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News - page 45

Bigfoot emoji might be sighted next year

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Bigfoot emoji might be sighted next year
Say, what’s that "hairy creature"?
Photo: Emojipedia/Cult of Mac

The list of additions to the official collection of emoji we can use in text message includes an orca, a trombone an Apple core and, wait, is that Bigfoot?!

The industry group responsible for choosing new emoji proposed nine major additions and dozens of tweaks for the next update. If approved, they will come to iPhone, Mac and iPad, as well as Androids, PCs and many social media applications.

Google’s Gemini AI gets its own chatty iPhone app

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Google Gemini for iPhone app
The Google Gemini for iPhone app can generate images with text prompts.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Gemini application for iPhone that launched Thursday gives users direct access to Google’s AI-powered virtual assistant.

Have a conversation, get advice or generate images with the app.

Apple legend Bill Atkinson in treatment for pancreatic cancer

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Bill Atkinson at MacWorld
Bill Atkinson presented at MacWorld in 2010.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Bill Atkinson, a legendary Apple programmer, let the world know Tuesday he’s in treatment for pancreatic cancer, the same disease that killed his boss, Steve Jobs, in 2011. Atkinson published a post on Facebook asking for prayers.

Recruited by Jobs and Macintosh developer and user interface guru Jef Raskin, Atkinson became employee number 51 at Apple. He’s a primary architect of the original Mac. You can see some of his considerable accomplishments and his Facebook post below.

UK consumer group files £3B lawsuit against Apple for iCloud ‘abuse’

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UK consumer group files £3B lawsuit against Apple for iCloud ‘abuse’
A UK consumer-advocacy group claims iCloud is an abuse of Apple’s power over iPhone and iPad users.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The UK consumer-advocacy group Which? accused Apple of forcing iPhone and iPad owners to use iCloud, and then overcharging them for the service.

It’s asking for a hefty £3 billion ($3.8 billion) in compensation. That’s about £70 per consumer.

Will Bad Sisters face the music in season 2? [Now streaming!]

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Bad Sisters season 2 trailer
Darkly funny thriller series Bad Sisters returns November 13!
Photo: Apple TV+

Bad Sisters season two sees the Garvey women scrambling in the aftermath of the darkly funny thriller’s first season, a new trailer Apple TV+ dropped Tuesday shows. Will they get away with the “accidental death”? Or will they break ranks and trip up as the law and nosey strangers close in?

Season two of the popular and acclaimed series debuts on Apple TV+ November 13. Watch out for season one spoilers below, by the way, in case you haven’t streamed it yet (and you really should).

Update: The first pair of episodes of Bad Sisters season two premiered Wednesday.  It’s two years after J.P.’s death, and it might be time for what the Garvey women did in season one to catch up to them.

New Ted Lasso book aims to tell the whole story of the hit Apple TV+ show

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new Ted Lasso book
The book contains a lot of interview material as well as episode recaps.
Photo: Dutton/Amazon

Beloved soccer comedy series Ted Lasso, considered Apple TV+’s biggest hit, is the subject of new book by no less than Jeremy Egner, a TV critic for The New York Times. He titled his new tome, released Tuesday, Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way into Our Hearts.

The book, published by Dutton, purports to tell the whole story of the show, from its unlikely conception based on a TV commercial to its surprising, and now ongoing, success. (Production for season four of Ted Lasso kicks off in January.)

iPad Pro easily outsells every other Apple tablet

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How to choose the right iPad for you
iPad Pro sells very well. iPad mini… not so much.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Trying to decide which Apple tablet is right for you? Knowing which is the most popular might help. And there’s no doubt which one earns the top spot: iPad Pro.

You can probably guess the second most purchased iPadOS model.

Have happier holidays with 15 new Apple Arcade games

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15 new Apple Arcade games
Unwrap some holiday gaming this year.
Photo: Apple

Looking forward to some holiday downtime, maybe hunched over your Apple device with a glass of eggnog by the fire? Apple is set to expand its gaming catalog of over 200 titles with 15 new Apple Arcade games this holiday season. They include highly anticipated releases and reimagined classics. That sounds like hours of holly jolly fun.

Apple’s ridiculously complex Gold Link Bracelet for Apple Watch goes on sale

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Gold Link Bracelet for Apple Watch
You can now buy the Gold Link Bracelet for your Apple Watch
Photo: Apple

Apple is now selling a Gold Link Bracelet for the Apple Watch. Listed for $349, the band is made from 316L stainless steel alloy and features over 100 components.

Apple first showcased the band while unveiling the Apple Watch Series 10 at its September “It’s Glowtime” event.

Apple’s next big thing is a wall-mounted iPad?

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Apple’s next big thing is a wall-mounted iPad?
Apple’s smart home device might look just a little bit like this.
Concept: Vivint/Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly developing a “command center” for smart homes. It’ll supposedly be an inexpensive, wall-mounted, tablet-like computer used to control smart devices and make video calls. The device also would serve as an access point for the upcoming AI-powered Siri.

This is not much like anything the company offers now, though it does mix in some of the features of an iPad and a HomePod.

Apple Music Classical adds CarPlay and Siri support

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Apple Music Classical on CarPlay
Now you can strike up Apple Music Classical on your CarPlay screen and tell maestro Siri what to play.
Photo: ChatGPT

You can now enjoy Apple Music Classical on the road per new updates Apple made Tuesday in version 2.1 of the app. It added CarPlay and Siri support to the service, in addition to other minor improvements to raise the quality level.

