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News - page 288

Take your favorite robots into battle in Transformers: Tactical Arena on Apple Arcade

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‘Transformers: Tactical Arena’ is coming soon to Apple Arcade
Battle your friends in “Transformers: Tactical Arena.”
Photo: Red Games/Apple Arcade

No longer robots in disguise, Transformers: Tactical Arena lets players assemble a team of their favorite characters to battle in a real-time person-versus-person strategy game. They fight in an arena, with players sitting next to you — or around the world.

The game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.

Control freak Apple makes iPhone 13 the ‘strongest case yet for right to repair’

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iPhone 13 display repairs kill Face ID
Way to go, Apple.
Photo: iFixit

The teardown experts at iFixit have confirmed that unauthorized display replacements break Face ID on iPhone 13. They also warn that Apple’s rather unscrupulous move has “huge implications for the professional repair industry.”

The only way around the change is to employ incredibly complicated micro soldering practices to transfer the display chip from the original screen over to the new one. It is “the strongest case yet for right to repair laws,” iFixit says.

Twitter fixes a big search problem on iPhone and iPad

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Twitter profile search iPhone
Install the latest Twitter update to get its new search tool.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Trying to find tweets posted by a certain user has long been a complicated process on Twitter. But it just got a lot easier on iPhone and iPad, thanks to a new button that can now be found on every user profile.

The button allows you to quickly search tweets posted by a specific account, while leaving out everything else.

Peloton partly blames Apple for post-pandemic sales plunge

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Peloton blames Apple for sales slump
It's much more difficult for Peloton to serve targeted ads.
Photo: Peloton

Apple’s efforts to bolster your privacy protections on iPhone and iPad are being blamed for a sharp decline in Peloton sales.

The company enjoyed a boom while everyone was stuck at home during the pandemic, but it has since been forced to cut its outlook by as much as $1 billion. It said this week that Apple’s crackdown on tracking is partly at fault.

Some Apple retail stores drop face mask mandates

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Why Apple Watch’s iPhone unlock will change your freakin’ life
Wave goodbye to masks at some Apple Stores.
Photo: Ivan Samkov/Pexels CC

Starting Friday, many people will be able to visit a U.S. Apple Store without wearing a mask. It’s not a universal change — an Apple company memo that leaked out indicates that removing the mask requirement depends on “vaccinations, testing, and case counts” in the area of each retail store.

Reportedly, about a third of stores will see the change. But that’s only the start.

Zynga bets the FarmVille 3 animal menagerie will hook you on iOS

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Now on iOS: FarmVille 3 lets you raise baby animals and keep some as companions.
Now on iOS: FarmVille 3 lets you raise baby animals and keep some as companions.
Photo: Zynga

Game maker Zynga launched FarmVille 3 on iOS and Android Thursday. It’s the newest version in the strategy simulation game series, which first broke out as a hit on Facebook in 2009 with FarmVille and then expanded with mobile FarmVille 2 versions in 2016 and 2018.

AirPods 3 teardown can’t explain boost in battery life

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AirPods 3 teardown can’t explain boost in battery life
Each AirPods 3 battery offers less capacity than the ones in AirPods Pro.
Photo: 52audio

Apple’s recently released AirPods 3 have a longer battery life than either AirPods 2 or AirPods Pro. But a teardown of the new truly wireless headphones finds batteries that can’t fully explain the extra time between charges.

Watch a video of the teardown showing why along with some other internal details of AirPods 3.

iPhone 14 may be forced to settle for less advanced 4nm chip

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iPhone 14 might have to settle for less advanced 4nm chip
The A16 is expected to be the heart of the iPhone 14.
Graphic: Apple/Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly won‘t be able get chips made with a cutting-edge 3nm process for the iPhone 14, so it supposedly might switch to 4nm. The change would result in an iPhone that’s not as much an improvement over the current one as had been thought.

This isn’t a result of the global shortage in processors. Chip-maker TSMC is allegedly having problems with its 3nm process.

Can your iPhone charger open your beer? This one can.

