Newsstand - page 22

The Snoopy Show will charm children and de-stress adults [Apple TV+ review]

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Snoopy and Woodstock return forThe Snoopy Show
Snoopy and Woodstock return for more low-key laughs in The Snoopy Show.
Photo: Apple TV+

Everyone’s favorite beagle flies back into action for a new series of misadventures on Apple TV+. Charles Schulz’s beloved gang of misfits are here to provide support on The Snoopy Show, based on the Peanuts comics.

The new animated series premieres Friday, bringing some stress-busting, family-friendly entertainment to Apple’s streaming service.

Kia and Apple build up supply chain for rumored Apple car

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Help wanted
"Supply chains assemble!"
Photo: Tim Mossholder/Unsplash CC

Kia reportedly started contacting potential partners in Georgia about working on the Apple car, The Wall Street Journal says.

This is the latest development as Apple and Kia parent company Hyundai supposedly prepare to team up in a $3.6 billion deal to build a self-driving electric vehicle. Kia reportedly could manufacture as many as 100,000 Apple cars per year.

This super-slim iPhone MagSafe wallet is also a nifty stand [Review]

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Moft Snap-on Stand & Wallet for iPhone 12 Series review
The Moft Snap-on Stand & Wallet for iPhone 12 Series is svelte even holding an Apple Card and a drivers license.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Accessories that take on more than one task are the best. Like Moft’s clip-on iPhone wallet that’s also a stand. It can hold three cards, but is very slender. And it uses magnets to cling tightly to the handset.

I tested the Moft Snap-on Stand & Wallet for weeks, so I can share what it’s really like in daily use.

iOS 14.5 bypasses Face ID, unlocks iPhones with Apple Watch [Updated]

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iOS 14.5 beta 1 lets
iOS 14.5 beta 1 lets Apple Watch wearers unlock their iPhone without Face ID.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has a solution for the hassle of unlocking an iPhone while wearing a face mask. iOS 14.5 beta 1, which was seeded to beta testers in the general public on Thursday, enables users to unlock their iPhone when their Apple Watch is nearby.

Plus, there are other new features. And this wasn’t the only fresh beta introduced. The first pre-release versions of iPadOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 are also available for the public and developers to begin testing.

iPadOS 14.5 finally adds emoji search [Updated]

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iPadOS 14.5 adds emoji search. Finally!
Finding just the right emoji to say what you mean gets easier in iPadOS 14.5.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

iPhone fans were first able to search for emoji last year, and Apple is finally bringing this feature to iPads. It’s built into the iPadOS 14.5 beta 1 released to public beta testing on Thursday.

Also, those with the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad get a horizontally-oriented boot screen.

Laut Base for iPhone makes wireless charging look marble-ous

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Laut Base wireless charger
It looks good no matter where you place it.
Photo: Laut

Most of the wireless chargers you’ll find on the market today look like boring black blocks of plastic that look out of place in a nicely decorated room. But the Laut Base wireless charger is different.

A premium aluminum casing and a marble surface allow this charging pad to look good no matter where you place it. Order yours from the Cult of Mac Store today in black or white.

iMac Pro-based setup handles whatever this animator throws at it [Setups]

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Curtis Sponsler's iMac Pro-based setup requires both processing power and huge storage capacity.
Curtis Sponsler's iMac Pro-based setup requires both processing power and huge storage capacity for animation..
Photo: Curtis Sponsler

Miami-based Curtis Sponsler has been a 3D animator and motion graphics designer for more than 30 years. These days, that work takes copious amounts of computing power and massive storage capacity.

Fortunately, his current iMac Pro-based setup handles his needs well.

The man even built his own render farm in a closet with dedicated air conditioning to store and cool his video-rendering machines.

Apple car might never need a driver

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Apple Car
You may someday ride in an Apple Car but you’ll never drive one. You’ll program it instead.
Photo: Torsten Dettlaff/Pexels CC

No one will ever drive an Apple car, according to leaked information. Apple is reportedly planning a vehicle that’s completely autonomous. It’ll be programmed, not driven.

