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News - page 693

Mom-and-pop shops cost Apple Music (and artists) billions

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music streaming
The latest release also includes Chromecast support.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The music industry loses $2.65B annually because small businesses are using music streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify without a license.

Nielsen Music surveyed 5,000 small business around the world and found a majority streamed music with a personal account, with many not knowing a business license for streaming music is required by law.

Dragalia Lost gets its first event for Halloween

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Dragalia Lost Halloween
You have until October 31 to enjoy it!
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo’s newest mobile game just kicked off its first event in time for Halloween. Dragalia Lost players can enjoy playing with new adventurers, Wyrmprints, and dragons. You will also bag a Tenfold Summon ticket just for logging in.

Ember smart mug gets Apple Health integration for caffeine tracking

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Ember 1
Award-winning smart mug will now tell iOS users how much coffee they’re drinking.
Photo: Ember

It’s not every day that a coffee mug becomes one of TIME magazine’s inventions of the year. But that’s exactly what happened with the Ember smart mug, a drink receptacle which uses high tech thermal technology to maintain coffee or tea at its users’ perfect drinking temperature.

Now the mug (and its travel mug variant) has received a new update for iOS-loving coffee drinkers — allowing Apple’s Health app to estimate and make sense of your caffeine intake. That’s without you having to manually enter a whole lot of information manually.

Nearly a quarter of Apple employees plan to delete Facebook accounts

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Facebook data breach
Some Apple employees are thinking of deleting their Facebook accounts.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The recent Facebook data breach freaked out several Apple employees enough for them to consider deleting their accounts, according to an anonymous survey of tech employees by the app Blind.

Of 256 Apple employees who responded to Blind’s survey, 22 percent said they will close out their Facebook accounts, while another 20 percent said they were not on Facebook.

Fortnite challenges for season 6, week 4 leak out

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Fortnite
Get ready for this week's Battle Royale challenges.
Photo: Epic Games

Prepare yourself for this week’s Fortnite Battle Royale challenges by taking a sneak glimpse at what’s to come.

Week four’s challenges for season six won’t be officially live until Thursday, but this leaked list shows us what we can expect.

Multiple sneaky subscription apps disappear from App Store

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
Some subscription apps act in an unscrupulous manner.
Photo: Apple

Apple is seeming cracking down on some of the dodgier subscription apps in the App Store, following reports highlighting the actions of certain unscrupulous apps and app-makers.

Out of the 17 apps mentioned in a recent Forbes report on these practices, 11 have now been removed from the App Store. Similarly, QR Code Reader and Weather Alarms — two problematic apps highlighted by TechCrunch — have also vanished.

Hulu’s ‘skinnier’ bundle may drop live TV for a cheaper price tag

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Hulu1
Hulu's ‘skinnier’ bundle will focus on on-demand content instead of live TV.
Photo: Hulu

Hulu is slimming down what it offers users — and that’s apparently a good thing.

According to a new interview with Hulu CEO Randy Freer, the streaming service plans to offer a “skinnier” bundle of channels with fewer live channels, but more on-demand content.

iOS 12.1 will likely launch next week

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iOS 12.1 could be out for iPhone and iPad by the end of this month.
Go get them now!
Photo: Apple

Apple introduced the fourth beta of iOS 12.1 to the general public today. The wait for the full version of this upgrade is almost certainly nearly over.

It will bring some new features and emojis, and is likely required for the new iPhone coming later this month.

Beats headphones go full Mickey Mouse

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Mickey
Mickey Mouse now has his own Beats.
Photo: Beats

The Beats Studio3 and Beats Solo3 wireless headphone lineups both got updated with new color options today.

Apple is putting out a new Skyline collection of color options for the Studio3 headphones. The collection’s four color options are crystal blue, desert sand, midnight black and shadow gray. Meanwhile, the Solo3’s have a new Mickey Mouse themed option to celebrate the famous cartoon character’s 90th anniversary.

Take a look:

New Google policy could raise the price of Android phones

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Android P has a similar swipe-based navigation system as the iPhone X, and it supports screen cutouts.
It's going to cost more to offer Android devices in the EU.
Graphic: Google

Google is being forced to start charging Android device makers a fee to use the software that previously came free with this operating system. It’s possible device makers will pass this cost along to phone buyers.

This only applies in Europe, though, as it’s a result of the EU ruling that Google used anti-competitive business practices. The company was also fined about $5 billion.

Facebook wants to add a camera to your TV

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Facebook Portal
The Portal is Facebook’s first video calling product.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook is allegedly planning to take on Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire TV with a new set top box of its own.

The social network just debuted its new Portal smart speaker earlier this month and according to a new report its smart TV box could pack some similarly creepy features.

Photoshop for iPad will be useless without the keyboard [Opinion]

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photoshop for iPad
A keyboard is as essential to Photoshop as a screen.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

When Photoshop comes to the iPad next year, it will apparently be the full desktop version, with the same code base, shrunk down to run on iOS. At launch, a few features will be missing, but the plan is parity between desktop and iOS versions.

But there’s one thing that will ruin the iPad version of Photoshop from day one — a lack of keyboard shortcuts.

Apple still wants to make a folding iPhone

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This is an early concept drawing from Apple for a folding iPhone.
This is an early concept drawing from Apple for a folding iPhone.
Photo: Apple

The first foldable smartphones launch later this year. These will all run Android, but Apple has been researching a bendable iPhone. It received another patent today for a mobile device with a flexible screen.

