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Ed Hardy - page 229

Apple approves India’s controversial Do Not Disturb app

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple and India’s government worked out their differences on an iOS app before iPhone was banned from that country.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple today made an anti-spam application developed by the Indian government available on that country’s version of its App Store. The software is designed to help prevent an avalanche of commercial phone calls and texts, but Apple had previously expressed concerns that it revealed too much information about users to the government.

The version of TRAI DND – Do Not Disturb just approved appears to deal with Apple’s concerns.

Pokémon Go player-vs.-player battles teased again

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A major missing feature from Pokémon GO will be added soon.
A major missing feature from Pokémon Go will be added soon.
Photo: Niantic

Every version of Pokémon is about players using pocket monsters to battle other trainers. Well, every version except Pokémon Go, which conspicuously lacks the capability to let you go head-to-head with another player.

Game developer Niantic promised this feature would arrive before the end of the year. The company suggested today that the wait is almost over.

AirPods could someday replace your Apple Watch

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airpods
Ear-worn devices like these AirPods could become the most-used type of wearable.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

Smart watches are currently the most popular form of wearable, but ear-worn devices are expected to replace them in the coming years. The changeover will take place as AirPods and similar products gain additional features that people now get from Apple Watch and iPhone.

In less than five years, so-called “hearables” could outsell every other type of  wearable by a wide margin.

Apple kicks hundreds more apps out of China’s App store

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The Chinese market is very important to Apple.
The Chinese market is very important to Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple continues to remove third-party applications from the Chinese version of the App Store for violating its terms of service. It reportedly removed 718 apps this week.

This isn’t the first time there’s been a purge from this software store. But this time none of the applications were breaking Chinese law, just Apple’s own rules.

Get your inexpensive iPhone battery replacement while you can

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iPhone batteries
Battery brand no longer complicates an iPhone repair job.
Photo: iFixIt

If you weren’t tempted by an iPhone XR or XS, and you’ve decided to hold onto your older handset for another year, you should really consider getting the battery replaced. This will add years of usefulness. 

Even better, Apple is offering a special deal that makes it just $29. But this low price is available only for one more months.

Apple’s Product(RED) contributes over $200 million to fight AIDS

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Buying the PRODUCT(RED) version of the iPhone XR contributes to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Buying the PRODUCT(RED) version of the iPhone XR contributes to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Photo: Apple

iPhones, cases and other products in Apple’s Product(RED) line are more than just colorful; they’ve so far been responsible for $200 million going to pay for HIV/AIDS counseling, testing and medication.

Apple partnered with (RED) 11 years ago, with purchases of select products contributing to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Elvis is in the building for hilarious Apple FaceTime ad

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Don’t miss Apple’s hilarious Elvis-themed Group Facetime ad.
Don’t miss Apple’s wacky Elvis-themed Group Facetime ad.
Screencap: Apple

Apple gives us the gift we really want: more Elvis. Specifically, a collection of Elvis impersonators scattered around the world using Group FaceTime to share their love of the King of Rock and Roll.

This iPhone ad highlights the best new feature in iOS 12.1, the ability to make FaceTime video calls to multiple people simultaneously.

Watch it now:

iPhone XR isn’t a dud. It’s Apple’s best-selling model.

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
iPhone XS seems to be selling well, but iPhone XR sales are stronger.
Photo: Apple

In a change for Apple, its best-selling model isn’t its most expensive. A company VP says the iPhone XR has outsold the iPhone XS series since the cheaper device came out last month.

Perhaps this will allay recent nervousness about how well Apple’s latest device is selling.

Apple Watch discounts motivate people to move

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Apple Watch Series 4
Offering big Apple Watch discounts for exercise gets real results.
Photo: Apple

John Hancock gives its life insurance customers an Apple Watch for only $25, but they have to earn it by exercising. A new study shows that this program is very successful.

Participants increased their activity rates by over 30 percent. 

