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iPhone - page 159

Apple is making huge changes to how much you’ll pay for apps

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iPhone
Get ready to pay for more app subscriptions.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Starting next week, Apple will roll out major changes to the App Store that will effect how — and how much — you’ll pay for some of your favorite apps.

In a rare interview ahead of next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple VP of Marketing Phil Schiller talked about the company’s “renewed focus and energy” on the App Store. He also outlined key changes that will be unveiled during Apple’s WWDC keynote on June 13 in San Francisco.

Among the many changes coming to the App Store are search ads for apps, better revenue-sharing for developers, and new incentives for app makers to switch to subscription-based models.

Apple will live stream WWDC keynote

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Get ready for iOS 10.
Get ready for iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

You won’t have to go all the way to San Francisco to watch Apple’s big WWDC keynote as it happens.

Apple revealed today that it will offer a live stream of the event, which will be held June 13 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The company is expected to unveil iOS 10, OS X 10.12 and much more at the software-oriented keynote in front of thousands of lucky developers.

The guy who named iMac says Apple’s names are too confusing

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The next iPhone will have a huge battery.
Is it time for Apple to change the way it names iPhones?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Former Apple marketing guru Ken Segall helped launched Apple’s string of i-devices, but now he says that the company has lost its way from simplicity lately and there’s no clearer sign than the confusing naming scheme of the iPhone.

In a recent op-ed claiming Apple’s days of simplicity may have died with his buddy Steve Jobs, Segall takes Apple’s product names to tasks for being far too complex for customers to keep track, saying Tim Cook has created products that he finds bewildering.

iRIP: Yes, you can have a giant iPhone tombstone

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information_items_4382
Don't worry: you've just been upgraded to a better place.
Photo: Pavel Kayuk

You may identify as an Apple fan in life, but is that really the way you’d like to be best-remembered in death?

If so, a company called Autograph, founded by Serbian artist Pavel Kayuk, may be able to help you. It has created a tombstone in the shape of an iPhone, referred to (of course) as the iTombstone — forever marking you out as coolest character in the graveyard. Or something like that.

Google can now locate your lost iOS devices

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Screen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.34.39
Thanks, Google!
Photo: Google

So you forgot to activate Find My iPhone when setting up your new iOS device, and now you’ve lost it. Fear not, because thanks to Google, you have a backup service.

Simply type “I lost my phone” into Google Search and you’ll be able to locate all the devices connected to your account.

iPhone shipments will get worse before they get better

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iPhone 6 Plus_7
Apple will have to wait until next year for iPhone growth to return.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is confident the iPhone will bounce back from its current slump in demand, but new forecasts suggest shipments will get worse before they get better. Researchers don’t expect growth to return until 2017 when Apple introduces bigger upgrades.

How silly songs about the iPhone sparked a music career

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When the Moog strikes, Parry Gripp writes funny songs about anything.
When the Moog strikes, Parry Gripp writes funny songs about anything.
Photo: Dana E. Ross

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugParry Gripp was the lead vocalist of a promising pop punk band that had a record deal and stardom just around the corner.

Success never came and just as Parry Gripp was set to give up, a new career in music rose from the ashes — by accident — thanks to the iPhone and Apple.

The technology company was not only fodder for Gripp’s brand of absurd novelty music he was creating but, through iTunes, Apple provided a way for him to publish his music and start to make a living.

Apple winning as lawmakers give up on forced backdoors

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iPhone SE
The FBI won't get its backdoor anytime soon.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

U.S. lawmakers are said to be giving up on their push for new encryption laws that would require companies like Apple to create software backdoors that allow the government to access our devices.

It’s thought the lack of White House support and Apple’s high-profile battle with the Justice Department, which was unable to force the company into providing an iPhone unlock, are some of the reasons why supporters are losing hope.

Samsung Pay could soon be available on your iPhone

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samsung-pay-arrives-to-take-on-apple-in-china-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201504samsung_pay_0_0-1-jpg
Samsung wants to fight Apple Pay in its own backyard.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung Pay is doing all it can to make things difficult for Apple Pay, and that could include bringing the fight to its own backyard. Samsung is said to be working on porting its mobile payment service to the iPhone — but there is a catch.

