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Lockdown savings buys coder’s minimal workstation [Setups]

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With lockdown savings and a little thrift you can put together a solid setup.
With lockdown savings and a little thrift you can put together a solid setup.
Photo: franklinrockz@Reddit

Redditor franklinrockz makes no bones about the minimalist setup he bought with lockdown savings for online classes, calling it “pretty basic” and “nothing fancy.” But it gets the job done and looks good doing it.

A testament to that are the three dozen comments his post had by day two online. Lots of folks liked what franklinrockz did with the workstation and wanted to know about its components.

Apple takes its free music video channel to UK and Canada

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Apple Music TV
Now available outside the United States.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music TV, the 24-hour streaming music video channel that serves as Apple’s version of classic MTV, is now available outside the United States.

Apple launched the free music video channel stateside last October. Jump forward six months, and it can now be viewed by people in Canada and the United Kingdom. While that represents only a small fraction of the places Apple does business in, it suggests that the company is keen to roll out this service further afield.

iPhone 13 may boast Apple’s buttery-smooth, ProMotion screen tech

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This concept image shows how the iPhone 13 notch might shrink.
120Hz refresh rate could be on its way to this year's iPhone refresh.
Artists concept: Cult of Mac

Apple’s ProMotion technology, which delivers buttery-smooth scrolling and motion content on some iPads, may come to the iPhone this year.

According to a report from Digitimes, the next-gen iPhone will adopt LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) backplane technology that could enable 120Hz screen refresh rates. The current iPhones have a refresh rate of just 60Hz.

6 out of the top 10 smartphones sold in January were iPhones

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iPhone 12 review
Breaking news: iPhones are big sellers for Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone models made up a massive 6 out of 10 of the top-selling smartphones in January 2021, according to a report from Counterpoint Research.

The report suggests that the top-selling handset was the regular iPhone 12, followed in short succession by the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro.

Insider emails reveal why Apple never made iMessage for Android

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Court filings show why Apple didn't port iMessage to Android.
The green bubble mystery is solved!
Photo: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash CC

Now we know why Apple never brought iMessage to Android, despite the fact that doing so could have made it a ubiquitous messaging app like WhatsApp.

In a court filing for the company’s ongoing legal battle with Fortnite-maker Epic Games, internal emails showcase exactly why Apple execs made the decision they did. And, yes, it’s probably for the reason you guessed!

PSA: For All Mankind nears season 2 finale on Apple TV+

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For All Mankind
Season two is nearing its completion.
Photo: Apple TV+

It’s a relatively quiet Friday for Apple TV+, with just one single episode of a new show on Apple’s streaming television service. Fortunately, that show is the entertaining space-age alternative history For All Mankind, now approaching the end of its second season.

Episode 8 of 10 is titled “And Here’s to You.” The preview reads: “Gordo returns to space. Molly faces an unsettling new reality. Aleida confronts her first major hurdle at work.” If you’ve not yet tuned in, this may be your chance, with just a couple of weeks to go until the finale.

Tiny AirPods washing machine looks cute as can be

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Cardlax EarBuds Washer is not an April Fool’s Day joke.
The Cardlax EarBuds Washer is an honest-to-god real product. You might even want one.
Photo: Cardlax Team

Cleaning AirPods is kind of a disgusting job, but Cardlax has a solution. It’s an itty-bitty washing machine to clean the crud off your earbuds in a couple of minutes.

Before you ask, April Fools’ Day was last week. This is a real thing.

iTest puts pretend Samsung Galaxy on your iPhone

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iTest puts pretend Samsung Galaxy on your iPhone
WHOA!
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Samsung reached out to iPhone users with iTest — a web app that simulates a Galaxy smartphone on an iOS device. The device maker says it’s hoping some people “might find the grass a shade greener.”

The iTest app isn’t a simple static image — it offers samples of some commonly-used Android applications, including phone calls and texts with marketing messages.

Apple helps Chipolo One Spot item tracker become a top AirTags rival

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Chipolo One Spot launches June 2021. Price is unknown.
The Chipolo One Spot boasts an advantage over every other Bluetooth item tracker.
Photo: Chipolo

The upcoming Chipolo One Spot could rise to be a top Bluetooth item tracker. And if that happens, it’ll be with Apple’s help. The product will be one of the very first accessible through Apple’s Find My network, which means iPhone, Mac and iPad users can locate it without having to install any software from Chipolo.

The same is true of AirTags, Apple’s own much-rumored item tracker expected to be released soon.

Apple says Epic’s legal challenge is all about reviving interest in Fortnite

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

Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple is less about App Store rules and more about reviving “flagging interest in Fortnite,” according to a court document filed Thursday by Cupertino’s lawyers.

In a court filing with the US District Court on Thursday, Apple argues that Epic just wants “to free-ride on Apple’s innovation” by being allowed in the App Store without having to pay Apple a cut of earnings.

Peter Thiel says US should put ‘pressure’ on Apple over its links with China

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Peter Thiel
A-list venture capitalist Peter Thiel thinks Apple relies on China too much.
Photo: Dan Taylor/Wikipedia CC

Venture capitalist, early Facebook investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel criticized Apple for being too close to China.

At a virtual event held Tuesday by California nonprofit Richard Nixon Foundation, Thiel said the United States should put a “lot of pressure” on Apple because of its links to the Asian country.

Alleged dummy images suggest no big redesign for iPad mini or iPad Pro

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Apple wallpapers from the 2020 iPad Pro
What to expect from this year's iPad refreshes.
Photo: ispazio

Dummy mockups of the next-gen iPad Pro and iPad mini suggest that they could look very similar to their predecessors. According to the images, the next-gen iPad mini boasts the same design as the iPad mini 5, released in 2019, although it may be slightly thicker.