“Hey, Siri, crank up Brahms’ Sonata for Piano and Violin in G Major, and rip the knob off,” is something you could try saying as you drive around. But will the silence remain?

Get an inside look at Bad Sisters season 2 [Apple TV+ video]

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Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff and Eve Hewson in
In season two of Bad Sisters, the Garvey women deal with the aftermath of their actions.
Photo: Apple TV+

Accomplished Irish actor Fiona Shaw joined the cast of Bad Sisters in an “inside look” at season two video Apple TV+ released Monday, ahead of the new season’s Wednesday debut. And this Bad Sisters season 2 video, really just a promo, is pretty entertaining.

“Thanks very much for welcoming me into your dangerous, hostile little world,” Shaw quips to the group of woman seated around a table. And later in the chat, she says of the Garvey sisters: “When they’re all together they become a kind of phalanx of meerkats.”

That line provokes gales of laughter from the “Garveys” in a video that is, essentially, a season one recap, a look ahead to the imminent season two and, maybe above all, a celebration of women.

Apple Music turns its 100 Best Albums list into $450 coffee-table book

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Apple Music 100 Best Albums book
Got a coffee table? Here's your next conversation piece.
Photo: Apple Music/Assouline

Back when Apple Music put out its 100 Best Albums of all time list, some people expressed shock at the No. 1 pick — 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. And now they might be shocked they’re being asked to pay a whopping $450 for a fancy-schmancy, limited-edition coffee-table book version of the whole list. That seems like an Apple move, doesn’t it? But if you’re into it, act fast — only 1,500 copies exist.

However, before you do … you know you could buy an M1 or maybe an M2 Mac mini with that $450, right? Just sayin’.

Apple could launch a smart home camera in 2026

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Apple Store logo in Chengdu, China with two people standing in front of it
Apple might enter a new product category in 2026.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple could enter a new product segment in 2026 with the launch of a smart home IP camera that lets users keep an eye on things when they’re away. The company is seemingly looking to start mass production two years from now.

The smart home camera should integrate seamlessly with other devices in Apple’s ecosystem.

iOS 18.2 beta 3: All the new features and changes

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iOS 18.2 Beta 3: All the changes and features
iOS 18.2 takes another step towards its public release.
Photo: Cult of Mac

With iOS 18.3 due for release in early December, Apple continues beta testing the OS. The third beta build is now out for developers, bringing some small changes and enhancements.

Below is a roundup of all the new features and changes in iOS 18.2 beta 3.

UPDATE: These became available to all beta testers on Tuesday. Just be aware that this is the only second round of public beta testing and the updates are labeled as such. Nevertheless, public beta 2 is the same as developer beta 3.

Find lost luggage by sharing your AirTag location with your airline

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Find lost luggage by sharing your AirTag location with your airline
Now you can temporarily share the location of your lost bag with your airline.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Share Item Location lets AirTag users securely share the location of their tracking tag with an airline. The goal is to help find and recover lost luggage.

“The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, in a press release Monday. “With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”

Pitaka’s new iPad mini folio folds into 4 viewing angles

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Pitaka MagEZ Folio 2 for iPad mini
The new Pitaka MagEZ Folio 2 is well-suited to iPad mini 6 or the new iPad mini 7.
Photo: Pitaka

Pitaka designed the protective and stylish new MagEZ Folio 2 for iPad Mini 6 and the new iPad Mini 7 with A17 Pro chip, the company said Monday.

“The MagEZ Folio 2 is designed to enhance the portability, versatility and protection of the latest iPad Mini models,” Pitaka told Cult of Mac. “With a focus on flexibility and user convenience, this new folio cover is set to redefine the iPad experience and is available in black, white and blue color options.”

New Apple TV+ docuseries peeks into ‘secret lives’ of animals

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The Secret Lives of Animals docuseries on Apple TV+
This colobus monkey is one of the stars of the show.
Photo: Apple TV+

Does “incredible never-before-seen footage of rare and remarkable animal behaviors, highlighting the brilliant intelligence of the natural world” sound good to you? Then get excited for the new 10-part nature documentary series Apple TV+ unveiled Monday with that description, The Secret Lives of Animals.

And no, the series doesn’t come with David Attenborough narration. But you still get a great English accent. SAG Award winner Hugh Bonneville, of Downton Abbey fame, plays that role for this one.

PlugBug Travel wall charger with built-in Find My goes international

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Twelve South PlugBug
Twelve South PlugBug is hard to lose wherever it goes.
Photo: Twelve South

Twelve South introduced PlugBug Travel, a version of its USB-C wall charger with six power adapters so it can be used around the world. Taking it internationally makes its support for Apple’s Find My technology even more useful.

There are versions with two ports and four ports with outputs appropriate for iPhone and/or MacBook.

iPhone does a new trick that makes it harder to hack

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Apple Security Encryption
Install iOS 18.1 to make your iPhone more challenging to hack into.
Image: Apple

Anyone hoping to hack into an iPhone now finds it more difficult thanks to a change in iOS 18.1. Whether this is police, foreign espionage agents or criminal hackers, there’s now much less time to crack the security on Apple handsets because of a simple trick.

It’s another example of Apple being serious about protecting user privacy.

Apple could double iPhone production in India within two years

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
Trade war between US and China could force Apple to make more iPhones in India.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple could further expand its iPhone manufacturing efforts in India over the next two years. This shift would likely occur if newly-elected US President Donald Trump implements heavy tariffs on Chinese imports.

India is already the second major iPhone production hub for Apple outside China.