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News - page 370

Another company in iPhone supply chain faces accusations of using forced labor

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iPhone 12 box
Lens Technology makes glass used in the iPhone.
Photo: Marco Verch/Flickr CC

Lens Technology, a Chinese company that makes glass for the iPhone, has allegedly made use of Uighur Muslim forced labor, according to a Tuesday report in The Washington Post.

Documents about the use of alleged forced labor were discovered by the Tech Transparency Project. The research organization detailed how “thousands of Uighur workers from the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang were sent to work for Lens Technology.”

Customers spend almost $279 million in the App Store over Christmas

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app-store
Apple had a gold-plated holiday season.
Photo: Apple

It’s been a great, record-busting year for mobile apps — and, unsurprisingly, that translated to a strong Christmas as well.

According to app analytics platform Sensor Tower, customers spent a total of $407.6 million across both the iOS App Store and Google Play over Christmas. This represents a massive 34.5% increase from the $303 million spent this time last year.

Of that, the App Store represented 68.4% of all spending — or $278.6 million in total.

Leaked prototype turns the clock back to early days of Apple Watch

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Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has come a long way since its early days.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A Twitter user by the name of @AppleDemoYT has posted images online they claim to be an early Apple Watch prototype, built as part of the pre-production process before Apple introduced the device in 2015.

Such prototypes are very rare, with Apple preferring not to show images that shed light on how it develops products. Somehow this one made it out in one piece — provided it’s legitimate, of course.

Netflix could spend a massive $19 billion on shows and movies in 2021

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Netflix spends a whole lot of cash on programming.
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Netflix could spend an estimated $19.03 billion on video content in 2021, data presented by investment bank Bankr suggests.

That would be an increase of 10% from the estimated $17.3 billion it spent this year. It’s also a massive ramp-up from the $2.4 billion Netflix spent in 2013 when it started moving into original productions with shows like House of Cards.

Pick up these gold-plated AirPods Max for a mere $108,000

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Caviar takes Apple products and makes them even more expensive.
Caviar saw the complaints about the AirPods Max’s $550 price and said “Hold my beer.”
Photo: Caviar

The $550 price tag for Apple’s AirPods Max raised no few eyebrows, but the Russian luxury brand Caviar blows that out of the water. It just launched a version of these over-the-ear headphones that is 200x more expensive.

Apple Car might not drive off the lot before 2028

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An Apple Car is supposedly in development, though it probably won‘t look anything like this.
A driverless vehicle from Apple might not hit the roads for close to a decade.
Graphic: hatzfeld/Pixabay CC/Cult of Mac

A respected Apple analyst and prognosticator threw cold water on recent reports about a future Apple Car arriving in the next few years. Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s possible a self-driving vehicle from Apple could land in 2025, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the launch doesn’t happen before 2028.

The 10 best Apple ads of 2020

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Damien Chazelle
Apple produced some spectacular ads this year.
Photo: Apple

Apple makes great phones, tablets, computers and smartwatches. It also makes superb commercials — and has done so for years.

What was the cream of this year’s Apple advertising crop? Check out our top 10 picks (in no particular order) below.

Best apps to download now for your new Mac

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Best apps for your new Mac
Your new Mac deserves these amazing apps.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you were lucky enough to bag a new Mac for the holidays, you’re probably on the hunt for some awesome new apps to use on it. We’ve rounded up five of the best that we think every Mac owner should be using.

These apps will let you play any video, keep a close eye on precious storage space, extract important data from your iPhone and iPad backups, and more!

How to deck out your new Apple gear [Cult of Mac Magazine 381]

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Deck out your new Apple gear.
Find out how to set up and outfit your new iPhone, iPad, Mac and more.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If you found some new Apple gear under the tree or in your mailbox, this week’s how-tos are for you. We’ll show you how to set up your new iPhone, Apple Watch, etc., and also recommend some hot apps you should download immediately to maximize your fun and productivity.

Get those tips, plus the week’s to Apple news and opinions, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s our gift to you! Or, like every week, you can get the headlines in your browser below.

P.S. Don’t miss the epic poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at Apple Park …” by Cult of Mac scribe Luke Dormehl.

