Buster Hein - page 4

watchOS 6.2 arrives with in-app purchases and ECG support for 3 new countries

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Apple Watch likely will gain new health-related features.
Apple Watch ECG functionality just got unlocked for more people.
Photo: Apple

Apple pushed out a big software update to Apple Watch wearers today that expands ECG functionality on the Series 4 and Series 5 to users in Chile, Turkey and New Zealand.

watchOS 6.2 was released to the public today alongside iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4 and macOS Catalina 10.15.4. The new watchOS update also adds a couple of new features, including the ability to make in-app purchases for Apple Watch apps.

Smartphone production may drop by 30% in first half of 2020

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iPhone 5G
COVID-19 may hurt the rollout of 5G devices.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Global smartphone production could fall as much as 30% during the first half of 2020, according to analysts at ABI Research.

The advisory firm’s latest report claims that while analysts previously hoped the arrival of 5G smartphones would bring a big sales boost at the end of the year, that’s unlikely to happen now that the coronavirus outbreak has paused device production and plunged the global economy into a recession.

YouTube drops video quality to standard def globally

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YouTube videos are going to look a bit worse the next month.
Photo: YouTube

YouTube viewers are set to see a big drop in video quality worldwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alphabet-owned streaming giant revealed that it will reduce the quality of all videos to standard definition starting today as a way to alleviate internet congestions due to more people having to shelter in place.

Beats 1 DJs move to FaceTime for musician interviews

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Zane
Zane Lowe will interview musicians over FaceTime for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Apple

Beats 1 DJs on Apple Music are being forced to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic and while they’re stuck inside, they’re turning to FaceTime to get the job done.

Apple revealed Monday that its radio show hosts will record interviews with musicians and other artists from their homes by using FaceTime on iPhone.

Gorgeous iMac concept packs slim bezels and Pro Display XDR chassis

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imac
We hope the 2020 iMac looks a lot like this.
Photo: Viktor Kádár and Patrik Borgatai

The iMac might finally get a big design change in 2020 after going untouched for seven years and one team of concept designers is hoping it borrows heavily from the new Mac Pro.

Viktor Kádár and Patrik Borgatai imagined what the 2020 iMac lineup will look like if Apple added a new Pro Display XDR and a base that looks like a Pro Stand that doesn’t cost $999. The end result is a more industrial looking iMac with slimmer bezels and louder sound.

This thing is absolutely gorgeous:

All major Chinese plants stand ready to crank out 2020 iPhones, Foxconn says

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Coronavirus-related shutdowns continue to disrupt Chinese factories.
Chinese factories are just starting to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Photo: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC

China’s production pipelines are finally getting back into full swing just in time to start building the 2020 iPhone.

Foxconn, Apple’s top iPhone assembler, says it has hired enough workers at all major Chinese plants to meet seasonal demand for iPhone production, in what could be a strong signal that the labor shortages in China caused by COVID-19 are starting to get back to normal.

Bay Area medical workers use iPhone-connected smart ring to thwart COVID-19

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ouraring
This tiny ring could be a valuable tool for fighting COVID-19.
Photo: Oura Ring

Emergency medical workers in San Francisco are turning to an iPhone-connected smart ring to track their body temperature and other vital signs as a way to identify early symptoms of COVID-19.

2,000 Oura Rings have been distributed to workers at the UCSF Medical Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. It’s the first study developed to spot COVID-19 symptoms and help curb its spread. Researchers are hoping the medical data can be used to create an algorithm that can detect COVID-19 before symptoms even manifest.

Realistic iPhone 12 concept shows what to expect from Apple this fall

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iphone 12 without notch
Will this be the year Apple finally ditches the notch?
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The grand unveiling of Apple’s 2020 iPhone lineup is still nearly half a year away, but you can already get a solid look at what to expect with the newest concept trailer from ConceptsiPhone.

Created in cooperation with reliable iPhone-leaker Ben Geskin, this iPhone concept video avoids fanciful features like a holographic display or embedded Touch ID scanner in favor of a no-frills design that looks more like a mix between the iPhone X and iPhone 4, only without a notch.

Take a look:

Netflix creates $100 million fund for production crews hit by COVID-19 shutdowns

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netflix.logo
Expect Netflix to stay in the no. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Netflix is stepping up to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a $100 million fund that will go to support production and other workers in the industry.

The moves comes after production on nearly all major TV shows and movies has come to a grinding halt as more states and cities in act stay-at-home mandates.

Apple donates 2 million face masks to help U.S. and Europe coronavirus aid [Updated]

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Apple is donating 2 million masks, such as this N95 ventilator mask, to help in the COVID-19 pandemic fight.
Photo: CNN video still image

Apple has pledged to donate two million industrial respiratory masks to help health-care workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and Europe, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence revealed during Saturday’s White House press briefing.

Pence called on other companies to step up and follow suit with more physical donations. Pence was optimistic about the supply of masks and said clothing-maker Hanesbrands is retrofitting some of its factories to make masks.

Netflix reduces streaming bit rates in Europe to fight internet congestion

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netflix.logo
Expect Netflix to stay in the no. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Quarantine and chill is about to get a noticeable quality drop for Netflix users in Europe.

Netflix announced Thursday it would begin to reduce bit rates on all streams in Europe starting today. The move came shortly Netflix CEO Reed Hastings called a European Union official to discuss how to stop the internet from getting congested as more people are being told to work from home.

iFixit wants to make fixing medical devices easier during COVID-19 pandemic

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med device
Repairing medical devices is a lot more confusing than fixing iPhones.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit, the second-largest Apple parts supplier after Apple, is launching a new section on its website today dedicated to fixing medical equipment.

