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Ed Hardy - page 164

Puzzle past furniture monsters in the hand-painted world of Creaks on Apple Arcade

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Creaks debuted Friday only on Apple Arcade.
Creaks invites comparison to other atmospheric puzzlers, like the classic Monument Valley.
Photo: Amanita Design

Creaks starts with strange noises behind the walls. Soon, you’re confronting avian folk and deadly furniture monsters. This game, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is a puzzle adventure with hand-painted visuals and eerie original music.

Mac shipments shoot up an amazing 36%

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Apple iMac 2019
Mac shipments went through the roof last quarter.
Photo: Apple

Shipments of Apple Macs increased a full 36% year-over-year during the second quarter of 2020, according to a market-research firm. The growth is pegged to individuals, companies and schools buying computers to make remote work and learning possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

iOS 13.6 golden master means the future’s almost here

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iPhone car key feature is a rumor no more.
A fortunate few can use iOS 13.6 to unlock their car. Only a handful of models are supported at launch.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded what might be the last version of iOS 13 and the iPad equivalent exclusively to developers on Thursday. This “golden master” update brings the debut of CarKey, allowing iPhones to unlock or start vehicles. There are other new features as well, not just bug fixes.

In addition, what are apparently the final betas of watchOS 6.2.8 and tvOS 13.4.8 went to developers too.

Samsung might follow Apple by not including a charger with handsets

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Does everyone really need a Samsung charger in 2020?
A free Samsung charger with every phone might soon be a thing of the past.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is reportedly considering not bundling a wall charger with future phones. This comes after reports that archrival Apple is considering the same move for the iPhone 12.

The goal is allegedly the same for both companies: reducing production costs. Taking the charger out of the box would also make shipping cheaper.

New Apple course shows educators how to teach coding with Swift and Xcode

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Apple-in-school
A new course taught by Apple will help educators learn to teach Swift and Xcode.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Thursday unveiled a free course to train educators to teach others how to program in Swift and Xcode, tools used to write apps for iPhone and Mac.

In addition, Apple improved its Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code curricula. And it’s adding new remote learning resources for parents and teachers educating children at home.

Easily control outdoor lights with Meross waterproof HomeKit outlet [Review]

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Meross Smart WiFi Indoor/Outdoor Plug review
Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night bothers this Meross smart outlet.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Add Siri voice control to your outside spotlights with the Meross Smart WiFi Indoor/Outdoor Plug. It’s waterproof and actually offers two plugs, each separately controllable with Apple’s HomeKit.

I tested this home-automation accessory around my house. Here’s how well it lives up to regular use.

Latest Tablo over-the-air DVR holds 700 hours of commercial-free shows

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The Tablo QUAD 1TB can hold a crazy amount of TV shows
A new Tablo over-the-air DVR holds about a month of HD shows, and can stream them to your Apple device without ads.
Photo: Tablo/Cult of Mac

A Tablo over-the-air DVR released this week boasts 1 terabyte of internal storage. That’s enough space to hold 700 hours of HD shows. This digital video recorder from Nuvyyo captures up to four shows at once off free local airwaves, then streams them to a phone or tablet without ads.

Apple retail stores launch one-on-one ‘Shop with a Specialist’ service

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TO deal with COVID-19, Apple Store offer ‘Shop with a Specialist’ service.
“Shop with a Specialist” puts you one-on-one with a salesperson at Apple Stores.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Schedule a visit to an Apple Store and you’ll have an expert standing by just to answer your questions. That’s the promise of the “Shop with a Specialist” program that launched Wednesday.

While this is a touch of luxury, it’s also a necessity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple is trying to keep its retail locations from being overcrowded. That apparently means limiting the number of customers to one per salesperson.

Tom Hanks dives deep into Greyhound‘s thrilling sea battles

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‘Greyhound’ launches on Apple TV+ on July 10.
Tom Hanks gives us an inside look at the naval action shown in his new Apple TV+ film, Greyhound.
Photo: Apple

Tom Hanks wrote and stars in Greyhound, a feature film about World War II debuting Friday on Apple TV+. In a new video, the beloved actor talks about the real-life story it depicts: the challenges of Allied ships crossing the Atlantic infested with Nazi submarines.

Watch Hanks’ inside look at his upcoming film now:

Thunderbolt 4 brings only incremental advances over Thunderbolt 3 [UPDATED]

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Thunderbolt 4 coming later in 2020
Apple and Intel developed Thunderbolt, and a new version debuts later in 2020.
Photo: Intel

Intel unveiled the specs for Thunderbolt 4 on Wednesday without bringing dramatic changes to this connectivity standard built into most Macs. Still, any computer running the new version has to offer an upgraded set of specifications, including the ability to handle a pair of 4K monitors.

