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News - page 436

Serious Thunderbolt security weaknesses leave millions of Macs open to attack with no patch

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A Thunderbolt 3 cable is also a USB4 cable.
'Thunderspy' can reportedly compromise data with no current fix available.
Photo: Caldigit

Seven security flaws have been found impacting Macs with Thunderbolt ports sold since 2011 with no indications that current security schemes can prevent the attacks from happening.

Dutch security researcher Björn Ruytenberg released a report Sunday detailing nine attack scenarios, including the ability to quickly steal data from encrypted drives and memory. 

Apple leaker reveals price and storage options for iPhone 12 and 12 Pro handsets

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iPhone-12-concept
Are you excited about this year's iPhone refresh?
Photo: LetsGoDigital

Apple leaker Jon Prosser shared new details — including the alleged price and storage options — for the 2020 iPhone 12 refresh in a new video Monday.

Prosser said Apple will offer a pair of regular iPhone 12 handsets and another pair of iPhone 12 Pro devices. Each line will sport two screen size options — although the iPhone 12 Max will be the same size as the iPhone 12 Pro regular, while the 12 Pro Max will be biggest of all.

But you’d better be ready to shell out for the most expensive option!

Apple leakers confident 14-inch MacBook Pro will come next year

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That's one massive battery!
The new 14-inch laptop could take design cues from the 16-inch model.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro was more of a minor tweak than a major upgrade. But Twitter leaker @L0vetodream suggests that Apple’s rumored, improved 14-inch MacBook Pro could be on the way — although not until next year.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro was expected by some fans as a replacement for the 13-inch laptop. However, this didn’t happen and, as a result, a lot of the innovative new features of the 16-inch MacBook Pro are still MIA.

Newton email app gets third chance with new owners

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Newton.mail.home.page
Newton returns (sort of) ... again.
Photo: Newton Mail

The email subscription service Newton has been saved from its demise by a pair of fans weeks after it was to have been shut down at the end of April, according to a online post Monday.

Software developers Maitrik Kataria and Jusitn Mitchell announced they had bought the service from Essential after it had been purchased in February 2019 from CloudMagic.

Apple scanned hundreds of ears to create the perfect AirPods

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AirPods Pro settings
Apple created a massive ear database to ensure the perfect AirPod fit.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

To make sure that the AirPods fit as many ears as possible, Apple engineers worked with Stanford University to create a giant database of information about ear dimensions.

That’s according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, quoted in a new article for Wired, published over the weekend.

Made in India: Apple could lean even harder on India for its future devices

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple may shift 20% of its manufacturing to India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is looking to ramp up its investment in India, shifting close to a fifth of its current production capacity from China to Indian manufacturers, according to a Monday report from the Economic Times.

“We expect Apple to produce up to $40 billion worth of smartphones, mostly for exports through its contract manufacturers Wistron and Foxconn,” a senior government official told the publication.

Ellen once called Steve Jobs to gripe about her iPhone

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Ellen_DeGeneres 1
Would you behave any different if you had Apple's CEO on speed dial?
Photo: Toglenn/Wikipedia CC

Lately, all kinds of stories have circulated online about TV host Ellen DeGeneres not exactly being the nicest person in Hollywood. But one mentioned in a recent New York Post article had an Apple tie-in.

According to the article, Ellen once phoned up none other than Steve Jobs himself to complain that the font size was too small on the iPhone after she lost her glasses and was unable to read the screen.

Apple’s A-series chipmaker in talks to build a chip factory in the U.S.

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
Could TSMC eventually build A-series chips in America?
Screenshot: Apple

 Could Apple’s A-series chips eventually be manufactured in the United States? That’s one possible outcome if the Trump administration gets its way. The ongoing debate around domestic chip production and the chips act could play a significant role in shaping this future.

According to a report published Sunday by the Wall Street Journal, the White House wants to “jump-start” the development of new chip factories in the U.S. to help reduce reliance on Asia for critical technology. And it’s in talks with current A-series chipmaker TSMC and others to do so.

Get the week’s best gaming, politics and productivity apps

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Forza Street, Moxy, Microsoft Outlook, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Google Drive: These are the apps and updates that caught our eye this week.
These are the apps and updates that caught our eye this week.
Image: Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

We got a pair of welcome new diversions this week: Hugely popular racing game Forza Street finally roared onto iOS, and a great Lego Star Wars title got a long-overdue update.

But we also got more-serious new apps and updates. New political app Moxy gives you information and tools to keep you engaged in current events. And a couple of essential iOS productivity tools got some handy new features.

Get all the details in our weekly roundup of the best new and updated apps.

Massive monitor makes this video-editing rig monumental [Setups]

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This wfh setup has an amazing monitor
No clutter on this desk.
Photo: @garydeefilms

An epic screen is the hallmark of any great setup, and Gary Dee’s video-editing suite is certainly no exception. Dee, a cinematographer and drone pilot, previously used two monitors, but he decided to declutter his desk and replace them with an UltraWide 34-incher from LG Electronics. The massive monitor still leaves him with plenty of screen real estate.

