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Apple gives you more time to add AppleCare+ breakage insurance to your new device

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2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and AppleCare
With this promo code, you'll save big on a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Photo: Apple

The window to buy into AppleCare+ breakage insurance is reportedly expanding enormously. Purchasing this service adds accidental damage coverage to an iPhone, Mac or other Apple product. The deadline after buying a new device is currently 60 days, but that’s apparently lengthening to up to a year.

Monochest keeps Apple Watch and spare bands safe and portable

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Monowear Monochest for Apple Watch
Ideal for Apple Watch owners always on the move.
Photo: Monowear

Wondering where you should store all your spare Apple Watch bands? You definitely don’t want to lose them, so instead, keep them safe and secure in the brilliant new Monochest case from Monowear.

The Monochest not only holds three spare bands, but it also has space for your Apple Watch and its charger. Everything stays tidy, and it’s ready to go whenever you travel.

iPhone 12 concept is just what we’ve been hoping for

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AN iPhone concept includes a smaller notch and a 120 Hz display.
Few people would be disappointed in this iPhone concept turned out to be real.
Photo: TECH 2 SEE/ConceptsiPhone

A new iPhone concept gives a visual demonstration of many of the rumors about the handset Apple is expected to unveil this autumn. But it also includes some hoped-for features that might not make the cut.

Watch the video now:

Apple TV+ subscribers get 2-for-1 Showtime and CBS All Access bundle

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An Apple TV+ bundle includes a big discount on CBS All Access and Showtime
You can get a real deal on CBS All Access and Showtime with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ subscribers in the US can now also add a bundle of CBS All Access and Showtime for only $9.99 per month more. That’s less than half the usual price for these two streaming services.

Subscribers can watch content from all three services online and offline, ad-free and on demand, only on the Apple TV app.

Apple independent repair program makes it easier to get Macs fixed

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iFixit
Digging around inside a Mac isn’t for the faint of heart. Apple now makes Mac repair easier with tools and training.
Photo: iFixit

Apple opened the Independent Repair Provider Program to Mac. Starting Monday, Apple will provide parts and training to third-party businesses so they can fix macOS computers.

Previously, the program only made it easier for independent repair shops to service out-of-warranty iPhones.

Apple is tantalizingly close to passing the $2 trillion market cap [Updated]

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Apple MacBook cash dollars money
Apple is about to pass a once unimaginable financial milestone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple hit a new all-time high in early trading Monday, taking the company tantalizingly close to the $2 trillion mark. AAPL rose to $464.35 on Monday before dropping to close at $458.43 (down $1.20, or 0.26%).

Apple’s current market cap (the share price multiplied by the number of outstanding shares) currently stands at $1.96 trillion. If Apple passes the $2 trillion milestone, it will become the first publicly traded company in history to do so.

Trump’s WeChat ban could cost Apple more than $25 billion per year

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WeChat logo
WeChat is threatened by Trump's executive order.
Photo: WeChat

A WeChat ban imposed by President Donald Trump could cost Apple more than $25 billion per year, claims a report published Monday.

Those numbers are based on the idea that 75% of iPhone and iPad sales could dry up in China. Apple would lose money not just from the missing device sales, but also from the resulting decline in its subscription services.

Apple manufacturer will hire up to 10,000 people to build iPhones in India

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india.iphone
Apple is ramping up iPhone manufacturing in India.
Photo: Carnegie Council

Wistron, one of the Apple manufacturers building iPhones in India, is reportedly planning to hire up to 10,000 people for its iPhone plant in Narasapura, claims a report for the New Indian Express.

The report notes that the facility is “expected to start commercial production” of the iPhone at the facility in the coming days. Wistron already operates an iPhone factory in Bengaluru around 70 kilometers away.

‘Embarrassingly late’ Tesla app update will introduce two-factor authentication

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A Tesla Model X similar to this one crashed in 2018.
Tesla's app lets owners remotely operate vehicle features.
Photo: Tesla

The official Tesla app is finally getting two-factor authentication (2FA) — in an update that Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself admits is “embarrassingly late.”

2FA is necessary for the Tesla app because it allows users to remotely control features such as locking and unlocking the vehicle, locating it, flashing its lights, and more. The addition of extra security is therefore something that would be extremely useful.

10 ways to make Apple Watch even better [Cult of Mac Magazine 362]

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We love Apple Watch the way it is. And we can't wait for Cupertino to make it even better with Apple Watch Series 6.
We love Apple Watch the way it is. And we can't wait for Cupertino to make it even better.
Cover: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

When Apple Watch Series 6 arrives — early next month, if history and this week’s leak are any indication — what new features will it bring?

