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News - page 1040

Apple Watch gallery is finally useful

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Apple Watch customization
Apple's offering a cool, fast way for you to pick out your perfect Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple

The official Apple Watch microsite has gained a new power this week: Now, you can check out every combination of faces, cases, and straps to get exactly the look you want.

An eagle-eyed reader tipped us off to the new feature, which has only been live since yesterday. It replaces the more basic and tedious Gallery that used to inhabit that page. And we’re glad; it was way overdue for a refresh for several reasons.

Best Pac-Man ever just landed on Apple TV

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Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Apple TV
The remixed classic is hitting the big screen.
Photo: Bandai Namco

Pac-fans with Apple’s newest streaming box should be running to their TV App Store right now: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX has hit your living room today.

The TV version of the sequel to the mobile port of the console remix of the classic arcade title contains all of the content of the original, but now you can play it from the palm of your hand on the biggest screen in your house. It originally hit iOS back in July, and it might be one of the best uses of $4.99 that the App Store has to offer.

Apple TV is a tool of seduction in hilarious new ad

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Apple TV will make you weak in the knees.
Apple TV will make you weak in the knees.
Photo: Apple

Alison Brie and that guy who got his arm chopped off in Game of Thrones are bringing their talents to Apple TV in a funny new ad called “The Kiss” that highlights Siri remote features.

Apple premiered the ad today, which puts the two as actors on a dramatic war movie set. Using Apple TV, Brie is intensely studying a kissing scene the two are trying to recreate. Just when it appears Nikolaj Coster-Waldau can’t take another second of over analyzing everything from the angle of their heads to how much tongue the kiss should contain, he comes up with a brilliant idea to loosen up the mood using Apple TV.

Check it out:

Apple is making a TV show about apps with Will.i.am

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iPhone 6s
Apple's first documentary is all about apps.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The next piece of original video content coming out of Cupertino is going to look more like a big iPhone ad than a TV show.

Apple revealed today that is working with Black Eyed Peas singer and failed tech visionary Will.i.am to create a new unscripted TV series that’s all about apps.

Two top Apple execs score big (and one giant) payday

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money
Turns out there's a lot of money to be made at Apple. Who knew?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s Chief Operating Office Jeff Williams and Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri both dumped large amounts of AAPL stock this month — prompting speculation that those inside Apple aren’t confident that the share price is bouncing back to all-time high levels any time soon.

Although, as usual, such fears are almost certainly greatly exaggerated.

Gene Munster thinks virtual reality will be the ultimate iPhone killer

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Virtual reality was one of the first iPhone accessories Apple considered. Photo: USPTO/Apple
One of Apple's previous VR patents.
Photo: USPTO/Apple

Hit-and-miss Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster (a.k.a. the “Apple television set is coming” guy) has a somewhat wacky theory in his latest note to clients: that Apple will not only announce its own virtual reality project at some point in the future, but that this will prove to be the real iPhone killer.

And that Apple’s totally okay with that.

Holy smokes! Sony is bringing PlayStation games to mobile

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holy-smokes-sony-is-bringing-playstation-games-to-android-and-ios-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Screen-Shot-2016-03-24-at-151743-png
PlayStation greats are coming to your smartphone.
Photo: Sony
PlayStation greats are coming to your smartphone. Photo: Sony
PlayStation greats are coming to your smartphone. Photo: Sony

Days after Nintendo launched its very first smartphone game, another gaming giant has announced it will start making mobile games.

Sony has formed a new company called ForwardWorks Corporation that’s dedicated to bringing PlayStation greats to Android and iOS.

Small expectations? Apple’s not aiming high with iPhone SE sales

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Scalpers will give you a discount on the iPhone SE.
Apple's not projecting massive sales for the iPhone SE.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone SE may have been one of the big announcements at Apple’s keynote event this week, but despite the fanfare it seems Apple isn’t banking on its 4-inch handset to come close to the sales its bigger brothers make.

According to a new report, citing component makers in the iPhone supply chain, Apple is playing it conservatively with orders for the new iPhone SE — with total shipments of the device likely to come in around 15 million units in the remainder 2016.

Apple is presenting Microsoft Office 365 as an iPad Pro add-on

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Screen_Shot_2016-03-24_at_8.03.31_AM.0
Apple clearly believes offering Microsoft Office 365 will help sell more iPad Pros.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been clear about its belief that the super-charged iPad Pro is designed as a replacement for notebooks and desktops for a large number of users.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the company is giving buyers of the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro the option of picking up a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 as part of their pre-order.

Apple Watch apps kinda suck, but Cupertino hopes you won’t notice

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watch bands march 21 apple event
Apple Watch apps were conspicuous in their absence at this week's Apple event.
Photo: Apple

At this week’s “Let us loop you in” keynote, Apple revealed a major shift in its smartwatch strategy. Tim Cook tried to dress it up by announcing new Apple Watch bands and a price drop, but the most significant aspect was what he did not say: There was no mention of third-party Watch apps.

After Monday’s keynote, Apple updated its website with a new marketing proposition that represents a tacit acknowledgment that, right now, Apple Watch is only good for three things: notifications, fitness and health.

