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News - page 315

Apple’s iPhone Weather app is hilariously prudish

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Apple’s iPhone Weather app is hilariously prudish
Apple’s Weather app never gets to have any fun.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

You can be certain it’s never 69 degrees in Cupertino. Never. In what might be a somewhat amazing level of prudishness, Apple’s default iPhone Weather app reportedly will not indicate that the temperature is one degree warmer than 68.

Apple launches MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 series [Updated]

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Apple MagSafe Battery Pack
Here's how the new MagSafe Battery Pack looks when attached to iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Photo: Apple

On its website Tuesday, Apple offered a new MagSafe Battery Pack, designed to work with the iPhone 12 series from mini to Pro Max. That is, it’s designed to work as of the release of iOS 14.7, due imminently.

Unlike all the other unofficially “MagSafe compatible” wireless battery packs that came out after the iPhone 12’s release, this one’s MagSafe-approved, straight from Apple. It took a while, but it’s here.

iOS 14.7 will bring Apple Card tweaks, Apple battery pack support

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iOS 14.7 will bring Apple Card tweaks, Apple battery pack support
iOS 14.7 brings some tweaks, but isn’t a major update.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The release candidate for iOS 14.7 was seeded to developers on Tuesday. It includes some promised improvements to the Apple Card, and it enables users to use a just-announced MagSafe Battery Pack. In addition, it allows users to manage timers on a HomePod.

Plus, the macOS Big Sur 11.5 release candidate, iPadOS 14.7 RC, watchOS 7.6 RC and tvOS 14.7 RC were also made available for developers.

Nomad looks to protect and beautify your MagSafe Charger

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Nomad offers a new leather case for your Apple MagSafe Charger.
Nomad offers a new leather case for your Apple MagSafe Charger.
Photo: Nomad Goods

Accessories-maker Nomad Goods wants to cover your world of Apple gadgets in leather. Even the ones you probably don’t carry around every day. Its newest product is a leather cover designed to protect and beautify the iPhone 12 series’ magnetic charging puck, Apple’s MagSafe Charger.

Justin Bieber and other Canadian artists feature in new ‘Behind the Mac’ ad

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Made in Canada Behind the Mac ad
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez also stars in the 'Made in Canada' video.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s newest “Behind the Mac” ad shines a spotlight on Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, and other Canadian artists who use a Mac to bring their creations to life. But it seems to forget that Apple makes desktops, too.

Check out the new 30-second video, titled “Made in Canada,” below.

Watt’s next for Apple car: Batteries built on home soil?

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Apple car batteries could be made in U.S.
Foxconn and Aleees could get the go-ahead from Apple.
Photo: Jaguar

Apple apparently wants to build car batteries on its home soil. The company is eyeing a number of manufacturers as it plans to set up factories in the United States, according to a new report.

Foxconn, already one of Apple’s largest manufacturing partners, or Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry (Aleees) could get battery orders from Cupertino in the future, sources say.

Next-gen MacBook Pros might top out at 32GB of RAM

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This is a 16-inch MacBook Pro concept image. Not a leak from Apple.
The 2021 MacBook Pro might be beautiful, but not offer the same amount of RAM as its Intel-based predecessor.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa

The much-anticipated 2021 MacBook Pro models will be limited to a maximum of 32GB of data, according to an unconfirmed report. But the same source indicates that the upcoming macOS notebooks will have speedy SD slots and backlit TouchID sensors.

Ted Lasso season 2 already scores boffo 100% Tomatometer rating

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‘Ted Lasso’ season 2 already scores boffo 100% Tomatometer rating
Don’t worry: looks like Ted Lasso season 2 will be as good as the first one.
Photo: Apple TV+

The second season of Ted Lasso doesn’t premiere until July 23 but critics given early access absolutely love the upcoming episodes. The season two of the Apple TV+ comedy has a 100% approval rating from the review-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Apple begins beta testing Apple Music lossless audio on HomePod

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Apple Music lossless audio coming to HomePod, HomePod mini
HomePod and HomePod mini will soon be able to take advantage of a significant improvement to Apple Music.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest beta of the HomePod system software adds support for Apple Music lossless audio. This allows both the large and small versions of Apple’s smart speaker to play music in a very high-quality format.

Act fast for free tix to Apple TV+’s The Problem with Jon Stewart tapings

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Jon Steward headed to Apple TV+
Jon Stewart interviewed President Barak Obama.
Photo: The White House

Do you miss the Jon Stewart era of The Daily Show? Are you fully vaccinated for Covid-19 and willing to prove it? Can you get to New York City with haste? If you answered “yes,” then you can watch July in-studio tapings of Apple TV+ current-affairs show The Problem with Jon Stewart for free.

Why Apple threatened to pull out of the UK

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Is Apple’s deal to make Google Safari’s default search engine anticompetitive?
If a UK court orders Apple to pay a tremendous patent licensing fee, the iPhone maker might decide it’s better to just leave the country.
Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC

Apple reportedly warned a U.K. court that it might withdraw from the country if it must pay an enormous patent licensing fee. The iPhone-maker is being sued by Optis Cellular Technology over patents Apple says are invalid because they cover standard cellular-wireless technology.