If you think iPhones are expensive now, try making them in USA

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Foxconn
These assembly workers could be American instead of Chinese if we’re willing to pay a lot more for our iPhones.
Photo: Foxconn

There’s a good chance the iPhone and other Apple products will be hit with tariffs in the Trump administration’s trade war with China. The president has repeatedly stated his simple solution: Make the iPhone in the United States.

But an analyst warns that moving assembly of Apple’s handsets to the U.S. would significantly increase their price.

Google Fi brings innovative wireless to iPhone

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Google
Your iPhone can now get cell service from Google.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After years of limited availability, Google’s wireless phone service has expanded to include iPhones, as well as many more Android devices.

And it has a new name: What used to be called Project Fi is now just Google Fi.

Once you go to iOS 12.1 you’ll never go back

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Once you go iOS 12 you'll never go back.
As of today, your only options are iOS 12.1 and the beta of iOS 12.1.1.
Photo: Wendelin Jacober/Pexels

If you’ve moved to iOS 12.1, it’s no longer possible to go back to any previous version. Not that there’s much reason to.

As of today, you can’t install iOS 12.0.1 or earlier on an iPhone or iPad. This in-line with Apple’s standard practices.

Tim Cook starts his morning reading comments from Apple customers

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Tim Cook with a 2018 WWDC scholarship winner.
Apple’s CEO pays attention to what people outside the company are saying about its products.
Screencap: Apple

If you’ve ever wondered if anyone at Apple ever sees the online comments people post about iPhone, Mac, etc., you can rest easy: No less a person than CEO Tim Cook reads them every day.

And you might be surprised at how much time he spends doing so.

5 reasons I regret getting a 2018 iPad Pro [Review]

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IPad Pro Apple Pencil Smart Keyboard Folio
Do the drawbacks of the 2018 iPad Pro outweigh its advantages?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The latest iPad Pro includes the most significant changes Apple has made to its tablets in years. There’s USB-C instead of Lightning, Face ID instead of Touch ID, and the device is more portable.  In some ways it’s better than a MacBook.

But that’s not to say Apple got everything right. The 2018 iPad Pro has problems noticeable enough to leave me questioning whether I made the right decision buying one.

Author’s Note Sept. 26, 2019: The release of iPadOS 13 brought so many new features that it removed nearly all my regrets about the iPad Pro. The addition of mouse support and full access to drives plugged into the USB-C port are game changers. And giving apps the ability to open multiple windows simultaneously greatly simplifies my workflow. It seems Apple took the unusual route of waiting about 9 months after the iPad Pro’s debut to introduce a software update that makes the tablet shine.

In short, many of the regrets listed here are no longer relevant in 2019.

Trump ready to levy 10 percent import tariff on iPhone, MacBook

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Trump is ready, willing, and able to enact iPhone tarrifs.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple products have so far escaped the growing trade war between China and the Trump administration, but the grace period may be coming to an end soon. The president is getting ready to put tariffs on additional products being imported from China, and that specifically includes the iPhone.

Apple offers free coding classes and learning materials

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In December, Apple will offer free coding classes to teach kids and teens.
In December, Apple will offer free coding classes to teach kids and teens.
Photo: Apple

Next month, there will be thousands of free Hour of Code sessions at all Apple Stores around the world. These will help people at a variety of skill levels learn coding

In addition, the company also just introduced new materials to help teach coding inside and outside the classroom.

Tiny adapter makes your iPad into a MacBook’s second screen [Review]

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Luna Display easily converts an iPad into a second screen for your MacBook Pro.
Luna Display easily makes your iOS tablet into a screen for your Mac.
Photo: Astro HQ

Even a 15-inch MacBook Pro screen feels cramped when compared to a big desktop display. Too bad toting around a second screen for your laptop isn’t practical.

But maybe it is. Luna Display is a tiny wireless adapter that lets an iPad act as an external display for a Mac. We tested this accessory to see how well it lives up to its promise of a hassle-free way of extending our MacBook screen when on the go. Read on to find out how it did.

