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WWII-era dispute could ensnarl release of 2019 iPhones

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iPhone 11 rumor from Olixar
Apple could feel the fallout from a dispute between Japan and South Korea.
Photo: Olixar

Another dispute between countries looms over Apple, but this one dates back to World War II and could cause the tech giant heartburn as it readies the lineup of 2019 iPhones.

Japan will tighten export restrictions on South Korea for materials used to make smartphone chips and displays beginning Thursday. Japan imposed the rule after a court in South Korea ordered Japan’s Nippon Steel to compensate South Koreans for wartime forced labor.

Legrand’s new HomeKit light switches require no hub

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Legrand Home Smart Lighting for Apple HomeKit
Legrand’s latest dimmable light switches and wall plugs are all HomeKit compatible.
Photo: Legrand

The just-released Legrand Home Smart Lighting for Apple HomeKit collection includes 3-way and dimmable wall switches, as well as plug-in wall sockets that are also either on/off or dimmable. Any of these can be controlled via an iPhone, HomePod, etc. with no pesky hub required for in-home use.

Build the skyscraper of your dreams in Lego Tower for iOS

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Lego-Tower-iOS
Start playing Lego Tower today!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Lego Tower, the newest game from Tiny Tower developer NimbleBit, has landed on iOS.

The free-to-play title lets you build a Lego skyscraper world, with apartments, hospitals, stores, and more. The higher you build, the more options you have — and you’ll collect a bunch of awesome Lego toys along the way.

iOS 13 beta and HomePod lets you ask Siri to play radio

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iPhone FM radio chips
"Hey Siri, play BBC Radio One."
Photo: Alan Levine/Flickr CC

The ability to use Siri to listen to live radio stations is up and running for HomePod users, along with people running the latest iOS 13 beta.

Apple announced the feature at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, boasting support for iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Radio.com streaming radio. That means users can access more than 100,000 different stations using Apple’s AI assistant.

Google starts testing AirDrop clone for Android Q

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AirDrop
‘Fast Share’ will roll out later this year.
Photo: Apple

Google is working to deliver an AirDrop clone that will allow Android users to quickly share files with nearby devices.

Its new “Fast Share” feature, which will also make its way to Chrome OS, can be used to send images, videos, links, and other files without an internet connection. It can already be enabled on some Android Q devices.

Apple could be the victor of successful G20 trade talks

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Could the trade war with China be over?
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

Apple is the big winner of global trade talks at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

That’s according to Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. Ives notes that Apple has become the “poster child” for the U.S. vs. China trade war. As a result, the news that trade talks will resume between President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping is a winner for Apple.

Jony Ive’s absence from Apple caused iPhone X headaches

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iPhone X Product Red Wallpaper
The iPhone X had a "rough development cycle."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Jony Ive began to drift away from Apple shortly after the Apple Watch launched, a new report claims. The Apple design chief’s waning enthusiasm caused problems during development of the iPhone X and other products.

Following news that Ive is finished at Apple (at least as a full-time employee), this account backs up earlier reports stating that he had had one foot out the door for a while. In some cases, Ive’s long goodbye made things difficult for his co-workers.

Eddy Cue insists Apple’s TV streaming service isn’t too late

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Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue is the boss of Apple's Services division.
Photo: CNBC

Apple has some big designs on television with its Apple TV+ service. But Eddy Cue, SVP of Internet Software and Services, admits the company didn’t have much expertise on the subject of TV when it started its latest project.

That’s now changed, Cue says, and Apple is focused on “creating the best” content possible. And he doesn’t think it’s left it too late, either.

Why you should add a second screen to your iPad Pro [Opinion]

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iPad Pro as your desktop computer
There's just one problem — and that's Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

UPDATE: This article from 2019 is obsolete now that iPadOS 16.2 includes full support for external displays.


Dramatic changes in the iPad Pro line make it reasonable for the average user to consider adding an external display to their tablet.

I’ve been exploring this with an LG UltraFine 4K monitor for several weeks. Here’s everything I’ve learned.

Today in Apple history: iPad surpasses 100,000 exclusive apps

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iPad
The iPad got developers excited from day one!
Photo: Apple

June 30: Today in Apple history: iPad surpasses 100,000 exclusive apps June 30, 2011: A little more than a year after the iPad goes on sale, the number of iPad-exclusive apps in the App Store passes 100,000.

The milestone caps a brilliant first year for Apple’s long-awaited tablet. And the amazing breadth of iPad-only apps proves the device is much more than just a bigger iPhone.

iPhone Pro concept fixes potential flaws in iPhone 11

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iPhone Pro concept
iPhone Pro concept kills the notch by placing the necessary components under the display.
Photo: Jermaine Smit/Concept Creator

The many iPhone 11 rumors reveal a device with only a few changes, and one of those is a relatively giant camera hump. A graphic designer created a video for a concept device that takes this device forward in a way that people will probably prefer.

