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News - page 541

Devs ding Catalyst, Apple’s new system for porting iPad apps to Mac

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macOS Catalyst ports iPad apps to Mac
Developers say macOS Catalyst has a lot of potential, but plenty of limitations too.
Photo: Apple

Developers using Apple’s system to convert iPad software to macOS say Catalyst still needs lots of work before it can fulfill its promise.

The functionality is mostly there, but some features are missing and there are complaints about the style of the resulting apps.

Oprah opens up about book club partnership with Apple

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Oprah Winfrey says Apple TV+ can have a genuine impact on humanity.
It will still debut later this month, but not on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Oprah Winfrey is on a mission to create the most vibrant book club on the planet as part of her new partnership with Apple.

In a new blog post on her website, Oprah talks about why she decided to team up with the iPhone-maker to share her passion for books. Apple’s deep pockets certainly help, but what Oprah is most stoked about is getting access to the nearly 1 billion Apple devices in use around the world.

Contraband Apple II computers still power old Soviet museum

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entrance to the Lenin Museum
The Apple II has been a faithful comrade to the Lenin Museum.
Photo: mvstang/Flickr CC

The Soviet Union may have collapsed. But Vladimir Lenin, the country’s first leader, lives on, thanks to an audiovisual show still running on a small network of Apple II computers at a museum outside Moscow.

The Apple II is as revered by geeks as Lenin is by nostalgic Communists. Both proved revolutionary. And while the carefully edited story of Lenin might seem interesting to museum-goers, the unvarnished tale of the vintage Apple tech is more compelling.

Apple makes finding the right Xbox controller for Apple Arcade a snap

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Xbox controller for Apple Arcade
The Apple Store is selling the single Xbox controller compatible with Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple

Finding the one model of Xbox controller that’s compatible with Apple Arcade is now as easy as ordering it from the Apple Store.

Many of the games in this company’s new gaming service can be played with an Xbox or PS4 wireless controller, but only a very limited selection of controllers are supported. Listing one in Apple’s online store simplifies getting the right one.

We may be waiting until 2020 for new iPad Pro, 16-inch MacBook

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Apple Smart Keyboard Folio turns the 2018 iPad Pro into a notebook.
Cross a new iPad Pro off your Christmas list.
Photo: Apple

You could be waiting longer than anticipated to get your hands on Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro. One trusted analyst says the refresh will arrive in early 2020 with the iPhone SE 2, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come even later.

This could mean that October Apple event we’ve all been waiting for won’t happen after all.

Just $1,050 will bag you a limited-edition Newton MessagePad on eBay

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Just $1,050 will bag you a limited edition Newton MessagePad on eBay
Yours for a price!
Photo: eBay/tigerstudios23

The Newton MessagePad is probably the single most underrated product in Apple’s entire history. Now, thanks to a new eBay auction, you can get your hands on one of the rarest Newtons ever created.

The clear, limited production prototype Newton MessagePad 110 was given out to a select few people at Apple’s 1994 developer conference. Apple only ever made a few hundred units. If you’re quick, you could own one. For a price, of course.

China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protesters

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China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protestors
App helps protesters track police presence in Hong Kong.
Photo: HKMap Live

China’s state media took a swipe at Apple for allowing an app that let Hong Kong protesters track the location of police back into the App Store. The app, called Hkmap Live, uses reports from a Telegram group to share information about things like arrests and the use of weapons such as tear gas.

Apple originally booted the app from the App Store, but apparently reversed its decision.

Mario Kart Tour adds new characters, Tokyo Tour course

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Mario Kart Tour was 2019's most downloaded iOS game
Nintendo has unleashed its next Mario Kart courses.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour has received its first major update, adding a new Tokyo Tour course, set in a cartoon version of Japan’s capital city. Other tracks include the classic Rainbow Road, Kalimari Desert, and more.

In addition, there are new characters such as Baby Rosalina, Roy, Wendy, Iggy, Larry, and Tokyo versions of Mario and Peach. You can check out the trailer below.

Apple snaps up Christmas Carol movie with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds

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Will Ferrell
But will it be Anchorman Will Ferrell or Holmes and Watson Will Ferrell?
Photo: Eva Rinaldi/Wikipedia CC

Apple has picked up the rights to a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

The movie, which will be shown on Apple TV+, will be written and directed by Sean Anders and John Morris, the creators of the hit Daddy’s Home movies.

Apple’s first AR glasses could arrive in second quarter of 2020

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Apple Glasses
You can expect big things next year.
Concept: Taeyeon Kim

Apple will launch its first augmented reality glasses in the second quarter of 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities says the device could enter mass-production before the end of this year. The news comes just weeks after one rumor suggested Apple had shelved its AR glasses plans.

Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100 million downloads in first week

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Call of Duty: Mobile racks up amazing 100m downloads in first week
That's an impressive showing for just seven days.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Call of Duty: Mobile enjoyed the best launch of any mobile game yet, with more than 100 million downloads in its first week.

Figures released by app analytics platform Sensor Tower show that CoD: Mobile overtook the recent Mario Kart Tour’s 90 million downloads in a week.

Caution: Don’t rush to upgrade to macOS Catalina

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
Photo: Apple

Catalina the island is a paradise. Catalina, the Mac operating system, could be hell for some creatives, including DJs, writers and photographers if they immediately upgrade.

Adobe, makers of Photoshop and Lightroom, are telling users to hold off on updating to macOS Catalina until it can iron out a number of compatibility issues.

Jennifer Aniston explains how #MeToo shaped her new Apple TV+ show

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Early review calls The Morning Show ‘a painful bellyflop’
The show has a plotline ripped straight from the #MeToo era.
Photo: Apple

Jennifer Aniston says production on Apple’s first TV show, The Morning Show, basically had to be completely rebooted once Matt Lauer got fired from Today.

The pilot for The Morning Show originally focused on the cutthroat world of morning TV. In a new interview, Jennifer Aniston explained that all of that had to be reshaped after the #MeToo movement took a head-on collision with one of the biggest male TV show hosts.

The iPad Pro is the best and worst iPad I’ve ever owned [Opinion]

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3D Touch shortcuts now work on the iPad.
My iPad Pro has been nothing but trouble.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The 2018 iPad Pro is an incredible machine. It’s powerful. It has a screen so good that it’s hard to look at anything else after seeing it. Face ID was made for the iPad, and is way more suited to a tablet than a phone. And the physical design is beautiful. It’s thin, the bezels are small enough not to notice, and the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is far more useful than I imagined.

And yet this is the worst iPad I have ever used. It has been buggy. It can’t do basic tasks with any consistency. Audio drops out. And until I updated to iOS 13, the screen would freeze a few times a day.

Oh, and once I bent it without even realizing.

What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful.

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
Everyone thinks of the money. But there's a lot of work to get there.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

What’s it like when Apple buys your startup? According to David Hodge, founder of mapping app Embark, the answer is: stressful.

Apple bought Embark back in 2013 as part of its efforts to grow its mapping services. Embark focused on building free transit apps to help people navigate public transportation. In a new series of tweets, Hodge reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the Apple acquisition.

Judge doubts whether anyone cares about exact iPhone pixel count

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the notch on the iPhone x
Does the notch take away precious pixels? Do you care?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A judge set to rule on a lawsuit claiming Apple misrepresented iPhone screen size and pixel count bluntly expressed his opinion in a hearing last week with this: No one cares.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. took the arguments under submission, meaning he will at some point issue a written ruling over Apple’s request to dismiss.

More than 8 out of 10 U.S. teens own an iPhone

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Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
And even more want to own one!
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

More than 8 out of 10 teens have an iPhone, a new piece of research by analysts at Piper Jaffray claims.

The “Taking Stock with Teens” report notes that 83% of teenagers own an Apple handset. That’s the highest rate since Piper Jaffray began tracking this information. Last year, the report claimed that 82% owned an iPhone.

New York City uses Israeli tools to crack into locked iPhones

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
iPhone security is no match for Cellebrite.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Law enforcement agents in New York City have been cracking into locked iPhones since January 2018, according to a new report.

Agencies are using a tool called Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) that’s developed by Israeli firm Cellebrite. It is said to have cost at least $200,000 and allows a full file system extraction.

Apple employs a team of people to transcribe lyrics for Apple Music

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
This is one anecdote from a new Wired article about Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple employs a team of people “listening to music and transcribing the lyrics,” says Oliver Schusser, head of Apple Music.

“We don’t get [lyrics] from the usual sites,” Schusser says, explaining that Apple doesn’t trust crowdsourcing to give it the right answers for its new synced lyrics feature.

iPhone 11 will help Apple overtake Huawei in Q4 shipments

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iPhone-11-vs-XS
Coronavirus is starting to have a big impact on Apple.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Strong demand for the iPhone 11 lineup could help Apple overtake Huawei in smartphone shipments during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Huawei has been clinging onto second place in global smartphone shipments since it leapfrogged Apple in early 2018. But iPhone 11 is selling so well that Apple just had to increase orders by 10%.