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Apple is teaming with other tech giants for financial lobbying

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
There's money to be made in, err, money.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple, Amazon and Google aren’t exactly techie BFFs, as can be seen from that whole Android vs. iOS thing, or Amazon’s recent decision to boot Apple TV out of its online store.

But you know what can bring the heads of all three companies together? Let’s try a quick pop-quiz.

A) Team-building paintball trip.
B) Romantic candlelit dinner.
C) The promise of lots and lots of cash.

Click below to find out. (Hint: the answer is C.)

Apple may be cutting back on iPhone 6s orders

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What will you get this Black Friday?
Not the 6s Apple thought it would be?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Despite the iPhone 6s’ record-shattering 13 million unit sales in its first three days, reports coming out of Apple’s supply chain suggest that manufacturer Pegatron has stopped operating several of its iPhone 6s production lines in Shanghai — and may even be laying off some employees who were hired to work on the handset.

While this has the distinct feel of an unsubstantiated rumor to it, Pegatron has come forward and acknowledged that it’s actually true.

But hold back your “Apple will go bankrupt in six months” placards for now; things aren’t exactly as they first appear…

Two years on, Apple’s spaceship campus is taking off

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Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 11.31.29
Apple's new campus looks like something out of Spectre.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

How time flies! This month marks two years since ground broke on Apple’s futuristic new “spaceship” campus, and — despite the odd hitch along the way — things are looking impressively together.

To show just how together the pieces all are, drone videographer Duncan Sinfield recently flew his DJI Inspire 1 drone over the building site to produce a stunning video of Apple’s forthcoming dream campus.

Check it out below. You won’t regret it.

Activision Blizzard acquires Candy Crush creator for $5.9 billion

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activision-blizzard-acquires-candy-crush-creator-for-5-9-billion-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015112015-11-03-091313-jpg
Activision just spent more on Candy Crush than you ever will. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Activision just spent more on Candy Crush than you ever will. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Activision Blizzard, the gaming company known for franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft, and Guitar Hero, has acquired King Digital Entertainment for $5.9 billion.

The Candy Crush creator boasts one of the largest networks of players on mobile, with a staggering 474 million active users a month.

Apple TV app will wow you with stunning shots of Earth

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The Aurora Borealis over the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the International Space Station
The Aurora Borealis over the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the International Space Station
Photo: Jetson Creative

I’ve always wanted to go into space. The now-familiar view of our “big blue marble” have always fascinated and entranced me, even as a young boy.

With Earthlapse TV, I can stare out of a virtual window from the International Space Station to watch the coast of Northern Australia spin past my high viewpoint, see the aurora borealis as it shimmers above the northern hemisphere, or watch as the world turns from London to Africa beneath my gaze.

This is a gorgeous app and a perfect fit for the big-screen TV in my living room.

Facebook orders employees to switch to Android

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Facebook's chief product officer has had enough of workers preferring the iPhone.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Facebook-Android
Facebook’s chief product officer has had enough of workers preferring the iPhone. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Facebook has a problem of iPhone love: too many of its employees prefer Apple’s device when given the chance between an iPhone and Android smartphone. This means that up until now, far less workers have been able to truly live in an Android environment where they can identify bugs within Facebook and fix them. Now, the chief product officer is changing that by ordering some employees to switch to Android.

Yes, your glass Apple TV remote will break if you drop it

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The first known casualty of the new Apple TV is this dropped remote.
The first known casualty of the new Apple TV is this dropped remote.
Photo: right2pandaarms/Reddit

The tech accessories industry had better get to work on coming up with a protective case for a new Apple product that appears to be fragile – the remote control for Apple TV.

The above remote fell onto a tiled floor from a person’s lap and shattered. It does not work, costing the owner an extra $79 to replace it (nope, he did not purchase Apple Care).

Apple says ‘screw you’ to Europe’s largest hacker conference

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Apple offers up to $1.5 million to anyone who spots a software flaw
You know, hackers like these guys!
Photo: United Artists

The Chaos Computer Club, Europe’s largest collective of hackers, claims that Apple rejected the group’s streaming video app — which would allow users to watch talks from its Chaos Communications Congress event.

