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News - page 732

Foxconn is hiring to ramp up production for iPhone refresh

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Foxconn is one of Apple's oldest suppliers.
Photo: CBS

This year’s iPhone refresh could be the super cycle Apple’s been waiting for — and manufacturer Foxconn is taking steps accordingly.

As per a new report, the manufacturing giant, which employs around 1 million people in China alone, is ramping up its hiring for people willing to work on the iPhone production line. And it’s offering incentives to help with the recruitment drive!

WhatsApp is bringing media previews to iOS notifications

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WhatsApp on iOS
WhatsApp users have been waiting for better notifications.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp notifications on iOS are about to get a lot more useful.

The popular messaging service is now testing media previews that let users view images and even animated GIFs before opening a message. Today’s update has also added the ability to use Siri to send messages to groups.

eBay promises Apple Pay support in 2018

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Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
It’ll take years to roll out to everyone.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

eBay is giving shoppers the ability to purchase items with Apple Pay this fall.

The service will become a primary payment option on the eBay website and in the mobile app. A small group of Marketplace customers will get the chance to try it before it rolls out to everyone in a few years.

Chinese users reportedly being bombarded with iMessage spam

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iMessage
Apparently carriers can do nothing to stop it.
Photo: Weibo

iPhone users in China are reportedly being bombarded with iMessage spam, many of them promoting illegal gambling.

Much of the iMessage spam in question links to WeChat account or gambling websites. Gambling is illegal in China, with the exception of two state-sanctioned lotteries.

Apple’s stunning new Milan store is an elemental masterpiece

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Milan
Apple's most attractive Apple Store yet?
Photo: Apple

Apple is set to add another architectural marvel to its roster of stunning Apple Stores when it opens its new location in Milan, Italy next week.

To celebrate the occasion, Apple has released some attractive pictures of the Apple Piazza Liberty — which includes a gorgeous above-ground fountain, leading down to a fully-stocked underground store. Kind of like the company’s iconic Fifth Avenue venue in New York, with an extra sheen of high fashion chic.

Fortnite 5.10 brings new weapons and challenges, iOS improvements

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Fortnite first birthday
Celebrate Fortnite’s first birthday with special rewards.
Photo: Epic Games

This week’s Fortnite 5.10 is rolling out now, adding new weapons, new challenges, and some nice improvements for players on iOS.

The brand new compact SMG makes its official debut, and there are a series of challenges and rewards to enjoy for Fortnite’s first birthday. An improved Playground mode is also available for a limited time.

Verizon wants to team up with Apple or Google for 5G TV

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apple tv
The long-rumored Apple live TV package could get a helping hand from Verizon.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Verizon wants to hook up with either Apple or Google to provide TV services when it launches its super fast 5G service to customers in Los Angeles and Sacramento, a new report claims.

The idea is that packaging Verizon’s 5G online TV with either Google’s YouTube TV or an as-yet-unnanounced Apple TV package would help Verizon to showcase its new service.

Juuk’s Velo Apple Watch bands are classic to the core

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juuk
The Velo by Juuk — an aluminum, three-link band shown here in Obsidian.
Photo: Juuk

Juuk’s engineered, aluminum Apple Watch bands are always on point. Then they elevate things even more.

The Velo is the first in Juuk’s luxury lineup of aluminum bands to feature a tapered, three-link design. And, the popular Obsidian finish is finally back in stock! This classic band comes in four additional finishes — Midnight, Ruby, Cosmic Grey and Silver. Check them out below.

Apple will answer HomePod owners’ burning questions during live Q&A

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Apple will provide HomePod tech support at a special online event in a few days. Get your questions ready.
Apple will provide HomePod tech support at a special online event in a few days. Get your questions ready.
Photo: Apple

The HomePod is a new product and Apple wants to be sure owners of this smartspeaker are getting all the benefits. That’s why the company scheduled a live chat with HomePod specialists for later this week. It’s open to anyone with questions.

