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News - page 173

Georgia becomes latest state to support driver’s license in Apple Wallet

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Georgia becomes latest state to support driver’s license in Apple Wallet
Georgia got on board with Apple's digital ID initiative.
Image: Georgia Department of Driver Services

Georgia is now the fourth U.S. state to support digital driver’s licenses and IDs stored in the Wallet app on iPhone or Apple Watch. The major advantage is speeding up the process of moving through security checkpoints at airports.

It’s another step in Apple’s goal of replacing physical wallets with iPhone.

Your next soft drink could uncap free Apple Music

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Bad Bunny joins Pepsi on offer to win free Apple Music and much more.
Bad Bunny joins Pepsi with offer to win free Apple Music subscriptions and much more.
Photo: Pepsi

Pepsi teamed up Wednesday with Apple Music and its 2022 Artist of the Year, Bad Bunny, to launch a summer ad campaign and giveaway.

Customers who buy Pepsi products in stores — Mountain Dew Major Melon, anyone? — may uncap a free Apple Music subscription or other prize, like Beats headphones. Or you can sign up to win without a purchase.

“Summer is the season of the year that we all get excited about, the one that brings the heat, when we seek the beach, friends, good music and just have a good time,” said Bad Bunny. “I’m happy to partner with Pepsi and Apple Music to bring fans more of what we love and unites us: MUSIC, through ‘Press Play On Summer’ offer.”

Apple’s dream of lightweight AR glasses remains elusive

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Apple Glass concept from the Hacker 34.
The technology to make Apple AR glasses like these doesn't exist yet.
Concept: the Hacker 34
WWDC23

The VR/AR headset roughly the size of a pair of ski goggles that Apple is widely expected to introduce next month isn’t even close to CEO Tim Cook’s original goal for the project, according to info leaking from the company. Instead, Cook wanted a slim pair of AR glasses that could be worn all day,

As it stands now, that lightweight version of the product remains years away.

Online Apple store opens virtual doors in Vietnam

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Online Apple store opens virtual doors in Vietnam
iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and accessories are all now available in Vietnam via an online Apple Store.
Image: Apple

Vietnam is the latest country to get an online Apple store to shop for iPhone, Mac and other products.

It’s the latest move in the company’s efforts to increase sales in Asia — Thursday’s opening comes a month after Apple opened its first retail stores in India.

More Android users switch to iPhone than you might expect

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iPhone shipments grow while Android tanks
Even after all these years, there are lots of Android users who jump ship for iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The percentage of U.S.-based iPhone owners who just dumped their Android has grown in recent years, according to a market-analysis company.

That’s exactly the opposite of what conventional wisdom says should be happening. Nevertheless, the percentage of Android switchers hasn’t been this high since 2018.

Review roundup: New Beats Studio Buds+ win with cool clear case and audio upgrades

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Transparent plastic is a new look for Beats.
Transparent plastic is a new look for Beats.
Photo: Amazon/Beats

The new Beats Studio Buds+ went on sale Wednesday as numerous initial reviews praised their good looks and tech upgrades.

Nearly every reviewer loved the ’90s-nostalgic, iMacs-of-yore transparent case option. And the new custom chipset for audio quality, new microphones for better active noise cancellation (ANC) and voice calls, and longer battery life aren’t bad, either. If you’re looking for the newest Beats, these upgrades make them a solid choice.

But some features are still missing on the $169.99 buds, up $20 from the original Beats Studio Buds when they came out — but $80 less than AirPods Pro (2nd generation) for thrifty shoppers.

Apple’s new Personal Voice tech might make texting more personalized

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Apple’s new Personal Voice tech might make texting more personal
Imagine getting a text from a friend and your iPhone reads it to you in your friend’s voice.
Photo: Rodolfo Clix/Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s newly announced Personal Voice technology enables an iPhone to read text in the user’s own voice. The same tech could be used to read incoming text messages in the sender’s own voice, making them feel more personal.

This isn’t a theory — Apple submitted a patent for exactly this idea in early 2023.

Class up your look with a two-tone Italian leather Apple Watch band

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It's not just supple Italian leather, it's two eye-catching colors.
It's not just supple Italian leather, it's two eye-catching colors.
Photo: Olpr. leather goods co.

When it comes to watch bands — those made for Apple Watch or otherwise — it doesn’t get more classic than leather. And if it’s supple Italian leather from Tuscany, all the better. And if it costs less than $50, well, that’s pretty much the best.

Right now you can get slender Italian bands for Apple Watch for just $49 in the Cult of Mac Store.

Dual curved displays set at crazy angles for sane reason [Setups]

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To get a better idea of the screen angles, see the image below.
To get a better idea of the screen angles, see the image below.
Photo: [email protected]

If you’re considering going with two external displays in your computer setup, you might find some inspiration in today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation with two slick gaming displays.

The laptop drives two stacked, ultra-wide, curved displays that are mounted — and even carefully angled — for the best ergonomics, resulting no eye or neck strain.

Bass wheel sets Skullcandy’s new headphones apart

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Crusher ANC 2 feature 3 ways to adjust Skullcandy's proprietary haptic bass.
Crusher ANC 2 feature 3 ways to adjust Skullcandy's proprietary haptic bass.
Photo: Skullcandy

Skullcandy unveiled its latest over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC) Tuesday — the updated Crusher ANC 2 Sensory Bass Headphones.

And the company’s serious enough about the low end to include a dedicated wheel on the left ear cup so you can crank the bass. That’s in addition to other customization options as well as an impressive feature set for cans that cost $229.99.

