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News - page 570

Improved Taptic Engine could replace 3D Touch in iPhone 11

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3D Touch
The handy but not vital tricks that come with 3D Touch are reportedly going away.
Photo: Apple

Evidence continues to grow that the iPhone 11 will lack 3D Touch, and will instead include a smarter version of Haptic Touch — a fancy name for long-pressing on the screen.

Previous unconfirmed reports indicated Apple would kill 3D Touch to lower the cost of the 2019 models.

Steve Jobs insisted every bolt on Pixar’s HQ be hand-tightened

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Steve Jobs sweated the details of the Steve Jobs Building on the Pixar campus in Emeryville, California.
Steve Jobs sweated the details.
Photo: Duluoz cats/Flickr CC

Breaking news: Steve Jobs was kind of a perfectionist when it came to design.

OK, so that’s not exactly the world’s best-kept secret. But a new story about the creation of Pixar’s headquarters highlights Jobs’ obsessive attention to detail. For anyone who remembers hearing about the creation of Apple Park, it will sound eerily familiar…

Apple pushes to make India its manufacturing hub

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iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
Apple's "Made in India" initiative.
Photo: Apple

Apple is petitioning the Indian government to rethink its policies regarding manufacturing. The move comes as Apple looks to lessen its reliance on China as a manufacturing base.

According to a new report, Apple is pushing for the Indian government to adopt reduced import duties. These would cover components that would later be re-exported.

Why Apple doom predictions could be good news

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Tim Cook with money bag
At least, it's good news for investors -- according to Morgan Stanley.
Photo illustration: Cult of Mac

People sure love predicting doom and gloom for Apple — but that might actually turn out to be a good thing. At least, as far as investors are concerned.

According to Morgan Stanley analysts, Apple is way over-performing current negative perceptions about its business. And that’s going to pay off in spades when it comes to the next earnings announcement.

Apple forced to close Hong Kong stores early amid protests

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Apple-Causeway-Bay
The Apple Store in Causeway Bay closed 5 to 6 hours earlier.
Photo: Apple

Apple closed all Hong Kong stores early on Monday due to growing concerns over more violent protests.

The move came a day after police fired tear gas during a clash with thousands of antigovernment activists. Other businesses also closed their doors and sent staff home early.

T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger could earn DoJ approval this week

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
Sprint and T-Mobile are 'all-in' on their merger.
Photo: T-Mobile

The long-awaited merger between T-Mobile and Sprint could finally be approved by the Department of Justice this week. The deal requires the agreement of the DoJ in order to proceed.

Provided that it goes through, the merger will create a company valued at $160 billion. The merged companies will also have to help establish a new fourth wireless competitor to replace the one being taken away.

Apple might drop $1 billion on Intel’s modem biz

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This Intel modem will likely power the first 5G iPhone.
One of Intel's first 5G modems.
Photo: Intel

Apple could soon become the new owner of Intel’s giant trove of modem-related patents according to a new report on the two sides’ negotiation.

Intel decided to get out of the 5G modem game earlier this year after Apple struck a deal to use Qualcomm’s modems for the next couple of years. It appears that Intel’s loss could be a big win for Apple’s own efforts to become less dependent on third-parties for iPhone chips.

Hands on with iPhone 11: What to expect from 2019 iPhones [Video]

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iPhone 11 R and 11 Max on fence post
These iPhone 11 dummies should be a lot like the real thing.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

It seems like it’s impossible to make it through the summer without leaks about upcoming iPhones. From iPhone 11 supply chain leaks to iPhone XI case-maker models, 2019 is no different.

With so many holes in the supply chain, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect this year. Thanks to sources online, we’ve got dummy iPhone XI, XI Max, and XIr models to give us a taste of this year’s iPhone lineup. (We still don’t know the exact model names, though.)

watchOS 5.3 restores Walkie-Talkie, expands ECG

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The Apple Watch Walkie Talkie app is a great way to chat with family and friends.
Apple restored the Walkie-Talkie function with a watchOS update.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple brought the Walkie-Talkie app back online today with a watchOS update after disabling it earlier this month with an undisclosed vulnerability that might have allowed eavesdropping.

The release of watchOS 5.3 also brings the ECG app for users in Canada and Singapore.

iOS 12.4 brings Apple News improvements, iPhone migration and more

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iOS 12
This could be the last update for iOS 12
Photo: Apple

The long wait for iOS 12.4 is finally over after Apple made the software update available to all iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners this morning.