The growing COVID-19 pandemic is already beginning to strain hospitals and the supply of breathing ventilators that are crucial to fighting acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19. With ventilators running 24/7, keeping them repaired and running will be a colossal task, so iFixit has taken it upon itself to create a central database of how-to resources on maintaining medical equipment. And they need your help.

Everything we think we know about iOS 14 [Updated]

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ios14
Even old iPhones will get iOS 14's new features.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to unprecedented early leaks, some of the biggest new features planned for iOS 14 have already been spoiled. Apple is supposedly making some huge changes to the Home screen, iMessages, HomeKit, Apple Pencil and much more in its next-gen mobile operating system.

The recent wave of leaks proved so overwhelming that we rounded them all up in one place. We will keep updating the list as we inch closer to this summer’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple traditionally previews all of its upcoming platform updates.

Apple donates medical supplies and money to help fight COVID-19

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milan
Apple is closed for business in Italy.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed this week that Apple has been making substantial donations at home and abroad to help combat the global coronavirus epidemic.

In a tweet this morning, Cook said Apple has been helping Protezione Civile — the national body that deals with the prediction, prevention and management of emergency events in Italy. Not only is Apple opening its wallet but it’s also helping Italians get crucial medical supplies.

iPad Pro packs super-fast Wi-Fi 6

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ipad-pro
Wi-Fi 6 will help you binge more shows, faster.
Photo: Apple

The two new iPad Pros unveiled Wednesday are the first Apple tablets to support the super-fast Wi-Fi 6 standard.

Apple’s brilliant new iPad Pro ads don’t mention Wi-Fi 6 as one of the headline features, but it’s a huge upgrade in connectivity from the previous generation, offering faster speeds and longer range.

There are many reasons why you’ll be hearing about Wi-Fi 6 a lot more in the future.

iPhone and AirPods shipping times improve as China restarts manufacturing

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They AirPods Pro fit in their case like nothing ever happened.
AirPods Pro supplies are starting to catch up with demand.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s supply issues for two crucial products appear to finally be getting better, based on tracking data by Loop Ventures.

Both the iPhone and AirPods are starting to ship out to customers sooner than in previous weeks as suppliers in China finally get back up to full speed. The only thing that’s unclear is whether the improved shipping times are due to China getting back to work, or because customers in the U.S. are hunkering down.

Apple seeds iOS 13.4 golden master to developers

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iPad
iPadOS 13.4 is a gamechanger.
Photo: Apple

Registered Apple developers can already get the finalized version of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 ahead of its public debut on March 24.

Apple released the Golden Master builds iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4, watchOS 6.2, macOS Catalina 10.15.4, and tvOS 13.4 on its developer today, bringing a host of new features to iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac.

Popcorn Time, the Netflix of piracy, returns just in time for COVID-19 binging

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popcorntime
Popcorn Time is back!
Photo: Cult of Mac

One of the easiest ways to pirate movies and TV shows is back just in time for the great stay-at-home coronavirus quarantine party of 2020.

Popcorn Time, the legendary app that was basically a Netflix for privacy, announced its return Tuesday on Twitter, saying its newest build, called “Love in the Time of Corona Version 0.4,” is available for download.

Grab it while you can.

Universal Pictures to release new movies on iTunes while they’re still in theaters

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trolls
Trolls World Tour will be available on iTunes the day it hits theaters.
Photo: Universal Pictures

As cities across the United States start encouraging residents to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least one major movie studio is making big changes to how it releases films.

Universal Pictures revealed this week that its movies currently in cinemas will become available on iTunes and other on-demand services starting as early as Friday. But they won’t come cheap.

AltConf 2020 canceled due to coronavirus concerns

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altconf2019 logo
AltConf won't offer a live stream event either.
Photo: Alt Conference

AltConf, the best Apple-focused conference not created by Apple, has been completely canceled for 2020 due to concerns about the current coronavirus pandemic.

Serving as an alternative to Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, AltConf gave developers and Apple fans the chance to mingle and learn from each other without paying for a pricey WWDC ticket.

Apple HQ and Bay Area stores will remain closed until at least April 7

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apple-hq
Apple is a hard-working place.
Photo: Apple

Six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area initiated a shelter-in-place mandate Monday that will force businesses, including Apple stores, in the area to temporarily shut down for three weeks. The goal is to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Nearly 7 million people will be forced to stay inside except to visit grocery stores, pharmacies or doctor’s offices. The new mandate means Apple stores in the area will remain closed longer than Apple’s originally intended time frame. The company initially intended to reopen its stores on March 27.

Culver City Apple employee tests positive for COVID-19

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Apple Culver City
Apple video's new home in Culver City.
Photo: Culver City Planning Dept.

Apple employees at the company’s Culver City offices may have been exposed to COVID-19 after an employee tested positive for the virus. Culver City is Apple’s entertainment hub where much of the work on Apple TV+ and Apple Music is done.

Apple shares shoot up after Trump declares national emergency

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Apple Oriocenter 2
Finally, some good news for Apple this week.
Photo: Apple

President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency provided some much-needed relief to Apple’s stock price just before the market closed this afternoon.

Apple shares jumped up over $20 in value during the last 30 minutes of trading today, just after President Trump announced that the U.S. government will free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.