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Tim Cook’s fight for LGBTQ rights earns him ‘Champion Award’

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Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
Cook’s award shelf is quickly running out of room.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook will receive the “Champion Award” from GLSEN later this as recognition for his ongoing fight for LGBTQ rights.

Cook says he is “grateful” for the honor and insists Apple’s commitment to inclusion helps it do its “best work, each and every day.” This is one of several awards he has earned for his efforts since becoming Apple CEO.

This might be a bad time for Apple to move out of China

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook speaks with a worker on an iPhone production line.
Photo: Apple

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives thinks this could be a bad time for Apple to shake up its supply chain by moving iPhone manufacturing out of China.

In a note to clients, Ives singles out the first 5G iPhone and the launch of Apple TV+ as reasons why Apple should seek to minimize stress right now. In other words, Apple execs could do without the “gargantuan” headache that shifting around its supply chain would involve.

Be very careful about buying used Nest security cams [Update]

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Nest-camera
Who’s watching you through your Nest?
Photo: Nest

UPDATE: See the statement received from Google at the bottom of this story.

You might want to think twice about buying used Nest security cameras.

A new report reveals that secondhand models can allow previous owners to spy on new users — even if they correctly follow Nest’s instructions on resetting the device. There’s currently no fix for the security flaw.

Customs officials seize stash of fake iPhone components in Hong Kong

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The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
Make sure you trust the companies you're buying from.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

$120,000 of knockoff parts for iPhones and other handsets have been seized by customs officials in Hong Kong. The parts were being used to repair handsets sent in from countries including the United States, U.K. and Australia.

The director and manager of the company were arrested during a raid on the company’s offices in the city of Tuen Mun. The offices were being used as a workshop and warehouse. One hundred phones sent in for repairs were found onsite.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is a great puzzle game for iOS

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Diabolical Box
This title originally appeared on the Nintendo DS.
Image: Level-5

The classic Nintendo DS puzzle game franchise Professor Layton continues to roll out on iOS.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, the second game in the series, was first released in Japan back in 2007. An English language version showed up in North America in 2009. A decade later, and you can finally play it on your iPhone or iPad.

Affinity Publisher is incredibly powerful, surprisingly affordable

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Affinity-Publisher-Mac
Affinity Publisher does it all — and plays nicely with other Affinity apps.
Photo: Serif

Serif just delivered its latest Affinity app for Mac and PC — and it looks like an essential purchase for publishers.

Affinity Publisher is a professional desktop publishing client that has Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo baked-in for seamless vector design and image editing. It’s packed full of other useful features, too, and it won’t break the bank.

Google Assistant is a better virtual pharmacist than Siri

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Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
Would you ask Siri about your medication?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you have a query about your prescription drugs, you’re better off asking Google Assistant than Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. That’s the conclusion of a new piece of research, published in the journal Nature Digital Medicine.

While you’re best off asking a human doctor, of course, the research was intended to see how accurate Google, Amazon and Apple’s AI assistants are at explaining the 50 most commonly prescribed medicines.

Catalyst versions of Messages and Shortcuts on the way to macOS

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iMessage effects
A look at one of the new animations on Messages.
Screenshot: Steve Troughton-Smith

Apple is working to bring new versions of Messages and Shortcuts to Mac, according to code discovered in the latest beta of macOS 10.15 Catalina.

The code was uncovered by developer Steve Troughton-Smith. This would be the first time Shortcuts is available on macOS devices. While Messages is currently on Mac, it looks to be getting a big overhaul.

Apple Watch will continue to dominate for years to come

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Apple Watch Series 4 Solar System Watch Face
Apple Watch won’t have serious rivals in the foreseeable future.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch has the lion’s share of smart watch sales today, and that’ll hold true through at least 2023, according to a market-research firm. This ultra-mobile computer will stay in the lead as the entire market for wrist-worn wearables grows strongly.

Sales of AirPods and other hearables are also expected see healthy growth in the coming years.

Apple Card beta opens to thousands of retail workers

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Apple Card
By design, Apple Card helps customers understand and track their spending.
Photo: Apple

Apple is rapidly expanding the beta program of its credit card by letting thousands of its retail employees test it out.

