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A13 chips for 2019 iPhone move toward mass-production

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Right to Repair
Apple's first 5nm chips are expected to ship in iPhone and iPad this year.
Photo: iFixit

Apple chip-maker TSMC is almost ready to start mass-producing next-generation A13 chips for this year’s new iPhone lineup.

The A13 will employ an “enhanced version” of TSMC’s N7+ fabrication process, according to a new report. It is likely to be Apple’s last 7-nanometer chip following the launch of TSMC’s new 5nm foundry at the Southern Taiwan Science Park.

Spotted: Tim Cook parties at Coachella

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Cook 1
Tim Cook was photographed at Coachella this weekend!
Photo: Diplo/Instagram

This weekend was Coachella — and one person who apparently needed no reminding of this fact was Tim Cook.

Apple’s CEO was snapped at the event, posing for a picture with DJ and music producer Diplo. “Some random guy came up to me and asked for a picture but I look good so here it is,” Diplo humorously captioned the photo.

Apple could invest $500 million in Apple Arcade

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Apple Arcade is something of a loot box for Apple.
Apple Arcade is something of an expensive loot box for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s upcoming game service could be getting some major seed money. A new report indicates the iPhone maker might be spending over $500 million to build its stable of games.

And analysts from HSBC predict Apple Arcade will bring in more revenue than Apple TV+, this company’s streaming video service.

Inside Apple’s megafactories [Cult of Mac Magazine 292]

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Exclusive outtakes from Leander's new book on Tim Cook take you inside Apple's innovative manufacturing process.
Exclusive outtakes from Leander's new book on Tim Cook take you inside Apple's innovative manufacturing process.
Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac

In case you haven’t heard, our fearless leader (Cult of Mac founder and publisher Leander Kahney) has a new book coming soon. It’s called Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, and it offers an eye-opening look at the Apple CEO.

Unfortunately, Leander couldn’t squeeze all the info he gathered into a single book. So we’re publishing a series of outtakes dealing with Apple’s innovative approach to manufacturing the world’s greatest computers.

Catch up on all the outtakes so far — starting with a peek inside Apple’s megafactories — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Or use the links below to stay in your browser. Either way, you’ll get all the outtakes from the Cook book, plus the week’s best Apple news, how-tos and reviews.

Apple and Foxconn, a history [Cook book outtakes]

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Foxconn workers spell company's name
Workers spell out the company's name at one of Foxconn's giant plants.
Photo: Foxconn

Tim Cook book outtakes: How Apple's Operations department works This post was going to be part of my new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, but was cut for length or continuity. Over the next week or so, we will be publishing several more sections that were cut, focusing mostly on geeky details of Apple’s manufacturing operations.

Foxconn was founded around the same time as Apple, although 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world. In 1974, when 19-year-old Steve Jobs was working at Atari, 24-year-old Terry Gou borrowed $7,500 ($37,000 in today’s money) from his mother to start up a business.

Republican lawmakers flame Apple for censorship in China

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China’s population of 1.4 billion makes it a huge potential market for Apple.
China’s population of 1.4 billion makes it a huge potential market for Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A pair of GOP congresspeople have strongly criticized the decision to remove songs from artists critical of the Chinese Communist Party from Apple’s streaming music service in that country.

The move highlights the compromises the iPhone maker has to make in order to offer its products in a very lucrative market.

Facebook could bring Messenger back to its main app

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Facebook Messenger unsend
It’s about time!
Photo: Facebook

Facebook could bring Messenger back to its main app as part of its strategy to merge all of its chat services into one.

Evidence of the change has been discovered in recent code. Facebook is yet to confirm the move, but it certainly looks like it is already making preparations.

Beautiful iPhone XII concept kills the notch and buttons

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Check out a proposed iPhone XII with a screen that curves around all four edges.
Check out a proposed iPhone XII with a screen that curves around all four edges.
Photo: Kevin Noki/ConceptsiPhone

One way to make the iPhone’s screen larger without increasing the size of the device itself is wrap it around all four edges. An artist‘s video imagines how such an iOS handset would look, with no physical buttons and an under-screen camera.

Watch his concept video now:

Camera comparison proves iPhone is still one of the best

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camera sales
iPhone photography is still incredibly good.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Android enthusiasts are keen to highlight how the iPhone has dropped in the smartphone camera ranks in recent years. But a new camera comparison reveals that may not be the case.

Although there are some better options out there for low-light photography, Apple’s smartphone is still up there with the best when it comes to daytime shooting.

Buy an iPhone case and build a library in Peru

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iPhone cases Peru
One of six in the Living Heart Case Collection.
Photo: IllusionPhotograph.com

You get varying degrees of style and durability in every iPhone case. But purchase a case from IllusionPhotograph and you could help build a library in Peru.

The kids who will benefit from that library, along with medical supplies and educational tools, are doing their part by making artwork for a line of iPhone cases called the Living Heart Case Collection.

