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iPhone XS and XR names may have been inspired by the car industry

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iPhone XR Spectrum ad
The iPhone names may have been borrowed from the auto industry.
Photo: Apple

If you’re wondering where the confusing “XS” and “XR” names for Apple’s new iPhones came from, Phil Schiller provides an answer in a new interview: from the car industry.

“I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special,” Schiller told Engadget in an interview coinciding with the launch of the iPhone XR.

As it happens, this is far from the first time Apple has embraced automotive marketing techniques to sell its products.

Super Micro will investigate its hardware after spy chip allegations

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computer chip
Super Micro is accused of manufacturing hardware containing Chinese spy chips.
Photo: JÉSHOOTS/Pexels

Super Micro Computer, the manufacturer of technology accused by Bloomberg of containing Chinese spy chips, has said that it will carry out a review of its own hardware.

This isn’t any kind of admission on its part, however. In a letter to customers, the firm noted how, “Despite the lack of any proof that a malicious hardware chip exists, we are undertaking a complicated and time-consuming review to further address the article.”

Germany’s finance minister wants tech giants to pay higher taxes

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
The EU has long been pushing tech companies to pay more in taxes.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In an op-ed for a German newspaper, Germany’s finance minister Olaf Scholz proposes a global minimum rate of corporation tax as one way to ensure that multinational corporations like Apple pay domestic taxes in line with the profits that they earn.

The European Union (EU) has long been attempting to get tech giants to stop using complex accounting tricks to shuffle profits around to minimize the amount that they pay in each country.

Apple just leased another massive facility in Silicon Valley

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McCarthy Creekside 2
A render depicting one part of the new McCarthy Creekside facility.
Photo: McCarthy Creekside

Apple has snapped up a 10-year lease for a large, 314,000-square-foot warehouse in Milpitas, California, approximately a fifteen minute drive from Cupertino.

The space is located at McCarthy Creekside, a new multiphase development located in the city of Milpitas. Apple is reportedly paying in the vicinity of 90 cents per square foot. According to developer Joey McCarthy, McCarthy Creekside is intended for “industrial, R&D, [and] manufacturing.”

Redesigned webpage makes finding your dream job at Apple easier

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Job website 2
New webpage reveals why working for Apple is so great.
Photo: Apple

Shortly after launching its refreshed Privacy webpage, Apple has also updated its Jobs website, hopefully making it easier to find your dream employment role with the company.

In addition to the redesigned page, Apple has also created videos highlighting some of the jobs that it offers. These follow employees like Divya, an engineer on the Apple Watch team, who leads some of the work involving the device’s optical sensors.

You could soon be the proud owner of Steve Jobs’ toilet

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Woodside
150 items come from Jobs' former home in Woodside, California.
Photo: Jonathan Haeber, Bearings

Do you want to own a chandelier that once belonged to Steve Jobs? How about a Jobs-owned thermostat, originally made in 1925? Or a silver-plated tea spoon? Or, heck, even Jobs’ old toilet? These, and roughly 146 more possessions, could soon be going up for auction.

At least, if some members of the Woodside town council, the small incorporated town in San Mateo County, where Steve Jobs once had a home, get their way.

Apple’s latest self-driving car crash is just another fender bender

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Here's how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots
Why are Waymo's self-driving cars involved in so many more crashes than Apple's?
Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

A car designed to test Apple’s self-driving system was involved in a minor accident Monday, but a human was driving at the time. This is only the second such crash of an Apple car on record.

Google, and its autonomous vehicle spinoff Waymo, haven’t been so lucky over the years.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Meet the hardware hacker who built an iPhone from scratch

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Meet Scotty Allen, the hardware hacker who built an iPhone from scratch.
Extreme hardware hacks are kind of Scotty Allen's thing.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Millions watched Scotty Allen build an iPhone from parts mined from Chinese electronics markets. While he loves the wild enthusiasm his iPhone-hacking videos spark, he says his Strange Parts series is really a “travel show for geeks.”

You’ll find his inspiring story and much more in this week’s issue of our magazine. It’s free and it’s fun to read on an iPad or iPhone. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes now. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Jony Ive explains why Apple Park is a game-changer for designers

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Jony Ive CultCast
Ive in his old design studio, which holds "decades of history."
Photo: BBC

Jony Ive says he is “truly proud” of Apple Watch, which he describes as a powerful computer filled with sophisticated sensors that we strap to our wrists. And we can expect Apple to continuing delivering products that are just as special in the future.

Apple Park is a game-changer for designers that will allow better collaboration than ever before, Ive reveals in a new interview.

Tim Cook calls on Bloomberg to retract Chinese spy chip claims

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Apple revenues
Tim Cook defends Apple's decision to pull HKmap.live from App Store.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook is fighting back against a story from Bloomberg that claimed Chinese hackers put spy chips in Apple and Amazon’s servers.

In a recent interview, Cook went on the record for the first time to deny the allegations. Cook also called on Bloomberg to retract its story saying it is absolutely false.

