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News - page 763

Apple inks deal for Emily Dickinson comedy series

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emily dickenson
Hailee Steinfeld will star as Emily Dickinson.
Photo: Hailee Steinfeld

19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson is set to serve as the inspiration behind Apple’s newest TV show.

Apple reportedly ordered a full season of the comedy TV show that will use Dickinson’s environment to explore the constraints of society on gender and family.

WhatsApp takes on Apple Pay Cash with peer-to-peer payments

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WhatsApp on iPhone
Don’t ignore the latest WhatsApp releases.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp plans to take on Apple Pay Cash with a peer-to-peer payments system of its own.

Powered by UPI, the service is expected to rollout to users as early as next week following a beta test. It could launch with just three banking partners initially as WhatsApp races to compete with rival payments services.

Apple surprises devs with new iOS and macOS betas

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Developers must support iPhone X screen iOS 11 SDK
This is probably the last iOS 11 update.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

It’s only been a day since Apple released iOS 11.4 to the public, but the first beta for its successor is already here.

No, we’re not talking about iOS 12 beta 1 — which should come out next week. Apple dropped a surprise batch of beta builds today in the form of iOS 11.4.1, macOS 10.13.6, tvOS 11.4.1 and watchOS 4.3.1. The updates bring a bunch of bug fixes to all of Apple’s platform ahead of the grand unveiling of iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 at WWDC 2018.

Sketchy photo purports to show iOS 12’s new features

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ipad ios 11
iOS 12 could pack a ton of big surprises.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We’ve seen some incredibly sketchy Apple “leaks” over the years. This one, a photo that purportedly shows an iOS 12 upgrade ready to be installed on an iPhone, is up there with the most ludicrous.

Here’s what the image claims we’ll get when Apple’s big update rolls out this fall.

Ears-on review: Stereo HomePods will blow you away

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HomePod
Two HomePods are better than one.
Photo: Erfon Elijah/Cult of Mac

Stereo-pairing has been one of the most anticipated HomePod features and now that it has finally arrived, it was definitely worth the wait.

HomePod owners can now pair two or more speakers together to create rich stereo soundscapes in their house for an audio experience that’s unlike any other. CultCast producer Erfon Elijah went ears-on with the new feature and says his finely tuned ears were tingling with delight from the sounds HomePod can blast out. The 360-degree sound is so enveloping that it’s hard to tell where it’s even coming from.

Listen to the difference:

Find My iPhone helps save kidnapped bride from forced marriage

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Find My iPhone
Well, this is one we've not heard before!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We’ve heard about Apple Watches saving people’s lives before, but here’s a new one: an iPhone which helped someone escape a forced marriage.

That’s what happened to a U.K. citizen, whose parents effectively kidnapped her by tricking her into vacationing in Bangladesh for what would have been an enforced marriage to her cousin. The incident took place in July 2016, although it only recently came to light due to a court case.

Fox boss says Apple is ‘dabbling’ in original TV

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James Murdoch
Apple will need to be patient to succeed.
Screenshot: Recode

Apple is “dabbling” in TV, according to 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch. In an on-stage interview at Recode‘s Code Conference, Murdoch touched on the subject of tech companies moving into original content creation and distribution.

His message? That Apple will need to be patient and willing to fail if it’s going to have a hope of succeeding.

Fortnite update brings first vehicle, mobile voice chat

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Fortnite shopping cart
Ride to victory in Battle Royale.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest content update is now rolling out across all platforms, bringing Battle Royale’s first vehicle, a new limited-time game mode, and the ability to view challenge progression during matches.

The version 4.3.0 release also (finally!) brings the ability to use voice chat on mobile.

Apple could finally get its iPhone super-cycle this year

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iPhone X home screen
2017 is on track to be a great year for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple could sell a massive 350 million iPhones in the next 12 to 18 months, GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives writes in a new note to clients.

Despite a record March quarter, Ives claims that fans have nonetheless been reluctant to buy the most recent iPhone models, resulting in a possible wave of would-be upgraders waiting for the 2018-era-iPhones.

Cheaper HomePod, smarter Siri predicted for WWDC

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Siri display
Gene Munster thinks we'll see some big things at WWDC.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will introduce a Beats-branded $250 HomePod smart speaker at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, predicts Apple analyst Gene Munster.

Munster’s other predictions for the big Apple developer event include new HomePod capabilities, additional Siri abilities, extra Core ML extensions, and more.

New iOS game Pokémon Quest adds a dash of Minecraft

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Pokémon Company
The next big iOS hit?
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Move over, Pokémon Go; there’s a new Pokémon game in town!

Newly launched on Nintendo Switch and coming to iOS in late June, Pokémon Quest is a free-to-play title which looks like a mashup of Pokémon and Minecraft. And if it can rake in the kind of combined income of those two properties, its creators will be very, very happy indeed!

Cheap box brings HomeKit-powered sprinklers to the masses

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Eve Aqua
Meet the Eve Aqua.
Photo: Elgato

Adding a smartphone-controlled sprinkler system to your house just became insanely affordable feature thanks to a little black box made by the folks at Elgato.

The Eve Aqua aims to turn dumb water faucets into smart water systems by adding Apple’s HomeKit technology to the scene. Watering your lawn is as about to become just a Siri command away.

