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News - page 184

Protests at iPhone assembly plant could cost Apple billions

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Protests at iPhone assembly plant could cost Apple billions
Millions fewer iPhone 14 Pro units are supposedly going to be produced because of worker complaints about living conditions at the assembly plant.
Graphic: Cult of Mac/Daily Loud

Protests at a Foxconn plant in China where the two iPhone 14 Pro models are assembled will allegedly cut deeply into the supply of these handsets. Millions of units that would have been produced in 2022 without the protests supposedly now will not be.

Workers clashed with police during recent COVID-19 lockdowns at the plant, known as “iPhone City” due to its strategic importance to Apple.

New Oceanic+ app turns your Apple Watch Ultra into a dive computer

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Thanks to Oceanic+ and Apple Watch Ultra, this diver will have all the information he needs to dive safely.
Thanks to Oceanic+ and Apple Watch Ultra, this diver will have all the information he needs to dive safely.
Photo: Apple

Apple made a splash Monday in the world of scuba diving, noting that divers can now add the Oceanic+ Dive Computer App to their Apple Watch Ultra and use a companion app for iPhone.

Designed by Huish Outdoors in collaboration with Apple, Oceanic+ takes advantage of Apple Watch Ultra’s depth gauge and water temperature sensors to provide divers crucial information on forays up to 130 feet beneath the surface.

New Studio Display prompts cable cleanup in killer workstation [Setups]

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Once he added a Studio Display to the 5K LG screen, Mann decided to clean up the cable clutter.
Once he added a Studio Display to the 5K LG screen, Mann decided to clean up the cable clutter.
Photo: [email protected]

Getting great new gear for your computer setup has more than just the obvious benefit of awesomeness. Sometimes it’s the perfect reason to improve your setup in ways most people put off, like the dreaded cleaning up of cable clutter.

That’s what happened with today’s featured dual-display-and-M1 Max MacBook Pro setup. The user finally got his new Studio Display, and good things followed in the terms of taming the cable monster.

Elon Musk might release a Twitter phone

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Apple's Twitter account and other high-profile accounts hacked in massive Bitcoin scam.
Twitter might have to make its own phone. Maybe.
Photo: Ravi Sharma/Unsplash CC

Elon Musk says he’ll release a phone that competes with iPhone and Android if he has to. The owner of Twitter might be forced to make a handset if Apple and Google ban the social network from their software stores.

Such a ban is possible, as both companies have policies that block apps that spread hate speech or calls for violence.

Black Friday discounts in the Cult of Mac Store end soon

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Black Friday has landed over at the Cult of Mac Store.
Black Friday deals are still going strong in the Cult of Mac Store -- but not for long!
Image: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Black Friday went off with a bang in the Cult of Mac Store, with major discounts on excellent brands selling the best Apple accessories anywhere. Don’t miss out on the exclusive deals — many discounts end Monday!

We’re offering big discounts on awesome accessories for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and more. Enjoy 30% off everything from Rilee & Lo, and 20% off products from Nine Twenty Eight Co and BluShark.

These Black Friday deals on Apple gear are still going strong [Updated]

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Best Black Friday deals on MacBooks, AirPods, and iPads
These are the best Black Friday Apple deals you need to check out.
Photo: Rajesh

Black Friday 2022 is now one for the record books, but you can still take advantage of hefty discounts on Apple products.

So, if you have been looking to buy a Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods or other Apple products for a while, take advantage of the best Black Friday deals on Apple gear right now. Just bear in mind that these deals can be slippery as an eel. If you see one you like, jump on it ASAP, because there’s no guarantee it will last.

iPhone 15 rumors will get you thinking about the future [The CultCast]

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The CultCast Apple podcast: iPhone 15 rumors: Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors make it sound like we’re getting some major changes on the design front. And, while the switch from Lightning to USB-C sounds like a winner, Apple might pull one of its irritating tricks by making a handy feature exclusive to the iPhone Pro models next year.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on your favorite Apple gear.
  • COVID-19 chaos in the Chinese factory complex known as “iPhone City” points to further supply-chain disruptions for Cupertino.
  • Find My miracles!
  • Mondo’s Severance collectibles look like a really cool way to dig deeper into the most creative show on Apple TV+.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Our sponsor: CultCloth

This is absolutely your last chance to get forgetful Eron’s ridiculous CultCloth deal! These are the only cleaning cloths you need!

Black Friday: Get up to 50% off iPad stands, Apple Watch bands and more

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The Slope comes in two sizes. The big one is half price.
The Slope comes in two sizes. The big one is half price.
Photo: Wiplabs

“Black Friday” (November 25) and the days before and after it have become one of the best times of the whole year to get great deals on pretty much anything. And true to form, pretty much everything in the Cult of Mac Store is on sale.

