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News - page 302

Apple Arcade goes big with NBA 2K22 and Transformers: Tactical Arena

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Apple Arcade going big with ‘NBA 2K22’ and ‘Transformers: Tactical Arena’
Play some serious basketball with NBA 2K22.
Photo: 2K/Apple Arcade

Apple’s gaming service will soon launch a pair of big-name titles. Basketball season starts soon, and that means it’s time for NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition. Meanwhile, Transformers: Tactical Arena will let players choose their favorite characters and battle it out in PvP action.

Both will be available in the coming weeks on Mac, iPhone and more. But a subscription to Apple Arcade will be needed.

Remembering Steve Jobs, plus M1X MacBook Pro and Apple Watch Series 7 [The CultCast]

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Remembering Steve Jobs on The CultCast
A decade after Steve Jobs' death, we take stock of his legacy.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac, with photo by Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We reminisce about Steve Jobs and his lasting impact on Apple, a decade after his death. Plus, M1X MacBook Pros might be coming soon. And the Apple Watch Series 7 launch looks quite weird indeed.

Also on The CultCast:

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 livestream, embedded below.

Apple opens first Developer Academy for iOS apps in Detroit

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Apple's new educational program teaches skills for iOS app development.
Apple's new educational program teaches skills for iOS app development.
Photo: Apple

Apple welcomed 100 students, aged 18 to 60, to its first Developer Academy this week, located in Detroit. The academy offers students courses on coding, design, marketing and project management.

It’s “an effort to address systemic racism and expand opportunities for communities of color across the country,” the Cupertino tech giant said Thursday.

Pharma tech lead runs a fit and oh-so-clean WFH rig [Setups]

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Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Photo: Marc Drucker

Marc Drucker serves as an associate director and technical lead for a pharmaceutical company in Menlo Park, California. Having shifted fully to working from home, he found his computer setup — his WFH rig — running so well and looking so clean, he decided to send it in to Cult of Mac.

Among the words he used to describe his WFH rig were ideal and perfect. We talked to him about what works so well for him in his workstation and included his answers, below.

Rockstar confirms GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition for mobile

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GTA Trilogy
The collection will include GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas.
Photo: Rockstar Games

After months and months of leaks and speculation, Rockstar Games today confirmed it is bringing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition to consoles, PC, and mobile devices — including iPhone and iPad.

The collection includes all three PlayStation 2-era GTA games — GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas — which “will feature across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements … while still maintaining the classic look and feel.”

Anker refreshes flagship Liberty Pro earbuds with compact design, sound upgrades

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Soundcore by Anker's new Liberty 3 Pro earbuds have a compact, stemless design and a more powerful driver than their predecessor.
Soundcore by Anker's new Liberty 3 Pro earbuds have a compact, stemless design and a more powerful driver than their predecessor.
Photo: Anker

Soundcore by Anker rolled out the new version of its top earbuds, the Liberty 2 Pro set. The new Liberty 3 Pro Earbuds are 30% smaller and, like their predecessors, have no stem. But they feature a more powerful driver, personalized active noise cancellation (ANC) and a more comfortable fit, the company said.

Google exec calls on Apple to adopt better, more secure text messaging

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Google calls on Apple to adopt RCS for better messaging
But it probably won't happen.
Photo: Apple

Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has called on Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol that would enable improved and more secure messaging between iPhone and Android devices.

RCS brings a number of modern features — including support for audio messages, group chats, typing indicators and read receipts — and end-to-end encryption to traditional text messaging. But it’s unlikely Apple will play ball.

It’s time: Apple Watch Series 7 now available to preorder

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California Streaming event: Apple Watch Series 7 packs a bigger, more durable screen.
Bag yours before the shipping dates slip!
Photo: Apple

The wait for Apple Watch Series 7 is finally over, with preorders live on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app. Prices start at $399 for a 41mm model and $429 for a 45mm model. They rise to $499 for LTE connectivity.

Series 7 ships with Apple Watch’s largest screens, a more durable design, and faster charging. It’s also available in a range of new color options. Initial supplies are expected to be limited, so bag yours before shipping dates slip.

2022 iPhone SE could pack 5G and A15 chip, but don’t expect a new design

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2020 iPhone SE supports all Apple services.
All iPhone models could have 5G capabilities in 2022.
Photo: Apple

Apple will bring super-speedy 5G connectivity and its latest A15 Bionic chip to iPhone SE in 2022, but fans shouldn’t expect a new design, one report claims.

The new “budget” device is expected to carry the same look it borrows from iPhone 8, with the same 4.7-inch LCD display and a Home button with Touch ID. But it will mean every iPhone in Apple’s lineup features 5G capabilities.

Big leak reveals Apple Watch Series 7 configurations and pricing

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Apple Watch 7 preorders start October 8
45mm options start at $429, while adding cellular connectivity pushes the price up to $499.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been strangely quiet about Apple Watch Series 7 pricing since the device was unveiled alongside iPhone 13 last month. The only that’s official just hours before preorders go live is that pricing starts at $399. And that’s it!

But thanks to one big leak, we now know exactly how much other options will cost — and what configurations will be available from 5 a.m. PDT/8 a.m. EDT today. Here’s what you need to know.

