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News - page 1082

How nerds make Apple Watch look even cooler

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Apple Watch
Will Apple finally deliver one of our most-requested features for watchOS?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch owners have had some time to play around with the wearable’s custom faces since the feature launched with watchOS 2, and some creative tech and sci-fi fans have come up with delightfully nerdy ways to spruce up their devices.

A few users have taken to making specially formatted faces that showcase their love of games, movies, and TV shows, but the really enterprising ones have found ways to include coordinated Apple Watch bands into their designs.

Here are some of the coolest ones we’ve tracked down.

Apple’s cosmic iPad Pro ad will blow you away with stunning visuals

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The first iPad Pro ad is cosmic..
The first iPad Pro ad is cosmic..
Photo: Apple

The first ad for the new iPad Pro was revealed by Apple today and it’s just as stunning as the new tablet’s epic display.

Apple’s new ad features some cosmic visuals the highlight the iPad Pro’s incredible display. The astronomy app Sky Guide is highlighted in the ad along side ProCreate and iOS 9’s side-by-side apps feature. Apple announced this morning that the iPad Pro will go on sale Wednesday, November 11th, with stores receiving units later in the week.

Watch the new ad below:

Tiny ring light does more than make your selfies shine

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The SELFLASH is essential for selfies plus a whole lot more.
The SELFLASH is essential for selfies plus a whole lot more.
Photo: SELFLASH

Tech accessories tend to solve a single problem really well. The SELFLASH, a small ring light you attach to your smartphone for selfies, is not just around to make you look pretty.

In offering a flattering wink of light in a variety of colors and intensities, the SELFLASH also provides up to 128 GB of storage for file transfers, can serve as a backup battery for your phone and has a Bluetooth tracker. Not satisfied with your smartphone’s camera? A pro model of the SELFLASH also comes with a 15.1-megapixel camera.

KidGPS lets you keep track of your brood from your iPhone

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Parents can track their kid's whereabouts with the KidGPS.
Parents can track their kid's whereabouts with the KidGPS.

I remember the day I was way late from school and met up with my frantic mother as I walked home. She was walking quickly and carrying a metal comb with a pointy handle. This was for stabbing my attackers, or at least the ones that entered her mind as she fretted.

Of course, technology these days brings us a saner way of tracking down a late kid. One is KIdGPS, by mobile accessories maker X-Doria. It’s a palm-sized tracking device the kids carry so that nervous parents can check on their whereabouts via a companion app on their iPhone or Android device.

Tim Cook insists Apple Pencil is not a mere stylus

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Tim ditched his Mac for the iPad Pro.
Tim ditched his Mac for the iPad Pro.
Photo: Olivier Hess/The Independent

Tim Cook loves the new iPad Pro so much it’s the only product he travels with now, other than his iPhone.

In a new interview talking about the benefits of the new big-screened iPad, the Apple CEO trumpeted the iPad Pro’s productivity thanks to new multi-tasking software in iOS 9 complimented by the new keyboard and Apple Pencil. Some detractors have dismissed Apple Pencil as a just a fancy stylus, but Cook insists it’s a much more revolutionary product than that.

Rare Apple III Plus still works (thanks to good karma)

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This Apple III Plus still works after spending the 1980s scheduling yoga classes at a spiritual retreat center.
This Apple III Plus still works after spending the 1980s scheduling yoga classes at a spiritual retreat center.
Photo: Yogaville/eBay

As far as computers go, the Apple III was a rather rotten Apple. The first 14,000 were recalled with hardware problems galore and even with bugs eventually worked out, Apple never could erase the computer’s “lemon” label.

But if you’re willing to give the Apple III a second chance, there is a working one for sale, complete with manuals, startup disks and, quite possibly, the good karma of a famous swami.

Adobe creatives gush over iPad Pro in new demo video

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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil keep designers happy and eraser dust-free.
iPad Pro and Apple Pencil keep designers happy and eraser dust-free.
Photo: Apple

Adobe’s VP of Products, Scott Belsky, said the iPad will transform how creatives work, and according to some of the most creative people that use the company’s apps, they agree.