WaterField makes the AirPods Max case Apple should have

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WaterField Designs' new AirPods Max Shield Case ticks a lot of boxes Apple left empty.
The new AirPods Max Shield Case ticks a lot of boxes Apple left empty.
Photo: WaterField Designs

There are a lot of things to love about Apple’s new AirPods Max headphones, but the Smart Case isn’t one of them. Roundly panned after the high-end cans’ release, it’s just plain weird-looking. Plus, it’s not that protective or functional.

Luckily, WaterField Designs delivered what Apple didn’t. The San Francisco-based maker of luxury bags for all your tech gear just unveiled its Apple AirPods Max Shield Case — and it’s designed with input from Apple fans to make it actually, you know, smart (not to mention attractive).

Cherk or 8herk? Apple TV+ movie poster leaves fans bemused

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Cherk
"Look what you did, you little Cherk!"
Photo: Apple TV+

Among other things, Apple is known for its clear messaging and high level of quality control. Which is why it was slightly strange when a poster for upcoming Apple TV+ movie Cherry failed totally on both these counts. It featured an all-but-illegible title on its “For Your Consideration” campaign poster for Best Picture.

Don’t worry, though. The flick hasn’t been renamed CHERk, 0HER88 or 8HERK in post-production. Nor is this terrible typeface a marketing stunt. Instead, it seems that trade publication Variety just shared the wrong version of the poster.

iOS 14 privacy tracking feature rolls out for iOS 14.4 beta users

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During the WWDC 2020 keynote, Apple doubled down on its commitment to privacy.
This is the latest implementation of Apple's privacy ambitions.
Photo: Apple

The iOS 14 privacy feature that lets users know which apps are tracking them — and how — has started rolling out for beta users on certain apps.

Apple first showed off the new privacy labels at this year’s virtual Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple asked that, starting early this month, developers submit information to Apple concerning the type of data their apps collect on users.

This data is then used to create nutrition label-type categories that let users easily understand how they are being monitored. It means that, the first time users open an app, they will be alerted regarding this information. This can be used to help decide whether to use a certain app or how to decide sharing settings.

iPad needs an M-series processor to reach full potential

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iPad needs an M-series processor to reach full potential
An iPad with an Apple M-series processor should be able to run the Mac version of Photoshop. But not macOS.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Future iPads will be built around Apple’s M-series Mac processors, rather than A-series iPhone chips, according to a recent unconfirmed report. This is a much-needed step in Apple tablets becoming all they can be.

A more powerful processor would allow iPads to easily run macOS software. And that’s just one of the game-changing improvements possible for tablets with M-series chips.

Apple boots 94,000 games from China App Store in 2020

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AllOfUS says Apple helps censorship in China
The challenges of doing business in China.
Photo: AllOfUs

Apple removed approximately 94,000 games from the App Store in China during 2020, The Wall Street Journal reports. This is a significantly larger number than last year’s tally of 25,000 games removed.

The escalation comes as China works harder to clamp down on illegal content on mobile platforms. The WSJ says the larger number illustrates Apple’s “vulnerability to state pressure” on its business.

Some Facebook employees question social network’s anti-Apple campaign

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Facebook logo
Facebook says it's standing up for small businesses.
Photo: Brett Jordan/Unsplash

Facebook argues that it is standing up for small businesses by challenging Apple on its pro-privacy measures. However, it appears that not all Facebook employees are buying the company line.

According to internal message board comments and audio obtained by BuzzFeed News, some Facebook employees think their employer is being a tad disingenuous with its public statements about working on behalf of mom-and-pop businesses.

Apple starts shipping out special iPhones to security researchers

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Apple Security program
Apple launched the new program in July.
Photo: Apple

Apple has started shipping out special iPhones to help security researchers discover weaknesses in iOS. Apple announced its new Apple Security Research Device Program in July. However, they have only started rolling out the phones now.

Under the program terms, researchers get these special iPhones for a period of one year. They may extend the loan period. These iPhones are far less locked-down than regular iPhones. That makes it easier to find flaws that could help improve iOS security.

Apple turned down offer to buy Tesla on the cheap

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The Tesla Model 3 is the company’s sedan
When Tesla was struggling to launch the Model 3, the CEO investigated selling the company to Apple.
Photo: Tesla

Apple could have bought electric automaker Tesla at a bargain price, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But Apple’s chief executive wasn’t interested.

Musk revealed this historic bombshell Tuesday, alongside his comments on a recent report about Apple’s plans for a self-driving vehicle.