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News - page 537

Apple seeks tariff waivers for key product lines

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A future Apple Watch might be able to alert you that you’re breathing poison.
Apple wants relief from Trump's tariffs on Apple Watch and other products imported from China.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple requested exemptions for the import taxes it must pay when bringing many of its products from China. Currently, the Trump administration levies these on Apple Watch, AirPods, iMac and more.

These tariffs went into place in September as Apple got caught up in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

What a shocker: Huawei tablet looks just like iPad Pro

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iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard
Apple wants to make iPad Pro an even better laptop replacement.
Photo: Apple

Huawei has often been guilty of introducing products “inspired” by Apple designers, and it’s apparently doing so again with an upcoming tablet. Leaked images of the Huawei MatePad Pro show it looks almost exactly like an iPad Pro. Even the name is copied.

Want AirPods Pro? Sell your old buds for upgrade cash today!

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AirPods 2 with box on desk
AirPods Pro could be more affordable thank you think.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Lusting after Apple’s brilliant new AirPods Pro? Sell your old ones to Cult of Mac today and that sweet, sweet upgrade will be more affordable than you think.

We buy original and second-generation AirPods and make the whole process quick and easy. We also cough up real cash, so you can spend it anywhere you like.

Adobe brings 17,000 fonts to iOS 13

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Adobe-Fonts-iOS
Get the latest Creative Cloud update today.
Photo: Adobe

Adobe’s massive catalog of fonts is now available on iOS for the first time. You can use them inside any app that supports custom font APIs — so long as you’re running iOS 13.1.

Get started by downloading the Creative Cloud app today.

Latest Apple Arcade additions go from gritty to silly

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Apple Arcade game icons
Apple Arcade gets preferential treatment. Allegedly.
Photo: Apple

Two just-released Apple Arcade titles demonstrate the wide variety offerings in this gaming service. The Mosaic is about escaping the dreadful loneliness of modern life, while Monomals features silly animal DJs having a music contest.

Apple also added three other titles to its service, two of which are platformers.

Apple pulls off ingenious trick with AirPods Pro billboards

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Apple pulled off an ingenious trick with its AirPods Pro billboards
Breaking news: Apple's pretty great when it comes to marketing.
Photo: Apple

Question: How do you get billboards for a new product up as quickly as possible after launch, without spoiling Apple’s perfectly orchestrated unveiling? Answer: You put up the billboard, then add the product afterward.

If that sounds like way too much effort, we’re guessing you won’t be hearing back from Apple about your marketing job application anytime soon.

Google splashes $2.1 billion on Fitbit to fight Apple Watch

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Fitbit
Fitbit will soon be a Google company.
Photo: Fitbit

Google has confirmed plans to buy Fitbit as it looks to step up its fight against Apple Watch. The deal, worth approximately $2.1 billion, will bring new Made by Google wearables to market.

“Together, we aim to spur innovation in wearables and build helpful products to benefit more people around the world,” Google said.

Here is what’s on Apple TV+ right now

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Apple spent more than $20 million advertising Apple TV+ last month
It's finally here.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ launched this morning. Costing $4.99 per month (or free to anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac), the subscription service brings Apple’s eagerly anticipated original TV shows to anyone who wants to watch them.

But what exactly does the service feature so far? And what’s the timeline for the release of Apple’s other shows? Check out our rundown.

Mario Kart Tour picks up multiplayer next month — with a catch

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Mario Kart Tour's anticipated multiplayer beta goes live
Mario Kart Tour's anticipated multiplayer beta goes live
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour on mobile will finally get its much-anticipated multiplayer mode next month. It will initially arrive in beta, giving players the opportunity to compete online for the first time.

But there’s a catch. You can’t enjoy the beta unless you’re coughing up for the game’s Gold Pass.

AirPods Pro! We got ’em, and we discuss their pros and cons, on The CultCast

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CultCast 412
Let's talk about AirPods Pro...
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: AirPod Pros! You want them, we got them. We’ll tell you what’s new, what’s good, what’s not, and how they compare to the regular AirPods. We’ve got lots to say…. Plus: The first Apple TV+ reviews are trickling in, and, well … they’re not great.

Our thanks to Belkin for supporting this episode. Belkin cables are built to last and supported with a five-year warranty. If you’re tired of broken, burned-out cables, switch to Belkin, and save 30% off your order with code CultCast at checkout.

Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup

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Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup
Apple's brought back a previous executive, too.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple has upgraded five executives to Vice President status. This includes one returning early iPhone executive, a report from Bloomberg notes.

Paul Meade is the new VP of hardware engineering, Jon Andrews is now VP of software engineering, Gary Geaves is VP of acoustics, and Kaiann Drance is VP of marketing. Apple has also brought back Bob Borchers, who has been named VP of product marketing.

Mac Pro will get black and silver accessory options

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Mac Pro
This isn’t the only keyboard designed to match the 2019 Mac Pro.
Photo: Apple

Everyone who was busy ogling the “cheesegrater” design of the 2019 Mac Pro can be forgiven for not paying attention to the keyboard. But Apple is prepping multiple keyboards that match the silver-and-black look of this powerful desktop.

An image of one of these not publicly seen before has come to light.

iPhone shipments slip as Samsung surges

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
Weak demand for the 2018 models hurt iPhone sales in Q3 2019.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s two largest competitors enjoyed growth in smartphone sales last quarter, with both Samsung and Huawei up. iPhone sales dropped, however.

The market analysts at Canalys credited the decline to weak demand for the 2018 iPhone models as customers anticipated Apple’s 2019 offerings.

M. Night Shyamalan’s spooky Servant teasers haunt Apple TV+

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servant
No knows anything about Rupert Grint's character Julian Pierce.
Photo: Apple

Just in time for Halloween, Apple TV+ is serving up two new teasers of its mysterious new series called Servant.

Created by M. Night Shyamalan, Servant follows a married couple who cope with the loss of their child by buying a therapy doll. Details on the show are being kept under wraps, including Rupert Grint’s enigmatic character Julian Pierce. Judging from the trailers and teasers we’ve seen so far though, a lot of weird stuff is about to go down.

This series looks creepy asf:

Rudy Giuliani needed Genius Bar’s help to unlock his iPhone

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Giuliani
Giuliani doesn't know how to wear AirPods either.
Photo: Rick Wilson/Twitter

Despite being named Donald Trump’s cybersecurity expert in 2017, Rudy Giuliani is so clueless about tech, he had to go to the Apple Store genius bar for help unlocking his iPhone.

Leaked internal documents from Apple reveal that just a few weeks after being tapped as Trump’s top cyber guy, Giuliani waited in front of a San Francisco Apple store with a very pressing issue: he had forgotten his passcode and couldn’t unlock his iPhone.

New evidence indicates Apple AirTags will land soon

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New evidence shows AirTags closer than ever to release
Are you excited about AirTags?
Photo: MacRumors

Newly leaked screenshots depict an updated AirTags section in the “Find My” app. Although they are referred to by their codename “B389,” the screenshots show how AirTags findability will work.

AirPods are the rumored item tracker tags which promise to help users to locate bags, keys, and assorted other valuables.

Analyst complains iPhone’s average selling price is slipping

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Analyst complains iPhone’s average selling price is slipping
Apple needs to ramp up iPhone prices -- or so one analyst thinks.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

There are plenty of reasons to be enthusiastic about Apple’s massive earnings call yesterday. One analyst who’s not happy, however, is Barclays analyst Tim Long. In a note to clients, Long writes that Apple average selling price for iPhones may be slipping.

Apple stopped reporting unit sales for the iPhone last year. Instead, it focused on ramping up the average price it sells each iPhone for. Perhaps not enough, though.

AirPods Pro teardown reveals a ton of tiny tech

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AirPods-Pro-teardown-1
Yes, that's a button cell battery!
Photo: iFixit

Most of us lovingly look after our newest Apple devices to ensure they last as long as possible. iFixit pulls them apart in the name of science. Its latest teardown victim? AirPods Pro.

You won’t be shocked to find that there’s loads of tiny tech inside Apple’s newest earbuds. But you might be surprised to see how different they are to regular AirPods on the inside.

Apple’s business in China may be starting to stabilize

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Tim Cook has said that China is Apple's future.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

China has been one of the biggest causes of Apple instability in recent times, particularly when it comes to trade tensions between China and the United States. Things may be starting to stabilize, however, as Tim Cook noted in Apple’s earnings call yesterday.

That’s good news when it comes to the country Cook has said is Apple’s future biggest customer.

Tim Cook thinks early adopters will buy both AirPods and AirPods Pro

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Tim Cook thinks early adopters will buy both AirPods and AirPods Pro
Will people buy both?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook thinks Apple’s awesome new AirPods Pro are “complementary” to the original AirPods. No, he’s not just referring to the fact that there is a space in the market for both products. He thinks many AirPods Pro customers will buy and own regular AirPods as well.

And you know what? Given Apple’s amazing track record in the “hearables” area, I don’t have any problem believing he might just be right.

By the numbers: Apple crushes it again

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Apple Beta Software Program 2019
Revenue from iPad and accessories like Apple TV is up, but iPhone and Mac are down.
Photo: Apple

A quick glance at the Apple Q4 2019 earnings report shows the company just finished a record three months, but a deeper dive into the numbers reveals how Apple managed to pull in more revenue than it ever has in a July-through-September period, including strong increases from wearables, iPad and Services.

Biggest shockers from Apple’s record-smashing Q4 earnings

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Tim Cook with money bag
Surprise! Apple made an ungodly amount of money last quarter.
Photo: Apple

Apple shares are soaring in after-hours trading today thanks to yet another record-breaking earnings report.

Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri got on the phone with investors after the numbers came and provided some surprising details on how Apple hit a new high for Q4 revenue despite slowing iPhone sales. While everyone has been focusing on Apple’s booming services business, one of the company’s other product categories has transformed into its true growth engine.