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How to get started with HomeKit home automation

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Wemo WiFi Smart Plug is a nice start to home automation
A Wemo WiFi Smart Plug is a simple way to learn more about home automation with Apple’s HomeKit.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Controlling the lights and other gadgets in your home from your iPhone is convenient and fun, too. There are plenty of HomeKit and Alexa accessories that make home automation a snap.

I’ll go over some of the best options I’ve found that will get you started with as little trouble as possible.

Past meets present in Dickinson featurette

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Death kindly stops by Dickinson
Hailee Steinfeld isn’t your typical Emily Dickinson.
Photo: Apple

In a new video, the creator and a star of Dickinson discuss how this Apple TV+ series uses events from the life of a 19th Century poet to discuss problems women still face.

Watch it now:

iPhone concept with detachable display will blow your mind

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iPhone concept with a removable secondary display
No content with one display, an iPhone concept suggests a pair — one removable.
Screenshot: Caviar

Rejecting the idea of flexible screens, an artist at Caviar dreamed up an iPhone concept with a detachable secondary display instead. This allows for real multitasking, or the handset to be snapped into a tablet or netbook.

Not stoping there, the artist created a concept video with multiple other innovative iPhone designs that might debut in next decade.

Watch it now:

Motorola Razr with folding display misses launch date

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2020 Motorola Razr
The 2020 Motorola Razr joins the other phones with flexible displays that were delayed.
Photo: Motorola

Today was supposed to be the debut of an expensive new version of the Motorola Razr with a folding screen. But it didn’t happen.

Earlier this year, handsets from Samsung and Huawei with flexible displays were delayed because of design problems. Motorola, by contrast, says it pushed back the launch of the redesigned Razr to give it more time to meet high demand.

Lego waxes poetic with new Apple Arcade puzzler

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Lego Builder’s Journey
Lego Builder’s Journey isn’t what you’d usually expect from a Lego game.
Photo: Apple/Lego

Lego’s latest Apple Arcade entry builds an atmospheric puzzler brick by brick. Lego Builder’s Journey is “a story about play, connections and adventure.”

It’s available only to those who subscribe to Apple’s gaming service.

The best USB-C hubs for Mac and iPad 2019

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Best-USB-C-hubs-2019
There are plenty of good USB-C hubs, but here are Cult of Mac’s favorites.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Nothing expands the capabilities of your Mac or iPad Pro more than a good USB-C hub. Plug one in and you can connect to TVs and tons of other peripherals, including external storage.

There’s an immense variety of these, depending on whether you want portability or a huge number of ports. There are even hubs designed specifically to clip to the side of an iPad.

To help you find the best USB-C hubs, Cult of Mac compiled this list of our favorites.

AirSnap Pro adds colorful protection to AirPods Pro

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AirSnap Pro for AirPods Pro
AirSnap Pro brings a more organic look to AirPods Pro.
Photo: Twelve South

Apple’s charging case for AirPods Pro is fine if you like shiny white plastic, but Twelve South today launched AirSnap Pro with a very different look. This leather case wraps around Apple’s new hearables, both protecting them and adding more color options.

With AirPods Pro sold out, resellers seek huge markups

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AirPods Pro on eBay come at a premium.
Anyone who must have a pair of AirPods Pro next week should be ready to pay extra for them.
Screenshot: eBay/Cult of Mac

Virtually every retailer already sold out of Apple’s new AirPods Pro, and resellers are offering these popular earbuds at hefty premiums.

Unfortunately, paying a big markup is probably the only way to get this accessory before Christmas or Hanukkah.

AI-driven Select Subject tool added to Photoshop on iPad

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Adobe Photoshop for iPad got a significant update today
Photoshop for iPad now has Select Subject powered by Artificial intelligence.
Photo: Adobe/Cult of Mac

A promised update to Photoshop on iPad debuted today. A notable new feature employs artificial intelligence to enable users to easily select the subjects of images. The latest version also makes accessing cloud storage much faster.

This is the first in a planned series of improvements for the iPad version of this professional image-editing software

AT&T opens 5G network to consumers in 10 cities

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AT&T logo
AT&T just began offering low-band 5G to consumers.
Photo: Luismt94/Wikipedia CC

Starting today, AT&T consumers in 10 cities can connect to this telecom’s 5G network. While faster than 4G, this is low-band 5G, a slower form though with greater range than mmWave.

At this time, only one handset supports this service.

Crazy-popular AirPods match ‘peak iPod’ sales

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AirPods-Pro-vs-AirPods
Don’t underrate AirPods. They are as iconic as the iPod ever was.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

AirPods contribute as much to Apple’s bottom line as the iconic iPod did at its peak, according to an industry analyst. And Apple Watch long since passed that milestone.

Combined, Apple’s Wearables and Home products are expected to far outsell Mac and iPad this quarter.

Latest iOS update gives older iPhones longer battery life, better performance

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iPhone
The iPhone 8 and other Apple handsets see real benefits from iOS 13.3.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There are sometimes concerns that new iOS versions will cut the battery life of older iPhone models, or slow down performance. Tests on a variety of Apple handsets with the just-released iOS 13.3 show just the opposite — this update not only speeds up these devices, it increases the time between charges.

Apple wants to put a holographic display right next to your eyeballs

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Apple glasses
These concept Apple augmented reality glasses might have just taken a step closer to reality.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Rumors that Apple is hard at work on augmented reality glasses got some solid proof today. The company received a patent on a near-eye display design intended for just such an accessory.

And there’s an interesting mention of a “holographic optical element.”

2019 Mac Pro isn’t the most expensive Mac ever. Not by a long shot.

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2019 Mac Pro and original Macintosh 128K: Which cost more.
One of these two cost a lot more than the other. Which one might surprise you.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

There has been much handwaving over the $5,999 price tag on the 2019 Mac Pro. It’s often been criticized for being Apple’s expensive computer ever.

But it’s not. And it’s not even close, if you factor in inflation. Many of the early Macs cost much more than $6,000 in today’s dollars.

Apple prepping separate 4G and 5G iPhone models for next year

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Possible iPhone 2020 mockup
5G iPhone buyers will apparently have plenty to choose from in 2020, and the same goes for those content with 4G.
Photo: @smazizg and @bengeskin/Twitter

Apple could release a half-dozen iPhone models next year. An industry analyst laid out new predictions for the 2020 iPhone lineup, saying some models will bring the latest 5G cellular technology. Other models will stick with slower 4G networking.

Apparently, people not interested in 5G won’t need to pay extra for it. And some top-tier models supposedly will include rear-facing 3D scanners for augmented reality.