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Luke Dormehl - page 267

Jony Ive denies that Apple is turning into a luxury company

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Hermes Apple Watch bands are now available on their own.
Apple couldn't wait to hop into bed with French luxury house Hermès.
Photo: Apple

Jony Ive sure loves his designer goods, but don’t suggest to him that products like the new high-end Apple Watch Hermès are turning Apple into a luxury company.

“We don’t think in those terms,” Ive says in a new interview. “I’m not comfortable with words like exclusive.”

This from the guy who made a $17,000 smartwatch!

The Apple announcements that really got our hearts pumping

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If you look closely you can actually pinpoint the exact moment the Apple Watch heart rate monitor stops working.
You can actually pinpoint the second when Apple announced a stylus.
Photo: The Simpsons, Twentieth Century Fox

We’ve seen Wednesday’s Apple keynote dissected every which way, but how about analyzing the moments where viewers’ heart rates jumped at the latest news from the Good Ship Cupertino?

That’s what the developers and beta testers of heart-monitoring Apple Watch app Cardiogram did, as they set their devices to workout mode for the anticipated event to find out what really tugged at their heart strings.

The results are … interesting.

Live Photos are great — just not for 16GB iPhones

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iPhone 6s has Live Photos.
Live Photos consume twice the space of regular iPhone pics.
Photo: Apple

When Phil Schiller introduced the iPhone 6s’ new Live Photos, he noted that Apple had implemented it, “in a space-efficient way, so they don’t take up much more room.”

In fact, according to a new report, Live Photos take up around 2x the space of a regular still photo. That’s still an impressive bit of compression on Apple’s part, but also likely to make life a bit tougher for those planning to buy the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6s.

Apple’s iPhone 6s keynote is even more magical as a musical

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Tim cook
Just when you thought Apple's keynote couldn't get any more memorable.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s keynotes typically give you plenty worth singing about, and for “Song-A-Day” YouTuber Jonathan Mann, that’s reason enough to bust out new tunes.

Mann, whose catchy jingles once made Steve Jobs dance, always puts together a musical remix following Apple events, and this week’s jam-packed keynote is no exception.

If you don’t have time to sit through the entire 2-hour-plus event, or simply want to relive the most memorable lines with a catchy electronic backing, this is the video for you. Check it out below:

T-Mobile will slash $125 off your new iPhone 6s

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t-mobilejohn-legere
John Legere would love to be your iPhone 6s Uncarrier.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile sure wants to be your carrier for the new iPhone 6s.

Having previously introduced attention-grabbing offers like Apple Music streaming which doesn’t take a byte out of your monthly data allowance, the Uncannier is now offering customers the chance to get their hands on a 16GB iPhone 6s for $125 less than its normal sales price of $649.

And outspoken CEO John Legere wants to make sure you know T-Mobile coverage is better than ever, too.

21-inch iMac with spectacular 4K display is coming this year

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CODMW3-Press-iMac1
The new iMac should match the pixel density of its 5K big brother.
Photo: Apple

Apple reportedly kicked off production of its new 21-inch 4K iMac earlier this month, according to a new report — with the new desktop computers said to be arriving in stores sometime in the fourth quarter.

It is claimed that the new iMac will boast a pixel density the same as Apple’s larger 27-inch 5K iMac, which began shipping almost a year ago. If Apple follows a similar release pattern with its 21-inch iMac, we could well see the new computer officially launch in October.

Having a hot demo at an Apple keynote comes at a cost

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AirStrip's servers skipped a beat after the Apple keynote.
Photo: Apple

When Apple sends its millions of followers your way, you’d better be ready!

That’s the lesson learned by mobile health developer AirStrip Technologies, which reports that it was unprepared for the stampede of digital feet which came after its Apple Watch demo at yesterday’s keynote.

“Our website was crashed within seconds,” AirStrip CEO Alan Portela said — adding that, “I have to confess, I didn’t know we were going to be right after Tim Cook.”

Why the new Apple TV will make you want to turn on and tune in

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Want. Now.
The future of TV, anyone?
Photo: Apple

Don’t you dare call Apple TV a hobby anymore!

Apple today unveiled its refreshed set-top box — boasting a futuristic new remote control, Siri integration, App Store, and much, much more. Tim Cook called it the “future of television,” and having watched the demo, it’s tough to disagree with him.

Check below for everything you need to know about the newly-“must have” Apple TV.

Get (RED)dy for the new Apple Watch Sport strap

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The most striking Apple Watch Sport strap yet?
Photo: Larry Greenberg

Apple is “confirmed” to be showing off a new (Product) RED Apple Watch Sport band at today’s media event, according to an image which has appeared on Twitter.

The company has been giving out similar bands to various celebrities for some time now, but this is the first time they would go on sale to the general public.

Seriously, could today’s Apple keynote get any more packed?

Someone’s already camping out for iPhone 6s — and he’s not even an Apple fan

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I love my iPhone, but I'd draw the line at this.
Photo: Seamus Byrne/Twitter

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus haven’t even been announced yet, but already an Australian man is camping out in front of Sydney’s Apple Store with the aim of being the first person in the world to buy Apple’s next-gen handset.

And, weirdly enough, he doesn’t claim to be a particularly big Apple fan.

Why the new Apple TV won’t be like the Pippin

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Pippin
Alas, poor Pippin. We knew you not too well.
Photo: All About Apple

One of the most eagerly-anticipated features of the new Apple TV, set to be unveiled today, is that it will be geared toward the gamer market — maybe even taking on console powerhouses like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Although Apple dominates mobile gaming thanks to the iPhone and iPad, this will be the company’s first stab at making a device where games are one of the primary features. Right?

