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ICYMI: Remembering Steve, new iPads are coming, and more

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Issue 58 brings some memories of Steve, products we'd like to see updated, and more! Cover: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Issue 58 brings some memories of Steve, products we'd like to see updated, and more! Cover: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

It’s that time of the week again — all of Cult of Mac’s best news stories and features, compiled in one place to peruse easily on your iPad or iPhone. This week we’ve got heartfelt remembrances of Steve Jobs, some products we’d like to see updated along with the coming new iPads, a look at upcoming Twin Peaks in our modern era, and some hard lessons learned in running the top iPad magazine. Plus, some great new apps to look at and a reminder that the iPhone 6 continues to sell like, well, iPhones.

Dig into Cult of Mac Magazine October 10 Edition, Free on iTunes

What if Bendgate comes to the next iPad?

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Current rumor suggests that the next iPad Air will be even thinner than the last one.

And as we know from the release of the last iPhone, when something’s thinner… well, it’s likely to get bent.

So what will happen if Bendgate comes to the iPad? Our favorite concept designer Martin Hajek imagines the next iPad Air if it proves as pliable as the iPhone 6.

There are more images after the jump. What do you think?

Real life becomes a vector with Adobe’s Shape CC

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Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Turn any photo into an editable and reusable vector shape. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Quick – grab your iPhone and take a picture of something nearby — the remote control on your coffee table, a pair of Warby Parkers, anything, really. Now take that photo and turn it into a fully editable vector graphic that can be used by a host of drawing and artistic programs across your iPhone, iPad and Mac, all via the magic of Adobe’s Creative Cloud.

That’s precisely what Adobe Shape CC does, one of a host of new apps available on your iOS device to make capturing the real world much easier than ever before.

Here’s a quick video rundown of how it works.

This Detroit dude will trade you his house for an iPhone 6

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iPhone6forhouse
A Motor City resident would rather own an iPhone 6 than a house. Video still: Fox 2 News

If you’ve always wanted to own a dilapidated bungalow on Detroit’s East Side, but all you have is an iPhone 6, today is your lucky day: A Motor City homeowner is so desperate to get rid of his house that he’ll trade it to you for an iPhone 6.

Just about everything in the brick colonial listed for sale needs to be demolished, but the house does feature a basement, garden and city views from the second-floor balcony. The seller of the house lives overseas, and after failing to sell the home for months, he’d gladly accept the greatest smartphone on Earth as payment for his nearly worthless property.

Take a look of the 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath residence below:

iPhone prototype seller can’t wait for Apple to squash $100K eBay auction

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Photo: kimberlyk1018
The auction for this prototype iPhone 6 is going crazy on eBay. Photo: kimberlyk1018/eBay

As a prototype iPhone 6 on eBay shoots above $100,000, the seller is just dying to hear from Apple.

Although the company might cancel the auction, as it has done with several secret prototypes in the past, the seller is such an Apple fan that he’s more excited about hearing from Cupertino than collecting $100,000.

“I don’t think the bids are real at this point,” the seller told Cult of Mac. “I’m excited about Apple getting in touch because I have loved their company for so long and this is just such an amazing opportunity.”

The seller’s name is Alex. He’s 24, lives in Los Angeles, and works in sales and marketing. He unintentionally purchased the prototype iPhone for his mother.

6 ways Apple could make the iPhone better than big

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The iPhone 6 received rave reviews when Apple unveiled it at the Flint Center last month, but not many people have been eager to talk about it’s shortcomings, until now.

In today’s Cult of Mac video we breakdown the biggest disappointments iPhone 6 users have griped about since the device went on sale two weeks ago. What should Apple improve to make the phone better? Find out what the next generation iPhone still needs and more in this informative video.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV to catch all our latest videos.

Charge your iPhone in style with this reversible USB charging cord

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Photo: BelayCords
Photo: BelayCords

Andy Rooney once quipped that anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.

With that sentiment in mind, a new Kickstarter campaign is in the process of raising funds for a fantastic project: a fully reversible, nigh-unbreakable USB Lightning charging cord for your iPhone. Check out the video after the jump.

Flic lets you manage your photos like Tinder

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Flic your photos left or right, Tinder-style, for super fast sorting. Screenshots: Cult of Mac
Flic your photos left or right, Tinder-style, for super fast sorting. Screenshots: Cult of Mac

Even with the recent improvements to iOS 8’s handling of photos you take with your iPhone, it’s still kind of a pain in the butt to sort through and delete the ones you don’t want to keep.

The developers behind Flic, a fantastic new photo app, decided they’d had enough and built a better app. This one works a lot like Tinder, a dating app that uses a swipe to sort potential dates.

