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You can now stream Pandora from your Apple Watch without an iPhone

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Apple Watch Series 5 California Face
It could be one of many new faces.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The newest update to Pandora for Apple Watch gives you the ability to stream music without being connected to your iPhone.

The feature takes advantage of changes made in watchOS 6, which rolled out last fall, that allow third-party apps to stream audio on Apple Watch. Of course, you’ll need a device with LTE connectivity to enjoy it.

Apple shipped 2.6 million HomePods during all-important holiday quarter

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Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
HomePod is still a bit player in the smart speaker market.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple sold just 2.6 million HomePods into the retail channel worldwide in the last three months of 2020, a new report claims. While that is up from the 1.6 million units it shipped the same quarter a year earlier, it’s still a fraction of the total shipped by market leader Amazon.

“The price is still very high,” David Watkins, director at Strategy Analytics, told Cult of Mac. “That closes the door to a huge swathe of potential customers.”

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10X OS is ‘very smooth’ on a MacBook

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Windows-10X-MacBook
And it's still in preview for now.
Photo: @imbushuo

Microsoft is working hard on a new version of Windows that promises to be faster, more efficient, and more secure. Windows 10X is available only in preview form for now, and it already runs surprisingly well on a MacBook.

One developer installed an early version of the software on an Apple machine, and it is proving to be “very smooth” so far.

iPhone SE 2 will be a low-cost powerhouse, and we talk details, on The CultCast

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CultCast 427
Apple's prepping iPhone SE 2!
Photo: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple is prepping iPhone SE 2, but trouble in China could mean massive production delays across the entire tech industry. Plus: macOS leaks hint at big CPU upgrades on the way; and a celebrity calls out the MacBook’s troubled keyboards.

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

Supreme Court rules Apple is breaking the law not paying employees during bag searches

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Anti-robocall bill is one step closer to being passed into law
Court has ruled on complaint dating back to 2013.
Photo: rawpixel.com/Pexels CC

Should Apple have to pay retail employees during mandatory bag and iPhone searches at the end of their shifts? Yes, says California’s Supreme Court.

The battle over off-the-clock work has been raging since 2013. Apple previously won at the trial level in District Court for the Northern District of California. However, a new ruling says that Apple broke the law by not paying workers for this time.

5G iPhone may not offer 2×2 uplink support after all

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Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
Are you excited about the arrival of 5G iPhones?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12 is poised to pack a lot of exciting features. One that won’t be on the list? Support for a 2×2 uplink, according to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo previously suggested that the 5G iPhone 12 would support 2×2 MIMO uplink, potentially meaning slightly faster maximum uploads. This was part of a report claiming that the iPhone 12 series devices would use up to six power amplifiers for improved connectivity. In a new report obtained by Cult of Mac, Kuo now says they are likely to include just one or two.

LGBTQ docuseries Visible: Out on Television can now be seen on Apple TV+

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Visible
Every episode of new docuseries now available to watch.
Photo: Apple

Apple Originals docuseries Visible: Out on Television has debuted on Apple TV+. The five-part series examines the history of LGBTQ representation on TV. It blends archival footage with new interviews with stars including Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and others.

Check out a trailer below.

US slams Huawei with racketeering charges

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Huawei
Huawei has been relentless in its pursuit to become the world's biggest tech company.
Photo: AndroidCentral

Apple’s biggest competition from China just got hit with the R.I.C.O.

The FBI and US Department of Justice revealed this afternoon 16 charges filed against Huawei, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers. Prosecutors claim Huawei conspired to steal trade secrets, commit wire fraud and conspired to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

We’re still digging into the 56-page indictment, but it looks like Huawei was on a two-decade-long streak of keepin it gangsta.

YouTube TV cancels all App Store subscriptions

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YouTube in Safari on iMac Pro
YouTube TV is making some customers jump through hoops to keep their subscriptions.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Everyone who subscribed to YouTube TV via Apple’s App Store got a notice today that their subscriptions will be canceled next month. They’ll have to resubscribe on the YouTube website.

Underwater iPhone case goes deep for stellar pics

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AquaTech AxisGo waterproof case
Your iPhone photos will go below the surface.
Photo: AquaTech

Yes, the iPhone 11 Pro is waterproof-ish enough to survive a good soaking in a pool, lake or ocean. But why chance it when you don’t have to?

Should you fancy a photo swim, you will want to consider the AquaTech AxisGO underwater camera housing for the iPhone 11 lineup.

You’ll be shopping in AR soon, thanks to Apple

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Apple AR Quick Look is augmented reality shopping
Apple’s AR Quick Look lets you see how this unique speaker, and other products, would look in your home.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Retailers that advertise with Apple’s AR Quick Look now have the option to add a “buy now” button directly in the augmented reality experience. Before this, shoppers could only look at items superimposed onto the real world.

This is just the latest part of Apple’s growing embrace of augmented reality.

Smartphone film fest dangles $10,000 prize for your iPhone masterpiece

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publicity shot for Moment International Film Festival
You have a little over a month to make a three-minute classic.
Photo: Moment

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has sworn off big expensive motion picture cameras for the camera in his pocket. Your iPhone is no different from his, so get out there and make the movie that’s locked in your head. It could win you $10,000 in the Moment International Film Festival.