Meanwhile, the next-gen iPad Pro resembles the last generation model, with a possible slightly less protruding camera bump on the larger 12.9-inch model.

Global chip shortage could make iPad and MacBook hard to find

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MacBook Air M1 2020
MacBooks may get a bit more elusive later in 2021.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

MacBooks and iPads could face severe delays later this year due to a global chip shortage. While Apple has done its best to insulate itself, the company is “not immune” from the “unprecedented supply crunch,” Nikkei Asia reports.

The lack of key computer components initially stemmed from factories shuttered at the start of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, boosted demand resulting from “changing habits fueled by the pandemic” appear to have compounded the problem.

Crazy concepts merge Apple products with popular car models

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Apple Car: Hyundai Ioniq Electric x Apple Mouse
It’s a car. It’s a mouse. It’s a mashup of a car and a mouse. But it’s probably not the Apple Car.
Concept: LeaseFetcher

It’s an open secret that an Apple Car is on the drawing board, but no one has a clue what it’ll look like. A new collection of concept designs doesn’t make serious suggestions but takes the idea for a fun spin. The designs combine popular car models with Apple products

Take a look at what they dreamed up.

Samsung Galaxy S21 plummets to half its original value in 3 months

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The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is not a good investment.
The recently released Samsung Galaxy S21 series drops in value as much as $281 a month.
Photo: Samsung

Those planning to resell their handset someday might want to steer clear of Samsung latest flagship models. The Galaxy S21 series reportedly lost between 44.8% and 57.1% of its original value since in debut in January 2021.

Of course, every smartphone depreciates over time. But iPhones hold their value better than their rivals.

Apple opens Find My network to third-party gadgets

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The iPhone Find My app just got a lot more open and useful.
The Find My application can finally be used to locate items not made by Apple. There’s a crop of them coming soon.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The Find My application built into iOS and macOS finally opened up to device trackers made by other companies, not just Apple. Wednesday’s move allows iPhones, Macs and iPads to locate lost items produced by third-party accessory makers without needing to install additional software.

The first supported non-Apple products come from Belkin, Chipolo and VanMoof.

The Problem with Jon Stewart tackles current affairs on Apple TV+ in fall 2021

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Jon Steward headed to Apple TV+
Jon Stewart has interviewed a lot of people over the years, including former president Obama.
Photo: The White House

Jon Stewart is coming back on TV this fall. After 6 years off the air, the acclaimed comedian will star in The Problem with Jon Stewart exclusively on Apple TV+.

This is his first show since The Daily Show with Jon Stewart came to a close in 2015 after winning twenty Emmy Awards.

Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad? Well, duh. [Setups]

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Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions.
Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions.
Photo: BasicAppleGuy@Reddit

The setup showcased in a recent Reddit post consists of just a MacBook Air, an iPad, an iPhone and some peripherals and accessories, but it brings up a puzzling conundrum: Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad, even though their functionality overlaps to a great extent?

According to most of the comments, the answer is yes — even if it makes you feel like a sucker.

90% of US teens plan to get an iPhone

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The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 price is now the same for all the top US telecoms.
Many teens weren't even born when the first iPhone debuted.
Photo: Apple

A massive 88% of U.S. teenagers own an iPhone, and 90% expect their next phone to be an iPhone, a new Piper Sandler survey of more than 7,000 teens suggests.

It’s an impressive showcase of just how popular Apple is among young people — especially so considering that this is a relatively fickle demographic that frequently shies away from things their parents are into. The oldest teen today was only 5 when the first-gen iPhone debuted in 2007. The youngest weren’t even born yet.

The average smartphone app harbors 6 different trackers

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Privacy
Privacy has been a big deal for Apple for years.
Photo: Apple

Ahead of the launch of the new App Tracking Transparency iOS 14 feature, Apple on Wednesday published a report titled A Day in the Life of Your Data.

It details the “$227 billion-a-year industry” made up of websites, apps, social media companies, data brokers, and more who harvest user personal data for profit — and what Apple is doing about it.

Vast majority of iPhone users now run iOS 14

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iOS 14 adoption. It’s a good thing.
Nine out of 10 users now using iOS 14.
Photo: Apple

iOS 14 adoption tops 90%, according to figures published by analysts at Mixpanel. The firm’s most recent data shows 90.45% of users with an iPhone or iPad run either iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 on it. That’s an incredibly impressive feat, considering Apple only made the operating systems available in mid-September.

Last time Apple released its own figures, back in late February, the company reported that 80% of iPhones and 70% of iPads ran the new operating systems. Those figures increased to 86% and 84% respectively when focusing on devices from the past four years.

Brilliant MacBook Pro concept packs in the features we want

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This 14-inch MacBook Pro concept is by Renders by Ian
A new 14-inch MacBook Pro concept is based on leaks about this upcoming macOS laptop.
Concept: Ian Zelbo/Renders by Ian

A 14-inch MacBook Pro reportedly will join Apple’s product lineup, and a concept artist merged all the rumors into a design that might hit store shelves later in 2021.

It includes more ports than any MacBook in years, but even important is what’s missing: the Touch Bar and most of the screen bezels.

iPad mini 6 mockup shows edge-to-edge screen so many hope for

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An iPad mini 6 mockup from xleaks7.
An iPad mini 6 mockup could show that a significant redesign is one the way.
Photo: xleaks7/Pigtou

There’s a bit more evidence that the iPad mini 6 will feature a dramatic redesign. A mockup of the tablet leaked out, showing an edge-to-edge display and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

Other sources previously pointed to Apple’s smallest tablet getting a size upgrade in the near future.