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News - page 617

Apple’s new TV app arrives with iOS 12.3

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The Apple TV app gets a raft of new features in iOS 12.3.
The Apple TV app gets a raft of new features in iOS 12.3.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s updated TV app is finally ready for the public to dive into.

iOS 12.3 was released to the public today, adding the new Apple TV app to iPhones and iPads as Apple prepares to launch its streaming TV service this fall. The update also adds AirPlay 2.0 and Apple TV support to compatible Samsung smart TVs.

Supreme Court sides against Apple in big antitrust case

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Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
Lawsuit could change Apple's relationship with App Store customers.
Photo: Apple

A lawsuit targeting Apple and the App Store will be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided.

The case involves whether or customers technically buy apps from Apple, or whether Apple is a middleman connecting app developers with consumers. The Supreme Court ruled against Apple on Monday by 5 votes to 4.

Apple share price hit by renewed China trade tensions

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
Proposed trade tariffs have had a big impact on Apple's share price.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Concerns about the U.S.’s trading relationship with China is hitting Apple shares.

AAPL’s share price has been steadily sliding since President Donald Trump took to Twitter to talk trading tariffs. It’s currently trading at $189.15, down from its high of $211.75 earlier this month.

Google ad blasts iPhones for being more expensive than Pixel 3a

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Google thinks iPhones are too expensive.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Banner ads showcasing Google’s new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL handsets pit them against Apple’s iPhone X series devices.

The banner ads, which are appearing on a number of billboards around the U.S., contrast the $999 price of the iPhone XS to the significantly cheaper $399 for the Pixel 3a.

iPhone XR ads find smart ways of selling privacy and battery life

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iPhone XR 1
Apple's latest ads are pretty darn great.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s latest iPhone XR ads focus on the superior battery life and privacy features of its more affordable (kind of!) iPhone.

Titled “Up Late” and “Inside Joke,” the two ads are just half a minute each. However, they do a good job of making their reasonably dry point in an entertaining, and human manner. Check them out below:

2020 iPhone should get a boost from TSMC’s cutting-edge 5nm processors

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Gather_Round_A12Bionic 2
The Apple A12 Bionic processor is powerful but the the A13 is coming soon and the A14 is already on the horizon.
Photo: Apple

The company that makes all Apple’s chips is nearly ready to make 5 nanometer processors, down from the 7nm ones it’s manufacturing now. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s innovation reportedly will bring notable performance gains to next year’s iPhone and iPad.

The 2021 models should get a boost as well. And it’s even possible these chips will appear in future Macs.

Breakout! Inside an Apple escape room [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 296]

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An unusual Apple-themed escape room is set to inject some fun into this year's AltConf during WWDC.
An unusual Apple-themed escape room is set to inject some fun into this year's AltConf during WWDC.
Cover: Martin Cortinas/Cult of Mac

Imagine yourself in a nightmare scenario. You’re tasked with making an Apple keynote run smoothly, but Murphy’s law is in full effect. Everything that can go wrong does. Tim Cook is not pleased. And you must wield your Apple knowledge to make things right.

That’s what you’ll experience if you dare to go “Backstage at the Keynote” during WWDC 2019. Find out all about this unusual Apple-themed escape room, which should spice things up at AltConf next month, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS.

Or read on to get the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser, including our scoop on what’s up with that mysterious rainbow stage spotted inside Apple Park.

Special tool rescues lost AirPods from train tracks

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lost AirPods
Not everyone has the ears for AirPods
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An AirPod falling out of your ear is not a question of if, but when.

The when for many unlucky souls in the San Francisco Bay Area offers the rest of us a warning to not wear wireless earbuds anywhere near train or subway tracks. Still, when one falls on the tracks, it isn’t the end of the world. Or even sometimes the AirPod itself.

iPhone might escape Trump’s tariffs, but Apple will suffer

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iPad and iPhone tariffs aren't happening. Yet.
You still don’t have to pay extra taxes for buying an iPad or iPhone made in China, but that could change.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

No Apple products are included in the additional tariffs on Chinese products that went into effect this morning but Apple is still feeling some pain. The company’s shares have dropped significantly as trade tensions heated up between the U.S. and China.

And future import taxes on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are likely, according to Pres. Trump.

New USB-C hub gives iPad Pro the ports it needs

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Hyper's iPad Pro USB-C hub boasts no less than 6 ports.
Hyper's iPad Pro USB-C hub boasts no less than 6 ports.
Photo: Hyper

A six-port USB-C hub from Hyper was specially designed to clip to the side of the 2018 iPad Pro. It allows every type of wired accessory supported by Apple’s newest pro tablet to be accessed.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the HyperDrive 6-in-1 USB-C Hub launched today.

Editor’s Note: Be sure to read our hands-on HyperDrive iPad Pro review to learn more about this brilliant add-on.