That would make it less like what Tesla offers and more like what Alphabet’s Waymo is developing.

Apple’s $3,000 VR headset could boast 8K display, advanced hand- and eye-tracking

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Apple VR headset: If a $3,000 price tag doesn't scream
If a $3,000 price tag doesn't scream "niche product," what does?
Photo: Hammer & Tusk/Unsplash CC

Apple’s mixed-reality headset could cost around $3,000, solidifying its status as a niche luxury item, The Information claims in a new report.

The device supposedly will boast high-resolution 8K displays and some smart eye-tracking technology. Plus, more than a dozen built-in cameras could track wearers’ hand movements.

Swiss watchmaker’s $30,800 Apple Watch spoof refuses to load apps

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H. Moser & Cie.'s $30,800 Apple Watch spoof: What better way to thumb your nose at Apple Watch wearers?
What better way to thumb your nose at Apple Watch wearers?
Photo: H. Moser & Cie.

Do you look at the Apple Watch and think, “I wish it did less, but cost a whole lot more?”

If so, you might be in the market for the Swiss Alp Watch “Final Upgrade.” The mechanical watch created by H. Moser & Cie bears an uncanny resemblance to Apple’s wearable, albeit with far fewer features — and a $30,800 price tag.

Tiny iPhone and iPad charger will surprise you with its power [Review]

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Aukey Minima 18W PD Charger
Aukey’s 18W USB-C power adapter has definite advantages over Apple’s offerings.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Aukey makes a USB-C charger that’s about as small at the standard 5 watt iPhone charger but provides far more power. The Minima 18W PD Charger can quickly juice up an Apple phone or tablet, as well as other devices. With it, that old 5W charger can go in a drawer where it belongs.

It’s a low-cost option, plus I tested the product with an iPhone and an iPad so you can be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

How to pair and customize a PS5, Xbox Series X controller in iOS 14.5

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Pair PS5, Xbox controllers with iPhone and iPad
A better way to play your games on iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Microsoft/Cult of Mac

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X controllers can finally be used to play games on iPhone and iPad in Apple’s newest iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas, seeded to developers on Monday.

We’ll show you how to set them up so that you’re ready to go as soon as iOS 14.5 rolls out to everyone.

First macOS 11.3 beta brings tweaks to Safari and Reminders

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First macOS 11.3 beta brings tweaks to Safari and Reminders
Those in the Apple Developer Program can begin testing macOS Big Sur 11.3.
Image: Cult of Mac

A mere day after the release of a fresh macOS version, Apple went ahead and seeded to developers macOS 11.3 beta 1. The company isn’t one to sit on its hands.

The new beta includes small improvments to Safari and Reminders. And enhancements to a range of other features too. Plus bug fixes, of course.

Cupertino poaches Porsche chassis expert for Apple car

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The Apple Car could be partially designed by a man who designed this Porsche.
A man who helped design this Porsche is allegedly now working on the Apple Car.
Photo: Porsche

Apple reportedly hired Manfred Harrer for its top-secret self-driving vehicle project. It’s a telling move because Harrer previously was head of chassis development at Porsche. This is a clear sign that the Mac-maker is planning an Apple car, not simply an autonomous vehicle system to be licensed to automakers.

Music to your ears? This Mac setup is part workspace, part soundscape [Setups]

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An audiophile's setup includes not just computers and a killer sound system, but sound enhancers on the walls and in corners.
An audiophile's setup includes not just computers and a killer sound system, but sound enhancers on the walls and in corners.
Photo: Ed Yoon

Ed Yoon has a job many music fans and players would covet. He’s chief operating officer of high-end electric guitar maker and distributor Strandberg Guitars USA in Riverside, California. As you might guess from his line of work, he’s a major audiophile. And his office setup makes a lot of noise to that effect.

OK, not “noise.” Beautiful music.

Even before the pandemic, Yoon had been working a lot from home to manage the company’s operations. Then, as COVID-19 spread, remote work became the norm. Unlike most of us, he needed more than just a desk and a computer with decent speakers. He had to have mind-blowing audio.