A lot of people get tech support on their electronics from friends, but the $349 HomePod is struggling to compete against the much cheaper Amazon Echo, so many users probably don’t know someone else with this device.

Hands on with Ullu’s colorful leather Apple Watch bands [Unboxing]

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ullu
A tiny bit of color goes a long way!
Photo: Ullu

Renowned for its snap-on iPhone cases, Ullu also makes a beautiful assortment of luxurious, leather Apple Watch bands.

Crafted for an excellent finish and fit, these well-padded and stitched bands come in either hand-painted or premium leather.

Our very own Nadine Kahney gives us a hands-on look at the Ullu Premium Leather Band in Tangerine, available for purchase in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store. Check it out below.

Consumer Reports says MacBook Pro thermal throttling is a feature not a bug

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The new MacBook Pros feature True Tone technology for
The 2018 MacBook Pro with a Core i9 processor is subject to thermal throttling, but it's hardly alone in that.
Photo: Apple

The top-of-the-line MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i9 processor has gotten some bad press. The new laptop reportedly is subject to thermal throttling, which is a fancy way of saying that its CPU gets so hot that it slows itself down before burning up.

But before anyone criticizes Apple too much, Consumer Reports came to the company’s defense. The consumer-testing organization points out that other laptops with top-tier processors are also subject to thermal throttling.

Samsung accidentally leaks its next Apple Watch competitor

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000DF237-B536-40BB-92D3-C46E305F9DDF
Behold! The Samsung Watch in rose gold.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is planning to take on Apple Watch with a totally rebranded smartwatch of its own — and we already know what it will look like.

Samsung leaked photos of the upcoming smartwatch on its own website this morning. Unlike previous versions of the company’s watch, this one looks a bit more stylish. You’ll probably be shocked to know it borrows some design elements that make Apple Watch so appealing.

Fortnite’s Playground mode returns alongside birthday rewards

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Fortnite first birthday
Fortnite will celebrate its first birthday in style!
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s hugely popular Playground mode is making a comeback this week with support for squad battles, the all terrain kart, and “lots more loot.”

Epic Games has also promised birthday rewards when you complete challenges and quests in-game to celebrate Fortnite’s first anniversary. It’s sure to be a crazy week for fans of Battle Royale.

Leaked Apple repair videos cough up some secrets

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Apple repair techs have access to a lot of gear other people don't.
Apple repair techs have access to a lot of gear other people don't.
Screenshot: Apple

Editor’s Note: Not surprisingly, these internal Apple videos are now gone from YouTube. The iPhone maker undoubtedly asked that they be removed.


What appears to be a collection of Apple’s internal video guides to repairing various devices has been posted on YouTube. These show the company’s methods to fix some components of the iPhone X, the iMac Pro 2017, and the MacBook Pro 2016 and 2017.

Apple doesn’t show anyone outside of the company how to service its products. Third-party repair companies have to figure it out for themselves. So this is a rare look inside official Apple repair procedures.

Bag this Apple job and Jony Ive will be your boss

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Apple job
Apple's Industrial Design team at the Apple Watch unveiling.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

If you have design chops and believe your ideas belong in the same room as Jony Ive, Apple has an opening on the team that creates some of the world’s most important tech.

Apple is currently accepting applications for an industrial designer to join the Industrial Design Group in Cupertino. This is a tight-knit group of around 20 designers headed by the legendary Ive that are seen as the principal inventors of Apple’s iconic devices.

Sony’s monstrous 48 megapixel sensor could boost iPhone camera

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E8D00214-2E1D-4248-BA16-69EB1D690B14
The detail you can get on Sony’s new sensor is astounding.
Photo: Sony

Future iPhone cameras could soon rival the pixel count of high-end DSLRs thanks to a new 48 megapixel sensor created by Sony.

Sony says it has created the highest pixel count sensor for a smartphone with its new IMX586 sensor. Usually higher pixel count means lower quality low-light photos, but Sony has managed to merge the best of both worlds. And it might make you want to toss your DSLR.

