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Ed Hardy - page 80

Apple shutters N.C. store after nearby shootings

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Apple retail store closed after multiple nearby shootings
Apple Northlake Mall shut down forever on Wednesday.
Photo: Apple

An Apple retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina has closed its doors, reportedly because there were too many shootings nearby.

The Mac-maker says it plans to replace it with a new Charlotte store in 2024.

Tests go on of iPhone security-fix system that doesn’t require full iOS updates

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Tests go on of iPhone bug-fix system that doesn’t require full iOS updates
Apple wants to be able to patch iOS without the hassle of a full system software update.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple sent developers a “Rapid Security Response” bug patch for the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 betas. This is part of an ongoing series of tests on a system that will eventually allow Apple to quickly fix security problems without requiring a full OS update.

Testing started in November 2022.

Apple boosts iPhone, Mac and iPad trade-in values

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MacBook, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch
Users of many Apple computers can trade them in for cash.
Photo: Apple

Apple bumped how much it will pay for trading in used products. An iPhone 13 series model now brings in as much as $600, a previous-generation iPad Air is worth up to $320, while the trade-in value for a MacBook Pro is as much as $730.

The payouts have increased up to $160 when compared to what Apple was offering last week.

One year in, Amazon Luna+ cloud gaming is fun but limited [Review]

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Amazon Luna brings console-quality games to iOS and iPadOS.
Amazon Luna+ lets Mac, iPad and iPhone play console games. The technology is brilliant -- game selection is less so.
Image: Amazon

You don’t need a console to play console games. Amazon Luna+ lets Mac, iPad and iPhone play top-quality titles with an external controller.

It’s been exactly a year since the cloud-gaming service launched, so I revisited Luna+ to see how it’s evolved. There’s a lot to like, but some significant limitations too.

Apple remains committed to completely dumping Intel chips

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Why the Mac Pro might lack upgradable RAM and eGPUs
The 2023 Mac Pro won't be simply the 2019 model with an M-series processor. But it is expected soon.
Image: Cult of Mac

A high-level Apple executive says an upgraded Mac Pro is on the way, even if he did so in a backhanded way.

The company’s VP of Worldwide Product Marketing said in an interview that his company has “a clear goal to transition fully to Apple silicon.” That’s an oblique reference to the Mac Pro, the only macOS computer still running an Intel processor. A replacement with an Apple M-series chip could be out in mere weeks.

Connect 3 displays to any Mac with these new docking stations

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Connect 3 displays to any Mac with these new docking stations
The Plugable UD-768PDZ (at left) and UD-3900PDH are USB-C docks that add up to three external displays to a Mac.
Photo: Plugable

Plugable expanded its product line with two new triple display USB-C docking stations. These can add three screens even to Macs that are ordinarily limited to one external monitor.

The UD-3900PDH and UD-768PDZ docks also feature additional ports, including USB-A, Ethernet and SD card readers.

These tiny robots are actually a charger and a Bluetooth speaker

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Power your devices with GravaStar Alpha65
This mecha is really a 65W three-port charger for your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Photo: GravaStar

There’s no reason your USB-C charger has to be dull. Rather than being the usual white or black box, GravaStar’s Alpha65 looks like a miniature robot. But it really is a 65W charger with multiple USB ports.

And the company’s Supernova is both a Bluetooth speaker and a portable lantern even though it looks like a mini mecha.

Why you should expect to pay more for the next iPad Pro

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Here's more proof iPad will get gorgeous OLED screens
An iPad with a beautiful OLED display seems inevitable at this point. It’s only a question of when.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The OLED screen supposedly coming in the 2024 iPad Pro might push the price up quite a bit. The component reportedly will cost significantly more than the one used in the current version of Apple’s high-end tablet.

If that’s the only change in the next-generation model, it’s going to be hard to justify a price hike. But there are plenty of other modifications Apple could make that would help buyers accept a $100 or more increase in the iPad Pro cost.

Reports of iPhone SE 4’s death were greatly exaggerated

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iPhone 14
The iPhone SE 4 might look very much like the iPhone 14.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to release an iPhone SE 4 based heavily on the design of the iPhone 14, according to a new report from a reliable source.

