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Luke Dormehl - page 58

Year’s finest iPhone photos look absolutely stunning

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Shot on iPhone 2020 winner 1
So, that's what's possible with an iPhone camera and a bit of imagination.
Photo: Dimpy Bhalotia

The iPhone has transformed photography by giving everyone (well, everyone with an iPhone) a passably professional camera that they carry with them every moment of the day.

To celebrate all things iPhone photographic, the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) showcase the best snaps taken each year on an Apple handset. Here are some of the newly announced winners of the 2020 contest. They’re stunners.

Apple could keep us waiting until 2021 for AirPods upgrades

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AirPods Pro with black background discounts
AirPods and AirPods Pro will get their next update next year.
Photo: Apple

People waiting to get their hands on next-generation AirPods will be waiting until 2021, a report published by Digitimes on Wednesday suggests.

It claims that Apple will launch its third-gen AirPods in the first half of 2021, before introducing the next-gen AirPods Pro in the second part of the year. Apple last updated its regular AirPods line in March 2019, while the AirPods Pro were released in October 2019.

Italy is the latest country to open an antitrust investigation into Apple

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iPhone with gavel.
Italy is investigating Apple over a possible sales violation involving Amazon.
Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm/Cult of Mac

Italy has opened another antitrust investigation into Apple, adding to the number of current antitrust investigations the company faces.

This time the investigation will explore Apple’s relationship with Amazon and whether they reached what Reuters calls an “anti-competitive agreement” over the sale of Apple devices and Beats headphones.

Pokémon Café Mix adds new orders and Pokémon to up the fun

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Pokemon Cafe Mix 1
Gotta serve 'em all!
Photo: Pokemon Cafe Mix

Pokémon Café Mix, the latest iOS game featuring everyone’s favorite pocket monsters, just received one of its first updates — bringing new orders and Pokémon, including the likes of Bellossom and Exeggutor.

In Pokémon Café Mix, players run an eatery frequented by Pokémon. In order to fulfill the different food and drink orders you have to solve puzzles, while also running the café. As you complete food-related puzzles, you encounter additional Pokémon, while also getting the chance to expand your business.

New Apple Watch Activity Challenge celebrates China’s National Fitness Day

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National Fitness Day China
Apple celebrates National Fitness Day for the third year in a row.
Photo: Apple

Apple is celebrating China’s National Fitness Day for the third year in a row with a new Apple Watch Activity Challenge. The National Fitness Day challenge can be completed by recording a half hour or longer workout on August 8.

China designated August 8 as National Fitness day in 2009, marking the anniversary of the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

Newcomer Grace Kaufman will star in Apple TV+ movie The Sky Is Everywhere

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Apple spent more than $20 million advertising Apple TV+ last month
Apple TV+ is almost nine months old.
Photo: Apple

Relative newcomer Grace Kaufman, previously seen in the TV series Man With a Plan and The Last Ship, will play the lead role in new Apple Originals movie The Sky Is Everywhere.

The adaptation of the Jandy Nelson YA (young adult) novel tells the story of an American high school girl mourning the death of her sister. She becomes romantically involved with both her late sister’s fiancé and another young man who is new to town.

Apple (and its entire supply chain) will be 100% carbon neutral by 2030

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campus
Apple Park leads the way forward for sustainability. The rest of Apple's supply chain is following suit.
Photo: Apple

Apple will become carbon neutral across its entire business and manufacturing chain by 2030, the company said Tuesday.

Cupertino’s global corporate operations are already carbon neutral. Now, the company promises that in 10 years’ time, “every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact.”

Snoop Dogg will battle DMX on new Beats 1 and Apple Music show

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Snoop Dogg Wiki
The SN double-O P is coming to Apple Music.
Photo: Gcardinal/Wiki CC

Music battle series Verzuz, in which two artists or producers take each other on by playing their hits, is coming to Apple Music and Beats 1.

The first session, pitting hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg against DMX, will air Wednesday, July 22 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Considering how popular the series has been on Instagram Live, this could be a major coup for Apple.

Microsoft president may have complained to Congress about App Store antitrust issues

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Microsoft Windows
Microsoft vs. Apple? It's like the 1990s all over again!
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft President Brad Smith reportedly raised concerns to the U.S. government about Apple’s management of the App Store, which he considers anti-competitive.

The two companies’ infamous rivalry has cooled somewhat since its 1990s peak, but Apple and Microsoft aren’t exactly BFFs either.

Virtual Today at Apple sessions will help train up next generation of Chicago artists

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Sentrocks Summer School 1
Chicago's most exciting artists will show off their tips and tricks.
Photo: Apple

Apple is continuing its string of virtual Today at Apple events by offering budding artists in Chicago the opportunity to participate in free online art sessions.

Called Sentrock’s Summer Studio, the Webex series is aimed at Chicago high school students aged 14-18. It takes place July 27-31, and features “a lineup of Chicago’s most influential creators” as they take attendees into their studios, teach illustration tips and techniques, and share some of their visual styles.

Class-action lawsuit accuses Apple of benefiting from iTunes gift card scams

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iTunes
iTunes scams have gone on for years. Unfortunately, people still fall for them.
Photo: Apple

Apple faces a class-action lawsuit from customers who fell victim to an iTunes gift card scam that they claim the company benefited from.

The scam has been around for a number of years. It frequently involves people being phoned up and asked for money by the fraudsters claiming to be from the Inland Revenue Service (or another governmental department). The scammers ask the victims to pay money owed by buying iTunes vouchers and then handing over the authorization codes.

These were the most popular iPhone models in the US last quarter

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iPhone 11 colors
There's not one clear runaway winner like last year's iPhone XR.
Photo: Apple

Apple no longer reveals the exact breakdown of sales when it comes to its individual iPhone models. But a new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners may provide some answers for the quarter ending June 27, 2020.

According to the firm, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro made up about two-thirds of iPhone sales in the United States. This year, sales were split fairly evenly between the two models. That’s very different to Q2 2019 when the cheaper iPhone XR made up 65% of U.S. iPhone sales.

You’ll soon be able to enjoy Mario Kart Tour in glorious landscape mode

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Mario Kart landscape mode.
The tyranny of portrait mode is coming to an end!
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour is addressing two big player complaints in its new update — adding landscape mode orientation, alongside portrait mode, as well as alternate game controls.

The update launches tomorrow, July 21. If you’ve not played Mario Kart on iOS for a while, it may be worth checking out this update to see how much these transform the overall gaming experience. Check out the trailer for the update below.

Apple spotlights Vogue‘s first Black cover photographer in brilliant Mac ad

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Tyler Mitchell Mac ad
New ad shines a spotlight on talented up-and-coming photographer.
Photo: Apple

When I think back to the Mac ads that have been my favorite over the years, it’s the ones that show everyday users (albeit frequently exceptionally talented ones) using Apple products that really stand out.

A celebrity-filled ad that makes you laugh is all well and great, but the ads that demonstrate how Apple products can help to create art or empower ordinary people are some of the most powerful ones. Which is why the latest “Behind the Mac” ad is my favorite 2020 commercial so far.

Check it out.

Apple pays tribute to late civil rights leader John Lewis on homepage

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John Lewis Apple image
Apple changed its homepage image to show the civil rights hero and congressman.
Photo: Apple

Apple updated its homepage over the weekend to pay tribute to John Lewis, the Democratic congressman and civil right hero, who died Friday at the age of 80.

Apple’s homepage featured an image of Lewis, with the quotation: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

European Commission trustbusters eye Siri and other voice assistants

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European Commission trustbuster Margrethe Vestager has Siri in her sights.
Do voice assistants like Siri give companies an unfair advantage?
Photo: ECR Group/Flickr CC

Does the voice data harvested by voice assistants like Siri give tech giants an unfair marketplace advantage? Lawmakers in Europe are currently pondering that exact question.

A European Commission investigation into the matter will look at whether this data is being used to stifle competition and maintain the position of companies like Apple and Amazon in the marketplace. This most notably relates to the rapidly expanding constellation of smart, connected devices.

Apple plans to make its app developer language more inclusive

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iOS 13.5 golden master is available only to developers.
Apple is changing terms to make them more inclusive.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has made plenty of public-facing moves to show its push for diversity in tech. But it’s making some behind-the-scenes changes, too — like tweaking the terms in its developer ecosystem to remove words the company no longer considers appropriate.

Examples include switching “master” code repository to “main” code repository, and changing “blacklist” to “deny list.” Here’s what Apple had to say in its announcement:

App downloads defy the odds by booming during coronavirus

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TikTok continues to dominate the App Store in 2020.
It was a great quarter for App Store downloads.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

Worldwide app downloads have boomed over the past three months, hitting an all-time high of 37.8 billion downloads, a new report by app analytics platform Sensor Tower claims.

Of that number, 9.1 billion were from the App Store. The remaining 28.7 billion was from the Google Play store for Android users. Both saw considerable growth versus last year. That’s despite the effects of coronavirus and the subsequent economic downturn.

Apple’s newly opened Beijing retail store looks absolutely stunning

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Apple Store Beijing 4
This is located close to the site of Apple's first ever China Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

Apple opened its first store in China back in 2008 at Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun mall. Now, more than a decade later, it has opened a spectacular new Apple Sanlitun store adjacent to the now-shuttered location of the original.

Apple Sanlitun is twice the size of the original Beijing store, and includes a viewing gallery, boardroom (for users to get advice from Apple experts), and a forum for future live events. Check out the pictures below.

Apple steps up push for diversity with historically Black colleges and universities partnership

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Apple Historically Black Universities 1
Apple is working hard to promote diversity in tech.
Photo: Apple

Apple is deepening its connection with historically Black colleges and universities to create “community hubs for coding and creativity.”

Under the heading of Apple’s Community Education Initiative, the partnership with an addition 10 learning institutes will allow Apple to expand its coding initiative — while also helping widen participation in tech.

Amazon customers buying fewer electronics during COVID-19, study suggests

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Amazon packages delivered
Could this hint at lower online sales for Apple during Q2?
Photo: Morning Brew/Unsplash

Amazon has been busier than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, as shuttered high streets drive people online to do shopping that, well, they were increasingly doing online anyway.

But user spending habits have changed, says a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). Provided its data is accurate, some of those changes could well have an impact on Apple’s business.

European Commission may have lost Apple tax case, but it believes it’s morally in the right

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Image showing
The tax battle with Apple looks set to rage on.
Photo: New York Public Library/Unsplash CC

The European Commission may have lost its court case about Apple’s $14.8 billion tax bill, but it continues to believe that it’s morally in the right.

“We do not consider it normal that the largest corporates get away with paying one percent tax at most,” European Commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in the aftermath.

Apple Silicon MacBook Pro and MacBook Air will ship by end of 2020

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16-inch MacBook Pro from 2019
Are you excited about the first Apple Silicon MacBooks?
Photo: Apple

Apple will release its first MacBook Pro and MacBook Air powered by Apple Silicon by the end of 2020, a report published Thursday claims.

According to Digitimes, Apple manufacturers will start shipping components such as backlit units (BLUs) for the next-gen MacBooks in the third quarter of 2020. That could be any time between now and September.