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Demo shows how ARKit will change bookstores forever

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iOS 11.3 ARKit
Augmented reality will be even better with glasses.
Photo: Apple

ARKit hasn’t produced any apps that are absolutely must-haves, but that could soon change with iOS 11.3.

Apple has added some new ARKit features in the updates slated for release this spring. iOS developer Andrew Hart has already created a demo that utilizes the image recognition tools to identify books on a store shelf while providing reviews and ratings from the internet.

Prepare to be amazed:

Apple’s new short film will make you cry in Three Minutes

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iphone
Three Minutes is a unique Chinese New Year story shot on iPhone X by director Peter Chan.
Photo: Apple

What would you do if your family reunion only lasted three minutes?

That’s the concept for Apple’s heartwarming new short film, Three Minutes, that celebrates Chinese New Year. The entire film tells the story of a mom who works as a train conductor on one of China’s longest routes. Her entire route takes six days to complete and she only gets to spend three minutes with her son and sister at one of the stops. What they do during that short time will shock you.

Prepare to have your heart strings pulled:

Cardboard keyboards, unique gaming mice and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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Kami-Oto iPad
Nintendo Labo comes to iPad... almost.
Photo: Kami-Oto

Crowdfund Roundup bugNintendo has been making headlines with a range of do-it-yourself Switch accessories made out of cardboard. One of the best is a music keyboard, and now you can get one just like it for iPad.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have a gaming mouse with joysticks, an affordable “smart pen” for iPad, and more!

What to expect from Apple’s first earnings call of 2018

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Earnings call
Apple's Q1 2020 earnings report will probably break some records.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The first big Apple earnings report for 2018 is nearly here. And, based on analysts’ expectations, it will likely be Apple’s biggest moneymaking quarter ever.

After weeks of waiting, investors will finally get their first look at how well the iPhone X is selling. Apple’s holiday sales probably hit historic levels. But with recent reports that Apple slashed iPhone X orders in half, there could be quite a few surprises in store.

As usual, Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog all the action as it transpires on Thursday, February 1, at 2 p.m. Pacific. Get ready to watch for these six things during the call:

YouTube TV bundle will land on Apple TV very soon

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apple tv
YouTube TV is a great service for cord-cutters.
Photo: Apple

YouTube TV, the $35-per-month alternative to cable TV, is reportedly coming to Apple TV “very soon.”

YouTube’s premium package offers a skinny bundle of 40+ live TV channels including the likes of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, AMC, ESPN, the Disney Channel, Fox News and Bravo. The service is available in upwards of 80 markets around the United States, covering approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population.

The iPhone is going to get even more expensive in India

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple is trying desperately to grow its market in India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

India has just struck Apple another harsh blow by raising its duty on imported mobile phones from 15 percent to 20 percent.

The move, which will make imported iPhones more expensive, follows less than two months after the country raised the import duty from 10 percent to 15 percent. It comes at a time when Apple is trying to grow its market in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.

Austria’s first Apple Store will open later this month

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tech tax
New store will open on February 24.
Image: Apple

After a year and a half of rumors, Apple will open its first ever Apple Store in Austria on February 24, according to Apple’s own website.

The new Vienna Apple store is located at the Kärntnerstrasse, one of downtown Vienna’s most profitable shopping streets, in a three-floor location previously occupied by clothing company Esprit. Until now, the closest physical stores were located in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Mario Kart Tour will race onto iOS… sometime in the next year

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Mario Kart
Nintendo says the game is coming to the App Store before March 2019.
Image: Nintendo

In news that’s worthy of celebration, Nintendo says that Mario Kart Tour, a new instalment in its crazy popular kart racing franchise, is coming to iOS.

In a tweet, Nintendo said that, “The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near.” However, it’s not revealing exactly when the game will be speeding into the App Store — other than that it will be in the “fiscal year ending in March 2019.”

