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iPhone SE comes in hot! [Cult of Mac Magazine 346]

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Good reviews (and giddy owners) greet Apple's budget iPhone SE.
Good reviews (and giddy owners) greet Apple's new budget iPhone.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The reviews are in: The 2020 iPhone SE is a wallet-friendly speed machine with features that make it totally tempting. You can almost hear new owners squealing with delight as their preorders arrive.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 faces delays due to the worldwide COVID-19 shutdown. Get those stories and more in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download the app now for a smooth read on your iOS device of choice. Or hit the links below for the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos.

First Apple Watch concept drawing reveals brilliance of original designs

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Apple Watch concept
Imran Chaudhri drew this Apple Watch concept sketch long before the release of this wearable.
Photo: Imran Chaudhri

Imran Chaudhri, who played a pivotal role in the Apple Watch’s creation, offered an inside look into the device’s design process Friday, showing off an early concept drawing of the smartwatch’s home screen.

His sketch, shared on the 5-year anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, looks amazingly close to what is in use now. He also showed off a video of the very first Apple Watch band and talked about the history of some Watch faces.

Facebook takes on Zoom, Group FaceTime with free video calls for up to 50 people

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facebook.messenger.rooms
Facebook on Friday announced new video calling features including Messenger Rooms, which allows users to host video calls of up to 50 people.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook announced Friday it will add the ability for free video calling for up to 50 people on its new video-calling service, Messenger Rooms. The change is taking direct aim at the Group FaceTime and the popular Zoom service that has taken the world by storm as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The expanded service will launch by days end in selected regions with a smaller number of users at launch, but will not be available for the maximum number for a few more weeks, the company said. 

Apple reportedly cuts 5G iPhone orders on fears of global recession

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This iPhone 12 concept borrows from Samsung.
Is Apple cutting back on its orders for the future iPhone 12? It appears so.
Image: ConceptsiPhone

Apple reportedly cut orders for its future 5G iPhones with Chinese component makers, fearing a slowdown in orders as a result of what many economists are already calling the beginnings of a global recession. 

Chinese daily technology newspaper Digitimes reported Friday some component suppliers have been told by Apple they will not need as many parts for new iPhones, expected to be released later this year. Other suppliers now say that they too expect a slowdown in orders from the iPhone-maker.

We talk next-gen AirPods and the return of Touch ID, on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
Can you handle some hot, hot beta action?
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: The next generation of AirPods might be incoming! We’ll tell you what we know. Plus, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are likely coming to iPad, along with Mini LED and Touch ID … under the screen. This could be the new Touch ID tech we’ve been waiting for. And stay tuned to hear how to listen to YouTube music in the background, without paying for YouTube Red. It’s a hot tip, and it’s coming your way.

Our thanks to Netgear for supporting this episode. The Orbi WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home – it’s the biggest revolution in Wi-Fi ever. Check it out today at Netgear.com/bestwifi.

Sorry! Order an iPhone SE today and you’ll wait till mid-May

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The iPhone SE backordered around the world.
You can’t buy an iPhone SE from the German Apple Store without a lengthy wait. Or in the U.S., the U.K, and many more countries.
Screenshot: Apple

Those who pre-ordered an iPhone SE last week started receiving their handsets today, but Apple sold out of its supply. Orders placed Friday for this $399 handset won’t arrive for over two weeks.

The latest iOS handset is backordered in the U.S. and in countries around the world.

Exclusive: iPhone 12 faces delays, with faster 5G limited to key countries

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
Prepare for iPhone 12 delays and confusion.
Photo: Ben Geskin

A number of iPhone 12 models currently face delays and may not become available in key markets until later in the year, a trusted source familiar with Apple’s plans revealed to Cult of Mac.

Options also could be limited in the United States and in other countries, where faster mmWave 5G technology is available. Elsewhere, customers may have a complete iPhone 12 lineup to choose from, but with slower 5G technology, according to the source.

One more song: Steve Jobs opera will stream for all this spring

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The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs will be broadcast this June.
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

Steve Jobs is coming to the radio. Through the medium of song, that is!

With theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Seattle Opera plans to treat listeners to some much-needed opera by broadcasting some of its past performances on the radio (and streaming them online). Apple fans might want to tune in for Grammy-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which tells the story of Apple’s iconic late co-founder and CEO.

Apple Pay will finally be going live with Switzerland’s biggest bank

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Apple Pay UBS
It took long enough to reach this point!
Photo: UBS

Apple Pay is coming to Switzerland’s largest bank UBS after it refused to adopt it for years.

A report from the website MacPrime shared an image from UBS suggesting that Apple Pay will go live in the near future. No date has been announced for exactly when that will take place. However, it will reportedly be in the next few weeks.

Apple insists big Mail app security flaws have not been exploited

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Mail app inbox
Nothing to worry about?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple insisted on Friday that there is no evidence to suggest serious security flaws in its Mail app have been exploited.