Why? Because members of the conference had previously hacked iOS, and Apple doesn’t want to help spread the hacking word.

Steve Jobs had another disastrous weekend at the box office

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Steve Jobs biopic in one sad GIF.
Photo: Reddit

Yikes! Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs movie is now being talked about as the year’s most disappointing box office flop, after taking a beating in its second weekend in theaters — dropping from a dismal $7.3 million opening weekend to just $2.58 million over the past couple of days.

I’m guessing at this point there’s no talk of Steve Jobs II: Think Differenter in the making!

Apple testing out indoor location-tracking app

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It's like Apple's version of the Harry Potter Marauder's Map.
Photo: Apple

Apple is currently letting developers test a new Indoor Survey iOS app, which would allow iPhone users to use indoor positioning technology to pinpoint exact locations in real-time, without the need for extra hardware.

The app is part of Apple’s continuing quest to up its game when it comes to mapping technology.

Bond producers rejected $50m offer so 007 wouldn’t have to use an Android

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bond-producers-rejected-50m-offer-so-007-wouldnt-have-to-use-an-android-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201511maxresdefault-jpg
The name's Sung. Sam Sung. Photo: MGM
The name’s Sung. Sam Sung. Photo: MGM

James Bond depressed the brake in his Aston Martin, slowing the silver beast down to stalking speed. As the car dawdled outside the six-star Maldives hotel, he rolled up the sleeve of his Giorgio Armani shirt, checked the time on his gleaming $20,000 Omega watch, and then reached into his pocket and withdrew the middling Samsung Galaxy S6.

Something’s wrong with the above scene — and Bond producers seemingly thought so too, because apparently they turned down a massive $50 million marketing and promotional package from Samsung, which would have seen Bond carry a Samsung handset in the new movie Spectre.

Why? Because Bond only uses the best.

This is what a full-screen iPhone 7 could look like

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iPhone 6s
An edge-to-edge display would look great on the iPhone 7.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

There have been plenty of rumors about Apple creating a bezel-less iPhone, but a new concept by designers DeepMind, in collaboration with SvetApple, may be my favorite yet.

It’s a nifty feature which would keep the iPhone looking like the current model — only with the neat addition of letting users enlarge photos and video right to the edge of their devices.

Check out the video below.

Who’s Down, Lumino City and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
'Appy weekend all!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

How does this happen? Already the weekend is halfway over, but — don’t worry — before Monday hits, we’ve got some great app suggestions for you.

Whether you’re looking for a fun socializing app, or a zanily original iOS puzzle game, we’re certain that we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Check out our list below.

Shadowy messenger bag will thrill gear-hauling ninjas

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What's inside? Only the Shadow knows.
What's inside? Only the Shadow knows.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Do you want to be known for carrying a stylish computer bag or would you rather be known for being stylish? The Shadow by booq will let you stand out without calling attention to itself while it works to earn a different label: your everyday bag.

The Shadow blends seamlessly with whatever personal style you front with a simple silhouette sans leather or metal accents. You have to look hard to find the brand name. Thick, water-resistant ballistic nylon conceals the ample padding that protects any laptop up to 15 inches.

Nintendo’s first ever iOS game and Apple’s insanely great year on The CultCast

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From N.E.S. to iOS: Nintendo is coming to your iPhone.
From N.E.S. to iOS: Nintendo is coming to your iPhone.
Photo: Howard Phillips

This week: Apple just had their best year ever, and it’s hard to fathom how much cold hard cash they made—we’ll put it in perspective. Plus: Nintendo’s first iOS game confuses us; the new Apple TV isn’t quite the revolution Apple promised; and stick around for a spooky new Get to Know Ur Cultist… if you DARE.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Build a beautiful website quick at Squarespace.com, and enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off.

How to set personal fitness goals with Apple Watch

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Positive goals, like training for a marathon, tend to be more effective than negative goals, like losing weight.
Get creative with your goals to achieve greater results.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch gives you three goals: standing, moving and exercise. But these aren’t really goals. They are actually more like targets.

A real goal is something you want to achieve — an outcome you have in mind that is so important, it motivates you into action. Starting a fitness program without this kind of goal is like going on a road trip without any idea of your destination. Maybe you’ll arrive someplace nice, but don’t count on it.

