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Ed Hardy - page 246

iPhone X notch might be on endangered list

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Apple Watch
The iPhone X notch isn't the "deal breaker" so many thought it would be, but the screen cutout could be replaced with an under-display camera in 2019.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first camera that can be embedded under a phone’s display might launch next year. If this comes to pass, it would remove the need for the screen cutout in the iPhone and many rival Android models.

It’s no secret that companies are trying to develop in-display cameras. The promise that one will be on the market in 2019 comes from an unnamed source.

Best Apple computers for students

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Brydge 12.9 is almost a touchscreen MacBook
The best Apple laptop for a student might be an iPad with an add-on keyboard.
Photo: Brydge

The fall semester is right around the corner, so students will soon be plugging away on homework and research papers. Here’s our recommendations for the the best Apple laptops for your student, from college to elementary school.

And we cover more than just laptops, also recommending the best desktops and tablets, so there’s something here for everyone.

Science proves women’s pockets are too small for iPhones

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iPhone Japan
Japan loves its iPhones. But a proposed law could make some consumers consider cheaper Android handsets.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Ever tried to slip an iPhone into a pants pocket and run out of room with the device halfway in? Men are probably scratching their heads, but most women know the experience well.

A new study finds that the front pocket in women’s jeans average less than half the size of men’s. And that means less than half the brands studied can hold an iPhone X.

iOS 12 runs much faster, especially on older iPhones

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Side-by-side tests on an iPhone 5s show noticeable iOS 12 performance improvements.
Side-by-side tests on an iPhone 5s show noticeable iOS 12 performance improvements.
Photo: iApple Bytes

Apple’s next operating system is still in beta, but it already boasts much better performance than iOS 11. Speed improvements are high on Apple’s list of promises for iOS 12, and there’s little room for doubt that Cupertino will deliver.

Speed tests performed on older models, including an iPhone 5s, show iOS 12 makes the devices significantly faster.

Speed up MacBook Pro to 10 Gbps with this adapter

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OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
Photo: OWC

Don’t be jealous of the 10Gbps Ethernet port in the iMac Pro. OWC introduced an adapter for your MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to networks at the same massive speeds.

Just be warned, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter isn’t an accessory for the casual user. It’ll set you back $187.99.

Twitter calmly explains why it broke your favorite apps

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Twitter
Many of the features of Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and similar apps just stopped working. Twitter's CEO tells us why.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Despite protests, Twitter made changes today that break some features of popular third-party apps. The company’s CEO explains that all Twitter is doing is finally enforcing a 9-year-old policy.

Rob Johnson says the company will no longer devote resources to apps it didn’t want built in the first place. The situation is a bit more complex that that, though.

Hilarious Jimmy Kimmel video mocks fear that iPhones spy on us

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A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia about iPhone privacy violations.
A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia that our phones are constantly spying on us.
Photo: ABC

Apple takes a firm stance on iPhone privacy, with strict rules. Nevertheless, many people remain nervous that their phone is spying on them.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel, on his eponymous TV show, pokes fun at this fear in a newly-released video. Watch it now:

iOS 12 public beta 6 improves markup tools, kills Group FaceTime

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iOS 12
iOS 12 public beta 6 lets you try out the new iPhone and iPad features a month before the expected full release.
Photo: Apple

The wait for a new pre-release version of iOS 12 is over: the sixth beta can be downloaded now by anyone who wants to try it.

The markup tools have been greatly enhanced. Sadly, the other major change is the removal of Group FaceTime.

Glimpse the inside of Apple’s gargantuan Arizona data center

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close. (There are pictures available; we just can use them.)
Photo: Pexels

Apple is very secretive about its data centers. For good reason: They’re at risk from criminals, foreign spy agencies, terrorists and more. But the company gave a local newspaper a look inside its Arizona server farm.

This 1.3 million-square-foot facility in Mesa houses Apple’s global data command center.

Apple runs afoul of Japanese government again

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Apple Japan required carriers to subsidize iPhone
Apple Japan allegedly used strong-arm tactics to get Yahoo's Game Plus online service shut down.
Photo: Apple

For the second time this year, Apple is being investigated by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission. This time, it may have forced Yahoo to scale back a web-only gaming platform that competes with the App Store.

Apple Japan seems to play hardball. This summer, the FTC made it stop forcing Japanese carriers to put subsidies on iOS handsets.

Google One brings cheap cloud storage to the masses

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Google One is apparently going to replace Google Drive.
Google One replaces Google Drive, and it offers cloud storage plans that actually compete with Apple iCloud.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google One was unveiled this spring, promising 2TB of online storage at half the cost of the old Google Drive. As of now, you can actually subscribe to this service, which wasn’t possible before.

This revamp of this company’s cloud storage options seems to be intended to make them more competitive with Apple’s.

Apple yanks Group FaceTime from the Mac, too

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Group FaceTime Mac
As with iOS 12, support for FaceTiming multiple people simultaneously won't be a part of macOS Mojave when it first launches.
Photo: Apple

Apple just released a fresh beta of macOS Mojave to the public, on the way to a full launch this fall. While betas usually bring new capabilities, the one just introduced is missing a feature.

Earlier this week, Apple said Group FaceTime won’t debut until later this year. It’s now been pulled from the latest iOS 12 and macOS Mojave betas.

Apple replaces flawed iOS 12 beta

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iOS 12 features
Developers, you can now grab iOS 12 beta 8. This is the replacement for a version that only lasted a few hours on Monday.
Photo: Apple

Just two days after hastily withdrawing a beta of iOS 12, Apple is back with a new version that hopefully fixes the problems in the original.