With a public launch slated for later this summer, Apple is reportedly working out the final kinks with an internal group so it can launch on time this summer.

Apple’s first apps ported from iOS get more ‘Mac-like’

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Project Catalyst Twitter
Apple uses Twitter to demo porting iPad software to Mac because its own offerings are... not so good.
Photo: Apple

The first four applications Apple ported from iOS to macOS Mojave last year met with a certain amount of criticism for feeling like they were still iPad software. An Apple executive has promised these will become more “Mac-like.”

Learners will love Roli’s colorful, light-up piano keyboard

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musician playing roli lumi
Look at how much fun it is to play. Just look.
Photo: Roli

Roli is best known for its squishy, multitouch, pressure-sensitive music keyboards and controllers. Those are great. But the new Roli Lumi goes in a different direction. It’s a small portable keyboard with light-up keys. And not the kind of light-up keys you might see in a movie set during the 1970s disco scene: These light up keys help you learn to play the piano.

Piano lessons will never be the same.

Apple becomes world’s fourth-largest gaming company

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Fortnite iOS 14
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is now the world’s fourth-largest gaming company, according to a new report.

It is ranked higher than gaming giants like Nintendo, EA, and Activision — thanks mostly to the popularity of mobile gaming on iPhone. Apple is estimated to have earned $9.453 billion from games during 2018 alone.

iPhone demand in China is on the rise again

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iPhone XS Max
2019 has seen a real turnaround for iPhone in China.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The drop in iPhone sales among Chinese consumers that hurt Apple so much last year is now a thing of the past, according to market analysts. The company saw five straight months of growth in that important region.

This is what the 2020 iPhones might look like

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2020 iPhone
Concept of the 2020 iPhones based on early rumors.
Photo: Ben Geskin

The 2019 iPhone lineup hasn’t even been revealed yet but we might already know what next year’s iPhones will look like too.

Recent rumors have claimed that Apple will come out with new screen sizes for the 2020 iPhone lineup. The biggest iPhone will get a bit bigger while the smallest will get a little bit smaller. To see how that would look, Ben Geskin created a mockup of the upcoming devices, and they look fantastic.

Check out the size comparison with the current iPhones:

New lens adds Hollywood sheen to iPhone video

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Sandmarc's new anamorphic lens
Sanmarc's new cinema lens provides 2.4:1 aspect ratio coverage.
Photo: Sandmarc

The iPhone may be a game-changing tool in the film industry, but it still needs a supporting cast that includes software and accessories.

Sandmarc believes its new anamorphic lens can play a starring role in your next masterpiece.

Best Buy can now service and repair your Apple products

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Apple-Best-Buy-repairs
Broken iPhones can be fixed the very same day.
Photo: Apple

Apple has partnered with Best Buy to make it even easier for customers to obtain service and repairs.

Nearly 1,000 Best Buy stores across the U.S. can now fix your Apple devices. They are offering same-day fixes for iPhone with trained experts who use genuine Apple parts.

Fan creates surprisingly brilliant Super Mario battle royale

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Mario-Royale
But it’s not dead yet!
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The battle royale genre has become so insanely popular that almost every franchise has its own version at this point. That includes classic Super Mario Bros., thanks to one talented Nintendo fan.

And because this is a free game you play in your web browser, anyone can take control of the world’s favorite plumber as he battles it out against 74 lookalikes.

iPhone users hold onto aging handsets for longer than ever

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Apple display maker exec fired for embezzling millions of dollars
People are holding onto iPhones for an average of three years.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

The global smartphone market is slowing down, but nowhere are things declining faster than the premium end of the market. According to new figures from Counterpoint Research, that end of the market fell 8% in the first quarter of 2019.

Apple suffered particularly badly, with shipments of the iPhone declining 20%. Counterpoint blames it on users holding onto their handsets for longer.

Apple wants to cut down on manufacturing in China

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meets one of the people working on the iPhone factory line.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly asked its main suppliers to evaluate the cost of shifting 15% to 30% of their production from China to Southeast Asia.

This is a response to the burgeoning China and U.S. trade war, which has already impacted Apple’s share price. If new tariffs go into effect, it could drive up the cost of Apple devices considerably.