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News - page 434

Safari might translate webpages automatically in iOS 14

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
If Safari can easily translate webpages, you might never see this again.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Soon you’ll visit a webpage in an unfamiliar language and see it automatically translated to one you can read with the iPhone Safari web browser. This reportedly will be a feature of iOS 14.

No third-party app will be needed. And the translation will supposedly take place directly on the handset, not a remote server.

Apple Pencil might come back in black

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A black Apple Pencil might finally be released.
Apple Pencil looks good in black.
Artist’s Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

To paraphrase an old joke, you can have the Apple Pencil in any color you want as long as that color is white. But an unconfirmed report indicates that’ll change soon. A version of this iPad active stylus in black is supposedly in the offing.

Peloton’s new Apple TV app brings workouts to your big screen

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A Peloton Apple TV app debuted Tuesday
The Peloton Apple TV app offers a range of exercise classes without leaving your home.
Photo: Peloton

Peloton on Tuesday released a version of its exercise app for Apple TV. With a subscription, users of this app can tune in to classes on stretching, cycling, yoga and more.

All of this is available from home. That’s surely a boon for those unwilling to go to a gym.

From just fine to simply divine: Ranking every iMac design

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On this day in 1998, the world says
What was your favorite iMac of all time?
Photo: Apple

Over the past two decades, the iMac repeatedly set a high bar when it came to desktop design. But which iMac design reigns as the greatest of all time? And which, conversely, proves the least inspiring?

Cult of Mac gives you the authoritative (and totally subjective) ranking of the best iMac designs.

Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7 on hold due to current political climate

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Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100m downloads in first week
Activision says this wasn't the right time to release update.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Activision has pushed back the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7. The game upgrade was originally scheduled to launch for iPhone and iPad this week on June 4.

Call of Duty launched worldwide on mobile last October. It has proven immensely popular, racking up 100 million downloads in its first week on the market alone. This made it the best launch in mobile gaming history. The new season is set to include a variety of new maps, weapons, and other improvements.

However, due to the present political environment, triggered by the killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd by police, Activision says that this “not the time” to release Season 7.

Microsoft Remote Desktop now lets iPad users control their PC using a mouse

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better touch tool magic mouse
It's like turning your iPad into a portable Windows PC.
Photo: Harpal Singh/Unsplash

While a large number of iOS users are also Mac customers, many people will use an iPhone or iPad but also rely on a Windows PC in some capacity. For those customers, Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app is a great tool, letting them access and use their professional or enterprise Windows PC through another device.

The latest update for the app is a big one for iPad owners — adding some eagerly anticipated features to the iOS app, including support for the Apple Magic Mouse 2 and Apple Magic Trackpad 2, external mice, and more.

Apple slashes the cost of iPhones in China as part of giant sales festival

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Apple is trying to continue building momentum in China.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Apple has slashed prices on the iPhone in China ahead of the country’s 6.18 shopping festival, which kicks off this month.

On Apple’s official online store on the Alibaba-owned online retailer Tmall, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and 2020 iPhone SE all have big price reductions. Official Apple resellers like JD.com are also getting aggressive with their own price cuts — with steeper discounts than even Tmall in some cases.

Services could help make Apple a $2 trillion company by 2024

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money
Suddenly that $1 trillion valuation looks pretty paltry.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple was the first public company in history to reach a $700 billion, $800 billion, $900 billion, and $1 trillion valuation. Could it also be the first company to hit the vaunted $2 trillion mark? And, if so, when will this happen?

In a research note to clients, Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani argues that not only can Apple get to this mark, it can do so over the next four years. That would be just six years after it hit $1 trillion for the first time. Today, Apple is worth around $1.3 trillion.

Apple Music shows solidarity for black communities on Blackout Tuesday

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Blackout Tuesday 1
This message appears on Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music has joined Blackout Tuesday, a music-industry-wide initiative seeking to raise support for Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death, captured on camera by onlookers, sparked protests and riots across the United States.

Doing its part for the day, Apple Music canceled its Beats 1 radio service on June 2. The service also changed its “For You” tab. Both redirect to a “For Us, By Us” stream playing music by black artists. A regular voiceover says that it is designed to “stand in solidarity with black communities everywhere.”

iPhone 12 Pro Max looks absolutely gigantic in new mockups

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iPhone 12 Pro Max Is the largest of four 3D mockups
Which of this year's iPhones do you have your eyes on?
Photo: Macotakara

3D printed mockups of all four 2020 iPhone models might surprise some people. Especially the relative sizes.

Word of the first 6.7-inch iPhone first leaked out long ago, and plenty of additional details have since come to light. But even those who fully believe that Apple is prepping a super-size iPhone 12 Pro Max might not realize just how big it’ll be. Especially when compared to the 5.4-inch model the company is also supposedly working on.