Apple rolls out iOS 12.3 beta 6 for developers and the public [Updated]

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Apple TV app
The new TV app in iOS 12.3.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple today rolled out its sixth iOS 12.3 beta for registered developers. It comes just days after testers got their hands on a fifth release.

It’s unlikely we’ll see any significant changes in this update. But there’s lots to look forward to in iOS 12.3 — including a revamped TV app with support for Channels.

Update: A version of this latest beta for the public was just released as well.

Mac’s new Music app won’t be ported from iOS

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iTunes on Mac
iTunes ain’t dead yet.
Photo: Apple

The Mac’s next-generation Music app will be based on iTunes, not ported over from iOS.

Some sources previously stated that the app would be made using Marzipan, which lets developers easily port iPad apps to the desktop. But new information reveals that won’t be the case.

Production begins on iPhone 11’s A13 processor

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iPhone XS teardown
It’s a safe assumption that the A13 processor will be faster than the A12 one in the iPhone XS.
Photo: iFixit

One of the most vital components of the 2019 iPhone is already being fabricated. The A13 chip is now in trial production by TSMC, the Taiwanese company that has produced every iPhone and iPad chip for years.

WhatsApp will soon stop working on iOS 7

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WhatsApp
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’re still rocking an older iPhone running iOS 7, you’re going to need to upgrade if you want to continue using WhatsApp.

The world’s biggest messaging service will soon stop working on iOS 7 devices. Other aging operating systems are going to get left out in the cold, too.

Military-grade iPad Pro case also protects your Smart Keyboard

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UAG iPad pro 2
The new Scout series offers military-grade drop protection.
Photo: UAG

If one of your prerequisites for an iPad case is that it’s hard-wearing enough to take whatever life throws at it, Urban Armor Gear promises to be your hook-up.

Urban Armor Gear’s new Scout series for iPad Pro offers rugged, lightweight mobile device cases designed to fit Apple’s iPad Pro devices. What’s more, it’s compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard, while also offering a place to store your Apple Pencil when not in use!

DeNA is busy working on a brand new Pokémon game for mobile

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Pokémon on iPhone
And only 10 months to wait!
Photo: Cult of Mac

It’s a good time to be a fan of Pokémon right now, and next year could be even better. That’s because DeNA, the developers who teamed with Nintendo for titles like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Super Mario Run, has paired up with The Pokémon Company for a new mobile game.

Coming to mobile platforms in March 2020. Color us excited!

iOS 13 could cut off support for iPhone SE, among others

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holding iPhone with
According to a new report, iOS 13 won't support a number of popular devices.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Last year, iOS 12 gave a stay of execution to older devices by supporting exactly the same iGadgets as iOS 11. This year, owners of aging iPhones and iPads may not be quite so lucky.

According to a new rumor, iOS 13 will not support the iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. On the iPad side, it will cut off support for the iPad mini and original iPad Air.

WWDC 2019, revealed! This week on The CultCast

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CultCast 387
WWDC is right around the corner....

This week on The CultCast: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple’s prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: The magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how (and why) Jony Ive created the massive mystery rainbow stage now present at the heart of Apple Park.

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..

Apple Lisa documentary will tell the story of Cupertino’s most important ‘flop’

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Apple prototypes
In retrospect, the Lisa was pretty darn important for Apple.
Photo: CNBC

A new documentary called Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa promises to tell the story of one of Apple’s most important flops.

Directed by computer historian (and Apple collector) David Greelish, the movie will feature interviews with key players in the machine’s development. It also will place the Lisa in its proper context — as one of the most influential computers of all time.

Rare Apple-1 with original documentation goes up for auction

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Apple-1 auction
It's your opportunity to own one of Apple's original computers.
Photo: Christie's

Want to own one of the very first computers Apple ever launched? You very well could, thanks to a Christie’s auction selling an Apple-1 personal computer, circa 1976.

This model comes complete with original instruction manuals, supporting hardware, and “additional ephemera.” However, with an asking price of up to $630,000, you may have to get a second mortgage or sell a vital organ to get hold of it!

Watch an adorable beluga whale rescue a phone from the ocean

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Beluga whale
Belugas are intelligent and sometimes friendly. They don’t often rescue people’s phones, though.
Photo: Wikipedia

A phone dropped in the sea is usually gone forever, but not when a friendly whale retrieves from the ocean floor. Video of exactly this happening in Norway has to be seen to be believed.

Even better, the beluga starring in the video is thought by some to be the Russian spy whale who made headlines last week.

With smartphone sales in free fall, iPhone still dominates

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iPhone XR battery life is the best of any iPhone on the market.
iPhone XR dominates N. American phone sales.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Apple’s most affordable 2018 handset is a real hit in N. America. There were more than twice as many iPhone XR units shipped during the first three months of this year in this region as its next nearest competitor.

Even so, Apple and the entire phone business had a very weak first quarter.