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More affordable Apple Watch might be in development

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More affordable Apple Watch would be nice.
A less-expensive Apple Watch is just one of the predictions made today by a serial leaker.
Illustration: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A regular source of Apple leaks said on Thursday that a less expensive version of the Apple Watch is in the offing.

This was just one of multiple tidbits Jon Prosser dropped during a public Q&A session. He mentioned the first MacBook with Apple silicon, talked a bit about the company’s game controller, and more.

Company of Heroes WWII real-time strategy game ready to explode onto iPhone

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‘Company of Heroes’ will debut on iPhone on Sept. 10.
The wait for an iPhone and Android version of Company of Heroes is almost over.
Photo: Feral Interactive

In just three weeks, the classic strategy game Company of Heroes will launch onto iPhone. Feral Interactive promised Thursday that, following a successful iPad debut earlier this year, the combat simulator will be released on September 10 for iPhone and Android.

Speedy new My Passport SSD plants 2TB of storage in your palm

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WD My Passport SSD is compatible with a range of Apple computers.
WD My Passport SSD is tiny but adds up to 2TB of storage to Mac or iPad.
Photo: Western Digital

Western Digital introduced on Thursday an updated version of the My Passport SSD. It offers dramatically faster data transfers, plus a new sleeker design.

The external storage device is available in capacities up to 2TB, and offers prosumers an easy way to carry around fairly large collections of images, movies or other files.

Apple at $2 trillion is amazing for investors, but boring for fans [Opinion]

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Tim Cook WWDC
Are Apple's days as a game-changing innovator behind it?
Photo: Apple

Apple’s surge past a $2 trillion market cap this week underlines just how well CEO Tim Cook’s vision works for shareholders. But is this good news for Apple fans?

The first publicly traded U.S. company to hit this milestone, Apple has transformed from one of the world’s dynamic companies into one that can be, well, kind of boring. The strategy that fueled this unprecedented success makes it far less likely that we’ll seen an insanely innovative product coming out of Cupertino in the future.

Get the fastest iPhone recharges possible with latest Mophie Powerstation batteries

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Mophie Powerstation Wireless Stand with iPhone and Airpods
The Powerstation Wireless Stand, one of the new power banks from Mophie, is also a wireless charger.
Photo: Zagg/Mophie

Mophie just launched four power banks designed to, in its words, “charge mobile devices at the fastest speed possible.” These latest additions to the long-running Powerstation line of batteries come in a range of storage capacities and prices, and can be used with iPhones, iPads and MacBooks.

Porsche’s electric Taycan comes with 3 years of Apple Music included

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Porsche Taycan
Apple Music comes baked in.
Photo: Porsche

Porsche’s forthcoming electric Taycan will offer three years of free Apple Music streaming. No tethered or wireless iPhone connection needed.

The system will rely on its own in-car dash. Drivers and passengers can use a touch screen and custom Porsche AI voice assistant to select albums, songs, or radio stations. Streaming data costs included.

Apple documentary Infinite Canvas shows artists exploring AR

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Infinite Canvas 1
New documentary explores the magic of augmented reality.
Photo: Apple

Apple has debuted a new, free-to-watch documentary on Apple TV, directed by renowned photographer Ryan McGinley. Infinite Canvas follows “seven visionary artists as they push the boundaries of their work by exploring the uncharted territory of augmented reality art.”

The film is based on an AR[T] experimental art series that Apple staged last year at Apple Stores in San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

Apple donating money to help local wildfire relief efforts in California

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Fire
Apple is doing its bit to fight the terrible blazes sweeping across California.
Photo: Pexels

Apple is donating an undisclosed amount of money to support local wildfire relief in California, where fires have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in San Francisco.

In a Wednesday tweet, Tim Cook wrote that: “To our employees, friends and neighbors affected by the heatwave and expanding fires across CA, please stay safe and listen to local evacuation orders.”

iPhone can tell if you’re too drunk to drive

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iPhone breathalyzer: Study shows that smartphone sensors can identify drunk drivers.
Have you had one too many? Your iPhone might be able to answer that question.
Photo: Joseph Pisicchio/Unsplash CC

The accelerometer built into a standard smartphone can determine with great accuracy if the person carrying the device is drunk, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

If used in the real world, the finding could lead to iPhones that warn their owners before they get behind the wheel intoxicated.

Ted Lasso scores second season on Apple TV+

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Jason Sudeikis plays a clueless college football coach in the Apple TV+ comedy series
Jason Sudeikas shoots! He scores!
Photo: Apple TV+

Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ comedy about a clueless American football coach who lands a job in Britain leading a team that plays that other kind of football, will come back for a second season, Apple said Wednesday.

Jason Sudeikas plays the lead in the show, which debuted on Apple TV+ last week. We’re only three episodes in to season 1, but so far, it looks like a winner. (Don’t take my word for it. Read the Cult of Mac review: Ted Lasso’s heart is too big to bench.)

Bill Murray charms in first trailer for Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks on Apple TV+

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First
Rashida Jones and Bill Murray star in On the Rocks, an upcoming Apple TV+ movie by director Sofia Coppola.
Photo: Apple TV+/A24

Apple on Wednesday debuted the first trailer for On the Rocks, a new Apple TV+ movie that reunites Lost in Translation director Sofia Coppola with actor Bill Murray.

