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Apple TV+ will get at least 10-12 original movies per year

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It's the perfect time for Apple TV+ to makes its move with movies.
Apple's embracing original movies in a big way.
Photo: riviera 2005/Flickr CC

Apple TV+ is looking to ramp up its investment in original movies, and has hired a former WarnerMedia executive to help it, according to The Information.

The report cites “two people familiar with the situation” as saying that Apple wants to “beef up its original film production” to better compete in the streaming stakes.

Apple could combine HomePod speaker, Apple TV and smart camera for ultimate smart home device

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HomePod in China
Apple's got an intriguing concept for a next-gen smart home device.
Photo: Apple

Apple is working on a new smart home product that would combine Apple TV, a HomePod speaker and a camera for FaceTime or Zoom-style video conferencing, Bloomberg reported Monday.

The company “has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but [this] versatile new device in early development could change that,” according to the story, which describes the in-development product as “Apple’s most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date.”

Mini-LED iPad Pro is on the way this month, but good luck getting it right away

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2020 iPad Pro with Apple Smart Keyboard Folio.
The next iPad Pro will get a fancy new screen. Not that you'll necessarily be able to see it right away.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple continues to run into production challenges with its next-gen iPad Pro, but they won’t stop the tablet from debuting later this month, reports Bloomberg.

If you plan to get one, you might want to brace yourself for a wait, though. The next iPad Pro — notably, the larger, 12.9-inch model — could prove tough to get your hands on in the early days.

These new apps will keep you productive and entertained [Awesome Apps of the Week]

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Whether you're tweaking your Mac or playing around, these apps will help.
Whether you're tweaking your Mac or playing around, these apps will help.
Image: Cult of Mac

It’s Sunday, and you’re staring at your computer. What’s it gonna be? Work or fun?

Some of the new and upgraded apps in this week’s roundup put an array of clever tools at your disposal if you’re feeling productive. You can free up space on your Mac’s hard drive, download YouTube videos or give your Home app a makeover.

Others focus on fun. They give you new ways to flex your creativity and stay entertained — and maybe even get paid while doing so. Time to dig in!

Apple Arcade makes a power play [Cult of Mac Magazine 396]

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Apple Arcade looks ready to be a major player.
Apple Arcade looks ready to be a major player.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Adding dozens of new games is great and all, but embracing the past might be the smartest move Apple Arcade made this month.

Now Apple’s subscription gaming service includes two new categories — Timeless Classics and App Store Greats — that showcase just how fantastically fun mobile gaming can be.

The expansion is a real boon for casual gamers who might be more into sudoku than an arty indie game they’ve never heard of. And it makes Apple Arcade’s $4.99-a-month subscription look like an unbeatable deal.

If you haven’t tried Apple Arcade, now might be the time to take the plunge. And if you haven’t checked out Apple One subscription bundles — all of which include Apple Arcade — you might be missing out some real savings.

Read all about Apple Arcade’s power play (and get the rest of the week’s top Apple news) in Cult of Mac Magazine. Download the free app to read on your iOS device, or get the links below.

Apple gives Senate antitrust testimony a hard pass

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Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices during the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee hearing.
Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices at a Congressional hearing in 2020.
Photo: C-SPAN

A Senate subcommittee wants to ask Google and Apple antitrust-related questions about their software stores, but the iPhone-maker reportedly turned down a request to testify.

Apple told Senators it could not do so because of ongoing litigation. That’s probably a reference to the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit currently in the pre-trial phase.

Last chance! Enter to win a lux leather iPhone case from Mujjo [Cult of Mac giveaway]

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Mujjo iPhone case giveaway: Mujjo cases are some of the finest leather cases to ever cradle an iPhone.
These are some of the finest leather cases to ever cradle an iPhone.
Photo: Mujjo

This week, Cult of Mac is giving away two snazzy iPhone 12 cases from our friends at Mujjo. You get a chance to win either a leather wallet case or a slim profile case in your choice of color.

Mujjo’s leather cases are among the best iPhone cases we’ve reviewed here at Cult of Mac.

If your iPhone needs a spring makeover, be sure to enter this giveaway.

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.