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Ed Hardy - page 165

Even COVID-19 can’t slow Apple’s moneymaking machine

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Apple made it through its financial Apple Q3 2020 with flying colors.
Apple brought in far more money than expected recent during the April-to-June quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple took in $59.7 billion in revenue last quarter, an annual increase of 11%. That solidly beats the estimates of analysts, who predicted a drop in revenue as the iPhone-maker, and the rest of the world, grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Very strong increases in revenue from Mac and iPad significantly pushed up the total.

Plugable’s very affordable HDMI adapter connects your Mac and TV [Review]

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Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter review
Using an external display with a MacBook is a breeze with the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

MacBooks don’t have HDMI ports, but the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter makes it easy to connect your laptop to an external monitor. Even better, this accessory is inexpensive and very portable.

I tested the adapter for work, watching video, and playing games. Here’s how it held up.

What to expect from Apple’s pandemic-afflicted earnings report

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Apple Q3 2020 earning results come out July 30.
Apple Q3 2020 earnings were almost certainly pushed up by the iPhone SE and weighed down by COVID-19.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

When Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter earnings Thursday, the world will learn how the company is doing in the middle of a global pandemic.

Analysts predict a drop in revenue. But Apple itself previously said it’s seeing an increase in Mac and iPad sales. And investors have pushed the stock up almost 30% this year.

States push on with probe into Apple’s iPhone throttling

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iPhone battery
The news of “Batterygate” broke in 2017, but some states are supposedly still investigating.
Photo: iFixit

The Attorney General of Arizona is reportedly looking into Apple’s practice of slowing down the performance of older iPhones to preserve battery life.

Apple admitted it was doing this back in 2017, and gave users control of if and when it happens. But the investigation by the Arizona AG goes on.

Google One offers free online backups to iPhone users

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iPhone and Google One together again for the very first time.
Automatic backups to Google One are coming soon for iPhone users.
Photo: Google

Google on Wednesday committed to a free iOS app that lets iPhone users automatically back up photos, videos, contacts and calendar events. This goes into the 15GB of free storage offered by this company.

This will compete with a service offered by Apple to do the same.

Play classic 1990s games with a fully functional Mac OS 8 emulator

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Mac OS 8 emulator
Return to the thrilling days of yesteryear with a Mac OS 8 emulator loaded with games from the 1990s.
Photo: Felix Rieseberg

Anyone wanting a serious dose of nostalgia should install a just-released emulator of a classic Apple desktop computer running Mac OS 8, first released in 1997. There’s even a bunch of games and productivity applications from the same era.

Congress, keep your mitts off the App Store. It’s fine. [Opinion]

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Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Photo: Globovisión/Flickr CC

When Apple CEO Tim Cook takes questions from Congress on Wednesday, he’ll surely get an earful of software developers’ complaints about how the App Store operates. Chief among the criticisms will likely be the fact that Apple charges a percentage of revenue earned from in-app sales.

There’s not a bit of justification for any of these highly publicized complaints. They come from companies that want to have their cake and eat it, too.

The Morning Show leads Apple TV+ to 19 Emmy nominations

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New video take viewers behind-the-scenes of The Morning Show
Both Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell received Emmy nominations for their work on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ earned 19 Emmy Awards nominations, including several for The Morning Show, a star-studded drama that was a highlight of the streaming service’s launch last autumn.

That’s not bad for the first year of eligibility for Apple TV+. However, Netflix totally dominated the 72nd annual Emmy Awards nominations, which were revealed Tuesday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The world’s biggest streamer took home an astonishing 160 Emmy noms. HBO limited series Watchmen scored the most nominations of any single series with 26.

Plugable’s USB-C Multiport Adapter rivals Apple’s, but costs way less

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Plugable USB-C Multiport Adapter offers HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports.
The Plugable USB-C Multiport Adapter provides access to frequently used laptop and tablet add-ons.
Photo: Plugable

The just-released Plugable USB-C Multiport Adapter offers the same video and USB ports as an Apple adapter, but at a much lower price.

Both products include HDMI, USB-C, and USB-A ports, and can be used with a MacBook or iPad Pro. But the Plugable version is better suited for those on a tight budget.

iPad mini concept shows why it really needs to lose the bezels

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iPad mini concept is cool but not happening.
An iPad mini concept drops the size of this tablet even more by cutting the bezels.
Concept: Parker Ortolani

The iPad mini has a 7.9-inch screen surrounded by bezels. Big ones. So a concept artist drew up some images that show how much smaller this tablet could be with an edge-to-edge display. The result is a device that’s nearly 20% smaller.

But Apple might be going in the opposite direction: making a mini with a larger screen.

New series The Oprah Conversation brings big thinkers to Apple TV+

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Oprah Winfrey interviews thought leaders in an Apple TV+ series debuting Thursday, July 30. ‘The Oprah Conversation’ hits Apple TV+ this week.
Oprah Winfrey interviews thought leaders in an Apple TV+ series debuting Thursday, July 30.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ and Oprah Winfrey on Monday announced a new series to explore racism and other relevant topics. The goal of the The Oprah Conversation is to offer perspective on a range of topics shaping our world, and reveal gripping stories of human connection.

