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Jony Ive puts his mark on stately Carnegie Library Apple store

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Apple Carnegie Library
Old meets new in Apple Carnegie Library, which opens Saturday.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s newest store is more of a step back in time than the usual step into an all-glass box.

The tech giant proudly gave a sneak peek into its Washington D.C. outlet, a former Carnegie Library where Ive and Beaux-Arts styles blend for a refreshing feel to the Apple retail experience.

Of course, there’s a staircase.

Phones beat out consoles and PCs with gamers old and young

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The Elder Scrolls: Blades promises top-tier gaming on iOS.
The quality of iPhone gaming has improved dramatically in recent years. Consider The Elder Scrolls: Blades, for example.
Photo: Bethesda Softworks

More people play games on their phones than on any other type of computer, according to a new survey. And the number is much higher for women.

The survey breaks out where people prefer to play games by age and gender. And there’s a much wider spread of ages than many might guess.

Samsung will reveal new shipping date for Galaxy Fold this week

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Galaxy Fold specs
The Galaxy Fold has been a bit of a headache for Samsung.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s boss Koh Dong-jin says that his company will announce its conclusion about the future of the Galaxy Fold this week.

Samsung has reportedly “reviewed the defect” highlighted in early reviews, and will announce its rescheduled launch plan in the U.S “in a couple of days.”

Apple’s clever tax practices make it Ireland’s biggest company

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Guinness 1
And the winner is Guinne.. no, obviously it's Apple!
Photo: Scott Thompson/Flickr CC

Move over Guinness, hold the Jameson’s, and don’t even think about Kerrygold. When it comes to Ireland’s biggest company, no-one holds a candle to, err, Apple.

You know, that company headquartered in California, which builds products in China, and sells them everywhere on the planet.

Top iPhone apps for April bode well for Apple Arcade

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Apps April 1
A look at the dominant apps from last month.
Photo: Prioridata/Statista/Patently Apple

There’s a bit of myth that’s trotted out every now and then suggesting that gaming hasn’t really taken off in the App Store in the way some people hoped.

A look at the top 10 downloaded iPhone apps worldwide for the month of April tells a different story, however. It shows that seven of the top 10 iPhone apps were games. Altogether, these were downloaded a massive 74 million times in April alone.

Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion marches onto iPhone

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Rome Total War Barbarian Invasion 2
One of the deepest strategy games to make it onto iPhone yet.
Photo: Feral Interactive

Rome: Total War — Barbarian Invasion, a classic PC and Mac game that pits the Roman empire against barbarian hordes, has been tweaked to bring its incredibly immersive gameplay to the iPhone’s small screen.

Players get to experience the final years of the empire as a barbarian commander determined to bring down Rome’s power structure. Alternatively, they can play a Roman general looking to quash the rebellion once and for all. It’s all kinds of awesome!

Your iPhone could be ‘unbreakable,’ if it were just 1 mm thicker

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Corning's Silicon Valley research center
Corning's Silicon Valley research center.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Update: Corning sent an email to clarify some of the claims made in this post, which I’ve included in the body of the post and at the bottom.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Even though the latest iPhones are made from glass front and back, they would be “nearly unbreakable” if just a bit thicker.

That was the message from glass manufacturer Corning during an open house at its Silicon Valley research center Tuesday.

“If the glass on the latest smartphones was just a little bit thicker, it would be nearly unbreakable,” said Dave Young, a Corning marketing communications specialist, at the event.

2019 iPhone cases make way for third camera lens

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2019 iPhone case
Look at the size of that cutout!
Photo: Slashleaks

Case-makers are already preparing themselves for this fall’s big iPhone refresh.

New images show updated case designs for an iPhone XS successor with a larger camera module. They line up with recent rumors that have claimed Apple’s next-generation flagships will have a third rear-facing camera sensor.

LG UltraFine 5K display is ‘sold out’ on Apple’s online store

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LG 5K monitor
Gone, but not forgotten.
Screenshot: Apple

We may have reached the end of the line for the LG UltraFine 5K display. According to Apple’s online store, the monitor is officially “sold out.”

This follows Apple’s discontinuation of the LG UltraFine 4K display last month. While there’s a slim chance that stocks will be replenished, it’s likely that Apple is phasing out the monitors altogether. Possibly to get ready for its own upcoming next-gen display.

Apple Park flyover highlights mystery rainbow stage

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Brightly colored segments make Apple Stage look like a rainbow.
Is this the site of an exclusive Apple concert?
Screenshot: Duncan Sinfield

It’s been a while since we saw drone flyover videos of Apple Park, particularly now that everyone has moved in. But an update by master drone video maker Duncan Sinfield — his first of 2019 — offers a new airborne overview of Apple’s HQ. Complete with a rainbow-colored mystery stage in the centre of Apple Park.

