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Cult of Mac Magazine: Why you shouldn’t trust every Apple ID prompt, and more

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cover
Although the popup will look exactly the same, it could be a phishing attempt. It’s incredibly easy for developers to implement popups.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s not uncommon to see a random popup that asks you to “Sign In to iTunes Store” on iOS. They sometimes appear unexpectedly, but they’re usually genuine. There is a chance that the app’s developer is phishing for your Apple ID password. We’ll show you an easy trick to distinguish legit popups from phishing attempts.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Find out Apple Watch Series 3’s innovative eSIM works. Check out five ways to quickly switch apps on iPad with iOS 11. Don’t miss your last chance to win an a free iPhone 8, and more. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

The new HomeKit abilities you need to know about, this week on The CultCast

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HomeKit devices
The Home app and HomeKit just got turbocharged.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Live in the home of the future, today! We’ll tell you how with iOS 11’s huge improvements in the Home app and HomeKit. Plus: There’s a new Apple ID phishing scam you need to know about; there’s been a disappointing development with Apple’s AR glasses; we have to talk about the hundreds of new emoji coming at you in iOS 11.1; and we’ve got a svelte iPhone 8 case, a MacBook Pro sleeve made from real sheep, and a new power brick that’ll charge your MacBook, iPhone, Nintendo Switch — everything!— in an all-new Under Review.

Apple Watch saves man from pulmonary embolism

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Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 3 doesn't like visiting hospitals.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Wearing an Apple Watch has become the difference between life and death for a New York man who never expected that buying one could save his life.

James Green, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn, describes himself as a serial data tracker. When he bought the original Apple Watch two years ago, he picked it up mostly for the notifications and tracking bike rides. Now, thanks to a heart-tracking app, it’s become a big part of his health story.

Qualcomm demands iPhone ban in China

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iPhone 8
Qualcomm wants China to stop making iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s bitter legal feud with Qualcomm is being taken to an all-new level over in China.

The San Diego-based chip company has filed a lawsuit with a Beijing intellectual property court demanding all sales and production of the iPhone to be banned.

Here’s how to post to Instagram from your Mac

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post to Instagram from computer
Windowed is a free app that fakes out Instagram so you can post from a computer.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Instagram doesn’t make it easy for photographers to post pictures from a computer. However, a new computer app can fool the popular photo-sharing platform by mimicking a mobile browser.

Windowed is free and makes posting photos directly from a Mac or MacBook as easy as it is from your iPhone.

Apple’s biggest wireless keyboard could be set for a refresh

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Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
Apple's extended wireless keyboard is only four months old.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad could be about to get a refresh.

Shipping estimates for the existing model, which launched just four months ago, have slipped to a surprising six to seven weeks. A new model could arrive alongside the exciting iMac Pro this December.

iOS 11 already has more users than iOS 10

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

iOS 11 has already overtaken iOS 10, less than a month after making its public debut.

Last year’s release is still installed on over 45 percent of devices, but its reach has been falling rapidly since September 19. Users are clearly keen to get their hands on Apple’s latest software features and improvements.

Future iPhone could get Galaxy Note-style stylus

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Apple Pencil
Future iPhone could benefit from the shrunk-down Apple Pencil.
Photo: Apple

Whether it’s Touch ID or Siri, we’re used to seeing hot iPhone features make their way across to the iPad. However, a new report suggests that we may soon see the opposite phenomenon: the arrival of an iPad-style Apple Pencil arrive on the iPhone.

According to “an industry source,” Apple is preparing to launch an iPhone as early as 2019 that will include a stylus. Apple is said to be in talks with several stylus makers, suggesting that this wouldn’t simply be adding iPhone support for the existing Apple Pencil, but instead the creation of something new.

Tim Cook visits Swedish supplier of Apple’s sustainable packaging

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sustainable packaging
This should really be a caption contest.
Photo: Tim Cook

As part of his trip to Europe, Tim Cook visited a forest in northern Sweden with a representative from one of the companies which supplies Apple’s sustainably sourced packaging.

