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News - page 810

Chinese company will take control of local iCloud accounts next month

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
The changeover affects only iCloud customers in China.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iCloud services in mainland China will switch over to a server operated by a Chinese company starting next month.

Apple sent out a message to customers in China, revealing terms and conditions of the changeover. This includes the fact that both Apple and the Chinese firm, Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD), will now have access to all customer data stored on iCloud.

Jimmy Iovine denies he’s on his way out of Apple

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Iovine
Jimmy Iovine talking about Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Jimmy Iovine has vehemently denied reports that he is leaving Apple later this year.

In an interview with Variety, the 64-year-old Iovine said that he is, “committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way. I am in the band.” He described the recent report about his possible departure as “fake news.”

Bizarre HomeKit remote looks like a D&D die

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Nanoleaf HomeKit Remote
Can you find the HomeKit remote on this table?
Photo: Nanoleaf

CES 2018 bug The device is called The Remote, but those familiar with the company behind it probably could have predicted it would not look anything like a remote control.

Nanoleaf, creators of smart light-panels that give any room a futuristic glow, unveiled a 12-side geometric table-top object at CES Tuesday that will work with Apple HomeKit-enabled smart home devices.

Apple ad-blocking features sabotage online advertising firms

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Safari iOS 11
Advertisers aren't keen on the improved Safari in iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new ad-blocking feature for Safari is sabotaging online advertising firms. Some are losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year as a result of Intelligent Tracking Protection (ITP), introduced with iOS 11, which helps users avoid being tracked online.

Boss’ smart wireless guitar amp is designed to work with your iPhone

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Boss katana air
Look ma, no wires.
Photo: Boss

CES 2018 bugThe Boss Katana Air looks like the ultimate living room amp for guitar players. It looks cool, it runs off mains power or AA batteries, and it features a wireless dongle that plugs into your guitar and means you never need to trail a cable across the room ever again. It even has a companion iOS app so you can tweak all the settings not available from the knobs and buttons on top of the amp.

Got a new iPhone X? Sell us your old one for cold, hard cash.

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Get cash for your old devices the easy way with Cult of Mac's buyback program.
Get cash for your old devices the easy (and fast) way.
Photo: NikolayFrolochkin/Pixabay CC

You just got the iPhone 8 for Christmas or spent your year-end bonus to snag the iPhone X. After unlocking the X with your face a few times and using Animoji for the longest you ever will, you’re probably wondering, “What do I do with my old phone?”

Apple made fantastic improvements to the iPhone over the last few years. But these upgrades mean that older iPhones depreciate at faster and faster rates. Luckily, our buyback program is the quick and easy way to get cash for your old devices.

Apple drops new betas for iOS, macOS and more

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iOS 11
Fresh iOS betas are out!
Photo: Apple

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta software updates from Apple this morning, including the fourth build of iOS 11.2.5.

Apple has also released the fourth builds of watchOS 4.2.2, tvOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, all of which come with a number of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s platforms.

Pricey earbuds made from melted guns pack serious firepower

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earphones1
These earbuds are made from melted-down illegal firearms.
Photo: Yevo

CES 2018 bug In a possible bid for the most unusual CES innovation so far, Swedish-based innovation lab YEVO Labs today announced the launch of YEVO x Humanium headphones: the world’s first wireless headphones made out of melted-down illegal firearms.

The concept may sound strange, but the intention is good — to provide new sources of funding to help people in conflict-torn parts of the world affected by illegal weapon violence.

Stylish dock lets you charge Apple devices two at a time

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Smart Dual Charging Station
The Smart Dual Charging Station will be available this spring.
Photo: Satechi

CES 2018 bug Tech accessories brand Satechi is using CES this week to show off a new dual charging station that will create the appearance you’re trying to show off your iPhone and Apple Watch.

The Smart Dual Charging Station props up your iPhone and Apple Watch on a stylish stand of silver or space gray brushed aluminum that neatly organizes your charging cords. The station is customizable and can also work with other Apple accessories, such as the Apple Pencil and Siri Remote.

New smart lock tech means you’ll never miss another package

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August
It's a neat solution to the last mile delivery problem.
Photo: August

CES 2018 bugSmart lock company August Home has partnered with Deliv to offer a same-day delivery service, even when you’re not home, that operates in upwards of 1,400 cities.

The service means that users of the August smart locks — as well as those made by Emtek and Yale — can now take advantage of a service that lets users give temporary virtual “keys” to people such as couriers. You can even monitor the whole delivery on your iPhone!

