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Luke Dormehl - page 140

Happy Steve Jobs Day, everyone!

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Steve Jobs offers a sneak peek at the first Apple store prior to its opening.
"What, only the one day?"
Screenshot: Apple

There’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and … Steve Jobs Day? Yep, it’s true: If you live in California, then today — October 16 — is officially Steve Jobs Day.

So make sure to wear your best mock turtleneck, take the license plate off your car (note: don’t actually do this), put on a Bob Dylan album, and maybe brush up on your calligraphy to pay tribute to Apple’s co-founder!

Scam subscriptions plague the App Store

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App store
There's a whole of money that can be made on the App Store.
Photo: Apple

Subscriptions mean big business for app developers, but this success has ushered supposed bad actors into the App Store. A new article by TechCrunch shines a light on some of these apparent scam tactics, which could cause a headache for Apple.

iPhone XR looks set to become a massive smash hit

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iPhone XR
Are you excited about the iPhone XR?
Photo: Apple

Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone XR is going to be a massive smash hit for Apple — and it seems everyone is being taken by surprise by how in-demand it will be.

In a recent note to investors, Kuo increased his estimate for fourth-quarter iPhone XR shipments by 10 percent. Instead of 33 million to 35 million iPhone XR units over the quarter, he now thinks Apple’s suppliers will ship out 36 million to 38 million units.

Why Apple’s plan to give away original TV shows is crazy like a fox

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Will Apple's weird plan to give away its TV shows make Netflix nervous?
Will Apple's weird plan to give away its TV shows make Netflix nervous?
Photo: Siniz Kim/Unsplash CC

After spending upward of $1 billion creating original TV shows, Apple apparently plans to give them away for free. That would certainly be a bold move as Apple muscles into original video production, but it might be the craziest idea ever.

Here are three reasons why it’s a smart strategy — and three more why it could backfire.

Your Apple Watch could monitor how you’re recovering after a hip op

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
This is Apple's second major medical study.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple has teamed up with medical device company Zimmer Biomet to explore ways to make the Apple Watch into a valuable tool for people recovering from knee and hip replacement surgeries.

The two companies are collaborating on a clinical study to examine why certain patients recover from these procedures faster than others. The Apple Watch will be used for gathering data from participants.

iPhone Upgrade Program users can start process of getting iPhone XR today

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iPhone Upgrade Program 2
It's like being a celebrity whisked through the pre-order process.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR, the handset which scored the main event spot in Apple’s most recent media event, opens up for pre-orders this Friday. However, if you’re a loyal enough Apple fan to be a member of its iPhone Upgrade Program, you can begin the process of getting your hands on an iPhone XR today.

That’s due to a pre-approval feature, which will speed you through Friday’s checkout process like a celebrity being ushered through airport security.

Apple donates 1,000 watches for eating disorder study

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Man’s brand new Apple Watch turns out to be toilet plunger
Apple Watch is being used in yet another research study.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is donating 1,000 Apple Watches for a new study intended to track binge eating. The Binge Eating Genetics Initiative (BEGIN) is being run by the University of North Carolina. The Apple Watches will be used to track the heart rate of participants when they binge on food.

This is just the latest example of how Apple’s wearable device is being used in research studies.

Apple debuts a pair of new Apple Watch ‘how to’ videos

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Apple Watch 2
New videos showcase Apple Watch’s Workouts and Emergency SOS features.
Photo: Apple

With the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple’s wearable devices have moved firmly into the territory of “must have” tech products. And Apple wants to make sure that potential customers know everything they can do!

As a result, the company unleashed a pair of new “How to” videos over the weekend — showcasing how to use the Apple Watch’s Workout feature and its Emergency SOS mode. Check them out below.

New Apple case shows iPhone XR’s true colors

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Clear case 2
Coming soon to an iPhone XR near you.
Photo: 9to5Mac

Apple didn’t make a big thing about iPhone XR accessories that will be available when the less-expensive device launches later this month. However, an eagle-eyed iPhone XR fan (try saying that several times fast) spotted a new clear iPhone XR case mentioned in one of Apple’s regional press releases.

In Canada, and potentially other locations, a line tucked away in the iPhone XR press release notes that Apple will release a clear case for its LCD handset. We presume it will be available in the U.S. as well.

TMSC will be Apple’s exclusive manufacturer for next year’s A13 chips

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Gather_Round_A12Bionic 2
The A12 Bionic chip was great. What will the A13 chip offer?
Photo: Apple

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-series mobile chips since 2016, and it appears that this arrangement will continue on into 2019.

According to a new report, TSMC will be producing all of the orders for Apple’s A13 series chip next year, thereby continuing to cement its position as one of the most dominant chipmakers in the industry.

Photo shows what may be Thailand’s first Apple Store

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Thailand Apple Store
A glimpse at the (possible) new Apple Store.
Photo: Siampod

We may well have confirmation of the opening of the first Apple Store in Thailand, thanks to an image shared on social media. While it doesn’t reveal the retail store in all its completed grandeur, it does show a building with recognizable glass exterior and, of course, that all-important logo.

Apple Music now offers Genius annotations and lyrics

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iPhone with Genius
Level up your music knowledge today.
Photo: Genius

If you’ve ever wanted to dive more deeply into the music you love, boy, have we got the announcement for you! Starting today, digital media company Genius (formerly Rap Genius) is teaming up with Apple Music to provide annotations and song lyrics to “thousands of songs” on the platform.

Popular medication tracking app gets Health Records integration

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Medicsafe app 1
Medisafe lets you easily track medication without having to manually enter it into the app.
Photo: Medisafe

Popular medication management app Medisafe has added support for Apple’s Health Records service. This means that users can more easily track the medication that they are supposed to be taking, without having to manually enter it into the app.

