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Luke Dormehl - page 86

Steve Jobs’ brief for iPad: A piece of glass for emailing on the toilet

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Steve Jobs’ brief for iPad: A piece of glass for emailing on the toilet
The iPad's natural home, apparently.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Steve Jobs’ on-stage iPad pitch to customers saw him relaxing in a luxury chair. His brief to Apple engineers actually building the iPad? “I want a single piece of glass I can use to read email on the toilet.”

That’s according to Imran Chaudhri, a 21-year Apple veteran, now chairman and president of Humane. Chaudhri was responding to a recent article about the iPad’s origins which appeared in the New York Times.

Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
Facebook had a great decade. At least as far as downloads are concerned.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Facebook owns the top 4 most downloaded apps of the last decade, analytics firm App Annie reports.

The app analytics platform runs down its list of the most downloaded and highest grossing apps of the past decade. This covers both iOS and Android. While Facebook may have had a tough time PR-wise recently, there’s no doubting its levels of downloads dominance.

Annual sub makes Apple Arcade an even sweeter deal

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Save money on Apple Arcade with an annual subscription
Apple Arcade now offers an annual subscription for $50.
Photo: Apple/RosieReality

Priced at $4.99 per month for more than 100 games, Apple Arcade is already a great deal. But an annual subscription makes it even more wallet-friendly.

Apple recently added the option, bringing Apple Arcade in line with Apple Music and Apple TV+ which already offer cheaper annual subscriptions. According to the new pricing, Apple Arcade will set you back $49.99 per year. That works out at $4.19 per month.

Steve Jobs’ estate triumphs in battle over SteveJobs.com

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Steve Jobs’ estate triumphs in battle over SteveJobs.com
This guy is not available for consulting.
Photo: Kazuhiro Shiozawa/Flickr CC

It only took 20 years, but Steve Jobs’ estate finally owns the rights to SteveJobs.com. It won its claim after claiming the previous owner was “cybersquatting” by holding onto the trademark, but doing nothing (good) with it.

The previous owner of the website was a South Korean man. He claimed that he has been going by the name of Steve Jobs Kim since 1999.

Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Apple banned the HKmap.live app earlier this year.
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

Activist shareholders will use Apple’s annual meeting in 2020 to push Apple on why it removed a mapping app used by protesters in Hong Kong.

Beijing reportedly pressured Apple to remove the app from the App Store. At the time, Tim Cook defended Apple’s decision to pull the app after saying it had received “credible information” that the app was being used to help commit violence against individuals and property.

Apple accused of exploiting underage labor in the Congo

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Apple accused of exploiting underage labor in the Congo
Underage labor was used for mining in the Congo.
Photo: Jeff Keyzer/Flickr CC

A lawsuit from plaintiffs from the Democratic Republic of Congo claims that Apple is among the companies willfully exploiting the use of underage labor for cobalt mining for lithium-ion batteries.

It claims that “young children” are being forced to work full time dangerous mining jobs. They are “regularly maimed and killed” by hazards such as tunnel collapses.

Tim Cook’s tasty street food odyssey continues in Thailand

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Tim Cook’s tasty street food odyssey continues in Thailand
The crab omelette's good and Apple's worth $1.2 trillion. Could life get better?
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Tim Cook’s street food tour of East Asia continues. Earlier this week, Cook enjoyed a traditional breakfast in Singapore’s Tiong Bahru Market. Now he’s hopped over to Thailand, where he chowed down on some “five star” crab omelette in Bangkok with food bloggers Yota and Jira.

Oh, and visited some developers and Apple users, too. But, you know, that crab omelette!

Apple offers free genetic tests for its employees

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Apple is now offering genetic tests for its employees
And all employees got before was a discount on the new iPhone!
Photo: MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr CC

Apple is offering its employees free genetic testing for diseases, courtesy of a deal with California genomic testing lab Color Genomics.

Cupertino offers these tests through AC Wellness, the company’s employee health clinics. The hope is that genetic testing could help employees understand potential health problems they face — and take steps to reduce risk.