Word that Apple canceled the low-cost handset leaked out recently, but work on the device has supposedly started again.

How Apple’s secret Exploratory Design Group makes magic happen

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The Exploratory Design Group works at Tantau 9, this building on the Apple campus.
The Exploratory Design Group works at Tantau 9 on the Apple campus.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Few outside of Apple have ever heard of the company’s secretive Exploratory Design Group. However, the team includes many of Apple’s brightest minds — and is developing some of its most innovative products.

Despite the secrecy, the XDG made headlines recently when its project to add blood glucose monitoring to Apple Watch leaked out. Now more details on the group and its moonshot projects have come to light.

Massive Mac collection goes up for auction

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Hanspeter Luzi Vintage Apple Archive
These are just a few of the hundreds of classic Macintoshes going up for auction.
Photo: Julien’s Auctions

The Hanspeter Luzi Vintage Apple Archive with over 500 computers and other Apple items will go up for auction at the end of this month. There’s an Apple Lisa and other classic Macintosh models collected over 25 years.

That means two separate auctions of Apple products will be happening in close succession.

5 fun reasons you should be playing Spire Blast

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5 reasons you should be playing 'Spire Blast'
Spire Blast is a mix of challenging puzzles and the simple joy of blowing stuff up.
Screenshot: Orbital Knight

Spire Blast is one of the best casual games on Apple Arcade. It’s a physics-based match puzzler that involves plenty of fun destruction.

With more than 200 titles on Apple’s gaming service, it’s not easy finding the best. Here are five reasons Spire Blast is worth trying today.

How to watch Major League Soccer kickoff weekend for free

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Watch Major League Soccer on a wide variety of devices, including TVs, tablets and phones.
Watch Major League Soccer on a wide variety of devices, including TVs, tablets and phones, not only ones made by Apple.
Photo: Apple

It’s Major League Soccer’s opening weekend, and Apple TV will show every match… and they all can be watched free.

And that’s only the start. Apple TV is the home for MLS and will have every live match from the 2023 season plus the playoffs. Apple promises to offer more free matches later in the month and throughout the season.

Here’s how to enjoy these games without paying so much as a dime. These can be enjoyed on a wide variety of devices, not only ones from Apple.

New feature coming to Apple TV+: More ads

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Ads might come to Apple TV+
You might someday see this message on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly hired someone to grow the advertising business on its streaming video service. This is likely for ads shown during sporting events.

But it also raises the possibility that Apple TV+ might get an ad-supported tier some day. There have been hints of this in the past.

Second-gen Apple VR/AR headsets coming in 2025

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Apple VR/AR headset concept by Amin Jony.
Apple is allegedly prepping a product line of AR/VR headsets running xrOS.
Concept: Amin Jony/Freelancer.com

A new report from a reliable tipster indicates that the second-generation of Apple’s VR/AR headsets will launch in 2025. This will supposedly consist of two models.

But Apple still needs to get the first generation on the market, and it’s possible the release date for the product is slipping yet again.

Apple-1, factory-sealed iPhone 2007 and more rare Apple items go up for auction

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Apple-1 signed by Steve Wozniak
You can own one of the first Apple-1 units produced.
Photo: RR Auction

An Apple museum could be made of just the items currently up for bid at a single auction. There’s a fully functional Apple-1, an Apple Lisa 1, some technical notes handwritten by Steve Jobs, an original iPhone still sealed in the plastic and much, more.

Many of these items are expected to bring in big bucks.

App Store, Apple Music and many other services all suffer outage [Updated]

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Apple online services having technical problems
Apple reports that over two dozen Apple services are having an "outage." That includes many of the most-used ones.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Linnaea Mallette/PublicDomainPictures.net

Apple is having a major outage of its online services. No less than 29 of them are reporting major problems, including the App Store, Apple TV+, Apple Music, Podcasts, and some iCloud services.

So it’s not just you. Stop rebooting your computer trying to fix it.

Update: Apple was able to quickly fix some of these, so the current total is eight services still having problems.

Update 2: All problems with Apple online services have now been resolved.