What happened to the idea that there is an app for everything?

Pre-order your iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro now

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se_and_ipad_pro
Have you ordered Apple's new devices?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac/Apple

Are you excited about Apple’s newly-announced 4-inch iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Well, the time for talking is through, and the time for pre-ordering is here!

Available to ship next Thursday, March 31st, the iPhone SE is available in 16GB and 64GB configurations. Prices start at $399, or $13.30 a month with carrier financing. The new iPad Pro, meanwhile, is available in 32GB, 128GB and — for the first time ever — 256GB configurations, with prices starting at $599.

Both devices are available in silver, gold, rose gold and space gray options.

Google Maps’ iOS app just got Uber useful

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Google-Maps-Uber
Google Maps has some nice new tricks on iOS.
Photo: Google/Uber

Google has finally updated its iOS app to include the Uber connectivity that Android users have had for like a week now.

It’s not just Uber, but that’s definitely the biggest ride-sharing company to get support in the new version. Users in Brazil, India, the UK, Spain, and Germany can also use their local call-a-car service of choice.

Smaller iPad Pro is even bigger on features

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iPad Pro prices
Prices aren't the only major difference between iPad Pros.
Photo: Apple

Size isn’t the only thing that counts when you’re weighing your iPad Pro options.

Sure, it’s a major consideration. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro that Apple showed off earlier this week has the same dimensions of the less sprawling iPad Air 2, and it weighs just under a pound. That’s about two-thirds the weight of the original Pro, and people trading up from an iPad Air won’t need to look at new cases or bags to carry the thing around in.

But that’s all surface stuff, and the two iPad Pros have a lot of differences behind — and even inside — their screens.

Apple Pay is expanding to mobile websites

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Apple Pay
Apple Pay is everywhere.
Photo: Apple

Using Apple Pay to buy items has been limited to physical retail stores and apps, but Apple is reportedly planning to rollout the service soon to mobile websites, putting it in closer competition with PayPal and other platforms.

The mobile website version of Apple Pay will allegedly be ready in time for the 2016 holiday shopping season. Once launched, the mobile version will allow shoppers to complete purchases using their fingerprint rather than entering credit card info on websites.

Apple’s full iPhone SE keynote is now on YouTube

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Size does matter, says Phil Schiller.
Size does matter, says Phil Schiller.
Photo: Apple

If you didn’t have time to catch up pn Apple’s event on Monday, you can relive all the glory anytime you want, now that the company has posted the entire iPhone SE keynote on YouTube.

The 63 minute event contains everything from yak-friendly solar farms in China to all the details on the smaller iPad Pro that isn’t quite as fast as its bigger sibling. Apple’s recent event wasn’t as exciting as previous product unveiling, but it will probably be the last one ever hosted at the company’s Cupertino campus.

Watch the full event below:

Google Photos now smartly sorts your snaps automatically

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Your vacation snaps can now be viewed on the big screen.
Smarter albums now available in Google Photos.
Photo: Google
Google Photos smart albums
Smarter albums now available in Google Photos. Photo: Google

Taking lots of photos when you’re doing some fun is great, but sorting them when you go home is not. But now you don’t have to.

Use Google Photos and it takes care of organization for you, with smart albums that are made up of your best images from every event.

Apple Music partners with Vice for music documentary series

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Vice is diving deep into Reservation Rap.
Vice is diving deep into Reservation Rap.
Photo: Vice

Apple is teaming up with Vice for a new six-part documentary that will stream exclusively on Apple Music.

The Score will spotlight music scenes from around the world that are lot more diverse and rich than your typical five-day outdoor EDM rave. The first episode called “Reservation Rap” debuts this week and covers Minnesota Red Lake Reservation’s unique hip-hop style created by the Ojibwa tribe.

Watch members of the third largest indigenous tribe in North America spit some bars:

FBI teams up with Israeli firm to hack San Bernardino iPhone

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Your iPhone will always need to be recharged everyday.
The FBI finally found someone who can unlock the iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The mysterious party that is assisting the FBI in its quest to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5c may have finally been revealed today, and contrary to previous theories, it’s not the NSA.

Cellebrite, an Israeli tech firm specializing in mobile forensic software, has reportedly offered to help the FBI unlock the iPhone. Citing industry sources, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper says if Cellebrite succeeds, the FBI will no longer need Apple’s help with the case.

Android Pay takes its battle against Apple Pay to the U.K.

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android-pay-takes-its-battle-against-apple-pay-to-the-u-k-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201509Android-Pay-png
Android Pay is expanding its reach.
Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google

Android Pay, Google’s answer to Apple Pay, is finally expanding to new markets.

Google has announced that the service will be making its debut in the United Kingdom “in the next few months,” and it will launch with support from a long list of banks and retailers.

Your guide to all the latest iOS, tvOS and watchOS features

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Apple tv, iPhone and Apple Watch
See all of Apple's latest software in action
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Along with the iPhone SE and new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple unleashed a slew of new software updates this week, bringing all-new features to your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Find out what’s awaiting you in the new Apple updates, as well as how to update all your Apple devices, in a series of Cult of Mac videos you can watch below.