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News - page 84

All iPhone 16 models could score new Capture button plus camera improvements

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A close-up of a person using an iPhone to take a photograph of a plate of food (rice and pork chop).
The iPhone camera just keeps getting better.
Photo: Randy Tarampi/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

A multifunction button specifically to control the Camera app will be included in all four iPhone 16 version, not only the Pro models, according to an unconfirmed report published Thursday.

The same source details a range of improvements to the cameras built into these iOS handsets expected to launch in September.

Thriller Criminal Record returns for season 2 on Apple TV+

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Criminal Record returns for season 2 on Apple TV+
Fans of complex, engrossing police procedurals rejoice: "Criminal Record" returns.
Photo: Apple TV+

Two brilliant detectives will clash again as acclaimed London-based thriller Criminal Record returns for a second season, Apple TV+ said Thursday. The engrossing series stars Peter Capaldi of Doctor Who and Cush Jumbo of The Good Wife.

So the streamer confirmed what Jumbo said on a talk show back in February. The renewal is great news for fans of the show. If you haven’t tried it, you should stream the first season.

MacBook with folding screen unlikely before late 2027

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MacBook with 20-inch folding screen still on track for release
Your wait for a foldable-screen MacBook just got way longer.
Concept: Astro HQ

Apple has supposedly hit a major setback and significantly delayed the mass production of its MacBook with a super-size, folding screen. The company has run into technical issues with the display and other mechanicals.

Apparently, these problems will force Apple to delay mass production until as late as the end of 2027 or 2028.

Apple to split App Store team in two in major reorganization

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Apple store logo
The App Store team at Apple will undergo major changes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Matt Fischer, the vice president in charge of the App Store since 2010, will leave Apple in October of this year. His departure will follow a major reorganization that splits the App Store team in two as Apple seeks to avoid further regulatory scrutiny.

One part of the team will oversee Apple’s App Store, while the other will manage third-party app marketplaces.

Midnight Family of Mexico City paramedics struggles to serve — and survive [Apple TV+ trailer]

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Midnight Family trailer
In a city of 10 million people and only about 100 public ambulances, a family tries to make a living while making up the difference.
Photo: Apple TV+

A talented Mexico City medical student studies hard by day and saves lives by night, hurtling around the sprawling metropolis in her family’s private ambulance. But it looks like something’s got to give under the strain of it all in the trailer Apple TV+ dropped Tuesday for the upcoming Spanish-language drama series Midnight Family.

Sure, you might need subtitles, but it looks like a rewarding ride. The 10-episode series, based on a documentary, debuts on Apple TV+ September 25.

Most Apple users pay for extra iCloud storage

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iCloud+ Storage Capacity
About two-thirds of U.S. Apple users subscribe to iCloud+.
Image: Apple

iCloud+ is Apple’s most successful service by a wide margin, according to an analysts’ report released Monday. Seems plenty of iPhone and Mac users are willing to pay for more than the 5GB of free storage available.

Adoption rates for the Mac-maker’s other services might surprise some people: A third of all Apple users subscribe to Apple TV+, for example.

Nomad updates luxe 3-in-1 Stand One Max with Qi2 wireless charging

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Nomad Stand One Max Qi2 product shot with an iPhone in StandBy mode and an Apple Watch in Nightstand mode.
This a great stand for using your iPhone in StandBy mode.
Photo: Nomad

Keeping up with the latest charging standards, Nomad released the third generation of its premium Stand One Max multi-device charger Wednesday. It features support for the new Qi2 wireless charging protocol, which enables up to 15-watt wireless charging speeds for compatible iPhones and Androids. And the luxe 3-in-1 stand keeps your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods going in style.

Update brings audio sharing to Beats Studio Pro headphones

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audio sharing with Beats Studio Pro
Share what you're listening to on Beats Studio Pro with friends and family.
Photo: Beats

Apple introduced audio sharing to Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones in a firmware update Tuesday, a feature already known to AirPods Max and AirPods users. So once your Beats Studio Pro update over the air to firmware version 2C301, up from version 2B68 installed at launch, you can easily share what you listen to with family and friends via a connected iPhone or iPad.