Check it out below.

Feds might ban loot boxes and pay-to-win games

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Hogwarts Mystery cost
A bill headed to the Senate would block in-app purchases from being necessary to win a game.
Photo: Jam City

Some of the methods developers use to get players to pay for “free” games would be outlawed by legislation proposed today in the U.S. Senate.

The act would ban games played by children from offering items only as in-app purchases that are actually required to win.

Apple Watch Series 4 wins Display of the Year award

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
An industry trade group dedicated to displays says the Apple Watch Series 4 has an outstanding one.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The Society for Information Display (SID) gave the most recent Apple Watch its highest honor, naming it one of several Displays of the Year.

This award is given to “products with the most significant technological advances and/or outstanding features.”

All Apple’s app stores are partially down [Updated]

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Coronavirus could have a surprisingly positive impact on App Store revenue
An ongoing problem mans you might not be able to complete your purchase on any of Apple’s software stores.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The official System Status page for all Apple’s services  shows that three of the most important ones are having problems The iOS App Store, the Mac App Store and the iTunes Store are all affected.

Update: Full service has been restored.

Unusual escape room traps you backstage at an Apple keynote

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Apple escape room
This Apple Watch with dongle band was part of an Apple-themed escape room created by Chadwick Severn
Photo: Ben McCarthy

Tim Cook is 15 minutes from the start of his Apple keynote and you’ve been invited backstage because he trusts you and your friends can help the big event run without a hitch.

But then comes a crisis. Cook’s clicker is broken — and the new products Apple is set to debut are missing. It’s up to your group to quickly solve the mystery and find the devices on time.

This is not a bad dream, but an actual experience you can have during the Worldwide Developers Conference next month in San Jose, California. The nightmare scenario fuels a pop-up Apple escape room coming to AltConf 2019.

‘AirPods 3’ could bring big design changes this year

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AirPods 2 with box on desk
AirPods Pro could be more affordable thank you think.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s third-generation AirPods could bring big internal design changes, according to a new report.

Supply chain sources claim Apple will switch to system-in-package (SiP) technology that frees up space inside each bud. The move could allow other components to be squeezed inside the tiny wireless headphones.

Google CEO takes a shot at tech giants which sell privacy as a ‘luxury’ product

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Google
You guys, we think he was talking about Apple! (Maybe.)
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google and Apple’s feud has cooled a lot in recent years. But like a married couple who are staying together until the kids are at college, neither company is beyond throwing a bit of undercover shade at the other.

Tim Cook has previously taken issue with tech giants which gobble up user data. Now Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken to the New York Times to blast unnamed tech giants which sell privacy as a “luxury good.”

Apple finalizing locations for proposed India retail flagship

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Bangkok apple store
Apple could finally be getting its India flagship store.
Photo: Apple

Whether Apple will ever open an official flagship retail store in India is the greatest “will they, won’t they” off-and-on relationship since Pam and Jim in The Office.

From the sound of things, things are back in the “it’s happening” category. According to a new report, Apple has finalized a short list of locations for its first Apple Store in the country.

Renders offer early look at 2019 iPhone XR with two cameras

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iPhone XR successor with big battery
A bigger battery is now on the list of rumored features on the successor to the iPhone XR
Photo: PriceBaba/OnLeaks

New renders offer Apple fans an early glimpse at the rumored 2019 iPhone XR with an additional rear-facing camera.

The images, which are allegedly based on leaked information, show a significantly larger camera bump on the back of the device. But no obvious changes to its front.

Apple has spent at least $24 billion buying back its own shares this year

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Cash app with cash money
Apple isn't afraid to splash the cash on share buybacks.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

After slowing down on buying back shares in Q4 when they were cheap, Apple is once again ramping up its share repurchases.

In the first three months of 2019, Apple spent a massive $24 billion buying back its own shares. The board of directors has also added a further $75 billion to Apple’s share repurchase authorization.

Tim Cook talks coding with WWDC 2019 scholarship winner

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Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
Cook took time out of his busy day to meet with a possible future coding superstar.
Photo: Apple

Considering that a cup of coffee with Tim Cook goes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, you’ve got to be pretty lucky as an up-and-coming coder to get some quality time with Apple’s CEO.

That’s exactly the situation that 16-year-old Liam Rosenfeld found himself in this week, however. One of the 350 U.S. student recipients of a WWDC 2019 scholarship, Ronsenfeld had the rare opportunity to meet and talk with Apple’s honcho.