Wrong! Back in 1995, Apple launched its own-brand games console, the Pippin. Despite some good ideas, it sank like a rock.

Here’s what Apple learned from that sales disaster, and why it won’t make the same mistake twice.

Here’s every amazing artist you can watch free at Apple Music Festival

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I'm just sad Ellie Goulding didn't change her name to Ellie Rose-Goulding in a nifty bit of iPhone 6s cross-promotion.
Photo: Apple

Apple has announced that Ellie Goulding will open its upcoming Apple Music Festival, while also confirming performances by Carrie Underwood and Mumford and Sons.

Check below for the now-complete lineup of main artists who will rock the London stage for 10 days between September 19 and September 28.

How being featured in an Apple ad changed one musician’s life

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Blick Bassy became an international star thanks to Apple.
Photo: Blick Bassy

40-year-old Cameroonian musician Blick Bassy has revealed how his life was transformed when Apple chose one of his songs, “Kiki,” for part of its iPhone 6 ad campaign.

Although the ad only includes a 15-second excerpt of the song, Bassy says the resulting exposure has been greater than anything he has experienced in his 20 year musical career.

Check out the ad below:

Here’s what people use their Apple Watch for

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Not everybody who bought the Apple Watch is wearing it.
The Apple Watch sure is a versatile device.
Photo: Apple

Unlike many previous must-have tech gadgets, the Apple Watch doesn’t just have one killer app — but many. So what exactly do owners use their Watch for then, and how does this stack up against Apple’s stated goals for the device?

A new survey released by analysts at Wristly charts the usage of around 2,000 Apple Watch owners, and reveals a few intriguing insights into the most and least popular uses for Apple’s debut wearable device.

The conclusions? Checking the time and monitoring activity = Hot. Using it as a next-gen communication device = Not.

iPhone owner makes a new pri-mate at the zoo

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Looking for a startup idea? I'll license the concept of Gorilla Tinder for a very reasonable price.
Photo: Paul Ross

An iPhone owner found that the bond shared by Apple fans even extends between species when he met an iPhone-loving gorilla during a recent trip to Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.

Separated by safety glass from one of our closest living relatives, the visitor decided to show Jelaini the gorilla photos of other gorillas — leading to an astonishing video in which Jelaini appears completely transfixed by the images.

Check it out below:

iPhone 6c concept is every bit as sexy as the name suggests

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4inch
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus could have a new baby bro.
Photo: Martin Hajek

One of the more intriguing iPhone rumors this year has been the return of a 4-inch Apple handset in the form of the so-called iPhone 6c.

But what would it look like alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus? To help us out, noted concept designer Martin Hajek has given us a special sneak preview.

Check out more of Hajek’s pictures below:

Apple is willing to bet big on artificial intelligence

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Come with us if you want to CultCast.
Next year's WWDC, anyone?
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Apple is ramping up its hiring of artificial intelligence experts in an attempt to compete with companies like Google.

According to a new report, Apple’s number of machine learning gurus has tripled or quadrupled in the past few years, and Cupertino is currently in the middle of a hiring spree for even more.

Forget Skynet, how about iNet?

Apple is building a brand new campus for 7,000 employees in Texas

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A sneak peak at Apple's new Austin campus. The campus will include a doctor’s offices and exam rooms named after Texas parks.
A sneak peak at Apple's new Austin campus. The campus will include doctors’ offices and exam rooms named after Texas parks.
Photo: My Statesman

Everyone’s focused on Apple’s upcoming “spaceship” campus, but Apple is also currently hard at work on its second-largest global campus.

Based in Northwest Austin, TX, the 1.1 million square foot space will reportedly house around 7,000 local workers, and be responsible for Apple’s “business operations for the Western Hemisphere.”

Woz wowed by accuracy of new Steve Jobs movie

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rogenandwoz
Seth Rogen plays Woz in the new Steve Jobs biopic.
Photo: Seth Rogen/Steve Wozniak

The new Steve Jobs movie is getting rave reviews from film critics, but what about from the people who were actually there in the trenches with the real Steve Jobs?

According to Jobs’ Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the film is pretty darned accurate. In fact, Woz says that there were times watching the movie when he just about forgot he was watching actors on-screen rather than the real people involved.

Now that’s high praise.

Apple’s iPhone 6s orders smash last year’s record

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iPhone 6
Apple expects the iPhone 6s to shatter some records.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

China’s smartphone market might be slowing down, but Apple’s not letting that stop it from ordering a record number of iPhone 6s units ahead of this week’s keynote unveiling.

According to sources in the iPhone supply chain, Apple has ordered higher than expected numbers of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus units.

Based on the quantities of components orders, these numbers will outstrip even last year’s record-breaking iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — suggesting that Apple expects to sell more of its next-gen iPhone than any previous iPhone in history.

Michael Fassbender could be the best Steve Jobs actor yet

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Reviewers are already throwing around Oscar talk.
Photo: Universal Pictures

After a rocky pre-production period which saw it switch directors, lose actor after actor, and even be ditched by its original studio, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic finally made its debut at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival this weekend — and, boy, does it sound like it was worth the wait!

Reviews so far are all good-to-excellent, but the real surprise is the unanimous support for Michael Fassbender as Jobs. We’d noted before how little Fassbender physically resembles Steve although, as has been proven time and again, that doesn’t stop good actors from inhabiting a role — which is exactly what it sounds like Fassbender has done.

Here’s what people are saying about the movie: