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News - page 441

Governments divided over Apple and Google’s approach to contact tracing

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contact.tracing.5
Plenty of governments are optimistic about contact tracing. But which approach to take?
Photo: World Health Organization

The battle over decentralized versus centralized contact-tracing apps continues to rage. Some public health officials feel forced to adopt Google and Apple’s Exposure Notifications system — even if they don’t necessarily think it’s the right approach, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Others are avoiding the system altogether, despite the fact that its privacy-first approach has been praised by privacy advocates.

Apple could pivot to audio to bolster flagging Apple News+ service

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Some publishers report that Apple News+ isn't a 'huge boon' for business
Apple News+ could try offering audio versions of top articles.
Photo: Apple

Of all the services launched by Apple, its premium Apple News+ has seemingly made the least impact. And now Apple is reportedly pivoting to audio to try and raise user interest in its all-you-can-eat news and magazine subscription service.

That’s according to a report by DigiDay, published Wednesday. The publication claims that Apple has started asking publishers for permission to produce audio versions of its stories. These could be listened to like mini-podcasts or audio briefings.

Apple wants to lessen its reliance on world’s biggest manufacturer

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meeting a worker on the Foxconn production line.
Photo: Apple

For better or worse, Foxconn has long been the contract manufacturer most associated with Apple — but Apple is looking to reduce its reliance on the company, a report published Wednesday claims.

Nikkei Asian Review notes that Apple is pushing one of its Chinese AirPods assemblers to make a “major investment” in an iPhone and MacBook metal casing provider. This could help make it a viable alternative to Foxconn, the world’s biggest electronics contract manufacturer.

Shop in the inky shadows of Apple Store’s new Dark Mode

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Apple Store’s new Dark Mode
Look for a new Mac or Apple Watch while in a darkened room without being blinded with the latest version of the Apple Store app.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Any developer taking flack for not yet adding Dark Mode to their software can take solace in the fact that the Apple Store app for iOS only now adopted this alternate look.

Shop for a new device or look for Today at Apple sessions in the dark more easily, thanks to this new version.

Apple to bring essential staff back to offices in phased return

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple employees will return to work in a phased approach.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Apple reportedly plans to gradually return its corporate employees to work over the next few months, likely starting with those focused on major hardware projects.

The phased plan will return thousands of Apple workers to locations around the world, including the company’s main campus in Silicon Valley, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

iPhone 12 Flip concept makes iOS handsets pocketable again

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The foldable iPhone 12 Flip concept could someday be a reality.
Apple is exploring technologies needed to make this foldable iPhone concept a reality.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 12 Flip is the foldable iOS device many are hoping for. This proposed concept fits a large screen into a tiny package.

While currently only a dream, Apple is hard at work on technologies that could eventually make it real.

Watch a video of the iPhone 12 Flip concept now:

Apple Store’s temperature checks may violate German privacy rules

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Apple Store Hamburg line iPhone 6s
Apple Stores, like this one in Hamburg, Germany, are digitally checking the temperatures of customers as they enter.
Photo: Thomas Knoop (via Twitter)

As Apple reopens its retail stores throughout Germany, regulators are considering investigating whether temperature checks of customers to ensure the safety of visitors and employees is a violation of European Union privacy laws.

AirPods users hope firmware update lets them use replacement buds

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Airpods 2
An AirPods 2 firmware update benefits everyone who uses these earbuds, but some people should be extra happy.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple on Tuesday introduced the first firmware update for second-generation AirPods since late last year.

This should benefit those who received a replacement AirPods bud last month with unreleased firmware. They can now update both to the same firmware version so they’re usable again.

5 MacBooks hit Apple’s dreaded ‘vintage and obsolete’ list

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The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple
Remember the 11-inch MacBook Air? That was a long time ago.
Photo: Apple

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that launched in 2013 and 2014 moved onto Apple’s list of “vintage and obsolete products” at the beginning of May.

Despite what the name implies, this doesn’t mean these devices just became useless. It might be harder to get them serviced, though.

Slimmer, HomeKit-ready August Wi-Fi Smart Lock now on sale

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august.wi.fi.smart.lock
The updated August smart lock is 45% smaller with HomeKit support.
Photo: August Home

Remote home security company August Home announced Tuesday it’s new HomeKit-enabled Wi-Fi Smart Lock is now on sale, after its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show this past January.