This describes various possible hinge mechanisms, likely the trickiest part of a flexible phone.

All that’s missing from your iPhone XS is a gold skull with diamond teeth

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Aurum Edition
For the iPhone XS user who's bad to the bone.
Photo: Aurum Edition

An iPhone is an iPhone is an iPhone. No matter what kind of case you put on it, it’s hard to have a handset that doesn’t look like all the others.

But if you could cover the Apple logo with a gold skull or ruby-eyed wolf’s head, you’d have something unique.

That’s the speciality of luxury brand Aurum Edition, which has new custom designs for the iPhone XS line and Apple Watch Series 4.

Preordering an iPhone XR? It’s time to sell your old phone

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iPhone 8
Turn your old iPhone into real cash today!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You’ll be able to preorder your shiny new iPhone XR in just a few days, which means it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to pay for it. It might just be easier than you think.

Start by selling your old iPhone to Cult of Mac. It’s quick and easy, and we pay real cash. What’s more, we typically pay more than other buyback services. Get a quote now and you can hold onto your device until your new iPhone XR arrives.

Take an early look at the redesigned 2018 iPad Pro

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This is the best image yet of the 2018 iPad Pro.
This is the best image yet of the 2018 iPad Pro.
Photo: mysmartprice

A leaked product image goes a long way toward confirming that the 2018 iPad Pro is getting a significant redesign. Apple’s next tablet is shown in a folding case, but it’s clear that the bezels have shrunk and the Home button has disappeared, just as previous rumors indicated.

The image also clearly shows the front-facing sensors needed for Face ID.

The ‘iPod shuffle of Spotify’ is back and better than ever

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Mighty Vibe 1
The Mighty Vibe is the iPod Shuffle but... well, not.
Photo: Mighty Vibe

It’s been a few years since the iPod shuffle was last updated, but there are still plenty of fans out there with fond memories of Apple’s tiniest iPod music player.

If you fall into that camp, you might want to check out the Mighty, a music player that’s basically an iPod shuffle for Spotify. The latest version, called the Mighty Vibe, brings increased battery life and an improved Bluetooth antenna. (It also boasts a refreshed companion app.)

iPhone XS Max easily outlasts rivals in new battery test

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iPhone XS Max battery test
Despite the smallest battery, iPhone XS Max lasts longer.
Photo: Mrwhosetheboss

Apple promises that the iPhone XS Max delivers better battery life than any other iPhone. It also lasts longer than rival devices in between charges, according to a new battery test.

Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date easily outpaces the Sony Xperia XZ3 and the new Google Pixel 3 XL. It even manages to last a little longer than the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 — but there is a catch.

Apple apologizes after Apple IDs stolen in China

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Alipay
Apple IDs were used to steal money from accounts.
Photo: Alipay

Apple has issued an apology after a number of customers in China had their Apple ID stolen and used by thieves to take money from paired mobile payment services.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Apple said that it is, “deeply apologetic about the inconvenience caused to our customers by these phishing scams.” It noted that this incident affected a “small number” of users.

Happy Steve Jobs Day, everyone!

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Steve Jobs offers a sneak peek at the first Apple store prior to its opening.
"What, only the one day?"
Screenshot: Apple

There’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and … Steve Jobs Day? Yep, it’s true: If you live in California, then today — October 16 — is officially Steve Jobs Day.

So make sure to wear your best mock turtleneck, take the license plate off your car (note: don’t actually do this), put on a Bob Dylan album, and maybe brush up on your calligraphy to pay tribute to Apple’s co-founder!

Our long national nightmare of ‘bagelgate’ is finally over

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Would you eat this bland bagel?
Would you eat this bland bagel? This is the design that set off bagelgate.
Photo: Apple

There are clearly some very strong opinions about bagels. Apple added a bagel emoji to the early betas of iOS 12.1 and some people lost their minds. The proposed image was rather plain, and there was no sign of cream cheese, which was enough to set off a firestorm of protest.

Those who were offended by the emoji can rest easy tonight knowing that Apple has a new version of the bagel that looks more like something a New Yorker would eat. 

Scam subscriptions plague the App Store

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App store
There's a whole of money that can be made on the App Store.
Photo: Apple

Subscriptions mean big business for app developers, but this success has ushered supposed bad actors into the App Store. A new article by TechCrunch shines a light on some of these apparent scam tactics, which could cause a headache for Apple.

iPhone XR looks set to become a massive smash hit

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iPhone XR
Are you excited about the iPhone XR?
Photo: Apple

Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone XR is going to be a massive smash hit for Apple — and it seems everyone is being taken by surprise by how in-demand it will be.

In a recent note to investors, Kuo increased his estimate for fourth-quarter iPhone XR shipments by 10 percent. Instead of 33 million to 35 million iPhone XR units over the quarter, he now thinks Apple’s suppliers will ship out 36 million to 38 million units.

Fortnite 6.1 drops new Quadcrasher and BR tournaments

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Fortnite Quadcrusher
Unleash destruction in the new Quadcrusher.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s weekly content update has landed and there are big additions to look forward to for Battle Royale regulars.

Players can now navigate the map in the new Quadcrusher vehicle and take part in in-game tournaments. There are also a whole host of big improvements to look forward to across all platforms, including iOS.