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News - page 376

Senator’s farewell speech advocates for iPads on the Senate floor

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Senator Michael B Enzi says iPads and other electronic devices should be allowed on the Senate floor.
Ironically, Senator Enzi had to read his farewell speech from a piece of paper, not an iPad.
Screenshot: Senator Enzi

U.S. senators are banned from using electronic devices on the senate floor, but retiring Senator Michael B. Enzi wants to change that. Despite being 76 years old, he used part of his farewell speech to urge his fellow lawmakers to end the restriction on laptops, phones and tablets.

Of course, the senator had to read his speech from a piece of paper, not the iPad he would have preferred.

M1 Mac mini runs Windows 10 far faster than Microsoft Surface Pro X

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M1 Mac mini running Windows 10
Even with a workaround, Macs with Apple Silicon have good performance running Windows 10 for Arm.
Photo: Cult of Mac

New tests show relatively speedy performance for a Mac mini with an ARM-based Apple M1 processor running the ARM version of Windows 10. Even though the OS is running as a virtual machine, benchmarks show the device can handle X86 applications far faster than the Microsoft Surface Pro X, which also uses an ARM chip.

iPhone 12 is Apple’s best-selling handset in years

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Get the Phone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini with no extra wait.
Week one iPhone 12 sales were higher than any Apple launch in at least three years. The Pro Max did extremely well, but the mini...
Photo: Apple

In the first weeks they were available, each of the iPhone 12 models sold far better than any of their predecessors released in the past three years, according to a research firm.

And the biggest, most expensive version sold far better than any recent Apple model. But iPhone 12 mini sales might surprise some people.

‘Batterygate’ rumbles on as European class-action suit demands damages

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iphone
Issue affected older iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Blame an iOS update if you’d like, but Apple’s iPhone speed-throttling saga continues to progress slowly. The latest update is legal action being leveled at Apple in Europe in the form of a class-action lawsuit for iPhone 6 and 6s series devices sold in Belgium, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

The advocacy group behind the suit, Euroconsumers, said Wednesday that it is bringing a case to cover up to 2 million handsets that fall under this category. “Consumers are increasingly upset by products wearing out too quickly, the iPhone 6 models being a very concrete example of that,” Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at Euroconsumers, said in a statement.

Apple’s first 27-inch, 5K Retina iMac is now officially vintage

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iMac Retina 5K
This was a beast of an iMac back in the day. It's still pretty great now.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s first Retina 5K iMacs, launched in late 2014, are officially considered vintage by Apple.

The Retina 5K, 27-inch iMacs were a game-changer for Apple. At the time, 27-inch iMacs were still relatively new, just a few years old. The 5K overhaul was an astonishing leap forward, however — making it one of Apple’s most compelling new Macs in years.

Patched iOS vulnerability would have let users seize control of iPhones over Wi-Fi

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Airdrop ios iPad iPhone
Vulnerability relied on the tech that makes AirDrop work
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

A security vulnerability patched by Apple earlier this year could have allowed users to remote access an entire iPhone over Wi-Fi without the need for any user interaction, a security researcher has revealed.

Ian Beer, a researcher at Google’s vulnerability research unit Project Zero, shared details of the vulnerability Tuesday. He spent six months developing proof-of-concept exploits to prove its effectiveness. Fortunately, he doesn’t believe a similar exploit was ever utilized by hackers in the wild.

iPhone Game of the Year Genshin Impact pulls in almost $400 million in 2 months

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Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is one of the year's most notable new games.
Photo: Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is Apple’s pick for iPhone Game of the Year, despite only landing in the App Store at the end of September. That’s not its only impressive claim to fame, however. According to app analytics platform Sensor Tower, the open-world RPG generated close to $400 million in its first two months alone.

That averages more than $6 million a day across both iOS and Android — with Apple’s platform accounting for the majority of that spending.

These are Apple’s picks for the best apps of 2020

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Best of 2020 app award
For the first time, Apple created a physical award to hand out to winners.
Photo: Apple

As 2020 thankfully sputters to its conclusion, Apple has released its list of the year’s best 15 apps and games “notable for their positive cultural impact, helpfulness, and importance.”

The App Store Best of 2020 winners cover a multitude of areas — from the Zoom app that more or less defined the year of lockdown to streaming service Disney+ to a nifty sleep app.

Apple recommends the best podcasts, books and audiobooks of 2020

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Apple names its best podcasts, books and audiobooks of 2020
These are some of Apple’s choices for best book or podcast of 2020.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

With the year winding down, Apple picked its favorite podcasts, books and audiobooks of 2020. The offerings “kept us entertained, made us think, provided a much-needed escape, or filled our hearts up,“ noted Apple.

All the recommendations are, of course, available through Apple Podcasts or Apple Books.

Apple TV+ snaps up psychological thriller series Surface

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'The Morning Show' star Gugu Mbatha-Raw is coming to a new Apple TV+ show called 'Surface.'
The Morning Show star Gugu Mbatha-Raw is coming to a new Apple TV+ show called Called.
Photo: Apple TV+

Fans of Defending Jacob and Servant listen up: Apple has ordered a new psychological thriller series titled Surface. The show, which likely won’t debut on Apple TV+ until 2022, stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, already known to Apple TV+ viewers as Hannah Shoenfeld in The Morning Show.

The series is written and exec-produced by Veronica West, who has previously worked on Mercy, Brothers & Sisters, Hart of Dixie and State of Affairs.

Apple reportedly lobbied to ‘limit’ bill involving forced labor in China

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AllOfUS says Apple helps censorship in China
Apple does lots of business in China.
Photo: AllOfUs

Apple was one of several large companies that reportedly lobbied to weaken a bill that sought to bar U.S. companies from making products in China with the aid of forced Uighur labor, according to The New York Times.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed the House with a 406-3 margin in September, and has the necessary support to pass the Senate. It aims to ban U.S. companies from importing products made in the Xinjiang region unless the manufacturers can prove they do not use forced labor.

Apple delivers millions of units of PPE to help battle COVID-19

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Apple delivers PPE
Apple has been working to battle the spread of coronavirus.
Photo: Apple

Apple has delivered millions of units of personal protective equipment to the Ministry of Health in Zambia to fight the spread of COVID-19.

In response to the coronavirus, Apple earlier this year started sending its charitable donations through the (Red) nonprofit to help the Global Fund provide critical support to health systems most threatened by the pandemic. This will continue through June 30, 2021.

Apple’s $129 MagSafe Duo charger could ship December 21

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MagSafe Duo
Should ship in time for the holidays.
Photo: Apple

Apple still hasn’t announced a date for its MagSafe Duo charger, which could stir fears among more nervous fans of a repeat of the much delayed, ill-fated AirPower charger of a few years back.

Have no fear, though: If an Apple reseller in Switzerland is to be believed, we don’t have too much longer to wait until the MagSafe Duo will be shipping.

Linux might come to M1 Macs with your help

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Linux on an M1 Mac is possible. With a lot of work.
A developer with decades of experience porting Linux to game consoles wants to make a Linux M1 Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Hector Martin (aka marcan) wants to port a full, useful version of the Linux operating system to the new Macs running Apple Silicon, but he needs help.

He’s got the skills for it — he put Linux on a PlayStation 4, for example. But the developer wants assistance from the public bringing the operating system to Macs running the new M1 processor. Not technical help, but financial contributions.

Net neutrality might return when controversial FCC chairman resigns

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FCC chairman Ajit Pai isn’t down with China Mobile coming to the United States.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is on his way out, which possibly might bring back net neutrality.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

The man who ended net neutrality will exit the Federal Communications Commission along with the Trump administration in January. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was in office for less than four years, but brought significant change.

No change was as dramatic as ending the rules that prevented broadband service providers from slowing down the internet traffic of rival companies.

Why I’m mourning iOS 14’s botched Clock app

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iOS 14 Clock app: Why did Apple kill the magical scroll wheel?
Why did Apple eliminate the magical scroll wheel?
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

“You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you!”

That’s the Charlton Heston-pounding-his-fist-dispairingly-into-the-sand sentiment that shot through my mind when I saw what Apple did to the Clock app in iOS 14. Specifically, Apple ruined the app’s alarm feature, making it so unintuitive that you’ll struggle to believe it was made by the company that coined the phrase “it just works.”

How did Apple manage to take an app that worked spectacularly well and screw it up?

Get an extra $15 when you sell your old Apple devices to Cult of Mac

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iPhone 6 Plus
Just for Cyber Monday!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Picked up a new Apple device at a big discount this weekend? Now it’s time to sell your old ones and make back some cash for the holidays. Cult of Mac is here to help with a sweet Cyber Monday buyback deal.

Sell your old Apple devices to us today and we’ll give you an extra $15 for each one. This deal ends at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1, so take advantage of it while you can

Last chance: Save in Cult of Mac Store’s biggest ever sale

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Cult of Mac Store Cyber Monday sale
Don't miss your chance to enjoy these big discounts.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The Cult of Mac Store’s biggest ever sale is coming to an end, but there’s still time to save on the hottest accessories from some of the biggest brands this Cyber Monday.

You’ll find cases, sleeves, bands, stands, and more from the likes of Twelve South, Elago, and Casetify at up to 72% off the usual price. And we’ll even throw in free standard shipping when you spend over $75.

Don’t miss out! Check out all the items on offer today and bag yourself a bargain.

Ultra-rare Apple-1 computer, signed by Steve Wozniak, is up for auction

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Apple-1
This Apple-1 is among the rarest bits of Apple memorabilia you can own.
Photo: RR Auction

An ultra-rare Apple-1, the first computer Apple ever produced as a company, is coming up for auction. And it’s signed by none other than designer and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

This Apple-1, one of only a handful of the computers thought to exist today, has been restored to an operational state. It comes in its original shipping box, making it an even less common specimen. It could be yours for no more than the price of a typical mid-priced American home.

Apple won’t join French initiative to push tech giants to pay more tax

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iPhone 12 Pro parts cost shockingly little
Should Apple pay more tax than it does?
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly declined to sign on to a new French initiative that asks big tech companies to commit to paying their “fair share” of tax.

French President Emmanuel Macron has set up a “Tech for Good Call” that will seek to implement these changes. However, while Google, Microsoft, Facebook and 72 other companies have joined, Apple and Amazon haven’t signed on yet.