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News - page 538

Apple will soon let Siri default to third-party messaging, phone apps

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will roll out a software update later this year that eases some of the Siri restrictions for third-party messaging and phone apps.

Siri currently defaults to using Apple’s own apps when sending messages and making calls. But it will later default to the services that are used most frequently, based on specific contacts.

Tim Cook does not think rivals are ‘afraid’ of Apple TV+

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Apple TV+
Antitrust concerns linger over new Tim Cook interview.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook is visiting Germany this month, where he attended Munich’s Oktoberfest. In an interview with weekly news magazine Stern, Cook talked local developers, iPhone pricing, and Apple TV+.

So far, so familiar, right? The difference is that Cook’s comments reflect newfound worries about a possible antitrust investigation into Apple.

What to expect at an Apple October event

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16-inch MacBook Pro concept
A 16-inch MacBook Pro, which might look something like this, could be arrive soon.
Concept Art: Viktor Kádár

An Apple October event hasn’t yet been announced, but there’s such an impressive list of products that are supposedly ready to launch that the company seems to need a big venue to show them all off.

There’s an epic new Mac, a big MacBook, fresh iPads and plenty more, all reportedly coming soon.

Apple taps Black Panther star as lead in basketball TV show

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Winston Duke speaks at Comic-Con International in 2017.
Winston Duke speaks at Comic-Con International in 2017.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Swagger, the Apple TV+ series based on Kevin Durant’s experiences in youth basketball, finally found its lead actor. Winston Duke, most recognizable for his role as M’Baku in Marvel’s Black Panther movie, reportedly landed the top role in the show.

Swagger should start production later this month.

PDF Expert adds powerful iPadOS 13 features

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pdf expert iPadOS 13
PDF Export now supports multiple windows.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Readdle’s PDF Expert is my most-used PDF app, because it’s fast, powerful and doesn’t get in the way. I don’t even use many of the advanced features, but I still prefer it over most other options.

Now it’s even better. The most recent PDF Expert update adds support for the new features in iOS 13 and iPadOS. Let’s run through what’s new.

Stranded photographer didn’t get the memo on MacBook Pro recall

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overheated battery on MacBook Pro
This 15-inch MacBook Pro caught fire while in Sleep mode.
Photo: Steve Gagne/Facebook

A British travel photographer is currently stuck in Vietnam after airport officials refused to let him board a flight because he was carrying a recalled 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Julian Elliott found out during a security check that his MacBook with Retina display was made between Sept. 2015 and February 2017. Apple recalled these models after reports of overheating batteries and fires that cause burns and property damage.

Apple tests dazzling Deep Fusion for iPhone 11 in new iOS 13 beta

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iPhone-11-cameras
Deep Fusion makes smartphone photos better than ever.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is today providing beta testers with an early taste of its upcoming Deep Fusion feature for iPhone 11.

Apple first previewed the new technology, which promises to deliver some of the most detailed photos you’ve ever shot on a smartphone, at the iPhone 11 launch event last month.

Registered developers can start trying it out today by downloading the latest iOS 13 beta.

Why your iPhone reminders won‘t sync with your Mac

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Reminders app on iOS 13 On iPhone X
Reminders in iOS 13 don’t play nice with macOS Mojave.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The Reminders app in iOS 13 is a massive upgrade, offering multiple new features to make this utility software more useful. But some people might be frustrated because they can‘t get their reminders to synchronize with their Mac. Apple warns that this will continue until the next version of macOS is released.

Stunning Apple II Kickstarter case gives you a new look at a classic machine

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Apple II transparent case Kickstarter 1
What a gorgeous Apple II case.
Photo: MacEffects/Kickstarter

The Apple II may be more than 40 years old, but Apple’s first mass market personal computer still has plenty of fans. Now those fans can get hold of a brand new injection-molded case for the iconic Steve Wozniak-designed computer. All thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign.

Boasting a transparent design, the case will let you get a closer look at this legendary computer than ever!

Apple chipmaker countersues rival for infringing on patents

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
TSMC is the company behind Apple's A-series chips.
Photo: Apple

Apple chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is counter-suing smaller chipmaking rival GlobalFoundries in the U.S., Germany, and Singapore. TSMC says that GlobalFoundries infringed on 25 of its patents.