Trump’s China deal may stop Apple hiking prices of iPhones and iPads

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Trump’s China deal may stop Apple hiking prices of iPhones and iPads
That's good news for Apple and its customers.
Photo: White House

Apple has been given a welcome reprieve on tariffs for the iPhone, iPad and Mac after President Donald Trump agreed to a limited trade deal with China on Thursday.

The phase one agreement means rolling back existing tariff rates on Chinese goods and canceling new tariff rates that would have gone into effect Sunday.

It’s Friday: 4 new episodes of Apple Originals land on Apple TV+

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Truth Be Told on Apple TV+
Well, that's your weekend viewing sorted!
Photo: Apple

It’s Friday, which means Apple just unleashed new episodes of Apple TV+ shows. Apple today debuted new installments of The Morning Show, For All Mankind, Truth Be Told and Servant. That should be enough to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Here’s what this week’s new Apple TV+ episodes have in store.

Apple Arcade gets a star-studded sports franchise with Ultimate Rivals

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Ultimate Rivals on Apple Arcade
This isn't your everyday sports franchise.
Photo: Apple/Bit Fry Game Studios

Apple Arcade is getting a sports franchise — and it sounds all kinds of intriguing. Ultimate Rivals brings together all-star athletes from different pro sports eras and leagues, including the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and US Women’s National Soccer Team.

Boasting a cartoony style, the game series will let you pit athletes from different sports against one another. The first game in the series? A two-on-two hockey game called Ultimate Rivals: The Rink.

Check out the trailer below:

Analyst claims iPhone shipments collapsed 35% in China last month

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
But is it accurate?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone shipments in China reportedly had a rough time in November. According to Credit Suisse analyst Matt Cabral, iPhone shipments declined “meaningfully” last month — to the tune of approximately 35.4% year-on-year.

If true, that’s lagging far behind the rest of the Chinese smartphone market, which increased 0.2% year-on-year.

Apple’s support helps Japan Display nail down an extra $830 million bailout

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International governments plan to rethink tax rules for the ‘digital age’
Japan Display is getting some help from Japanese asset manager Ichigo Asset Management.
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

Struggling Apple display maker Japan Display claims it has nailed down an extra $830 million in bailout financial support from Japanese asset manager Ichigo Asset Management.

Ichigo joins Apple and Apple contract manufacturer Wistron in the effort to save the beleaguered business. And it wouldn’t have done it without Cupertino’s support.

The Last Remnant Remastered gets a surprise release in the App Store

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The Last Remnant Remastered gets a surprise release in the App Store
From the company that brought you the Final Fantasy games.
Photo: Square Enix

The Last Remnant Remastered, an updated version of Square Enix’s 2008 RPG for Xbox 360, has received a surprise release on iOS.

The game depicts a world divided into multiple city-states, inhabited by four different species. The player controls Rush Sykes, a human who is searching for his sister during a war between the different groups, who are battling over magical artifacts. It was developed by many of the team members who worked on the SaGa and Final Fantasy games.

Check out a teaser trailer below.

Apple requests DMCA removal of iPhone security tweet, then changes its mind

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Apple requests DMCA removal of iPhone security tweet. Then changes its mind
Apple has a complex relationship with security researchers.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple recently filed a DMCA takedown request relating to information posted by an independent iPhone security researcher. The researcher, Siguza, posted a tweet featuring a possible encryption key for the iPhone’s Secure Enclave Processor.

Apple later backtracked and allowed the tweet to be reposted. Even so, security researchers are accusing Apple of abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

NYC commuters can now use Apple Pay at busy Penn Station

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Glitch causes some Apple Pay Express Transit users to be overcharged
The northbound local platform at Penn Station.
Photo: Gryffindor/Wikipedia CC

Commuters can now use Apple Pay, along with other contactless payments systems, to pay for their travel at New York’s Penn Station.

That’s because the subway station has adopted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s OMNY contactless fare payment system. The 34th Street-Penn Station is one of the busiest transport hubs in North America. This should help make travel from there a little bit more bearable.

