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Espionage thriller Tehran sneaks toward Apple TV+

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Tehran is reportedly headed for Apple TV+.
Tehran is a spy thriller starring Israeli actress Niv Sultan.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly picked up international broadcasting rights for Tehran, a spy drama about a young Israeli agent trying to destroy an Iranian nuclear reactor.

The eight-episode Israeli series, created and written by Moshe Zonder (Netflix’s Fauda), could be coming to Apple TV+ very soon.

TikTok clone Zynn is booted out of the App Store

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Zynn app
Zynn grew its user base in part by throwing around money.
Photo: Zynn

A Chinese video sharing app which ripped off was heavily inspired by TikTok in its design has been booted out of the App Store, shortly after it was removed from the Google Play Store due to reports of plagiarism.

Zynn not only closely resembled TikTok in its design, but also in much of its content. A previous report from Wired claimed that many popular TikTok users have had their content (and even knockoff user profiles) shared on the rival app. That didn’t go over well!

Apple News algorithm is way more celebrity-obsessed than Apple’s human editors

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Apple News
Apple News is used by 85 million users every month.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Stories picked by Apple News’ human editors are far more likely to represent a diverse range of outlets — and be more serious and less focused on celebrities and entertainment — than its algorithmically curated alternative, researchers claim.

Jack Bandy and Nicholas Diakopoulos from Northwestern University analyzed thousands of Apple’s “Top Stories” and “Trending” articles over a 10-month period. They discovered that the latter, which are determined algorithmically, show stories from significantly fewer outlets, predominantly CNN or Fox News. Articles from BuzzFeed and People also figured heavily in the mix — with an emphasis on light news.

Apple comes out swinging against antitrust investigation, blasts companies that ‘want a free ride’

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Apple.logo.paris.store
The Apple logo outside the Paris, France Apple Store.
Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac

Apple says that it is disappointed to be targeted in two new antitrust investigations by the European Union. The two antitrust investigations, into both the App Store and Apple Pay, were announced Tuesday.

“It’s disappointing the European Commission is advancing baseless complaints from a handful of companies who simply want a free ride, and don’t want to play by the same rules as everyone else,” Apple told Reuters in a statement. “We don’t think that’s right — we want to maintain a level playing field where anyone with determination and a great idea can succeed.”

iPhone 12 will debut in September, but don’t expect EarPods in the box

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iphone-12-pro
Excited about the iPhone 12?
Photo: The Hacker 34

According to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, Apple has overcome whatever delays it faced in manufacturing the iPhone 12 and, as of now, the devices should debut in September as planned. Shipping would take place early the next month.

While that’s marginally later than last year’s launch date, it suggests that Apple has managed to claw back its schedule after coronavirus rocked the supply chain earlier this year.

Apple faces more antitrust scrutiny in Europe, this time over e-books

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Kobo
Kobo's e-book app is available through the App Store.
Photo: Rakuten

Apple faces another antitrust complaint in the European Union, this time from Japanese tech company Rakuten. The anti-competition complaint relates to Apple’s e-book business, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

In response, the EU opened an official investigation into the App Store. On Tuesday, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the government will scrutinize Cupertino’s business practices. “We need to ensure that Apple’s rules do not distort competition in markets where Apple is competing with other app developers, for example with its music streaming service Apple Music or with Apple Books,” Vestager said. “I have therefore decided to take a close look at Apple’s App Store rules and their compliance with EU competition rules.”

App Store is a $519-billion-a-year economic engine, Apple says

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The App Store facilitates sales of billions of dollars in sales of physical goods.
Apple’s App Store is much more than software sales. It contributes to the economy in many ways.
Photo: Apple

The Apple App Store ecosystem contributed over half a trillion dollars to the global economy in 2019, according to a study commissioned by Apple.

This total encompasses far more than just what iPhone or Mac users pay for software. It includes transactions done through these apps, from grocery deliveries to streaming services.

iOS 13.6 beta confirms that iPhones will work as car keys

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iPhone car key feature is a rumor no more.
No room for doubt. iOS 13.6 Beta 2 flat out says Apple Wallet is getting virtual car keys.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple inadvertently confirmed rumors that iPhones will soon function as car keys. Buried in the privacy information for Apple Wallet in the iOS 13.6 Beta is a lengthy description of the upcoming feature.