So when it comes to fitness, the big question is: What are you trying to achieve?

Amazon barges into mobile payments ring

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$1 trillion
Pay with Amazon buttons have plenty of ammo given the over 200 million Amazon accounts.
Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

Amazon will start taking more advantage of the millions of credit cards it has on file with new “Pay with Amazon” buttons. The expansion to Amazon Payments will allow third-party developers to include these buttons in their mobile apps and have users quickly sign in to process payments. Since all their payment information is already with Amazon, checkout processes should be much speedier without having to reenter everything. It looks like Apple Pay and PayPal need to watch out.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple TV Review – The good, the bad and the ugly

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We've got your Apple TV review right here, baby, yeah.
We've got your Apple TV review right here, baby, yeah.
Screen: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s finally here! The Apple TV we’ve all been waiting for should be arriving in homes across the world today. We’ve got our review of the cute little black box, plus a ton more, including the biggest takeaways from Apple’s recent earnings call, how Google is facing its own Bendgate issues, 10 delightful new iOS games from the month of October, and how to get those gorgeous Apple TV screensavers right on your Mac.

All that, plus the usual plethora of news, reveiws, and how-tos, and you’ve got yourself a hot new free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Be sure to download our fantastic app today.

Here’s the rundown of the top stories this week:

Apple Watch alligator bands are not a croc

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Prime American alligators have some skin in the Apple Watch accessories game.
Prime American alligators have some skin in the Apple Watch accessories game.
Photo: Bianca Mosca

Cupertino, Calif. and the swamps of Louisiana may sound like a mismatched marriage. But the luxury design house Bianca Mosca knew the two would make a beautiful pair when it launched alligator bands for the Apple Watch.

If the Apple Watch fell flat with some fashion critics when it first arrived earlier this year, it could possibly change some minds with a lushly-textured exotic skin band that comes in 11 colors.

Is the new Apple TV this year’s most exciting release from Cupertino?

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Have you got yours yet?
Have you got yours yet?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new Apple TV is here, and there’s no doubt it’s the best set-top box we’ve seen from Cupertino, with powerful new hardware and the tvOS operating system, Siri integration — and most importantly, support for third-party apps and games.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2If you’re into movies and TV shows, or playing the greatest iOS games on your big screen, the new Apple TV is probably at the top of your wish-list if you haven’t already bought one. But how does it compare to the other products Apple has launched this year? Is it better than the rest?

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

Ready up for Titanfall’s mobile debut next year

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Free-to-play games set in the Titanfall  universe are coming to your mobile devices next year. Photo: Respawn Entertainment
Free-to-play games set in the Titanfall universe are coming to your mobile devices next year. Photo: Respawn Entertainment

Ready to boost you and your giant mecha fighters into battle on your Android or iOS phone?

Looks like you’ll only need to wait until 2016, says developer Respawn Entertainment, for several new mobile titles set in the popular first person shooter franchise, Titanfall.

T-Mobile’s next Uncarrier move could be unlimited streaming video

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Details of the November Uncarrier event may have gotten an early reveal.
Photo: T-Mobile
t-mobile-uncarrier
Details of the November Uncarrier event may have gotten an early reveal. Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile is hosting its 10th Uncarrier event on November 10 and @evleaks was on the case to find out what the carrier has in store for us. The very reliable Evan Blass tweeted that the Uncarrier 10 move will offer unlimited video streaming from services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO that doesn’t count against your data plan.

Nanotips puts touch at your gloved fingertips

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Nanotips can make gloves of all materials touch-enabled for touchscreen devices.
Nanotips can make gloves of all materials touch-enabled for touchscreen devices.
Photo: Nanotips

When I moved to Minnesota, I was warned there would be some winter days when I don’t dare take off my gloves while outdoors. My warmest gloves, though, do not have touch-enabled fingertips, which is a problem when shooting photos or using my phone in the winter.

Instead of buying new gloves, I could try a solution called Nanotips. It is a conductive liquid polyamide solution you paint on the fingertips of any gloves and it is formulated to mimic the touch of human skin.