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The High Six compact charging cable and adapter set is also a bottle opener -- all on a keychain.
The High Six compact charging cable and adapter set is also a bottle opener -- all on a keychain.
Photo: Vonmählen

German accessory designer Vonmählen is rolling out a 6-in-1 keychain pocket tool called the High Six – which it said is “the world’s most compact key chain charging cable.” In addition to its various adapters for your charging and data-transfer needs, it has a bottle opener. You know, for your refreshment needs.

iPhone X with USB-C port hits eBay with bids at over $85,000

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iPhone with USB-C hits eBay
Will you be placing a bid?
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Remember the iPhone X that was modded to use a USB-C port? The robotics engineer who created it this week listed the device on eBay, and it has already racked up more than 140 bids to reach an eye-watering $85,550.

The auction, which includes a 30-minute phone call with seller Ken Pillonel, still has seven days left to run. But Pillonel asks bidders not to restore or update the device — or even use it as their daily driver.

iPad mini could get 120Hz ProMotion display, fixing ‘jelly scroll’

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iPad mini on table
But don't get your hopes up.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

A future iPad mini refresh could bring 120Hz ProMotion technology to Apple’s smallest tablet, according to a new report.

The upgrade could fix the “jelly scrolling” effect that his been exhibited by many 2021 iPad mini units — upsetting a lot of early adopters — which use the same 60Hz refresh rate as iPad Air and the 10.2-inch entry-level iPad.

Will Smith will be Oprah’s next guest on Apple TV+

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Will Smith sits down with Oprah for Apple TV+
Watch it tomorrow, November 5.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Friday confirmed that award-winning actor, rapper and producer Will Smith will be the next guest on The Oprah Conversation. The episode is scheduled to premiere on Friday, November 5 on Apple TV+.

Apple says the conversation will focus on Smith’s memoirs, deepest insecurities, biggest life lessons, and navigating a complex marriage that has become increasingly public in recent months.

Apple TV+ picks up new docuseries based on NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson

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Apple TV+ picks up Magic Johnson docuseries
Johnson enjoyed a glittering NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Photo: Apple TV+

A new documentary series based on NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson was Friday confirmed for Apple TV+.

It will be split into four parts that “explore the remarkable accomplishments and global impact of Johnson’s life, both on and off the court,” Apple said. It doesn’t have a release date just yet.

Apple brings its TestFlight platform to Mac for the first time

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TestFlight lands on Mac
Download it today for free.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

TestFlight, Apple’s own platform for distributing beta software, is now officially available on Mac for the first time. It gives developers the opportunity to invite up to 10,000 people to test early versions of their apps ahead of their release.

Apple first confirmed TestFlight would be coming to Mac back in June at WWDC. It was previously only available on iPhone and iPad.

Not just you: iCloud Private Relay is offline [Updated]

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Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’
iCloud Private Relay is really offline.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

iCloud Private Relay, a privacy feature that recently debuted, is temporarily offline. The service for iPhone, Mac and iPad is a public beta so a few hiccups are to be expected.

Apple promises the optional, for-pay add-on feature will be back online soon.

Update: Private Relay is back after being offline for 7.5 hours on Wednesday.

HomePod gets podcast bug fix via software tweak

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HomePod gets podcast bug fix via software tweak
HomePod Software 15.1.1 brings a small update to Apple smart speakers.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

If your HomePod has had problems playing podcasts recently, it might need the software update Apple released Wednesday. It brings the full-size and pint-size audio devices up to version 15.1.1.

It doesn’t include any new features, though.

Brydge’s new keyboard case turns smallest iPad Pro into a laptop with big capabilities

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Brydge 11 Max+ keyboard case is built for hardcore iPad Pro users
Brydge 11 Max+ is a premium keyboard case for the 11-inch iPad Pro with a large trackpad.
Photo: Brydge

The Brydge 11 Max+ is a clip-on keyboard designed to make an 11-inch iPad Pro into a very portable clamshell notebook. It magnetically attaches to the tablet and adds a backlit keyboard and trackpad.

After being announced earlier this year, the product is now available in stores starting Wednesday.