Ahead of the iPad Pro’s launch later this week, Adobe gathered some top designers and illustarators to test out the company’s apps on the new tablet to see if you can do real creative work on it. Illustrator Draw, Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, Photoshop Fix and other Creative Cloud apps shine on the iPad Pro in the demo that highlights how transformative the iPad Pro will be.

Here’s how creatives make use of the large screen:

The new Apple TV just received its first software update

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tvOS just got another new update.
tvOS just got another new update.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple released the first update for its new fourth-generation Apple TV today with tvOS 9.0.1.

The new tvOS 9.0.1 update is a minor update that mostly focuses on performance improvements and bug fixes that have been discovered after the device went on sale at the end of last month.

Eddy Cue: iPad Pro changed the way I think about tablets

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iPad Pro
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is more affordable than ever.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s senior VP of services, Eddy Cue, sat down with CNN this morning to talk about why you need to buy the new iPad Pro that will go on sale later this week.

Along with being the best iPad ever for professionals that want to create content, Cue told Brian Stelter that the gigantic tablet is a really great device to consume media on. “It’s great for doing things like email, but I consume more than I create,” said Cue, who claims features like Four Speaker audio will change the way you think about a tablet.

Watch the entire interview below:

E.U. regulators will decide if Apple’s Irish tax deal is illegal by Christmas

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Did Apple benefit from sweetheart deals in the E.U.?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s tax practices in Europe have been the subject of investigation for some time now. However, European Union regulators say they’ll finally have a conclusion as to the question of whether Apple benefited from “illegal tax sweeteners” by the end of this year.

According to Ireland’s finance minister Michael Noonan, the decision will be announced, “between now and Christmas.”

iPhone 6s undergoes crazy stress test under motorcycle wheel

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Screen Shot 2015-11-09 at 15.11.25
Burnoutgate? Hey, let's be honest -- it wouldn't have been any worse than bendgate.
Photo: Techrax/Instagram

What happens when a rose gold iPhone 6s undergoes a bizarre “burnout” stress test beneath the wheels of an Italian Ducati pocket bike? A completely implausible scenario that would never in a million years happen to a handset in the real world, that’s what!

But, hey, if seeing brand new iPhones destroyed in bizarre ways is what gets your engines revving, click below for the oddly-compelling video.

iPad Pro available to order Wednesday, in stores later this week

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Get ready to meet the iPad Pro's smaller sibling.
Coming soon to a store near you.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed that its super-sized iPad Pro tablet will be available to order online Wednesday, with stocks available in retail stores from the end of this week.

More than 40 countries will be covered by the launch, including the United States, Canada, China and much of Europe. Apple will start selling accessories for the iPad Pro at the same time, with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard available for $99 and $169 respectively.

World’s longest iPhone passcode video goes viral

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Photo: Rob LeFebvre, Cult of Mac
This user takes iPhone security to the next level.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre, Cult of Mac

There’s being careful about iPhone security and then there’s…. this.

Over the weekend, Japanese Twitter user yossy1999116 posted a video clip shot on the subway, showing a user with an historically long and complex passcode unlocking their iPhone. If you’ve ever wanted an advert for how Touch ID can improve your life, this is almost certainly it.

Steve Jobs movie is unceremoniously dumped out of theaters

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Steve Jobs is booted off screens. It's almost like the 1985 Apple board is running theaters.
Photo: Universal

Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs movie had another disastrous showing at the box office over the weekend. With earnings declining more than 69 percent from the previous weekend to just $823,000, the movie was dumped from 2,072 screens — more than any other film.

By comparison, the new Bond movie Spectre took $73 million in its opening weekend.

Apple won’t have to compensate retail employees for waiting in line

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San Francisco Apple Store Line
Apple Stores are known for their long queues. But it's usually the customers who are waiting.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple won’t have to stump up the cash for back-paying thousands of current and former employees at Apple Stores across California, according to the ruling of a federal judge.

The lawsuit was brought against Apple in 2013 by two former retail employees — claiming that Apple’s policy of mandatory bag searches after work had cost them dozens of hours of unpaid wages, totalling around $1,500 per year.

iPhone 7 rumors and shattering Apple TV remotes on The CultCast

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Careful with that new Apple TV remote, mister!
Careful with that new Apple TV remote, mister!
Photo: Drstover

This week: the new Apple TV remote is unnervingly easy to break; home-buttonless iPhone 7s; the UK wants your Apple devices to be less secure; and we pitch our favorite new Apple TV apps!

Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X—learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.

Running without iPhone makes Apple Watch inaccurate

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Don’t leave me this way - Apple recommends you take your iPhone with you on a run
Don’t leave me this way - Apple recommends you take your iPhone with you on a run
Photo: Graham Bower / Cult of Mac

Runkeeper is one of the first big-name running apps to offer full watchOS 2 support, which means you can log a run on your Apple Watch even if you leave your iPhone behind.

The Apple Watch’s built-in Workout app has always offered this feature, but it is new for third-party apps. I had never tried it before, but Runkeeper got me curious. So I left my iPhone charging at home, put on a pair of Nikes and went out for a run.

Conspiracy theorists think Apple owns this mysteryious car company

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Is Apple behind Faraday Future?
Is Apple behind Faraday Future?
Photo: Faraday Future

A new electric car company has revved up Apple Car conspiracy theorists who think the mysterious automaker may actually be a shell company for Apple’s automotive ambitions.

Faraday Future has already pulled in $1 billion in investments and is stocking up on top Tesla talent (just like Apple), but little else is known about the new company that currently boasts over 400 employees with plans to add 100 more of the best automotive engineers and designers in the world before the end of the year.

Take a look at the rendering of their future car:

Apple surprises ‘iPhone 6’ photographers with coffee table books

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Apple surprises the photographers from the
Apple surprises the photographers from the "Shot on iPhone 6" campaign with coffee table books.
Photo: Brendan Ó Sé

The billboards and ads featuring beautiful photographs shot with an iPhone 6 are nearly gone. Apple is now promoting a new iPhone. But that does not mean Apple has forgotten the photographers whose work helped sell phones and treat the world to art in public spaces.

Photographers from the “Shot on iPhone 6” campaign have been getting packages in the mail, a pair of cloth-covered coffee table books featuring their work. The books were apparently a surprise and included a pair of white gloves for handling with care.

A pro-grade action camera with no learning curve

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The People's Camera, 1080 HD for less than $100.
The People's Camera, 1080 HD for less than $100.
Photo: Vidi Action Cameras

GoPro owns the action camera market it invented and the routine emergence of new competitors only seems to make GoPro’s sales go up. Why would anyone try to compete?

In creating The People’s Action Camera, Utah-based Vidi did not set out to target GoPro. It is instead aiming for more budget-conscious consumers who aren’t necessarily into gadgets. The result is a camera that requires little to no study to use, provides pro-grade high-def footage and has software that edits video for you.

One other thing – it costs less than $100.

Canabalt creator wants you to strategize through an adorable wasteland

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Overland is coming.
Overland is coming.
Photo: Finji

You had me at “ruined continent.”

Overland is an upcoming 3D survival tactics game from the creator of Canabalt, Adam Saltzman. Its beautiful, chillingly-chromatic art style has me itching to play it, as does the cool way the team has created an approachable rogue-like set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland without dumbing it down.

Check out the video below, with Saltzman’s narration.

Apple adds new Shopping category to App Store

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The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple has added a new shopping category to the App Store today, bringing with it a collection of apps that cover everything from auctions, product reviews, price comparisons, Apple Pay apps, and more.

App Store users will begin seeing the new category on the App Store today. It may end up on the tvOS App Store as well, considering one of the biggest selling points during the keynote demo was the ability to shop from your TV. To make the new creation of the new category even better for users, a select number of apps are offering limited deals to iOS shoppers.

The following promotions are available in the ‘Save While You Shop’ group:

Instagram beefs up ads with Apple Pay and 3D Touch

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3D Touch Instagram ads are on the way.
3D Touch Instagram ads are on the way.
Photo: Instagram

Apple Pay and 3D Touch may play a crucial role in Instagram’s quest to develop a more robust marketing platform, based on some new ads the company has started testing.

Instagram has rolled out a number of new ads that let users shop for stuff like clothing, food, skateboards and more by simply using 3D Touch to bring up a menu of options that makes the process of buying goods nearly instantaneous.