Apple adds amazing Flex and Flow sound pack to GarageBand for iOS

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Flex and Flow
The new Flex and Flow pack is R-A-D rad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This week, GarageBand saw the first new entry in its Sound Library since the feature was added in version 2.3. The Sound Library is a kind of App Store for music, letting you browse and download all kinds of samples, loops, presets and even brand-new software instruments. These come in sound packs arranged around a theme or genre. The new one is called Flex and Flow, and it brings you chilled hip-hop.

Spotify’s new app is a Pandora copycat

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Spotify Stations
Stations are coming to Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify is testing a new tool to up the competition with Apple Music by stealing a key feature from one of the oldest companies in the streaming game: Pandora.

Stations, a new stand-alone app from Spotify, launched on the Google Play Store in Australia this week allowing users to listen to curated stations without any type of manual controls.

Feds have questions about iPhone throttling. Apple has answers.

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iphone battery
Apple will replace your battery for just $29.
Photo: iFixit

Apple says it is cooperating with U.S. government agencies investigating the company’s decision to throttle CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries.

The official statement from Apple this morning comes a day after news broke that the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether Apple broke any securities laws.

Apple works to bring iPad apps to Mac in 2018

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iPad apps on macOS
Your iPad apps could also run on macOS this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s primary focus for its software updates this year is on improving performance and stability. But there’s a big new feature that the company is still working to bring to macOS, according to a new report. That’s the ability to run iPad apps.

Apple could soon have iPhone 6s assembled in India

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iPhone 6s
Apple supplier Wistron started building iPhones in India last year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturer Wistron is reportedly putting the final touches on a deal that will allow it to secure another 100 acres of land in India’s tech hub of Bengaluru.

The $157 million facility will be used to start building iPhone 6s handsets in India. At present, Wistron only produces the iPhone SE in India, although it always planned to expand to other handsets after proving that Indian manufacturing was viable.

iPhone just hit its highest ever share of the U.S. phone market

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iPhone X standing
iPhone X market share reportedly isn't suffering in the U.S.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple smartphone market share has reportedly risen from 37 percent to 44 percent in the U.S., representing its highest point in history on Apple’s home turf.

According to research from Counterpoint’s Market Pulse program, Apple shipped a record 22 million iPhones in the 2017 holiday quarter, representing the first time the company has ever achieved this. While iPhone X may be weaker than expected worldwide, the report claims that this lower demand is not the case in the U.S.

Is iPhone X demand really weaker than anticipated?

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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

Demand for iPhone X has nosedived since the holidays, according to recent reports, which wiped $46 billion off Apple’s market value in under a week. But is that really true? Was Apple really anticipating sales of 40 million units in the second quarter of 2018?

Let’s take a more realistic look.

Team-based shooter Hero Hunters blasts its way into the App Store

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Hero Hunter
A fun team-based blast-em-up that will have you ducking for cover!
Photo: Hothead Games Inc.

Looking for some good cover-based, team-oriented third person blasting action to help you get through the remaining three days until the weekend? No problem: one such game, titled Hero Hunters, just stormed its way into the App Store.

And it looks pretty darn great! Check out the action packed trailer below.

Trump praises Apple during first State of the Union address

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Trump and Apple seem to be on the same side for once.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

During last night’s State of the Union address, President Donald Trump singled out Apple as a company that benefitted from Republican tax cuts — and is now giving back as a result.

“Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses — many of them thousands of dollars per worker,” Trump said. “Apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America, and hire another 20,000 workers. This is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream.”

Bias Mini Guitar amp is controlled by your iPhone

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bias mini guitar
This slimline, portable amp can sound like any other amp, ever.
Photo: Positive Grid

iOS is getting to be a serious platform for musicians. Lots of musicians already know that, but now some amazing hardware is appearing that takes advantage of the little devices. The latest is Positive Grid’s Bias Mini, for guitar and bass, 300-watt guitar amplifier that takes its sounds from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac app.