Zurich Apple Store evacuated after iPhone battery overheats

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Zurich Apple Store
50 people were forced to leave the Zurich Apple Store
Photo: Apple

The Zurich Apple Store evacuated workers and fans on Tuesday after an iPhone battery overheated.

The handset was being repaired when its battery malfunctioned, leaving one employee with minor burns and forcing around 50 people to leave the store, according to Swiss police.

Smart toothbrush will use ResearchKit to give you a better clean

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smart brush
This iPhone-connected toothbrush will offer the ultimate clean.
Photo: Colgate

CES 2018 bug Do you want a toothbrush that knows what it’s like to have brushed the teeth of thousands of other people? That’s kind of what Colgate’s new app-enabled electronic toothbrush promises — only way less gross than that makes it sound.

Debuted at CES, the Colgate Smart Electronic Toothbrush E1 with Artificial Intelligence uses AI to provide real-time feedback to users as they clean their pearly whites. It also uses Apple’s ResearchKit platform integration to crowdsource toothbrushing data from other users. The more people clean, the smarter the brush gets!

Phyn Plus lets you monitor your water system from your iPhone or iPad

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Phyn
The smart way to monitor your water system.
Photo: Phyn

CES 2018 bug Thanks to a collaboration between Belkin and plumbing supplier Uponor, you’ll soon be able to monitor your home water system for leaks and pressure issues via your iOS device.

Debuting at CES 2018, the Phyn Plus is an accessory which repeatedly measures the pressure of your water supply (to the tune of 240 times every single second) and then uses smart algorithms to determine when you may have a problem, such as a pinhole leak or frozen pipes.

France is investigating Apple over throttling iPhone speeds

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iphone 8
Apple is accused of purposely slowing older iPhones to push customers to upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

French consumer watchdog DGCCRF, part of the country’s economy ministry, is investigating Apple over its alleged deception concerning the “throttling” of older iPhone models.

French law makes it a crime to purposely shorten the lifespan of a product in order to force customers to replace it. In the event that a company is found guilty of this, it can face fines of up to five percent of its annual sales.

iPhone SE 2 will have one massive change from its predecessor

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iPhone SE Plus concept
It's like if the iPhone SE and the iPhone X had a baby.
Photo: Curved

Apple’s cheapest iPhone is about to steal some major design cues from the pricey iPhone X.

The successor to the iPhone SE could arrive later this year. And according to a new rumor, design changes could include a glass back that adds one of the iPhone X’s most underrated features.

Dark Mode List lists iPhone X apps with dark mode

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Dark Mode List
Find out which iPhone apps have an iPhone X dark mode.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Which apps have a proper dark mode? That’s the urgent question on the lips of every obsessive nerd who owns an iPhone X and wants to squeeze the best possible battery life out of it.

Dark Mode List answers that question. The site serves up a list of apps that support dark mode, and not just on the iPhone. It couldn’t be simpler.

Speck iPhone case will mount to magnetic holder

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Presidio MOUNT
Speck's Presidio MOUNT case for iPhone pairs nicely with Scosche's MagicMount
Photo: Speck

CES 2018 bug Speck and Scosche have teamed up for a new iPhone case with magnetic mounts so users can engage their phones hands-free.

Announced Monday ahead of the big CES show in Las Vegas, the Speck Presidio Mount is designed to work with Scosche’s MagicMount, a smartphone/tablet mount designed for vehicle or office use.

GoPro grounds its drone business

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Karma out
GoPro discontinues the Karma and its drone business.
Photo: GoPro

While consumer drone leader DJI makes headlines at this week’s CES with new products, GoPro announced Monday it would pull out of the drone business after it sells its remaining stock of Karma drones.

The news comes after word leaked last week that GoPro was about to lay off more than 250 workers from its aerial division. The layoffs and Karma kill-off comes amid estimates that GoPro’s fourth-quarter revenues will fall more than $100 million short of projections.

Eve Button is a remote control for your HomeKit devices

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The Elgato Eve Button puts control of your HomeKit devices at your fingertips.
The Eve Button puts control of your HomeKit devices at your fingertips.
Photo: Elgato

CES 2018 bug Sometimes Siri isn’t around to help you manage your smart home. The new Elgato Eve Button puts your HomeKit-enabled devices and scenes at your fingertips when you don’t have your smartphone at the ready.

The new HomeKit controller also means guests or kids can easily turn on the lights, lock the doors or whatever else needs doing — all with a quick press on the Eve Button.