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News - page 508

Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres hand out Apple gifts to students

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Ellen and Michelle Obama hand out Macs and iPads to elementary school students
Imagine being off at a doctor's appointment the day they get the former First Lady to give out free iPads!
Photo: TheEllenShow

Former First Lady Michelle Obama and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres teamed up with Apple to give away Macs and iPads to students at Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

The gift-giving marked the premiere of Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways on NBC. Apple’s donation means that every teacher at the school will receive a MacBook Air and every student will get an iPad. The school itself will get new iMacs. DeGeneres is also donating $100,000 and equipping the school with a new basketball court.

You can watch the heart-warming segment below:

Apple shows you how to properly upgrade your new Mac Pro

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2019-Mac-Pro-upgrade
Don't pull yours apart without watching Apple's videos first.
Photo: Apple

The 2019 Mac Pro is the most customizable Apple computer we’ve seen in years. You can swap and upgrade almost every component — including its GPUs, memory, and more.

But you must do it properly. Apple’s new how-to videos take you through the upgrade process step-by-step to help ensure nothing goes wrong. And they make it look so simple.

AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
The AirPods have been a massive hit for Apple.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’re an Apple supplier, there’s arguably no better product to be building right now than the AirPods. One of Apple’s biggest breakout hits in recent memory, the main manufacturer of the AirPods is Asia’s best performing stock of the year as a result.

Now a new report claims that Unitech, another company involved in the AirPods supply chain, is confident that business will remain hot through at least the first half of 2021.

Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status hits retailers in the wallet

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Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status is hitting retailers in the wallet
Apple Card is one of many cards that carry higher fees for retailers.
Photo: Apple

Some retailers are pushing back against “elite cards” such as Apple Card, a new Bloomberg report claims. These cards’ high-end status means the banks charge higher transaction fees, which offset various rewards programs.

Apple isn’t the only elite card that comes with higher fees for businesses that accept them. The article says a regular Visa card costs $1.27 in swipe fees for a $100 purchase. Meanwhile, a high-end Visa Signature card carries fees of $1.75. These fees are divided between the network, the payment processor and the issuing bank.

Tim Cook visits local food market for breakfast in Singapore

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Tim Cook visits local food market for breakfast in Singapore
Want to impress Tim Cook? Feed him gao teng kueh, apparently.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Tim Cook has finished his visit to Japan and stopped off in Singapore for the next leg of his East Asian business jaunt.

On Twitter, Cook shared a photo of himself starting his day with a traditional Singaporean breakfast. Tiong Bahru Market is located in one of Singapore’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The area offers a variety of hipster stores and boutique art galleries.

Apple doesn’t want you defiling Pro Display XDR’s special glass with a regular cloth

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Apple doesn’t want you defiling Mac Pro’s special glass with a regular cloth
Don't even think about it!
Photo: Anders Adermark/Flickr CC

Whether it’s designing its own pizza box or custom, err, sheets of paper, Apple sure likes having its own proprietary version of things it doesn’t deem quite good enough.

The same is true of the new Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass for the Mac Pro. No, we’re not talking about the screen itself; but rather Apple’s insistence that you clean it using a special Apple-approved cleaning cloth. But there’s a good reason for it.

iPhone 11 Pro romps through Saudi Arabia in dirty new Apple ad

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shotoniphone
Dune bashing never looked so beautiful.
Photo: Apple

Apple hit the gorgeous deserts of Saudi Arabia for its newest commercial which is hands down the dirtiest ‘Shot on iPhone’ ad we’ve ever seen.

The minute-long ad follows a group of Saudi ATV riders as they push themselves, their vehicles and the iPhone 11 Pro camera to the absolute limit. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of the wintery Shot on iPhone ad Apple put out last week and will have you ready to hit some warmer weather.

Strap in for a wild ride:

macOS Catalina 10.15.2 improves Apple News+, Stocks, Photos and more

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MacOS Catalina Jamf
Your Mac and your MacBook can be updated today with macOS Catalina 10.15.2.
Photo: Apple

There’s a fresh update for macOS Catalina out today. Version 10.15.2 allows an iPhone to remote control a Mac’s music and video playback. And there are also other enhancements for the utilities Apple bundles with this operating system, including Photos, Music and Mail.

US senators threaten Apple with encryption regulations

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Apple takes privacy seriously
Apple isn't budging on its privacy stance.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

U.S. Senators grilled Apple and Facebook execs over encryption practices today, threatening to regulate the technology if the companies don’t take action on their own.

Republicans and Democrats appeared unified in their disdain for end-to-end encryption. The technology, which Apple uses for iCloud and other services, sometimes thwarts law enforcement officials’ investigations into child abuse and mass shootings. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the harshest critics, demanded that the companies add backdoors to their encryption keys.

