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News - page 658

Beware: Shortcuts could steal your data

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Shortcuts app from iOS 12
Siri Shortcuts could be doing more than you think, like invading your privacy.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Malicious Siri Shortcuts are a real possibility warns one developer, so users need to start treating all of them as potential threats. He calls on Apple to fix their problems.

Shortcuts debuted last fall in iOS 12. They are small apps that can be used to automate iOS features. That apparently makes them well suited for creating malware.

Aetna’s new app lets you earn an Apple Watch by being fit

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Would you trust fitness advice from Apple Intelligence?
Apple Watch is a great tool for staying in shape.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

One of the biggest health insurance providers in the U.S. is giving customers the option to earn a free Apple Watch Series 3 by engaging in healthy activities like exercise and sleeping better.

Aetna revealed today that it is collaborating with Apple for its new app called Attain. Through the app, Aetna members will get personalized goals, be able to track their activity and get recommendations on healthy action. And if you do a good job, you’ll earn some cool rewards too.

Why this week’s Apple earnings report is the most important in years

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Earnings call
Apple's Q1 2020 earnings report will probably break some records.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When Apple unveils its earnings report for last year’s crucial holiday quarter, the entire world will be watching for signs of the company’s long-rumored impending doom.

Several factors will make Tuesday’s Q1 2019 earnings call Apple’s most important in years. Depending on how it goes, it could have an enormous impact on the company’s stock’s performance in 2019 and beyond.

Canon admits defeat in its battle with smartphone snappers

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Canon cameras
The iPhone has been the top choice among Flickr photographers beginning in 2015.
Photo: Flickr

The boss of one of the biggest names in the camera industry says his company cannot compete against the cameras in the iPhone and other smartphones.

Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai says the camera market will shrink by almost 50 percent within the next two years.

To survive, Mitarai says Canon, which produced pioneering autofocus gear popular with professional photographers, will shift its focus to corporate customers in fields like surveillance and medical care.

What you need to know about playing Fortnite for iOS with a controller

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Fortnite mobile controller
You can now play at 120Hz on iPad Pro.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Fortnite for iOS finally supports wireless game controllers. After installing the latest version 7.30 release, you can connect a compatible MFi controller and bid goodbye to fiddly touch controls.

But don’t expect exactly the same experience as on consoles, and don’t assume you’re going to have an advantage over other mobile players.

Here’s what you need to know about playing Fortnite for iOS with a controller.

Here’s how crazy spam calls went in 2018

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Incoming Scam Phone Call
Spam and Robocalls are out of control and must be stopped!
Photo: Cult of Mac

It feels like spam calls have gotten out of control lately. With more calls resulting in sales pitches and attempts to scam you, people are answering their phones less and less.

A new report from call identification and blocking company Hiya shows just how bad these spam calls have gotten.

Shark Tank star thinks it could be the right time to invest in Apple

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O'Leary
Kevin O'Leary previously sold off his AAPL shares due to iPhone concerns.
Photo: CNBC

Apple stock is down right now — and if you’re a potential investor looking to dive in, that’s good news.

At least, that’s according to Shark Tank star and chairman of O’Shares ETF Investments, Kevin O’Leary. In a new interview, O’Leary notes how, “Apple is getting cheap again.” Despite previously selling off his Apple stock due to the iPhone decline, O’Leary now says he’s tempted to invest again.

UBS thinks disappointing iPhone sales will continue into 2020

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Apple display maker exec fired for embezzling millions of dollars
What will it take to turn around iPhone sales?
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri is concerned that declining iPhone sales are going to continue not only through 2019, but also into 2020.

“We believe the challenges in China would likely to continue and while a trade settlement could help, the damage in terms of iPhone is likely done,” writes in a note to clients. Arcuri thinks that Apple likely sold around 64 million iPhones over the holiday season. While that’s still a big number, it’s less than the 68 million Wall Street consensus.

Latest Apple Pay promo gets you 20% off at Fanatics

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Apple Pay Fanatics
Don’t forget to use the promo code.
Photo: Apple

This week’s Apple Pay promotion will save you 20 percent on sports goods at Fanatics.

You’ll need to spend $25 or more and will obviously need to use Apple Pay to qualify for the discount. You will also need to remember to enter a promotional code at checkout.

Angela Ahrendts: How Apple Stores have defied the retail odds

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Angela Ahrendts.
Angela Ahrendts has a definite vision for Apple Stores.
Photo: Apple

The retail sector is in trouble — with almost 10,000 stores in the U.S. having closed their doors in the U.S. since 2017. Apple’s solution? Make shopping into an experience for customers, rather than just a place to spend money.

That’s the theory laid out by Apple’s retail VP Angela Ahrendts in a new interview for Vogue Business. In it, Ahrendts lays out her Apple Store philosophies as pertain to both customers and employees. It certainly seems to be working!

Fortnite finally gets game controller support on iOS

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Fortnite controller support iOS
It’s about time!
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest update is now available across all platforms, and it’s a big one — particularly for those who play on iOS devices.

The version 7.30 release sends a number of popular weapons to the vault, adds a brand new Chiller Grenade, and finally brings physical controller support to iPhone and iPad.