Called “Adding and Managing Car Keys,” the verbiage details how wireless keys can be added to Wallet and how they can be shared.

Macs get their own version of Apple Developer app the week before WWDC

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Apple Developer for Mac is finally here.
A Mac version of Apple Developer is finally out. Just in time for WWDC.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 The Apple Developer app is the one-stop-shop for all the information devs need, but until now there’ve only been versions for iPhone and iPad. On Monday, the company finally brought out a version for Mac. This guide to the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference comes a week before WWDC kicks off.

And while this event will be entirely online, Apple is sending out press invites anyway.

Apple offers college students free AirPods along with deals on Mac and iPad

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Apple back to school 2020 deals are already here
Get a deal on a Mac or iPad with Apple’s 2020 back-to-school sale. And get free AirPods too.
Photo: Apple

Summer is just starting but Apple is already thinking back-to-school. College students and teachers can save up to $200 on a MacBook or iMac. Or up to $100 on iPads. And get a pair of AirPods gets thrown in for free.

In previous years, Apple’s back-to-school promo always included Beats headphones. This is the first time AirPods have been part of the deal instead.

16-inch MacBook Pro gets more powerful AMD 5600M graphics option

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macBookpro
Take your MacBook Pro to the limits!
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its 16-inch MacBook Pro buying options by offering the new Radeon Pro 5600M mobile GPU. This joins the existing Radeon Pro 5300M and 5500M GPU options for the MacBook Pro.

Kitting out the new MacBook Pro with a AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU with 8GB of HBM2 memory adds $700 onto the base model MacBook Pro. According to Apple, it will improve performance by up to 75% compared to the 5500M configuration. Is that worth it? It absolutely depends on how much of a pro user you are!

Apple expands 0% Apple Card financing to Mac, iPad, AirPods, and more

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Apple Card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
Good news ahead of WWDC!
Photo: Apple

Apple has expanded its 0% Apple Card financing option for products, including the Mac, iPad, AirPods Pro, AirPods, and Apple Pencil. (No Apple Watch, though!)

The company previously launched a 0% Apple Card financing option for iPhone in December. However, this is the first time that Apple has expanded this to cover other Apple products. Tim Cook suggested that Apple would be expanding the program during Apple’s most recent earnings call.

Father’s Day special: Get 20% off Fanatics sports apparel courtesy of Apple Pay

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Apple Pay Father's Day
Perfect for the sports-loving dad in your life!
Photo: Fanatics/Apple Pay

Sports merchandise online store Fanatics is offering customers in the U.S. a 20% on selected goods so long as they buy them using Apple Pay. The special offer, the latest example of Apple partnering with a retailer for an Apple Pay promotion, is being marketed as a Father’s Day special offer.

Father’s Day 2020 falls on Sunday, June 21. The offer, however, is valid only through 11.59pm EST on June 19. That means that you’ll need to get a bit organized, rather than just settling for the “buy dad a last minute gift the night before” act.

Apple’s first foldable phone could feature 2 displays joined by hinges

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Microsoft Surface Neo
Apple's foldable iPhone could take a similar approach to Microsoft's Surface Neo.
Screenshot: Microsoft

Apple’s “foldable” iPhone will use dual displays to get around the foldable screen problem that plagues other folding phones like Samsung’s beleaguered Galaxy Fold, claims Apple leaker Jon Prosser.

“The current prototype has two separate display panels on a hinge,” Prosser wrote in a tweet Monday. He claims the foldable iPhone prototype boasts “round, stainless steel edges like current iPhone 11 design” and features no notch. Instead, there is a “tiny forehead” on the outer display that houses the Face ID sensors.

iPhone 12 sensor-makers gear up for 2020’s big upgrade

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iPhone-12-concept-2
Time-of-flight sensor will help the new iPhone see in 3D.
Concept: PhoneArena

In another piece of possible evidence that this year’s iPhone 12 handsets will feature ToF (time-of-flight) camera sensors, a report published Monday claims that component makers in the Apple supply chain are gearing up their production for mass-manufacturing.