Magic Keyboard and Mouse in silver and black require buying $6,000 Mac Pro

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Apple Magic Keyboard in black and silver is surprisingly expensive.
Getting the new Apple Magic Keyboard in black and silver costs much more than you might expect.
Photo: Apple

A black-and-silver Magic Keyboard, Mouse 2 and Trackpad 2 debuted in Apple’s product lineup today, but only a fortunate few can order them. As it stands now, these accessories are only available for people who also buy a 2019 Mac Pro.

But that’s likely to change soon.

Logitech busts out pro webcam for Apple Pro Display XDR

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Logitech 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam for Apple Pro Display XDR.
What's an extra $200 when you just dropped 6 grand on a monitor and stand?
Photo: Logitech

If you just dropped $5,000 (minimum) on an Apple Pro Display XDR to go with your $53,000 maxed-out Mac Pro, you probably want a webcam. And, if you’ve got any headroom at all left on your Apple Card credit limit, Logitech has just the thing: a magnetic webcam designed to perch atop your pricey new monitor.

The company designed the new Logitech 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam exclusively for Apple’s new high-end display. And, unlike the rest of the Mac Pro kit, the price isn’t off the charts.

Lightroom for iPad gets import-export features it should have had all along

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Adobe demo of Direct Import for Lightroom mobile
Adobe cuts a little workflow time with Direct Import for Lightroom mobile for iOS and iPadOS.
Screenshot: Adobe/YouTube

Adobe launched a major power boost today to Lightroom Mobile that adds Direct Import and Advance Export features to iOS and iPadOS.

Direct Import streamlines the workflow by eliminating the need to import photos into the Camera Roll. Users can now skip that by connecting a drive or SD card to transfer photos directly to Lightroom for iOS or iPadOS.

iOS 13.3 is out with new Screen Time controls for parents

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Screentime
iOS 13.3 helps parents reign in their kids’ iPhone addiction.
Photo: Apple

The last major iOS 13 update of 2019 is finally ready for your downloading pleasure.

After weeks of beta testing with developers, Apple released iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3 to the public today. The update contains a bunch of critical bug fixes to along with some new Screen Time controls for parents.

A maxed-out Mac Pro costs an eye-watering $53,000

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2019-Mac-Pro-insides
And a 16-inch MacBook Pro!
Photo: Apple

The 2019 Mac Pro is finally available to order, with prices starting at $5,999. That’s not cheap … until you compare it to the cost of a maxed-out model with all the bells and whistles.

Add every available upgrade and Apple’s newest machine suddenly skyrockets to an eye-watering $52,748.

That’s $12,848 more than a Tesla Cybertruck!

Edison Mail makes the leap to Mac for the first time

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Edison-Mail-Mac
Sign up for access today.
Photo: Edison Mail

Edison Mail, a popular third-party email client on iOS, is finally making the leap to Mac.

It ships with a number of nice features that give it an edge over the built-in Mail app. And it sports a cleaner, more modern user interface with a number of customization options.

There’s just one catch.

Waze alerts drivers to roads still needing a snow plow

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Waze on iPhone warns of unplowed roads
Waze users can get alerted if there are unplowed, snowy roads on their route.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An update to Google’s Waze navigation app lets users warn other drivers about snow-covered roads that have yet to be plowed.

This feature is already available in both the iOS and Android versions.

Apple’s powerful Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR arrive at last

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The new Mac Pro is a beautiful beast.
The 2019 Mac Pro workstation and 6K Pro Display XDR display can be ordered today.
Photo: Apple

The wait for the most powerful — and the most expensive — macOS computer ever just ended. Apple began taking orders for the 2019 Mac Pro this morning, after announcing the workstation that boasts a 28-core processor way back in June.

The companion 32-inch Pro Display XDR went up for sale today, too, also at a price that only professionals can afford.

European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020

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European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
Tech giants might be in trouble next year.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The European Commission famously handed Apple a massive $14.5 billion bill in 2016. But from the sound of things it’s only going to get tougher with Silicon Valley’s biggest tech giants.

According to a new report, EU antitrust regulators are “considering taking a tougher line” against companies. This could affect the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google.

Tim Cook pays a visit to Apple’s first store outside the US

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Tim Cook pays a visit to Apple’s first store outside the US
Apple Store Ginza opened in November 2003.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter CC

Tim Cook is on a business trip to Japan right now — and, as part of his travels, he paid a visit to the first Apple Store the company opened outside of the United States.

That store is located in Ginza, a trendy shopping district in Tokyo. “Our very first store outside of the US, Apple Ginza is always such a special place,” Cook tweeted. “Thanks for a wonderful visit!”

iPhone chip-maker enjoys big boost from strong demand

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iPhone11
iPhone 11 has been good for business.
Photo: Apple

iPhone chip-maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) enjoyed a 9% boost in revenue in November.

The increase can be attributed to strong demand for the company’s 7-nanometer chipsets, which power Apple’s latest crop of smartphones. And TSMC is confident the success will continue into the holidays.