If you’ve ever had to sort through a ton of photos on your iPhone, you’re going to love Flic. Getting through all your photos is speedy and efficient.

“I just went on my honeymoon,” developer Brandon Evans told Cult of Mac, “and I think I had 400 pictures to go through. It only took me, like two minutes to go through using Flic.”

Best warranty options for your new iPhone

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iPhone 6 Plus Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
What happens if you accidentally crack the gorgeous screen on your iPhone 6 Plus? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Naturally, you hope your new iPhone will stay in mint condition until you’re ready to upgrade or resell. But the fact is, if you cringe at the possibility of a $200 repair bill for a broken screen, it’s time to think about getting an extended warranty.

You’ve got several options: AppleCare+ is available for purchase with new hardware, and mobile carriers and third-party warranty providers sell plans with different perks. You should also check out your personal insurance provider if you’ve got one. Some homeowner’s and renter’s policies offer protection plans for personal belongings, and you might already be covered. The deductibles tend to be steep, but it’s still worth giving your insurer a call to know your options.

Deciding on a warranty can be tricky, so we’ve done the hard work for you.

‘Netflix for pirates’ comes to jailbroken iOS devices

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The Popcorn Time app on Android. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
The Popcorn Time app on Android. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Popcorn Time, the service that allows users to stream movie torrents, today makes its debut on iOS. It’s available only to jailbroken devices — there’s no way Apple would have approved it for the App Store — and it can be obtained through Cydia via a dedicated Popcorn Time repository.

Ex Apple CEO launches five new smartphones in the Middle East

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1984 --- Steve Jobs and John Sculley --- Image by Ed Kashi/CORBIS
1984 --- Steve Jobs and John Sculley --- Image by Ed Kashi/CORBIS

Former Apple CEO John Sculley has launched a new lineup of budget smartphones in the Middle East — although he admits Steve Jobs would like not be enamoured with them.

“Steve being Steve would say, you can do alot better,” he told Gulf Business.

The range includes various animal-themed devices, including the Octopus S520, the Falcon S451, Hornbill S551, Wolverine S501, and Obi F240. They are being launched by India’s Obi Mobile, a budget smartphone brand, which John Sculley co-founded.

How to install iOS 8’s most wicked widgets

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The ability to add widgets to your Notifications dock is easily one of iOS 8’s most useful additions. The new functionality puts some of your favorite apps’ features right at your fingertips.

Only a limited number of apps offer widgets currently, but with developers hard at work you can be sure many more are on the way. In today’s Cult of Mac video, we show you how to install widgets in iOS 8 so you can get started enjoying what’s available now.

In this instructional video, we also give you a look at some of our personal favorites. See how widgets can make managing your to-do list, journaling and checking out your favorite teams’ sports scores easier than ever.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

iPhone 6 still draws crowds on weekend No. 2

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The iPhone 6 is big. And not just in terms of size, either.
iPhone 6 Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus may have been available to buy for a week now in the U.S. and other primary markets, but it’s still a hot enough ticket that it’s causing major lines this weekend, as eager shoppers try to grab Apple’s next-gen handsets.

In various cities around the world, a constant queue could be seen for much of the weekend, with many customers having to wait well over an hour.

Consumer Reports agrees with Apple: Bendgate is ‘overblown’

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Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr CC
Suddenly everybody's talking about bendy smartphones. Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr CC

With Bendgate causing some worrywarts to question the structural integrity of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Consumer Reports set out to answer the question: “How much force does it take for a phone to bend — and not bend back?”

The independent consumer-testing outfit took six smartphones — including both iPhone 6 models and an iPhone 5s — into the lab and subjected them to experiments using an Instron compression testing machine. The results are surprising.

Here’s what they found (along with a video showing Consumer Reports’ torture testing).

Stay calm and carry an iPhone: Why Bendgate will blow over

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iPhone 6 Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
When it comes to Apple, "Bendgate" is just another snafu borne of high expectations. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Bendgate is the latest in a long line of minor Apple problems that get blown out of proportion by the Internet’s echo chamber and the media jackals that inevitably swoop in and howl about the latest “crisis.”

The same sort of over-the-top backlash happened with the iPhone 4’s reception issue (Antennagate) and the iPad’s trickle-charge feature (Batterygate). It’s a familiar cycle: Apple’s fantastic new device captures the world’s attention, a glitch arises and suddenly the world is coming to an end — at least until it’s not.

