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News - page 357

Apple’s custom 5G modem might make 2023 iPhone faster than ever

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
An Apple 5G modem is allegedly in development, and could be in iPhones in a few years.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s move away from Qualcomm modems could begin in 2023. Analysts predict that all the iPhone models released in that year will use 5G modems Apple designed itself.

This is another example of Apple developing critical components for its products in-house rather than depending on an outside company.

Game developer plays with wide and tall screens [Setups]

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A game developer makes good use of wide and tall monitors.
A game developer makes good use of wide and tall monitors.
Photo: linden_park@Reddit

UK-based Redditor linden_park just updated their setup while working in the early development phase of a new life simulator game set in space among multiple planets and space stations. Covering all that intergalactic territory, it helps to have both wide and tall screens.

Australian antitrust committee eyes Apple’s lucrative Google search deal

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Is Apple’s deal to make Google Safari’s default search engine anticompetitive?
An Australian government agency is probing Apple and Google for anticompetitive practices.
Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is gathering data for a report on whether Google and Apple abuse their ability to pick default web browsers and search engines in their operating systems to squeeze out smaller competitors.

And Australia is just one of many countries probing the business practices of big tech companies. These investigations might eventually be followed by lawsuits or legislation that forces Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. to change the way they do business.

Toyota boss welcomes Apple car competition, with caveats

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Toyota Avalon CarPlay
Toyota President Akio Toyoda touts his company's experience in the car industry.
Photo: Toyota

Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda has chimed in on the possibility of an Apple car, saying the automotive industry welcomes new players with “the potential to breathe [fresh] life into the auto industry and give customers a wider range of choices.”

However, he threw minor shade at new arrivals like the Cupertino tech giant, noting how much more experienced Toyota is. “After making a vehicle, I’d like them to be prepared to deal with customers and various changes for some 40 years,” Toyoda said during a Thursday press conference by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

India’s iPhone factory reopens after last year’s riots

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Riots broke out at the factory in December.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple contract manufacturer Wistron has reopened the iPhone factory in Karnataka, southern India. The factory was temporarily closed late last year after riots broke out over unpaid wages.

According to the Economic Times, it is currently operating with a reduced workforce of around 6,000 people. This is around half the number that it had late last year. Wistron will reportedly gradually scale back up the numbers.

Apple car could follow iPhone’s successful manufacturing model

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What route will Apple take to produce an electric vehicle?
What route will Apple take to produce an electric vehicle?
Photo: carlos aranda/Unsplash CC

After talks with potential automotive partners stalled, Cupertino could stick with its key iPhone manufacturer to produce an Apple car, a Thursday report from Bloomberg suggests.

This would mark a big change in Apple’s strategy for breaking into the auto industry. The company previously looked to hook up with an established automaker — albeit seemingly with Apple receiving top billing.

Check out Apple’s sleek MagSafe power bank that might never launch

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An Apple MagSafe power bank render from ‘Front Page Tech’
The Apple MagSafe power bank might look something like this. If it ever gets launched.
Screenshot: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech

Two different leakers claim to give the world very early looks at Apple’s MagSafe power bank for on-the-go charging. This will allegedly attach to an iPhone with magnets so it can wireless juice up the handset.

But there are questions whether Apple can fix problems with development and actually release the product.

New image might show redesigned AirPods 3

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AirPods 3 might borrow some features of AirPods Pro.
New AirPods could replace 2019’s AirPods 2 in Apple’s lineup.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Real-world images of the third-generation AirPods allegedly leaked out Wednesday. These could give an early look at the in-ear headphones that might launch before the end of March.

The pics supposedly show that AirPods 3 won’t borrow a major feature of AirPods Pro.

Average iPhone game takes up 76% more space than it did 5 years ago

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Roblox
This was last year's top game -- weighing in at 222MB.
Photo: Roblox

Games in the App Store are getting bigger. An average of 76% bigger over the past five years to be precise. That’s according to a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower.

The firm recently analyzed the average file size of the top 100 revenue-generating mobile games on the U.S. App Store for each year since 2016. This includes only the file size of the original download, and not any additional content.

Artist uses vintage Mac to re-create Flatiron Building, one pixel at a time

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Wahyu Ichwandardi image
Imagine the hours it took to draw this.
Photo: Wahyu Ichwandardi

Using a 1984-era Macintosh 128K and various retro tools, Pinot W. Ichwandardi painstakingly crafted a beautiful pixel art drawing of one of New York City’s most stunning skyscrapers.

Ichwandardi created his stunning image of the Flatiron Building one pixel at a time, a process he calls “pixel knitting” due to its time-intensive nature. But the incredibly detailed artwork isn’t even the point.

“The most rewarding thing from it is the process,” the 50-year-old designer told Cult of Mac.

It just goes to show that even a Mac that’s nearly 40 years old can still be used to make amazing pieces artwork. And you can buy a print of Ichwandardi’s Flatiron Building art — printed on a vintage dot-matrix printer, naturally!

Apple ‘slashes’ orders for iPhone 12 mini

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iPhone 12 mini held up
Tiny in size. Tiny in demand. (At least by iPhone standards.)
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 12 mini is looking more and more like the runt of the iPhone 12 litter — and not just because of its diminutive size.

While the iPhone 12 series reportedly has been a massive hit for Apple overall, the iPhone 12 mini hasn’t been along for the ride. On Wednesday, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple is “slashing its planned production of the iPhone 12 mini for the first half of this year.”