The electromechanical lock at $249.99 is 45% smaller than the original model with integrated Wi-Fi and easy setup for Apple’s HomeKit that lets users control smart-home appliances using Apple devices. 

iOS 15 concept goes minimalist with the Home screen

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iOS concept thinks simple, not more complex.
An iOS 15 concept design simplifies the Home screen... and looks familiar.
Concept: Roland Mészáros

When concept designers imagine the future of iOS, they often pack in new features. A new design goes the opposite route, simplifying the look of the iPhone to “keep you focused,” in the words of the artist.

Still, it finds space for some Home screen widgets, which are supposed to debut in iOS 14.

Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller is an MFi controller with clickable joysticks, 50-hour battery, more

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Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller
What better way to take your iOS gaming to the next level?
Photo: SteelSeries

SteelSeries, the worldwide leader in gaming peripherals, announced its new Nimbus+ Wireless Gamepad Controller for Apple devices Tuesday.

The Nimbus+ improves on the original Nimbus controller by adding a plethora of new features. These include clickable joysticks, new Hall effect triggers, and an impressive 50-hour battery which should make it perfect for gaming during your weekly commute. Once those become a thing again.

Amazing AR copy and paste demo is now a real iPhone app

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AR Copy and Paste
It's copy and paste: the next generation.
Photo: Cyril Diagne/AR Copy and Paste

Sometimes you have to trust your gut when you launch a new app, believing that if it’s good enough people are going to find out about it. Other times, the demand is so great that you quite literally can’t ignore the clamor.

This second scenario is the one that 34-year-old artist, designer, and programmer Cyril Diagne recently found himself in. After showing off one of the coolest AR demos seen in ages on Twitter, he was inundated with requests to turn the futuristic “copy and paste” demo into a real app. Less than two weeks later, Diagne has done exactly that.

Struggling Quibi turns to TV streaming in an effort to attract more users

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Quibi
iPhone users will be able to stream via AirPlay.
Photo: Quibi

Short-form video app Quibi has had a rough start since launching in April, and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg says there’s only one thing he blames: COVID-19.

“I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus,” Katzenberg told the New York Times in a report published late Monday. Katzenberg said that the initial app downloads have not been “close to what we wanted.” Now Quibi is going to let iPhone users watch it on their TVs to try and make up some of the lost ground.

Apple humblebrags about iPhone’s camera quality as it becomes Hollywood’s savior

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“American Idol” is sacred with iPhone
It's like the ultimate "Shot on iPhone" ad.
Photo: Cult of Mac

As the entertainment industry grinds to a halt during COVID-19 lockdown, Apple’s getting a whole lot of free publicity for the power of its iPhone camera. More and more productions are filming on the iPhone, with the latest being American Idol.

And Apple took a moment Monday to humblebrag about it.

Apple could invest $334 million in a factory building MicroLED displays

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Tired of staring at screens?
Apple is actively investigating new types of display.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple could underline its interest in MicroLED displays by investing close to $334 million in a dedicated MicroLED factory in Taiwan, a Tuesday report for the Economic Daily News claims.

MicroLED is another future display technology Apple has been actively investigating for some time. While it sounds similar to the MiniLED tech rumored to play a part in many future Apple devices, it is very different.

TikTok raked in a massive $78 million on mobile in April

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2020 is the year everyone wants to be TikTok famous.
TikTok was the number one app in the App Store in April.
Photo: Aaron Yoo/Flickr CC

TikTok had another massively successful month on mobile in April, a Tuesday report by leading app analytics platform Sensor Tower claims.

According to the report, users spent more than $78 million, across both iOS and Android, on TikTok last month. TikTok ranked number one on the App Store’s list of Top Grossing apps for the month, followed by YouTube, and then Tinder. This list does not include games. TikTok’s user spending is up by 10x compared to April last year.

A MacBook and a whopping big monitor make for an epic rig [Setups]

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Who says a MacBook-centered setup can't be epic?
Who says a MacBook-centered setup can't be epic?
Photo: Aral Tasher

Front-end web developer Aral Tasher’s MacBook-powered rig is minimal but powerful. With just his laptop, a 49-inch monitor and a Thunderbolt 3 cable, he gets desktop-level performance from his humble MacBook.

To hold his MacBook, the nerve center of the setup, he uses a premium wood mount by Grovemade. This is paired with a custom-built keyboard from KBDfans, and a top-of-the-line MX Master 3 mouse from Logitech.

Tasher is also wired for sound. A pair of KRK studio monitors and LG noise-canceling headphones would make any audiophile jealous.