“Apple’s ability to trigger consumer demand is probably without rival across the globe — that’s no small feat,” says Larry Barton, a pioneer in corporate crisis management who studies the causes of and responses to incidents like these. “Their core, loyal customer has proven to be forgiving across several minor incidents, and Bendgate is just that — a relatively minor snafu that’s not uncommon with a first-generation design.”

Banned iPads, bending iPhones and the rest of this week’s hottest Apple news

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Although the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus chalked up record-breaking sales, Apple’s week has been far from a celebration. A YouTube video showing the iPhone 6 Plus bending under seemingly normal amounts of pressure sent the Internet to crazyville, and Bendgate was born.

Watch Cult of Mac’s news roundup to see the latest regarding the Bendgate frenzy, why some iPads are being banned, and how one person surprised the world with her iPhone 6 impressions more than others.

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.

Jaw-dropping videos showcase iPhone 6’s slo-mo skillz

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Screengrab: Apple
With the iPhone 6, Apple fans are becoming slo-mo freaks. Screengrab: Cult of Mac

Mesmerizing slow-motion videos have flooded the Internet in the last few days, showcasing the kind of amazing footage you rarely see outside a movie theater or Blu-ray disc.

What opened the floodgates? The iPhone 6. The device’s camera and software allows for a mind-boggling 240 frames-per-second shooting rate, letting videographers of all abilities try their hands at slowing down the action and making an impact.

Slow motion has long been used in your favorite films to convey the intensity of a moment (think The Matrix or anything by John Woo), but this is the first time the average consumer has this kind of stunning tech in their hands.

With more than 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units sold already, we’ll undoubtedly get slammed with even more beautiful slow-motion videos in the weeks and months to come. Here are a bunch we’ve found that show off the startling capabilities of the iPhone 6 while also proving that, seriously, people will film anything.

Get bent: The shocking history of bent smartphones

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Apple's new aluminum will kill Bendgate.
Apple's new aluminum will kill Bendgate.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Bend-Gate is slowly taking over the Internet this morning as Apple fans discover the startling fact that when pressure is applied to an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus frame, it bends – just like every other smartphone ever made of metal.

The bending problem has been reported by a number of iPhone 6 owners who pocketed their big iPhone 6 only to retrieve it later with a significant curve in the frame. Some sites are deeming the new iPhones “more fragile than expected,” but the truth is we’ve seen this problem almost every year.

In fact, last year ran we an article titled “iPhone 5s Bending in People’s Pockets.” Any phone made of metal is still subject to the laws of physics, but to reiterate that this isn’t exactly a problem exclusive to the iPhone 6, here’s a look at other Android and Apple phones that have bending problems.

Review: Smaller iPhone 6 proves bigger isn’t always better

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The iPhone 6 is as good as gold. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

My first impression? My goodness, this is the small one?

The iPhone 6 is a big step up. It makes older iPhones look small. Ridiculously small. Even after a few days, my old iPhone 5s feels positively Lilliputian. The 6 dwarfs the 5s, which felt big and expansive at the time. Now it looks like a little dolls’ phone.

I’ve been really digging the 6. It’s a big bright slab of glass and metal. It feels impossibly thin, almost like an oversize credit card in your hand. But it’s solid and stiff — it’s not going to snap in my back pocket if I sit on it.

The 6 is not a gob-smacker like the 6 Plus, which stops people in the street. But it’s more manageable, especially with one hand.

I’m a big fan. I like it a lot, except for one design flaw that’s been driving me crazy.

World’s first 24-karat gold iPhone 6 is ready for masters of the universe

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Photo: GOLDS & Co
Think your iPhone 6 is a head-turner? Try one plated in 24-karat gold. Photo: Gold & Co.

While the rest of us waited to get an iPhone 6 over launch weekend, an elite few were anticipating an exclusive variant: a custom 24-karat gold version of Apple’s next-generation handset.

The waiting list of exclusive customers includes music industry heavy hitters, boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., Russian oligarchs and practically every royal family member in the United Arab Emirates — people for whom nothing short of a gold iPhone 6 is acceptable.

“Believe you me, we have a lot of very big-name clients, but we don’t like to publicly reveal their names,” says creator Amjad Ali. “As a British company, we just don’t think it’s the polite thing to do.”

Foxconn CEO unimpressed by his iPhone-building robot army

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Irobot
Photo: 20th Century Fox

It looks like Apple manufacturer Foxconn may not be entirely ready to displace its human workforce in favor of robots just yet.

According to a new report coming out of the Taiwanese media, Foxconn’s CEO Terry Gou is disappointed by the company’s current generation of so-called “Foxbots,” which supposedly fell short of expectations in terms of both proficiency and flexibility.