OtterBox’s first folio case for 2018 iPad Pro is sleek but protective

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Symmetry Series 360 offers sleek protection for iPad Pro (11-inch) and iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd Gen).
Symmetry Series 360 offers sleek protection for iPad Pro (11-inch) and iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd Gen).
Photo: OtterBox

The Symmetry Series 360 just became the first OtterBox case released for the newest iPad Pro. This isn’t one of the super-rugged cases this company is best known for, but it brings some protection without adding a lot of bulk.

A bulkier OtterBox Defender case promising even greater shelter for the latest iOS tablet was announced a few weeks ago but is not yet available.

Apple Watch with UV sensor could swat skin cancer

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Your Apple Watch could warn you to get out of the Sun.
Your Apple Watch could warn you to get out of the Sun.
Photo: Skitterphoto/Pexels

A future version of the Apple Watch could monitor how much ultraviolet radiation the user is being exposed to, and alert the wearer if they’ve been in the Sun for too long.

According to the World Health Organization, “Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a known cause of skin cancer, skin ageing, eye damage, and may affect the immune system.”

Apple really wants iPad Pro to be your next computer

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Raw power comes up in Apple’s new video called 5 Reasons iPad Pro can be your next computer.
Better performance than most laptops comes up in Apple’s new video called 5 Reasons iPad Pro can be your next computer.
Screenshot: Apple

In a previous iPad advertisement, Apple famously asked “What’s a computer?” The company has taken a step past that with its latest ad that urges people to make an iPad Pro their next computer.

The less-than-a-minute video goes on to delineate some of the capabilities of the latest iOS tablet.

Watch it now:

iPhone photo-editing app Darkroom expands to iPad

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Darkroom is making the jump from iPhone to iPad.
Darkroom is making the jump from iPhone to iPad.
Photo: Bergen

Darkroom is a photo-editing application that invites comparison to Adobe’s Lightroom. But it’s always had a limitation: the only version was for iPhone.

That’s about to change, as an iPad version is out in beta.

New wireless fast charger wins with aluminum and USB-C

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A new iPhone wireless charger uses USB-C.
A stylish new iPhone wireless charger uses USB-C.
Photo: Satechi

Satechi has a new wireless charger for Qi devices, including all recent iPhone models. This includes a USB-C port and can transmit power as quickly as iOS and Android devices can receive it. 

Its casing has a more modern look that previous versions from this company.

Tumblr vanishes from the App Store

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The Tumblr iOS app currently can’t be installed.
The Tumblr iOS app currently can’t be installed.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Tumblr is gone from the iOS App Store, but exactly why remains a mystery. Still, there’s speculation that Apple cracked down on the blogging app for being used to disseminate content that violates Apple’s guidelines for third-party software.

Oath, the developer of Tumblr, promises that it’s working on the “issue.”

Brydge taunts us with iPad Pro keyboard we can’t have

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An iPad trackpad?! Too bad it’s only a dream.
It could be so much better.
Photo: Brydge

An accessory maker shared a picture of something many people would love: a clip-on iPad Pro keyboard with a trackpad. Sadly, Brydge’s concept device just isn’t possible because iOS doesn’t support external pointing devices.

At least, that’s true for now. But mouse/trackpad support is a often-requested feature, and there’s reason to think Apple is at least considering it.

UPDATE: Turns out Apple was considering it, and mouse/trackpad support is built into iPadOS 13. Learn how to use a mouse with your iPad.

Your GPS is about to become way more accurate

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Apple Maps, Waze, etc. will know just where you are thanks to Europe’s Galileo satellite system.
Apple Maps, Waze, etc. will know just where you are thanks to Europe’s Galileo satellite system.
Photo: European GNSS Agency

Phones and other devices located in the U.S. are now permitted to access signals coming from the European equivalent of the GPS system, named for the astronomer Galileo. This should make them significantly more accurate.

Recent iPhones have the hardware necessary to receive these signals, so it’s just up to Apple to add this feature.