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Ed Hardy - page 249

Third lawsuit filed over ‘defective’ MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Another lawsuit accuses Apple of knowingly using a defective MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard in laptops like this one,
Photo: Apple

Thinking perhaps that third time’s the charm, another lawsuit has been filed claiming that the keyboard used in the MacBook Pro is defective. Like the two prior ones filed last month, this seeks to become a class action.

All of these suits claim that the keys in Apple’s laptop can become permanently jammed, and a very expensive fix requires replacing the entire keyboard and other components.

MacPad Pro stars in spectacular concept video

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MacPad Pro concept video
MacPad Pro can be used as a MacBook or an iPad. Too bad it's just a dream.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

A digital artist created a device that combines the best features of a MacBook and iPad Pro. The 2-in-1 can be used as giant tablet, folded into a clamshell laptop, or even configured into a smaller tablet or desktop.

The first phones with flexible screens are expected to be released this fall, and this device shows what might be possible when foldable displays go mainstream.

Apple frequently forced to give customer iCloud data to police

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Police Car. Berlin, 2013
Apple strives to protect the privacy of its customers, but it's also required to comply with legal requests for information from law enforcement.
Photo: Stefan Draschan

A locked iPhone can’t be accessed without the passcode, and even Apple can’t unlock it. But Apple has to comply with government requests for iCloud information.

And there are a lot of them. The company received 3,358 requests to access personal data in the second-half of 2017, with about half of these coming from the United States.

Save 15 percent on a refurbished Apple Watch LTE

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Refurbished Apple Watch LTE units are available.
Pick up your new Apple Watch for $75 less.
Photo: Apple

Apple began offering 4G-enabled smartwatches last fall, but it seems people don’t return them very often. It’s taken this long to build up a large enough supply of refurbished Apple Watch LTE units that they can finally be offered to the public.

Those who don’t mind a refurb can get this wearable at 15 percent off the regular price.

Refurbished iMac Pro units just as powerful, cost less

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iMac
Maxing-out your new Mac is now a lot more affordable.
Photo: Apple

Got your eye on the powerful iMac Pro but don’t want to pay full price? Apple just began selling refurbished units for 15 percent off.

iMac Pro is Apple’s first all-in-one machine for professionals who need serious capabilities. The only problem? It starts at $5,000.

iPhone SE 2 stars in beautiful concept TV ad

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Watch a iPhone SE 2 TV ad
No, the new iPhone SE won't look like this.
Screencap: Creative Concepts

The look of iPhone ads is familiar. A cool song blares while the device sleekly moves before the camera. An artist has used that formula to create an ad for the iPhone SE 2, a smartphone not yet released.

The look of the phone matches the latest rumors of this upcoming budget model. It seems almost real.

Trump can’t use his iPhone to block protesters from his Twitter feed

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This is the Trump iPhone, but not Trump's iPhone.
This isn't really Trump's phone. But he does use an iPhone to tweet, and to violate the Constitution.
Photo: Caviar

All President Donald Trump’s many tweets come from his trusty iPhone, and he’s not shy about blocking people who use this social network platform to respond to his comments.

Today, however, a federal judge ruled that blocking anyone from accessing the president’s Twitter feed is a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Apple Watch wins Q1 wearables race, no matter who you ask

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Apple Watch
Rival market analysts peg Apple Watch shipments at different numbers, but the winner in the smartwatch market isn't in doubt.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple was the top wearables vendor in Q1 according to market analysis firm Canalys. A rival analyst from Asymco also placed Apple at the top, but with a higher total of devices shipped. Canalys put the number at 3.8 million. the other at just over 4 million.

Disagreements like this are possible because Apple itself doesn’t reveal how many smartwatches it sells. Still, both groups of analysts agree that Apple Watch leads the market.

iPhone 7 Plus tops customer satisfaction survey

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iPhone 7 Plus lineup
The iPhone X didn't get the best score on the latest ACSI survey, it was the iPhone 7 Plus instead.
Image: Apple

The iPhone X is the world’s best-selling smartphone, but it’s an older Apple model that scored highest on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

The iPhone 7 Plus beat out all of the newer iOS models, and solidly outscored the iPhone X. Naturally, it also trounced every Android device.

FBI admits it has far fewer unlockable iPhones than claimed

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FBI director says Feds still can't unlock iPhone in Pensacola shooting case
The FBI's argument why it needs an iPhone 'backdoor' just got a lot weaker.
Photo: Dave Newman/Flickr CC

FBI director Christopher Wray has said multiple times that his agency has 7,775 locked phones involved in investigations that it can’t access. Now, the law enforcement agency admits the number is far smaller.

Previously, Wray argued that the large number of unlockable devices is why Apple needs to build a ‘backdoor’ into iOS for police.

Major 2018 iPhone component already in production

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Apple A12 replaces A11 Bionic
The A11 Bionic is a fine processor, but the Apple A12 is expected to be even better.
Photo: iFixit

The Apple A12 processor, the heart of the 2018 iPhone, is reportedly already being manufactured. It’s being produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has made Apple’s chips for years.

Even though the next iPhone isn’t expected until fall, TSMC isn’t getting a head start. It takes about three months to convert silicon into a microprocessor.

T-Mobile isn’t America’s ‘Best Unlimited Network’

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T-Mobile isn't America's Best Unlimited Network.
A regulatory arm of the Better Business Bureau told T-Mobile to stop claiming it's the ‘Best Unlimited Network.’
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile uses the self-bestowed accolade ‘Best Unlimited Network’ in its ads. But now an advertising regulatory body told the carrier to knock it off.

To be clear, this recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) isn’t binding. But it’s significant enough that T-Mobile is appealing the decision.