Award-winning strategy game Company of Heroes lands on iPad

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Company-of-Heroes
A must-have for any RTS fan.
Photo: Feral Interactive

Company of Heroes, the award-winning World War II strategy game, today makes the leap to iPad.

The mobile version is a complete port of the original, which first debuted in 2006 — but it has been completely rebuilt for tablets. And if you’re into real-time strategy games, you’re going to love it.

“Our aim is that the experience of playing Company of Heroes on mobile should be as fantastic as it was on desktop,” publisher Feral Interactive told Cult of Mac.

Trippy video shot on iPhone will blow your mind

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Glacier
Glacier raises the bar for Shot on iPhone videos.
Photo: Vallée Duhamel

Great looking shot on iPhone videos are a dime a dozen nowadays, but I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this one.

The creative team behind Vallee Duhamel pushed the iPhone XS Max camera to its limit for their conceptual video Glacier that has to be seen to be believed. Apple commissioned the video to be made for one of its Today at Apple sessions and will be playing it at stores worldwide to inspire iPhone owners to push their own creativity.

Buckle up for a short film that’s out of this world:

SwitchGlass is a supercharged Dock replacement for Mac

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SwitchGlass -- almost exactly the same as the Dock.
SwitchGlass -- almost exactly the same as the Dock.
Photo: John Siracusa

SwitchGlass is a handy new Mac app from John Siracusa. It’s like a superpowered dock, conceptually honed from the regular macOS dock by removing some annoyances, and adding some extra subtleties. It’s certainly not the most powerful dock-replacement app out there, but if your needs align with Siracusa’s, then you’re going to love it.

Strava finally adds support for Apple’s Workout app. But there’s a big but …

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Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Strava is a brilliant app for sharing your workouts and analyzing your fitness activity. But its Apple Watch app is not so great. That’s why I prefer to use Apple’s built-in Workout app and then view my data afterward on the Strava website.

The trouble is, up until now, the only way to do that was by relying on third-party apps such as HealthFit, which provide the missing link that syncs Apple’s workouts with Strava.

Strava has been promising to come up with a solution for years. And this week, the company finally delivered. It’s a huge step in the right direction, but I won’t be deleting HealthFit just yet. Here’s why.

5 Apple Stores in China are reopening — but customers must wear surgical masks

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Apple store in Shanghai
Apple reopens select stores in Beijing, but stores in other cities remain closed.
Photo: FullbridgeProgram/Flickr CC

Apple will reopen five of its retail stores in Beijing tomorrow, although only for limited hours. The stores will open between 11am and 6pm local time, compared with the usual 10am through 10pm 12-hour opening hours.

Apple made the decision to close all 42 of its Apple Stores in China as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus. Originally, it planned to reopen them on February 10. However, retail chief Deidre O’Brien later revealed that this reopening time was being pushed back further.

Former HBO boss could bring more socially conscious shows to Apple TV+

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Apple TV+
Apple TV+ has featured a diverse range of shows so far.
Photo: Apple

Cupertino could be looking to snap up more socially conscious original shows for Apple TV+ that examine issues such as identity and sexuality, a new report suggests.

Financial Times bases its claim on a new hire made by former HBO boss Richard Plepler. Plepler, who recently signed a five-year exclusive deal with Apple TV+, has hired literary agent Heather Karpas. Her LinkedIn page notes that she is interested in books about “minority and female perspectives on identity, sexuality, and power; examinations of emotional trauma and means of catharsis; and explorations of dysfunctional friendships and families.”

Apple is ‘likely to stick’ to plans for a September iPhone event

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Apple_Keynote-Event_Phil-Schiller-iPhone-11-Pro_091019
Yes, we will get our iPhone event in September. According to a supply chain rumor, that is!
Photo: Apple

Despite the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Apple is going to “stick to its plans” for an iPhone event in September, according to a new report.

That is despite the fact that another report today claims that orders for the five-nanometer A14 chips for the iPhone 12 are likely to be 50-60% higher than for last year’s iPhone chips. In other words, the next-gen iPhones face both increased demand and, for now, reduced supply.

From infrared scanners to tracking apps: How Foxconn is dealing with coronavirus

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Foxconn operates mega-factories in China, which are more like mini-cities.
Photo: CBS

Apple manufacturers in China, such as Foxconn, are taking measures including installing infrared temperature scanners and producing their own surgical face masks to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Factories belonging to companies like Foxconn have been hit hard by the spread of the virus, now officially called COVID-19. While some remain closed, others have reopened with a vastly reduced workforce. A new report sheds light on some of the safety measures they have been ordered — or have chosen — to take.

There’s no going back: Apple stops signing iOS 13.3

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Stop the madness
It's all about iOS 13.3.1 now. And beyond!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

It’s the end of the road for iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3. That’s because Apple has stopped signing both ye olde versions of its operating system. This means that it is no longer possible to download and install them on devices.

Instead, Apple wants to encourage every iPhone and iPad user to join them in the shining wonderland utopia that is mobile software versions 13.3.1.

Foldable phone shipments could surpass 100 million by 2025

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8-inch foldable iPhone concept
A concept foldable phone shows the advantages: it’s about the size of an iPhone 11, but opens into an iPad mini.
Concept: Ben Geskin

The market for foldable phones is still in its infancy. But a market analysts firm says eventually every major phone maker will produce them, including Apple. Once problems with early designs are worked out, shipments will pass the 100 million mark in a few years.