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App Store offers free holiday ‘treats’ from December 24

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App-Store-treats-2019
Visit the App Store every day for a new one.
Photo: Apple

Apple is giving App Store customers free digital treats over the holidays.

Users in Australia, where it is now Christmas Eve, are waking up to a new App Store story that promises “a new surprise every day” from December 24 to December 29.

“Come back daily to discover which treat we have waiting for you,” Apple says.

2020 could be Apple’s greatest year so far

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
Analyst Dan Ives is excited about what next year holds for Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

2020 promises to be a great year for Apple, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. In a message to clients, Ives describes 2019 as an “historic year” for Apple. Not only has Apple come out on top this year, but he thinks next year could be even better.

And he’s slapped the highest price target on AAPL as a result.

Apple TV+’s gaming comedy has already been renewed for second season

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Apple TV+’s gaming comedy has already been renewed for second season
The comedy about making a video game sequel is getting a sequel.
Photo: Apple

Talk about confidence! Apple has renewed its upcoming Apple TV+ gaming comedy series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet for a second series. That’s despite the fact that the first season is not set to debut until February 2020.

The gamer comedy series, from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, follows a team of video game developers trying to create a sequel to an ultra-popular title. Think The Office meets Silicon Valley, only with a shedload more gaming.

Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Kerem Albayrak sent Apple messages demanding a ransom.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A hacker who tried to extort Apple into paying him $75,000 in Bitcoin or a thousand $100 iTunes gift cards has been spared prison.

22-year-old IT analyst Kerem Albayrak, from London, claimed that he could leak passwords or carry out factory resets for devices attached to 382 million iCloud accounts. He was 19 at the time that he committed his crimes under the name “Turkish Crime Family.”

Apple removes ToTok messaging app which spied on its users

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Maker of banned ‘spy’ messaging app plea for App Store reinstatement
Maker of banned ‘spy’ messaging app plea for App Store reinstatement
Photo: ToTok

Apple has given the boot to a messaging app called ToTok. This app was reportedly an United Arab Emirates spy tool used for tracking users’ conversations and movement.

ToTok has been very successful in the UAE. The country limits access to other popular messaging apps including WhatsApp and Skype. The UAE also bans FaceTime from Apple devices sold in the region.

10 things you didn’t know about iPhone [Cult of Mac Magazine 328]

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iPhone trivia: Bet you didn't know all 10 of these iPhone facts.
Bet you didn't know all 10 of these iPhone facts.

Even if you’re a die-hard Apple fan, there’s still plenty you most likely don’t know about the company’s most popular product. Get ready to wow all of your Apple-loving in-laws over the holidays with 10 things you (probably) don’t know about the iPhone.

Beyond the iPhone trivia, we’ve got a bumper crop of Apple tips and how-tos in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Things like how to find AirPods Pro in time for Christmas, how to add music to your Mac in a post-iTunes world and more. Download your free issue now to enjoy it on your iPad, or read the stories in any browser below.

New book shows how to take control of iOS Shortcuts

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Apple Shortcuts
A new Take Control book explains Apple Shortcuts step-by-step.
Photo: Apple

Apple Shortcuts are an easy and powerful tool to automate actions on iOS devices. A new ‘how-to’ from the people at Take Control Books walks users through setting up and building customized shortcuts with step-by-step ‘recipes’.

Lego waxes poetic with new Apple Arcade puzzler

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Lego Builder’s Journey
Lego Builder’s Journey isn’t what you’d usually expect from a Lego game.
Photo: Apple/Lego

Lego’s latest Apple Arcade entry builds an atmospheric puzzler brick by brick. Lego Builder’s Journey is “a story about play, connections and adventure.”

It’s available only to those who subscribe to Apple’s gaming service.

This app extracts all the data your locked iPhone can’t tie down

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iOS-Forensic-Toolkit
iPhone encryption can't keep everything tied down.
Photo: Elcomsoft

Elcomsoft claims its iOS Forensic Toolkit can now extract certain pieces of data from an iOS device before it has been unlocked.

Almost all of the data stored on an iPhone or iPad is securely encrypted after a reboot or restart — until a passcode has been entered. But the little bit that isn’t, which includes keychain records, can now be obtained.

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the iPhone

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10-facts-iPhone
Get ready for some iPhone trivia!
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Even if you’re a die-hard Apple fan, there’s still plenty you most likely don’t know about the company’s most popular product. And, whether you want to wow your Apple-loving in-laws over the holidays or just feel the need to fill your brain with some iPhone facts, we’ve got you covered.

