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News - page 643

Hold tight! Apple investors may be in for a rough ride

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Image of the old Apple Inc. rainbow logo atop American cash money.
AAPL has had a turbulent year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer says that Apple investors are going to have to buckle up for a bumpy ride.

“You need to strap yourself to the mast if you’re gonna hold onto this one,” he said. Cramer is mainly concerned about what will happen if China’s “Communist Party does anything to limit iPhone production.” That could prove disastrous for Apple.

Casey Neistat dipped his Apple Watch in gold and it still works

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Apple Watch
Of course Casey Neistat would try this.
Photo: Casey Neistat

YouTuber Casey Neistat found a way to bring back the color gold color option to the new Apple Watch Series 4: dunk it in 24 carat gold.

Apple hasn’t made a gold watch since the Apple Watch Edition was cancelled, so Neistat enlisted JerryRigEverything’s creator to come up with a solution. The entire process is a little bit more complex than just dipping a watch in gold, but it’s also so simple you could do it in your living room if you wanted.

Prepare to be amazed:

WWDC app for iOS gets neon logo update and new stickers

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Neon
Apple’s going all-in on neon for WWDC 2019.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s WWDC app for iOS just received a fresh coat of paint ahead of the annual Worldwide Developer Conference that kicks off in less than two weeks.

The update adds a new neon Apple logo to the app icon that is the same style as the wacky neon unicorn on media invites that came out today. One of the coolest things of the new update is that you can customize the Apple logo. Oh, and it comes with some sweet new stickers for iMessage.

Apple’s wacky unicorn invites press to June 3 WWDC keynote

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WWDC 2019 invitation
The press invitation to WWDC 2019 includes a familiar character.
Photo: Apple

Invitations to the keynote address for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference just went out. The design features a unicorn whose brain is exploding with ideas. WWDC 2019, scheduled for early next month, is expected to feature the unveiling of iOS 13, macOS 10.15 and more.

iOS 13 wishlist: 6-ish ways Apple could improve audio

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This is what pre-iOS 13 audio looks like to a visitor from next year.
This is what pre-iOS 13 audio looks like to a visitor from next year.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

 

There’s one big thing I wish for when I kneel next to my bed at night, cross my fingers and think of iOS 13: better audio. Not better quality audio. That’s already great. I just want better control, and better features.

And this isn’t just specialized podcasting or music-making stuff. There are problems everywhere. You know how when you’re listening to music, and you open up the camera app, and your music stops playing? That kind of problem. Which is number one one on my list by the way. Check out the rest:

Apple reveals new way to stop ads from tracking you

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Apple
Safari is about to get a big privacy boost.
Photo: Apple

Apple revealed this morning that it has new plan to stop online ads from tracking internet users across the web.

With some new technology that will soon be implemented in Safari, Apple thinks it has found a way to give both advertisers and privacy advocates what they one. It’s called Privacy Preserving Ad Click Attribution and even though the name is lame, it could be a game changer.

Department of Justice could still block T-Mobile and Sprint merger

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

The U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division staff has reportedly asked the agency to squash the giant merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.

The massive deal would see the third and fourth largest U.S. carriers combine. It was previously signed off by the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Massively popular League of Legends on its way to mobile

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League of Legends
The game has been in development for over a year.
Photo: Riot Games

League of Legends remains one of the biggest games on the planet, with an estimated 115 million players worldwide. And it could be about to get even bigger as it expands its reach to mobile.

Tencent and Riot Games have reportedly been working on the port for over a year. But you probably won’t get your hands on it in 2019.

Apple ramps up efforts to promote coding to kids in India

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iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
Apple has been focusing increasingly on the Indian market.
Photo: Apple

Apple is ramping up its efforts to promote coding in India, one of its biggest untapped markets.

According to a new report, Apple is actively nurturing young talented coders in schools and colleges across India. These Apple Distinguished Schools teach curriculums based around Swift app development.

