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Look inside a professional wedding photographer’s iMac Pro setup [Setups]

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Jake Weisler's iMac Pro setup is totally pro.
A real "pro" setup.
Photo: Jake Weisler

Jake Weisler is a professional wedding photographer and a content creator for Full Time Filmmaker, which produces crash courses about filmmaking. So having lots of storage — a whopping 56 terabytes — is key to his success.

At the center of this setup is the incredible 27-inch iMac Pro. Weisler uses a Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with the additional Numeric Keypad. He also sports an Azio Retro Classic Mouse, which actually has a leather topping for some genuine comfort. As an editor, he needs both a trackpad and a mouse because he uses them simultaneously to scroll, click and swipe.

When you’re a Mac user, you’re a Mac user all the way [Setups]

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iMac Setups
A Mac lovers' setup.
Photo: @iammichaelevins

Designer and photographer Michael Evins’ desk is loaded with Apple gear. Almost everything on this setup was designed by Apple in California.

“I have been using Mac for about 12 years now,” Evins said, “I just like how everything works together in harmony.”

The lifeblood of his rig is the 2015 iMac. For peripherals he, of course, has the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. An iconic duo.

We rave about iOS 14’s best ‘secret’ features on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
Get a second shot of WWDC 2020 talk in this week's podcast.
Image: The CultCast

WWDC 2020 This week on The CultCast: We bring you a huge list of great iOS 14 features that Apple did not mention onstage during this week’s WWDC keynote, and there’s a lot here to love.

Plus: Why iOS 14’s new Home screen widgets aren’t as powerful as you might think. And get ready to log into websites with Face ID or Touch ID.

Today’s episode is supported by CleanMyMac X, an all-in-one utility that takes care of your Mac’s health: It’s a macOS cleaner, a performance monitor, a malware remover and, occasionally, a lifesaver. And until July 5th, you can go to macpaw.com/cultofmac to get CleanMyMac X with a 30% discount.

Why Apple still refuses to give the iPad a calculator

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Craig Federighi explained today why there’s no iPad Calculator app.
Apple exec Craig Federighi helped unveil iPadOS 14 at WWDC 2020, but there was still no Calculator app.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple software chief Craig Federighi just answered a question that’s puzzled people for years: Why doesn’t the iPad come with a calculator app?

In a video posted Friday, he also explained why the iPad lacks a weather app.

Apple TV+ snaps up neo-noir thriller Losing Alice

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‘Losing Alice’ is coming to Apple TV+ later in 2020.
Losing Alice, coming to Apple TV+ later in 2020, takes the viewer through Alice‘s conscious and subconscious.
Photo: Apple

To ensure Apple TV+ has new shows for later this year, Apple revealed on Friday that bought the international rights to Losing Alice, an eight-episode series the company calls “a neo-noir psychological thriller.”

The best hidden features in iOS and iPadOS 14

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Best hidden features in iOS 14
There's a lot more to discover in iOS 14.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020Apple showcased some major changes and improvements for iOS 14 during its big WWDC 2020 keynote on Monday — and it was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more that we didn’t get to see.

We’re now discovering what some of those things are, thanks to the first beta release, which is already available to registered developers. Here are our picks for the best hidden features in iOS 14.

Amazon acquires self-driving startup that employs former Apple Car workers [Updated]

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Amazon buys self-driving car startup Zoox
More than a dozen Zoox employees worked on the Apple Car project before it was scaled back.
Photo: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Flickr CC

Amazon is buying Zoox, a self-driving car startup that employs at least 17 people who previously worked on Apple’s Project Titan.

The Information first reported the purchase of Zoox, and Amazon confirmed it Friday in a blog post. The deal could set Amazon back upward of $1 billion.

Craig Federighi says Apple could adopt aspects of virtual WWDC in the future

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Craig Federighi talks about WWDC 2020, the first virtual Worldwide Developers Conference.
This year's virtual WWDC keynote might be a taste of things to come.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 Apple exec Craig Federighi says the company’s production team “moved mountains” to put together this week’s online-only WWDC keynote. And, while he won’t go so far as to commit to future virtual keynotes, he did say that Apple was very happy with it — and will be looking see what aspects of the presentation it can use in the future.

That’s one of the insights gained from listening to the latest episodes of Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee’s Waveform podcast, which features an interview with Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering.

5-hour iPhone commercial and other Apple ads win awards

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Latest Shot on iPhone video is a stunning 5-hour tour through Russia's State Hermitage museum
This is the longest Apple ad in history. By, well, at least five hours.
Photo: Apple

Several Apple ads from the past year won awards at the U.K.’s long-running Design and Art Direction awards. D&AD is a British educational charity that promotes excellence in design and advertising. In this year’s virtual-only awards, it gave various Pencils (the name of charity’s awards) to what it thinks are Apple’s best promotional spots of the year.

You can check out the prize-winners — including a 5-hour, 19-minute iPhone commercial — below.

Apple closes 14 retail stores in Florida as coronavirus cases spike

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tulsa.apple.store.1
It's been a challenging year for Apple Stores (and, well, just about everyone.)
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Apple has closed 14 stores in Florida starting Friday as a result of the increased number of coronavirus cases in the state, Apple has confirmed.

This brings the total number of Apple Stores to be reopened and then closed again to 32 in the United States. Earlier this week, Apple shuttered seven stores in the Houston area following a spike in COVID-19 cases. It has also closed select stores in Arizona, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

OtterBox goes all-in on fast charging

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OtterBox launched a range of fast-charging products.
New fast charging OtterBox power banks also include wireless charging. And there are new wall and car chargers too.
Photo: OtterBox/Cult of Mac

While OtterBox is known for its rugged phone and tablet cases, on Thursday it introduced a line of rugged, fast-charging power banks with wireless charging. There are also wall chargers and car chargers designed to quickly power mobile devices.