Chemical problems cause defective chips for Apple supplier

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chips 2
TSMC hasn't confirmed exactly which clients were affected.
Photo: Tomizak/Flickr CC

Apple chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) says that a problem involving substandard chemicals resulted in more than 10,000 wafers of defective chips at its factories.

The issue caused a temporary shutdown on the production line. It’s not clear exactly which clients’ chips were affected by the issue, although Apple may not be among them.

Apple could sell subscriptions through upgraded TV app

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Apple TV
Apple will upgrade TV app around April.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly planning to upgrade its TV app with support for subscription services. This will likely happen around mid-April 2019.

Don’t necessarily expect this to be the debut of Apple’s original TV efforts, however. Instead, this likely refers to making it easier to subscribe to service like HBO Now using the TV app, instead of having to subscribe through HBO’s app.

FaceTime bug lets others see and hear you before call starts [UPDATED]

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Group FaceTime is super easy to use.
Someone’s iPhone can be added to a Group FaceTime call before they’re ready.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed that it’s possible for a FaceTime caller to listen to the person on the other end of the call — and even see them — before they pick up. Making use of this newly-discovered bug requires actions someone isn’t likely to do accidentally, which is probably why It wasn’t noticed during testing.

UPDATE: Apple said this evening it will quickly fix this serious privacy flaw. In the mean time, it has also disabled its servers needed for Group FaceTime to function.

Coming-of-age drama Hala jumps from Sundance to Apple

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Geraldine Viswanathan appears in Hala, chosen for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Geraldine Viswanathan appears as the title character in Hala.
Photo: Parrish Lewis/Sundance Institute

One of the films making waves at the Sundance FIlm Festival is Hala, about a Muslim teenager’s struggles growing up in America. Apple likes it so much it bought the worldwide rights.

This is one of a growing collection of movies and TV programs that Apple is expected to weave into a streaming TV service.

iOS devs rake in $120 billion and just keep going

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iPhone app development can be very profitable, and Apple has a new program to help more women get in the business.
iPhone app development can be very profitable, and Apple has a new program to help more women get in the business.
Photo: Apple

Since the iOS App Store launched in 2008, Apple has paid developers $120 billion. And more than a quarter of that came in the past year alone, according to the iPhone maker.

To increase diversity in software developers making all that money, Apple today opened the first of what will be quarterly Entrepreneur Camps for female-founded app development companies.

Bluetooth 5.1 makes it easier to find gear with direction sensing

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Bluetooth 5.1 should make point-of-interest (PoI) notifications much more accurate.
Bluetooth 5.1 should make point-of-interest (PoI) notifications much more accurate.
Photo: Bluetooth SIG

The lust-introduced version of Bluetooth enables devices to sense the direction a wireless signal is coming from. The goal is to significantly improve the performance of location services.

If nothing else, this should hugely enhance Tile trackers. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is promising accuracy for personal property tags down to the centimeter.

iPhones sales in China dropped 13% in 2018

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
iPhone sales were starting to pickup in China.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Investors just received a worrying report about iPhone sales in China ahead of Apple’s pivotal 2018 holiday earnings report slated for Tuesday, January 29.

Apple warned investors earlier this year that iPhone sales in Greater China came in lower than expected. We’ll have to wait for the official numbers from Apple tomorrow, but according to data firm Canalys, total smartphone sales dropped 15% year-over-year in Q4 2018 with Apple taking one of the biggest hits.

Memoji steal the show in bouncy new music video

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Memoji music video
Baby with an Animoji twist.
Screenshot: Scorpio Music/YouTube

Our amazement for great photos and even feature films shot on the iPhone is starting to seem less amazing.

But a French DJ and producer recently took a music video to the next level by animating some of the singing actors with Memoji.

First iOS 12.2 public beta boosts Downtime, Apple News

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iOS 12.2 public beta 1 is more than just a collection of bug fixes.
iOS 12.2 public beta 1 is more than just a collection of bug fixes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The first fairly significant update to iOS in months is available now for the general public to update. iOS 12.2 will have a scattering of new features, not just the bug fixes and tweaks in recent updates.

The end of beta testing for this version could bring new iPad and iPod models. And AirPods 2 as well.

Google shames iPhone’s low-light performance in new Pixel 3 ad

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Pixel 3 Night Sight
The Pixel 3 destroys iPhone in low-light performance.
Photo: Google

Google is shaming the iPhone’s low-light performance once again in new marketing material for its Pixel 3 lineup.

One company VP shared comparison photos on Twitter that highlight (no pun intended) the Pixel 3’s incredible ability to capture dark scenes. The results simply aren’t possible on an iPhone — or any other handset on sale today.

Apple gives behind-the-scene glimpse at ads created with iPad Pro

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ipad pro
The iPad Pro is a powerful content creation machine.
Photo: Apple

Apple revealed some of the tricks it used on the iPad Pro to create its latest slate of how-to videos that were published earlier this month.

Not only did Apple film all the videos on the new iPad Pro, it also edited, animated and composed music for the ads that showed viewers how to perform tasks that used to require a PC to pull off.

Watch Apple’s secrets to doing everything on iPad: