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New M1 Mac mini is 3x faster, starts at just $699

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With the M1 chip inside, the new Mac mini delivers blazing-fast performance.
With the M1 chip inside, the new Mac mini delivers blazing-fast performance.
Photo: Apple

Apple just unveiled a new M1 Mac that no one was expecting (but should have) — the Mac mini.

Featuring the Apple M1 chip, the new Mac mini boasts 3x faster CPU performance and up to 6x faster graphics, compared to the previous generation mini, Apple said during Tuesday’s “One More Thing” keynote.

MacBook Air goes silent, insanely fast with Apple M1 chip

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The MacBook Air packs performance boosts -- but no fan!
The MacBook Air packs performance boosts -- but no fan!
Photo: Apple

Apple’s hugely popular MacBook Air is now faster than 98% of all laptops, thanks to a brand-new M1 chip. The newest model, unveiled today during Apple’s “One More Thing” keynote, also features two times faster storage and vastly improved battery life.

What’s more, it’s the first MacBook Air that requires no fan, and it’s just as affordable as before. Order yours today!

macOS Big Sur unlocks the power of Apple Silicon chips

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With macOS Big Sur, Apple takes things to the next level.
With macOS Big Sur, Apple takes things to the next level.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new macOS operating system Big Sur is the first Mac operating system to be built with the new Apple Silicon M1 chip in mind. Big Sur brings with it a dramatic redesign and a host of big improvements to key apps like Messages, Maps and Safari.

The M1 chip optimization will also mean some massive speed improvements for top apps — including the ability for your Mac to immediately turn on when you wake it up, similar to the way an iPhone does when you pick it up.

And you don’t have long to wait.

New Apple M1 chip will make Macs faster, less power-hungry

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Apple M1 chip
Apple's new M1 chip will blow your socks off.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Tuesday delivered on its promise to unveil the first Apple Silicon chip before the end of 2020. Its brand-new M1 system-on-chip (SoC) promises industry-leading performance and power efficiency for the fastest, most impressive Macs to date.

The M1 chip is the first 5-nanometer computer chip, packing a whopping 16 billion transistors and the world’s fastest CPU cores. It also features an 8-core GPU that’s “in a class of its own,” Apple says.

Apple TV+ starts to build an audience

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Chris Evans plays a conflicted district attorney in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+.
Chris Evans’ star power helped make Defending Jacob a breakout hit for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Although the shows that debuted on Apple TV+ in 2019 didn’t didn’t become hits, the ones the streaming service introduced in 2020 are generally grabbing more attention, according to a market-research firm.

macOS Big Sur takes a big step toward release [Updated]

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macOS Big Sur on a MacBook Pro
All the new features of macOS Big Sur might be just days away.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded a final version of macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 to developers on Thursday, Nov. 5. This is the last step before introducing it to the general public.

The wait probably won‘t be much longer — it’s widely expected that Big Sur will finally reach customer’s Macs after Apple’s “One More Thing” event.

Update: Apple seeded a second macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 Release Candidate to developers on November 10. And it announced the public launch will be Thursday, November 12.

Apple Online Store goes down ahead of today’s ‘One More Thing’ event

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We'll be right back
Expect to see it return with Apple Silicon Macs.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Online Store is down ahead of today’s “One More Thing” event. When it returns after today’s virtual event, expect to see details of various new Apple products — including the company’s first Apple Silicon Macs, the first to feature Apple in-house CPUs.

Yes, Apple could easily update its website in real time without taking it offline for a few hours. But where’s the fun and drama in that?

Feeling lucky? Google was the top iOS developer in October

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Apple Google
Google and Apple are both friends and rivals.
Photo: Apple/Google

Like most tech giants, Apple and Google have a strange “coopetition” relationship, whereby they simultaneously compete and work together.

The latest example? Google, the company that spawned the rival Android mobile operating system, was the top developer in Apple’s iOS App Store last month.

$17 million ransomware attack reportedly hits MacBook manufacturer

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Genuine photo of real-life hacker.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

The last thing you need when you’re a manufacturer trying desperately to deliver orders for Apple is to be hit with a ransomware attack. According to a new report, that’s exactly what happened to Compal, maker of MacBooks, over the weekend — when it was reportedly hit with a massive $17 million extortion attempt.