Cost of 13-inch MacBook Pro RAM upgrade doubles

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Apple_macbook_pro-13-inch-with-retina-display_screen_05042020
Giving the newest base-model MacBook Pro a RAM upgrade used to be a bargain.
Photo: Apple

In the weeks after the new 13-inch MacBook Pro debuted, upgrading the RAM from 8GB to 16GB cost a mere $100. But no more. The price is now twice that.

However, this isn’t an unprecedented price for the upgrade. Quite the opposite.

Apple rushes out iOS 13.5.1, macOS supplemental update with important security fixes

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The iOS 13.5.1 update brings important security fixes.
iPadOS and iOS 13.5.1 are out and “recommended for all users“ by Apple.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 13.5.1 on Monday, along with an iPad equivalent, bringing “important security updates” to its mobile operating systems. The speed of their introduction suggests anyone running the latest version on their iPhone or iPad should upgrade ASAP.

Also Monday, Apple dropped Small updates for Mac, Apple Watch and HomePod. Plus the latest beta versions of iOS and iPadOS for developers.

This once-popular MacBook is about to officially hit the scrap heap

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IMG_0005
This was the top-of-the MacBook Pro in its day. But that day was 8 years ago. Now it’s about to be officially labeled obsolete.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The 15-inch MacBook Pro released in 2012 broke new ground, as it was the first Mac to get a Retina display. But it’s now been discontinued for many years, and is reportedly about to be classified as obsolete.

Anyone still holding onto this classic laptop needs to know what this classification means.

More evidence that iPhone 12 may turn up later than hoped

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
Are you excited about the iPhone 12?
Photo: Ben Geskin

The iPhone 12 is likely to ship to ship in October, rather than the usual September iPhone launch time frame, claim a report published Monday by Digitimes.

This would seem to back up a separate recent report from increasingly authoritative Apple leaker Jon Prosser. Prosser also suggested an October, rather than September, launch for the new iPhone.

Security researcher scoops $100,000 bounty for helping squash Sign in with Apple bug

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Sign in with Apple
Now hopefully bug-free.
Photo: Apple

A security vulnerability with “Sign in with Apple” could have allowed hackers to carry out a full account takeover of user accounts accessed using the feature. Fortunately, the bug was spotted by India-based security researcher Bhavuk Jain.

In a blog post published over the weekend, Jain noted that he made Apple aware of the vulnerability back in April. It was subsequently fixed. Thanks to Apple’s bug bounty program, he was then paid $100,000 as a thank you from the Cupertino tech giant.

How Apple tries to strike fear into the hearts of iPhone thieves

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Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
A message warns thieves that stolen iPhones are being tracked.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhones on display in Apple Stores run special software that renders them useless to thieves when removed from a store. Until now, however, we haven’t had a clear glimpse at what this antitheft measure looks like.

That changed over the weekend as one person displayed an iPhone seemingly taken from a looted Apple Store in Philadelphia. Here’s what the message says.

Here’s the memo Tim Cook sent to Apple employees about George Floyd killing

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Tim Cook delivers the goods at Apple's iPhone 11 event.
Cook says that Apple will be making several charitable contributions.
Photo: Apple

As protests roiled the United States following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a memo to employees condemning the killing, calling for change, and offering support.

In the note, Cook expressed his wishes for a “better, more just world” for everyone. He also advised employees that are “hurting right now” that they can access mental health resources and other support from Apple. In addition, Cook said Apple will make charitable donations to groups such as the Equal Justice Initiative.

You can read Cook’s entire memo to Apple employees below.

The new king of Apple scoops? [Cult of Mac Magazine 351]

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Jon Prosser: The new king of Apple scoops?
There's an art to spoiling Apple's biggest secrets.

Jon Prosser is the hot new Apple reporter on the scene. On Twitter and his Front Page Tech channel on YouTube, he delivers Apple scoops with a healthy side helping of humor. So, is Prosser the new Mark Gurman?

Read our take in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. As always, the free iOS mag is filled with Apple news, reviews and how-tos.

Jason Sudeikis’ sports comedy Ted Lasso premiers August 14 on Apple TV+

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Bumbling coach Ted Lasso is back, and headed for Apple TV+.
Jason Sudeik stars in Ted Lasso, a fish-out-of-water comedy for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Jason Sudeikis is reviving Ted Lasso for new Apple TV+ comedy that’ll debut August 14.

The show, called simply, Ted Lasso, centers on a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having utterly no experience with soccer.

Powerbeats Pro’s pretty new color options jump from rumor to reality

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2020 Powerbeats Pro comes in four new colors
The wait is over for Powerbeats Pro in summertime colors.
Photo: Apple

Powerbeats Pro comes in four new colors starting June 9. Unconfirmed reports of Glacier Blue, Spring Yellow, Cloud Pink and Lava Red versions of Beats’ truly wireless headset have been circulating for weeks, but today brought the official unveiling.

But it’s still unclear if the upcoming 2020 version is different from the earlier one in any substantive way.