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Carriers push ‘Stay Home’ messages to iPhone amid COVID-19 pandemic

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iPhone-Stay-Home
Just in case you forget.
Photo: Alexander Sibert

iPhone users in many countries around the world have started seeing “Stay Home” messages from multiple carriers when they disable Wi-Fi.

The message, designed to remind people that they shouldn’t be leaving home during the COVID-19 pandemic unless it’s absolutely necessary, appears at the top of Control Center, alongside the carrier’s name.

20 brilliant work-from-home essentials for buyers on a budget

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home-office
Do you have all you need?
Photo: Unsplash/Grovemade

Working from home for the first time can be daunting — especially when you quickly find out you don’t have all the equipment you really need. But don’t panic. Cult of Mac can help you ensure you don’t miss out on the essentials.

We’ve compiled a long list of home-working gear that you can get delivered to your door in days. They’re all affordable options that are ideal for tight budgets, and they’ve been highly rated by consumers.

So, whether you need a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor or a comfy chair, these work-from-home essentials will get you through the coronavirus lockdown.

Goldman Sachs will get more anonymized data on Apple Card users

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Apple Card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
Apple is the face of the Apple Card, but Goldman Sachs really controls it.
Photo: Apple

Apple updated its privacy policy on Apple Card this week in order to share more data with its card partner Goldman Sachs.

The larger data set is still be anonymized and will reportedly be used to allow Goldman Sachs to create a new credit assignment model so that more people are able to get approval for Apple Card.

Apple donating 9 million N95 masks for coronavirus fight

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pence-trump
Vice President Pence announced Apple is pulling out all the stops to get more masks to medical workers dealing with the coronavirus.
Photo: CNN video image

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday that Apple has donated nine million N95 respirator masks to help hospitals and medical workers deal with the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Apple stores could open as soon as mid-April

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tulsa.apple.store.1
Closed in Tulsa.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Apple told its retail employees that it will likely start reopening Apple Stores sometime during the first half of April, according to memo sent to various store employees on Tuesday.

Apple shuttered 467 of its stores outside of China as a precaution as COVID-19 rapidly advanced around the world.

Apple launches education website to help students and teachers learn remotely

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student
iPad is coming in clutch for a lot of students shut out of school.
Photo: Apple

Schools across the globe are closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Apple is ready to help educators with a new site that shows teachers how to enable remote learnings for all students using Apple products.

The Apple Education Learning Series website features a collection of videos that are geared to students and educators of all ages. There are only two videos on the site currently, but Apple says the site will continue to add more.

watchOS 6.2 arrives with in-app purchases and ECG support for 3 new countries

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Apple Watch likely will gain new health-related features.
Apple Watch ECG functionality just got unlocked for more people.
Photo: Apple

Apple pushed out a big software update to Apple Watch wearers today that expands ECG functionality on the Series 4 and Series 5 to users in Chile, Turkey and New Zealand.

watchOS 6.2 was released to the public today alongside iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4 and macOS Catalina 10.15.4. The new watchOS update also adds a couple of new features, including the ability to make in-app purchases for Apple Watch apps.

Smartphone production may drop by 30% in first half of 2020

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iPhone 5G
COVID-19 may hurt the rollout of 5G devices.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Global smartphone production could fall as much as 30% during the first half of 2020, according to analysts at ABI Research.

The advisory firm’s latest report claims that while analysts previously hoped the arrival of 5G smartphones would bring a big sales boost at the end of the year, that’s unlikely to happen now that the coronavirus outbreak has paused device production and plunged the global economy into a recession.

Apple TV+ misses out on big COVID-19 surge in streaming demand

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LG UM6X UHD in room
Sorry, Apple.
Photo: LG

It’s a surprise to no one that video streaming services are seeing big surges in demand while everyone is stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it seems Apple TV+ is missing out.

While the likes of Netflix, HBO Now, and Disney+ have seen sharp increases in subscribers in recent weeks, according to a new report, the number of people turning to Apple TV+ has hardly risen at all.

YouTube drops video quality to standard def globally

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you.tube.logo.4
YouTube videos are going to look a bit worse the next month.
Photo: YouTube

YouTube viewers are set to see a big drop in video quality worldwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alphabet-owned streaming giant revealed that it will reduce the quality of all videos to standard definition starting today as a way to alleviate internet congestions due to more people having to shelter in place.

