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Oprah and Apple scrap plans for sexual assault documentary

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Oprah Winfrey says Apple TV+ can have a genuine impact on humanity.
It will still debut later this month, but not on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Oprah Winfrey is stepping away from a new documentary based on the Time’s Up movement. The high-profile film will go ahead, with a premiere scheduled for the Sundance Film Festival this month. But it will no longer hit Apple TV+.

Oprah says she believes and supports the women featured in the documentary. But she feels the project is incomplete and says “it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in … creative vision.”

The first iPod went from pitch to shipped product in 7 months

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The first iPod went from pitch to shipped product in 7 months
The first iPod was a massive hit for Apple.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Whether it’s smartwatches or smart speakers, Apple rarely rushes to be the first company to move into a new product category. But once Apple’s decided to commit, it moves pretty darn quickly — as an iPod anecdote shared (indirectly) by former Apple exec Tony Fadell makes clear.

In a tweet made by the CEO of Stripe, Patrick Collison, Tony “Podfather” Fadell reveals the timeline of the original iPod. And it was pretty mind-blowingly intensive.

The Morning Show‘s Billy Crudup earns Apple TV+ its first major awards win

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The Morning Show's Billy Crudup earns Apple TV+ its first major awards win
Billy Crudup alongside Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show.
Photo: Apple

Less than three months after Apple TV+ launched, it has picked up its first major awards win. At the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Billy Crudup won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series gong for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show.

Crudup was up against Asante Blackk from This Is Us, Asia Kate Dillon from Billions, Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, and Tim Blake Nelson from Watchmen.

Apple asked to provide iPhone evidence in college campus attack investigation

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple is one of the tech companies named in petition.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is among the parties named in a notice issued by the Delhi High Court, regarding evidence concerning a recent assault on a campus at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Apple is being asked to hand over user data that may include messages, pictures, video, and more. In other words, this sounds like another potential privacy headache for Apple.

Analysts bullish that 5G and budget iPhones will give Apple very strong 2020

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Apple boots smelter and refiners in crackdown on conflict minerals
Analysts from several market-analysis firms say the iPhone SE 2 will help propel the company to a strong year.
Render: OnLeaks/iGeeksBlog

Apple’s share price is more than double what it was this time last year. Cult of Mac asked prominent market-analysis firms to explain this meteoric rise. Several of them listed not just the upcoming debut of the 5G iPhone for investor optimism, but also the imminent launch of a budget model.

Heartwarming ‘Shot on iPhone’ short film stars China’s Zhou Xun

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Actress Zhou Xun stars in the latest “Shot on iPhone” production.
Director Theodore Melfi and actress Zhou Xun worked on the latest “Shot on iPhone” short film.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s short film Daughter portrays three generations of Chinese women as they struggle with their relationships and changing gender roles just ahead of the Chinese New Year celebration. This “Shot on iPhone” production stars Zhou Xun, one of the country’s top actresses.

The short was recorded on an iPhone 11 Pro to demonstrate the capabilities of the camera in Apple’s latest handset.

Watch this charming 8-minute video starring this well-known actress now:

Scoshe BaseLynx wireless charging system becomes Apple Store exclusive

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Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System Pro Kit is four chargers in one.
The Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System isn’t identical to AirPower, but it does the same thing.
Photo: Scosche

The Scoshe BaseLynx modular charging system just became an Apple Store exclusive. This can wirelessly power an iPhone and an  Apple Watch, and it has slots to hold several iPads or iPhones while they charge.

It not the only such multi-device charger that Apple offers to customers in the wake of its botched attempt to create its own AirPower charger.

No Way Home brings galactic battle action to Apple Arcade

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“No Way Home” is space-themed RPG debuted today on Apple Arcade.
No Way Home promises loads of lighthearted blasting fun.
Photo: Apple/SMG Studios

You’ll need your ship, your blaster and a wacky robot companion to survive the excitement of No Way Home, a role-playing game for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV that just debuted on Apple’s gaming service.

It features hand-drawn artwork and a story that spans a huge universe.

YouTube star’s love of disposable cameras turns into a popular iOS app

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camera app by David Dobrik
Another disposable camera app, but this one has a big name behind it.
ScreenShot: David's Disposable/App Store

More than a dozen apps in the photo category of Apple’s App Store appropriate the shoddy, snapshot esthetics of single-use, or disposable, cameras.

The newest joining this niche category two weeks ago features nothing unique. Yet it quickly surpassed 1 million downloads because the popular internet celebrity behind the app told followers to “check out my new app.”

What will Apple’s ARM iMac look like?

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Might a new ARM iMac look like this?
Imagine an iMac that looked like this.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The iMac is far overdue for a redesign. The current “tapered edge” design dates back to 2012, and was itself mostly a slimming-down of the original aluminum iMac from 2007. Viewed from the front, the iMac looks the same today as it did 13 years ago. You could say that the iMac doesn’t need to change its look, and that’s a valid point. But it’s showing its age in other areas too, and that’s more of a problem. Could we soon see an ARM iMac? If so, what might it look like?

In rare warning, Homeland Security urges immediate Firefox update

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Firefox
A Firefox security flaw needs to be patched as quickly as possible.
Photo: Mozilla

Everyone running the recently-released Firefox 72 on their Mac should install a patch immediately. The security vulnerability in this web browser is severe enough for a US Homeland Security agency to encourage users to install the update. Mozilla says it’s already aware of attacks that use this Firefox security flaw.