As usual, Cupertino’s pretty locked down. But we hope we’ll get some or all of the bells and whistles in this week’s cover story: What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? It’s our wish list for Apple Watch Series 6.

Read it in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine or get the links below. (There’s plenty of other Apple news, reviews and how-tos in it as well.).

Apple hardware release dates leak, and why we’re going big on Apple stock, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
Jon Prosser strikes again!
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: New Apple hardware is incoming, and thanks to a reliable leaker, we might know the release dates for iPhone 12, Apple Watch Series 6 and more. We’ll tell you what to expect. Plus, it’s Apple stock adventure, part 2! I talk about my massive Apple stock purchase, including how much I spent, why I’m buying in now, and how much my investment is now worth. We talk real numbers!

And if you’ve been thinking about getting a new Mac with the butterfly keyboard, don’t do it until you hear this episode, cause with COVID-19 shutdowns, keyboard repairs are now a total nightmare.

Our thanks to Netgear for supporting this episode. The Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home. Learn why Orbi are so insanely powerful at Netgear.com/bestwifi6.

Apple registers new web domain for AppleOriginalProductions

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See
Apple TV+ is built on original content.
Photo: Apple

Apple has registered the website AppleOriginalProductions.com, underlining the company’s continuing push into Apple TV+ Originals.

Currently the web address does not go to any website. It could be an example of Apple defensively registering an address to stop others from using it. Alternatively, it could at some point be used to redirect to Apple TV+ or to a dedicated production company making shows for Apple.

What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? An Apple Watch Series 6 wish list.

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Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is almost due for its annual hardware update, which comes like clockwork every September. First came the addition of GPS, then cellular, a thinner case with a bigger screen, a compass, and even an ECG heart monitor.

With each new model, Cupertino’s wearable creeps closer to perfection, which presents a bit of a problem. What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything?

Here’s my top 10 wish list of features I’m hoping Apple has up its sleeve.

WeChat alternatives receive a boost following Trump’s executive order

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WeChat logo
WeChat is threatened by Trump's executive order.
Photo: WeChat

Downloads of encrypted messaging apps Signal and QQ reportedly spiked following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Tencent’s WeChat.

WeChat, while not particularly widely used in the United States, is an essential app in China. Many people who use it in the United States do so to keep in touch with friends and family in China, where WhatsApp has been banned since 2017.

Fortnite wasn’t first: 5 more times Apple’s iconic ‘1984’ ad was mocked

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Futurama Apple parody
Apple's most famous ad has been parodied for years.
Photo: Futurama

Shortly after Fortnite was unceremoniously ejected from the App Store Thursday, Epic Games dropped a — no pun intended — epic parody video depicting Apple as the same dystopian Big Brother it had railed against in its famous Nineteen Eighty-Four commercial for the original Macintosh.

But this is far from the first time Apple’s sledgehammer-tossing, Ridley Scott-directed Mac ad has been spoofed. Here are five more times that shows or companies satirized the imagery of what might be Apple’s best-known advert.

PSA: Ted Lasso, Boys State debut on Apple TV+

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Jason Sudeikis is the titular Ted Lasso
Jason Sudeikis plays the titular host in Ted Lasso.
Photo: Apple TV

Apple TV+ got plenty of fresh content Friday, with new episodes of two existing series, the first three episodes of a new show, and a feature-length documentary. Perfect for a weekend of viewing!

Comedy series Ted Lasso is the biggest launch. The show is about a hapless American football coach who travels to the UK to lead a soccer team. However, there are also new episodes of The Oprah Conversation and Little Voice. Plus the debut of Sundance documentary hit Boys State.

Apple expels Fortnite from the App Store; Epic Games sues

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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

The hugely popular game Fortnite was removed from the iPhone App Store on Thursday. This move came in response to Epic Games instituting a direct payments system for in-app purchases in violation of App Store guidelines.

And Epic Games responded with a civil lawsuit that accuses the App Store of being a monopoly. And a video that harks back to the famous “1984” ad.

Fortnite offers discounts on in-app purchases made directly to Epic Games [Updated]

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Fortnite discounts are here to stay.
The Fortnite Mega Drop brings permanent discounts to in-app purchases. But not for everyone.
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games launched the Fortnite Mega Drop on Thursday. This offers up to 20% discounts on in-app purchases made on iPhone, iPad or Android, as long as these are direct payments — not ones that go through the App Store or Google Play.

And V-Bucks or real-money purchases made on Mac, PC and other platforms are also discounted by up to 20%.

Update: Apple responded by expelling Fortnite from the App Store.