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News - page 492

Apple Music’s real-time lyrics feature is coming to Mac users everywhere

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
Soon you'll be able to sing along to Drake on your Mac, too.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music’s lyric visualizer has arrived on Mac with the second beta release of macOS 10.15.4 Wednesday.

The feature, which gives users scrolling, karaoke-style song lyrics, was introduced as a much-lauded feature with iOS 13. Now Apple is porting it bringing it to macOS users as well.

Genre-bending drama Swan Song heads for Apple TV+

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Mahershala Ali is starring in a film for Apple TV+.
Mahershala Ali was in True Detective, and now he’s headed for Apple TV+.
Screenshot: HBO

Swan Song, a new film starring two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, is being produced for Apple TV+. It was written, and will be directed, by another Academy Award winner, Benjamin Cleary.

How to use Apple TV app’s new data-saving features

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The Apple TV app gets a raft of new features in iOS 12.3.
The Apple TV app just added new data saving features.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Binge-watching your favorite Apple TV shows on an iPhone is a great way to run through your data plan limits if you’re not careful, so Apple is introducing a way to wrangle in your data slurping habits.

iOS 13.4 beta 2 introduced some new settings to the Apple TV app for iPhone and iPad, giving users the option to control the size of downloads as well as lowering the amount of data used while streaming content. If Apple’s TV app is one of your major entertainment hubs, you’ll want to know how to take advantage of the new features.

Apple adds third company to exclusive list of iPhone manufacturers

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iPhone XS Max
Foxconn doesn’t assemble every iPhone. And soon there’ll be another company putting together iOS handsets.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly will expand the number of companies that can assemble iPhones. Luxshare Precision could join a rather exclusive club, according to reliable analyst, supposedly to reduce the risk that problems with one manufacturer will cause a shortage of iPhone units.

MRIs reveal smartphone addiction physically changes brains

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screen time management
Is Screen Time doing enough to curb iPhone addiction?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone addiction might be creating physical changes in your brain, according to a new study. Researchers looked into smartphone addiction and how it correlates to structural and functional changes in the brain.

They conducted MRI scans on 48 people, 22 of whom had smartphone addiction (SPA). The study found that SPA alters the brain in a way similar to what doctors see in drug addicts. The findings only get worse from there.

iOS 13.4 beta 2 brings more tweaks to Mail toolbar

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iCloud folder sharing is in iPadOS 13.4 and iOS 13.4
iCloud folder sharing finally arrives in iPadOS 13.4, and iOS 13.4 too.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the second beta build of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 to developers this morning bringing a bunch of bug fixes and some small new features to the iPhone and iPad.

Included among the changes are some more changes to the controversial toolbar in the Mail app. Apple also added some under-the-hood improvements and some changes to how location authorization works in apps.

Apple seeks dismissal of Servant plagiarism lawsuit

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Apple TV+ Servant promo image.
Apple defends against plagiarism allegations.
Photo: Apple

Apple asked a federal judge on Tuesday to toss a movie director’s lawsuit, arguing similarities between her work and the Apple TV+ series Servant are “common” and “unprotectable ideas” found in other works.

Francesa Gregorini’ has accused Apple, and Servant’s creators M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop’s of ripping off her 2013 film The Truth About Emanuel. Both movie and television series features a traumatized parent who hires a babysitter to care for a baby that turns out to be a doll.

10 more Apple Stores in China reopen to masked customers

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Apple Store in Qingdao
The Apple Store in Qingdao was the first to close amid coronavirus concerns.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple is unlocking the doors to 10 more Apple Stores in China but will remain vigilant as health officials try to contain the deadly coronavirus.

The stores set to reopen today are listed on the store page of Apple’s website. The 10 stores, including the first one closed due to the outbreak, will operate at reduced hours.

Apple has 42 retail sites across China.

Qualcomm’s new cellular modems could finally take 5G mainstream

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Qualcomm headquarters
This could be the modem which appears in the 2020 iPhone.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm has announced its new Snapdragon X60 5G modem, its third-gen 5G chip which offers improvements over its Snapdragon X55 and X50 predecessors.

While there is no confirmation that this is the case, this could very well be the modem chip that is used in the forthcoming generation of 5G iPhones. Apple patched up its rocky relationship with Qualcomm last year over the company’s 5G technology.