Vermont bill would ban cellphones for anyone under 21

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Sydney
Teens are going to love this law.
Photo: Apple

Democrat lawmakers in Vermont are trying really hard to lose the youth vote in 2020 with a newly proposed law that would ban anyone under 21 from using a smartphone.

The bill, introduced to the committee by Democratic senator John Rodgers, lists cyberbullying, terrorist radicalization and mass shootings as a few of the reasons why people under 21 aren’t mature enough to possess a cellphone.

CES 2020 trends: AirPower alternatives, rise of 5G, tasty TVs

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CES-2020-trends
It's shaping up to be an exciting year for tech.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

CES 2020The post-holiday tech fest that is CES shutters its doors today for another year. This week’s event has been as weird and as wonderful as any other, giving us a glimpse of all kinds of innovative gadgets on the way in 2020.

Better AirPods alternatives. Wireless chargers that achieve what Apple couldn’t. iPhone cases you can throw on the compost heap when they’re no longer needed. Here are the biggest trends from CES 2020.

Apple takes a hacksaw to trade-in values for used iPhones and more

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Apple takes a hacksaw to estimated trade-in values for its devices
You won't get as much money for your old devices today as you would yesterday.
Photo: Pictures of Money/Flickr CC

Overnight Apple has chopped estimated trade-in values on a variety of products. It means that users will get less money for their old products when they try and trade them in with Apple.

Note to Cupertino: When people talk about wishing that Apple would cut prices on their products, this isn’t what they generally mean!

Pokémon Go’s best year yet shows novelty doesn’t have to wear off

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Pokémon GO’s best year yet shows novelty doesn't have to wear off
"You mean, people are still playing it?"
Photo: The Pokémon Company

No game dominated the summer of 2016 quite like the augmented reality blockbuster Pokémon Go. Raking in massive bucks and plenty of virtual column inches that summer, the game became a massive smash hit — before fading from view.

At least, that’s the perspective of people who wonder if anyone still plays Pokémon GOIn fact, not only do people still play it; the game just had its best year to date. What’s the secret to its longevity? And why is that a good thing for gamers?

Apple partners with Red Cross to accept donations to fight Australia bushfires

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Apple partners with Red Cross to accept donations to fight Australia bushfires
Apple made a donation back in December.
Photo: Cult of Mac / Picturesofmoney

Apple is making it easier for people to make donations to the Red Cross to help efforts in Australia as it battles back against the terrible bushfires the country has experienced.

Users can make Red Cross donations of between $5 to $200 through iTunes and the App Store. Apple is not taking any commission or processing fees for the donations, which will go entirely to charity.

Fraudster posing as Apple tech support steals $16,000 from Mac owner

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Fraudster steals $16k from victim posing as Apple tech support
"Hello ma'am, this is, ugh, John from your bank. Could you tell me your account number?"
Photo: Donald Tong/Pexels CC

A hacker recently stole $16,000 from a Mac owner in Cape Coral, Florida, by posing as Apple tech support.

The fraudster phoned the targeted individual and prompted the victim to hand over personal information. They said they would use this to solve assorted problems with the person’s Mac. Instead, they stole money that the victim may well never get back.

Wemo WiFi Smart Plug with HomeKit is Belkin’s smallest yet

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The Wemo WiFi Smart Plug both support HomeKit
The Wemo WiFi Smart Plug and Wemo Stage were both unveiled at CES 2020.
Photo: Belkin

CES 2020Belkin’s latest version of its Wemo smart plug with HomeKit support is significantly smaller than its predecessor, making it less obtrusive on wall sockets.

The company also unveiled at CES 2020 the Wemo Stage, a remote than can be used to launch HomeKit scenes with the punch of a button.

Apple Pencil may soon get additional touch-sensitive controls

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A proposed Apple Pencil with more controls.
The second-gen Apple Pencil has a single capacitive button, but Apple is considering several more.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Building on the capabilities of the Apple Pencil active stylus, Apple proposes adding additional touch-sensitive controls to the exterior. This would expand the capabilities of this drawing tool for the iPad without making it more difficult to use.

This is just one of several ways Apple is considering to improve the Pencil.

Front and Center makes the Mac Finder behave like it should

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Front and Center screenshot
The window 'manager' you never knew you wanted.
Photo: John Siracusa

If you’re at your Mac, go ahead and click a window for another app (don’t forget to come back right away). Clicking an app’s window brings it to the foreground, of course. But did you notice that only the window you clicked came forward. If that other app has any other windows open, they will stay hidden. It wasn’t always this way. In pre-OS X days, the default behavior was to bring all those windows to the front. And now, thanks to a new app called Front and Center, from John Siracusa, you can get this behavior on a modern Mac.

Why Apple’s share price should rise another 50%

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Apple share price is on a roll
Apple shares went up 100% over the past years, and there are good reasons why it won‘t slow down.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

If you bought Apple shares on Jan. 9, 2019 then you’ve doubled your money since then. And while Apple certainly had a good year, it’s not done yet.

Analysts are predicting big increases in the share price because of the company’s changing mix of products — it’s not just an iPhone maker any more.