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The most popular filter on Instagram may surprise you

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Instagram filters
X-Pro II is widely used for the drama it brings to a photo. But the most popular "filter" adds no drama at all.
Photo: Iconosquare

Normal is the single-most used filter on Instagram, which means exactly what you think: Normal is not really a filter.

Still, because it lines up alongside Instagram’s 40 native filters, it came out on top, according to a database of 790,000 Instagram users. This is still considered a small sample for a user base that just surpassed 1 billion active users.

Apple, other tech titans cross swords on consumer privacy

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Apple takes privacy seriously
Apple takes consumer privacy seriously, but Google and Facebook don't. Can an industry trade group that includes all three company reach any kind of consensus?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Information Technology Industry Council will meet on Wednesday. This trade group, made up of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and others, will discuss consumer privacy.

The proceedings are likely to be contentious, as these companies have very different views on the subject.

People only love five companies more than Apple

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most loved brands
Apple gets plenty of love from its customers according to the Netbase report of Most Loved Brands.
Photo: Viktoria Fomchenkova

Apple placed sixth on the NetBase report of Most Loved Brands of 2018 while the five that scored higher wouldn’t get so much love without Apple devices.

In NetBase’s fourth-annual survey, Instagram was No. 1, followed by YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, and Google. The four brands rounding out the top 10 were Disney at No. 7, followed by Snapchat, Spotify, and Netflix.

Samsung wants to win back Apple’s A-series chip orders

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Samsung
Samsung wants to pick up some extra Apple orders.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Cult of Mac

Samsung has long been a crucial part of Apple’s supply chain, but it wants to muscle in on the company’s A-series processor orders as well.

According to a new report, Samsung is looking to regain the A-series orders that it received from Apple until TSMC took over several years ago. Previously Samsung held the exclusive order contract for these mobile A-series chips, which are used to power the iPhone and iPad.

Samsung gives up on competing with Face ID for Galaxy S10

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Samsung Intelligent Scan Face ID
Samsung could scrap Intelligent Scan already.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung might have beaten Apple to iris scanning and facial recognition, but it certainly isn’t doing a better job.

Face ID is considered to be far more advanced than anything available on Android today. A new report claims Samsung is actually giving up on competing technology and returning to fingerprint scanners for the Galaxy S10.

iPads can be a major pain the neck, researchers claim

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iPad neck
Yes, there’s a such a thing as ‘iPad neck.’ Here’s how you avoid it.
Photo: R. Marsh Starks/UNLV Creative Services

Have you ever noticed a neck ache after using your iPad for a long period of time? If so, you’re not alone — and it’s become such a common complaint that it’s even led to the naming of an affliction, “iPad neck.”

In a newly published research paper on iPad neck, researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas lay out some facts about the condition, including who it is most likely to affect.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance for Mac killed by bad DRM

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
There is no workaround.
Photo: Konami

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance can no longer be enjoyed on Mac after the studio that ported the game to macOS shut down.

Transgaming decided it would be a good idea to protect the title with DRM that required a constant online connection to one of its own servers to confirm the game was genuine. Now that those servers are no longer available, the game is worthless.

Apple News now offering Midterm Elections coverage

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Apple News
Apple wants to be your one-stop-shop for political news.
Photo: Apple

Are you a political junkie with an iPhone? If so, you are the target audience for a new Apple News feature, offering an easy way to follow the 2018 Midterm Elections for readers in the United States.

With tech platforms often being blamed for the spread of fake news online, Apple News’ feature proudly claims that it is a “trustworthy” place to get up-to-date information; boasting curated stories from a diverse range of “reliable sources.”

Fortnite’s long-awaited Playground mode lands this week

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Fortnite
Team Rumble just got a lot better.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s new Playground mode will finally be available inside Battle Royale this week, giving players the ability to hone their skills in a more forgiving game type.

Playground lets teams “run wild on your own private island,” where you can build and fight at your leisure. You will instantly respawn when you die so that you don’t have to wait to get back into the action.

Hacker discovers bypassing iPhone passcode limit just requires a keyboard [UPDATED]

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iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with a keyboard
A hacker claims the iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with an external keyboard.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Companies like Grayshift help police bypass the passcodes on locked iPhones. One might think that this requires some byzantine hacking skills. Apparently not.

A hacker reports that iOS has a soft spot when it comes to external keyboards, allowing someone to send as many passcode attempts as desired. The passcodes have to be submitted correctly, though.

