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News - page 677

Apple makes retailers cough up for iPhone display models

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iPhone sales
Apple makes retailers jump through hoops to sell iPhones.
Photo: Apple

A group of Korean smartphone retailers are upset at Apple for forcing them to purchase in-store tester iPhones. This differs from the usual practice of manufacturers, who will provide free display smartphones and pick them up later.

Apple, it seems, thinks different.

iPhone X to live on as Apple restarts production

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The 2018 iPhone models aren't going to have an in-display Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
The iPhone X could be making a comeback.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X had one of the shortest lifespans of any iPhone Apple has ever made, being cancelled when Apple introduced its next-gen handsets back in September. However, according to a new report, Apple is restarting production on last year’s iPhone model in certain markets.

And it may all have to do with a lack of demand for some of the newer iPhones.

Kids in the U.K. get field trips to… the Apple Store?

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Year of Engineering
It's for a good reason, though!
Image: Year of Engineering

Apple is offering students in the U.K. the chance to learn more about coding, engineering and design — courtesy of Field Trip events as part of the UK’s government’s “Year of Engineering.”

The events offer around 1,700 students, aged 5 to 18, the chance to go “behind the scenes” at Apple Stores around the country. Apple is running around 100 of these Field Trip events, during which students will shown how to create various digital projects. These relate to topics from coding to the solar system.

Apple could take on Fire TV Stick with its own streaming dongle

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Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon's Fire TV Stick offers streaming content at a low price.
Photo: Amazon

Apple has spent upwards of $1 billion creating original TV shows, but as of yet it hasn’t revealed exactly how it plans to get these in front of users. One idea? That it could release a streaming dongle, similar to Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick.

This could be a lower cost entry point into the streaming TV market — since both Amazon and Google’s offerings cost under $50, compared to $180 for the Apple TV.

‘Research’ labels iPhone users in China as the ‘invisible poor’

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China iPhone sales
Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Apple Store employees in China.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone is a coveted totem of status in most parts of the world. In the United Arab Emirates, the wealthy elite buys them two at a time.

But to carry an iPhone in China means you’re less educated and trying to hide dire financial straits. The well-off prefer Huawei or Xiaomi smartphones.

This according to research conducted by the Shanghai firm Mobdata, which looked at income and education backgrounds of smartphone users.

Amazon stocks its Apple store with new products ahead of Black Friday

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Apple store
Why go to the Apple store when you can just order it on Amazon with Prime shipping?
Photo: Nadine Kahney/Cult of Mac

The biggest shopping day of 2018 is nearly upon us and Apple and Amazon are teaming up to take advantage of the spending bonanza.

As part of its new online sales deal with Apple, Amazon has recently added a bunch of Apple’s latest products to its authorized reseller page, some of which are a bit cheaper than on Apple’s website.

The iPad needs a new kind of USB-C dock [Opinion]

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Friends don’t let friends get to this stage.
Friends don’t let friends get to this stage.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you have a new 2018 iPad Pro, then you probably need a new USB-C hub. Without it, you can only plug in one accessory at a time, and that includes the charger. With a hub, you can plug in an almost unlimited number of USB devices (and other gear), plus provide power for everything at the same time.

The problem is, almost all USB-C docks are designed for laptop computers like the MacBook. They’re designed with short tails so they can sit on a desk next to the MacBook’s desk-level USB-C port, and plug in without trailing a long cable all over the place. But these short tails are terrible for the iPad — especially if you use the tablet on a stand.

They result in a dongle dangling from the iPad, trailing all the cables and accessories hooked up to the hub. This puts a strain on the USB-C port, and reduces mobility for the iPad. It also looks ridiculous. Ditto those docks that clip to the iPad itself. They’re a disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, I have a better idea.

Assassin’s Creed Rebellion swings onto iOS

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Assassin's Creed Rebellion iOS
Rebellion feels a bit like Fallout Shelter in places.
Photo: Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s newest Assassin’s Creed game just landed on iOS. Rebellion is a free-to-play strategy RPG in which players assemble a Brotherhood of powerful assassins to fight back against the Templars and the oppression in Spain.

It boasts more than 40 characters, including legendary ones and some brand new to the Assassin’s Creed series — plus limited-time events and premium access if you want it.

iPads take the pain out of pilots’ paperwork

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pilots' iPads
iPads are more and more working in the clouds.
Photo: Pezibear/Pixabay CC

The iPad is an artist’s canvas, a way for coaches to track stats and draw up plays and a replacement for the cash register at the local coffee shop.

It has also earned its wings flying in the cockpits of passenger jets.

Singapore Airlines recently assigned its pilots iPads with two proprietary apps to track important data and reduce the pre-flight paperwork.

MacBook shipments took a battering in Q3

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Apple
Neither of these MacBook Pros apparently set the world on fire.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s MacBook lines performed surprisingly badly in the third quarter of 2018 — with double figure declines in growth worse than any of the other five leading notebook manufacturers.

While Dell managed 8 percent year-on-year growth, market leader HP saw its shipments decline 1.8 percent. That’s nothing compared to Apple’s decline, however, which saw the company plummet a whopping 24.3 percent. That’s not good!

Fortnite’s $1 million Winter Royale is open to all

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Do you think you have what it takes to earn real money playing Fortnite? You’ll soon have the opportunity to prove it in the Winter Royale Online Tournament, a new competition from Epic Games that’s offering a $1 million prize pool.

Winter Royale will serve as a testing ground for next year’s Fortnite World Cup, and it will be open to all Battle Royale players — not just the pros.

