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Luke Dormehl - page 274

HSBC and First Direct now support Apple Pay in the U.K.

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apple-pay-participating-banks-july-640x345
Apple Pay is available in the U.K. from the following banks and credit card companies.
Photo: Apple

Apple Pay rolled out in the U.K. this month, and today the service got a bit better, as Apple now supports HSBC and First Direct credit and debit cards in the country.

That brings the total supported U.K. banks and card providers to nine — including Natwest, Santander, Nationwide, RBS, Ulster Bank, HSBC, First Direct, MBNA, and American Express.

Want an iPhone 6s? Now’s the time to trade in your old model

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Trading your iPhone in now could save you $130.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6s is still a couple of months away from going on sale, but if you’re hoping to offset the cost of buying a new iPhone by selling your old handset, now’s the time to do it.

That’s because resale values drop by around 10 percent in September and October, according to gadget trade-in site NextWorth, which analyzed thousands of eBay sales. If you wait until November or December, meanwhile, be prepared to lose around 30 percent of current resale value.

C you never! Apple scraps plans for 4-inch iPhone 6c

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Is the 4-inch iPhone coming or not?
No, Apple won't be releasing three different iPhone sizes this fall.
Photo: ModMyI

Apple has scrapped plans to release a new iPhone with a 4-inch display, according to Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri.

Arcuri claims that Apple was previously considering an “iPhone 6-looking version of the iPhone 5c,” which would include the same internal components as the iPhone 6, but with the smaller form factor Apple ditched when it made the decision to go big with its smartphones.

But no more!

Apple Watch ads showcase the growing catalog of apps

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There's no shortage of apps on the Apple Watch.
There's a world of apps out there.
Photo: Apple

Just in case there are still people out there asking what the Apple Watch does, Apple has debuted three new ads showing off some of the great apps you can use on its breakthrough wearable device.

Covering music, fitness and travel, the apps run the gamut from Shazam and Instagram to MLB At Bat, Yelp and Apple’s own Activity app. They follow on from another series of spots Apple recently released, showing off additional travel and fitness apps on the Watch.

Although Apple hasn’t yet publicly revealed Apple Watch sales, Tim Cook said during last week’s earnings call that the company is more than happy with the number of devices it’s sold so far. Users seem happy, too, with reported higher satisfaction rates than were enjoyed by either the first generation iPhone or iPad.

Check out the ads below:

Apple Music is ‘not a slam dunk antitrust case,’ says law professor

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Apple Music
Harsh terms, but probably not illegal.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s edge over streaming services like Spotify, Rdio and Pandora means that Apple gets to take a 30 percent cut of rivals’ App Store subscriptions — thereby forcing them to jack up their prices or lose money.

It’s the subject of a current FTC antitrust investigation, but according to Rutgers University law professor Michael Carrier, while it may be harsh, it’s probably not illegal.

This year’s iPad mini upgrade won’t suck

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An alleged iPad Mini 4 rear shell. Photo: OnLeaks
An alleged iPad mini 4 rear shell.
Photo: OnLeaks

The iPad mini 3 was a virtual afterthought last year, but in 2015 it’s going to get a serious upgrade, according to a new report.

Instead of the glorified iPad mini 2 we got with last year’s launch, the iPad mini 4 is said to be a miniature version of the iPad Air 2. That means 8-megapixel rear iSight camera, anti-reflective coating on a fully laminated display, and 6.1mm thickness.

Oh, and contrary to previous rumors, we might get a new iPad Air this year, too.

Landing a sweet Apple deal is now the ultimate rapper boast

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Drake talks Apple Music at WWDC.
For Drake, talking up Apple Music at WWDC was just the beginning.
Photo: Apple

Drake showed himself to be smarter than many musicians (or at least to have better advisers) when he ducked out on the opportunity to be part of Jay Z’s Tidal debacle and instead went full-bore with representing Apple Music.

From posing with his Apple Watch Edition and rocking a sweet vintage Apple jacket at the Worldwide Developers Conference, to having his own show on Beats 1, Drake’s about as Cupertino as it gets these days. And according to the new track he dropped over the weekend, he’s more than happy about it — even if he’s still “got love” for the folks at Tidal.

