economy.

In a letter written to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple urged the government not to impose tariffs. The new set of tariffs would make Apple’s products more expensive and give Apple’s competitors an advantage.

Apple Card beta opens to thousands of retail workers

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Apple Card
By design, Apple Card helps customers understand and track their spending.
Photo: Apple

Apple is rapidly expanding the beta program of its credit card by letting thousands of its retail employees test it out.

With a public launch slated for later this summer, Apple is reportedly working out the final kinks with an internal group so it can launch on time this summer.

This is what the 2020 iPhones might look like

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2020 iPhone
Concept of the 2020 iPhones based on early rumors.
Photo: Ben Geskin

The 2019 iPhone lineup hasn’t even been revealed yet but we might already know what next year’s iPhones will look like too.

Recent rumors have claimed that Apple will come out with new screen sizes for the 2020 iPhone lineup. The biggest iPhone will get a bit bigger while the smallest will get a little bit smaller. To see how that would look, Ben Geskin created a mockup of the upcoming devices, and they look fantastic.

Check out the size comparison with the current iPhones:

Robots fight back in hilarious Boston Dynamics parody video

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Bosstown Dynamics
One step closer to terminator mode.
Photo: Corridor Digital

Boston Dynamics has been freaking us out for years with its videos of robots performing tasks with near human-like precision. So far all the robots have been completely subservient to their human masters, but a hilarious new parody video shows what happens when Boston Dynamic’s robots learn how to fight back.

Get ready for the robot uprising:

2020 iPhone XS Max will get bigger display

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iPhone XS Max
Bigger and better for your eyes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Some iPhones might get even bigger in 2020.

Apple reportedly plans to release two phones with 5G in 2020, one of which will pack a 6.7-inch OLED screen, according to one of the most reliable Apple analysts.

Apple stores will now teach you how to remix Madonna

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Madonna
Madonna is back with a new album and a Today at Apple session.
Photo: Apple

Apple is joining forces with Madonna to help teach people how to make music.

The partnership is for a new Today at Apple Music Lab available at local Apple stores. Attendees will get a hands-on look at how Madonna’s newest track Crave was made and then be taught how to remix it.

Apple strong-armed cable companies into selling more iPads and Apple TVs

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Apple TV 4K sale. Get yourself a good deal on the latest Apple TV 4K.
The world’s largest tech company used it’s power to make people sell its other products.
Photo: Apple

Comcast and Charter made some potentially high risk deals with Apple in order to secure rights to sell the iPhone on their struggling networks.

Even though they are the two largest cable companies in the US, Apple was able to strong-arm Comcast and Charter into selling large numbers of other Apple products. In some cases they had to agree to sell them at a discount and eat the subsidized cost.

Apple Card gets $999 accessory you didn’t know it needed

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GRAY
Your Apple Card deserves a classy wallet.
Photo: GRAY

Exorbitantly priced Apple accessories are all the rage this summer thanks to the new Pro Stand, so why not grab one more stupid expensive add-on for your Apple Card?

Singapore-based luxury brand GRAY unveiled its newest range of minimalist card wallets this week. Like the Apple Card, it’s made of titanium and has a beautiful minimalist design. And like the Pro Stand, it will set you back a cool grand.

Take a closer look:

Leaked Pixel 4 sports square camera bump like 2019 iPhone

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Pixel 4
Pixel 4 mockup for case makers.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Square camera bumps are shaping up to be one of the biggest smartphone trends of 2019.

Leaked images of Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone surfaced online today, revealing some surprising design changes for the handset, including a square in the back that packs multiple cameras. It looks awfully similar to the leaked iPhone 11 renderings we’ve seen so far.

Take a closer took:

DJI’s new customizable robot teaches kids to code

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RoboMaster S1
The RoboMaster S1 is ready for battle
Photo: DJI

DJI is unleashing a new drone on the world this week, only instead of taking to the skies, this little robot stays on the ground.

The new RoboMaster S1 is an educational robot designed to teach kids how to code. It packs brushless motors, a gimbal and chassis that can move in all directions. DJI built S1 to be used in interactive modes for programming as well as play. Once you assemble your robot you can battle other S1 owners in Mario Kart style games that look fun as hell.

Take a look at the cool stuff it can do:

iMovie for iOS adds sweet green screen effect

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iMovie on iPhone X
iMovie just got some major updates.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is out with a huge update for the iMovie app on iOS that makes it easy to use your own green and blue screen effects.

Using the new green screen tool, iPhone and iPad users can now swap out a background for something new. This allows you to insert logos, photos or background videos into your videos.

First Mythic Quest trailer mines gaming world for comedy gold

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Mythic Quest
Rob McElhenny’s character has an ego the size of a city bus.
Photo: Ubisoft

Apple is gunning for Silicon Valley’s title as the funniest nerdy comedy on TV with its upcoming show Mythic Quest.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney gave gamers a preview of the TV show he’s been working on for Apple TV+ at E3 today. Mythic Quest, is a comedy following the developers behind a fictional game that rose to become the most popular title ever. McElhenny himself plays the creative director of the game as he readies to launch the first expansion, Raven’s Banquet

This will undoubtedly be Apple’s funniest TV show:

Apple shows how to disrupt portrait photos in new video

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iPhone XR
Learn how to give your portrait photos some pop.
Photo: Apple

Apple serves up a master crash course on how to take better Portrait Mode photos in its latest ad, courtesy of photographer Christopher Anderson.

A lot of times Apple’s tutorial type of videos are pretty generic, but Anderson actually has a lot of cool tips on how to add more intrigue to your photos. He plays around using objects, creative backgrounds and striking light juxtapositions to shoot some of the coolest iPhone photos you’ll see.

It’s best to watch this on your iPhone:

Deleting unused apps is even easier in iOS 13

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App delete
There’s a new way to delete apps in iOS 13.
Photo: Cult of Mac

You know how when you go to the updates section in the App Store and you see that it’s taking forever for one app to download even though you never use it?

The days of that happening are finally going to be over once iOS 13. An unmentioned feature in iOS 13 lets users delete apps right from the App Store section so you don’t have to go hunt down the app icon.

Check it out in action:

Obamas score podcasting deal with Spotify

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Maybe the coolest, most tech savvy president ever.
Maybe the coolest, most tech savvy president ever.
Photo: The White House

The Obamas are heading to Spotify.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have scored a deal with Apple’s biggest rival in the music streaming business to create a series of exclusive podcasts.

AT&T’s rival for Apple TV+ might cost just $17 per month

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AT&T's WatchTV combines streaming TV channels with unlimited data.
AT&T has a war chest of great content.
Photo: AT&T

AT&T’s upcoming video streaming service is taking different shape after the company reportedly abandoned plans to create a three-tiered service.

The service allegedly has a launch date slated for later this year and will compete directly with Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+ and others. Instead of selling HBO, Cinemax and the Warner Bros. TV and movie library separately, AT&T’s will package them altogether. And the price point could be the best feature.

Viral ad mocks insane price of Apple’s Pro Stand

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Pro Stand
Apple quickly moved on from this slide.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s competitors are quickly taking aim at the outrageous price of the company’s new Pro Stand that was revealed at the WWDC 2019 keynote this morning.

Taiwan-based electronics company MSI tweeted out a funny mock-ad this week comparing the price and specs of the Pro Stand with its latest 34-inch 5K monitor and it’s going viral all over the internet.