Clever modder builds powerful M1 chip into aged iMac G4

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Clever modder builds powerful M1 chip into aged iMac G4
Yes, that’s an iMac G4 from 2002 running macOS Big Sur on an M1 processor.
Screenshot: Colby Sheets

That old iMac doesn’t have to gather dust on a shelf. One guy is drawing a crowd by showing off an iMac G4 that he upgraded by merging it with a Mac mini sporting Apple’s latest M1 processor.

Considering Colby Sheets started with little experience tinkering with hardware, his project is likely to leave many people looking speculatively at their old iMac.

Apple stays strangely silent on most Apple Watch Series 7 prices

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Apple stays strangely silent on most Apple Watch Series 7 prices
How much does the 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 cost? No one but Apple knows for sure.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 7 launches Friday but pricing information for most configurations remains a mystery less than a day from the debut. All Apple has revealed so far is that the base model is $399.

If buyers don’t have this information until preorders begin, those who spend extra time deciding on a configuration might have to wait additional weeks to get their device.

High-end Zorachka Homam camera ups your HomeKit video quality

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Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Mount this space-helmet-looking cam in your house and the burglars will know you mean business.
Photo: Zorachka

Not too long ago you didn’t have a whole lot of choices for high-quality cameras to run with Apple’s HomeKit system, but that’s changing all the time. For example, Zorachka has released its new, high-end Homam 64GB camera. It joins recent offerings from the likes of Aquara, Eufy, Eve and others.

Laugh along with first trailer for Apple’s murder-mystery comedy The Afterparty

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Laugh along with first trailer for Apple’s murder-mystery comedy “The Afterparty
Aniq, played by Sam Richardson, adds to the hilarity in The Afterparty
Screenshot: Apple TV+

TV industry virtuosos Phil Lord and Chris Miller created a very unusual comedy series for Apple TV+. The Afterparty is about a murder but each episode is seen through a different suspect’s perspective and shot in a different film genre.

The laughs start in the first trailer for the show, which debuted Thursday. Watch it now

Ridiculous Intel ad makes Apple fans look like complete morons

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Intel vs. Apple ad
What?! This laptop that runs Windows wasn't made by Apple? No way!
Photo: Intel

Butthurt Intel just squeezed out another of its desperate taking-a-stab-at-Apple ads, and it might just be the worst one yet. It paints Apple fans as complete morons.

“Is this real life right now?” one user asks when shown a colorfully lit room filled with Windows machines.

The “real people” brought in for Intel’s “Social Experiment,” despite being apparent Mac users, all appear flabbergasted when told the Windows-powered laptops they’ve been shown aren’t made by Apple. Ugh.

Apple wants to give CarPlay control over your A/C, seats and more

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Apple CarPlay
The future of CarPlay could be pretty awesome.
Photo: Apple

Apple is working on deeper CarPlay integration that could one day allow the system to take control of your vehicle’s air conditioning, seats, radio and more, according to a new report that cites people familiar with the plan.

The project, known as “IronHeart” internally, would require greater support from vehicle manufacturers. But if Apple can see it through, it would make CarPlay a whole lot more than a basic infotainment system.

Yet another country finds App Store rules anti-competitive

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App Store
This isn't looking good for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Antitrust investigators in the Netherlands are the latest to determine that Apple’s App Store rules over in-app payments are anti-competitive. Authorities ordered Cupertino to make changes, sources say, but did not issue fines.

The decision follows a similar ruling in South Korea in late August. It became the first country to tell Apple (and Google) that they must accept third-party payment systems in their app marketplaces.

iOS 15.1 beta 3 brings ProRes video recording to iPhone 13 Pro

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iPhone 13 Pro gets ProRes video
A Hollywood film studio in your pocket.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Wednesday rolled out its third iOS 15.1 beta, bringing ProRes video recording to iPhone 13 Pro for the first time since it made its debut. The feature can be enabled inside the Settings app.

But be warned: ProRes video takes up a lot of storage space. Apple says just one minute of footage shot in 1080p weighs in at approximately 1.7GB, and switching to super-sharp 4K will balloon that file size to a whopping 6GB.

Ex-Sennheiser engineer Axel Grell rolls out affordable audiophile earbuds

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A stylized image of some stylish Grell Audio earbuds.
A stylized image of some stylish Grell Audio earbuds.
Photo: Grell Audio

Audio engineer Axel Grell designed Sennheiser’s much-admired HD580 and HD800 headphones. Then he left the company in 2019 to start Grell Audio. And now he offers a pair of premium, true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC) called Grell TWS-1 for the not-too-lofty price of $199.99.

Halide camera app improves iPhone 13 Pro macro shots

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Halide 2.5 update improves images from iPhone 13 Pro macro camera
Take better macro images with the iPhone 13 Pro and a new Halide 2.5 update.
Photo: Lux Optics/Cult of Mac

A just-released update to Halide helps iPhone and iPad owners take better close-up images. The iOS application works with the macro camera in the iPhone 13 Pro series, but also offers tools that can help any phone or tablet user with close-in pictures.

This is in addition to Halide Mark II 2.5’s many other features that give more control over the cameras built into iPhone and iPad than are available in Apple’s own application.

The beauty of monitor and laptop stands (and a Hulk cord holder) [Setups]

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When you don't a big desk, stands for monitor and laptop are great space-savers.
When you don't a big desk, stands for monitor and laptop are great space-savers.
Photo: [email protected]

In the world of computer setups, space is often at a premium. When you’ve got computers, displays, peripherals, gadgets and cables, you need some surface area. But not everyone has a big desk, much less more than one. That’s where certain types of stands and mounting arms come in handy.