Police bust fake iPhone factory in China

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China iPhone sales
Tim Cook meets with Apple Store employees in China.
Photo: Apple

Apple business may be soaring in China, but not all of it is the legit kind!

According to a new report, police in Beijing have busted a factory which produced in excess of 41,000 fake iPhones, with a market value of around $19 million.

Get your Apple Watch at Best Buy next month

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Apple Watch won't just be available from Apple Stores come August.
Apple Watch won't just be available from Apple Stores come August.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple debuted the Apple Watch at its own stores and special upmarket pop-up boutiques, but now that the device has been on sale for a while, we’re starting to see it trickle-down to other retailers, too.

One of these outlets is Best Buy, which has confirmed it will be selling the Apple Watch at more than 100 stores in the U.S. from August. That number is set to expand to more than 300 outlets by the holiday season.

Pandora CEO thinks Apple Music will have no negative impact

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Pandora's not worried about Apple Music.
Photo: Pandora

You couldn’t blame the folks behind non-Apple streaming music services being worried when Apple Music was announced — but according to Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews, there was nothing to worry about.

Pandora’s Q2 revenue came in better than expected at $285.6 million, largely thanks to solid growth on the advertising side, which increased 30 percent year-over-year.

Google brings 360-degree storytelling to iOS

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A new way to tell stories on mobile.
Photo: TechCrunch

Looking for an innovative, immersive app experience to entertain your buddies with this weekend? Then you may be interested in 360-degree animated film app Spotlight Stories, which just landed on iOS after a couple of years as an Android exclusive.

Using a combination of 2D and 3D animations, the app lets you move your body and mobile device to check out what’s happening in different parts of the video — essentially letting a story unfold around you. If you’re remotely interested in seeing the potential of the iPhone and iPad as a way of telling stories in a totally new way, you won’t regret it.

Watching kids react to the original iPod will make you feel old

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"1,000 songs in your pocket" might as well have been written in hieroglyphics to these kids.
Photo: Fine Brothers Entertainment

In my mind, the original iPod basically came out yesterday. Which is why it’s more than a little surreal — yet strangely amusing — watching kids who weren’t even born in 2001 react to it like they’re archeologists uncovering the relics of a bygone civilization.

Does it make calls? Does it have external speakers? And surely it’s got to have a touchscreen somewhere, if you can only work out which button to press. No, no, and no are the answers, as these grade school kids learn over the course of an amusing video. Check it out below:

Apple’s ‘Back to School’ promo will give Mac buyers free Beats headphones

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Be cool. Stay in school.
Be cool. Stay in school.
Photo: Beats

Apple has launched its “Back to School” promotion for 2015, and this year’s is… kinda “meh” to be honest.

Instead of the gift cards Apple offered in 2014 and 2013, this year students who buy a new Mac will be eligible to receive a pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear Headphones or Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones for their trouble.

Touch ID will let your Apple TV know which family member is watching

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Apple's new improved TV could be coming as early as this fall.
Touch ID could be the Apple TV's killer app.
Photo: Robert S. DonovanFlickr CC

Apple could opt to include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in its new Apple TV remote, according to a patent application published today.

Unlike the iPhone and iPad, however, this sensor wouldn’t be used for unlocking your device, but rather quickly making it aware of who is watching at any given time — thereby letting Apple’s long-awaited TV configure volume, screen brightness, and suggested channels on a person-by-person basis. Smart, eh?

U.S. senator backs FTC investigation into Apple Music

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Franken wants Apple investigated.
Photo: Al Franken

It was inevitable that the success of Apple Music was going to have some people screaming about anti-competitive practices, and that’s exactly what happened. Yesterday, senator (and former SNL alumni) Al Franken threw his hat into the ring by writing a letter requesting that the Justice Department take the matter seriously.

Apple wants to play you custom ads when you listen to podcasts

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Apple's looking for a way to monetize its podcasting success.
Apple's looking for a way to monetize its podcasting success.
Photo:

The overwhelming majority of mobile podcast listening is done on an iPhone, most of it on Apple’s own Podcasts app, which is why it’s no wonder Apple would be interested in figuring out a way to monetize the service if it can.

In a patent application published today, Apple describes how in the future it could interrupt podcasts with targeted personalized advertisements, by way of Apple’s iAd platform.

