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News - page 726

How Steve Jobs’ impossible demands sparked Wi-Fi revolution

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iBook
The first commercial product with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Photo: Apple

How many important moments at Apple started with Steve Jobs being late to a meeting that ended with him making a seemingly impossible demand?

This is exactly how one former executive of Lucent Technologies describes the birth of commercial Wi-Fi, which took place in a meeting room at Apple headquarters in Cupertino on April 20, 1998.

Minecraft: Education Edition brings brainy gameplay to iPad

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Minecraft: Education Edition can teach math, science, history, and more.
Minecraft: Education Edition can teach math, science, history, and more.
Photo: Microsoft

Minecraft: Education Edition is one of the best-known applications to gamify learning. After launching back 2016, an iPad version will finally debut next month.

The Minecraft game is hugely popular, and the version created for schools also has millions of users learning math, science, history, and more.

iPhone X notch might be on endangered list

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Apple Watch
The iPhone X notch isn't the "deal breaker" so many thought it would be, but the screen cutout could be replaced with an under-display camera in 2019.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first camera that can be embedded under a phone’s display might launch next year. If this comes to pass, it would remove the need for the screen cutout in the iPhone and many rival Android models.

It’s no secret that companies are trying to develop in-display cameras. The promise that one will be on the market in 2019 comes from an unnamed source.

More evidence that we’re getting new Apple Watches next month

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Apple Watch Series 3
New Apple wearables are on the way.
Photo: Apple

It’s highly likely that we’ll see new Apple Watch Series 4 devices at next month’s Apple media event, and a new series of filings suggest that this is even more probable.

Filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission are six new model numbers for next-gen Apple Watches, all of which will run watchOS 5. While that doesn’t tell us too much about the new devices, it does suggest that they are on the way.

Apple pulls 25,000 apps from China’s App Store

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China
Tim Cook meeting with China's vice premier.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple has pulled a massive 25,000 apps from its Chinese App Store following state media complaints about the company. At least 4,000 of these were tagged with the word “gambling,” which is illegal in China outside of state-sanctioned lotteries.

“Gambling apps are illegal and not allowed on the App Store in China,” Apple said in a statement. “We have already removed many apps and developers for trying to distribute illegal gambling apps on our App Store, and we are vigilant in our efforts to find these and stop them from being on the App Store.”

Overheating iPad battery causes Apple Store evacuation

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The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro puts monstrous power at your fingertips.
Incident was supposedly caused by an overheating iPad battery.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Apple Store in Leidseplein square, Amsterdam was evacuated Sunday afternoon as the result of an apparent overheating iPad battery.

While the lithium-ion battery in the device did not explode or begin visibly smoking, it supposedly began emitting vapors which led to three Apple Store employees being check over on site by ambulance personnel.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Our Apple Watch Series 4 wish list, and more!

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cult of mac magazine
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple looks set to unveil the biggest upgrade yet to its popular wearable.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: With an update likely coming soon, Cult of Mac lays out our best guesses (and most fanciful dreams) for all the features that could be coming to Apple’s fantastic wearable.

You’ll find that top story and much more. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Amazon’s next big thing could be a TiVo knockoff

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Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon wants Fire TV to be embedded in more TVs.
Photo: Amazon

The biggest name in online retail is aiming its sights on putting TiVo out of business next.

Amazon is reportedly developing a new set top box that will allow users to record live TV, providing a way to side-step cable providers when it comes to watching content on-demand.

Apple taps child star for murder mystery show

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A show about girl reporter Hilde Lysiak is coming to Apple TV.
Girl reporter Hilde Lysiak solved a murder when she was 9 years old. What have you done today?
Photo: Scholastic

Apple has already nailed down the lead role for its upcoming TV show about a young girl who solves a local murder mystery.

8-year-old Brooklynn Prince from The Florida Project has been cast to play Hilde Lysiak after Apple just recently secured the rights to turn her life story into a TV show.

Science proves women’s pockets are too small for iPhones

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iPhone Japan
Japan loves its iPhones. But a proposed law could make some consumers consider cheaper Android handsets.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Ever tried to slip an iPhone into a pants pocket and run out of room with the device halfway in? Men are probably scratching their heads, but most women know the experience well.

A new study finds that the front pocket in women’s jeans average less than half the size of men’s. And that means less than half the brands studied can hold an iPhone X.

iOS 12 runs much faster, especially on older iPhones

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Side-by-side tests on an iPhone 5s show noticeable iOS 12 performance improvements.
Side-by-side tests on an iPhone 5s show noticeable iOS 12 performance improvements.
Photo: iApple Bytes

Apple’s next operating system is still in beta, but it already boasts much better performance than iOS 11. Speed improvements are high on Apple’s list of promises for iOS 12, and there’s little room for doubt that Cupertino will deliver.

