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News - page 543

16-inch MacBook Pro could get Apple’s most powerful charger ever

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16-inch MacBook Pro concept
What does this mean for the 16-inch MacBook Pro?
Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Details have leaked out of an Apple USB-C wall charger more powerful than any the company currently offers. This has spawned speculation that it‘s for the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro expected to launch soon.

A power adapter that offers more current leads to faster recharges.

iPad is catching up with Mac, but it will never be as easy to use [Opinion]

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It’s not rocket science... oh wait, it is: Opening two files on an iPad.
Opening two files in the same app on an iPad requires rocket science.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Thanks to the recently launched iPadOS, I can finally do simple things on my iPad that I’ve always been able to do on my Mac. Like opening multiple documents in the same app, or installing fonts.

Trouble is, while these things are easy to do on a Mac, they’re fiendishly difficult with an iPad.

In the early days, everyone celebrated the iPad for being easier and more intuitive to use than a Mac. But as Apple crams in more features, that is no longer true. iPad is still easier to use for simple things, but it is much harder and more cumbersome for performing advanced tasks.

Life insurance firm offers Apple Watch Series 5 for just $25

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Next Apple Watch Activity challenge will take place on Veterans Day
Activity Rings help wearers form healthy habits.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

John Hancock will start selling Apple Watch Series 5 for just $25 this fall.

The new wearable, which usually starts at $399, will be available to life insurance customers who vow to be more active. But you’ll need to stick to your promise of living a healthier lifestyle.

Apple increases iPhone 11 production to meet strong demand

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iPhone 11 continues to shine while iPhone 11 Pro Max sales flatten out
Don't believe the scaremongers.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly ramping up iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro production to meet stronger-than-expected demand.

The 10% increase will result in around 8 million additional units entering the market this year. It will also push early iPhone 11 production numbers past those for iPhone XR and iPhone XS.

iPhone app spots eye cancer symptoms before doctors do

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baby-iphone
This app could help save your baby's life.
Photo: Tatsuo Yamashita/Flickr CC

Score a win for AI in its quest to replace all of our jobs, including doctors’.

Scientists have developed a machine learning app that is being used to detect early symptoms of eye disease by scanning through a collection of photos. The app, called White Eye Detector, uses an algorithm to look for signs of white eye reflections in photos pretty similar to the red eyes you sometimes see in photos. The app is so accurate that in some children it spotted symptoms up over a year before it was diagnosed by doctors.

CalDigit’s USB-C Pro Dock powers dual 4K monitors

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CalDigit Pro Dock with MacBooks
The CalDigit Pro Dock has two DisplayPort ports, and plenty of others too.
Photo: CalDigit

CalDigit now offers the Pro Dock, a multiport USB-C hub that can drive a pair of 4K displays at a full 60Hz. There are plenty of hubs that let a MacBook connect to a single monitor, but this dual-screen option is more rare.

The Pro Dock also has a trio of USB-A ports, Ethernet, and other ports.

Instagram steals from Snapchat for new Threads app

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Threads
Instagram has yet another standalone app.
Photo: Instagram

Facebook-owned Instagram launched a new standalone app today that pretty much steals some of Snapchat’s key features.

Threads, rolling out globally to iOS today, is built around Instagram’s Close Friends feature, giving you a quicker way to message the people you care about on Insta the most.

Apple seeds full version of macOS Catalina to developers

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macOS Catalina release date
Get ready: macOS Catalina is nearly here.
Photo: Apple

Work has wrapped up on the full version of macOS Catalina, and Apple sent the resulting Golden Master to developers. This is the last step before releasing the first non-beta of version 10.15 to the general public.

Catalina splits iTunes into a number of other applications, and allows iPads to be easily used as a Mac’s second display.

Apple finds a way to revolutionize the haptic keyboard

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on-screen haptic keyboard patent
An on-screen haptic keyboard proposal
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple invented an on-screen haptic keyboard with virtual keys that simulate movement, which should make typing a better experience.

A laptop’s hardware keyboard is great for text entry but is in the way when reading websites, watching movies, playing games, etc. That’s why Apple is exploring options for getting rid of the keyboard while maintaining the ease of typing offered by a physical keyboard.

Apple Watch owners plagued by bad battery life under watchOS 6

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Apple Watch Series 5 California Face
It could be one of many new faces.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recent watchOS 6 upgrade brought a host of new features and faces to Apple Watch. But it has also had a nasty impact on battery life for lots of upgraders.

Apple Watch Series 5 owners are reporting that their new wearable isn’t lasting as long as Apple promised it would in between charges. However, they’re not the only ones who are suffering.

Larger iPhone SE 2 could arrive in early 2020 with A13 Bionic

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iPhone 8
iPhone SE 2 will look very familiar.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s second-generation iPhone SE 2 will arrive during the first quarter of 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities reaffirms the device will be larger this time around — adopting the iPhone 8’s design. He also claims it will be powered by Apple’s blazing-fast A13 Bionic chip.