TSMC is the world’s largest contact chipmaker. It creates the A-series chips used in Apple devices, such as the iPhone 11’s A13 processor. It is looking for “substantial monetary damages” from GlobalFoundries.

Real Call of Duty finally blasts onto iOS

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Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100m downloads in first week
It may be back, but probably not.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The first true Call of Duty game has finally landed on mobile, seven months after its initial unveiling.

Activision’s newest title features the staple online multiplayer with various game modes, as well as its own battle royale. It’s free to download now from the App Store — and it’s a lot of fun!

Apple will announce its final 2019 earnings on October 30

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Apple has spent 'billions' overhauling its Apple Maps app
Earnings will cover the three months leading up to the launch of the iPhone 11.
Photo: 401(K) 2012/Flickr CC

Apple will reveal its next quarterly earnings report at the end of October. According to Apple’s updated Investor Relations webpage, the Q4 2019 earnings report will land on October 30.

This will cover the fiscal fourth quarter of 2019 — the three months leading up to the iPhone 11 release.

These $12 AirPods knockoffs don’t actually play any music

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$12 AirPods jewellery
The AirPods have a longer stem so they can receive even, err, less sound.
Photo: Asos

Would you buy a pair of AirPods knockoffs that don’t actually play any sound? It sounds crazy (and, frankly, it is), but that’s exactly what one company is selling; cashing in on the fashionable status of Apple’s wireless earbuds.

Fashion e-tailer Asos is selling the $12 “faux headphone earpiece in silver tone” as a piece of jewellery. Because it’s 2019 and this is what people do.

Apple denied tariff exemption on 5 Mac Pro components

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MacPro
5 out of 15 of Apple's exemption requests were denied.
Photo: Apple

The U.S. federal government denied Apple’s request to be exempt from the 25% tariffs that affected some components of the new Mac Pro.

Apple revealed last week that it will make the Mac Pro at its plant in Austin, Texas which some observers thought might be key to getting relief from Trump’s tariffs. The U.S. Trade Representative posted its decision today saying Apple didn’t show that the tariffs would cause severe economic harm to the U.S.

Apple Watch gets tweaked by watchOS 6.0.1

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watchOS 6 new features
Grab the latest Apple Watch update now.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s wearable just received its first update since the debut on watchOS 6 earlier this month. This offers a handful of bug fixes for the most recent Apple Watch models, and unspecified performance improvements are also promised.

Brits and Aussies can enjoy hundreds of publications with Apple News+

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Apple News+ in Australia
Another email you didn't want.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s subscription news service just debuted in the UK and Australia, with access to a range of local and international newspapers and magazines for a single monthly fee.

News+ includes offerings like The Times (UK) and The Daily Telegraph (AU). There’s Cosmopolitan UK, Australian Men’s Health and many more.

iWork iOS apps get the feature we’ve been dying for

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iWork
Apple gave all of its iWork apps some love today.
Photo: Apple

Apple put out a big update for its iWork suite of iOS apps this morning, bringing a bunch of new features to the iPhone and iPad apps, including Dark Mode.

The update for Numbers 5.2, Pages 5.2 and Keynote 5.2 are available for free from the App Store, inside you’ll find some new font features, support for multiple windows, the ability to add HVEC-movies, and the option to access files from a USB drive or external hard drive.

iOS 13.1.2 is already out with big bug fixes

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iPad Pro with iPadOS 13.1.2
Apple is bombarding people with iPad and iPhone updates. Here’s iPadOS 13.1.2.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 brought big changes and version 13.1 added some more, but Apple sure isn’t resting on its laurels — the company quickly rushed out iOS 13.1.2 and iPadOS 13.1.2. Anyone greedy for more new features is in for a disappointment, as this is entirely a bug-fix update.

This marks the fourth new iOS version in two weeks, and the third iPadOS version since Tuesday.

Tim Cook crows about iPhone 11’s ‘very strong start’

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iPhone 11 camera lenses
Tim Cook says he couldn’t be happier about iPhone 11 sales. And J.P. Morgan is upbeat, too.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 11 reached customer’s hands just over a week ago, and Apple CEO Tim Cook told a German newspaper that the latest iPhone enjoyed a “very strong start.”

To add to the good news for Apple, analysts J.P. Morgan revised upward its estimate of how many iPhones will sell before the end of this year.

The combination touched off a mini rally in Apple’s share price, pushing the company’s market capitalization back up over $1 trillion.