Apple car could finally hit the road in 2025, but it won’t be cheap

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Making a car could produce a massive windfall for Apple.
Ming-Chi Kuo offers more details about Apple car in his latest report.
Photo: Possessed Photography/Unsplash CC

An Apple car could ship in 2025, and will be “positioned as a very high-end” model in terms of pricing, claims TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo doesn’t give a dollar figure. But he writes that the sticker price, as well as the cost of Apple car components, will come in much higher than a those for a regular electric vehicle.

How to use iCloud Passwords inside Google Chrome on Windows

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How to use iCloud Passwords in Chrome
Grab Apple's new Chrome extension today.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has rolled out a somewhat surprise Google Chrome extension that allows users to access iCloud Passwords on Windows machines.

You can use it to sync all the passwords you’ve created on Mac, iPhone, and iPad to your Windows desktop. And to sync any passwords you create in Chrome to iCloud Keychain for use on Apple devices.

We’ll show you how to get set up.

For Dickinson, a night at the opera elicits a ‘bravissimi’ [Apple TV+ review]

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Dickison
Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld) learns a lesson in immortality in this week's episode.
Photo: Apple TV+

In this week’s episode of Dickinson, Emily veers nearer to romantic destruction as the whole cast decamps to the Boston opera house to see a show. The episode makes time for everyone in the cast to take a solo. And the show finds its strengths renewed in simply detailing Emily’s emotional inner life.

Here’s why you can’t trust App Store ‘nutrition labels’ … yet

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privacy WWDC
Apple talks a lot about user privacy, but its App Store privacy “nutrition labels” need some work.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new privacy “nutrition labels” in the App Store might not be as useful as hoped. Spot checks by a Washington Post writer turned up applications with incorrect information.

The basic problem? Apple asked developers to describe their own privacy practices. And some of them were less than honest.

Losing Alice takes a delightfully mean-spirited turn [Apple TV+ review]

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Lihi Kornowski plays a meta-femme fatale in Losing Alice.
Lihi Kornowski plays a meta-femme fatale in Losing Alice.
Photo: Apple TV+

In this week’s episode of Losing Alice, the new Apple TV+ limited series about a disastrous relationship between a cunning young screenwriter and a desperate director, the show moves into the psychodramatic territory it’s been threatening to enter.

In “The Obsession,” an audition goes haywire, Sophie the screenwriter bares her teeth and Alice the director doesn’t notice anything — which will cost her dearly.

Hyundai execs reportedly worry that Apple Car partnership could damage automaker’s brand

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The idea of working with Apple to build a car reportedly makes some Hyundai execs nervous.
The idea of working with Apple to build a car reportedly makes some Hyundai execs nervous.
Photo: Mpho Mojapelo/Unsplash CC

Hyundai executives are reportedly split on whether the South Korean automaker should partner with Apple to build an electric car. Their concerns, which are supposedly “dimming the outlook” for a deal, apparently center on fears that Hyundai could become simply a contract manufacturer for Cupertino.

Hacked iPod Classic streams Spotify like a champ

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Spotify iPod Classic 1
This iPod Classic isn't so classic any more.
Photo: Guy Dupont

A YouTuber hacked a 17-year-old iPod Classic to let it stream Spotify tracks, successfully bringing a relic from the MP3 days into the modern era.

To be clear, this isn’t just a software hack. Guy Dupont pretty much gutted the vintage Apple music player. He added components like a Raspberry Pi Zero W board, a new LCD color display, a haptic motor, and a 1,000 mAh rechargeable battery.

Combine iPhone MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers into one attractive tray [Review]

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Elago Charging Tray Duo for MagSafe review
Reduce clutter with the Elago Charging Tray Duo, which holds Apple MagSafe iPhone and Apple Watch chargers.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Elago Charging Tray Duo adds color to your MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers. And brings them together into a single unit for your office or bedside.

I added this accessory to my home. Here’s how well it works in real life use.