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Luke Dormehl - page 187

These are the RAM and camera specs for the new iPhone X

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Apple invite
More iPhone details have leaked ahead of this week's media event,
Photo: Apple

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has shared more information about the upcoming iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, as well as the high-end iPhone X. Troughton Smith’s new information relates to both the RAM and camera specs of the new devices, which are scheduled to be unveiled tomorrow — following one of the biggest leaks in Apple history.

Cold Blood Go, Glowish, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend, everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

How does an augmented reality zombie invasion game sound as a way to while away your Sunday? Fortunately, just such a title is part of this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also got a reminder of why Google rules the map app space, a soothing minimalist puzzle game worth checking out, and an alternate history shooter/strategy game. Check out our choices below.

We could get brand new movies on-demand in under a year

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iTunes movie
It might not be too long before you can get brand new movies on services like iTunes.
Photo: Apple

According to the studio head of 20th Century Fox, a deal allowing customers to watch movies in their own home just weeks after they’ve debuted in theaters is likely to be finalized in the next 6-12 months — with prices set at “less than $50.”

Up until now, media companies like Apple have been pushing for some kind of premium on-demand deal, but negotiations have been slow due to studios dragging their feet. However, at this week’s Bank of America Merrill Lynch media conference in Los Angeles, Fox studio boss Stacey Snider says that finally talks, “have started to coalesce around a concept.”

Days after Apple axed its U.K. music festival, Spotify is launching its own

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Spotify's new festival
Spotify's first "Who We Be" will soon rock the United Kingdom.
Photo: Spotify

Just days after Apple pulled the plug on its annual U.K.-based Apple Music Festival after a ten year run, Spotify has announced that it will by heading to the United Kingdom to stage a music festival of its own.

The so-called “Who We Be” festival will debut November 30 at London’s Alexandra Palace. Its lineup will include the likes of British grime and hip hop artists Dizzee Rascal, Bugzy Malone, Cardi B, Giggs, J Hus, and Stefflon Don.

Some lucky folks already have their own HomePods

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New HomePod
Yep, consider us jealous!
Photo: Themrlinc/Instagram CC

The HomePod won’t ship until later this year, but two posts on social media show that people working on the device are already testing them in their homes.

One Twitter user has shared an image taken in Menlo Park, CA, depicting a Control Center screen, complete with HomePod icon. Another user, this time on Instagram, posted a black and white photo of a HomePod in what looks like his or her kitchen in Shanghai, China.

Spotify and Hulu partner to offer $4.99 monthly subscriptions for students

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teamup
A great deal if you're a student!
Photo: Spotify/Hulu

Hulu and Spotify have teamed up to offer U.S. college students one heck of a deal. For $4.99 per month, the same cost as Spotify’s existing student plan, users now get access to Spotify Premium and Hulu’s “Limited Commercials” plan.

The offer is a great way of the companies staying competitive with the likes of Amazon and Apple, both of who offer their own $5 a month low-cost student plans.

You may have to wait until October to get your hands on the iPhone 8

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iPhone color
Like the look of the iPhone 8? You may have to wait to get your hands on it.
Photo: Ben Miller

The iPhone 8 may be set to debut at next week’s September 12 media event, but according to a new report the actual OLED handset itself won’t ship until October.

That is in contrast to the lower end LED iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus devices, which will ship one week after the September media event. In other words, if you want the best of Apple’s new handsets, you may have to be prepared to wait!

Trippy ARKit demo turns sound into 3D waveforms

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ArKIT demo
ARKit will land on the iPhone with iOS 11.
Photo: Zach Lieberman

A cool new ARKit demo shows how Apple’s new platform could be used to create a trippy and unique way of recording and visualizing sound.

The latest proof-of-concept video comes from code artist Zach Lieberman. The demo turns sound into a three-dimensional wave pattern, allowing musicians — or anyone else — to manipulate audio in a variety of ways.

Apple recruits more TV execs for original content efforts

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appletv
Apple is upping its focus on producing original programming.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is continuing to build up its TV unit with the recruiting of four new veteran television executives.

These include Kim Rozenfeld, former head of programming at Sony Pictures Television, ex-Sony development execs Max Aronson and Ali Woodruff, and former WGN America head of publicity Rita Cooper. All of them will play a role as Apple continues to expand its push toward creating original programming.

Steve Jobs Theater is as special as any other Apple product

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The roof to Apple's theater looks like a UFO.
What, you don't think a building named after Steve wouldn't show obsessive levels of perfectionism?
Photo: Apple

Ahead of next week’s iPhone 8 keynote at Apple Park’s Steve Jobs Theater, a few more details have been shared about Apple’s brand new location for media events.

And they’re every bit as obsessively perfect as you’d expect a building named after Apple’s co-founder and former CEO would be.

From Cupertino with love: Apple could acquire James Bond franchise rights

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James Bond
Both Apple and Amazon are reportedly among the bidders.
Photo: Eon Pictures

Apple is in the running to secure movie (and possibly TV) distribution rights for the James Bond franchise, a new report claims.

While Warner Bros., Sony, Universal and Fox are the more likely candidates, Apple and fellow tech giant Amazon have also reportedly thrown their names into the hat. Jony Ive as 007, anyone?