Apple urges devs to get macOS apps notarized as free of malware

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With MacOS Mojave, notarized apps install more easily because they're guaranteed malware free.
With MacOS Mojave, notarized apps install more easily because they're guaranteed malware free.
Photo: Apple

There’s a new method to let Mac users know that the software they’re installing isn’t loaded with malware. It’s called notarized apps, and Apple urges developers to use it. 

Right now, getting apps notarized is optional. Eventually, it’ll be a requirement. That’s a bonus for Mac users.

Bezels & Bytes Apple watch bands are fusing tech and jewelry design seamlessly

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bezels & bytes
Transform your tech gadgets into fashion statements.
Photo: Bezels & Bytes

If you’re looking for a uniquely beautiful watch band to transform your Apple watch from a time piece to a jewelry statement, look no further. Bezels & Bytes fuses tech and style seamlessly with their collection of stunning, luxury Apple Watch Bands. Just ask Oprah!

We unboxed their gorgeous Chainlink & Leather Apple Watch band in rose gold, and it was awesome. Check out the live unboxing video on our YouTube channel here:

You can still snag almost any iPhone XR on launch day

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Nearly every configuration of the Apple's latest handset is still available hours into launch day. What does this say about iPhone XR sales?
Nearly every configuration of the Apple's latest handset is still available hours into launch day. What does this say about iPhone XR sales?
Photo: Apple

Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPhone XR early this morning, and there are still plenty of them left hours later. Contrast this with the iPhone XS launch which saw some configurations sell out in minutes.

While this doesn’t automatically indicate that demand for the iPhone XR is slow, it’s not a very good sign either.

Bucardo brought back the pocket watch from near extinction, and it looks great on your Apple watch

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watch
The union of nostalgia and high-tech makes for a brand-new way to wear Apple Watch.
Photo: Bucardo

At first glance, the Silver Pinstripe Pocket Watch by Bucardo may look like a forgotten relic from your grandfather’s musty closet.

Except, it’s not.

This wondrous, little trinket is the new and improved 2018 version of vintage accessory. It’s a uniquely stunning way to wear your Apple Watch, bucking current trends by melding vintage style and tech. The pocket watch transforms your Apple Watch into a classic yet “on trend” look. Watch us geek out at this marvel in our YouTube unboxing video:

Meet the guy who built an iPhone from scratch

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Scotty Allen
Scotty Allen takes his viewers to Strange Parts for unvarnished stories about technology.
Photo: Scotty Allen

Millions have watched Scotty Allen build an iPhone from parts mined from the electronics markets of Shenzhen, China.

DIYers and hackers write Allen, eager to repeat his geeky feat. So do people from third-world countries looking for an affordable way to get their hands on a pricey device that imparts status.

Allen, 39, loves the wild enthusiasm his YouTube videos have sparked, but the scratch iPhone isn’t the point.

Apple wanted to bring the best of iMessage to every phone

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Messages iOS 10
Carriers didn't want to adopt.
Photo: Apple

Apple will never bring iMessage to third-party platforms like Android, but there was a time when it tried to convince carriers to adopt a standardized version for everyone.

Former iOS chief Scott Forstall has revealed that the company approached operators in an effort to convince them to take a number of features that make iMessage so great and bring them to traditional texting. But due to a number of reasons, the “explorations didn’t pan out.”

Bullish analyst thinks Apple stock is going nowhere but up

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AAPL
Apple could be in for a major surge over the next year.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

When Apple passed the $1 trillion valuation earlier this year, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve missed your chance to invest. Not so, claims tech Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. According to the bullish Apple pundit, the company could see a massive 40 percent surge this year.

AAPL currently trades at $219. According to Ives, however, by this time next year you should be expecting it to trade at $310. Here’s why.

New AirPods, AirPower and Macs? Catch our ‘More in the Making’ hardware predictions on The CultCast

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CultCast MacBook Pro More In the Making
Finally! Apple's October 30th event is all about the hardware.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Waiting for new AirPods? Need that AirPower charging mat? Don’t you dare miss our “More in the Making” hardware event predictions, cause we bring out the crystal ball, and all is revealed.

Then: Seventeen reasons the iPhone XR should be your next phone; the world’s largest Mac collection could be yours for free; and we pitch our favorite games, shows and scooters in an all-new “What We’re Into”!

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and get $50 towards select mattresses at casper.com/cultcast.

Chinese consumer watchdog thinks Apple should pay up for phishing hack

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money
Users in China recently fell victim to phishing scam looking for their Apple IDs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After Apple acknowledged that a small number of its users in China had their iCloud accounts accounts hacked through a phishing scam, a Chinese consumer watchdog thinks the company should pay up.

The China Consumer Association said in a statement that Apple should pay compensation to those affected. Some of those people caught up in the scam lost money since their Apple IDs were used by thieves to take money from paired mobile payment services.

Evidence mounts that iPad Pro will ditch Lightning for USB-C

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ipad pro 2
Apple introduced its Lightning connectors in 2012.
Photo: Apple

On paper, it sounds kind of surprising, but the reports claiming that Apple will include a USB-C port instead of its proprietary Lightning are certainly racking up.

Recently, notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that this would be the case. Now a new report citing multiple accessory makers at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics Trade Fair in Hong Kong reported that they have heard much the same thing.