The movie will also star Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans. It tells the story of a young mom in New York having doubts about her marriage, prior to going on an adventure with her dad.

Apple hits astonishing $2 trillion market cap [Updated]

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Apple soars past the $2 trillion market cap Wednesday.
Apple soars past the $2 trillion market cap Wednesday.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple hit a massive $2 trillion valuation early Wednesday, becoming the first publicly traded U.S. company in history to hit this milestone.

Apple needed to climb to $467.77 per share to reach the $2 trillion valuation, according to CNBC. It reached a high of $468.09 in early trading Wednesday. On Thursday, it climbed even higher to $469.17.

Apple Pay goes live with Switzerland’s largest bank

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Apply Pay UBS
UBS has been talking with Apple over Apple Pay since 2016.
Photo: UBS

Switzerland’s biggest bank, UBS, has finally embraced Apple Pay, the bank revealed Wednesday. The bank announced Apple Pay support as “coming soon” back in April. However, it has taken another few months for that to promise to come to fruition.

Customers of the bank can start using Apple Pay today for both credit cards and pre-paid cards.

Korean developers want Apple and Google investigated over app store fees

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App Store graphic
Do Apple and Google have too much control over developers?
Photo: Apple

South Korea may be joining the countries scrutinizing tech giants’ ownership of app stores.

Local startups have submitted a petition to the Korea Communications Commission, requesting an investigation into Apple and Google regarding whether the tech giants are violating laws by charging 30% commission on app purchases.

Build your own Jurassic Park in latest Minecraft DLC

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Jurassic Park DLC Minecraft
DLC... uh... finds a way.
Photo: Minecraft

No expense has been spared in the latest update for Minecraft, which just added a whole lot of Jurassic World-themed DLC to the mix.

If you’ve ever fancied using the popular sandbox video game to build your own prehistoric amusement park, train dinosaurs, and go on Jurassic expeditions, this is the update for you. Heck, there’s even Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm recreated in awesome pixel-art detail!

Apple manufacturer will start building iPhone 12 and iPhone SE in India

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An iPhone 12 concept video shows off lots of color options.
Apple's leaning more heavily on India.
Photo: Terquosive Labs

Apple manufacturer Wistron will reportedly build iPhone 12 models in India, although production will only begin in mid-2021. These handsets will reportedly be manufactured at the company’s Narsapura plant and be aimed at the local market.

The same report, from Business Standard, says that Wistron will also begin manufacturing the 2020 iPhone SE models by the end of this year.

Video shows vandals trashing Apple Williamsburg store

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Apple Store Williamsburg
This was the Apple Store targeted in the attack.
Photo: Apple

An Apple Store in Brooklyn was caught up in a violent clash allegedly between Antifa protests and right-wing groups, the Daily Mail reports. The Apple Williamsburg store had its windows broken, while a nearby Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, had the words “Murder Bezos” spray-painted over its storefront.

The incident took place over the weekend in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Video of the scene shows people in hooded shirts breaking the glass windows of the store by throwing objects against it.

Samsung’s new Apple Card competitor arrives with big advantages

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Samsung Pay Card
It's available only in the U.K. for now.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s answer to Apple Card is here, but the two won’t be battling it out for customers just yet. While Apple Card remains a U.S. exclusive, Samsung Pay Card on Tuesday made its debut in the U.K.

Samsung’s product has some neat advantages over Apple’s, like the ability to link multiple cards together. It’s the result of a partnership between Samsung, MasterCard, and British fintech company Curve.

Apple helped US government turn iPods into possible stealth Geiger counters

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Bye-pod: Apple boots app that turns iPhone into an iPod Classic
It's like a mashup of Apple and James Bond.
Photo: QC Dads/Twitter

Apple teamed up with the U.S. government to build a modified iPod that might have been a stealth Geiger counter for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation, claims former Apple software engineer David Shayer.

In an article for TidBits, Shayer — who left Apple in 2015 — described the secret project as a “special assignment” only known to about four people at Apple. It was his job to assist two engineers working for a U.S. defense contractor to the Department of Energy.

Epic Games tries to talk Spotify, Sonos into creating anti-App Store coalition

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The Epic Games office in Berlin.— Fortnite App Store
Epic Games has sued Apple for allegedly monopolizing iOS app distribution.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin/Flickr CC

Epic Games, maker of Fortnite, is recruiting a team of like-minded companies to join its fight against Apple and its App Store policies, according to a report from The Information (paywall).

The publication claims that Epic is getting in touch with other companies that disagree with the App Store’s strict rules. Two of these companies are reportedly Sonos and Spotify. However, neither of them has officially joined the coalition.

Production continues on season 2 of For All Mankind for Apple TV+

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For All Mankind season 2 image
Season two looks like it will be full of action.
Photo: Apple

Filming has continued on the second season of For All Mankind, produced by Sony Pictures TV for Apple TV+.

According to Deadline, the Apple Originals drama had two episodes left to film when production shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shooting reportedly resumed Monday on the Sony lot in Culver City.