The company says the issues do not pose an immediate risk to iPhone and iPad users. Its statement seems to dispute earlier claims from security researchers, who published details of at multiple suspected “attacks” on Wednesday.

iPhone 2024? Apple chipmaker already working on astonishing 2-nanometer chip technology

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
Future chips will use transistors almost unimaginably small -- for almost unimaginably speedy results.
Screenshot: Apple

iPhone 2024 anyone? Apple chipmaker TSMC disclosed in its annual report to shareholders Friday that it has kicked off its 2-nanometer R&D process for future chips.

Going by Apple’s record trend of adopting a major upgrade (or, in terms of size, nanometer downgrade) in A-series chipsets every two years, that would mean the early stages of a new processor for the 2024 iPhone. This year’s iPhone is widely expected to come with a 5-nanometer A-series chip. The iPhone 11 has a 7nm processor.

Want to use CarPlay in your classic 1960s Porsche? Now you can

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Classic Porsche CarPlay
Now all I need is the classic Porsche to go with it!
Photo: Porsche

Want to feel like a 1960s spy? Fire up your vintage sports car, take to a winding road in the Swiss alps, and then call up information on your auto’s touchscreen control panel.

Such a thing, once firmly in the realm of fiction, is now possible thanks to a new line of CarPlay radios created by Porsche. Allowing you to kit out cars dating back to the 1960s with high-resolution touchscreens, Bluetooth, DAB+, and Apple’s in-car infotainment system, the head units opens up CarPlay to a whole new audience.

First 3 episodes of Defending Jacob debut on Apple TV+

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Defending Jacob 1
Chris Evans stars as a man whose son may or may not have committed a murder.
Photo: Apple TV+

Defending Jacob, a new Apple TV+ murder mystery show starring Chris Evans (Captain America), debuted Friday on Apple’s streaming TV service.

The show tells the story of a small-town assistant district attorney whose family is turned upside down after his 14-year-old son is accused of murder. Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery plays Evans’ wife, while Jaeden Martell from It plays the titular Jacob.

Tim Cook drops in on UK’s The Big Night In fundraiser

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“The Big Night In” was raising funds for charity, and Tim Cook dropped by the help.
Tim Cook appeared on The Big Night In to announce a sizable donation from Apple to the cause.
Photo: BBC TV

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared on Thursday’s The Big Night In event on BBC One in Great Britain. He announced his company is making a “significant donation” to this fundraiser, which is raising money for Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need.

The Shrink Next Door starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd heads for Apple TV+

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“The Shrink Next Door” will star Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell
Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell appeared in the Anchorman movies, and now these brilliant comedians are headed for Apple TV+.
Photo: DreamWorks Pictures

Apple TV+ picked up a comedy starring a couple of household names on Thursday. Apple gave a straight-to-series order to The Shrink Next Door, a new, eight-episode limited series starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd.

OWC ThunderBlade external SSD offers 16TB of super-fast storage

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OWC ThunderBlade uses Thunderbolt 3 and can be part of a RAID.
With up to 16TB of capacity, the OWC ThunderBlade hold almost an entire day of 4K RAW footage.
Photo: OWC

Creative professionals working with 4K or 8K video, or anyone who just wants an enormous amount of portable storage, can turn to the OWC ThunderBlade.  Starting Thursday, this SSD now offers up to a whopping 16TB in capacity, and can transfer data at 2800MB/s.

OWC also updated its Envoy Pro EX line with 4TB version. And the Accelsior 4M2 internal SSD now also offers up to 16TB of capacity.

FCC boosts Wi-Fi speeds by opening 6 GHz spectrum

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6 GHz Wi-Fi is coming to many devices. Eventually.
Lots of computers in a small space is a scenario where 6 GHz Wi-Fi is expected to shine.
Photo: Pixels CC

The FCC on Thursday approved an expansion of Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band. This adds almost five times the bandwidth to the short-range wireless networking standard. It should bring Wi-Fi connections that are up to 2.5 times faster, with less interference from nearby computers.

Thursday’s FCC vote on this expansion was unanimous, and the change has strong industry support.

Third-gen AirPods to enter production in early 2021

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AirPods sales
That means a lengthy wait for your next upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s third-generation AirPods will enter mass-production during the first half of 2021 ahead of a release next year, according to one reliable analyst on Thursday.

Apple hopes the refresh will save falling demand for second-generation AirPods. Its next AirPods Pro units won’t enter mass-production until the fourth-quarter of next year at the earliest.

Bye-bye, blog roll: Welcome to the new Cult of Mac

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Cult of Mac redesigned front page
Our redesign is live at last.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Welcome to Cult of Mac’s new look.

We redesigned the site’s front page to better display the day’s most important stories, make it easier to find content, and to surface parts of the site that are sometimes not easy to find.

We hope you like the result.

PSA: Remove Apple Watch bands before repairs or lose them for good

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Monowear-Urban-Canvas-Apple-Watch-1
Apple won't send back your bands anymore.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch owners who send their device in for repair must remove bands first or risk losing them for good.

Apple has updated its support documentation to make it clear that it does not return bands and other add-ons. “Please remove them before sending your Apple Watch in for repair,” it states.