That’s useful not just for reminder purposes, but also for more easily and accurately tracking dosage and avoiding potentially lethal drug interactions. As a result, it could potentially save lives.

Stolen Apple IDs reportedly used for Chinese mobile payment thefts

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Alipay
Alipay is one of the mobile payment services where users have reportedly had money taken.
Photo: Alipay

Hackers in China have used stolen Apple IDs to make off with cash from customers’ Alipay and Tencent accounts, two popular Chinese mobile payments service.

In a post on Weibo, Alipay said that it has contacted Apple to determine the exact details of the breach. It also warned that users who have linked their Apple IDs to mobile payment services should lower their transaction limits. Tencent has also gotten in contact with Apple.

Two women wanted for stealing $6,000 of devices from Apple Store

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Virginia Apple Store
The Apple Store where the robberies took place.
Photo: Apple

Police may have arrested those responsible for the recent spate of Apple Store organized thefts across California, but that’s unfortunately not the end of people targeting Apple Stores for robberies.

In Virginia Beach, VA, police are looking to identify two women accused of stealing more than $6,000 worth of Apple devices over a single weekend. The main devices stolen were Apple Watches.

Apple makes massive deal to buy part of Dialog chipmaker

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The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
Apple has used Dialog Semiconductor's tech dating back to the first iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is paying $300 million in cash to purchase part of Dialog Semiconductor, a European chipmaker that Apple has been working with since the first iPhone.

The investment is part of Apple’s strategy to develop superior chipsets which will help it stand out and differentiate itself in the battle with rival smartphone and other mobile device makers.

Apple will donate to Hurricane Michael recovery and relief efforts

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money
Apple is donating some of its hard-earned cash to a great cause.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will donate to relief efforts for Hurricane Michael, the most powerful hurricane ever to hit north-west Florida. According to emergency services, the storm left around 500,000 people without electricity in Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

Tim Cook made note of Apple’s decision in a series of tweets sent out late Wednesday, in which he said that he grew up on in the part of the Gulf Coast being affected by the hurricane. As a result, it is an area he shares a “special” connection with.

Snapchat jumps into original content with 5-minute daily scripted shows

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Snap Originals 1
Snap is launching a whole bunch of original shows.
Photo: Snap

Apple’s not the only tech company hopping on the original content bandwagon in 2018. Snapchat company Snap is launching new shows in partnership with Hollywood production companies. And they’re coming as soon as today.

Called “Snap Originals,” they won’t be full-length shows like Apple is busy commissioning, though. In keeping with the short-term hook that made Snapchat popular, the company is cranking out five-minute episodes shot vertically for viewing on mobile devices.

Senators want answers about alleged China spy chips

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
Recent report claimed that Apple's data center had been infiltrated by spy chips.
Photo: Pexels

It’s not yet clear how much veracity there is to the recent Bloomberg report claiming that companies, including Apple and Amazon, were sold data servers compromised by Chinese spies. However, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators want answers from the manufacturer in question.

In a letter addressed to motherboard supplier Supermicro, senators Marco Rubio and Richard Blumenthal request the answers to eight queries. Here’s what they want to know:

Apple buys visual effects startup focused on machine learning

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Spektral 2
Startup is helping Apple's video and photo editing tools get smarter.
Photo: Spektral

Apple has acquired a Danish visual effects company which uses machine learning technology for image and video editing.

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the startup Spektral was acquired late in 2017, although news of the purchase has only come to light now. One of the company’s core technologies relates to real-time green screen processing that’s capable of separating people and objects from a background and dropping them into a scene with an alternate backdrop.

Netflix isn’t worried about Apple’s impending avalanche of TV shows

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Netflix isn't fearing Apple.
Photo: Flickr/Stock Catalog

Apple is spending upwards of $1 billion making original TV shows, but little has been publicly said about the initiative just yet. According to Netflix’s chief content officer, not only are customers in the dark about how Apple will make its shows available — even the folks making the shows for Apple don’t know.

Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in Los Angeles, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos said that, “I don’t have any idea what that Apple product is going to be. I don’t think anybody does. I don’t think people making shows for them have any idea.”

What’s more, Netflix isn’t worried!

Apple sued over misleading iTunes season pass bundles

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Apple's iTunes movie trailers go dark as streaming supplants downloads.
Apple is accused of misleading wording.
Photo: Tookapic/Pexels CC

Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly tricking iTunes customers into buying its TV season bundles by misleading them over how many episodes are contained.

iTunes sells shows by individual episodes, whole seasons, or season passes, which includes current and future episodes not yet available. The lawsuit takes aim at this last option, claiming that Apple sneakily counts promotional clips as episodes.

Tim Cook pays a visit to Shanghai

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Tim Cook is visiting China at a time when there are lots of questions in the air.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Tim Cook is in China, visiting Shanghai to promote Apple Watch, pay a trip to one of one of the local Apple Stores, and meet with developers and Apple users.

Cook marked the trip by posting on his official Weibo account, the microblogging account that acts as China’s version of Twitter. While he is upbeat about meeting with Chinese fans, however, the visit comes at a tough time — with a burgeoning trade war with the U.S. and questionable claims about Chinese spy chips allegedly used by Apple.

Apple hires replacement actor for Are You Sleeping? series

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apple tv
Apple now has more than 20 shows in production.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Actress Katherine LaNasa from the TV series Imposters and Satisfaction has joined the cast of Apple thriller series Are You Sleeping?, about a Serial-style crime podcast which reopens a murder case.

Interestingly, she will play a new character to replace the one originally played by actress Moon Bloodgood, who left the show after filming four out of the eight season one episodes. According to trade publication Deadline, the character’s role in the show is being completely rewritten.