In terms of audio, a pair of Bose speakers give him banging sound. And he uses a high-quality Røde microphone. To complement his minimalist desk, he uses a Rain Design mStand to hold his MacBook.

Over-ear headphones dubbed ‘AirPods Studio’ might debut in June

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Apple headphones concept
This artists concept for over-ear AirPods headphones brings in design aspects from HomePods.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple is allegedly prepping a set of over-ear wireless headphones that will be part of the AirPods line.

Currently, the company offers headphones in this style under its Beats label. But the upcoming model supposedly reflects a change in strategy. If you’re looking for high-quality alternatives, you might want to check out the Sennheiser website for premium audio options like the Sennheiser HD 550 open-back headphones.

The great Dark Mode delay [Cult of Mac Magazine 348]

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Why so seriously slow? Adding Dark Mode is no cakewalk.
Why so seriously slow? Adding Dark Mode is no cakewalk.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If your favorite apps don’t yet support Dark Mode, there’s a good reason. Making their apps work with Dark Mode can be a total pain in the butt for devs.

Get an inside look at the travails of adding this popular feature in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for that story, plus the rest of the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos. (There’s plenty on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, too.)

Apple starts gradual reopening of its US stores next week

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Apple Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall will reopen in mid-May.
This Apple Store in Anchorage, Alaska, will be one of the first to open its doors.
Photo: Apple

The long wait is almost over. Apple said Friday it will open the doors of a few of its U.S. retail locations next week. The majority of Apple Stores globally closed almost two months ago as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. More stores will reopen when the company deems it safe.

MacBook Pro ‘Flexgate’ flaw fuels demands from angry owners

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These cables can wear out and cause your MacBook Pro’s display to fail.
These “delicate” cables can wear out and cause your 2016 MacBook Pro’s display to fail.
Photo: iFixit

A law firm accuses Apple of forcing customers to fix the malfunctioning displays in the 15-inch MacBook Pro that launched in 2016 even though the failure is a result of a design flaw. The problem is common enough that it has a name: Flexgate.

The Parris Law Firm is hoping to force Apple to fix all affected computers, and refund the cost to anyone who already had this problem repaired.

Apple TV+ is still a long way from winning viewers’ hearts

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Apple TV+ is free to everyone who buys a new iPhone, Mac or iPad.
Although people generally like Apple TV+, they like rival streaming services more.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ won an accolade no one wants: it’s the streaming video service viewers are most likely to cancel once it stops being free.

Still, satisfaction with Apple’s offering is fairly high, according to survey results revealed on Friday. But people like almost all its competitors more.

We talk our WWDC ’20 hardware predictions plus big iPhone 12 leaks, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
WWDC 2020 goes virtual, and it's gonna be different.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple announces WWDC 2020! We talk our hardware and software predictions. Plus: A new leak gives us some exciting info on the upcoming Apple TV hardware, and the iPhone 12 lineup, including some surprising prices and new features. And we wrap up with a look at the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, so stay tuned!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Billie Eilish’s new me & dad radio show hits Apple Music today

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Billie Eilish and her father kick off a new radio show called
Billie Eilish kicks off a new radio show with her dad on Apple Music today.
Photo: Lars Crommelinck Photography/Flickr CC

American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish is continuing her connection with Apple Music listeners with the release of a new radio show featuring she and her father, Patrick O’Connell.

Her new show, me & dad radio, will debut Friday on Apple Music at noon Pacific time with six episodes planned.

Updated classic AirPods delay expected into new year, but with ‘Made in Vietnam’ tag

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Your next classic AirPods could be made in Vietnam.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The coronavirus and its aftermath appear to be taking a toll on manufacturing of updated AirPods, with a new report indicating an update to Apple’s popular earbuds will be delayed slightly and roll into the first quarter of 2021.

The Nikkei Asian Review also reported Friday sources as saying around 30% of all classic AirPods to be produced this quarter for Apple will be “made in Vietnam”. That the report said is “a sign the company is accelerating its diversification of production out of China amid the coronavirus pandemic.”

Why it’s taking so long for apps to add Dark Mode

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Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

This week, I finally got around to adding Dark Mode support to Reps & Sets, the iPhone bodybuilding app I develop as a side hustle. That’s almost a year after Apple first announced the feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

What took me so long? Supporting Dark Mode is not as simple as it seems. It’s not just indie devs like me who have struggled with it, either. WhatsApp only recently added Dark Mode support, and Facebook is still beta-testing it.

So if you’re waiting for your favorite app to switch to the dark side, here’s why it might be taking so long.

Apple to reopen all 15 retail stores in Germany May 11

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apple.store.germany
15 Apple stores reopen in Germany on Monday as pandemic precautions ease in parts of Europe.
Photo: Corporate Dispatch

Apple plans to reopen all its 15 retail stores in Germany on May 11, according to a published report.

Germany will become only the second country in Europe to resume Apple Store operations since the majority of locations closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic almost two months ago.