Speed tests performed on older models, including an iPhone 5s, show iOS 12 makes the devices significantly faster.

OLED iPhones to give Apple Pencil production big boost

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Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil won't be exclusive to iPad Pro for long.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly signed on with a Taiwanese stylus supplier, adding credence to speculation that new OLED iPhones will support Apple Pencil.

The Economic Daily News out of China said Apple is contracting with Elan for “touch-and-pen related” chips for two next-gen handsets in the iPhone X line.

Zane Lowe discusses future of radio DJs in age of streaming

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Things are looking good for Beats One and leading DJ Zane Lowe, one of the world's top radio personalities.
Things are looking good for Beats One and leading DJ Zane Lowe, one of the world's top radio personalities.
Photo: Apple

Beats 1 Radio host Zane Lowe says he’s excited that Apple Music’s competitors are starting to rip off his live streaming radio show.

Lowe, who left the BBC’s Radio 1 to lead Beats 1 Radio, said in a recent interview that he still questions how his radio show fits in with the music scene. In the age of social media where artists can interact directly with fans, radio hosts don’t seem like a necessity, but Spotify and YouTube Music are planning to launch radio shows of their own and Lowe is ready to welcome them to the league.

Busted! Samsung uses stock photos as proof of camera quality

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Samung tweets
Samsung Brazil said it accidentally used stock photos when trying to show off on Twitter the camera of the Galaxy A8.
Photo: Feliperas/Twitter

When Apple wants to show off the camera quality of its latest iPhone, it mines social media for user photos by searching the hashtag “Shot on iPhone.” Apple then has plenty of actual iPhone images it then licenses for advertising.

But when Samsung tried to tout the camera of the Galaxy A8 in a recent Twitter campaign, it used stock photos most likely shot with DSLR cameras.

23 Prince albums just landed on Apple Music

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Prince
Many of these albums are available digitally for the first time.
Photo: Jimi Hughes/Wikipedia CC

If you’re a Prince fan and an Apple Music subscriber, today is your lucky day! That’s because the Prince Estate and Sony’s Legacy Recordings have released 23 of the Purple One’s albums, covering the latter half of his career, on streaming services.

Here’s what we can expect from next month’s Apple event (maybe)

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Tim Cook
What will Tim Cook announce next month?
Photo: Apple

Apple could introduce three new iPhones, two new iPads and an entry-level MacBook at its September event, according to a new report based on supply chain info.

In addition to new details about the fall product lineup, the report also offers up a surprising prediction about Apple’s long-awaited AirPower wireless charger,

Speed up MacBook Pro to 10 Gbps with this adapter

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OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
Photo: OWC

Don’t be jealous of the 10Gbps Ethernet port in the iMac Pro. OWC introduced an adapter for your MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to networks at the same massive speeds.

Just be warned, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter isn’t an accessory for the casual user. It’ll set you back $187.99.

Apple reassures customers after teenager hacked its servers

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Teenaged hacker recently plead guilty to charges.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Apple has reassured customers that none of their private data was compromised after a 16-year-old teenager plead guilty to hacking into the company’s servers.

An Apple spokesperson said that, “[We] want to assure our customers that at no point during this incident was their personal data compromised.” The hacker in question managed to download 90 gigabytes of secure files.

Twitter calmly explains why it broke your favorite apps

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Twitter
Many of the features of Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and similar apps just stopped working. Twitter's CEO tells us why.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Despite protests, Twitter made changes today that break some features of popular third-party apps. The company’s CEO explains that all Twitter is doing is finally enforcing a 9-year-old policy.

Rob Johnson says the company will no longer devote resources to apps it didn’t want built in the first place. The situation is a bit more complex that that, though.

Hilarious Jimmy Kimmel video mocks fear that iPhones spy on us

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A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia about iPhone privacy violations.
A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia that our phones are constantly spying on us.
Photo: ABC

Apple takes a firm stance on iPhone privacy, with strict rules. Nevertheless, many people remain nervous that their phone is spying on them.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel, on his eponymous TV show, pokes fun at this fear in a newly-released video. Watch it now:

See Turks smash iPhones to protest Trump’s tariffs

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turkey protests
One protester tossed their iPhone X into a box of matches.
Photo: Twitter

iPhone owners in Turkey are taking to the streets to smash their iPhones in protest against the country’s strained relationship with the United States.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Turks to boycott U.S. products — specifically the iPhone made by Apple in California. Multiple videos have been posted online showing iPhone owners using hammers, rocks and even fire to destroy their iPhones.

Watch one of the demonstrators greet some iPhones with a sledgehammer!