Apple sues former App Store manager over book that spills insider secrets

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Apple's not happy about former Apple employee Tom Sadowski's new book, App Store Confidential.
Apple's not happy about the new book App Store Confidential.
Photo: Murmann Verlag

Apple is suing former German App Store manager Tom Sadowski and his publisher over App Store Confidential, a new book that reveals “business secrets” Apple says Sadowski wasn’t legally allowed to disclose.

Cupertino’s lawyers are asking Sadowski and publisher Murmann Verlag to destroy all manuscripts of the German-language book, and to recall any copies currently in circulation. Apple says the book contains information that is of “considerable economic value” to the company.

Apple moves production of some high-demand devices to Taiwan

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Apple logo on store
Apple has a backup plan.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is shifting a portion of AirPods, iPad and Apple Watch production from China to Taiwan as the tech giant continues to deal with coronavirus-related delays in China.

The virus, called COVID-19, has forced Apple to diversity on the fly its China-reliant production model. Much of the country remains quarantined and restricted in travel, and Apple assembly and supply partners are unable to operate at full capacity.

Analysts aren’t worried about long-term impact of coronavirus on Apple

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money
Analysts think investors will need to weather the storm first, though.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While it’s a distant second to the human impact of coronavirus, the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus in China has caused plenty of disruption for Apple and its manufacturers.

But although Apple has already had to rein in its quarterly projections as a result, analysts watching the Cupertino firm aren’t getting unduly concerned. The majority of firms remain bullish when it comes to Apple’s prospects for near-term growth.

Photoshop celebrates its 30th birthday with new features for iPad

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Photoshop-Object-Selection-iPad
The new Object Selection tool works like magic.
Photo: Adobe

Photoshop turns 30 today, and to celebrate this massive milestone, Adobe is rolling out some handy new tools for the iPad version of its app.

The latest update brings an Object Selection tool and Type settings. They help bring Photoshop for iPad a little bit closer to the desktop version, and they’re part of Adobe’s mission to deliver a “continuous stream” of new features.

There are some nice additions for Photoshop on desktop, too.

Cash quiz app HQ Trivia may not be dead after all

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HQ Trivia 1
HQ Trivia had its moment in the sun, before beginning its decline.
Photo: HQ

One-time App Store sensation HQ Trivia has been thrown a lifeline after the company behind it initially announced that it was shutting down. On Twitter, HQ CEO and co-founder Rus Yusupov said that, after negotiations, they have found a tentative new home for the business.

“We have found a new home for HQ, with a company that wants to keep it running,” Yusupov wrote. “All employees, contractors and players are top priority. Severance will be paid and you will be able to cash out.”

Keyhub keyboard does double duty as 9-port USB-C hub

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Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub is both keyboard and hub.
The Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub combines two important accessories into one, saving on clutter.
Photo: Kolude

The Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub merges keyboard and multiport hub into one accessory — it’s right there in the name. The designers included scissor-switch keys in an aluminum casing, as well as nine ports, including USB-A and HDMI.

It extends the connectivity of Macs and iPad Pro, and all the ports are easily accessible.

Larry Tesler, the Apple employee who invented cut, copy and paste, dies at 74

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Larry Tesler
Larry Tesler worked for Apple from 1980 through 1997.
Photo: Yahoo!

Larry Tesler, a pioneering computer scientist who worked at Apple from 1980 to 1997 and created computerized cut, copy and paste, died Monday at the age of 74.

Tesler served as VP of AppleNet and Apple’s Advanced Technology Group. During his time at Apple, he played a key role in the development of products ranging from the Lisa to the Newton MessagePad.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his contribution to computing.

Smash hit Alto’s Odyssey sandboards onto Mac

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Alto
2018's App Store stunner is finally available on Mac.
Photo: Snowman

Two years after it debuted in the iOS App Store, Alto’s Odyssey has finally arrived on Mac.

The long-awaited follow up to 2015’s brilliant Alto’s Adventure endless snowboarding game transposes the action to a desert sandboarding setting. The resulting game is a luscious graphical stunner that will keep you playing for hours!

Airlines might have a solution for terrible in-flight Wi-Fi

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Delta Air Lines
Delta is one of the companies working to offer better in-flight Wi-Fi.
Photo: Delta

A collaboration between airlines and internet service providers has come together to improve in-flight Wi-Fi.

They have created a modular system of hardware and software that can be rapidly upgraded as better, faster wireless options emerge.