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Apple store ‘maintenance’ means get your credit card ready

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The new iPad Pro may feature smaller bezels.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Apple online store will go down for scheduled “maintenance” tomorrow morning, and while it’s offline, you might want to get your credit card ready.

Recent rumors have promised Apple will launch new products this week. There are no plans for a big keynote, but there’s still a chance the Apple store will return with some sweet surprises.

You can now buy AppleCare+ one year after getting an iPhone

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AppleCare
Don't be a fool, protect your tool.
Photo: Apple

If you’ve purchased a new iPhone in the last 12 months but failed to buy AppleCare+ to protect it, Apple is ready to cut you a break.

Apple has decided to extend the period in which iPhone buyers can get AppleCare+ to one full year from the data of purchase, after previously only letting you buy it within 60 days.

Apple drops new betas for iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4

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macOS Sierra is here!
A new macOS beta is here!
Photo: Apple

Just three days after seeding the last betas of iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4, Apple is back with yet another new build.

Signaling that a public release is just around the corner, the new updates come with a number of bug fixes and under the hood improvements to go with new features that were added in previous versions.

iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4 inch closer to public release

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iPhone 7 in hand
Apple's new iOS update is nearly ready for primetime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received new beta software updates today for iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4, possibly signaling that a public release is just around the corner.

The new updates come just a few days after Apple dropped the last betas of macOS 10.12.4 and iOS 10.3 on developers. Both updates come with a number of bug fixes and under the hood improvements to go with new features that were added in previous versions.

Apple tops tech support rankings for third year in a row

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The Genius Bar is one of the best things about buying a Mac.
The Genius Bar is one of the best things about buying a Mac.
Photo: Apple

If you want to get the absolute best tech support for your laptop, pay the Apple tax and get a Mac.

In the latest annual Tech Support Showdown rankings, Laptop Magazine has awarded Apple the number one spot for the third straight year. Apple beat out nine other companies, but it’s starting to get some serious competition from companies like Acer that are focusing more on online service.

Twitch is invading your desktop

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Twitch desktop
Twitch on desktops has all web features and more.
Photo: Twitch

Game streaming platform Twitch today unveiled its new desktop app for Windows and Mac.

It will offer all the features you expect from the service, including voice and video calling, and you’ll be able to get your hands on the beta later this month.

Apple celebrates International Women’s Day on iTunes and iBookstore

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iTunes is promoting movies and TV shows with strong female characters.
iTunes is promoting movies and TV shows with strong female characters.
Photo: Apple

Apple is going all out to feature great media that promotes strong women by creating special sections in iTunes and Apple Music for International Women’s Day.

iPhone, Mac and Apple TV users can comb through Apple’s handpicked choices in categories like music, movies and books to find stories and entertainment that promotes strong female characters.

Apple Pay now supports charitable donations in the U.K.

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Apple-Pay-Cancer-Research-UK
Cancer Research is one of 21 charities accepting Apple Pay in the U.K.
Photo: Cancer Research U.K.

Apple Pay will now allow users to donate money to charitable organizations in the U.K.

The feature was first rolled out in the U.S. late last year, and it’s available on iPhone, iPad, and macOS. The long list of supported non-profits includes the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research U.K., Comic Relief, Oxfam, and Unicef.

Complaints fly about MacBook Pro’s fancy new keyboard

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15 inch MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro has an all-new keyboard.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar may have some serious keyboard problems.

A number of 2016 MacBook Pro owners are reporting issues with the new keyboard, which features a redesign of the butterfly mechanism that Apple introduced on the super-thin retina MacBook.

Some popular Mac apps fail as developer certificates expire

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Screen Shot 2017-02-18 at 9.26.30 PM
1Password is one of the apps that stopped working this weekend.
Photo: AgileBits

Several popular Mac apps began crashing over the weekend after their developer certificates expired.

The apps suddenly refused to open due to a change Apple made to its signing policy last year. Apple now requires that all apps from the Mac App Store have a valid provisioning profile that must be updated periodically.

Why has the past decade of PCs been so boring? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Are you still excited by PCs?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

As a pioneer of personal computing, Apple’s first machines changed the way we looked at computers. In the years that followed, the company broke new ground with incredible innovations that its rivals couldn’t have dreamed of.

Friday Night Fights bugThings have been a little different over the past decade or so. Apple’s innovations haven’t been quite as forthcoming, and while some would say its rivals are catching up, others would argue that the PC industry as a whole has become somewhat boring.