Cult of Mac Magazine: HomePod is still hopeless, and it’s (mostly) Siri’s fault

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cover

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: HomePods went on sale in Europe this week, and I ordered one. It arrived the very next day. I tried it out, and then sent it back to Apple the day after that. Why? Because it’s a half-finished product. Siri is just as glitchy and annoying on HomePod as elsewhere. It doesn’t work properly with a Mac.

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

Celebrate Pride with this rainbow Apple Watch band [Pride Month]

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The Love is Love Pride band from Nyloon closely resembles Apple's own rainbow Apple Watch band that was released last year.
The Love is Love Pride band from Nyloon closely resembles Apple's own rainbow Apple Watch band that was released last year.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

June is Pride Month and Nyloon has issued a woven nylon rainbow Apple Watch band for its wearers to celebrate and show support for the LGBT community. Plus, who doesn’t love rainbows?

The band, which comes in both 38 and 42 mm, is part of a Nyloon’s growing collection of popular nylon bands for Apple Watch. The Love is Love Pride band is a limited-release, so grab one now.

Apple finally acknowledges its new MacBook keyboards suck

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
A new petition accuses the MacBook 'butterfly' keyboard of failing when a single speck gets in the wrong place.
Photo: Apple

The butterfly keyboards on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro are officially defective.

After months of outcry from angry customers, Apple has finally acknowledged that the new keyboards have some serious problems. The company says the issues are limited to a small percentage of MacBooks, but its offering free repairs.

Tinder explores becoming slightly less of a hookup app

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Tinder Picks currently only for iPhone
The new Tinder Picks option -- currently testing exclusively on iOS -- helps you find people you have something in common with.
Photo: Tinder

Tinder Picks is a feature this dating app is testing that might make it a better way to find people you’re compatible with emotionally, not just sexually.

Picks takes the user’s profile and shows them pictures of people who have similar jobs, educations, and interests.

One of Mac’s best Finder features is now on Windows PC

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QuickLook for Windows 10
Preview files before you open them with QuickLook for Windows 10.
Photo: Paddy Xu

It’s okay to use a PC alongside your Mac, but you’ll find that some of the best macOS features aren’t available in Windows. One of those is Finder’s awesome preview function, but you don’t have to live without it.

QuickLook is a free app that brings the same preview feature to Windows 10’s File Explorer.

Amazon’s unlimited reading app finally arrives on iOS

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Amazon FreeTime Unlimited for kids now available on the Apple App Store.
Amazon FreeTime Unlimited offers kids age-appropriate videos, books, and apps. It's now on the Apple App Store.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited just made the jump to to the Apple App Store. This service for children ages three to twelve offers thousands of books, movies, and games for a flat monthly fee.

The service launched years ago on Amazon’s own tablets, but only became available for iPad and iPhone today.

Whiny Watch wearer sues Apple for scratched finish, ‘mental stress’

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brilliantly scratch-resistant
A magnet inside the watch attracts the metal band, which scratches the watch, according a court filing.
Photo: iPhone in Canada

A Toronto man is suing Apple in small-claims court over scratches on his Apple Watch Series 3, which Apple markets as being “brilliantly scratch-resistant.”

Following the court filing, Apple allegedly offered to replace the watch and throw in a free accessory, but aggrieved watch wearer Dean Lubaki, 21, declined.

Supreme Court rules police need a search warrant to track your iPhone

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Tower
Your wireless service provider always knows where your iPhone is, but police can no longer access that data without a search warrant.

The U.S. Supreme Court just handed down a victory for privacy advocates: police can no longer access mobile phone tracking data without a warrant.  

Wireless providers know which of its cell towers each of their customers is connected to, giving it a basic idea of where all of them are. Law enforcement agencies used to be able to obtain this data without permission from a judge.

Take a sneak peek at the cheaper 6.1-inch iPhone for 2018

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6.5- and 6.1-inch 2018 iPhone models
Complications could keep us waiting for Apple’s more affordable iPhone.
Photo: OnLeaks

Apple will introduce three new iPhones this fall, according to recent reports. Its most popular is expected to be a brand new model with a 6.1-inch LCD screen, which will be more affordable than the rumored iPhone XI and iPhone XI Plus.

We’ve all been wondering what that handset will look like. The render below offers an early sneak peek — and makes us incredibly excited for this September’s big iPhone refresh.