In what will likely be the last major upgrade for iOS 12, the iOS 12.4 update brings a number of big improvements, including the ability to directly transfer data from an old iPhone to a new one. There are also tons of bug fixes and other changes, but the most notable thing about iOS 12.4 might be what it’s missing: Apple Card.

Slack finally fixes its horribly slow Mac app in huge overhaul

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Slack-Mac
Slack gets the upgrade we’ve all been waiting for.
Photo: Web Hosting/Unsplash

Slack today confirmed a brand new version of its desktop app that will finally fix painfully slow performance many users have been suffering for years.

The new app for Mac and Windows is completely rebuilt with a focus on speed. It promises to launch 33% faster and take up 50% less RAM than before.

Overcast adds fantastic new podcast recommendations feature

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News, iPhone apps, iPad apps, podcasts
News, iPhone apps, iPad apps, podcasts
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Overcast, the podcast app of choice for lovers of good design, powerful-yet-straightforward features, and the color orange, just added a brand-new recommendations feature.

Previously, Overcast used a Twitter-based recommendation engine. But developer Marco Arment says almost nobody used it. Now, he’s replaced it with recommendations based on users’ personal listening habits, and the result is amazing. I already added a few new podcast subscriptions based on its suggestions.

Jeff Williams might be Apple’s next Tim Cook

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Apple COO Jeff Williams
Williams is next in line for the CEO’s office.
Photo: Apple

Apple operations chief Jeff Williams is the most important person at the company after CEO Tim Cook, according to a new report.

Williams, who has also taken over Apple’s design studio following the departure of Jony Ive, is thought to be first in line to replace Cook when the time is right.

“He’s very much in the mold of the current chief executive: a paragon of operational efficiency and even temper,” said several current and former colleagues.

Sales of $17,000 gold Apple Watch flatlined after two weeks

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The Apple Watch Edition, released in 2015, was made of 18-karat gold.
A close-up look at the gold Apple Watch from 2015 to see what made it tick.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

The 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition drew a ton of social media ballyhoo when the pricey luxury watch was part of the first generation watches in 2015.

But who would pay $10,000 for a watch sure to be obsolete in a hurry? As many predicted, not a lot of people.

Apple Watch may get microLED display, better battery life in 2020

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new Apple customers
Apple Watch could be better than ever next year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is expected to come with brand new display technology as soon as next year, according to a new report.

Apple is said to be in advanced talks with display makers over bringing microLED screens to its popular wearable. One advantage of the switch will be longer battery life in between charges.

2020 iPhone could get blazing-fast display upgrade

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iPhone XS gaming
The first iPhone with ProMotion?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The 2020 iPhone lineup could bring a huge display upgrade that will put it on par with iPad Pro in terms of refresh rate.

One leaker says Apple is “considering” 120Hz panels for next year’s handsets. It would be the first time its ProMotion technology has graced an OLED screen since its debut in 2017.

CarPlay in iOS 13, the perfect road trip companion [Video]

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CarPlay Dashboard in iOS 13
The new CarPlay Dashboard puts everything you need on your... dashboard.
Photo: Apple

We’ve already extolled our excitement over CarPlay changes coming in iOS 13. But now that the beta season is well underway, we’ve had the chance to go fully hands on.

After taking it on a road trip, using it while commuting, and exploring the new features, this is our hands-on look at CarPlay in iOS 13.

TSMC preps to make super-speedy CPUs for 2020 iPhone

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Apple A14 processor
Expect great things from the Apple A14 processor.
CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company will begin volume production of 5nm chips in the first half of 2020, according to the company’s chief financial officer.

The Taiwanese foundry manufactures all Apple’s processors. TSMC’s move to 5nm comes right on time to employ this cutting-edge process in the A14 CPUs for next year’s iPhone and iPad models.

To the moon! iPhone vs. Apollo Guidance Computer [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 306]

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A single iPhone dwarfs the Apollo Guidance Computer's processing power.
A single iPhone dwarfs the Apollo Guidance Computer's processing power.
Photo: NASA. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Fifty years after the Apollo moon mission, the leaps in mankind’s computing power continue to amaze. For instance, did you know an iPhone could manage 120 million moon missions at once?

Get the story behind that astonishing stat, plus the latest on CarPlay, FaceApp and the likely design of this year’s new iPhones, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s jam-packed with all the Apple news, reviews and how-tos you can fit into your weekend. (Prefer to read in your browser? Get the headlines below.)