Monitor smackdown: Studio Display vs. Samsung ViewFinity S9 [Setups]

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Samsung ViewFinity S9 setup
Will the replacement for the Xiaomi curved display in this moody MacBook Pro setup be a Samsung ViewFinity S9 or a Studio Display?
Photo: [email protected]

In the battle of 5K resolution displays, it’s Studio Display against a small-but-growing army of foes (at least for Mac fans). Today’s M1 MacBook Pro user looks to replace a 1440K gaming display with either a Samsung ViewFinity S9 curved 5K monitor or with Apple’s well-liked but somewhat-pricey Studio Display. The advice she got leaned heavily toward Apple.

Why Sonos can’t bring back its older, better app

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Sonos app logo
The new Sonos app gave the company a black eye.
Image: Sonos

The CEO of Sonos threw cold water on hopes that the speaker-maker would replace its much-maligned new application with the previous version. Turns out that would make the problem worse.

Sonos users will instead have to wait for the new app to be improved — a process the company promises it’s working on as quickly as it can.

AppleCare+ renewal now available within 45 days after expiration

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AppleCare+ coverage for Apple products
Apple is now giving you more time to renew AppleCare+ coverage.
Photo: Apple

Apple is now giving customers an additional 15 days to renew AppleCare+ coverage for their Apple devices after the plan initially expires. The company silently increased the timeframe from 30 days to 45 days.

However, the change only applies to selected EU countries, the US, the UK, and select other markets.

iPhone 16 invite prankster says he’ll do it again!

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A fake iPhone 16 event invite displayed on an iPhone.
A fake iPhone 16 event invite fooled the internet.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Beware, Apple leakers: The hoaxer who created a fake Apple invite for the iPhone 16 event says he’ll probably try to pull off a similar prank in the future. Lorenzo, a 14-year-old video editor from Italy, says he created the bogus invite in about 10 minutes out of boredom when he was sick. Then he sent the image to a known leaker — and watched as the fake document whipped up a frenzy in the Apple rumor mill.

“I feel like leaks can be boring sometimes so I want to spice it up,” he told Cult of Mac in a direct message. “Maybe by putting more effort into making a good concept next time.”

iPhone 16 event invite leaks [Update: It’s a hoax]

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iPhone 16 Apple event invite leaks
A leaked invite to Apple's iPhone 16 launch event could confirm three details about it.
Image: Majin Bu

A supposedly leaked Apple invite for the iPhone 16 event looks like a well-executed hoax. The date, the event title and even the fake invite’s color palette seemed to confirm previous leaks about Apple’s upcoming iPhone lineup. However, a video editor who goes by Lore claims he created the invite as a prank.

“Fun fact: i made the ‘leaked’ Apple Event invite in less than 10 minutes using figma and an Ai generated texture and i sent it to the leaker just because i was bored,” Lore wrote Tuesday on X.

In a message to Cult of Mac, Lore confirmed that he created the bogus invite mainly because he was “sick and had nothing to do.” Read Cult of Mac’s interview with the 14-year-old Italian video editor who fooled the internet with his fake iPhone 16 invite.

xMEMS bets tiny silicon ‘fan on a chip’ will change mobile-device cooling

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xMEMS fan on a chip
xMEMS Labs' "fan on a chip" could cool smartphones and other mobile devices as they run hotter with AI applications.
Photo: xMEMS Labs

xMEMS Labs, creators of all-silicon micro speakers for earbuds and headphones, plan to roll out the xMEMS XMC-2400 µCooling chip, the company said Tuesday. It noted the 1mm xMEMS fan on a chip is the first all-silicon, active micro-cooling fan for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

“Our revolutionary µCooling ‘fan-on-a-chip’ design comes at a critical time in mobile computing,” said Joseph Jiang, xMEMS CEO and co-founder. “Thermal management in ultra-mobile devices, which are beginning to run even more processor-intensive AI applications, is a massive challenge for manufacturers and consumers. Until XMC-2400, there’s been no active-cooling solution because the devices are so small and thin.”

The company declined to comment on whether it’s in talks with Apple as a client or partner with the new innovation. See our Q&A with xMEMS Labs below.

Apple assembling iPhone 16 Pro in India will lead to lower prices

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iPhone 16 Pro rendered image
iPhone 16 Pro could carry the "Made in India" tag and a lower price tag.
Graphic: Rajesh

Apple will reportedly manufacture the iPhone 16 Pro within weeks of its global launch at its manufacturing facilities in India. This will give the company’s manufacturing efforts a major push in the country.

So far, the Cupertino giant has only manufactured non-Pro iPhones in India.

Update your Apple Watch and Apple TV with these bug fixes today

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Apple Watch and Apple TV
Apple Watch and Apple TV users have software patches to install.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple released watchOS 10.6.1 and tvOS 17.6.1 on Monday, a pair of “bug fix” patches for Apple Watch and Apple TV that offer no new features.

New versions of iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1 from two weeks ago went out at the same time, but don’t appear to be available for most models.

Now anyone can experience Apple Podcasts on the web

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Apple Podcasts on the web
Now even PC users can experience Apple Podcasts a lot like someone who uses the app for macOS.
Image: Apple

As an alternative to using the Apple Podcasts app, as of Monday anyone can browse, hear, sync and share Apple Podcasts in 170 countries on all major web browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

So now Apple Podcasts joins the likes of Podbay and Podurama in offering its own online player for anyone on any platform.

Buy Apple gear to donate to U.S. national parks

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U.S. National Parks
Apple makes it easy to support national parks this week.
Photo: Jude Allen (Shot on iPhone 14 Pro)

To celebrate the U.S. National Park Service hitting its 108th birthday, Apple will donate $10 for purchases made in its retail stores or online store this week to the National Park Foundation.

This has become an annual tradition for the iPhone-maker.

Bad Sisters trust no one in season 2 of Sharon Horgan’s dark comedy

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Bad Sisters season 2
The Garvey women of “Bad Sisters" -- from left, Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff and Eve Hewson -- return for season two November 13 on Apple TV+. They look determined and unified.
Photo: Apple TV+

To the delight of their many fans like me, the Garvey women of Ireland will return soon in Bad Sisters season two, Apple TV+ said Monday. The streamer offered a “first look” photograph along with scant plot details. The darkly comedic drama’s creator and star, Sharon Horgan, returns with her close-knit fictional siblings on November 13.

But with one abusive husband down in season one of Bad Sisters, what new nemesis will emerge in the sophomore season? From the sound of it, two years after they took care of that problem in white-knuckle fashion, it could be them against everybody. Because they’re not in the clear yet.

Why Apple should kill the Ultra Wide iPhone camera

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Why Apple should kill the Ultra Wide iPhone camera
The iPhone Ultra Wide iPhone camera should just go.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The dual-camera system in the two basic iPhone models is an unnecessary complication. The iPhone’s secondary Ultra Wide camera simply doesn’t get used enough to justify building it into a handset.

Apple should focus entirely on the primary camera — the only one most people ever use. The iPhone’s Ultra Wide camera just adds unnecessary bulk and expense.

Apple Sports app suits up for pro and college football

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Apple Sports app adds pro and college football
NFL and college football score and stats are now at your fingertips.
Photo: Apple

As the seasonal ads on TVs everywhere ask, are you ready for some football? The Apple Sports app certainly is, having launched full support Monday for real-time scores and stats for the onrushing NFL and college football seasons. They kick off with pro preseason play now underway and the first college games starting August 24.

New Apple Card users get up to $300 bonus Daily Cash

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Apple Card Family extends credit card access to teens
Sign up for Apple Card and get up to $300 Bonus Daily Cash.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest promo will get new Apple Card users up to $300 in bonus Daily Cash. The company never before gave new Apple Card users such a high welcome bonus.

Apple is running this offer for select U.S. customers. To be eligible for the cashback, you must sign up for the card through the promo link.

Thrashing through a wild week of Apple rumors! [The CultCast]

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Discussing Apple rumors, including an iPad on a robot arm, on The CultCast episode 660.
Who wants an iPad on a stick?!?
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Who cranked up production in the Apple rumor mill? We talk through the latest ones on this week’s show, and some of them sound pretty wild. Fresh details about the iPhone 16 Pro’s new camera button make it sound very cool. A rumored bigger iMac sounds very exciting. And an Apple skunkworks project — a $1,000-plus device that puts an iPad on a rotating robotic arm — sounds absolutely bizarre.

Also on The CultCast:

  • What’s new in the latest iOS 18 beta.
  • What to expect from upcoming iPads.
  • Apple gets greedy with Patreon, and creators aren’t happy.
  • And Erfon gives us a surprising update on his inexplicably water-damaged iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.