If you can’t afford Apple’s Pro Display XDR, then what? [Setups]

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The custom-made redwood desk is nice, but the Pro Display XDR is stunning.
The custom-made redwood desk is nice, but the Pro Display XDR is stunning.
Photo: [email protected]

Gorgeous, high-definition monitors hold a place of honor in many a computer setup. And sometimes it’s several displays, actually. But we rarely come across one of the most amazing monitors out there: the Apple Pro Display XDR. Why? Well, it costs $6,000, for one thing. Or, if you’re lucky, not quite that much.

So if you’re not a wealthy or financially irresponsible person, what’s a reasonable alternative to the Pro Display XDR?

Larger iMac ‘en route’ and could bring even faster ‘M2X’ chip

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M1 iMac
Could it be Apple's fastest desktop to date?
Photo: Apple

A larger iMac powered by Apple Silicon is “en route” and could feature an even faster “M2X” chip, according to reliable reporter Mark Gurman.

The next-generation all-in-one is expected to replace the 27-inch iMac with an even larger screen — perhaps around 30 inches — and could well be Apple’s fastest desktop to date.

iPad mini will see ‘biggest redesign’ and larger display this fall

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iPad mini concept is cool but not happening.
Like the newest iPad Air, only smaller.
Concept: Parker Ortolani

Apple’s new iPad mini is on track to launch this fall with its “biggest redesign” to date, according to one reliable reporter.

The sixth-generation device, which could look like a more compact version of the iPad Air, is expected to feature a larger edge-to-edge screen. It could be powered by the lightning-fast A14 Bionic chip.

FaceTime’s fantastic new features [Cult of Mac Magazine 409]

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Find out how to use FaceTime's hot new features.
Find out how to use FaceTime's hot new features.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

FaceTime is about to get even better. In iOS 15, which is available now as a free public beta, Apple’s proprietary messaging service gets great new audio and video features. Plus, you can use it to communicate with Android and Windows folks as well.

Find out what these new FaceTime features do, and how to use them, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Also don’t miss this week:

Read all about it in our iOS mag, or get the links below.

Last chance! Win an AirTag dog collar for worry-free adventure [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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CollarTrek dog collar
The CollarTrek is a sturdy leather dog collar with a nifty AirTag pocket, ensuring your doggy is trackable.
Photo: CollarTrek

If you have a dog that runs away or just doesn’t listen, this week’s giveaway is for you. The CollarTrek dog collar securely holds an AirTag in place, making sure Fido’s location is easily trackable at all times.

Keep your dog safe and sound by entering this week’s giveaway. Enter and you could win one of four CollarTrek Leather AirTag dog collars.

A year of effort goes into a clean and balanced look [Setups]

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Chris Reed's dual-monitor M1 MacBook Pro setup was a long time in the making.
Chris Reed's dual-monitor M1 MacBook Pro setup was a long time in the making.
Photo: Chris Reed

Working student Chris Reed told Cult of Mac he put a year of work into his “slow build” home office and computer setup. In that year he strove to achieve a clean and balanced look, and, judging by his pics and comments, it seems he got there.

Reed said he wanted to go with dual monitors rather than a wide screen display to save some money. He’s pleased with his choice of 32-inch Samsung 1080p curved monitors, run along with his 2020 MacBook Pro and his iPad Pro.

Eagerly anticipated Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City surfs onto Apple Arcade this month

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Alto's Odyssey
The third in a great series.
Photo: Snowman

First there was 2015’s brilliant Alto’s Adventure. Then there was 2018’s superb Alto’s OdysseyNow the third entry in the series, Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City, is coming to Apple Arcade July 16 — and, boy, does the newly released trailer get our hopes up.

Describing the Alto’s games is a bit difficult. They’re, in essence, endless runners, in which the focus is on traversing environments such as snowy peaks and sandy dunes. But if that makes it sound like a sport’s game, you’d be wrong. These titles are all about the gorgeous, almost hypnotic graphics and sound that make it feel more like Monument Valley than SSX: Tricky.

Check out the trailer below.

Press start to resume: Epic’s battle with Apple allowed to continue in Oz

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Epic Games mocked Apple with a ‘1984’ parody.
The battle has been raging since last summer.
Screenshot: Epic Games

There’s no outcome yet announced for Epic Games’ battle with Apple in the United States. But the Australian Federal Court just handed a victory (of sorts) to the Fornite maker: giving it permission to proceed with its fight with Apple in Oz.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple is abusing its position in the marketplace by not allowing companies to distribute their apps on iOS outside the App Store. Epic’s efforts to battle Apple in Australia temporarily halted earlier this year due to a jurisdiction clauses stopping Australian lawsuits from proceeding if a similar case is being heard elsewhere in the world. The judge said they wanted to see what the US case would conclude before continue.

However, three Federal Court judges have ruled that it can continue — since it involves conduct in the Australian market that is of importance to the public.