Plague Inc. devs donate big bucks to fight coronavirus

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Plague Inc., a game about a pandemic, might a little too real for government regulators.
Plague Inc. will fight the real thing.
Screenshot: Ndemic Creations/YouTube

The developers of the game Plague Inc. will donate $250,000 to fight the real-life plague, COVID-19, currently gripping the globe.

Ndemic Creations said it will split the money between the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Plugable 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter doubles Mac network speeds at a reasonable price [Update]

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Get much faster Mac Ethernet with Plugable’s latest adapter.
The Plugable 2.5Gbps USB Ethernet Adapter promises faster Mac networking.
Photo: Plugable

Plugable Technologies announced Tuesday the availability of its 2.5Gbps USB Ethernet Adapter, bring a significant boost in speed over other ubiquitous devices at 1Gbps.

This affordable plug-in accessory is compatible with Mac and works over Cat 5e and Cat 6 Ethernet cables.

UK’s contactless payment limit rises to make shopping simpler

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contactless-payment
Quicker checkouts, less contact.
Photo: Visa

U.K. Finance on Tuesday confirmed it is increasing the contactless card payment limit to £45. The move is designed to make shopping simpler during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will be permanent.

Consumers in the U.K. can currently spend up to £30 on their debit cards before having to enter their PIN number. The new limit comes into effect on April 1 and will be useful where Apple Pay isn’t available.

Disney+ launches in UK, 6 European countries at 25% lower bandwidth

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disney.plus.uk.2
Disney+ launches, but don't count on much customer support for now.
Photo: Apple

Disney+, the streaming service from the Walt Disney Company, launched in the early hours of Tuesday morning across the United Kingdom and six European countries, but at reduced bandwidth and video quality after a government request to ease the strain on broadband networks.

Cult of Mac confirmed that the Disney+ app and service are available on the Apple TV App Store in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.

Popular banking app Revolut lands in the US

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Revolut
Open your account today in minutes.
Photo: Revolut

Popular banking app Revolut on Tuesday officially opened its doors to customers in the U.S.

The app has already proven incredibly popular in Europe where it has picked up more than 10 million users, while 60,000 people in the U.S. have been beta testing the service since last June.

Revolut offers a number of neat advantages you don’t get from traditional banks, including the ability to request money from others, notifications for all purchases, and the ability to exchange currencies.

Developers can now make Mac and iOS apps a universal purchase

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Apple_new-MacBook-Air-iPhone-11_03182020
A single bundle for everything.
Photo: Apple

It’s now possible for developers to make their apps available as a universal purchase. Apple enabled the change on Monday, paving the way for macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps to be bundled as one.

Apple is not forcing developers to use universal purchases. It does hope, however, that the move will promote the use of Catalyst for porting iPad apps over to Mac.

Apple could be working with BMW on CarKey feature for iOS 14

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BMW-Digital-Key
BMW could be first to support the feature this fall.
Photo: BMW

Apple is working with German car manufacturer BMW to develop a brand-new CarKey feature for iOS 14, according to a new report out Tuesday. It seems BMW could be first to support the feature this fall.

CarKey is expected to make it possible to unlock and even start compatible vehicles using only your iPhone or Apple Watch. It could also allow for key sharing between family and friends.

Beats 1 DJs move to FaceTime for musician interviews

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Zane
Zane Lowe will interview musicians over FaceTime for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Apple

Beats 1 DJs on Apple Music are being forced to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic and while they’re stuck inside, they’re turning to FaceTime to get the job done.

Apple revealed Monday that its radio show hosts will record interviews with musicians and other artists from their homes by using FaceTime on iPhone.

Yellowed Apple retail sign from 1978 might pull in $20,000

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apple retail sign up for auction
Pre-Apple Store retail efforts.
Photo: Nate D. Sanders Auctions

Apple’s retail origins were far less glossy than today’s glass shrines known as Apple Stores. If a dealer wanted to sell an Apple II in 1978, the fledgling computer company provided a 4-foot-by-5-foot acrylic sign in a metal frame. On the face was a rainbow Apple logo over the words “apple computer.” No capital letters.

Bidding on one of those original signs starts at $20,000 in an online auction that ends in three days.

U.S. removes tariffs on Apple Watch imported from China

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Man’s brand new Apple Watch turns out to be toilet plunger
Apple no longer has to pay tariffs to bring the Apple Watch in from China.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Trade Representative exempted the Apple Watch from the tariffs Apple had been paying to import this product from China, where it’s assembled.

The company continues to pay import taxes on AirPods, iMac and other products.