Latest Mophie Powerstation battery sports AC socket, pumps 130W into 4 devices at once

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Latest Mophie Powerstation battery sports AC socket, pumps 130W into 4 devices at once
The Powerstation Pro AC can juice up an iPhone, iPad, Mac and a non-USB device.
Photo: Mophie

The new Mophie Powerstation Pro AC is for anyone who has multiple devices they need to charge on the go, and not just phones and tablets. The 27,000mAh external battery includes four charging ports, including an AC socket.

Mophie also introduced updated versions of its more basic Powerstation and Powerstation XL offerings on Thursday. These pack 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh, respectively.

This adorably tiny Macintosh is actually a powerful wall charger [Review] ★★★★★

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The Shargeek Retro 67, which looks like a Macintosh SE.★★★★★
This multidevice wall charger looks like a 2.25-inch-tall Macintosh from the '80s.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The earliest Macintosh models used an iconic design — one that many longtime Mac users like me feel nostalgic about. The Shargeek Retro 67 is a salute to those early Macs that’s useful, not just decorative.

It’s a palm-size wall charger that pumps up to 67 watts through a trio of USB-C ports. With it, you can make a Macintosh juice up your iPhone and MacBook.

As someone who still has a Mac from the 1980s, it was a delight to test the Retro 67.

OWC’s new high-speed Thunderbolt dock takes 11 useful ports on the road [Review] ★★★★

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OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock review★★★★
OWC's latest dock includes Thunderbolt 4 ports plus USB-A, HDMI and more.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock was designed to be taken on trips, which is unusual for a hub that uses this extremely fast connection standard. While portable, it still has room for eleven ports in a range useful types, including Thunderbolt 4 (of course), USB-A, HDMI, USB-C and more.

I put the dock through a series of real-world tests to see how well it performs.

TSMC’s entire 3nm chip output goes to Apple

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TSMC chip production
The 3nm chips TSMC makes all go to Apple.
Photo: TSMC

TSMC can now make 3nm processors, and Apple is all in. Literally all in — it’s reportedly buying the Taiwanese foundry’s complete output of 3nm chips.

This will be in the form of the upcoming Apple A17 and M3 processors, which are expected to both be made with the new process. It will make them faster and more energy efficient.

Why the Apple Watch might be banned from US import

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A judge ruled Apple infringed on AliveCor's ECG-related patents.
Apple Watch imports might be banned in an ongoing patent dispute. But that's unlikely.
Photo: Apple

A decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission to block Apple Watch imports reportedly received a go-ahead from the Biden administration.

That would be a devastating decision, except that the ITC’s ruling is based on Apple Watch violating patents owned by AliveCor, and the U.S. Patent Office has ruled those are invalid. AliveCor is appealing, though.

Apple hits 16 years at top of ‘world’s most admired companies’ list

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Apple hits 16 years at top of ‘world’s most admired companies’ list
Apple leads the list of Fortune's World’s Most Admired Companies All-Stars.
Photo: Fortune

Apple once again tops Fortune‘s list of the most admired companies in the world. It’s an honor Cupertino earned many times before. “For the 16th consecutive year, Apple finishes first in our annual ranking of corporate reputation,” noted Fortune.

Other tech giants that made the top 10 include Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet/Google.

OtterBox OtterGrip iPhone case combines serious protection with pop-up handle

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OtterBox OtterGrip gives iPhones serious protection plus a pop-up handle
OtterGrip promises solid protection, MagSafe compatibility and a pop-up handle.
Photo: OtterBox

OtterBox is known for its very protective iPhone cases, and its new OtterGrip Symmetry Series case adds a twist: a pop-up handle. Surprisingly, this doesn’t interfere with MagSafe wireless charging.

The design was good enough to win an Innovations Award at CES 2023 in January, and the case is now available to order.

Apple tries to jump-start virtual Car Key feature

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Apple tries to jumpstart virtual Car Key feature
Apple wants to make your iPhone into your car key, if it can get automakers to cooperate.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Remember Car Key digital car keys? Possibly not. Because ever since Apple announced the feature — which would let users unlock and start their cars with iPhone or Apple Watch — in 2020, it’s gone essentially nowhere. But a new Car Keys Tests application seems to indicate that the company wants to make its virtual car key system more widely available.

For that, it needs the help of automakers. The new app is part of that drive.