Time-of-flight camera sensors typically work by emitting a laser pulse which is used to bounce off objects. By measuring how long it takes for the laser to hit the object and return to the sensor, you can work out how far away it is. This makes it possible to create detailed 3D maps of spaces. That could help Apple in both improving its iPhone camera tech and augmented reality ambitions.

Apple TV+ lags far behind Netflix, Amazon Prime Video when it comes to ‘bang for your buck’

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Appletvpluslogo
Apple TV+ isn't the place to go if you're all about quantity.
Photo: Apple

When it comes to how much content you get for your dollar, Amazon Prime Video is the best value VOD (video-on-demand) service and Apple TV+ is the worst, claims movie and TV search engine Reelgood.

At a time when new streaming services are launching all the time, the company ran the numbers to compare the likes of Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and Apple TV+. Unsurprisingly, Apple TV+ doesn’t fare too well.

Leaked mold design shows possible iPhone 12 in all its flat-edged glory

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iPhone 12 models
Is this our best look yet at the iPhone 12 series?
Photo: JinStore/Twitter

Images which showed up on Twitter over the weekend depict what may be the new iPhone 12 series of handsets with both physical molds and CAD drawings.

As expected, this includes four different versions, rumored to include a 5.4-inch handset, two 6.1-inch versions, and a giant 6.7-inch edition. More importantly, though, the images showcase the handsets’ reported redesign — with flatter edges like the iPhone 4 or newer iPad Pro models.

Why HealthKit needs an iCloud upgrade [Cult of Mac Magazine 353]

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Adding iCloud integration to HealthKit would be a game-changer.
Adding iCloud integration to HealthKit would be a game-changer.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Giving HealthKit an iCloud injection would make Apple’s health-tracking framework much more powerful. Will this be the year Apple takes HealthKit to the next level?

Find out why it should be, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. You can download it now from the iOS App Store. Grab it now and get the week’s top Apple news, including some juicy new bits about what’s coming next from Cupertino’s product pipeline.

P.S. Don’t miss the big Father’s Day Sale in the Cult of Mac Store.

First ARM-based Mac could be a 12-inch MacBook with butterfly keyboard

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12-inch-MacBook
The 12-inch MacBook could come back as the first macOS computer without an Intel chip.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s first ARM-based computer will be a very slim and light MacBook, according to a leaker claiming inside information and sources in Apple’s supply chain. The Mac-makers move away from Intel chips will begin with a 12-inch MacBook that supposedly will include the controversial butterfly keyboard.

HealthKit needs a health check at WWDC

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HealthKit on iCloud: Apple needs to step up its Health game.
Apple needs to step up its Health game.
Photo: Julia Ballew/Unsplash CC

As a fitness writer and app developer, there’s just one thing I’m hoping to see at WWDC next week: a major upgrade to HealthKit.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Apple’s health-tracking framework is great, but there’s so much more it could do. Moving HealthKit to iCloud would finally set Apple Watch free from its iPhone dependency, launch a brand-new Apple subscription service, enable users to access health and fitness data on all their devices, create a whole new class of TV fitness apps, and much, much more.

We could be waiting months for 2020’s big iMac redesign

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iMac concept inspired by iPad Pro.
The wait for the 2020 iMac might be longer than expected.
Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Despite rumors that Apple is ready to take the wraps off the 2020 iMac during its developers conference later this month, a report on Friday indicates this all-in-one desktop isn’t in production yet.

And the same leak adds weight to unconfirmed reports that Apple is prepping an iPad for release in the second half of the year.

We talk ARM Mac and the incoming new iMac, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
At this year's WWDC, Apple could make major moves with the Mac.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: An all-new iMac, and the mythical ARM Mac, will likely be unveiled at WWDC. We’ll tell you what we know! Plus, we wrap up with our favorite new 360 camera, feather-light carbon fiber bike wheels, and a must-have Ethernet testing tool in an all-new Under Review.

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