Another Apple employee allegedly caught stealing self-driving car tech for China

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Until the Apple Car is officially announced, all we have are concepts like this one.
The Apple car is still on the drawing board, but that doesn't stop Chinese companies from wanting to steal details of it.
Concept: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

An Apple employee was recently indicted for allegedly transferring trade secrets about self-driving car technology to a Chinese company. This marks the third such incident.

The cases seem quite similar: Chinese companies hire the workers, who then get caught attempting to bring Apple’s proprietary information with them when they leave the United States.

Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone expands to Australia

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Tap to Pay on iPhone expands to Australia
Tap to Pay on iPhone expands to Australia.
Photo: Apple

Apple has expanded iPhone’s Tap to Pay feature to businesses in Australia. This will allow them to accept payments from customers directly using their iPhones.

All kinds of businesses, irrespective of their size, can accept payments using Apple Pay and Tap to Pay.

Apple rejected nearly 1.7 million App Store submissions in 2022

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Apple rejected nearly 1.7 million Apple Store submissions in 2022
It's up to Apple's App Review team to prevent malware from sneaking onto its software store.
Graphic: Apple

Keeping bad applications out of the App Store is a monumental task — Apple says it denied 1.7 million apps submitted for approval in 2022. That’s out of 6.1 million, and it’s an increase from the previous year.

And Apple also blocked nearly 3.9 million stolen credit cards from being used to make fraudulent purchases on the App Store. Plus, the iPhone-maker blocked millions of fake reviews.

Photomator for Mac launches as a low-cost rival to Photoshop

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Photomator for Mac launches as a low-cost rival to Photoshop
Photomator for Mac is designed for pros, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Photo: Pixelmator

The powerful image-editing application that used to be called Pixelmator Photo when it was only available for iPad and iPhone launched Tuesday on Mac as Photomator.

It promises state-of-the-art color adjustments, AI tools, powerful Repair and Clone tools, and batch editing. But it faces tough competition from Adobe Photoshop.

Wireless car charger automatically clamps onto iPhone

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This wireless car charger with auto-clamp makes it easy to handle your iPhone while you drive.
This wireless car charger with auto-clamp makes it easy to handle your iPhone while you drive.
Photo: Elago

Everybody knows it’s dangerous to use your iPhone while driving. In order to do so safely and hands-free, you need a car mount. And what could be better than a wireless charger mount that senses and grabs onto your phone for you? No need to take your eyes off the road to carefully place it just so.

Elago now offers just such an auto-clamping car charger in the Cult of Mac Store.

Apple promises Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point and Speak are coming to iOS

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Apple promises Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point and Speak are coming to iOS 17
Apple will bring Assistive Access, Live Speech and Personal Voice to iPad and iPhone.
Photo: Apple

Just can’t wait for WWDC23? Apparently, Apple can’t either because it’s already starting announcing new features that will almost certainly be in iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14.

These are aimed at those with disabilities, and include Live Speech and Personal Voice. These will allow those with speech disabilities to participate in conversations in a synthesized voice that sounds like the user.

iMessage comes to Windows via Microsoft Phone Link for iOS [Updated]

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iMessage comes to Windows via Microsoft Phone Link for iOS
Quick, someone check to see if hell has frozen over.
Photo: Microsoft

Windows users can now send and receive messages and calls via an iPhone. The new capability — which many thought would never happen — comes courtesy of Microsoft’s Phone Link for iOS, which is rolling out now.

This is the latest software release from Microsoft to make it easier for Windows users to own an iPhone.

Microsoft started rolling the feature out in April, and announced on Monday it’s available to all Windows 11 users.

Swagger season 2 might ruin everything for young basketball hopefuls

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Apple TV+ 'Swagger' Season Two
The second season of the sport drama Swagger premieres in June on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Swagger, the Apple TV+ series that isn’t exactly the life of basketball superstar Kevin Durant, returns for season 2 in June. The young players are getting famous and the future look bright, but a scandal might ruin all their hopes.

A trailer for the upcoming season, released Monday, shows some of what to expect in the episodes that premiere in June.

5 reasons to get excited about the Apple VR/AR headset

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An AI-generated image of Tim Cook wearing an Apple-branded VR headset.
We don't yet know what the Apple VR/AR headset will look like, but that doesn't mean it's too soon to get excited about it.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
WWDC23

Multiple sources predict Apple will launch its first VR/AR headset three weeks from today at WWDC23. As the company’s first major new product category to launch since Apple Watch, there’s a lot riding on the headset. And yet not everyone’s buzzing with anticipation.

For those who aren’t yet feeling excited, here are five reasons you should look forward to the big reveal next month.

Last chance to get great deals on gifts for Mom

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Mifa's Sparkle Band is the picture of elegance. Or, mom might like a classic leather band or a tactical strap.
Mifa's Sparkle Band is the picture of elegance. Or, mom might like a classic leather band or a tactical strap.
Photo: Mifa

You’re not the first person to show up late to the party for Mother’s Day, forgetting to fork over a gift on her special day. So, a day later, it’s a good thing you can still choose from a huge selection of great Apple accessories on sale.

You can pick up a variety of items for 15% to 25% off in the Cult of Mac Store’s Mother’s Day Sweet Savings Collection through Monday. See a selection of highlights below.

This deal on the 16-inch MacBook Pro is too good to pass up

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What we're expecting from 2022 MacBook Pro with M2 Pro or M2 Max
Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring the M2 Pro or M2 Max chip is down to its cheapest price.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip is down to its lowest-ever price. After a staggering $249.01 discount, you can get Apple’s best MacBook Pro for $2,249.99.

You can get a similar $250 off on the machine’s 1TB and M2 Max configurations.