The firm says that it was simply an “abnormality” in its system, but Taiwanese media claims that it was a cyberattack. This has seemingly been backed up by the website BleepingComputer, which obtained the ransomware note.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is most expensive in these countries

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Get the Phone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini with no extra wait.
The 12 Pro Max is way bigger than the 12 mini. And way more expensive, too.
Photo: Apple

Maxing out (no pun intended) at $1,399 for the 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone isn’t cheap. But if you live in the United States, you can consider yourself lucky.

That’s because a list assembled by the website TechnoBlog highlights the places in the world where the iPhone 12 is most eye-wateringly (iWateringly?) expensive. The U.S. price looks like a bargain by comparison.

Apple Silicon is one of the biggest risks the Mac-maker has ever taken

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A MacBook with Apple Silicon could be out in 2020.
A MacBook with an Apple A14 processor needs to be slim and powerful. If it’s not, Apple could get a black eye.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Switching Macs from Intel chips to ones Apple designs itself is enormously risky. True, macOS computers will be better than ever … if the transition goes right. But if the first Macs running on Apple Silicon — which are expected to be revealed Tuesday — turn into a debacle, it could seriously hurt Cupertino.

Here are some of the ways moving Mac to Apple processors might go off the rails.

Globe-trotting photog’s camera review shows power of iPhone 12 Pro Max

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Austin Mann reviewed the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Travel snapper Austin Mann put the the iPhone 12 Pro Max to the test.
Photo: Austin Mann/Cult of Mac

Austin Mann got early access to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the professional photographer really tested the improved camera in Apple’s latest. His laboratory was Zion National Park in Utah, where he took a series of photographs that pushed the handset to its limits.

The results are spectacular and informative. And good news for anyone who already got an iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max are amazing, with caveats

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Get the Phone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini with no extra wait.
That's quite the size discrepancy.
Photo: Apple

The first reviews of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini make both of them sound like winners. However, the two devices — which occupy opposite ends of the size spectrum — also elicit some caveats.

Many of the comments sound the same as earlier first impressions of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. But some unique observations apply specifically to Apple’s very large and very small handsets.

Here’s what the early reviewers made of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini.

Samsung overtakes Apple in US marketshare for the first time since 2017

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iPhone 12 Pro in Pacific blue
The lack of iPhone 12 may have hurt Apple.
Photo: Apple

For the first time in three years, Samsung sold more smartphones than Apple in the United States in the third calendar quarter of the year, market researchers at Strategy Analytics claim in a new report.

Apple accounted for a 30.2 percent market share of the U.S. smartphone market in Q3 2020. However, it lost out slightly to Samsung which made up 33.7 percent of the marketshare. The last time Samsung beat Apple in Apple’s home country market was Q2 2017.

Apple puts one of its biggest manufacturers on probation

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Apple-Store-logo
Apple won't give Pegatron new orders until it sorts out the issues.
Photo: Laurenz Heymann/Unsplash

Apple has placed Pegatron, one of its largest manufacturing partners, on probation after discovering the company violated Apple’s supplier code of contact. This relates to the unauthorized use of students carrying out overtime and night shifts.

Pegatron employees reportedly went “to extraordinary lengths” to cover up the wrongdoing. Apple has said that the manufacturing giant won’t get any new work from Apple until corrective action is made. However, it will continue building current iPhone handsets as per previous orders from Apple.

What to watch on Apple TV+ [Cult of Mac Magazine 374]

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Best Apple TV+ shows: Prep your peepers for some stellar Apple TV+ shows.
Prep your peepers for some stellar Apple TV+ shows.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

After a bit of a slow start, Apple TV+ has built up a great library of original content. The streaming service just keeps piling on the new shows — and some of them are undeniably great.

You can read our roundup of the best Apple TV+ shows to binge in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s free to download, and it’s fun to read on your iPad or iPhone.

