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Ed Hardy - page 224

Android phones might finally catch up to Apple’s Face ID

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face id
The company that sells Apple a critical component for Face ID expects to have more customers this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone’s multi-year lead in facial recognition could finally be nearing its end, as one of the third-party suppliers for the hardware in Face ID says it expects to start selling its 3D sensors to more companies this year.

AirPlay 2 support could make your Roku way better

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AirPlay 2
Streaming TV from your iPhone could soon be as easy as getting an inexpensive Roku box.
Photo: Apple

iPhone, iPad and Mac should soon easily stream video to Roku boxes if an unconfirmed report is correct. Roku is reportedly talking with Apple about adding AirPlay 2 to its products. 

Apple has recently been working to significantly broaden the availability of its proprietary video and audio protocol.

AT&T’s bogus ‘5G E’ icon pops up on iPhones

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No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
Photo: Cult of Mac/@Siddavarapu

iPhone is getting caught up in AT&T’s controversial rebranding of its LTE network as “5G Evolution.” Some developers who installed today’s iOS 12.2 update noticed that their iPhone claims to be connected to a “5G E” network.

All of AT&T’s competitors say that this network is 4G, but that hasn’t stopped the carrier.

LG’s gorgeous 4K monitor looks perfect for Macs

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The name of the LG 32UL750-W doesn’t roll off the tongue.
The name of the LG 32UL750-W doesn’t roll off the tongue, but it might be right for your Mac.
Photo: LG

A new 31.5-inch LG monitor costs a bit more than entry-level screens, but offers 4K resolution, wide viewing angles, and a very good contrast ratio.  There’s even a built-in USB hub.

Best of all, the LG 32UL750-W has a USB-C port so it can be easily connected to recent MacBooks, Mac desktops, and even the new iPad Pro.

HoloLens creator leaves Apple AR headset team

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With HoloLens, Microsoft enters the age of holographic computing. Photo: Microsoft
There’s been a slight setback at Apple’s secret team creating augmented reality smartglasses, like the ones being demonstrated here.
Photo: Microsoft

One of the designers of Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality (AR) smartglasses has left Apple.

Although exactly what Avi Bar-Zeev was working on is a secret, it was almost certainly a project to develop Apple’s own AR glasses.

Yet another big bank says Apple should buy Netflix

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Netflix would be a huge boon to the Apple TV streaming service, says an analyst.
Netflix would be a huge boon to the Apple TV streaming service, says an analyst.
Photo: Global X/Flickr CC

There’s an easy way for Apple to make its rumored streaming video service a hit: buy Netflix. That’s the suggestion of an analyst from J.P. Morgan, who admits it would be very expensive.

And the analyst has recommendations for two other big Apple acquisitions.

Apple staffing up its streaming video service

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Apple TV service facing competition
The rumored Apple TV streaming service for Mac, iPhone, etc. needs people to run it. People who Apple might be hiring already.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is hiring in its media group devoted to audiovisual media. After digging through the company’s job openings in recent months, an analyst believes these new employees are for the anticipated Apple TV streaming service.

This company has been paying to have TV shows and movies produced for months, but has so far kept quiet about its plans. That’s expected to change soon.

This iPad Pro case is rugged without excess bulk [Review]

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The Urban Armor Gear Metropolis is both a protective case and an iPad Pro stand.
The Urban Armor Gear Metropolis is both a protective case and an iPad Pro stand.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The latest rugged folio case from Urban Armor Gear protects the 2018 iPad Pro models without adding too much bulk. The Metropolis also adds some industrial style, and it includes an Apple Pencil holder.

Don’t miss our review of this rugged folio that starts at $59.95.

Future MacBook keyboards could be dust-proof

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Apple is considering a MacBook with a glass keyboard, not a traditional one.
Apple is considering a MacBook with a glass keyboard, not a traditional one.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple developed a design for a MacBook keyboard that’s slim, lightweight, silent and can’t possibly have problems with grit in the keys. That’s because it consists of a sheet of glass with raised keys.

Obviously there are drawbacks, but this proposal shows the company’s efforts to innovate.

iPad Pro’s winning redesign takes sting out of iPhone slump

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2018 iPad Pro Smart Keyboard
The launch of the 2018 iPad Pro gave Apple a stellar holiday season in tablet sales.
Photo: Apple

iPad shipments grew by double digits last quarter, giving Apple its best holiday period for tablet sales since 2015.  Shipments of slates and 2-in-1s had dropped earlier in the year, but analysts correctly predicted this was the result of people holding off for the new iPad Pro.

Some of Apple’s rivals also saw gains at the end of 2018.

Apple might bring dark mode to iOS 13

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iOS 11 dark mode
iOS 12 has an inverted colors option, but it's not a true dark mode.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the hottest features in macOS Mojave could make the jump to iOS soon: Dark mode is reportedly coming in the update expected this fall.

In addition, iPads running iOS 13 could get significant interface improvements, like better side-by-side multitasking.

Samsung holiday sales beat iPhone for first time in years

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Samsung Galaxy S9
It seems more people wanted to gift Galaxy phones than iPhones during the holidays.
Photo: Samsung

Apple’s last quarter was so bad the company broke its long-running streak of outselling Samsung during the holiday gift season.

Going back for several years, the maker of the Galaxy line of Android handsets always outsold Apple during the first three quarters, and in total sales for the whole year, but iPhone would came out on top in Q4. Not last quarter.

Apple apparently not ending iOS downgrades

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The official iOS 12 release date is next week, but you can download it now.
The newest beta of iTunes blocks people from downgrading their iPhone to an earlier iOS version, but it’s apparently a bug not a feature.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The most recent beta of iTunes reportedly won’t allow iPhone and iPad owners to reinstall an older iOS version. This is apparently the result of a bug rather than a change of policy by Apple.