Apple helps teach Swift coding lessons to kids as young as 5

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Apple helps teach coding lessons to kids as young as 5
I wish my classroom had looked like this!
Photo: Apple

Kids as young as five are learning the principles of coding — courtesy of Apple’s expanding Swift learning curriculum.

As part of EU Code Week, Apple is highlighting how its Swift coding language is helping improve educational outcomes for kids throughout Europe. And not just where you’d expect either.

First Indian Apple Store will open in Mumbai mall

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Apple's first Indian Apple Store will be located in Mumbai mall
Apple will no longer have to make do with selling through resellers.
Photo: Lawrence Sinclair/Flickr CC

Apple has reportedly selected the location for its first Apple Store in India. The store will be located in Maker Maxity mall in Mumbai, India’s most populous city with a population of around 18 million.

Cupertino is aiming for a September 2020 opening for the Mumbai Apple Store. That’s around the time Apple should release the next-gen iPhone.

75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
But that's still 37.5 million who could be tempted...
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Apple TV+ and Disney+ may be the two new kids on the streaming services block, but the majority of Netflix subscribers are in no rush to check them out.

According to a survey carried out by Piper Jaffray analysts, around 75% of current Netflix subscribers have no plans to subscribe to either new service. That’s good news for Netflix investors in the short-term. But I’m not convinced that it gives a fair indication of what might eventually happen.

Apple removes app used by Hong Kong protesters from the App Store

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China state media slams Apple for app used by Hong Kong protestors
App shows the location of police activity.
Photo: Hkmap Live

Apple has booted an app used by protesters in Hong Kong out of the App Store. Called Hkmap Live, the crowdsourced app uses reports from a Telegram group that tracks the whereabouts of police and protesters. It also contains information about things like arrests of people wearing protest-related paraphernalia and the use of weapons like tear gas.

“Your app contains content – or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity – that is not legal,” Apple told the app makers. “Specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement.”

Spectacular Untitled Goose Game could be coming to mobile

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Untitled-Goose-Game
Who wouldn't want Untitled Goose Game in their pocket?
Photo: House House

The spectacularly pleasant Untitled Goose Game could be on its way to mobile.

Publisher Panic says it is “chewing on” the idea of bringing the phenomenon to Android and iOS. It just expanded its reach to Nintendo Switch and may also come to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Reliable source says there will be no ‘iPhone 11S’ in 2020

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iPhone-11-red
Customers can't get enough of iPhone 11.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple will not release an “iPhone 11S” in 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Cupertino is instead expected to name its next-generation smartphone — which will launch next September — the “iPhone 12.” This could mean a big break from tradition going forward.

Mario Kart Tour races ahead on first-week downloads

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Mario Kart Tour has the second best debut month ever on mobile
The question is: will it last?
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour may be a disappointment on a critical level, but it seems to be off to a good start in terms of downloads.

According to new data from Sensor Tower, Mario Kart Tour racked up 90 million downloads in its first week. That makes it Nintendo’s fastest mobile game launch in history. Kind of appropriate for a racing game, really!

Apple CEO urges Supreme Court to protect ‘Dreamers’

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Tim WWDC
Tim Cook has again spoken in defense of a program that defers deportation of people who were brought to the US as children.
Photo: Apple

Apple today urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the DACA program — an Obama-era policy that gave some legal status to children of illegal immigrants. The Trump Administration ordered it shut down, and it’s in legal limbo.

The “friend of the court” filing by Apple was signed by CEO Tim Cook, and it’s not the first time he has spoken up for the “Dreamers.”

Super-sturdy case brings brighter colors to iPhone 11 Pro

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Elago-Hybrid-iPhone-11
Add a splash of color to iPhone 11 Pro.
Photo: Elago

Spend even more of your hard-earned cash on iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max and you’ll have to forget the fancier color options offered by iPhone 11. But there is another way to brighten up your new smartphone for next to nothing.

Elago’s brilliant new Hybrid Case, priced at just $16, comes in a bunch of beautiful finishes that’ll help your 11 Pro stand out.

Google adds enhanced privacy tools to Maps and YouTube

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Google Maps and YouTube privacy tools
It's getting easier to not be tracked in Maps. And YouTube is getting a timed history auto-delete.
Photo: Google

Google just promised that Incognito mode will soon be added to Maps. And YouTube is getting timed auto-delete for the user’s video history. In addition, a new Password Checkup tool helps users avoid common passcodes.

This advertising company has been making similar changes to its other services in hopes of shaking a reputation for privacy invasion.

Revamped AirPods with noise cancellation spilled by iOS 13.2

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
Photo: Charlie Sorrel

A new iOS 13.2 beta, out today for registered developers, spilled details about Apple’s next-generation AirPods with noise cancellation for the first time.

An image of the new Apple earbuds reveals a revamped design with soft tips. The beta also references different listening modes.