Some of the latest deals are 25% off Nyloon Apple Watch bands and an amazing 50% off select Wiplabs accessories, like iPad stands.

The Black Friday sale in the Cult of Mac Store goes through end of the day Monday, November 28. See some highlights below.

Clean, compact MacBook Air rig makes most of tiny desk [Setups]

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It's a cozy little space, alright. Perfect for MacBook Air, a 24-inch display and no external keyboard.
It's a cozy little space, alright. Perfect for MacBook Air, a 24-inch display and no external keyboard.
Photo: [email protected]

If you’ve got a tiny desk for a workspace, you’ve got to make the most of it. Today’s featured computer setup centers on an M1 MacBook Air driving a small 4K external display, clearly going away from the trend toward big-screen-TV-sized displays for a reason — namely, vanishingly small desk space.

A small external display is one way to save room. But the user has some other tricks up his sleeve, as well. Let’s take a look.

Apple’s Black Friday Shopping Event is now live

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Apple's Black Friday 2022 shopping event is live.
Save big on Apple hardware this Black Friday.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s Black Friday deals are now live in the US and Canada. The company is bundling gift cards of up to $250 on the purchase of select products.

The four-day shopping event runs through Cyber Monday, i.e., November 28. You can place your order through Apple’s online or retail store to get the gift card.

Brazilian regulator seizes iPhones from retail stores for not including chargers in box

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iPhone 13 Pro
Apple can continue selling iPhones in Brazil for now.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Brazilian authorities seized “hundreds of iPhones” across retail stores in the country on November 11. The phones were confiscated because Apple was selling them without a bundled power adapter.

Apple has already been granted an injunction against the seizure by a Brazilian court. So, the company can continue selling iPhones until Brazil’s regulatory body takes a final decision.

Apple apparently canceled $49 Apple Pencil launch with iPhone support at the last minute

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Apple Pencil 2 in Hand
Was Apple indeed working on a $49 Apple Pencil for iPhone?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

A sketchy rumor claims Apple planned to introduce a $49 Apple Pencil with iPhone compatibility. The company wanted to launch the budget Apple Pencil alongside new iPhones in September.

For unclear reasons, though, Apple changed its mind at the last minute and canceled the product’s launch.

Satechi offers up to 30% off everything for Black Friday

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Satechi's USB-4 multiport adapter is one of many, many products on sale.
Satechi's USB-4 multiport adapter is one of many, many products on sale.
Photo: Satechi

Satechi makes a wide range of popular accessories for Apple products. The company just took the wraps off its big Black Friday sale, offering up to 30% off everything it makes.

That’s a lot of deals for you on chargers, hubs, keyboards, mice, stands, bags, cases and more.

Spirited with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds becomes holiday hit for Apple TV+

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Ryan Reynold share a new enthusiasm for tap dancing in the teaser for the Apple TV+ musical
Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell share a new enthusiasm for tap dancing in the Apple TV+ musical "Spirited."
Photo: Apple TV+

Spirited, with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds starring in a comedy musical version of A Christmas Carol, is pulling in a sizable audience. It was one of the top five most-watched streaming shows last week, despite premiering halfway through the week.

The Christmas special is available now on Apple TV+.

Set HomeKit scenes with Aqara’s new Cube controller

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The updated Cube controller now works with HomeKit and will work with the Matter smart-home automation standard.
The updated Cube controller now works with HomeKit and will work with the Matter smart-home automation standard.
Photo: Aqara

Smart-home accessories maker Aqara unveiled its new Cube T1 Pro Wednesday, an update on its popular wireless Cube controller.

The new cube adds HomeKit and Amazon Alexa support so you can control a range of smart home devices with it.

Trader smart-lights up office like a ‘strip club’ [Setups]

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Just wait. A dancer might gyrate through the frame any minute.
Just wait. A dancer might gyrate through the frame any minute.
Photo: [email protected]

Modern computer setups lean more and more on smart lighting for practical uses and to set the mood. Some of it can even pulse and change in sync to music or action on your screen.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup leans heavily on colorful Nanoleaf smart-light patterns on the walls — so much so that people compared it to a strip club.

Violent protests over COVID-19 controls and pay erupt at world’s largest iPhone plant

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Protesters and police clashed Tuesday and Wednesday at Foxconn's plant in Zhengzhou, China
Protesters and police clashed Tuesday and Wednesday at Foxconn's plant in Zhengzhou, China
Photo illustration: Cult of Mac

Protests over unpaid bonuses, anti-COVID-19 controls and even food quality led police to clash with hundreds of workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory in China, reports indicated Wednesday.

Social media videos and witnesses in Zhengzhou, where Foxconn operates a giant factory nicknamed “iPhone City,” said police beat and detained protesters.

