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iPhone XS Max destroys Pixel 3 XL in speed test

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iPhone XS Max
Pixel 3 XL can't keep up with the iPhone XS Max.
Photo: PhoneBuff

Google’s new Pixel 3 XL smartphone is supposed to be the company’s best challenger yet to the iPhone. But when it comes to speed, Google still can’t keep up.

YouTuber PhoneBuff put the two new smartphones through a real-world simulated speed test and found that the Google Pixel 3 has some serious shortcomings when it comes to performance. Despite boasting a spec sheet that looks nearly as good as the iPhone XS Max’s, the Pixel 3 XL came in more than a minute slower than the iPhone XS Max.

Watch Google’s new phone get dominated.

iPhone XR could easily outsell iPhone XS

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
Sellers are desperately hoping for a sales boost.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR just debuted on Friday, and an esteemed analyst says it outsold last year’s iPhone 8 on their respective opening weekends.

The analyst goes on to predict that Apple’s newest handset will eventually outsell the iPhone XS models that launched last month.

Tim Cook showcases new apps and iPhone film during EU trip

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Tim Cook
French filmmaker Claude Lelouch and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook is taking a trip through Europe before the company’s big iPad event in New York next week.

During his pitstop in Germany and France, Cook was busy checking out some new iPhone projects and apps that could be total game changers as well as film from one of the most legendary directors in France who’s ditching his big rigs to shoot on iPhone onle.

New renders show 2018 iPad Pro in all its glory

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The 2018 iPad Pro has supposedly been redesigned without without the Home button. And without a Lightning port too.
The 2018 iPad Pro has supposedly been redesigned without without the Home button. And without a Lightning port too.
Photo: Viktor Kádár

Apple is expected to unveil the next-generation iPad Pro at the end of this month. An industrial design student from Hungary. just couldn’t wait. 

He created a collection of images of this upcoming tablet showcasing the significant redesign that’s been all over the Internet. The rumored USB-C port isn’t overlooked either.

iPhone XR repairs are surprisingly cheap

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The iPhone XR will feature Haptic Touch. But just what is that?
You should still buy AppleCare+.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed its pricing for iPhone XR repairs and it’s surprisingly reasonable.

It will certainly leave a dent in your bank account if you break your screen without AppleCare+, but repairing an iPhone XR doesn’t cost much more than repairing an iPhone 8. It’s considerably cheaper than fixing an iPhone XS or XS Max.

iPhone is the smartphone of choice for most American teens

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iPhone survey
The iPhone wins the smartphone popularity contest among teens.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The iPhone is in the hands and pockets of more than 80 percent of U.S. teens, according to a survey conducted by the investment firm Piper Jaffray.

Apple’s dominance among teens will continue to rise with 86 percent anticipating their next smartphone will be an iPhone, according to the Taking Stock with Teens survey.

Epic Games teases ‘Fortnitemares’ event for Halloween

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Fortnite Fortnitemares
Are you ready?
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games won’t let any season or event pass by without celebrating it inside Fortnite Battle Royale, so it’s no surprise the company has something big up its sleeve for Halloween. Get ready for the mysterious “Fortnitemares.”

Teased on Twitter over the weekend, Fortnitemares is … some kind of … something. All we really know so far is that it will be popping up in Battle Royale soon.

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.