India fights Apple over anti-spam app ban

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Apple is at odds with the Indian government.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is running into big problems in India, concerning a clash with the government over its anti-spam iOS app.

The problem comes down to a Do Not Disturb app, which the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India wants Apple to distribute on the App Store. Apple, however, is refusing since it allows people to share spam call and text message logs with government agency, which Apple claims violates its privacy policies.

Drone flyover shows off a bustling Steve Jobs Theater

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Steve Jobs Theater
The Steve Jobs Theater is the site or next week's iPhone 8 event.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

A spectacular new drone flyover video of Apple’s enormous Apple Park campus shows off employees gathered at the new Steve Jobs Theater, where next week’s iPhone 8 keynote is scheduled to be held.

While it doesn’t give any spoilers away about what we can expect from the event, it’s the best look we’ve yet received at the new location for media events, all courtesy of drone photographer extraordinaire, Duncan Sinfield. Check it out below.

China will get a new Apple store in time for iPhone 8

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Apple store's new location
Apple's newest Apple store location.
Photo: Wikipedia CC

Apple has announced that it will open its latest China Apple store just in time for this year’s iPhone 8 release.

The new store will be located in Ningbo, a sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang. The space that Apple has picked out is in Tianyi Square, a giant retail area covering a massive 350,000 square meters. Tianyi Square has won awards for its design, which makes it the perfect location for design-fixated Apple.

Why it might be easier to choose the right iPhone 8 for you

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iPhone color
iPhone 8 may come in only two storage options.
Photo: Ben Miller

A recent report suggested that the new iPhone 8 will ship in three different storage configurations, starting at $999 for a 64 GB option, and increasing at $100 increments through 256 GB and an unprecedented 512 GB model.

A new note from UBS analysts Steven Milunovich and Benjamim Wilson disagrees, however. Instead, they think it’s “unlikely” that Apple will ship a $1,199 version, and instead that Apple will offer only two storage options — in the form of a 64 GB and 256 GB version.

Siri helps save life of teen stranded in Hurricane Harvey flooding

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
On this occasion, Siri was a real life lifesaver.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri is being credited as helping save the life of a critically-ill teenager in Texas, who was trapped on a roof with her family due to flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

After calls to 911 and pleas on Facebook and Instagram failed to yield results, the 14-year-old — who suffers from sickle cell anemia — asked Siri for help. Siri proceeded to place calls with the U.S. Coast Guard, which resulted in the family being rescued.

Apple Music Festival axed after 10-year run

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Festival
The festival first launched ten years ago as the iTunes Festival.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly pulling the plug on its annual Apple Music Festival at London’s Roundhouse in the U.K.

The festival was first staged by Apple in 2007 as the iTunes Festival, and was rebranded in 2015 for the Apple Music launch. In addition to offering tickets for fans to attend live, Apple streamed the shows online.

Here’s how much the three tiers of iPhone 8 will cost

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Get ready to splash some cash!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to show off its new, eagerly anticipated iPhone 8 for the first time next week — and according to renowned Apple leaker and tipster Benjamin Geskin, it won’t be cheap.

Geskin has posted the prices for the new handset on Twitter, which he reportedly heard from a friend with knowledge of Apple’s plans. Here’s how much Geskin thinks we’ll be shelling out for the new devices:

Tim Cook defends 250 Apple employees at risk of deportation

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Tim WWDC
Tim Cook is opposed to President Trump on immigration issues.
Photo: Apple

Over the weekend, Tim Cook shared a post on Twitter, showing his support for the 250 of his Apple colleagues who entered the United States illegally as children — who currently benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection. Cook described how these employees, “deserve our respect as equals.”

His tweet comes as President Donald Trump is reportedly set to scrap the legal protections offered under the DACA program, which keeps close to 800,000 young men and women safe from deportation.

Raindrop.io, WriteMapper, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Looking for an app that will help you keep all your ideas in one place, whether you’re jotting down basic ideas or fleshing them out in more detail? This week saw the release of a tremendous mind-map and text editing app that will help you do just that.

That’s just one of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a fun update of an augmented reality favorite, a brilliant video app gone free, and an app for easily saving your bookmarks.

Check out our choices below.

Apple updates Leadership page to include its two latest VPs

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Leadership page
Apple's two newest Vice Presidents are veterans of the company.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its Leadership page to include its two newest Vice Presidents, both of whom have now started in their new roles at the company.

Deirdre O’Brien is listed as Apple’s VP of People, while Isabel Ge Mahe is Apple’s Managing Director of Greater China. Check out more details concerning the new VPs below.

Apple’s peer-to-peer payments service won’t just be available in U.S.

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay Cash will let you send money to friends using the Messages app.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments service set to debut with iOS 11, looks like it will be coming to Europe, alongside the United States.

That’s based on a new trademark application Apple filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) this week.

Apple competes with Netflix over Jennifer Aniston drama series

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple will have to splash the cash to secure rights to new drama series.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly battling with Netflix over the rights to a new original drama series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

The show is based around the workings of a morning television TV chat show, possibly (hopefully!) suggesting something similar to Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom or Sports Night.