It seems Apple will continue to allow users to downgrade to a previous version if a serious problem is found in a new one.

GoodReader 5 brings split-screen documents to iPad

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iPad users can view two documents side-by-side with GoodReader 5.
The iPad pre-dated the iPhone, at least inside Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The latest version of GoodReader enables iPad users to view two documents side-by-side. It also offers a long list of  improvements to its built-in PDF viewer and methods for securing files.

This iOS app debuted back in 2009, not long after the original iPad, and has been called a Swiss army knife of file managers.

Apple won’t say how many iPhones it sold, but here’s a good guess

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
iPhone sales last quarter were down considerably year-over-year. But the company’s other products did quite well.
Photo: Apple

Not included in the Q4 financial results Apple just announced was the number of iPhone units sold. An analyst firm quickly filled in the gap, estimating that 65.9 million iOS handsets shipped in the last quarter of 2018, down significantly.

This is the first quarterly earnings announcement in which Apple didn’t reveal how many iPhone, Mac, and iPad units it had sold.

Budget 2019 iPad needs to include Apple Keyboard [Opinion]

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A budget iPad with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil would be tough competition for a Chromebook.
A budget iPad with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil would be tough competition for a Chromebook.
Photo: Apple

Details  on an upcoming pair of iPad models are already trickling out, and today came word that these tablets might support an Apple clip-on keyboard. At least one of these models is expected to target the classroom, making the release of a Smart Keyboard for it a very welcome addition.

This change might help Apple regain some of the ground it’s lost in education.

Beware: Shortcuts could steal your data

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Shortcuts app from iOS 12
Siri Shortcuts could be doing more than you think, like invading your privacy.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Malicious Siri Shortcuts are a real possibility warns one developer, so users need to start treating all of them as potential threats. He calls on Apple to fix their problems.

Shortcuts debuted last fall in iOS 12. They are small apps that can be used to automate iOS features. That apparently makes them well suited for creating malware.

FaceTime bug lets others see and hear you before call starts [UPDATED]

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Group FaceTime is super easy to use.
Someone’s iPhone can be added to a Group FaceTime call before they’re ready.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed that it’s possible for a FaceTime caller to listen to the person on the other end of the call — and even see them — before they pick up. Making use of this newly-discovered bug requires actions someone isn’t likely to do accidentally, which is probably why It wasn’t noticed during testing.

UPDATE: Apple said this evening it will quickly fix this serious privacy flaw. In the mean time, it has also disabled its servers needed for Group FaceTime to function.

Coming-of-age drama Hala jumps from Sundance to Apple

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Geraldine Viswanathan appears in Hala, chosen for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Geraldine Viswanathan appears as the title character in Hala.
Photo: Parrish Lewis/Sundance Institute

One of the films making waves at the Sundance FIlm Festival is Hala, about a Muslim teenager’s struggles growing up in America. Apple likes it so much it bought the worldwide rights.

This is one of a growing collection of movies and TV programs that Apple is expected to weave into a streaming TV service.

iOS devs rake in $120 billion and just keep going

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iPhone app development can be very profitable, and Apple has a new program to help more women get in the business.
iPhone app development can be very profitable, and Apple has a new program to help more women get in the business.
Photo: Apple

Since the iOS App Store launched in 2008, Apple has paid developers $120 billion. And more than a quarter of that came in the past year alone, according to the iPhone maker.

To increase diversity in software developers making all that money, Apple today opened the first of what will be quarterly Entrepreneur Camps for female-founded app development companies.

Bluetooth 5.1 makes it easier to find gear with direction sensing

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Bluetooth 5.1 should make point-of-interest (PoI) notifications much more accurate.
Bluetooth 5.1 should make point-of-interest (PoI) notifications much more accurate.
Photo: Bluetooth SIG

The lust-introduced version of Bluetooth enables devices to sense the direction a wireless signal is coming from. The goal is to significantly improve the performance of location services.

If nothing else, this should hugely enhance Tile trackers. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is promising accuracy for personal property tags down to the centimeter.

First iOS 12.2 public beta boosts Downtime, Apple News

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iOS 12.2 public beta 1 is more than just a collection of bug fixes.
iOS 12.2 public beta 1 is more than just a collection of bug fixes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The first fairly significant update to iOS in months is available now for the general public to update. iOS 12.2 will have a scattering of new features, not just the bug fixes and tweaks in recent updates.

The end of beta testing for this version could bring new iPad and iPod models. And AirPods 2 as well.

Respected analyst says everyone’s too pessimistic about Apple

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
A reliable analyst says 2019 iPhone sales won‘t be great but won‘t be disasterous either.
Photo: Apple

Ming-Chi Kuo, a tech analyst with a decent record for accuracy, predicts Apple will sell more iPhones in 2019 than many other analysts are anticipating.

To be clear, Kuo isn’t predicting a banner year for iPhone sales. Just not a terrible one.

Upcoming iPads, iPod touch referenced in iOS 12.2 beta

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Apple iPad and Apple Pencil
One of the 2019 iPad models could be a replacement for last year’s 9.7-inch iOS tablet, shown here.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Evidence continues to mount that Apple is readying a pair of 2019 iPad models, along with the return of the iPod touch. Mention of all three are reportedly included in the recent iOS 12.2 beta.

Brief descriptions of them add weight to rumors that these will be low-cost products.

Unknown iPads pop up in Eurasian database

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New mages could be of the rumored iPad mini 5.
iPad mini 5, supposedly pictured here, could have been listed in a Eurasian database.
Photo: Mr-white

Reports that Apple plans to bring out new iPad models in the near future strengthened today when several new tablets appeared in a Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database.

These could be an update for last year’s 9.7-inch model and the rumored return of the iPad mini.