Google rival to Apple News+ will be free

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News app top stories
Apple News+ could be about to get fresh competition from a premium version of Google News.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google will pay publishers so it can create “a new news experience launching later this year,” the company said Thursday. While the announcement is vague, Google seems to be putting together a rival for Apple News+, a subscription news-aggregation service for Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Highly anticipated cyberpunk sequel Beyond a Steel Sky debuts on Apple Arcade

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“Beyond a Steel Sky” looks like a comic book come to life.
People have been waiting for Beyond a Steel Sky since 1994.
Photo: Revolution Software

Beyond a Steel Sky, the long-awaited sequel to 1990s cyberpunk classic Beneath a Steel Sky, launches Friday on Apple Arcade on. Revolution Software promises the game offers “a dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller in which engaging puzzles drive a fast-paced and dynamic narrative.”

R.I.P. Michael Hawley, the polymath who helped pen Steve Jobs’ famous commencement speech

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Mike Hawley
Hawley carried out pioneering work in multiple domains.
Photo: Choki Lhamo

Michael Hawley, the man who helped Steve Jobs write his famous 2005 Stanford commencement address, has died as a result of cancer at the age of 58.

Hawley, who shared a house with Jobs at one time and worked with him at NeXT, was a polymath and pioneer in his own right. At NeXT, he created one of the world’s first digital libraries. He also helped conceive of the Internet of Things, worked at MIT’s world-famous Media Lab, was scientific director for one of the first major scientific expeditions on Everest in 1998, and was an accomplished piano player and organist.

Apple execs talk WWDC’s big announcements in video podcast

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After Monday's successful WWDC keynote, Apple software chief Craig Federighi can breathe a sigh of relief.
After Monday's successful WWDC keynote, Apple software chief Craig Federighi can breathe a sigh of relief.
Photo: The Talk Show Remote

WWDC 2020 Apple SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi and VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak discuss all the news coming out of Monday’s WWDC keynote in an interview with Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber.

Topics include the transition to Apple Silicon, the virtual WWDC, iOS and iPad OS 14, macOS Big Sur, tvOS 14 and watchOS 7. They even touch on issues like the current App Store controversy, which may trigger a Department of Justice investigation into Apple.

Check it out below.

Apple dominates the competition among wireless headphone customers

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Earphones research
Apple has a whole lot of brand awareness among customers.
Photo: Counterpoint Research

A survey of customers in the UK hammers home Apple’s dominance when it comes to wireless in-ear headphones. According to a report by Counterpoint Research, 63% of respondents named Apple as a preferred brand when picking their next wireless in-ear headphones.

Apple trounced the competition that included Bose, Sony, the Apple-owned Beats, Samsung and others. While respondents were able to name multiple brands, the quantity of people who mentioned Apple makes clear just how much of a name Apple has carved out for itself in this market.

Core ML will now let devs update their AI models between app updates

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Core ML
Core ML is a major part of Apple's push into AI.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 Apple has upgraded its Core ML machine learning framework, adding the ability for developers to update their machine learning models on the fly, the company revealed Wednesday.

The ability to update artificial intelligence models outside of the usual app update cycle means that devs can quickly improve the machine learning smarts of particular apps without having to push out an update. That’s huge news for any app developers who feature AI components within their apps.

Kristen Bell drops out of Apple TV+ animated comedy series Central Park

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Central Park is here to do exactly what focus groups say you want it to.
Apple has already ordered a second season of Central Park. Kristen Bell likely won't be in it, though.
Image: Apple TV+

Kristen Bell is dropping out of Apple TV+ animated musical comedy series Central Park, the popular Good Place star announced on social media Wednesday. Bell starred as Molly Tillerman in all 13 episodes of the first season of Central Park. The show debuted last month on Apple TV+.

Bell, whose character on the show is mixed race, said that she is stepping back so as to allow the character to be played by an actor whose race matches that of the character.

iOS 14 protects your privacy in important new ways

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During the WWDC 2020 keynote, Apple doubled down on its commitment to privacy.
During the WWDC 2020 keynote, Apple doubled down on its commitment to privacy.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 The next iPhone and iPad operating systems warn you when the microphone or camera is on, let you share your approximate location, and block apps from tracking you. And these are just some of the ways iOS 14 and the iPad equivalent protect user privacy. Apple is clearly working hard to live up to its promise that it regards privacy as a fundamental human right.

Is noise cancellation fixed in latest AirPods Pro firmware? Nobody knows.

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Apple reportedly adding another supplier for its ultra-popular AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro users can't agree whether active noise cancellation is fixed by the latest firmware update.
Photo: Apple

Apple updated AirPods Pro to firmware version 2D27 on Tuesday. Users of these truly wireless headphones have since had a chance to install it, but there’s no consensus about whether it makes active noise cancellation as good as it was when this product first launched.

This visual guide to WWDC 2020 hits all the high points

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The virtual WWDC 2020 keynote packed in loads of exciting revelations. Breeze through the highlights in sketchnotes!
The virtual WWDC 2020 keynote packed in loads of exciting revelations. Breeze through all the highlights in these very visual sketchnotes!
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 Monday’s WWDC 2020 keynote was very polished and a little fast-paced for me. This year, the entire Worldwide Developers Conference is virtual due to COVID-19, and the presentations flowed seamlessly from presenter to presenter, leaving little time for someone drawing to catch a breath. I ended up with five pages of drawings in my notebook.

I sketched out the important new features coming in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, watchOS 7 and more. For a quick visual recap of the highlights of the WWDC 2020 keynote, check out my sketchnotes below.