Watching any of the shows on our list would be a great way a celebrate the first birthday of Apple TV+. So turn off the election news and stream something exciting this weekend. And brace yourself for next Tuesday’s big Apple event. It should be a doozy.

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HomePod mini sells out but you can still get iPhone 12 mini and Pro Max

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Get the Phone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini with no extra wait.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is just too big to be comfortable.
Photo: Apple

Good news, procrastinators — Apple still has stock of iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini eight hours after they went up for preorder Friday. Preorders placed now will still arrive on the first day of availability.

But that’s not true of the HomePod mini. This small smart speaker can no longer be preordered for delivery on its launch date.

Apple’s new app ‘nutrition labels’ could be the start of something amazing

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Apple
Soon, iOS apps must reveal exactly what they're doing with your data.
Photo: Penn State/Flickr CC

What do you do when you pick up some food in the store, and want to quickly check how good or bad it is for you? You glance at the nutrition label, of course.

Throughout the last century, mandated labels on food forced manufacturers to reveal more and more information about the contents of their products — and their effects on people who consume them. Now Apple is bringing that same level of insight to apps in the App Store.

It’s about time!

As apps become ever more central to our lives — with increasing access to our most sensitive personal data — transparency about exactly how developers use that information is becoming more necessary than ever.

iMac 2021 concept will have you drooling for Apple Silicon

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An iMac 2021 concept is just gorgeous
A concept artist proposes ditching the screen bezels from the iMac.
Photo: Svetapple.sk

There’s good evidence Apple working on new desktop Macs, and a concept artist proposed a pair of iMacs with significantly improved designs for release in 2021. These 24-inch and 32-inch models borrow quite a bit from the iPad Pro line, including edge-to-edge displays.

MagSafe Duo Charger, iPhone 12 leather cases debut on Apple Store [Updated]

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The MagSafe Duo Charger is ‘coming soon.’
The MagSafe Duo Charger might be the closest we ever get to AirPower.
Photo: Apple

Some hotly anticipated iPhone 12 accessories appeared in Apple’s online store Friday. The MagSafe Duo Charger, the Leather Sleeve and Leather Case for the latest iOS devices are now listed as “coming soon.” Apple also revealed pricing on these accessories — and they’re not cheap.

And a previously-announced Belkin car mount for the iPhone 12 series went on sale on the Apple Store today.

Lawsuit accuses Apple of misleading about iPhone demand in China

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Apple's relationship with Foxconn on the rocks
Tim Cook meets with a Foxconn worker in China.
Photo: Apple

A class action lawsuit against Apple claims that the company hid news of declining iPhone demand in China, thereby triggering billions of dollars lost on the part of investors.

The case, brought against Apple by a UK pension fund, has been given the go-ahead by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. It concerns comments made by Tim Cook during an investor call back in 2018.

Japanese company develops suction-grabber for picking up dropped AirPods

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
Dropped AirPods are a big (and potentially expensive) problem.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You know that a tech accessory has become ubiquitous when people start inventing special custom vacuum cleaner/grabber devices purely to pick up ones that have been dropped.

That’s apparently what has happened in Japan, where a new report claims the East Japan Railways has began developing just such a cleanup device due to the frequency of this problem occurring — and the unsuitability of traditional “grabbers” for retrieving them.

Oh, snap! 2021 iPhone could include some handy camera upgrades

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iPhone 12 Pro back
Top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is expecting big things from next year's iPhone.
Photo: Apple

Photography remains a big focus for iPhone upgrades, and next year’s lineup isn’t likely to deviate from this trajectory.

In a report published Friday, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo writes that Apple is planning several big improvements for next year’s iPhone Pro models. Here’s what they are.

Crazy puzzle adventure All of You egg-splodes onto Apple Arcade

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‘All of You’ debuted on Apple Arcade on Friday, November 6.
All of You stars a chicken that can stop time.
Photo: Alike Studio

Some video games focus on muscle-bound warriors. Others lets players become beautiful princesses. In All of You, you’ll play as a clumsy chicken. Still, she’s a heroic hen out to save her lost chicks. Players need to solve plenty of puzzles to reunite the chicken with all her brood in a game that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.