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Apple needs something spectacular in 2016 — but what?

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Friday Night Fights is back!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 is here, and so far, it hasn’t been good to Apple.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Just this week, the Cupertino company saw its stock price fall below $100 for the first time since 2014 amid countless reports that iPhone demand is weakening at a rapid pace. Apple needs to do something, but what?

Should it address falling iPhone sales first and focus on making iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus the best smartphones money can buy? Should it put more effort into making iPad the tablet it once was? Or is it time for something new?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over all this and more!

Pro Tip: How to sync iMessages across your devices

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Make sure you get your iMessages no matter where you are.
Make sure you get your iMessages no matter where you are.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bug I’ve always loved being able to pick up an iMessage conversation that I started on my iPhone right on my Mac, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, I’ve been having an iMessage issue for the last few months — I can have conversations via Messages on my Mac and conversations via Messages on my iPhone, but my iMessages have stopped synchronizing across my devices.

Ampy battery pack uses body movement to recharge iPhone

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You can now jog your iPhone back to full power.
You can now jog your iPhone back to full power.
Photo: Ampy

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage LAS VEGAS — Your body is an amazing energy creation machine but you’re not even using it to its full potential. All the walking, running, biking and other movements you make throughout the day all create kinetic energy, and now you can finally harness it to charge the most important gadgets in your life with Ampy.

Ampy is a wearable battery pack that can be charged via USB, but its superpower is the ability to recharge using motion thanks to a couple of magnets that bounce up and down inside coils. One hour of moderate exercise (jogging or riding a bike) will add up to five hours of standby battery life to your iPhone, or about 1 hour of regular usage. It’s not something you’ll want to use everyday, but it’s perfect for when you’re going on a hike, or experience a power outage.

The device comes with a strap and carrying band so you can place it on your arm or leg depending on what exercises you’re doing. It features a curved profile, making it a great fit for jean pockets, jackets, or anything other object that moves a lot. Priced at $100 the device comes with an accompanying iOS app so you can track how much power you’re generating. A slimmer, more power efficient model is on the way later this year.

BeastGrip transforms your iPhone into a pro camera rig

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BeastGrip lets you attach pretty much anything to your iPhone.
BeastGrip lets you attach pretty much anything to your iPhone.
Photo: BeastGrip

The iPhone camera is great at photos and videos, but if you want to take your shots to the next level, you need some extra gear. BeastGrip is the easy-to-use solution that enables photogs to attach all sorts of components like stabilizers, mics, lights, and DSLR lenses to the iPhone to make a custom, pro-quality camera rig.

Every aspect of BeastGrip’s modular system can be expanded to fit practically any piece of photography hardware you throw at it. Whether you’re shooting on an iPhone, Android, or Windows device, simply loosen some screws, slide in a new segment, and you’re ready to capture professional quality video from your smartphone.

Flexibility is BeatGrip’s biggest selling point. The body alone costs $115, but you can also buy a kit with the company’s DOF adapter that lets you mount Canon or Nikon DSLR lenses to your iPhone, giving you much better depth-of-field for really unique camera phone shots.

iPhone 7 will be waterproof, charge wirelessly and have no headphone jack

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An iPhone 7 concept gets rid of the ugly antenna lines too.
Photo: Eric Huismann

The upcoming iPhone 7 is almost certainly ditching the headphone jack at this point. What at first seemed like a ridiculous stretch is now shaping up to be the most credible rumor about the next-gen iPhone so far.

The latest whispers indicate that, while the headphone jack is out, wireless charging and a waterproof design are finally in.

Will Apple turn around its fortunes in 2017?

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Are you predicting big things from Apple next year?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 has not exactly been a spectacular year for Apple. There have been some nice highlights, like major changes to the MacBook Pro lineup and the wildly successful AirPods, but it hasn’t really been a year to remember for fans or investors.

Friday Night Fights bugWill 2017 be different? We know the next-generation iPhone will be big, but does Apple have more up its sleeve that will help turn around its fortunes and make the next year a spectacular one?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over Apple in 2017.

Wireless charging system gets cool new magnetic audio gadgets

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Stack even more awesome on your iPhone with these audio accessories.
Stack even more awesome on your iPhone with these audio accessories.
Photo: Stacked

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Stacked, the wireless charging case that charges your iPhone with a series of stackable power banks, is expanding it’s line of useful, connected devices to help simplify your life and fill it with music.

The company is showing off it’s two new audio accessories at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas. The Audio Dock and Boost Speaker connect to your iPhone via the magnetic system of the Stacked power case, reducing wires and making sure you never forget your external speaker at work again.

Samsung confirms its Gear S2 watch will support iPhone

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Gear S2 will play in Apple's back yard. Photo: Samsung
Gear S2 will play in Apple’s back yard. Photo: Samsung

Samsung is making its Gear S2 smartwatch compatible with iPhone to give it an even great chance at competing with Apple Watch and Android Wear. Its latest wearable will get an update later this year that will make it iPhone-friendly.

Foxconn takes unusual break from iPhone production

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meeting an iPhone manufacturer in China.
Photo: Apple

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn is taking the unusual step of cutting the hours of employees building Apple handsets during the upcoming weeklong Lunar New Year holiday next February.

The planned slowdown follows reports that Apple is cutting orders for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus by up to 30 percent, which is causing investors to hammer Apple stock.

Olloclip’s Studio is a protective iPhone case that will perfect your photos

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Olloclip
Olloclip is cementing its reputation as a leading iPhone accessory maker.
Photo: Olloclip

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverageOlloclip has long been one of the best accessory-makers for the iPhone. At CES, the company introduced its latest innovation — a brand new protective case for the iPhone, which features a patent-pending integrated rail-mounting system and a series of mountable photography accessories.