Razer ‘Pro’ lineup adds mechanical keyboard, mini mouse and XXL mouse mat

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Razer quieted down the keys for its new Pro Type Ultra mechanical keyboard.
Razer quieted down the keys for its new Pro Type Ultra mechanical keyboard.
Photo: Razer

Previously all about gaming gear, Razer began rolling out new productivity accessories last year. Now it’s back with three new items for work at home or in the office — the quiet Pro Type Ultra mechanical keyboard, the Pro Click Mini mouse and the Pro Glide XXL mouse mat.

Mystery ‘homeOS’ shows up in another Apple job listing [Updated]

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Apple TV plus HomePod equals homeOS? Maybe
A combination Apple TV and HomePod might need a new operating system.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An Apple job listing has people scratching their heads because it mentions an operating system that doesn’t exist. It references “homeOS” alongside iOS, watchOS and other known operating systems.

It’s possible this is something Apple is working on. But there’s a less exciting possibility: if could be another name for something millions of people use every day.

Keyboards collide: Apple Magic vs. Logitech MX Keys [Setups]

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People choose sides in a fight between a Magic Keyboard and a Logitech MX Master Keys.
People choose sides in a fight between a Magic Keyboard and a Logitech MX Master Keys.
Photo: [email protected]

In a knock-down, drag-out fight between an Apple Magic Keyboard and one of its most popular alternatives, the Logitech MX Keys wireless keyboard, which would win? Actually, it might be more of a minor dust-up than a brawl. Maybe just a slightly heated discussion among proudly opinionated nerds, even.

M1 MacBook Air helps Apple shift a whopping 6.5 million notebooks in Q3

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MacBook Air power
Despite chip supply problems, the MacBook business is booming.
Photo: Apple

Apple shipped a rather impressive 6.5 million notebooks last quarter, according to new data — thanks in large part to the success of the M1 MacBook Air. That figure makes Cupertino the fourth-largest laptop vendor in the world.

Although Lenovo, HP and Dell all shipped significantly more laptops than Apple during the three-month period, the MacBook-maker did see decent growth of 10% over the same quarter last year.

Samsung swipes Safari 15’s only decent change for its own web browser

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Samsung Internet steals from Safari 15
Well, would you look at that.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

There’s not much Apple’s rivals would want to steal from Safari 15 — it’s not exactly the company’s finest (or most popular) browser update. But in true Samsung style, the South Korean firm found one thing worth swiping for its own mobile devices.

The latest version of the Samsung Internet browser gives Galaxy smartphone users the ability to shift the address bar to the bottom of the screen, making it a little more accessible — especially during one-handed use.

Apple calls on Samsung and LG to bring OLED displays to MacBook and iPad

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Some MacBook Pro wait times already stretch nearly to Christmas
But we'll be waiting years for the switch.
Photo: Apple

Apple has enlisted Samsung’s help in its effort to bring OLED displays to future MacBook and iPad models, according to a new report. It is also said to be in talks with LG, one of Samsung’s biggest competitors in the display industry.

It is believed Apple originally planned to launch its first OLED MacBook in 2025, but thanks to complications surrounding the display manufacturing process, the plan is “likely to be postponed,” sources familiar with the matter said.

ColorWare gives AirPods 3 a super-pretty paint job, but it’ll cost you

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ColorWare paints AirPods 3
Prices start at a whopping $319.
Photo: ColorWare

ColorWare is now offering Apple’s newest AirPods in much prettier, more colorful designs. You can choose how you want yours to be painted, but be warned that you’ll have to cough up a lot more to stand out.

Prices start at a rather eye-watering $319 — up from just $179 when you buy AirPods in white — and that price covers only the AirPods buds themselves. It rises even higher if you want a colorful charging case as well.

Netflix’s Apple Arcade rival launches but iOS support still ‘on the way’

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Netflix’s Apple Arcade rival launches but iOS support still ‘on the way’
Netflix is now also a game service. At no additional cost.
Screenshot: Netflix/Cult of Mac

Netflix’s promised mobile game service launches Wednesday. It’s initially only for Android but the company promises a version for iPhone and iPad is “on the way.”

It will launch with five downloadable games available to everyone with a Netflix subscription. At no extra cost.