Despite rival streaming services, Disney CEO will stay on Apple board

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Iger CEO 1
Iger has a long history with Apple.
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr CC

Apple and Disney are going to be rivals with their new streaming services, but Disney CEO Bob Iger doesn’t expect it’ll have any impact on his position as an Apple board member.

Iger said that he had recused himself at Apple board meetings when the topic of Apple TV+ came up. However, he noted that it “has not been discussed all that much” by the board, since it’s still early days.

Foxconn will start building iPhones in India in July

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Foxconn is looking to India as a location to build iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Foxconn will reportedly start building iPhone X-series handsets in India in July, a new report claims. Other newer handsets could also follow in the future.

The handsets will be built at the company’s 160-acre factory in Chennai. “The plans are to step up production capacity and diversify to even higher models going forward,” a source with knowledge of Foxconn’s plans is quoted as saying.

We talk an all-new MacBook Pro, the return of MagSafe, and inside Apple’s megafactories, on The CultCast

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CultCast 383
Reports say a redesigned MacBook Pro is on the way...

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s readying a totally redesigned MacBook Pro with next-gen display! We discuss. Plus: Apple’s working on the next generation of MagSafe! Thank the gods. And we take a fascinating look at the unbelievable scale and size of Apple’s megafactories, from a bonus chapter of Leander’s new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Masked thieves steal $20,000 of MacBooks from Apple Store

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook has previously shown up at the Palo Alto store to meet customers.
Screenshot: CNBC

Apple’s Palo Alto retail store was targeted by mask-wearing thieves this week, who stole MacBooks worth almost $20,000 in total.

The robbery took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Two thieves, wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts, smashed the glass doors outside using rocks. They proceeded to grab nine Macs, although two of these were dropped during their escape.

Apple display-maker gets lifesaving cash influx

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iPhone XR was India’s no. 1 ‘ultra premium’ smartphone in 2019
Japan Display is the main supplier for iPhone XR screens.
Photo: Apple

Apple display maker Japan Display revealed today that it has signed a 232 billion yen ($2.1 billion) deal that will bail-out the struggling company.

The deal gives a Chinese-Taiwanese conglomerate a 49.8% stake in the company, making it the biggest shareholder.

Disney+ streaming service will almost certainly support Apple TV

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Disney+ streaming service
Disney+ launches in the U.S. this November.
Photo: Disney

Disney’s new streaming service, officially announced for the first time on Thursday, will likely make its way to Apple TV.

That’s according to Disney CEO Bob Iger, who explained a Disney+ app will eventually be available through traditional distributors. You will also be able to enjoy it on Smart TVs and consoles.

Apple now asks users to confirm in-app subscriptions

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Confirm sub 1
Apple wants to avoid accidental subscriptions.
Photo: David Barnard

Apple is increasingly moving toward subscription-based Services as a major source of income. However, it’s also doing the right thing by making sure that users actually want the subscriptions they’re purchasing — and aren’t just subscribing by accident.

To help cement this, it has added a new step into the App Store subscription process. Before subscribing to an app, users must now confirm a “Confirm Subscription” popup.

macOS concept proposes dumping free-floating windows

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Perhaps the MacBook should adopt split-screen multitasking instead of floating windows.
Perhaps the MacBook should adopt split-screen multitasking instead of floating windows.
Photo: Thomas Weinreich

Many people want their iPad to work more like a MacBook. A concept video proposes the opposite: having macOS function more like iOS on a tablet. That means no more free-floating windows.

Watch the video to see the idea in action:

New Apple Watch videos highlight fall detection and heart notifications

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Fall detection ad from Apple
Fall detection could be a lifesaver for some Apple Watch wearers.
Photo: Apple

Apple came out with two new how-to videos for the Apple Watch today, showing customers how to take advantage of some of the new features introduced last year.

The two videos cover how to turn on heart health notifications and fall detection. Each video is only 30 seconds long and shows how to activate each feature in just three or four easy steps.

Watch them both right here:

Do not call Dmitry Markov’s iPhone photos ‘seamy’

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Dmitry Markov
"Time to death." Haircut of 18-year-old teenager before his release from orphanage is one of 80 iPhone photos in #DRAFT #RUSSIA, which runs through June 4 at the agnés b. Galerie Boutique in New York City.
Photo: Dmitry Markov courtesy of agnés b.

Each of the 80 arresting iPhone images in an exhibition entitled #DRAFT #RUSSIA are a chapter in the life of the photographer Dmitry Markov.

The pictures may feel like a hard, unpleasant view of a fringe existence in a Russian province far removed from the economic bustle of Moscow, but Markov makes no apology.

Chris Evans spotted on set of upcoming Apple TV show

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Chris Evans
Chris Evan and his beard on the set.
Photo: Patriot Pics/Backgrid

Captain America star Chris Evans is already hard at work on his next project now that Avengers: Endgame is nearly ready to hit theaters.

Evans was spotted on the set of his upcoming TV series, Defending Jacob, which is being made for Apple TV+. Evans shaved his beard for Endgame but it looks like it’s making a comeback in the Apple TV series.