Triple-lens iPhone could dominate AR

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multi-camera smartphones
Imaging the iPhone with three lenses.
Photo: iDrop News/Martin Hajek

Rumors of Apple introducing a triple-lens iPhone in 2019 is picking up steam after an analyst told investors the three lenses were a likely push to make the iPhone the top augment reality device.

Jialin Lu, a Deutsche Securities analyst, is among the latest in a number of tech observers who believe Apple is planning a three-lens rear camera set-up, though some speculate the third lens may be added to expand the reach of the handset’s zoom function.

Russia gives Apple 30 days to remove Telegram

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Telegram flames
Telegram is in trouble in Russia.
Photo: Telegram/Cult of Mac

Apple has been told by Russian regulators that the company has 30 days to remove Telegram from the App Store. Or else!

The Russian government hasn’t said what will happen if Apple fails to respond to the legally binding letter it sent to the company. Telegram — an app used to send peer-to-peer encrypted messages — has supposedly been wreaking havoc on Russia’s internet services. Now Russia is asking Apple to step in and help.

tvOS 11.4 arrives with AirPlay 2, watchOS 4.3.1 brings bug fixes

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apple tv and siri remote
Grab the latest tvOS 11 update now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple pushed two other software updates for Apple TV and Apple Watch owners this morning to go with the big new iOS 11.4 release that came out today.

tvOS 11.4 and watchOS 4.3.1 don’t contain nearly as many exciting new features as iOS 11.4, but if you like playing music from your Apple TV you should definitely grab the update ASAP.

WWDC app update preps you for Apple’s big event

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At WWDC 2018, Apple will show us the future of iOS and its other platforms.
As ever, WWDC was a highlight of the Apple year.
Image: Apple

WWDC 2018 is less than a week away and to prepare developers for the big event, Apple just updated its WWDC app for iPhone and iPad.

Developers and regular iOS users alike can all download the app to access information about sessions and other events that will be going down this week. The app comes with a new look too that makes videos more prominent than ever.

Things for iPad adds insanely good keyboard shortcuts

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Things now has the best keyboard support of any iOS app
Things now has the best keyboard support of any iOS app
Photo: Cult of Mac

Cultured Code’s lovely to-do app Things just got a massive update on iOS, and set the standard for iPad keyboard support at the same time. Now you can control pretty much anything from the keyboard, in a way that’s intuitive and useful, and not just there for power-nerds.

Also — finally — this update lets you drag tasks onto the Things sidebar to add them to your lists.

iOS 11.4 finally brings HomePod stereo pairs and AirPlay 2

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iOS 11.4
The sound at home is about to get sweeter with iOS 11.4.
Photo: Apple

iOS 11.4 is finally here, bringing AirPlay 2’s multi-room audio capabilities as well as the long-awaited ability to use two HomePods in stereo.

The free update uses AirPlay 2 to move music from room to room or play the same music throughout the home on compatible speaker systems. You can control music using an iOS device, HomePod, Apple TV or making requests through Siri.

Phil Schiller sheds light on Steam Link’s App Store ban

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Steam Link on iPhone
What Steam Link would have looked like on iPhone.
Photo: Valve

Apple vice president Phil Schiller has offered clarification on Steam Link’s App Store ban in an email to disgruntled iOS users.

Valve’s hotly-anticipated app violates a number of guidelines, including those around in-app purchases, as suspected. Schiller insists, however, that Apple will work with Valve in an effort to resolve the problems and bring Steam Link to the App Store.

Alleged prototypes show colorful 2018 iPhone refresh

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TechnoCodex
Will iPhones go colorful again this year?
Photo: TechnoCodex

The 2018-era iPhone refresh could be a bit more colorful than recent years if two new images are to believed.

Supposedly leaked from one of the iPhone manufacturing plants in India, the pictures show two alleged iPhone prototypes, complete with “rich gold stainless steel frame” and violet and green color glass backs.

Apple could put OLED displays in all 2019 iPhones

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iPhone X
Ready to ditch your iPhone X already? There's still time to get a great price!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

All iPhone models launching in 2019 will get an OLED display, according to a new report.

Apple is expected to finally ditch LCD displays entirely, however, one of three new handsets expected to arrive this September — the most affordable model — could have an improved LCD panel.

CarPlay and Android Auto are fast becoming standard for new cars

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CarPlay
CarPlay and Android Auto were found on roughly half of new cars sold in Q1.
Photo: Hyundai

Compared to iOS or even macOS, Apple’s CarPlay in-vehicle standard seems relatively minor in terms of importance. However, according to a new report, in-car systems such as this are rapidly becoming the norm.

In the first three months of this year, analysts at Canalys suggest that Apple’s CarPlay or Google’s Android Auto were available in 46 percent of new vehicles sold in Europe, and 52 percent of new vehicles sold in the U.S.

Pandora copies Spotify and Apple with $15 Family plan

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Pandora
Pandora's new plan lets up to six users listen to ad-free music.
Photo: Pandora

With around 5.18 million paying subscribers, Pandora is around one-tenth the size of Apple Music, which recently announced 50 million active users. But that’s not stopping it from doing its best to compete.

In order to compete with giants like Apple Music and Spotify, Pandora is matching their pricing with a $15-per-month Premium Family plan. The monthly subscription grants up to six family members access to the service with no ads, plus superior audio quality compared to Pandora’s free tier.