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Roku OS update adds AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to older streamers

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Roku OS update adds AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to older streamers
Roku got closer to Apple with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support. Even the new Voice Remote Pro has an Apple connection.
Photo: Roku

The release of Roku OS 10 brings support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to several more Roku streaming devices and smart TVs. These streaming options were once reserved for pricey settop boxes but are now available on very affordable devices.

Plugable’s USBC-Vameter diagnoses your charging woes

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Plugable USBC-Vameter diagnoses your charging woes
Is your iPhone charger working like it’s supposed to? Find out with the USBC-Vameter.
Photo: Plugable

Plugable’s USBC-Vameter voltage and amperage meter shows how much power is moving through a USB-C connection. It helps users see what’s happening when their devices are charging… or not charging.

On Tuesday, Plugable released a new version of the tiny multi-meter with an easier-to-read OLED screen and other improvements.

Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story will find a portal to Apple TV+ on June 4

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Lisey's Story
Knives, it turns out, are no substitute for an Apple Pencil.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Lisey’s Story, an Apple TV+ series based on a 2006 Stephen King novel, will debut on Apple TV+ on June 4. It’s about the widow of a famous author who discovered a passageway to a parallel dimension that inspired his work.

Unlike many screen adaptations of King’s work, the horror master himself wrote the scripts for Lisey’s Story. The eight-part series stars Julianne Moore and Clive Owen. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions produced the show.

Apple TV+ wins on quality, but severely lags on quantity

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Apple TV app lands on PlayStation
Apple TV+ has some impressive quality control.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ may be only a bit-player in the streaming wars, but on a pound-for-pound quality basis, it could actually be outperforming its competitors.

That’s according to a new study by Self Financial, which compared TV and movie data from Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and Apple TV+ to find out which offered the best quality viewing experience.

Proposed bill would stop Apple and other tech giants from acquiring companies

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iPhone 12 Pro parts cost shockingly little
Bill would stop tech giants splashing the cash.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill Monday that would ban mergers and acquisitions by companies with market caps in excess of $100 billion. If passed, the bill could have a massive impact on technology companies, including Apple.

Apple, for the record, currently has a market cap of $2.2 trillion. Other tech giants worth upward of $100 billion include Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb and Netflix.

Siri leaks April 20 date planned for Apple’s next special event

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April
Oh, Siri! Tim Cook won't be happy with you.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Siri may have just revealed the date for Apple’s rumored April event. According the voice assistant, Apple’s next event will take place one week from now on April 20.

This is likely to be the event at which Apple debuts its next-gen iPad Pro, the eagerly anticipated AirTags item trackers and a new iPad mini.

Get ready for high-stress hilarity in Mythic Quest season two

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Get ready for high-stress hilarity in ‘Mythic Quest’ season two
Mythic Quest session two starts in May, and things are going well. Too well.
Screenshot: Apple TV+

Mythic Quest season two is right around the corner, and Apple TV+ whet everyone’s appetite Monday with a fresh trailer. In the upcoming episodes, the game developers face the pressure of building a critical expansion pack, and some people are handling the stress far, far too easily.

Watch the hijinks now.

Mac shipments skyrocket as pandemic drags on

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Mac shipments skyrocket as pandemic drags on
Mac demand was extremely strong in the first three months of 2021. The M-series processor almost certainly played a big role.
Photo: Apple

The pandemic continues to drive up demand for notebooks and desktops, and Mac shipments saw a triple-digit annual increase in Q1 2021 according to a market research firm. Apple also almost certainly also benefitted from the release of the first M-series computers near the end of 2020.

Mac mini and PC setup: Best of both worlds? [Setups]

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Browsing, remote tech support work, gaming, videoconferencing, podcasting -- this setup does it all.
Browsing, remote tech support work, gaming, videoconferencing, podcasting -- this setup does it all.
Photo: LincHayes@Reddit

Web developer LincHayes recently showed off the M1 Mac mini-and-PC-based setup he put together to restart a live tech support business and do some podcasting. It did not fail to impress lots of folks on Reddit.

After all, this is LincHayes’ first time as a Mac owner. And a lot of people relate to running both Macs and PCs in a complex, multifunctional setup with a lot of moving parts.

Microsoft buys speech recognition company that helped power Siri

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Apple’s AI-driven voice-controlled digital assistant Siri
Nuance tech helped give rise to tools like Siri.
Image: Apple

Microsoft has acquired Nuance Communications, the speech recognition AI company which helped* power Siri.

Microsoft snapped up Nuance for a massive $16 billion ($19.7 billion, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt). That’s the most it has spent on a company since buying LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.

Apple and Google block UK contact-tracing app update over privacy concerns

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The NHS COVID-19 app relies on a framework jointly developed by Apple and Google.
Apple and Google teamed up to build their contact-tracing API last year.
Screenshot: NHS

Both Apple and Google have blocked an update to England and Wales’ Department of Health contact-tracing app, built using the tech giants’ API.

The update was intended to be released to coincide with the relaxation of lockdown measures in the United Kingdom. However, it apparently breached one of Apple and Google’s main rules: Apps built with the contact-tracing technology are not allowed to gather location data that could track users.

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.