Apple reportedly pushes back production of redesigned MacBook Pro

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13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 boasts amazing speed and battery life.
MacBook Pro is reported to get a big redesign this year.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple delayed plans to start mass-producing its next-gen MacBook Pro until this fall, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. Originally, Cupertino was expected to start building the new laptops in May or June.

This MacBook Pro is widely expected to boast a new form factor and come in both 14- and 16-inch screen sizes. It is also anticipated to kill off the LED Touch Bar in favor of a row of physical keys, bring back the MagSafe charger, feature a built-in SD card reader and HDMI port, and sport a fancy mini-LED display.

In other words, it sounds like it’ll be worth the wait. But you will likely be waiting.

Apple invests $1 billion in next-generation chip design center

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Apple engineers
The next generation of Apple chips incoming.
Photo: Apple

Apple is investing upward of 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) in building a European Center for Chip Design in Munich, Germany. This will be used, in Apple’s (translated) words, for developing processes involving “5G and the wireless technologies of the future.”

Munich is already the location of Apple’s biggest development center in Europe. It is home to close to 1,500 engineers from 40 countries. The new initiative will see them joined by hundreds more employees.

Apple Podcasts changing wording for free podcasts from ‘Subscribe’ to ‘Follow’

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Apple Podcasts could get a premium tier.
Change is intended to avoid user confusion.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is making a minor change to its Apple Podcasts app with iOS 14.5, ditching the “Subscribe” label to one that says “Follow.”

This change reflects language used commonly on social media platforms. Moreover, “Follow” suggests that the podcast is free, while “Subscribe” implies a paid subscription. Especially as Apple moves increasingly into paid subscriptions, this wording alteration is intended to avoid confusion.

Peanuts Easter Beagle about to deliver colorful fun to Apple TV+

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‘Peanuts’ Easter Beagle about to deliver colorful fun to Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is bringing back the charming It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, which has been on a shelf since 2014.
Photo: Apple

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown will have its Apple TV+ debut on March 26, slightly more than a week before Easter itself. It’s the return of a Peanuts classic from a long hiatus.

In 2020, Apple’s streaming service became the new home of all the Peanuts holiday specials, including this one. And more are being created.

Pint-size Sonos Roam speaker goes anywhere your iPhone does

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Pint-size Sonos Roam speaker goes anywhere your iPhone does
Sonos Roam connects to your Apple devices over more than Bluetooth.
Photo: Sonos

The Sonos Roam is a new high-end smart speaker with support for Apple AirPlay 2, so it plays nicely with iPhone or other Apple computers.

The tubular accessory weights in just under a pound, but Sonos says, “precision-engineered acoustics deliver the clarity, depth, and fullness you would expect from a much larger speaker.”

New AirPods Max firmware update might fix mystery battery drain

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iFixit AirPods Max teardown finds much to like
An AirPods Max firmware update is now available. Here’s hoping it fixes a bad bug.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s over-the-ears headphones got a firmware update on Tuesday. It’s not clear what’s in the new software for AirPods Max because Apple never discloses that detail, but many users are hoping it’s a fix for an irritating power drain.

Pristine Apple sneakers will transport you back to the ’90s — for a price

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These ultra-rare Apple Computer Sneakers might auction for big bucks
A pair of Apple’s first wearables might sell for a high price because they’ve never been worn.
Photo: Heritage Auctions

A couple of pieces of Apple history are on the auction block. An unworn pair Apple Computer Sneakers from the mid-1990s will be sold in the next two days. A rare Apple-branded paddle ball set from the same time is also being auctioned.

Gorgeous cases wrap your AirPods Pro in luxury leather for under $20

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Elago-AirPods-Pro-case-red
Get yours for just $23 today.
Photo: Elago

AirPods Pro aren’t the cheapest wireless buds you can buy, so the last thing you want to do is destroy them. Protect them with Elago’s gorgeous cases instead, and never worry about them getting beaten up.

Made from natural cowhide leather, they’re brilliantly robust and beautiful. They come in a number of color options, and include a clip that lets you attach them to almost anything.

They’re also a steal at just $19.99!

RodeCaster Pro powers Chicago trio’s Bums of Manarchy podcast [Setups]

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Rocky Lira works his day job and podcast production here.
Rocky Lira works his day job and podcast production here.
Photo: Rocky Lira

Rocky Lira, aka “Rocky Bandit,” and his “knucklehead” friends Eddie and Paddy went big into podcasting on a moderate budget recently. And they have the gear and the podcasts in circulation to show for it.

He and his Chicago pals started the weekly show Bums of Manarchy for fun, recording more than a dozen episodes so far. Lira got off to a fast start handling the podcast editing and production. He said he uses an M1 MacBook Pro and an older model, along with two iPad Pros and his iPhone 12 Pro — in concert with a Rode RodeCaster Pro Integrated Podcast Production Studio console.

Belkin MagSafe charger for iPhone 12 and AirPods goes up for preorders

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Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand with MagSafe is a lot of name.
Easily make FaceTime calls with Belkin’s new charging stand that supports the iPhone 12 series’ MagSafe system.
Photo: Belkin

The short list of truly MagSafe-compatible accessories grew a bit on Tuesday, as the Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand can now be preordered. This holds up an iPhone 12 for easy viewing, and includes a pad for AirPods cases that support wireless charging.

Assume every App Store review is a lie

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App Store reviews
This app can’t be a scam. Look at all those positive reviews!
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Stop using the reviews you see in the App Store to help you decide what applications to buy. They’re meaningless because so many of them are fraudulent. And these purchased fake reviews are frequently used to trick people into buying scam applications.

The problem is severe enough that Apple should take reviews completely out of the App Store if it can’t come up with a better solution.