The topical show is coming in hot, too. The first episode, titled “How to Be an Antiracist,” airs Thursday, July 30.

Apple’s new Thunderbolt 3 cable costs a mere $129

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Is the Apple Thunderbolt 3 cable the best on the market? Or just the most expensive?
Is the Apple Thunderbolt 3 cable the best on the market? Or just the most expensive?
Photo: Apple

The Apple Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable comes at a price that should make even the most devoted Mac fan blink. At $129, it costs at least $50 more than comparable cables.

Not everything Apple sells is extraordinarily expensive. But it’s undeniable that the company occasionally adds on the “Apple Tax.”

Photoshop on iPad takes a big step toward desktop parity

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Photoshop on iPad takes a big step toward desktop parity.
The Refine Edge Brush jumped from desktop to Photoshop on iPad on Monday.
Photo: Adobe/Cult of Mac

Adobe added Refine Edge Brush to Photoshop on iPad on Monday. Already a major feature of the desktop version, it allows users to select the edges of subjects covered in hair or fur, or with other very complex shapes.

In addition, the iPadOS version of this professional image-editing application can now easily rotate the canvas while editing.

Werner Herzog’s astronomical documentary Fireball shoots toward Apple TV+

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Werner Herzog is one of the greatest living filmmakers, and he’s co-directing Fireball for Apple TV+.
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog is co-directing Fireball for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Apple bought the rights to Fireball, a documentary about meteorites co-directed by Werner Herzog and professor Clive Oppenheimer.

The two filmmakers have worked before. Very successfully. They scored an Oscar nomination for Encounters at the End of the World and an Emmy nomination for Into the Inferno.

Apple TV+ could pivot to place the focus on movies

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“Greyhound” is a hit, which may inspire many more Apple TV+ movies.
“Set course for more movies!” Greyhound may have inspired a new strategy for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Tom Hanks’ WWII flick Greyhound is the biggest hit Apple has enjoyed so far. And it’s reportedly made the company serious about blockbuster Apple TV+ movies for the first time.

The iPhone maker is supposedly considering debuting a movie each month on its streaming service. And several of those are expected to be blockbusters.

macOS Big Sur beta hints at Face ID for Mac

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Face ID on MacBook
Face ID on a MacBook could be a better fit than it is for iPhone or iPad.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

New evidence indicates that Apple will bring its Face ID biometric security system to Macs. The latest beta of macOS Big Sur reportedly contains code related to facial recognition.

Connect Mac and TV over an ultrafast wireless connection with Hyper Mirror [Review]

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LikPok Hyper Mirror review
The tiny Hyper Mirror transmitter sends high-speed video from your Mac to an external display. It can plug into a bulkier USB-C adapter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The LikPok Hyper Mirror saves you the hassle of stringing wires between your computer and TV. It makes a wireless connection instead, using the extremely fast mmWave technology normally found in 5G networks rather than Wi-Fi.

Read on for the results of my tests with this replacement for HDMI cables.

New Gorilla Glass could make the toughest iPhone yet

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Corning's Gorilla Glass 6 can survive being dropped over a dozen times. Ape not included.
Gorilla Glass Victus protects phones from drops and scratches better than ever before.
Photo: Corning

Corning unveiled an improved version of Gorilla Glass on Thursday that it promises is much more scratch and shatter resistant than its predecessor. The new iteration, dubbed Victus, could lead to iPhones that survive both being dropped and being stuffed in a pocket with a set of a car keys.

Apple orders Shining Girls thriller starring Elisabeth Moss

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Elisabeth Moss,
Elisabeth Moss has been called the "Queen of Peak TV," and now she’s headed for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple gave a series order to Shining Girls, a metaphysical thriller that’ll star Emmy Award winner Elisabeth Moss, perhaps best known for The Handmaid’s Tale.

The show will play on the Apple TV+ where it’ll join multiple other thrillers announced in recent weeks.

AT&T takes 5G nationwide, greasing the skids for a super-fast iPhone

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AT&T 5G expended by 40 markets on Thursday
AT&T 5G coverage is now available for a majority of Americans.
Photo: AT&T

AT&T’s 5G network expanded to cover 395 markets in the United States on Thursday. Which is coverage for 205 million current and potential customers. That puts the telecom close to T-Mobile in 5G coverage area, and well ahead of Verizon.

So at least some US carriers will be ready for the 5G iPhone if it debuts in a few months, as expected.

Plex offers free streaming live TV for iPhone, iPad or Apple TV

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Plex Live TV is here to save you money on cable
Plex Live TV includes over 80 free channels, including plenty for children.
Photo: Plex

Plex began offering 80+ free channels of live TV on Thursday. The service is available on many types of Apple devices, and offers children’s programming, news, lifestyle shows and even sports.

There’s a catch, of course. There always is. In this case, it’s commercials. Plex Live TV is supported by advertising.