Show your iPhone 14’s guts with bold new schematic wallpaper

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Show off your iPhone 14's innards in the form of a schematic wallpaper.
Show off your iPhone 14's innards in the form of a schematic wallpaper.
Photo: Basic Apple Guy

Mac maven Basic Apple Guy just rolled out a project he said he’s been slaving over since late September — a set of detailed and layered iPhone 14 schematics you can download and use as display wallpaper in your choice of colors on your handset.

It’s kind of like displaying an X-Ray of your iPhone on the device itself. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus schematics are out Tuesday with the ones for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max following on Wednesday.

Driver calls SUV’s deadly plunge into Boston-area Apple Store accidental [Updated]

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This is Apple Derby Street prior to the incident.
This is Apple Derby Street prior to the incident, in which an SUV smashed through the facade and pinned several people at the back of the store.
Photo: Apple

A man driving a black SUV crashed through the glass facade of an Apple Store near Boston on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring 19, including four critically, according to reports.

Updates: The driver, identified as 53-year-old Bradley Rein, was arrested Monday night and charged with reckless homicide by motor vehicle, according to Boston.com. The number of injured in the crash rose to 19 from the initially reported 16. Rein pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and said his foot had become stuck to the accerlator, causing the crash. He was held on $100,000 bail.

Kevin Bradley, a 65-year-old from New Jersey who Apple said was “supporting recent construction at the store,” was killed in the crash.

Mondo drops ‘innie’ and ‘outie’ vinyl soundtracks for Severance

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Get your work done? Now you can have your dance-party reward.
Get your work done? Now you can have your dance-party reward, courtesy of Mondo.
Photo: Mondo

Collectibles seller Mondo will release a soundtrack Wednesday for Apple TV+’s Severance season 1 in two versions, both on vinyl: Innie Edition and Outie Edition.

On the show — sort of a dark-comedy psycho-thriller — a Lumon Industries employee who has undergone the Severance brain surgery is an “innie” at work and an “outie” away from work, and neither has any awareness of the other.

Does the season 1 soundtrack match that weirdness? Now’s your chance to give it a focused listen on your turntable.

Tesla sneaks Apple Music integration into museum exhibit

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Tesla's interface in the museum exhibit showed Apple Music integration.
Tesla's interface in the museum exhibit showed Apple Music integration.
Photo: [email protected]

It looks like a software update might soon bring Apple Music to Tesla vehicles’ built-in systems at long last. And this modern possibility comes to us from, of all places, a museum exhibit.

Folks spotted Apple Music integrated with Tesla prototype vehicles on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the tweets followed.

iPhone 14 Pro tops 5G speed tests in US, UK and Germany

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iPhone 14 Pro models topped or placed highly for 5G speeds in many countries.
iPhone 14 Pro models topped or placed highly for 5G speeds in many countries.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A new analysis of smartphone speeds in 10 countries shows iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are the fastest 5G mobile devices in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.

Ookla’s study, released Monday, listed the top five fastest “popular” 5G devices by market share in each country. iPhone 14 and 13 series models appeared in many of the lists, but failed to place in some Asian markets.

Noting the performance variations by network and country, Ookla said the analysis “provides a snapshot of what you might typically expect.”

Apple Watch Ultra gets a rare $60 discount for Black Friday

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Apple Watch Ultra review roundup: For extremophiles
This is the Black Friday Apple Watch Ultra deal you have been waiting for.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch Ultra has dropped to its lowest price for Black Friday. You can grab the watch with an Alpine Loop wristband for $739, down from its $799 MSRP.

The rugged titanium case and multi-day battery life make the Apple Watch Ultra ideal for fitness and outdoor enthusiasts.

Keep the iPad front and center or ditch it? [Setups]

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Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Photo: [email protected]

Some people like a lot screens in their computer setup, others like to be glued to one and one only. In today’s featured computer setup, the user wrestles with the question of whether to keep his iPad Pro front and center, right in front of the external display, or just leave it out. Meanwhile, a MacBook Pro sits off to the side in clamshell mode.

Because the user asked for opinions on social media, he got them. Lots of them. But it proved to be a tricky question to answer definitively.

Rounded corners and edges plus titanium case rumored for iPhone 15

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iPhone 15's corners and edges might be rounded, not squared off.
iPhone 15's corners and edges might be rounded, not squared off.
Photo: [email protected]

A leaker with a pretty good track record for accuracy said Sunday the upcoming iPhone 15 series will feature rounded corners and edges, plus a titanium case. Rounded corners would harken way back to earlier iPhones and a titanium case would be a first for Apple handsets.

The rumors came from ShrimpApplePro, who gets it right a fair amount of the time when predicting what Apple will do.