FTC wins its antitrust case against Qualcomm

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Qualcomm patents
Case could make 5G landscape more competitive.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm emerged victorious from its recent battle with Apple. But things look a whole lot less rosy for the company in its antitrust case with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Judge Lucy Koh this week filed her ruling in the FTC’s first round of litigation against Qualcomm. She concluded that Qualcomm has been engaging in anticompetitive business practices.

Fortnite 9.10 brings Hot Spots, big fixes, Jordan shoes

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Fortnite Jordan
You can sport the freshest kicks in Fortnite 9.10.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s newest update is out a little earlier than anticipated, bringing new weapons, game modes, and more to Battle Royale.

The version 9.10 update also promises significant audio improvements and lots of bug fixes on mobile. There’s a new crossover with Jordan that brings cosmetics and game modes, too.

Riders in Portland can now use Apple Pay for their Hop Fastpass

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Apple Pay Portland
This is a first for the United States.
Photo: Hop/Apple Pay

Portland-Vancouver has become the first place in the U.S. to let iPhone and Apple Watch users use Apple Pay to pay for their Express Transit needs.

Starting now, customers can take advantage of the functionality to board local TriMet and C-Tran buses, MAX light rail trains, and the Portland Streetcar.

Valve brings brand new Steam Chat app to mobile

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Steam Chat app for mobile
Download it today to stay in touch.
Photo: Valve

Valve now offers a standalone Steam Chat app for Android and iOS.

The free download lets gamers stay in touch with friends on the move. It boasts all the messaging features you’re used to in Steam, including group chat, customizable notifications, and more. But one thing’s missing.

Take your 11-inch iPad Pro offroad with Zagg’s rugged keyboard case

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Zagg Rugged Book
Zagg’s latest combines a rugged iPad Pro case with a clip-on keyboard.
Photo: Zagg

iPad Pros go everywhere, not just classrooms and offices. The Zagg Rugged Book Go was designed to protect this professional-grade iOS slate through somewhat harsher conditions.

After being unveiled at CES, Zagg’s latest keyboard folio is available now exclusively for the 11-inch version of Apple’s professional tablet.

Siri’s meek voice might make us think women are subservient

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Siri Alexa in voice report
Siri is unfailingly meek and polite. What does that say about how we expect young women to behave?
Photo: Apple

Siri, Alexa and all the other well-known voice assistants are female. A new study argues that ordering these artificial intelligences around reinforces the idea that women should be obedient and uncomplaining, especially as they always respond meekly to insults.

The study authors urge Apple and creators of similar products to make male or gender-neutral voices more prominent.

Apple celebrates Ramadan and 4K video on the iPhone XS

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Apple Ramadan
The meaning of Ramadan captured in 4K on the iPhone XS.
Screenshot: Apple/YouTube

Ramadan is a month of spiritual reflection for Muslims. Apple sought to honor the holiday with a 15-second “Shot on iPhone XS” spot featuring gorgeous video footage from two photographers from the Middle East.

Finding Balance is a series of sweeping landscapes around the United Arab Emirates. In each beautifully composed scene, people are reflected in water in the foreground to symbolize the self-reflection of the season.

All MacBooks with butterfly keyboards are now eligible for free repairs

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Apple’s not ditching the MacBook butterfly keyboard yet.
Photo: Apple

Apple updated its Keyboard Service Program today to also include support for the 2018 MacBook Pro and 2018 MacBook Air.

The news comes on the heels of Apple’s unveiling of new MacBook Pros this morning with 8-core processors and butterfly keyboards with new materials. With the updated program, any MacBook with a butterfly keyboard is now eligible for service free of charge.

Fiery Feeds adds Instapaper-like universal read-later service

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Some illustrative fire.
Some illustrative fire.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Fiery Feeds is my favorite RSS reader app on iOS. It strikes the perfect balance between power, good looks, and ease of use. For instance, you can customize the entire look of the app with themes, you can set it to share stories to your chosen apps with a single swipe, and the whole thing is navigated with swipes. Version 2.2 just showed up, and it’s a biggie. Apart from some neat UI changes, Fiery Feeds now has iCloud syncing, and its own built-in Instapaper alternative.