No one expects betas to be perfect, but iOS 12 beta 7 had significant performance issues. So significant that it was only available for a couple of hours.

These celebs get paid by Android but got caught using iPhones

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When paid celebrity endorsements go wrong.
When paid celebrity endorsements go wrong. Here's Gal Gadot complimenting a Huawei device from her iPhone.
Photo: Gal Gadot

Paying a celebrity to be seen using your product is a fairly common practice. Apple doesn’t make a habit of it, but other companies do.

When it gets funny is when the celebs are caught using their iPhones to endorse rival devices. A Reddit user compiled a list of people who got caught not being able to give up their favorite device.

Apple Car could drive off the lot in only 5 years

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Here's how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots
If an analyst is correct, the Apple Car could be your next vehicle.
Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

One of the secret-but-not-really-secret projects Apple is working on is a self-driving vehicle. A well-respected analyst just gave his estimate of when this will be released.

Not only does Ming-Chi Kuo indicate that the “Apple Car” will debut between 2023 and 2025, he also lays out reasons why the product will be a success.

As a bonus, Kuo indicates when to expect Apple’s augmented-reality headset.

US government bans employees from using risky Chinese phones

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
Huawei is the second-largest phone maker globally, but it just became illegal for the US government to buy its products.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

By law, anyone who works for the U.S. government must give up their phone if it was made by Huawei or ZTE. And federal agencies must get rid of routers and other networking equipment made by the two Chinese companies as well. This is a requirement in the Defence Authorization Act just passed by Congress.

The rule came because both Huawei and ZTE are considered to be too closely tied to the Chinese government to be trusted.

‘Loop disease’ could kill your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

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5ymx4dfbrmxt6bv1-huge
Fixing 'loop disease' requires disassembling the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus.
Photo: IFIXIT

It has a ridiculous name, but it’s a serious problem. Incidents of “loop disease’ are reportedly sending growing numbers of iPhones to the repair shop.

This isn’t a new virus or an iOS bug. Instead, it’s a hardware problem affecting older iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus units.

Siri may soon recognize different voices

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Spanish Siri labels Bolivian president a ‘dictator’
Siri's voice is changing.
Photo: Apple

Apple engineers are preparing for the day Siri can reliably recognize voices. They’re working on how this digital assistant will respond to requests from multiple users.

This issue became important with the release of Apple’s HomePod earlier this year, as smartspeaker are used in shared spaces.

Apple releases iOS 12 beta 7, then quickly withdraws it

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iOS 12 features
iOS 12 will bring loads of new features, but not until Apple gets it throughly debugged.
Photo: Apple

The latest early-release version of iOS 12 was made available to developers today — but it disappeared shortly afterward.

This afternoon’s release of iOS 12 beta 7 was met with widespread complaints that it runs slowly. Apple seems to have pulled the OTA version within an hour or so.

Apple secretly urges iOS app makers to add subscriptions

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Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple wants developers to stop selling iOS applications and start renting them instead. The reason is simple: this forces users to pay more for software.

Apple held a secret meeting in New York City last year to convince developers to give up charging users a one-time fee for apps, and go instead to reoccurring charges.

Apple pulls Group FaceTime from iOS 12

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FaceTime group calls iOS 12
We're going to have to wait a bit longer than we expected for Group FaceTIme.
Photo: Apple

Group FaceTime, one of the hot new features promised for iOS 12, won’t be available when the operating system debuts this fall. Apple now says it will push back the Group FaceTime launch until later this year. The company gave no reason for the delay.

Ralph Nader tells Apple to give massive profits to the little guys

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Tim Cook with money bag
Ralph Nader says Apple management spent $100 billion to "enhance their own executive compensation package."
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple becoming the world’s first trillion dollar company has put it in the crosshairs of consumer advocates, including Ralph Nader. He heavily criticized the company for a $100 billion stock buyback, instead of using the money to pay employees more, improve recycling efforts, increase R&D, or making other productive investments.

Nader is angered that businesses like Apple have spent so much of the Republican tax cuts put in place last year on stock buybacks, rather than the “productive investment and jobs” they promised. 

New mophie battery pack is truly built for iPhone [Review]

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mophie Powerstation Plus XL
Recharge your iPad and iPhone simultaneously with the mophie Powerstation Plus XL. It even has a built-in Lightning connector and port.
Photo: mophie

External batteries are widely available but surprisingly few of them are really designed with Apple users in mind. That’s because all too many require a microUSB cable to get power. The mophie Powerstation Plus XL is a rare exception.

It’s recharged through a built-in Lightning port. The new accessory has a Lighting connector on a built-in cable too. If that wasn’t enough, it can be wirelessly recharged.

Samsung can’t believe Apple Pencil doesn’t work with iPhone

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A new Samsung ad makes a good point about the Apple Pencil.
A new Samsung ad makes a good point about the Apple Pencil, but is also makes some untrue statements.
Screenshot: Samsung

Samsung continues its “Ingenious” negative marketing campaign against the iPhone. The latest ad shows a customer confused that the Apple Pencil can’t be used on the iPhone.

While Samsung’s ad makes a point that quite a few iPhone users agree with, another statement made is more than a bit deceptive.

Take a look at the ad:

iPhone ads appeal to young people, confuse their elders

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What you think of recent iPhone ads depends heavily on when you were born.
A new study finds that what you think of recent iPhone ads depends heavily on when you were born.
Photo: UserTesting

Apple’s latest TV ads are fast-paced and colorful. But a study by a market-research firm finds that Baby Boomers feel these ads aren’t aimed at them.

The analysts theorize this is because Apple isn’t trying to advertise the iPhone to anyone but young people.