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New Sonic game speeding onto iOS for Tokyo 2020

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Sonic 1
A sprinter that would put Usain Bolt to shame.
Photo: Sega

Everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog, Sonic, will be hurtling onto iOS for an upcoming mobile game to mark the 2020 Olympics.

Titled Sonic At The Olympic Games, the mobile-only title was announced over the weekend as part of Sega’s lineup of new games to coincide with Tokyo 2020.

HyperDrive Ultimate Ultimate Hub adds a whopping 40 ports to your MacBook

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This USB-C hub has everything but the kitchen sink.
This USB-C hub has everything but the kitchen sink.
Photo: Hyper

Many people would like to add a few ports to their MacBook Pro, but Hyper just launched a hub for people who’d like to add a ridiculous number.

The HyperDrive Ultimate Ultimate Hub offers more than three dozen ports, in an unbelievably wide variety. It goes a long way toward turning a MacBook into a desktop PC.

HomePod will ‘gain traction’ in booming smart speaker market

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Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
HomePod is part of a growing product category.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The smart speaker market continues to explode — and Apple’s expected to carve out an ever-growing piece of it.

According to a new report published by IDC, the global smart speaker market will grow 26.9 percent in 2019. In total, the research firm thinks that 832.7 million total smart speakers will ship this year.

iPhone XS Max beats Galaxy S10+ in drop tests

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Apple’s flagship phone is tougher than Samsung’s.
Repeatedly smashing both devices to the ground shows Apple’s flagship phone is hardier than Samsung’s.
Photo: PhoneBuff

Apple’s largest phone is tougher than Samsung’s. The iPhone XS Max performed noticeably better than the Galaxy S10+ in a series of drop tests.

The bad news is that neither handset proved particularly resistant to breaking when dropped.

Athletes’ and musicians’ Apple accounts hacked in phishing scheme

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Fraudster steals $16k from victim posing as Apple tech support
Dear sir or madam, I am from Apple tech support. What is your password? Love, totally legit guy
Photo: Donald Tong/Pexels CC

Everyone needs to watch out for hackers phishing for their account details, and that includes celebrities. A Georgia man tricked pro athletes and rappers into giving up login details for their Apple accounts, which he used to access to their credit cards, according to the FBI.

Apple snags expert on electric motors from Tesla

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iCar concept
Hiring an expert on electric powertrains raises the odds Apple is designing its own vehicle. Just not this one.
Photo: NeoMam Studios

Apple’s electric car program just got a major boost. It’s hired away Tesla’s VP of Engineering, an expert on electric powertrains.

Dr. Michael Schwekutsch joined Apple this month.

Win a copy of iMazing and take control of your iOS devices [Giveaway]

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The latest version of iMazing, an iOS device manager for Mac and PC, adds iOS 10.3 compatibility and great new features
The easiest way to create local backups.
Image: DigiDNA

Backing up your devices can save you a world of pain when things go wrong. And yet, so many people still don’t back up on a regular basis. If you’re one of them, you should change that for World Backup Day 2019 on March 31.

World Backup Day encourages everyone to back up their most important data. To make it as simple and as cheap as possible for you, we’re giving away ten copies of the excellent iMazing app for Mac and PC. It’s the best way to create local backups that prevent your precious memories from getting lost.

T-Mobile’s Phone BoothE is an unbelievable blast from the past

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere with the Phone BoothE.
Photo: T-Mobile

Sometimes old ideas still have some life in them. That’s apparently the thought behind the T-Mobile Phone BoothE, designed to give this carrier’s customers a space to make phone calls in peace and quiet.

As a bonus, Clark Kent once again has a place to quickly change into Superman.

Apple shows off new services, then kills AirPower [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 290]

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When we say
When we say "no new hardware this week," we really mean it. (RIP, AirPower.)
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple pulls back the curtain on its wily master plan, giving us our first glimpse at a squeaky-clean new TV service, an ambitious subscription videogame service, a slightly familiar-sounding magazine and news service and more. (Spoiler alert: The Apple credit card steals the show.)

And then, after all that, Cupertino unceremoniously pulls the plug on its AirPower wireless charging mat.

Get our take on Apple’s new services, plus new how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS. Download the free app now, or get the links below to read the week’s best stories in your browser.