Watch his iPhone Pro proposal video now:

Jony Ive and the ‘fiddle factor’ [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 303]

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The
The "fiddle factor" is the tactile magic of Apple design.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

What will Apple miss most as design chief Jony Ive spacewalks out of the spaceship campus? We think it’s the “fiddle factor” he injected into all his best Apple design.

Find out all about this tactile innovation in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS. We’ve got the lowdown on Ive’s exit — and the elusive “>Evans Hankey, the woman who will lead Apple’s famous Industrial Design studio going forward.

If you prefer to read in a browser, you can find links to the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos below.

Why Apple will miss Jony Ive’s fabulous ‘fiddle factor’

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Apple will miss Jony Ive's tactile approach to technology.
Apple will miss Jony Ive's tactile approach to technology.
Photo: Mariah Dietzler/Flickr CC

As a design student back in the 1980s, a teenage Jony Ive spent a semester with a design agency in London, the Roberts Weaver Group. One of his first projects was designing a new pen for Japan’s Zebra Co. Ltd., a pen-maker based in Tokyo.

Ive’s TX2 pen was made of white plastic — the beginning of a life-long obsession with the color — and had a pair of rubbery side panels for a better grip. But what set the pen apart from every other was a nonessential feature — a ball-and-clip mechanism on the top that served no purpose other than to give the owner something to fiddle with.

Ive noticed that people fiddled with their pens all the time. So he decided to give his pen something he called the “fiddle factor.” This crucial insight ultimately became an essential element of Apple design as Ive rose to become Cupertino’s chief design officer.

Big changes might come to struggling Apple News+

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Apple News
Apple News+ revenues fail to impress publishers.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is already having to consider some major changes to its new Apple News+ service just three months after it launched earlier this year.

The subscription news service was supposed to be a boon for publishers and bring in a ton of extra cash, but a new report claims most publishers are only seeing a fraction of the revenue Apple promised.

Mophie’s latest iPhone battery case boasts wireless and Lightning charging

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Mophie Juice Pack Air for 2018 iPhone models
The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a protective case that also keeps an iPhone’s battery topped off.
Photo: Mophie

Mophie is out with a fresh variation on its battery cases for the iPhone XR and XS series. Unlike an earlier option from this company, the Juice Pack Air and the iPhone inside it share a single Lightning port for recharging. Wireless charging is available, too.

In an unusual move, this accessory is an Amazon exclusive in the run up to Prime Day.

Insanely addictive Tetris Royale on its way to mobile

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Tetris-Royale
Like Tetris 99, but for your phone.
Photo: The Tetris Company

The Tetris Company is bringing a brand new Tetris game to mobile, and it’ll be unlike any Tetris game you’ve played on iOS or Android before.

Tetris Royale fuses the beloved falling block franchise with the incredibly popular battle royale genre. Fans have already gotten a taste of what to expect with Tetris 99 on Nintendo Switch, and soon everyone else can enjoy it.

It’s time to sell your old iPad and bag a cheap upgrade

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The screen really is beautiful.
But is it just coronavirus?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There’s never been a better time to upgrade to the latest iPad Pro, with Amazon currently offering big discounts of up to $249 off all models. And you can make yours even more affordable by selling your old iPad today.

Cult of Mac offers real cash for your old Apple devices, and we typically pay more than anyone else. What’s more, the process is incredibly quick and simple, and we will even buy back battered tech in need of repair.

26 flaming MacBooks prompted Apple recall

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2015 MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina
You were expecting something else?
Photo: Apple

Apple recalled 15-inch MacBook Pros from 2015, and we now know this is based on just a couple of dozen incidents, none serious.

Still, everyone with an affected unit should bring it in for service, especially as this includes a free battery replacement.

Apple moves Mac Pro production to China

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Mac Pro
No longer made in the USA.
Photo: Apple

The only Apple device that is produced in the U.S. is about to have its manufacturing operations moved overseas.

Apple reportedly plans to make its expensive new Mac Pro in China according to a new report that claims an assembly partner has already been lined up. The previous “trash can” Mac Pro was made at an Apple facility in Austin, Texas where the company also has a software engineering hub.

Tim Cook discusses Jony Ive departure in memo to Apple employees

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Jony Ive
Jony Ive is finally free.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a memo to all Apple employees Thursday informing them that long-time Chief Design Officer Jony Ive is leaving the company.

Instead of talking about the giant hole Ive will leave behind, Cook spun the Apple design guru’s exit as an “important evolution” for the company. He also talked about how great it will be for everyone as Ive pursues his passions as head of his new design firm, LoveFrom.