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News - page 526

Jony Ive disappears from Apple’s leadership page

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Apple-leadership-2019
You won't see Jony Ive here anymore.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Former design chief Jony Ive today disappeared from Apple’s leadership page after leaving Cupertino.

Ive joined Apple in 1992 and led its design team from 1996. He is credited for helping rescue the company from the brink of bankruptcy with a slew of iconic products.

It’s not quite the end of Ive’s relationship with Apple, however. His own design company, LoveFrom, will hold the iPhone-maker as one of its primary clients.

Twitter has changed its mind on deleting inactive user accounts (for now)

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Twitter has changed its mind on deleting inactive user accounts (for now)
Twitter is rolling back its recent announcement.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Twitter’s decision to remove accounts which had been inactive for six months or more sounded good in theory. It would free up a bunch of user names and, in theory, make Twitter more transparent by showing only information (such as follower count) that reflected current active users.

In theory. Soon after Twitter revealed the new policy this week, people raised concerns about what this would mean for users who had passed away. Why does this matter? There’s a very good reason.

Save 20% or more on all Twelve South products for Black Friday

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Twelve-South-Black-Friday-collage
Cases, charging stands, and more.
Photos: Twelve South

Black Friday has arrived at the Cult of Mac Store, with 20% or more off all Twelve South products for a limited time.

You’ll find gorgeous cases for AirPods and iPhone, elegant stands for Apple Watch, and handy charging accessories on sale now. Prices start at just $27.99.

See what’s on offer today and start picking up some discounted gifts for the holidays.

Cult of Mac book designer embraces ‘think different’

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cover of Cult of Mac 2E
The Apple inspiration doesn't stop with the cover.
Photo: No Starch Press

Designer Derek Yee asked himself why there weren’t any books about Macs that looked like MacBooks.

So when the assignment came across his desk to design The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition, he thought that making the upcoming book’s cover look and open like a silvery MacBook Pro was a winning idea.

His colleagues at No Starch Press weren’t so sure.

iPhone 12 lineup could bring more compact 5.4-inch model

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
Big changes are predicted for the 2020 iPhone lineup.
Photo: Ben Geskin

Apple’s next-generation iPhone 12 lineup could introduce a more compact 5.4-inch model, according to a new report.

The handset could be a Pro model, despite its smaller size, with a high-end OLED display supplied by Samsung. And it could replace the 5.8-inch option we’re already familiar with.

The high-end iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, could get even larger with a 6.7-inch display.

Apple display-maker will revisit past earnings after embezzlement case

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Apple may buy factory belonging to struggling Apple display-maker
Japan Display makes Apple's LCD displays.
Photo: Apple

There’s more bad news for struggling Apple display-maker Japan Display. After news of a former executive embezzling funds, the company has announced that it will be reviewing its past earnings.

That’s a major headache at a time when the ailing business is trying to raise 50 billion yen ($460 million) from Apple and other investors.

Apple TV+ series Shantaram seeks film incentives in India

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Apple TV+ series Shantaram seeking incentives in India
Coming to Apple TV+ soon.
Photo: St. Martin's Griffin

When India launches an incentive program to lure production companies to make movies in the country, Apple apparently wants in. According to a new report, upcoming Apple TV+ series Shantaram might become “one of the first major foreign productions to tap into the country’s impending film incentives scheme.”

Earn 10% bonus credit when you add funds to Apple ID

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How to add funds to Apple ID
You can get up to $20 free.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is now offering customers 10% in bonus credit when they add funds to their Apple ID.

The promotion offers a maximum bonus of $20. It can be spent in iTunes and the App Store, or on services like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and app subscription fees.

Lawmakers investigate claims that Apple uses privacy as a ‘shield’

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Apple exec turned up at CES to talk about the importance of privacy
Apple's privacy stance is good. But is there a
Photo: Apple

Most people seem to agree that Apple’s stance on user privacy is a good one. However, U.S. lawmakers suggest it could be a cover for something else: anti-competitive behavior.

According to a new report, some legislators think Apple might be using privacy as a “shield” to get away with behavior that lets it strengthen its own position, while hurting rivals.

Thrilling video previews hot new games on Apple Arcade

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Redout: Space Assault is one of the best titles on Apple Arcade.
Redout: Space Assault is just one of the games that debuted this month on Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple/34BigThings

To make sure some of the best titles recently added to Apple Arcade don’t get overlooked, Apple created a video preview showing off the action from Redout: Space Assault, The Mosaic, Sociable Soccer, Monomals, and more.

Watch it now:

Macintosh floppy disk signed by Steve Jobs would make a pricy holiday gift

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This 3.5-inch Macintosh floppy disk signed by Steve Jobs is up for auction.
Steve Jobs signatures are rare, and this one is on a nice piece of Apple memorabilia.
Photo: RR Auctions

Rare Apple computers made in the 1970s sell for amazing sums, but a bit of company memorabilia is up for auction at a price an average Mac fan might be able to afford. Which isn’t to say that a 3.5-inch disk signed by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is expected to go for cheap.

Fantastic fisheye lens expands view of iPhone camera

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scene from iPhone 11 with Moment fisheye lens
Go wide! The new Moment fisheye lens lets you shoot in Night Mode and capture RAW images on the iPhone 11 series.
Photo: Moment

By now, we’ve learned that two of the three rear-facing cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro are worthy of the Pro name. The third, the ultra-wide, is merely adequate.

Mobile phone lens-maker Moment has a new chunk of glass to bring fisheye drama to your photos with the image quality you expect from a camera with Pro in the name.

Here’s how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots

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Here's how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots
Apple's got some fascinating ideas for Apple Car.
Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

Currently, drivers only have the rearview and side mirrors of a car to let them know what’s going on behind them. But a new Apple invention describes an upgrade — that may eliminate blind spots by projecting mirrored images of the surrounding environment onto the window or windshield.

This could give the driver more contextual information about their surroundings, depending on where they are.

Harvard gets out of Apple stock, doubles down on Facebook

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Harvard gets out of Apple stock, doubles down on Facebook
Harvard has sold its $100 million+ worth of AAPL.
Photo: Paul Geffen/Flickr CC

Apple stock may have risen fairly consistently through 2019, but that hasn’t been enough to stop Harvard dumping the stock.

Harvard Management Company, the Harvard-owned investment company which is the largest academic endowment in the world, has sold all of its Apple stock. At the end of the second quarter of 2019, it owned more than $100 million of AAPL.

Judge dismisses class-action music data lawsuit against Apple

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iPod silhouette ad, part of the marketing campaign that boosted iTunes Music Store sales
Apple has another lawsuit slapped out of court.
Photo: Apple

A California judge this week dismissed a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple over claims it “sold and otherwise exposed” the listening data of Apple Music and iTunes users.

U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup found that the evidence presented by plaintiffs was inadequate. They are now blocked from bringing amended claims against Apple in the future.

Apple takes second spot in list of UK’s best employers

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Apple takes second spot in list of UK's best employers
People sure want to work for Apple. But not as much as they want to kill rats, apparently.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Those dirty rats! A pest control company knocked Apple out of first place on a list of best U.K. employers.

Global pest control company Rentokil Initial rose to No. 1 on the list, compiled using employee reviews on jobseeker site Indeed. Apple fell to second place — but it’s still the only non-U.K. company to make the top five.