Your iPhone X is still worth almost as much as you paid for it

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
Your used iPhone value might surprise you. You could resell your iPhone X and recoup most of the cost of a new 2018 model.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You may have gulped a bit when you put down $999 for your iPhone X. But turns out it was a good investment. Half a year later, your device has depreciated surprisingly little.

B-Stock, a B2B company selling used computers, says that the iPhone X has held its value better than any Apple phone in its experience. And iPhones do better than their rivals.

Gorgeous concept shows off Apple Watch Series 4’s big display

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6126641A-FE76-49F6-9EB8-E2472A2FEF50
Apple Watch Series 4’s display will be bigger.
Photo: Concept Creator

The grand unveiling of the Apple Watch Series 4 could be just a couple weeks away and based on a new mock-up, you’re going to love the way it looks.

Based on leaked info of Apple’s upcoming wearable, the gorgeous concept shows what the device will look like with its bigger, bezel-free display and rounded corners.

Take a look:

Planet of the Apps star trashes Apple’s marketing of show

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Planet of the Apps
Gary Vaynerchuk was one of the judges on the Apple reality show.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s reality TV show Planet of the Apps was disappointing, but one of its stars, Gary Vaynerchuk, blames the show’s failure on something other than its misjudged content.

In a new episode of his podcast, entrepreneur and internet personality Vaynerchuk says that Apple failed to properly market the show.

Apple lags behind its biggest rivals in mobile download speeds

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iphone x
The iPhone has a disadvantage compared to its rivals.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When you take into account the build quality, design, hardware features and, of course, mobile operating system, the iPhone is our pick for the world’s greatest smartphone product line. But it’s not no. 1 in everything — as speed tests make clear.

In download speed tests carried out by Ookla LLC, the company behind the Speedtest app and website, the current-generation iPhones lag behind the top smartphones made by both Samsung and Google. This means slower website loading, movies starting more quickly, and higher quality video calls.

Apple could ruin iPhone’s fast charging feature this year

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iPhone 18W fast charger
Choose your iPhone fast charger carefully.
Photo: Chongdiantou

Apple finally brought fast charging to the iPhone last fall, but with this year’s refresh, one big change could ruin it.

Recent reports have claimed Apple will ship 18W fast charging adapters with all 2018 devices, which would be terrific — but if yours breaks or disappears, don’t think about replacing it with a cheaper model from another manufacturer.

Fortnite is getting another new SMG, big Slurp Juice improvements

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Fortnite Slurp Juice
Slurp Juice will become even more useful in the next Fortnite patch.
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games is introducing another new submachine gun to Fortnite this week as it continues its mission to change close-quarters combat.

One developer has also confirmed that Slurp Juice will see big improvements in the game’s next content update. Here’s what you have to look forward to.

Snapchat is abandoning its payments service

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Snapcash
You'll have to find some other way to pay for your nudie pics.
Photo: Snapchat

Snapchat is shutting down its Snapcash peer-to-peer payment service, which allowed users to send money to one another.

With other services like Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, and Apple Pay Cash offering the same functionality, there was no room for another service on the market.

Apple investigates fraudulent iTunes charges worth thousands of dollars

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iTunes
Scam affected users in Singapore.
Photo: Apple

Apple is investigating complaints from dozens of customers in Singapore, who claim to have had hundreds of dollars taken from their accounts, supposedly for iTunes payments.

Some of the victims lost up to $7,000. Others lost less than this, but nonetheless had their available balance “completely wiped out” by the fraudulent charges.

HomePod update will bring phone calls, voicemail, multiple timers

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HomePod market share
The new HomePod could offer a neat new feature.
Photo: Apple

HomePod is expected to get even smarter this fall when Apple rolls out a big software update.

A new report claims the $349 device will be able to handle phone calls, retrieve your voicemail, and run multiple timers. It could also give you the ability to search for songs by using their lyrics, and to translate languages.