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News - page 305

iPad stocks left to dwindle ahead of next week’s Apple event

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iPad stocks dwindle
Making way for a new model.
Photo: Apple

Availability of the eighth-generation iPad is becoming scarce ahead of next week’s big Apple event. The 10.2-inch device is “currently unavailable” in some markets, while others face shipping delays of three to six weeks.

Apple is expected to introduce a new ninth-generation iPad, with a slimmer chassis and more powerful processor, this fall.

Logi Dock packs plenty of ports, pretty lights and a built-in speakerphone

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Logi Dock hub with speakerphone
An all-in-one hub that hopes to make working from home easier.
Photo: Logitech

The new Logi Dock from Logitech is an all-in-one hub that’s designed to make working from home — and all the dreaded online meetings that come with it — a little more bearable. It packs almost all the ports you’ll ever need, one-touch meeting controls, and a built-in speakerphone.

It also features pretty lights that will let you know when a meeting is about to start. What more could you want?

Twitter tests new edge-to-edge interface for images and video on iOS

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Twitter tests new interface on iOS
A little inspiration from Instagram?
Photo: Twitter

Twitter looks set to finally take full advantage of the larger displays packed into modern smartphones. It is currently testing a new edge-to-edge interface that gives you a better look at images and videos in your timeline.

A new teaser video posted by Twitter on Twitter, and embedded below for your enjoyment, offers an early glimpse at what’s to come.

Top Apple car exec hits off-ramp, heads for Detroit instead

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That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Apple Car. The Apple Car is way down the highway. But Apple has the pedal to the metal.
The man reportedly running Apple car development has taken an exit.
Photo illustration: Cult of Mac/Wikipedia CC

Development of an Apple car just hit another speed bump. Doug Field, who’d reportedly been managing the project, just left to join the Ford Motor Company.

This is surely a blow to Apple’s secretive automotive efforts. And the company was already multiple years away from having anything to put in a showroom, according to the latest leaks.

Apple’s ‘California streaming’ invite hints at iPhone 13 features

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Apple’s 'California streaming' event invite hints at iPhone 13 features
Does this image suggest new camera features for the iPhone 13?
Photo: Apple

Some people love to carefully examine Apple event invites as though each one serves as a crystal ball that can show the future. The one that went out Tuesday might have been crafted to suggest that the iPhone 13 will be better at taking pictures of stars. Or maybe it hints that Apple’s virtual-reality headset will be unveiled.

On the other hand, it could be nothing more than a pretty picture.

How to see the AR Easter egg hidden in Apple’s September 14 event invite

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How to see the AR Easter egg in Apple’s September 14 event invite
The Apple September event invite has a beautiful but hidden augmented-reality feature.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple September event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s part of the company’s ongoing move to draw more attention to AR — and make its event invites cooler than anyone else’s.

The graphic for the event is the Apple logo floating over a lake in the evening. iPhone users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and pass through it into a star-lit virtual space.

Check out Philips Hue’s new light show (and its Spotify partnership)

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The Signe floor lamp and a light strip add ambiance.
The Signe floor lamp and a light strip add ambiance.
Photo: Signify/Philips Hue

Signify, the parent company of Philips Hue, put the word out last week that funky new lighting products are coming. Some are out now and some will light up later. A new partnership with the music platform Spotify has launched, too.

Several items offer the gradient technology Philips Hue added last year to its Play Lightstrip.

It’s official: Apple confirms iPhone 13 event for September 14

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Apple iPhone 13 event invite
Just one week away.
Photo: Apple

Apple today confirmed it will host its next big keynote on Tuesday, September 14. The “California streaming” event will likely be focused on iPhone 13, as well as Apple Watch Series 7 and a possible third-generation AirPods upgrade.

You’ll be able to watch the whole thing live online when it kicks off at 10 a.m. PDT.

Last chance: Save 20% on the Button Remote for Apple TV and more from Function101

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Function 101 Apple TV button remote
Bag yours for under $24.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Function101 is now offering 20% off select products purchased through the Cult of Mac Store.

Save on the brilliant Button Remote for Apple TV, which we just gave a glowing review, as well as the excellent BentoStack and Cable Blocks. The discount ends later today, so enjoy it while you can.

WhatsApp’s promise of end-to-end encryption may be a complete lie

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WhatsApp encryption message
WhatsApp says no one — not even WhatsApp — can read your messages.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp promises to protect every one of its 2 billion users with end-to-end encryption that ensures their messages cannot be seen by anyone outside of the original conversation. But does it live up to that promise?

A new report alleges that the Facebook-owned messaging platform uses artificial intelligence and more than 1,000 contract workers to examine “millions of pieces of users’ content” using “special Facebook software.”

That’s despite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling the U.S. Senate in 2018 that “we don’t see any of the content in WhatsApp.”