DIY update adds CarPlay to your Hyundai

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CarPlay
CarPlay has a new arrival.
Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai car owners can now get Apple’s CarPlay technology on their dashboard thanks to a new Do-It-Yourself update that has been made available for 2015, 2016, and 2017 car models.

The free update doesn’t even require a trip to the dealer to be installed, and if you want Android Auto, the software can add that too.

Patent troll wants iMessage and FaceTime banned

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Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s most hated patent troll, VirnetX, has hit the iPhone-maker with more legal woes this week, after it requested a court in Texas to have iMessage and FaceTime banned in the U.S.

VirnetX was awarded $625 million in damages after a jury found Apple had infringed on the company’s patents with iMessage and FaceTime. Now the patent troll is asking for an extra $190 million on top of the injunction because it feels Apple’s just been too unreasonable.

Tim Cook spotted the iPhone in a painting from 1670

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Is that an iPhone 6s Plus?
Is that an iPhone 6s Plus?
Photo: Pieter de Hooch

Apple is credited with designing the smartphone as we know it today, but it turns out some people were using touchscreen devices in 1670. At least that’s what Tim Cook saw when he laid eyes on a 346-year-old painting from Pieter de Hooch and spotted an iPhone.

USB-C battery pack gives your MacBook a full charge on the go

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Kanex-GoPower
The GoPower is a MacBook's perfect companion.
Photo: Kanex

Apple’s notebooks pack some of the best laptop batteries out there, but you’re always going to find yourself low on power when using your MacBook on the road. Fortunately, Kanex’s new PowerGo battery pack can save the day.

Packing 15,000 mAh of power and USB-C connectivity, it’s capable of giving your 12-inch Retina MacBook a full charge on the go — and it’ll keep your iOS devices topped up, too.

How Samsung plans to make the iPhone 7 Plus look like trash

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Galaxy Note 5
The next Galaxy Note will be the best phablet by far.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Samsung’s excellent Galaxy S7 series will have almost certainly exacerbated falling iPhone demand in recent months, and now the South Korean company is working to ensure that things won’t be any easier for the iPhone 7 lineup.

New rumors say its next-generation Galaxy Note phablet will be its best smartphone yet, with stellar specifications, outstanding design, and a new virtual reality experience that will make the iPhone 7 Plus look like trash.

iPhone maker replaces half its factory workers with robots

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Tim Cook greeting Foxconn workers in China. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook meeting with (human) Foxconn workers.
Photo: Apple

Apple manufacturer Foxconn has been talking about investing in robots for years now, but apparently it’s finally done it — replacing more than half of the employees at one of its factories with machines.

“The Foxconn factory has reduced its employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000, thanks to the introduction of robots,” said a government official, adding that “it has tasted success in reduction of labour costs” and that more companies are now likely to follow suit.

‘Error 53’ plaintiffs claim Apple not living up to reimbursement promise

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touchid
"Error 53" problem bricked affected iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Apple may have fixed its disastrous Error 53 fault that disables iPhones which had a home button or cables related to Touch ID replaced by an unauthorized third-party.

However, a class action suit brought by a number of iPhone owners is claiming that Apple didn’t do enough — and yet not lived up to its promise to reimburse customers whose phones were bricked by the error.

This emoji iOS trick will change the way you search

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Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Emoji have rapidly changed the way we conversate in the digital age and now thanks to a new feature in iOS, they’re about to change the way we search too.

iPhone and iPad users can now use emoji as search terms in the iOS spotlight feature that’s accessible on any home screen by swiping down.

The feature is actually super-useful, though it doesn’t work with all emoji. Looking for a place to have a beer with a buddy? All you have to do is tap the beer emoji icon and Spotlight will bring up suggestions for drinking holes that you can open in Apple Maps.

Here are some of the emoji you can use for search:

Tim Cook admits iPhone is too damn expensive

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Apple CEO Tim Cook
Tim Cook has no desire to make great devices for poor people.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Buying an iPhone is a major financial decision for most people that pine for Apple’s pricey products, but according to CEO Tim Cook, the iPhone could soon see a price cuts in certain markets.

During his heavily publicized tour of India, Tim Cook sat down for an interview with Vikram Chandra on NDTV to talk about Apple’s interest in the country. When asked about whether the iPhone is too expensive, especially considering some features don’t work in countries outside the U.S., Cook actually acknowledged the price is a bit steep.