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A gaming setup moonlighting as an office setup [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
This setup is great for gaming and for editing.
Photo: @thejaredbusch

YouTuber Jared Busch is a tech reviewer so when it comes to desk setups, he doesn’t mess around. Most of his gear is for gaming — and for making tech reviews on his YouTube channel.

He runs this setup off a 2016 MacBook Pro. He has a testoserone-filled 35-inch Acer Predator Z35P Curved Monitor, which he calls “one of the best 21:9 gaming monitors available right now!” But he might change it because it has a “bit too much of an aggressive look” to it.

Get your macOS 11 Big Sur wallpapers here [Wallpaper Wednesday]

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MacOS 11 Big Sur Wallpaper
Apple knows how to choose backdrops.
Photo: Apple

The wallpapers in Apple’s latest macOS Big Sur update look positively stunning. Featuring the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge, the aerial shots highlight the jaw-dropping scenery at different times of the day — from dawn to dusk — and at night.

This place truly is paradise on Earth. And you can load it onto your Mac right now.

The Afterparty murder mystery comedy heads for Apple TV+

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‘The Afterparty’ on Apple TV+ will deliberately mix up film genres.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, shown here at San Diego Comic-Con, created a a genre-mixing murder comedy for Apple TV+.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia CC

A couple of TV industry virtuosos are reportedly prepping an unusual comedy for Apple TV+. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will create The Afterparty for this streaming service. It about a murder seen from a variety of viewpoints, each in a different film genre.

iOS 14 warns you exactly how loud your AirPods are

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iOS 14 looks out for your hearing
Find out if the song you’re listening to is permanently damaging your hearing with an iOS 14 Control Center feature.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2020 Listening to music on AirPods at too high a volume can damage your hearing. As a reminder of this, iOS 14 offers an optional icon in the Control Center to show just how loudly the song is playing on a connected pair of AirPods or earbuds at that moment. And it measure the sound pressure down to the exact decibel.

Get ready to log into websites with Face ID or Touch ID

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Use Face ID or Touch ID to log into websites with Safari.
Logging in to websites is about to get easier for Apple users.
Screenshot: Apple

WWDC 2020 Safari users soon will be able to securely log into websites using Face ID and Touch ID. The new feature, which Apple is rolling out in iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur, should take away one of the most irritating things about using the web — remembering, and then typing in, user names and complicated passwords.

On websites that support the feature, users can opt in to use Apple’s biometric ID systems, making that irritating login dance a thing of the past.

Some lucky gamers get second free Apple Arcade trial

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Apple Arcade
With so many new games added in recent months, would you give Apple Arcade a second try?
Photo: Apple

Some people who already gave Apple Arcade a try and passed on this gaming service are getting a second shot. Apple sent emails to an unknown number of former users with an offer of “How about another month on us?”

Apple might face US antitrust probe over strict App Store policies

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app-store
Complaints about App Store have gained momentum recently.
Photo: Apple

The Department of Justice is considering a possible antitrust probe of Apple, according to three sources who spoke with Politico, the publication notes in a report published Wednesday.

Like the European Union, which recently launched an antitrust investigation of Apple, the DoJ is reportedly focused on Apple’s control of the App Store. Multiple companies have complained that the App Store raises prices and reduces options for customers.

iPhone 12 could ship with more powerful 20-watt USB-C charger

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Ben Geskin

The iPhone 12 could boast a 20-watt USB-C power adapter, according to images posted online Wednesday by Apple leaker Mr White. By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro comes with an 18-watt USB-C power adapter, while the regular iPhone 11 ships with a 5-watt charger.

It’s not clear from the tweet whether the new charger, provided this report is correct, will come with all new models of the iPhone 12 — or whether it will be an exclusive for the high-end iPhone 12 Pro.

Gotta serve ’em all: Pokémon Café Mix is a puzzle game crossed with a café sim

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Pokemon Cafe Mix 1
They want to eat the very best.
Photo: Pokémon Café Mix

Looking for a new Pokémon game to while away your commute now that some workplaces are reopening following lockdown? Pokémon Café Mix is ready to oblige. In the game, which launched Wednesday, players are charged with running an eatery frequented by everyone’s favorite Pocket Monsters.

To fulfill orders, you have to solve various puzzles, while also running the café. As you complete puzzles, you’ll be joined by additional Pokémon, while also having the opportunity to expand your premises. You can check out a trailer for the game below.

iOS 14’s new Home screen widgets aren’t as powerful as you might think

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Home screen widgets in iOS 14
Widgets are awesome, but they're missing one thing.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2020 For many iPhone users, the biggest and most exciting change in iOS 14 is the addition of Home screen widgets. It’s a feature we’ve been waiting years to get — and a feature Android has offered since the very beginning. But there’s something you should know before you start using them this fall.

iOS 14 Home screen widgets aren’t quite as powerful as you might think they are.

iPhone’s seesaw year in China continues as sales fell nearly 8% in May

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
iPhone sales fluctuate wildly in China in 2020.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

The iPhone’s seesaw year in China continued in May as sales declined 7.7% from the previous month, CNBC reports. It suggests that the period of pent-up demand for the iPhone following lockdown may have worn off already. In total, Apple reportedly sold 3.6 million iPhones in China, down from 3.9 million one month earlier.