UK carrier hints at September 14 launch for iPhone 13

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Sky Mobile iPhone 13 teaser
Are you ready?
Photo: Sky Mobile

iPhone 13 could make its much-anticipated debut on September 14, according to teasers from one U.K. carrier.

Sky Mobile is already giving customers the opportunity to pre-register for “all the info on the upcoming big announcement.” Those who do will get access to an exclusive offer on the “next generation” device.

iOS 15 asks for your permission to show personalized ads in Apple apps

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Personalized ads popup in iOS 15
This is what you'll see when you open the App Store.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.

A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”

When you need something to dwarf your 24-inch iMac display [Setups]

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iMac and MacBook Pro, check. Massive display, check. Le Creuset mug, check.
iMac and MacBook Pro, check. Massive display, check. Le Creuset mug, check.
Photo: [email protected]

Redditor Doyniish runs a Mission Control-looking workstation, thanks a gargantuan monitor in between a substantial 24-inch iMac display on the left and a MacBook Pro on a stand to the right. In the shot, they’re all festooned with open windows, making it look like all the work in the world is in progress at that particular desk.

Apple devices could get more expensive with chip prices set to skyrocket

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Apple chip prices to rise in 2022
TSMC is planning its biggest price hike in over a decade.
Photo: TSMC

Apple’s most popular devices could get even more expensive next year, with chip-maker TSMC said to be planning its biggest price increase in more than a decade. The move could also affect companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm.

Sources are blaming the price hike on a number of factors, including higher material costs and the ongoing chip shortage, which has encouraged some device vendors to buy up more components than they actually need.

Germany wants Apple to repair and update iPhone for 7 years

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Right to Repair
It is calling on the European Commission to enforce stricter rules.
Photo: iFixit

Germany is calling on the European Union to force smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung to repair and update their devices for at least seven years. It also wants manufacturers to offer spare parts at reasonable prices.

The European Commission has already proposed stricter rules for mobile device vendors. It’s all part of an effort to reduce waste by ensuring smartphones and tablets can remain in use for longer.

EFF urges Apple to completely abandon delayed child safety features

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Apple urged to abandon child safety features
'Delays aren't good enough.'
Photo: Wiyre Media CC

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Apple to completely abandon its child safety features after their rollout was delayed.

The group says it is “pleased” Apple’s move is on hold for now. But it calls the plans, which include scanning user images for child abuse material (CSAM), “a decrease in privacy for all iCloud Photos users.”

The EFF’s petition against Apple’s original announcement now contains more than 25,000 signatures. Another, started by groups like Fight for the Future and OpenMedia, contains more than 50,000.

Drake’s new album breaks Apple Music record just set by Kanye

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Drake Certified Lover Boy
More than 60 million streams in just 12 hours.
Photo: Drake

Certified Lover Boy, the newest album from Drake, has broken the Apple Music streaming record set by Kanye West just a few days ago.

In just 12 hours after the album’s release at midnight EST on Friday, September 3, it become 2021 most-streamed album and surpassed the 60 million streams that Donda racked up during its first 24 hours of availability.

Last chance! Get organized with a PadFolio from tomtoc [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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PadFolio CASE
PadFolio Case is the perfect work companion.
Photo: tomtoc

This week, Cult of Mac is giving away six practical and protective PadFolio Cases for your 12.9-inch iPad Pro from tomtoc, a popular case company. Designed to carry your iPad Pro, keyboard, chargers, dongles and all your necessary accessories, this case will protect your iPad Pro while keeping everything in place.

If you want to make your friends and peers jealous of how super-organized and productive you are at work or school, be sure to enter this giveaway.

iPhone 13’s secret satellite trick! [CultCast No. 508]

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Cult of Mac podcast: This week on The CultCast, we talk iPhone 13's satellite secret.
What will iPhone 13's satellite communications feature actually do?
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like iPhone 13 will come with a secret satellite trick that will give you signal anywhere on Earth! The feature might not prove as groundbreaking as it initially seemed, but it still sounds like a lifesaver.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Sorry, but Apple Watch Series 7 might be a much smaller update than we’ve been told.
  • A radical new South Korean law is forcing Apple to open up the App Store there — and other countries are sure to follow.
  • Sadly, it couldn’t last forever. It sounds like our beloved Tim Cook is eyeing his retirement from Apple. So who at Apple will take the reins next?  We got it all figured out!

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.

Play pinball with Trolls or Kung Fu Panda in latest Apple Arcade game

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Play pinball with Trolls or Kung Fu Panda in latest Apple Arcade game
Zen Pinball Party offers new and classic tables to play. You have to provide your own honky tonk music and cigarette smoke, though.
Photo: Zen Studios

Zen Pinball Party lets you have a go on tables with a Kung Fu Panda theme. Or Trolls. Or How to Train Your Dragon. And these are just a few of the options in a game that debuted Friday in Apple Arcade.

And that’s not the only new option. Show off your kitchen skills in MasterChef: Let’s Cook. And Layton’s Mystery Journey+ was also added to Apple’s gaming service.