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Luke Dormehl - page 64

Apple TV+ series Dear… looks at ‘game-changing icons’ and the people they’ve inspired

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Dear... Apple TV+
Starring Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and, err, Big Bird.
Photo: Apple

Dear…, a 10-episode docuseries profiling the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Big Bird (!), and others, has debuted on Apple TV+. The show focuses on telling the story of “game-changing icons” and how they have inspired individuals around the world.

All 10 episodes are available to watch today, rather than the one-episode-per-week rollout Apple employs for its top drama series. The executive producer of Dear… is Emmy and Peabody Award-winner R.J. Cutler of The September Issue documentary fame.

2021 iPhones could take advantage of power-saving Apple Watch display tech

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2020 iPhone 12 concept has a 99% screen to body ratio.
2021 iPhone could adopt new LTPO backplane technology.
Screenshot: Pallav Raj/ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 12 isn’t out yet, but already the supply chain is working to develop new OLED screens for next year’s premium iPhones, according to a Friday report from Digitimes.

The screens reportedly will be made with a special low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) backplane technology. This could allow Apple to offer screens with a more dynamic refresh rate that consumed less power.

These are the changes Apple Park is making as employees return from lockdown

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple Park is starting to get back to normal.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Just as it has with reopening Apple Stores, Apple is putting protective measures in place to keep employees safe as they return to Apple Park after lockdown.

These measures include optional COVID-19 swab testing, temperature checks, closed kitchens, social distancing measures, and an insistence on face masks.

US customs seize shipment of knockoff AirPods from China

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Seized AirPods knockoffs
Knockoffs were discovered by Pittsburgh Customs and Border Protection officers.
Photo: Pittsburgh Customs and Border Protection

Pittsburgh Customs and Border Protection officers seized a shipment of counterfeit AirPods and lightning charging cables over the weekend. The unauthorized knockoffs were part of a much larger collection of thousands of counterfeit goods — including 4,212 fake Roku remotes.

iOS 13.5.5 beta hints at possible Apple services bundle

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Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+
Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+ could all be part of 'Apple Prime.'
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple seemingly hasn’t abandoned its possible plans for an “Apple Prime” service that combines all its subscriptions into one single package. In a report published late Wednesday, 9to5Mac discovered references in the iOS 13.5.5 beta code to a “bundle offer” and “bundle subscription” that didn’t previously exist.

The idea could be to offer a services bundle combination of Apple Music, Apple News+, Apple TV+ and, potentially, Apple Arcade, at a lower price than buying each individually. Whether it happens, of course, is another matter entirely.

Tim Cook asks people to ‘stand together’ against racism in open letter

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Tim Cook called for Ohio State University grads to embrace hope in a fearful time during his virtual commencement address.
Tim Cook's letter addresses "deeply rooted discrimination" in America.
Photo: Ohio State University

With the United States reeling after the videotaped death of George Floyd while in police custody, Apple CEO Tim Cook penned an open letter imploring people to “stand together” and acknowledge the reality of racism and “deeply rooted discrimination” in the country.

The letter, titled “Speaking up on racism,” comes after more than a week of protests and rioting. It appears at the top of Apple’s homepage today. You can read the whole thing below.

2021 iPad Pro will have 5G, A14X processor and mini-LED display, leakers claim

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2018 iPad Pro
The next iPad Pro could be a big update for Apple!
Photo: Apple

Apple’s next iPad Pro could be one of the most exciting iPad refreshes in ages — with 5G cellular, an A14X processor and a mini-LED display, according to increasingly reliable Apple tipsters L0vetodream and @choco-bit. (Yes, despite the odd Twitter handles, both have impressive reputations when it comes to sharing details of next-gen Apple products.)

Eve Cam with HomeKit Secure Video now available for preorder

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Eve Cam HomeKit
Smart cam will keep an eye on your home when you're not around.
Photo: Eve Cam

Eve Cam, a smart camera made exclusively for Apple HomeKit Secure Video, is available for pre-order starting today. It will ship later this month beginning Tuesday, June 23.

The $149.95 smart camera offers a simple way for users to keep an eye on their home when they’re away, whether that’s monitoring pets or watching out for intruders.

Coronavirus delays plan to support Apple Pay throughout New York metro system

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay makes commuting hassle-free.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Plans to offer Apple Pay and other contactless payment options across the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new OMNY fare payment system in New York have reportedly been delayed due to coronavirus, claims the Wall Street Journal in a report published Tuesday.

The publication says that completion of the scheme, which currently offers contactless payments at around half of the 472 subway stations, along with Staten Island bus routes, has been delayed by about two months. It was originally expected to be live across the board by October.

Hacker who shared Apple employee details on Twitter avoids jail

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hacker
Hacker's lawyer argued that they had been enticed by Apple's bug bounty.
Photo: Clint Patterson

An Australian hacker who pleaded guilty to accessing confidential employee information from Apple and sharing it on Twitter has avoided a jail sentence.

24-year-old Abe Crannaford’s lawyer had argued that, by offering a bug bounty for hackers able to find weaknesses in its software, Apple encourages people to dig into its products to find weaknesses. However, the magistrate did not entirely accept the argument.

Next iPad Air could ditch Lightning for USB-C connector

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2020 iPad Air Concept with Apple Pencil 2
This proposed 2020 iPad Air concept is mostly a scaled-down iPad Pro.
Photo: svetapple.sk

The fourth-generation iPad Air will reportedly come with a USB-C connector instead of the Lightning connector of previous models, claims a Mac Otakara report, citing sources in the Chinese supply chain.

USB-C is a data and charging port that first landed on iPad with the iPad Pro in 2018. However, since then it has remained only on that series of iPads, rather than being adopted for other models. That could be about to change, however. At least, kind of.

Get ready for Apple Watch’s World Environment Day Activity Challenge

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Next Apple Watch Activity challenge will take place on Veterans Day
Are you ready for the next Apple Watch challenge?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Because of coronavirus-induced lockdown, Apple didn’t hold an Apple Watch Activity Challenge on Earth Day in May as it has for the three previous years.

Instead, Apple is hosting an Earth-themed exercise challenge this month to coincide with World Environment Day. Here’s what you need to know to complete it.

From just fine to simply divine: Ranking every iMac design

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On this day in 1998, the world says
What was your favorite iMac of all time?
Photo: Apple

Over the past two decades, the iMac repeatedly set a high bar when it came to desktop design. But which iMac design reigns as the greatest of all time? And which, conversely, proves the least inspiring?

Cult of Mac gives you the authoritative (and totally subjective) ranking of the best iMac designs.

Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7 on hold due to current political climate

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Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100m downloads in first week
Activision says this wasn't the right time to release update.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Activision has pushed back the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7. The game upgrade was originally scheduled to launch for iPhone and iPad this week on June 4.

Call of Duty launched worldwide on mobile last October. It has proven immensely popular, racking up 100 million downloads in its first week on the market alone. This made it the best launch in mobile gaming history. The new season is set to include a variety of new maps, weapons, and other improvements.

However, due to the present political environment, triggered by the killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd by police, Activision says that this “not the time” to release Season 7.

Microsoft Remote Desktop now lets iPad users control their PC using a mouse

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better touch tool magic mouse
It's like turning your iPad into a portable Windows PC.
Photo: Harpal Singh/Unsplash

While a large number of iOS users are also Mac customers, many people will use an iPhone or iPad but also rely on a Windows PC in some capacity. For those customers, Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app is a great tool, letting them access and use their professional or enterprise Windows PC through another device.

The latest update for the app is a big one for iPad owners — adding some eagerly anticipated features to the iOS app, including support for the Apple Magic Mouse 2 and Apple Magic Trackpad 2, external mice, and more.

Apple slashes the cost of iPhones in China as part of giant sales festival

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Apple is trying to continue building momentum in China.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Apple has slashed prices on the iPhone in China ahead of the country’s 6.18 shopping festival, which kicks off this month.

On Apple’s official online store on the Alibaba-owned online retailer Tmall, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and 2020 iPhone SE all have big price reductions. Official Apple resellers like JD.com are also getting aggressive with their own price cuts — with steeper discounts than even Tmall in some cases.

Services could help make Apple a $2 trillion company by 2024

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money
Suddenly that $1 trillion valuation looks pretty paltry.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple was the first public company in history to reach a $700 billion, $800 billion, $900 billion, and $1 trillion valuation. Could it also be the first company to hit the vaunted $2 trillion mark? And, if so, when will this happen?

In a research note to clients, Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani argues that not only can Apple get to this mark, it can do so over the next four years. That would be just six years after it hit $1 trillion for the first time. Today, Apple is worth around $1.3 trillion.

Apple Music shows solidarity for black communities on Blackout Tuesday

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Blackout Tuesday 1
This message appears on Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music has joined Blackout Tuesday, a music-industry-wide initiative seeking to raise support for Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death, captured on camera by onlookers, sparked protests and riots across the United States.

Doing its part for the day, Apple Music canceled its Beats 1 radio service on June 2. The service also changed its “For You” tab. Both redirect to a “For Us, By Us” stream playing music by black artists. A regular voiceover says that it is designed to “stand in solidarity with black communities everywhere.”

More evidence that iPhone 12 may turn up later than hoped

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
Are you excited about the iPhone 12?
Photo: Ben Geskin

The iPhone 12 is likely to ship to ship in October, rather than the usual September iPhone launch time frame, claim a report published Monday by Digitimes.

This would seem to back up a separate recent report from increasingly authoritative Apple leaker Jon Prosser. Prosser also suggested an October, rather than September, launch for the new iPhone.

Security researcher scoops $100,000 bounty for helping squash Sign in with Apple bug

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Sign in with Apple
Now hopefully bug-free.
Photo: Apple

A security vulnerability with “Sign in with Apple” could have allowed hackers to carry out a full account takeover of user accounts accessed using the feature. Fortunately, the bug was spotted by India-based security researcher Bhavuk Jain.

In a blog post published over the weekend, Jain noted that he made Apple aware of the vulnerability back in April. It was subsequently fixed. Thanks to Apple’s bug bounty program, he was then paid $100,000 as a thank you from the Cupertino tech giant.