Apple’s secret AI sauce gets a new ingredient

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Apple's secret AI sauce gets a new ingredient
Apple’s special AI creates smarter devices without sharing your data.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Today’s machine learning AI technologies frequently rely on the free flow of user data. That puts Apple in a tough spot.

While it wants to stay on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, it doesn’t want to do anything to get in the way of its privacy-first approach to technology. Fortunately, there’s a way around that issue.

Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres hand out Apple gifts to students

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Ellen and Michelle Obama hand out Macs and iPads to elementary school students
Imagine being off at a doctor's appointment the day they get the former First Lady to give out free iPads!
Photo: TheEllenShow

Former First Lady Michelle Obama and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres teamed up with Apple to give away Macs and iPads to students at Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

The gift-giving marked the premiere of Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways on NBC. Apple’s donation means that every teacher at the school will receive a MacBook Air and every student will get an iPad. The school itself will get new iMacs. DeGeneres is also donating $100,000 and equipping the school with a new basketball court.

You can watch the heart-warming segment below:

AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
The AirPods have been a massive hit for Apple.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’re an Apple supplier, there’s arguably no better product to be building right now than the AirPods. One of Apple’s biggest breakout hits in recent memory, the main manufacturer of the AirPods is Asia’s best performing stock of the year as a result.

Now a new report claims that Unitech, another company involved in the AirPods supply chain, is confident that business will remain hot through at least the first half of 2021.

Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status hits retailers in the wallet

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Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status is hitting retailers in the wallet
Apple Card is one of many cards that carry higher fees for retailers.
Photo: Apple

Some retailers are pushing back against “elite cards” such as Apple Card, a new Bloomberg report claims. These cards’ high-end status means the banks charge higher transaction fees, which offset various rewards programs.

Apple isn’t the only elite card that comes with higher fees for businesses that accept them. The article says a regular Visa card costs $1.27 in swipe fees for a $100 purchase. Meanwhile, a high-end Visa Signature card carries fees of $1.75. These fees are divided between the network, the payment processor and the issuing bank.

Tim Cook visits local food market for breakfast in Singapore

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Tim Cook visits local food market for breakfast in Singapore
Want to impress Tim Cook? Feed him gao teng kueh, apparently.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Tim Cook has finished his visit to Japan and stopped off in Singapore for the next leg of his East Asian business jaunt.

On Twitter, Cook shared a photo of himself starting his day with a traditional Singaporean breakfast. Tiong Bahru Market is located in one of Singapore’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The area offers a variety of hipster stores and boutique art galleries.

Apple doesn’t want you defiling Pro Display XDR’s special glass with a regular cloth

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Apple doesn’t want you defiling Mac Pro’s special glass with a regular cloth
Don't even think about it!
Photo: Anders Adermark/Flickr CC

Whether it’s designing its own pizza box or custom, err, sheets of paper, Apple sure likes having its own proprietary version of things it doesn’t deem quite good enough.

The same is true of the new Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass for the Mac Pro. No, we’re not talking about the screen itself; but rather Apple’s insistence that you clean it using a special Apple-approved cleaning cloth. But there’s a good reason for it.

European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020

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European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
Tech giants might be in trouble next year.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The European Commission famously handed Apple a massive $14.5 billion bill in 2016. But from the sound of things it’s only going to get tougher with Silicon Valley’s biggest tech giants.

According to a new report, EU antitrust regulators are “considering taking a tougher line” against companies. This could affect the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google.

Tim Cook pays a visit to Apple’s first store outside the US

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Tim Cook pays a visit to Apple’s first store outside the US
Apple Store Ginza opened in November 2003.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter CC

Tim Cook is on a business trip to Japan right now — and, as part of his travels, he paid a visit to the first Apple Store the company opened outside of the United States.

That store is located in Ginza, a trendy shopping district in Tokyo. “Our very first store outside of the US, Apple Ginza is always such a special place,” Cook tweeted. “Thanks for a wonderful visit!”