Here are 10 things you (probably) don’t know about the iPhone.

AirPods could be a $15 billion business in 2020

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Apple reportedly adding another supplier for its ultra-popular AirPods Pro
AirPods have been an enormous hit for Apple.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone might still be Apple’s biggest product by a wide margin, but the AirPods have a good claim to being Cupertino’s MVP of the year.

Accord to Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi, Apple sold $6 billion worth of AirPods in 2019. And it could sell more than double that number in 2020.

Apple exploring satellite network to beam data directly to iPhones

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satellite
The iPhone maker seems serious to create a satellite network to beam data directly to devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Photo: ESA

Apple is building a larger research group to investigate ways to transmit data directly to iPhones and other devices, Bloomberg reported Friday.

According to the report, Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly made the project a company priority.

Apple offers up to $1.5 million to anyone who spots a software flaw

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Apple offers up to $1.5 million to anyone who spots a software flaw
White hat hackers assemble!
Photo: United Artists

Spotted a vulnerability in Apple software, but not among Cupertino’s chosen developers tasked with seeking out bugs? No problem. As of today, Apple’s $1.5 million bug bounty program is available everyone who wants to participate. Previously, it was only open to a select few.

The bug bounty means people can earn up to 7-figures for finding weaknesses in Apple software. These could otherwise be exploited by nefarious hackers.

Digitimes: 2020 iPhones could get special sensor-shift camera stabilization

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sensor-shift stabilization
Next year's iPhone cameras could get a nifty new feature.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Some 2020 iPhones will feature special sensor-shift stabilization technology for their cameras, according to Digitimes.

This technology, used in many high-end cameras, would further reduce camera shake on the next-gen iPhone. It differs from the optical image stabilization currently used in iPhones.

It’s the hottest gifts, tech and stuff of 2019, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 419
It's time to reveal all our favorite stuff of the year!
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: From the hottest gift of 2019, to our favorite tech and travel locations, catch our picks for Best of the Year!

This episode supported by Squarespace

Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code “CultCast” at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

It’s season finale time for The Morning Show and For All Mankind

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It’s season finale time for The Morning Show and For All Mankind
Two of Apple TV+'s top shows are finishing up for the year.
Photo: Apple

It’s the last Friday before the holidays, and appropriately enough, two of Apple’s most popular Apple TV+ Originals are wrapping up. On Friday, Apple debuted the season finale for both The Morning Show and For All Mankind.

There are new episodes of both Servant and Truth Be Told as well. That’s plenty to keep you entertained between frantic bits of last-minute shopping!

Mario Kart Tour‘s eagerly anticipated multiplayer beta goes live

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Mario Kart Tour's anticipated multiplayer beta goes live
The wait is over.
Photo: Nintendo

If you’ve beaten the computer a thousand times on Mario Kart Tour (which, let’s face it, is pretty tough not to do), you can finally pit your Mario and Luigi-steering abilities against other flesh-and-blood players.

That’s because Nintendo has launched the eagerly anticipated multiplayer online beta for Mario Kart Tour. You’ll need to sign up to the Gold Pass to play it, though.

AirPods Pro owners scratch and sniff … blueberries

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AirPods Pro blueberries
Some AirPods Pro owners smell blueberries when they open their new earbuds. An expert says that's not surprising.
Photo: Envato Elements

Some AirPods Pro owners report an unusual smell emanating from the plastic and rubber casings of Apple’s hot new earbuds. Of all things, they say they detect a whiff of … blueberries.

One expert tells Cult of Mac the aroma could be deliberate, or simply a result of chemical compounds in the plastics.

Give the gift of luxury with these high-end Apple Watch bands

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OleksynPrannyk-red-Apple-Watch
A terrific Apple Watch upgrade.
Photo: OleksynPrannyk

The newest luxury leather bands from OleksynPrannyk are out ahead of the holidays, and they’re a wonderful gift for any Apple Watch owner.

Handmade in the U.S. from soft Italian leather, and available in a number of gorgeous color options, they’re a delight to wear and incredibly long-lasting. They’re also more affordable than they look.

Strobe support coming to iPhone 11, add-on makers confirm

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With light in hand, the Profoto C1 flash brings studio power to your iPhone photos.
The C1 Light by Profoto is among the Bluetooth-enabled options to add strobes to iPhone photos.
Screenshot: Profoto/YouTube

The iPhone’s Portrait mode lets users add effects that emulate studio lighting. Soon, the iPhone could allow for the real thing.

Apple has added support for strobes as a preview for developers in its Made-for-iPhone licensing program.