Shortest route to killer Apple car? Buy Tesla

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Elon Musk could find himself even richer, if Gene Munster has his way.
Photo: Zobacz Zasady/Wikipedia CC

Apple should buy Tesla from Elon Musk — or so thinks Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, speaking in a recent interview with Bloomberg Radio.

“The big thing they could buy that I would be impressed with is Tesla,” Munster said, referring to how Apple could spend its $203 billion in cash. “To me, when you think about that absurd amount of cash, you have to go after opportunities, and I think automotive fits within that camp.”

OMG! Emojis are the stars of an upcoming blockbuster from Sony

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Coming to a theater near you.
Photo: Apple

We’ve already got one “must see” tech-themed movie coming up this year with the Aaron Sorkin-penned Steve Jobs biopic, but Hollywood’s not done when it come to giving technology the big screen treatment.

In a deal reported to be worth close to seven-figures, Sony Pictures Animation has reportedly beaten out two other major studios to win the rights to a movie based on none other than emojis.

iOS 8 has 7x the adoption of Android’s Lollipop

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iOS 8 is shattering Lollipop's "record."
Photo: Flood G/Flickr CC

Android’s Lollipop and iOS 8 were announced at virtually the exact same time, but iOS 8 is obliterating it in terms of user adoption.

According to figures released by both Apple and Google, iOS 8 has 85 percent adoption among eligible iPhone and iPad users, while Lollipop is struggling its way to a mere 12.4 percent.

iOS beta users can no longer write App Store reviews

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Sorry, beta users!
Photo: Ryan Orbuch

In what will surely be met with a sigh of relief from developers, Apple has stopped people running beta versions of iOS from writing reviews of apps in the App Store.

Many of these reviews tend to be negative because developers have yet to optimize their apps to run the latest prerelease software version. As a result, apps run on a beta version of iOS are far more likely to crash, or feature bugs.

Win-doh! Microsoft announces its largest ever net loss

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Hopes are now squarely pinned on Windows 10.
Photo: The Dark Knight

Apple had a massive quarter, beating its own internal estimates, and yet still saw its stock slide following yesterday’s earnings call.

You know who had it much, much worse, though? One-time rival Microsoft, which reported its highest-ever net loss for the quarter after writing off billions for the failure of its Nokia handset division, and witnessing plummeting demand for PCs.

4.2 million Apple Watches shipped is latest analyst guesstimate

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Apple Watch sales figures are basically analyst roulette right now.
Guessing Apple Watch sales figures is basically analyst roulette right now.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We’ll get our best — though still inconclusive — estimate of how the Apple Watch is doing later today, when Apple has its quarterly earnings call. Ahead of that, though, analysts are continuing to churn out their own figures regarding how Apple’s debut wearable device is faring thus far.

The latest people to play analyst roulette are research firm Canalys, who peg Apple Watch shipments at a very respectable 4.2 million units, meaning that Apple “easily overtook Fitbit, Xiaomi and all the smart watch vendors, despite the Apple Watch’s significantly higher pricing.”

iSperm for iPad wants to help you make a baby

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Having a child? There's an app for that.
Having a child? There's an app for that.
Photo: Cult of Mac

From predicting potential heart attacks to helping dementia sufferers, we’ve gotten used to the idea that our Apple devices have a part to play in what is referred to as the mobile health drive.

But here’s a medical application you might not have thought that your iPad would ever be able to play a role in: helping couples to conceive.

Try telling that to the Taiwanese start-up Aidmics, which is hoping to carve out a piece of the $40 billion global human fertility market with an iPad-compatible microscope and accompanying app that lets users know exactly how plentiful their lil’ swimmers are.

Here’s where you’ll find Apple Watch sales figures from today’s earnings call

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Apple Watch
Apple isn't spilling the details about Apple Watch sales.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s quarterly earnings call is set to take place later today, but one set of figures we’re not expecting to get is the initial Apple Watch sales. Apple has already acknowledged this data be hidden in the “other products” category — alongside the iPod, Apple TV, Beats Electronics and accessories division.

However, while Apple is likely to keep quiet on the exact breakdown of Apple Watch sales, it will be possible to get a rough idea of how the company’s debut wearable device is faring by doing the following: