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Luke Dormehl - page 134

Apple and suppliers suffer a bruising day on stock market

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money
AAPL is having a tough time right now. At least comparatively.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple stock took another plunge yesterday, finishing down 4.4 percent. The reason for the fall is continuing concerns about the iPhone, which have caused numerous analysts to downgrade their price targets for AAPL.

It’s not just Apple that’s being affected, either. The company’s suppliers have also been hit by fears about the future of iPhone sales. Multiple suppliers associated with Apple have seen their stock prices decline by up to 5 percent as a result.

Apple’s aborted data center still causing problems in Ireland

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Politicians receive frightening threats about cancelled Apple data center
The data center as it would have looked.
Photo: Apple

Endless delays may have caused Apple to ditch its plans for a giant data center in County Galway in Ireland, but the repercussions are still being felt.

Galways’s Supreme Court will sit in March to hear an appeal regarding whether An Bord Pleanála, the independent planning body, “breached its legal obligations” by approving the first part of the proposed $960 million Apple development.

Android will have a big advantage over iPhone in 2019

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iPhone 5G
The clue is in the giant "5G" written in the middle of this iPhone's display.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple may not be planning to release a 5G iPhone until at least 2020, but don’t expect rival Android handset makers to be willing to hold on for so long.

According to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, by this time next year the market is set to be flooded with 5G Android phones. “Every Android vendor is working on 5G right now,” he said.

Apple adds male lead to its M. Night Shyamalan TV series

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Toby Kebbell 1
Kebbell at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia CC

Actor Toby Kebbell has been cast as the male lead in Apple’s forthcoming psychological series from director M. Night Shyamalan. Kebbell will likely be best known to readers for his role as Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.

He has also made memorable appearances in the revenge movie Dead Man’s Shoes and Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, as well as appearing as Dr. Doom in the critically panned Fantastic Four. Here’s who he will be starring alongside.

iPhone filmmaker wins prestigious (and controversial) Turner Prize

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Charlotte Prodger
Prize-winning artist Charlotte Prodger.
Photo: Film London

A series of short video clips shot on an iPhone have been awarded the 2018 Turner prize, a prestigious (if sometimes controversial) annual award handed out to a British visual artist.

The videos which scored the 25,000 pound ($31,700) prize include scenes such as a view of the Scottish countryside filmed from a train window, a T-shirt drying on the radiator, and a cat pawing at a lamp.

HSBC analyst says iPhone growth is ‘broadly over’

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Queue in Singapore
Fans lining up to get their hands on a new iPhone.
Photo: Apple

HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg thinks that Apple’s hardware growth is “broadly over for now,” as iPhone sales stall.

Rambourg is the latest analyst to downgrade Apple’s price target. However, he doesn’t think investors should sell up just yet. “[It’s] too late to sell, too early to buy,” the analyst advised.

Deezer lets you discover your next favorite song using Siri

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Deezer 2
Siri will let you discover new music, via Deezer.
Photo: Deezer

Streaming music company Deezer wants to make it easier for users to play the music they want — by adding support for Siri Shortcuts. This means that you can now access your jam (as the kids say) by asking Deezer to “Play my favorite tracks.”

That puts 53 million tracks — including new releases, albums and curated playlists — at your fingertips at the tip of your tongue. And Deezer thinks it has the added secret sauce to make this extra special, too.

Apple hopes big discounts will boost slowing iPhone sales

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Apple
Apple is changing up its sales strategy.
Photo: Apple

Apple is resorting to very un-Apple marketing strategies to try and bolster sales of this year’s new iPhones, a report claims.

These strategies include discount promotions via “generous” device buyback terms. The company is even moving marketing staff from other projects to try and come up with ways to move the iPhone XR and XS off the shelves. This could be proof positive that the new iPhones haven’t been selling as expected.

Apple highlights the apps and games which ‘shaped entertainment’ this year

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Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
Apple also covers movies, music, and more.
Photo: Apple

Apple has released its year-end lists for the best apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and more. Apple’s selections — which it claims “shaped entertainment and culture around the world this year” — are all available to buy via Apple’s platforms.

Here are some of the selections that made the cut.

Apple’s first 5G iPhone won’t arrive until at least 2020

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iPhone 5G
Apple's in no rush to be the first 5G smartphone maker to market.
Photo illustration: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anyone hoping for a 5G iPhone in 2019 is going to be sorely disappointed, a new report claims. That’s because Apple is supposedly holding off plans to launch a handset on the ultra-fast 5G network until 2020 at the earliest.

That likely means that rivals like Samsung will be able to win more customers, short term, by rushing to beat Apple to the punch. However, for anyone who has followed Apple for a while, this move is no surprise.

Handwritten Steve Jobs Apple-1 spec sheet up for auction

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man in the machine
Steve Jobs as a young man.
Photo: Magnolia Pictures/Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine

Steve Jobs was renowned for being hands-on when it came to overseeing Apple’s iconic ad campaigns. But if you really want an Apple ad that had Jobs’ writing all over it, you need to start scouring your personal savings.

That’s because a handwritten document describing the spec of the Apple-1 — Apple’s first ever computer — is coming up for auction this month. In it, Jobs’ describes the computer’s printed circuit board, which was being sold for $75, as a “real deal.”

Apple and Qualcomm will face off in court in April

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Qualcomm headquarters
This is set to be a major legal battle in 2019.
Photo: Qualcomm

A trial date has been announced for the long-brewing Qualcomm vs. Apple lawsuit. According to a new report, it will take place on April 15, 2019.

While Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf recently suggested that the two companies are “on the doorstep of a resolution,” Apple’s attorney insists that this is not the case. “There have been unfortunate articles lately that the parties are close to a settlement, and that is not true,” attorney William Isaacson said. “There haven’t been talks in months.”

iPhone will be spared from China tariffs — for now

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Both China and the U.S. are hitting pause on the growing tariff war.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

President Trump says that the U.S. and China have come to an agreement to hit pause on the escalating trade war between the two countries.

Trump’s comments follow on from the G-20 summit in Argentina, in which he met with Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China. The 90-day delay on tariffs will cause a sigh of relief for executives at Apple, since the iPhone was recently threatened with additional tariffs.

Attendees of the Ellen Show given a free iPhone XR

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Ellen iPhone 2
"And you get an iPhone! And you get an iPhone! And YOU get an iPhone!"
Photo: Ellen Show

Apple is literally giving away free units of its iPhone XR handsets.

Okay, so that’s not quite as bad as it sounds, but it’s the free gift which met attendees of the latest edition of the Ellen Show. In an Oprah-like stunt, host Ellen DeGeneres and actress Julia Roberts announced to the crowd that they were all being given a freebie iPhone.

Updated AirPods will supposedly land in early 2019

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Apple AirPods
And, you guessed it, they're going to be even more expensive.
Photo: Apple

Upgraded AirPods are on the way in early 2019, with a total redesign scheduled for 2020. At least, that’s according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a new note to clients.

Kuo claims that the big improvement for next year’s AirPods will be the addition of wireless charging support. This is most likely the wireless charging case that Apple first announced back in September 2017, alongside its still MIA AirPower charging mat.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades gets pushed back to early 2019

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Bethesda
This game will look spectacular ... once it finally arrives.
Photo: Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda Softworks’ The Elder Scrolls: Blades may look stunning — but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to play the highly anticipated iOS game.

According to a new tweet sent out by the game’s developers, the free-to-play RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe has been pushed back to 2019. Originally, Bethesda planned to release it this fall.

Apple Music coming to Echo smart speakers next month

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Echo Dot
You'll soon be able to play Apple Music on your Amazon speaker.
Photo: Amazon

In an early Christmas present to Apple fans with an Amazon Echo, Apple Music is coming to Amazon’s line of smart speakers next month. Apple Music will be available as an option on Echo devices starting December 17.

“Music is one of the most popular features on Alexa,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices. “We’re thrilled to bring Apple Music – one of the most popular music services in the U.S. – to Echo customers this holiday.”

Apple’s troubled Melbourne flagship store has been pushed back a year

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Oz new store
The original, now abandoned design for Melbourne's flagship Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s proposed flagship Apple Store in Melbourne, Australia’s Federation Square has been pushed back at least a year. Work was originally scheduled to start in early 2019. However, now it won’t begin until 2020 — with the eventual opening taking place in 2021.

If it even happens at all, that is.

Target’s Apple Pay freeze-out may be thawing

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Target trolleys in store
One Target store is reportedly now accepting Apple Pay.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

The days of Apple Pay not being accepted at Target could be coming to an end. According to a number of users on Twitter, the Target store in San Francisco is currently accepting Apple Pay purchases.

While this has yet to be rolled out to Target’s other 1,821 stores, this suggests the company may be changing its stance on Apple’s mobile payment service.

Sixth-gen iPad now available through Apple’s refurb store

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iPad2
This iPad was aimed at students.
Photo: Apple

Looking for a new iPad for the holidays, but not quite ready to splash out on Apple’s high end iPad Pro models? No problem: Apple’s refurb store just picked up the sixth-gen 9.7-inch iPad, with prices starting at $279 for a 32GB model.

The sixth-gen iPad was announced on March 27, 2018, during Apple’s education-focused event in Chicago. It retails for $329 new.

75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12

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iOS 12
iOS 12 is outpacing iOS 11 in terms of adoption.
Photo: Apple

Three-quarters of iOS users have upgraded to iOS 12, data released by analytics firm Mixpanel suggests. According to the firm’s records, around 75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12, around 20 percent are still on iOS 11, and the remainder are using a previous version.

It’s an impressive reminder of just how rapidly Apple users upgrade to the latest operating system.

Shine: Journey of Light looks and plays like a dream

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SHINE - Journey Of Light is a relaxing iOS game.
Looking for a dreamy new platformer for iOS? You've come to the right place.
Photo: Fox and Sheep GmbH

From Monument Valley to Alto’s Odyssey, there are some truly jaw-droppingly beautiful games on iOS. Eager to add its name to this list is Shine: Journey of Light, a refreshingly calming take on the platformer genre — in which you guide an orb of light through assorted caves, magical woods, and underwater labyrinths.

The goal is to find other orbs of light which, combined, will help light up the stars in the sky. Okay, so that might sound like nonsensical gibberish to the uninitiated, but the game is a dreamy stunner. Check out the trailer below.

Lack of in-built dust filters damages Macs, claims class action suit

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macOS high sierra
Class action lawsuit says Macs should come with built-in dust filters.
Photo: Apple

A growing class action lawsuit is seeking more plaintiffs to take Apple to court over its iMacs and MacBooks.

The accusation? That by selling computers without dust filters, Apple is willfully ignoring something which can interfere with the “functionality and use” of the high-end displays.

Qualcomm CEO says battle with Apple is nearing its end

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Qualcomm patents
Could the feud finally be coming to an end?
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple’s battle with Qualcomm has been raging on for the past two years, but an end could finally be in sight. Possibly.

In an interview with CNBC‘s Jim Cramer, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that the company is currently “on the doorstep” of a resolution with Apple.