So, why has personal computing gone stagnant? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out!

Safari update will boost battery life on MacBook Pro

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Safari will be kinder to MacBook Pro battery life.
Safari will be kinder to MacBook Pro battery life.
Photo: Apple

A Safari Technology Preview rolled out this week brings changes that make battery life even better on the MacBook Pro.

Release 23 of Apple’s web browser is better at switching between GPUs for WebGL content, which means your MacBook’s dedicated graphics chip carries out less work.

New Mac malware targets Microsoft Word users

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Mac-macro-malware
Beware bogus Word macros.
Screenshot: Patrick Wardle.

After spreading viruses among Windows PCs for years, malicious Microsoft Word documents are now infecting Macs.

The files contain a macro that silently executes in the background and downloads an application that can monitor webcams, steal passwords, read browser history and more.

Is Apple headed for another boom period? [Friday Night Fights]

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IMG_3502
Will 2017 be a big year for Apple?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple impressed us all with its Q1 2017 earnings earlier this week. Is it the start of something spectacular?

Friday Night Fights bugiPhone sales beat expectations, and though things may look bad for the iPad business, there’s strong demand for Apple Watch, the Mac lineup is raking in more than ever, and services will be big enough to be its own Fortune 100 company by the end of the year.

Is Apple headed for another boom period? Or does it need more than just the iPhone 8 in 2017 to keep up this trend? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over Apple’s year ahead.

Apple developing custom Mac chip, but it won’t replace Intel

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2016 MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro already uses a secondary ARM chip.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is developing a custom ARM chip for future Macs, but it won’t replace the Intel processors that have been powering its computers since 2005, according to a new report.

Instead, the chip is expected to work alongside a machine’s primary CPU, handling “low-power mode functionality.”

10 key takeaways from Apple’s historic earnings call

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple made a ton of money. What more do you need to know?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple managed to shock Wall Street today by beating its own expectations for Q1 2017, the most profitable quarter in the company’s history.

There was good news all around as iPhone sales, services and even the Mac all performed better than predicted. During today’s earnings call, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri revealed some of the secret sauce that made Apple’s earnings one for the history books.

Here are the top takeaways from today’s call.

The Mac is still very much in play for Apple

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13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Photo: Apple

Apple may be more of a smartphone company these days, but its legacy product, the personal computer, continues to be popular.

In an upbeat Q1 earnings report with investors Tuesday, Apple said it sold 5.4 million Macs en route to an all-time quarterly revenue record of $78.4 billion dollars.

iPhone 7 snaps Apple’s losing streak

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iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus cameras
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus helped Apple reverse a three-quarter sales decline.
Photo: Apple

The number 7 was lucky for Apple, as worldwide sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus hit a quarterly record and put the breaks on a three-quarter revenue skid, the company said in today’s first quarter earnings report.

Apple saw a 5 percent revenue increase ($54.3 million) with more than 78 million iPhones sold. It was the first full quarter of the iPhone 7, delivered during a time of year that typically generates the best sales figures for Apple because of the holiday shopping season.

Liveblog: Apple hits new highs with doubleplusgood Q1 2017 earnings call

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Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 and, if Wall Street’s estimates are any indicator, it could be Apple’s biggest quarter ever.

After multiple quarters of declining revenues, today’s call could see the company return to growth, lifted by strong iPhone sales over the holidays and a burgeoning services business that has quickly become Apple’s second-biggest moneymaker.

Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are scheduled to hold an open call with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging and analyzing all the action. Get prepped for the call with our guide on what to expect, and join the fun in the liveblog below.

Apple stock surges on record-breaking Q1 2017 earnings

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AAPL stock chart
Apple's stock surged in after-hours trading after the company announced record-breaking Q1 2017 results.
Photo: Google Finance

Apple’s stock saw a big surge after the company announced record-breaking earnings for Q1 2017.

AAPL was up almost 3 percent in after-hours trading to $124.50. Apple stock has been climbing recently but was depressed in anticipation of today’s results.

Apple shatters records with blockbuster Q1 2017 earnings

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Earnings call
Tim Cook is thrilled with Apple's Q1 2017 results.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple sold more iPhone units than ever before last quarter, a spasm of sales that finally returned the company to growth, as revealed today in Cupertino’s first earnings report of 2017.

With total revenues of $78.4 billion bringing in a profit of $17.9 billion, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “thrilled” with the results. Wall Street is happy, too: AAPL shares are trading up significantly in after-hours trading.