You can now open Google Assistant with your voice on iPhone

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Google Assistant
Google Assistant landed on iPhone last year.
Photo: Google

There’s great news for fans of Google Assistant with an iPhone: for the first time, iOS users can now access the smart assistant using a verbal command.

The solution is a little bit convoluted, but it’s a world better than the previous way of opening it. Here’s what you can do.

Foxconn must cut spending ahead of ‘very difficult’ 2019

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
One of Foxconn's many factories.
Photo: CBS

Apple’s biggest supplier, Foxconn, is having to shed a whole lot of costs. According to an internal company memo, it aims to cut 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) from its expenses in 2019.

This is supposedly because it faces, “a very difficult and competitive year” — although it does not expand on exactly what this means.

Apple acquires AI startup with a focus on privacy

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Silk Labs
Silk Labs' privacy policy reads like it was written by Tim Cook.
Photo: Silk Labs

Apple has reportedly acquired an artificial intelligence startup that specializes in on-device machine learning software.

Silk Labs’ technology processes data without sending it to the cloud, which is a perfect fit for Apple’s privacy-conscious approach to AI. It’s not clear how much Cupertino paid for the company when the deal was struck earlier this year.

Apple working to give veterans iPhone access to their medical records

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Health
Apple wants to provide a central hub for all your clinical data.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is in discussions with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide veterans with access to their electronic medical records on iOS, a new report claims.

The company began discussions last year, with a view to allowing up to 9 million veterans to migrate their health records to iPhone to simplify medical treatment. It’s not clear how far plans have progressed since then.

Jony Ive talks his first experience with a Mac and more

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Jony Ive
Jony Ive recently spoke at the Cambridge Union.
Screenshot: Vanity Fair/YouTube

Sir Jony Ive — the first recipient of the Stephen Hawking Fellowship — delivered a lecture at the Cambridge Union, the University of Cambridge’s debate society, earlier this week.

Ive reflected on everything from his earliest experiences with Apple devices to the philosophical challenges of design.

OtterBox’s first folio case for 2018 iPad Pro is sleek but protective

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Symmetry Series 360 offers sleek protection for iPad Pro (11-inch) and iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd Gen).
Symmetry Series 360 offers sleek protection for iPad Pro (11-inch) and iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd Gen).
Photo: OtterBox

The Symmetry Series 360 just became the first OtterBox case released for the newest iPad Pro. This isn’t one of the super-rugged cases this company is best known for, but it brings some protection without adding a lot of bulk.

A bulkier OtterBox Defender case promising even greater shelter for the latest iOS tablet was announced a few weeks ago but is not yet available.

Apple’s animated holiday ad will melt your frosty heart

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35299F21-93C9-4D89-9521-69719B6F9206
Apple has a special message for the holiday season.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s annual holiday ad is atleast here and per usual, it’s a tear-jerker.

For this year’s ad, Apple used a mixtured of practical sets with computer animation to tell a heartwarming story of a creative girl with a hidden gift she’s reluctant to share. Billie Elish, a 16-year old songwriter created the original song for the charming new ad which is one of the longest commercials the company has made.

Check it out:

olloclip’s new X lenses work with latest iPhones at last

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new olloclip mounts
olloclip releases lens mounts so its Connect X lenses fit the three newest iPhones.
Photo: olloclip

olloclip Connect X lenses will now fit on the iPhone XR and XS models thanks to new mounting clips rolled out today.

The release of dedicated clips for Apple’s latest flagship handsets comes two weeks after olloclip announced new Pro and intro lenses in the Connect X line-up. The new lenses were designed after the release of the iPhone X to cover larger image sensors.

Samsung’s next phone could pack 6 cameras and 5G

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Galaxy S9
The 2019 Galaxy lineup is coming in February.
Photo: Samsung

The iPhone is set to get some huge competition from Apple’s biggest rival in 2019.

Samsung is reportedly planning to unleash its biggest phone ever for the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy lineup. If the report is accurate, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will pack two times as many camera lenses as the iPhone XS Max and come with an even bigger display.

Check out the new USB-C hub indicator icon in iOS

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The new USB-C hub indicator icon on the 2018 iPad Pro.
The new USB-C hub indicator icon on the 2018 iPad Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac

When you plug a USB-C hub into your new iPad Pro, you will see a new icon appear in the iOS status bar, up on the right by the battery, Wi-Fi, and LTE status icons. It’s a little blue lozenge with an icon of an old-style Camera Connection Kit in it, and it appears for just a short moment.

The new icon is handy to let you know that your hub has been recognized, but it doesn’t always work as expected.

Apple Watch with UV sensor could swat skin cancer

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Your Apple Watch could warn you to get out of the Sun.
Your Apple Watch could warn you to get out of the Sun.
Photo: Skitterphoto/Pexels

A future version of the Apple Watch could monitor how much ultraviolet radiation the user is being exposed to, and alert the wearer if they’ve been in the Sun for too long.

According to the World Health Organization, “Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a known cause of skin cancer, skin ageing, eye damage, and may affect the immune system.”

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is coming to Mac

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Tomb Raider 1
Coming soon to a Mac near you.
Photo: Feral Interactive

Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the twelfth game in the Lara Croft-starring franchise, is coming to Mac in 2019. The generally well-received title, set in South America, launched on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One back in September.

You can check out the trailer below.

This versatile bag gives your iPad a stylish commute

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Commuterpak
Commuterpak is ready for the deep dive downtown.
Photo: Funk Street Outfitters

There are hundreds of brands for bags and cases, but all boil down to a handful of styles: the satchel/messenger bag, backpack or sling bag.

The Commuterpak, from startup Funk Street Outfitters, borrows from all of the styles while still maintaining a minimal profile.

If there is one word to describe the bag, it would be enough.