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News - page 838

Survey says almost 90 percent of buyers love their HomePods

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hey siri homepod
Smart speakers may be outpacing the smartphone in adoption, too.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Despite somewhat mixed reviews, Apple’s HomePod is seemingly winning over the customers who have bought it, with 89 percent of HomePod-owning respondents to a survey claiming that they are either satisfied (59 percent) or very satisfied (30 percent) with the device.

While not quite up there with Apple’s best product satisfaction scores, it nonetheless suggests a bright future for Apple’s debut product in the smart speaker category.

Apple breaks down just what makes Portrait Lighting special on iPhone X

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portrait mode
Even our very own Ste Smith can benefit from the magic of Portrait Lighting.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is very proud of its Portrait Lighting feature for the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus, and it’s willing to let users take a peek behind the Cupertino curtain to show exactly why.

In a new video shared Wednesday evening, Apple gives an overview of the development process which led to Portrait Lighting — including collaborations with photographers to study lighting, state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, and more. Check it out below.

watchOS 4.3 beta 3 arrives with public beta for iOS 11.3 beta 3

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apple watch
Apple Watch is dominating the market.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Members of Apple’s public beta testing program can already get in on the latest iOS 11.3 beta build that was seeded to developers yesterday.

Apple released iOS 11.3 public beta 3 today that brings a number of new features to the iPhone and iPad as well as a bunch of bug fixes. There’s also a public beta available for macOS 10.13.4 beta 3 available this morning along with the third beta of watchOS 4.3 for developers.

Snapchat promises changes after fierce backlash

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Snapchat
Snapchat lets you video chat with up to 16 people.
Photo: Snapchat

Snapchat has promised to make changes to its app after a Change.org petition attracted more than 1.2 million signatures from disgruntled users.

Snap has endured growing backlash from fans following a controversial redesign, with many calling for the company to revert to its old user interface. Now the company says it is planning adjustments to the Friends and Discover sections.

Vintage Apple camera gets an unboxing straight from 1994

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Unboxing video
Apple's QuickTake may have been ahead of its time.
Photo: LGR/YouTube

In order to appreciate one of Apple’s most successful products, the iPhone, you have to respect one of the company’s biggest failures. The QuickTake digital camera was not a threat to the camera market the way today’s iPhone is.

The sensor was 0.3 megapixels. Shaped like a set of binoculars, the QuickTake 100 could only hold eight pictures, most of which were fuzzy, washed out and with funky colors that convinced photographers of the time that film photography was not in danger.

But as the retro-computer YouTube channel, LGR, points out, the QuickTake does not deserve to be bashed as a failure. It should be lauded as a pioneer of digital photography.

Angry Birds Champions lets you battle it out for real cash

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Angry Birds
Do you have what it takes to cash in on Angry Birds?
Photo: Rovio

Get your flinging fingers ready for a new Angry Birds game that lets you battle it out for real cash.

Angry Birds Champions is an officially-licensed spin-off from WorldWinner. It’s everything you love about Angry Birds, but with the chance to compete against other players and get paid for smashing those pesky pigs.

Tim Cook loves saying ‘no’ to ideas, just like Steve Jobs did

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Tim Cook
Like Jobs, Tim Cook is as proud of the ideas he says no to.
Photo: Apple

In a new interview, Tim Cook says that one of the priorities of his job is learning to say “no to a bunch of great ideas” in order to keep Apple focused.

“There is more noise in the world than change,” he said. “One of my roles is to try to block the noise from the people who are really doing the work. That’s tougher and tougher in this environment … We can do more things than we used to do because we’re a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we’re doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we’re making on [a] table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that.”

If the importance of saying “no” sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a lesson straight out of the Steve Jobs playbook.

Apple gets go-ahead for two new iPads

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ipad
An iPad refresh could be right around the corner.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been given the go-ahead for two new iPads, hinting at an imminent refresh.

The company filed for approval with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and both devices were granted permission this week. Apple has also been given approval to bring several iPhone and iPad “samples” into the region.

Intel fixes Spectre flaw in latest CPUs

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Intel-Kaby-Lake
Intel will task GPUs with antivirus scanning.
Photo: Intel

Intel has completed its Spectre fixes for its latest range of processors.

Patches for Skylake, Kaby Lake, and Coffee Lake chipsets are now available to computer and motherboard manufacturers. Apple has already rolled out macOS and OS X updates to fix the problem.

Instagram Direct gives you greater control over replays

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Instagram
Instagram makes sharing Stories simpler.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram Direct is one-upping Snapchat with an improved replay option that gives senders complete control.

When you post a photo or video with Instagram Direct, you can choose whether the recipient can replay it temporarily, see a permanent thumbnail in the chat log, or view it only once.

Get your hands on the wonderful Alto’s Odyssey a day early

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Alto
It's finally here!
Photo: Snowman

Alto’s Odyssey, the long-awaited follow up 2015’s brilliant Alto’s Adventure endless snowboarding game has finally arrived in the App Store — one day ahead of schedule.

The new game in the series transports the action to a dessert sandboarding setting, and adds new elements including wall rides, vortexes that will propel you through the air, and aerial obstacles such as hot air balloons that you can propel yourself off. Check out the trailer below.

Pac-Man on iOS gets a visit from… Sonic the Hedgehog?

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Sonic
An unusual pairing, perhaps. An awesome one? Totally.
Photo: Machinima/YouTube

Everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog (we guess he kind of wins this one by default!) Sonic the Hedgehog makes an unexpected, unlikely cameo on the latest update of Pac-Man for iOS — and it’s kind of awesome.

Taking the form of a special maze, the limited time “Dash Maze” replaces the usual dots Pac-Man has to collect with rings, invisibility power-ups instead of regular ones, and… um… the woodland creatures Sonic usually saves in place of the objects Pac-Man munches. Check out a trailer below.

Australian government tosses flagship Apple Store objections out of court

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Oz new store
Apple's proposed new Australia flagship store.
Photo: Apple

An attempt to block construction of Apple’s “global flagship” Apple Store in Melbourne, Australia has failed in Australian parliament.

Brought by the Australian Green Party, the attempt to block the building of the new Apple Store in Federation Square claimed that the government was putting corporate interests ahead of those of the public.

Apple wants to buy crucial iPhone battery metal direct from miners

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iPhone X laying down
Apple has a plan to help it sidestep a potential shortage of cobalt.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly in talks to buy the cobalt used in its iPhone batteries directly from miners for the first time.

This would mark a major change since Apple, one of the world’s largest end users of cobalt supplies, has previously left the purchasing of the metal down to the companies which build its batteries. It’s a smart move that could help prioritize Apple in the event of a major cobalt shortage.

Looks like multi-room AirPlay just got further away

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HomePod speaker
Multi-room audio won't be coming anytime soon.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the best features for Apple’s new HomePod appears to be facing some big delays.

AirPlay 2.0 promises to give HomePod users the ability to stream the same song to different devices in different rooms from a single iPhone. But with the release of iOS 11.3 beta 3 this morning, Apple has decided to pull the feature from testing.

Apple’s new videos show how to master slo-mo and more

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iPhone X
Get the most out of your iPhone's camera with these tips.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple published a new set of tutorial videos for iPhone owners today showing how to use some of the device’s advanced camera features.

The new videos offer how-to instructions on how to use the grid to shoot perfect overhead videos or the power of slo-mo and how to perfectly adjust it for each action clip you shoot.

Watch all of three right here:

Stylish Apple Glasses concept imagines the AR future

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Apple glasses
Would you wear these Apple shades?
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple’s probably not coming out with AR glasses anytime this decade, but that’s not stopping concept designers from flooding the web with dreams of what Apple’s spectacles will look like.

This latest concept comes from Martin Hajek and they’re definitely the most stylish Apple Glasses vaporware we’ve seen yet. The Apple Glasses in Hajek’s mockups actually look like real glasses, only they’re also big enough to provide some useful information to the wearer.

Take a closer look:

Apple seeds third betas of iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4

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iOS 11.3 Beta 1
iOS 11.3 adds Messages on iCloud, new animojis and more.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple developers received a fresh batch of new beta builds this morning, including the third beta of iOS 11.3, which is set to bring a host of new features and emoji to the public later this year.

Other new beta builds seeded today includes macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 beta 3 and tvOS 11.3 beta 3, both contain a number of bug fixes, under-the-hood improvements and other changes for the Mac and Apple TV.

Apple named world’s most innovative company for 2018

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AirPower
Will we finally get a release date for AirPower?
Photo: Apple

Who said innovation was dead at Apple? Certainly not Fast Company, which just named the iPhone-maker the world’s most innovative company for 2018.

Apple secured the top spot “for delivering the future today.” AirPods, Apple Watch Series 3, ARKit, and iPhone X were recognized as its best products from the past year.

Rivals like Google and Samsung didn’t make the list.

Apple may reveal new iPhone at WWDC 2018

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iPhone SE encryption
iPhone SE set for biggest upgrade yet.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A sketchy rumor out of China claims Apple will unveil a new iPhone SE at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The device is expected to pack a larger display and more powerful components, but no Face ID.

Samsung unleashes world’s largest SSD with 30TB of storage

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Samsung SSD
That's enough storage for 500 days of HD video.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is again responsible for the world’s largest solid-state drive.

Almost years after the South Korean company released its record-breaking 15.36TB drive, it has unleashed a 30.72TB model. It is the most storage ever squeezed into a 2.5-inch form factor, enough to hold 5,700 high-definition movies.

Signed Steve Jobs check will go to auction for $20,000 and counting

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Steve check
A rare opportunity to own a rare Steve Jobs autograph.
Photo: Nate D. Sanders

If you want to own an original check signed by Steve Jobs (unfortunately, it’s been cashed!), you’ll have an opportunity this week when a 1988 check for $2,000 goes up for auction.

The Bank of America check was given to Jobs’ girlfriend Tina Redse on March 11, 1988. It is signed “steven jobs” on the signature line. Bidding starts at a mere $20,000.

iPhone X shipments this quarter could be a big disappointment

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iphone
Shipments for the quarter could be 20 million "or fewer."
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly reduced its number of iPhone X orders for the January-March quarter from a maximum 50 million to “20 million or fewer,” a new report claims. Further reductions are possible for the April-June quarter.

The figures are having a knock-on effect on Apple’s suppliers. Samsung, which makes OLED displays for the iPhone, saw its stock fall as much as 2.3 percent in morning trade, while shares of Japanese OLED component makers, including Hodogaya Chemical and Hirata Corp also declined.

Nike+ Run Club adds Challenges to keep you motivated

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Apple Watch Nike+
Beat Nike+ Run Club's new Challenges to earn achievements.
Photo: Apple

Nike+ Run Club has picked up a new Challenges feature that aims to keep you motivated.

Much like the Activity app on Apple Watch, Challenges gives you weekly and monthly goals and rewards you with achievements when you reach them. You can also see how you stack up against the global community of Run Club users.