By comparison, Apple sales rose by a massive 160% month-on-month in April, after lockdown conditions in China eased up and Apple Stores were reopened. In February, iPhone sales in China declined by 60% as COVID-19 swept the country and hurt both supply and demand for Apple’s handsets.

Tap the back of your iPhone to activate handy shortcuts in iOS 14

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Back Tap settings in iOS 14
A quicker, easier way to get things done.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2020One of many hidden new features in iOS 14 is an option to set new shortcuts that are activated by tapping the back of your iPhone. It’s a new accessibility option that can be used for things like returning to the Home screen, snapping a screenshot, muting your device, and more. Here’s how it works.

Proposed Republican bill would crack down on unbreakable encryption

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Privacy Screen makes Google Drive just a bit more secure.
Apple is a big believer in privacy.
Photo: Google/Cult of Mac

Republican senatators have proposed a new bill that would end the use of unbreakable encryption by tech companies on the basis that it helps “terrorists and other bad actors to conceal illicit behavior.”

The so-called Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act is proposed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee).

This setup has more wood than you can shake a stick at [Setups]

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MacBook Setup
All the wooden products and plants make for a very calm setup.
Photo: @hussaintausif

When accountant and realtor Tausif Hussain built his setup he was looking for wellness and nature themes.

He uses a Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk, which is both eco-friendly and joint-friendly. He also has a Muvmat, an anti-fatigue mat that is also a foot massager. The Muvmat simulates standing in a forest; it is filled with bumps that imitate rocks, branches, and twigs. And pretty much every device rests on top of some wooden accessory or stand.

Catch our reactions to the WWDC 20 keynote on The CultCast

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The CultCast podcast: Get our reactions to all the new software showcased during the WWDC 2020 keynote.
So ... much ... new ... software!
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 On today’s special edition of The CultCast: Catch our reactions to all the great stuff announced at the WWDC 2020 keynote. We highlight our favorite features from iOS 14, MacOS Big Sur, tvOS, iPadOS and watchOS, and so much more.

Today’s episode is supported by CleanMyMac X, an all-in-one utility from MacPaw 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 5, you can go to macpaw.com/cultofmac to get CleanMyMac X with a 30% discount.

Apple opens Find My app to rival item trackers

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The Find My‌ Network is created by iPhone, iPad and Mac devices
Tile and other location-aware Bluetooth item trackers could soon be accessible through Apple’s Find My app.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020Third-party item trackers will be able to connect to the Find My‌ Network created by iPhone, Mac and other Apple devices, the company announced Monday during its annual developers conference.

This will be a huge benefit to Tile, who recently complained to the EU Commission that Apple is making it harder for customers to use Tile’s location-aware tracking tags even as Apple prepares to launch its own.

After virtual WWDC, Apple should never go back to live keynotes

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During the WWDC 2020 keynote, Apple software chief Craig Federighi reveals big changes coming in iOS 14.
It was certainly a different experience, Craig. I'll give you that.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 Apple turned chicken sh*t into chicken salad with Monday’s WWDC 2020 keynote, and now I don’t want Cupertino to ever go back to doing live keynotes. Crude? Perhaps. Truthful? You bet.

Before the streaming event started, some of my Cult of Mac colleagues discussed how Apple would deal with its first virtual keynote. Some of us thought Apple would simply deliver the same Steve Jobs Theater experience, but with no audience present. (Heck, if Apple wanted to, it could have gone the route of U.K. televised football and added crowd noise.) Others thought Apple would, well, think different.

Apple chose this second option and, in the process, freshened up a formula that has remained the same for years. Here’s why it would be a step backward for Cupertino to consider going back to live keynotes.

iOS 14 accessibility feature listens out for crying babies, smoke alarms, and more

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Baby crying
iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 will listen out for the important sounds taking place in the background.
Photo: Tim Bish/Unsplash CC

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 has an impressive accessibility feature that can listen out for sounds like running water, a person knocking on the door, smoke alarms, babies crying, and more — and then warn users about it with an on-screen notification.

It’s an incredibly smart feature, based on machine learning technology, that could range from useful to life-saving. Who says that always-listening tech has to be limited to “Hey, Siri”?

Apple makes it easier for devs to challenge App Store review process

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app-store
The App Store has been mired in controversy lately.
Photo: Apple

Apple will allow developers to challenge its app review process, and also end its current practice of blocking bug fixes due to minor violations of its rules, Reuters reported Monday.

Apple has not yet revealed the details of the mechanism devs can use to appeal rulings, and an Apple spokesperson declined to comment. However, the feature is supposedly on the way.