1Password 7 for Mac warns if you’ve been pwned

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1Password 7 for Mac
There's a new Watchtower feature in 1Password 7 for Mac, and an improved 1Password mini.
Photo: AgileBits

1Password 7 for Mac notifes users of breaches, warn of bad habits, and highlights vulnerable passwords. 1Password mini has a new look, and there’s a new sidebar with a dark theme.

It’s the first really significant update in over two years.

U.K. iPhone users want $4.3B from Google for privacy violations

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Google
Millions in Britain wants $1000 each because they claim Google invaded their privacy
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A group of 4.4 million Brits accuse Google of illegally collecting and selling their personal information. They want a court to award them  $1000 (£750) each in compensation.

The group, which calls itself Google You Owe Us, was in court today asking to be made a representative action, the British equivalent of a class action.

Trump carries an iPhone just for Twitter

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This is the Trump iPhone, but not Trump's iPhone.
The President doesn't actually use Caviar's commemorative Donald Trump iPhone 7.
Photo: Caviar

Possibly everyone on Earth knows that President Donald Trump uses Twitter, but you might not know that his many tweets are coming from an iPhone. The commander in chief actually has at least two: one that’s just for Twitter, and one or more others only for voice calls.

While Apple makes devices that are unusually hard to hack, there are questions about whether the president is hampering White House efforts to keep the Trump iPhone secure.

Apple drops 24 percent off cost of a cable you really need

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A USB-C Lightning cable price drop.
A USB-C Lightning cable has several uses, including faster charges for recent iPhone and iPad models.
Photo: Apple

The price of a USB-C Lightning cable dropped 24 percent. That’s good news to almost every iPhone and iPad user.

This cable really should be bundled with Apple’s phone and tablet. It offers faster charging, and is required for connectivity with the latest macOS devices.

Google nearly scrubs ‘Don’t be evil’ from its code of conduct

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'Don't be evil' went from the first sentence of the Google code of conduct to the very last.
'Don't be evil' went from the first sentence of the Google code of conduct to the very last.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google’s founders tried to define their corporate philosophy with a single phrase: “Don’t be evil.” Now that phrase has all but disappeared from the company’s official code of conduct.

But there are questions about whether Google could be anything but evil, given that its entire business model is violating the privacy of its users.

Facebook wants to become your internet service provider

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Facebook Terragraph network
A Facebook Terragraph network provides broadband access without cable or fiber.
Graphic: Facebook

Facebook and Qualcomm are working together to provide high-speed connectivity to urban areas. They’ll use Facebook Terragraph technology to build a multi-node wireless system based on 60GHz technology from Qualcomm.

The goal is to provide multi-gigabytes per second speed at a lower cost.

Apple’s $200 HomePod might carry Beats brand

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A cheaper version of the HomePod could drop below the $200 mark.
The rumored inexpensive HomePod might not be called a HomePod. It could be a Beats smartspeaker instead.
Photo: Apple

Rumors indicate Apple’s working on a cheaper version of the HomePod. And now there’s a new wrinkle: this device might be sold under the Beats brand name.

This would let the HomePod name stand as a premier product, while still allowing Apple to make a more affordable smartspeaker.

‘Holy iPad’ plays important role in royal wedding

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A royal wedding is a traditional affair, but an iPad still made an appearance.
A royal wedding is a traditional affair, but an iPad still made an appearance at the nuptials for the Duke and Dutchess of Sussex.
Screencap: CBS

It would be going too far to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wouldn’t be married today if it weren’t for an iPad. But one of Apple’s tablets did have an important role to play in the royal wedding.

Bishop Michael Curry delivered a sermon halfway through the ceremony. The good prelate read from notes displayed on his trusty iPad during his address. 

Apple v. Samsung $1 billion patent lawsuit in the hands of a jury

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Apple and Samsung return to court
There's no doubt the design of the Galaxy S copies the iPhone. A jury will soon rule on damages in the Apple v Samsung patent lawsuit.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The decade-long Apple v. Samsung patent-infringement trial is nearing its end. A jury is expected to announce Monday whether the premier Android-maker owes Apple $1 billion for copying the iPhone’s design.

Developers Union wants free trials for all iOS apps

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iPhone App Store
A new group of iPhone developers wants Apple to offer lime-limited free trials for everything in the App Store.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Four coders have come together to found The Developers Union, whose primary principle is “people who create great software should be able to make a living doing it.”

The group’s first cause is asking Apple to allow free trials for everything in the App Store. The union has plans to advocate for additional changes in the future.

iPad robot helps hospitalized girl graduate with classmates

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iPad robot helps teen attend her high school graduation.
An iPad graduated from high school... no wait, a high school girl graduated via iPad.
Screencap: CBS News

When a high school girl couldn’t attend her high school graduation, a iPad-based robot allowed her to virtually collect her diploma.

Cynthia Pettway was hospitalized last week, but the iPad on wheels filled in for her, even wearing a graduation cap and gown.

HomePod captures measly 6 percent of smartspeaker market

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Siri Lights
Siri's dumb-as-a-squirrel performance helped hold HomePod sales down to just 600,000 in Q1.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone sells like gangbusters. iPad is at the top of the tablet market. But the HomePod is a very different story. Apple’s smartspeaker earned just a small share of the world market in the first quarter of this year, according to a market research firm.

No surprise, Amazon enjoys the largest piece of the pie. But it doesn’t dominate this market the way it used to.

iOS 11.4 beta 6 released just three days after beta 5

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UAE iPhone hacks
After not making the cut in the last update, Messages on iCloud will be a big addition in iOS 11.4
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple took the very unusual move of releasing a second iOS 11.4 beta this week. The fifth version of the developer beta came out on Monday, and its replacement debuted today.

This could mean good things for the imminent launch of this iPhone and iPad operating system update to the general public, or it could be a bad sign.