Update: Apple promised to build Thunderbolt 4 into future Macs. “We remain committed to the future of Thunderbolt and will support it in Macs with Apple silicon,” an Apple spokesperson told The Verge.

iPhone 12 dummy vids and packaging leak get us stoked for the future

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These iPhone 12 dummy units show what the real handset might look like.
As these iPhone 12 dummy units show, Apple’s 2020 handset is expected in a wide range of sizes.
Photo: Marques Brownlee

iPhone 12 dummy models supposedly show how this upcoming handset will look in various sizes. Reliable leaker Marques Brownlee got his hands on some, and videoed them in action.

Meanwhile, a separate report claims to show the packaging of the iPhone 12, adding weight to rumors that this handset won’t come with a wall charger.

iOS 14 beta 2 adds Files widget, other tweaks

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iOS 14 beta 2 adds a Files widget.
The new Files widget is the biggest change in iPadOS 14 and iOS 14 beta 2.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the second beta versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 exclusively to developers Tuesday. The most notable new feature appears to be a widget for the Files app, giving users access to recently used files directly from the Home screen.

The latest betas bring some small changes as well, of course. Development of these operating systems continues, with full releases expected this autumn.

Apple keeps tinkering with the best design for folding iPhone

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A folding iPhone might leave a portion of the screen always exposed.
Apple patented a folding iPhone with a section of the screen ialways available for notifications or other functions.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple has undoubtedly been investigating a folding iPhone for years because it keeps patenting designs. Including one awarded on Tuesday for an iPhone that folds closed while leaving a portion of the screen exposed to display status updates.

Wemo’s mini HomeKit smart plug is right around the corner

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Wemo WiFi Smart Plug hardly takes up any room.
A redesigned Wemo WiFi Smart Plug brings HomeKit support to regular appliances later in July.
Photo: Belkin

Belkin began taking pre-orders on Monday for a much smaller version of the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. Like the original, it supports Apple’s HomeKit home automation system. But in a design that doesn’t crowd the wall socket.

Apple TV+ ventures Where the Wild Things Are in deal with Maurice Sendak Foundation

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Apple TV+ could create a ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ series. Maybe.
The Maurice Sendak Foundation owned the rights to Where the Wild Things Are. And they just made a deal with Apple TV+.
Photo: The Maurice Sendak Foundation

Apple TV+ and The Maurice Sendak Foundation have teamed up to develop new shows based on the many works of Maurice Sendak, a world-renown author and illustrator of children’s books. Whether this means a series based on Where the Wild Things Are is in the works is anyone’s guess, though.

Give your videos that sweet cinematic bokeh with Focos Live

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Focos Live lets iPhone users film bokeh video.
Don’t wait for the iPhone 12. Focos Live lets iPhone users film bokeh video today.
Photo: Xiaodong Wang/Cult of Mac

iPhones can automatically blur the backgrounds of still images but not video. Enter Focos Live, a recently released application that brings to iPhone video the effect Apple calls Portrait mode (and everyone else calls “bokeh”). The effect gives photographers the ability to unfocus the background to draw attention to what’s going on in the foreground.

This tiny 4-port charger pumps 100 watts to all your gear

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Sanho HyperJuice with MacBook, iPad, and more.
Sanho HyperJuice can charge all your Apple gear at once.
Photo: Sanho

Sanho’s HyperJuice wall charger that debuted Monday isn’t much bigger than a credit card but still has room for a pair of USB-C ports that can put out 100W, dual USB-A ports that max out at 18W, and swappable power prongs.

It uses Gallium Nitride (GaN), a new semiconductor material that’s more efficient than traditional silicon used in current chargers. It lets Sanho create this ultra-portable wall charger.

Apple survey is latest hint that iPhone 12 might not come with charger

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Does anyone really need another iPhone charger?
Many iPhone users already have multiple wall chargers, some still in the wrapping. The iPhone 12 might not include one.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Adding weight to recent reports that the iPhone 12 will ship without a charger in the box, Apple supposedly sent a survey to someone who recently traded in a handset to ask if he’s still using the wall charger. The responses from him and others could help the company decide whether it should leave out this accessory.

See just how amazing macOS would look on iPad

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Check this simulation of macOS on iPad created with SwiftUI.
macOS on iPad is a dream of many people. A developer created a glimpse of that possibility.
Photo: Jordan Singer

There’s pent up demand for Apple to bring macOS to iPad, so a clever developer created a simulation in SwiftUI to show what it would look like.

While it appears much like an Apple tablet running the Mac operating system, and even seems to work, this is not macOS Big Sur on an iPad. It’s just something that mimics part of the user interface. Still, it shows those eager for a “MacPad” what one could look like.

Watch a video of the macOS simulation in action:

Tim Cook agrees to testify before Congress in antitrust probe

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Tim Cook goes to Washington
Apple chief Tim Cook will testify before Congress, and he’ll be joined by the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook and Google.
Screenshot: Apple

The CEOs of four of biggest tech firms will testify in the House of Representatives’s probe into antitrust activities. That includes Apple’s Tim Cook, along with the heads of Amazon, Facebook and Google.

This is part of an ongoing investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into whether the largest tech companies play fair with smaller competitors.