What went wrong with Apple’s doomed AirPower charging mat?

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AirPower
Sadly, AirPower now resides in a shallow grave.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPower is officially dead.

It’s been about 1.5 years since Apple titillated fans by revealing a wireless charging mat that supposedly would charge not one, not two, but three Apple devices at the same time.

Frankly, it looked too good to be true at the time. And after a year of avoiding the subject, Apple confirmed today that AirPower will never caress the backside of your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time.

This is an unofficial guide to why AirPower failed.

People can’t wait to get their hands on Apple Card

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Apple Card
So far, Apple Card seems to be generating more excitement than this company’s TV service.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled four new services last week, including its much-anticipated lineup of TV shows, but the Apple credit card apparently stole the show.

A survey found that a whopping 85 percent of iPhone users are at least somewhat interested in this card, which is an adjunct to Apple Pay.

This cool Apple Card feature keeps your number super-safe

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Apple Card
Of course Apple made the most beautiful credit card ever.
Photo: Apple

The days of worrying about someone stealing your credit card number during a transaction are about to be long-gone once Apple Card launches.

New details about Apple Card and its features were revealed today and one of the most surprising tidbits is that the credit card number can be regenerated with a push of a button to protect you from fraud.

AirPower is officially dead

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AirPower image Australia
AirPower will forever remain a pipe dream.
Photo: Apple

RIP AirPower.

iPhone lovers have been waiting more than a year for Apple’s wireless charging mat to finally launch, but the company announced today that it has officially canceled its AirPower project because it’s simply too dang hard to make it.

Apple will close Texture in May after arrival of News+

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Goodbye Texture
'Texture is ending.'
Photo: Apple

Apple will close down Texture in May following the recent launch of Apple News+.

Texture, another magazine subscription service, was acquired by Apple for an undisclosed sum last spring. Cupertino encourages existing subscribers to migrate to its new platform. But those who don’t use Mac or iOS will have to find their magazines elsewhere.

Don’t even think about repairing the AirPods 2

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AirPods 2
If your AirPods look like this, your music-listening days are over.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s second-generation AirPods may be better than ever, but they’re certainly not any more repairable. A new teardown reveals that the next-gen wireless earphones aren’t “designed to be serviced” in any meaningful capacity.

The challenge of repairing them doesn’t necessarily guarantee a short lifespan. However, it does suggest that these probably won’t be hanging around long-term.

Mac users in China can no longer use Taiwan flag emoji

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Taiwan
Not China's favorite emoji symbol.
Photo: Maya-Anaïs Yataghène/Flickr CC

As countries, it’s fair to say that China and Taiwan aren’t exactly BFFs. For evidence of this, look no further than the recently released macOS 10.14.4. Eagle-eyed users in China have noticed that their Mac devices can no longer display the Taiwan flag emoji.

The flag ban can’t even be circumvented by changing the region in your Mac’s System Preferences.

AirPods absolutely dominate the wireless headphones market

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AirPods wall display is on show in New York.
They may be small, but AirPods are a big hit.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPods aren’t just a massive hit for Apple, they’re a giant in the overall “wireless hearables” market. According to new research from Counterpoint, AirPods made up a massive 60 percent of the overall market in Q4 2018.

It would have been even bigger, too, if customers hadn’t been waiting on Apple’s updated AirPods 2 at the time!

 TV+,  Card,  Arcade,  News+, we react to it all, on The CultCast

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CultCast 381 Lisa
Apple's got four new services for you to choose from.
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast:  News+,  TV+,  Arcade,  Card … we react to it all. We’ll fill in the details on Apple’s new services. And, just when you thought it was safe to type, Apple apologizes for yet more MacBook Air and MacBook Pro keyboard issues.

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..

Tim Cook is ready to testify in Qualcomm trial

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Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
We doubt that Tim Cook will look quite so happy on the day.
Safari: Apple

Tim Cook will offer testimony as part of Apple’s legal battle with Qualcomm. Cook will discuss Apple’s business practices, strategy, agreements with cellular network carriers, and more.

He’s not the only senior Apple executive ready to talk, either. Former hardware boss Bob Mansfield, current COO Jeff Williams, SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller and others will chime in as part of the case.