CloudMagic, the best mail client on mobile, comes to Mac

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CloudMagic is now available on your desktop.
CloudMagic is now available on your desktop.
Photo: CloudMagic

For managing multiple mail accounts on the go, nothing beats the brilliant CloudMagic. It packs everything you need in an email app — and a whole lot more — and supports almost every mail service you can throw at it. And now it’s finally available on your Mac!

Apple might cut iPhone 6s production by up to 30% this quarter

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Is iPhone growth starting to stall?
Photo: Apple

Apple will be allegedly reducing orders of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to suppliers by as much as 30 percent this quarter. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sales are apparently considerably less than that of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the year-ago quarter. If this is true, it seems that Apple has been making too much supply for simply not enough demand.

iPhone 7 Plus battery life could make Apple’s Smart Battery Case obsolete

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You might never need one of these again with the iPhone 7 Plus.
You might never need one of these again with the iPhone 7 Plus.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 6s Plus is already a monster phone. It boasts a 2,915mAh battery that can last up to two full days without recharging. But battery life could get even better with the iPhone 7 Plus. And storage space? It could double.

Enhance your computer or mobile with these awesome peripherals [Deals]

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Back up and expand your mobile capacity by 32 gigs without having to sign up for cloud storage.
Back up and expand your mobile capacity by 32 gigs without having to sign up for cloud storage.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks are great, but they can always be improved. Whether you’re looking to game better on your mobile or just make sure you’ve got a spare charger when your old one goes kaput, we’ve collected some of the best deals on peripherals for your portable tech.

New December iOS games to jingle your bells

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Best ios games December 2015

Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

We’re finishing up 2015, and now that you’re all good and tired of your families, we’ve checked out some great December iOS games to help you decompress in solitude.

This month’s offerings should cover all of your needs, whether you like to relax with a simple match-three title or need something more strategic. We have high-def graphics, pixel art, orchestrated music, chiptunes, straight-up fighting, and strategizing. December had something for everyone.

In no particular order, here were our favorite diversions from the December rush.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s best and worst of 2015, must-have apps, and more

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Happy New Year everyone!
Happy New Year everyone!
Cover Design: Stephen Smith

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We take a look at them all from 2015 in this end-of-year issue of the delightful and informative Cult of Mac Magazine. We’ve got Apple’s best and worst wins and fails of the year, the must-have apps on Apple TV, Mac, iOS, and Apple Watch, how to keep your toughest New Year’s resolutions with your iPhone, a quick trick on adding emojis just about anywhere, and our thoughts on why 2015 was actually Apple’s most important year since 2007.

Dive in with your own copy of Cult of Mac Magazine. Below is the rundown for this week.

Happy New Year from all of us here at Cult of Mac.

Rumors of iPhone crash in 2016 may be greatly exaggerated

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Don't expect Apple's iPhone business to crash any time soon.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

This time of year yields more Apple doom predictions than New Year’s resolutions, so it’s no surprise that Apple analysts have been naming 2016 as the year iPhone sales finally fall off a cliff.

But according to Brean Capital, not only is Apple stock still worth buying, with a $170 price target, but investors should look through the “supply chain ‘noise'” and see the potential for iPhone sales to hit around 250 million units next year — or 7 percent to 10 percent growth from Apple’s already stellar 2016.

Apple is close to signing deal for OLED iPhone displays

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OLED displays are on their way.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The arrival of OLED displays for future iPhones is looking more of a sure thing than ever, with a new report stating that Apple is on the verge of finalizing an agreement with Samsung Display and LG Display to build its future screens.

According to sources, Samsung will produce around 90,000 OLED substrates per month for Apple, while LG will produce 60,000.

Total number of smartphone displays that should generate? The report doesn’t make it explicitly clear, but it is likely to be in the region of 400 million displays per year.

AT&T will kill two-year contracts at the beginning of 2016

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Two-year contracts are about to be a thing of the past.
Two-year contracts are about to be a thing of the past.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

If you want to buy the iPhone 6s on a two-year contract with AT&T you better hurry.

Internal documents from AT&T leaked online this morning revealing the carrier plans to finally kill the two-year contracts it’s offered long before it become the first carrier to sell the iPhone.

Faster, longer, more secure: Why the iPhone 6c will blow the iPhone 5s out of the water

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Don't call it the '5se'.
Don't call it the '5se'.
Photo: Martin Hajek

We’ve heard enough at this point to be pretty sure that a 4-inch iPhone 6c is coming, but how will it stack up against the last 4-inch iPhone, the iPhone 5s? Pretty well, according to a new report: You can expect better battery life, better performance and better security!

iPhone shipments rocket 133% in the Middle East and Africa

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iPhone 6s
After China, the Middle East and Africa is one of Apple's big focuses.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is focused on expanding into new markets, and after its success in China, it seems the next focus is on the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

According to analysts at Counterpoint Research, Apple saw its market share in the region climb 3.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015, compared to 2.2 percent during the same period one year earlier. Overall, iPhone shipments grew 133 percent on-year in 2015 to enter the top 5 smartphone brands in the area.

Apple could ink deal with Samsung and LG for future OLED iPhones

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apple-could-ink-deal-with-samsung-and-lg-for-future-oled-iphones-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201501LG-G-Flex-2-jpg

LG-G-Flex-2

We’ve heard for years that Apple could incorporate OLED displays into next-generation iPhones, but over the past few months, those rumors have ramped up, suggesting that the power-sipping display technology could land as early as the iPhone 7.

Now, a new report buttresses those rumors, saying Apple is close to finalizing a supply agreement with Samsung and LG to give future iPhones OLED displays.