On Twitter, Cook described the “breathtaking forests,” which he got to experience with employees from Iggesund Paperboard, a supplier that that has been working to provide Apple with packaging for its various devices for more than 10 years. As part of his trip, Cook symbolically planted some pine trees.

Samsung CEO resigns, citing ‘unprecedented crisis’

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Galaxy Note 8
Samsung CEO quits, despite record earnings projections.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is in meltdown mode after CEO Kwon Oh-hyun, who has worked at the company for 32 years, announced his resignation today, citing an “unprecedented crisis.”

Kwon Oh-hyun will officially step down as chief executive and vice chairman in March. The news comes not long after Samsung’s vice chairman was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption, the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, but also just as Samsung is projecting record quarterly profits.

ARKit downloads dominated by games so far

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ARgames
AR games account for the majority of app downloads and revenue made.
Photo: Sensor Tower

The vast majority of augmented reality ARKit apps released so far have been games, according to a breakdown release by analytics firm Sensor Tower Intelligence.

Combing over the AR apps released since iOS 11 launched on September 19, reveals that games represent around 35 percent of ARKit-only apps worldwide, followed by utilities (19 percent), other entertainment (11 percent), education (7 percent), photo and video apps (6 percent), and lifestyle (5 percent). The “other” category — for those apps which don’t fall into any of these genres — accounts for the remaining 8 percent.

Amazon is about to ruin its best Kindle model

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new Kindle oasis
That hot unibody is 50% heavier than the old model.
Photo: Amazon

The new Kindle Oasis was just launched, and it looks amazing. It has the same super-slim form as the current Oasis, along with the asymmetric shape and hardware page-change buttons, only now it also has a bigger 7-inch screen, better battery life, and it is waterproof. It’s even cheaper than the current model.

Luckily, this new Oasis doesn’t go on sale until the end of October, so you still have a few weeks to buy the old one while you still can.

12 white dudes in room is totally diverse, says Apple VP of Diversity

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diversity Apple
Apple is pledging to do more on the diversity front.
Photo: Apple

Creating diversity at Apple isn’t just about making sure more people of color get added to the mix, according to the exec put in charge of creating a more diverse and inclusive culture at the iPhone maker’s offices.

Denise Young Smith, Apple VP of Diversity and Inclusion, was part of a recent panel discussion on fighting racial injustice where she talked about her mission at Apple. White men currently account for 56% of Apple’s workforce, but Young Smith says that doesn’t mean the company isn’t diverse.

Apple pledges $1 million to help fire-ravaged wine country

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Extreme winds and dry weather are making the wildfires in California's wine country hard to contain.
Extreme winds and dry weather are making the wildfires in California's wine country hard to contain.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr CC

The fire-relief efforts in Northern California are getting a boost from some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley.

Smoke from the wildfires ravaging wine country are currently choking out residents in San Francisco’s bay area, so Apple, Google and Facebook are stepping up by donating local efforts.

iPhone X supply still plagued by TrueDepth sensor delays

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iphone x
Your iPhone X is on its way. Now make sure you're prepared.
Photo: Apple

iPhone X supply is still being plagued by manufacturing issues.

Some analysts have slashed supply forecasts even further due to the problems faced by TrueDepth sensor makers. It looks like Apple’s hottest handset will be even harder to obtain than originally anticipated.

Hollywood’s fave iPhone app supports Apple’s go-to video format

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iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
Photo: Filmic

Filmic Pro, the gold standard iPhone app for filmmakers to achieve near-cinematic quality, released an update today to support the new HEVC format in iOS 11.

HEVC stands for High-Efficiency Video Coding (also called H.265), a compression standard that reduces the file size of videos while retaining much of the quality. This means users can store twice the number of videos on their iPhones or iPad Pros.

iPhone X makes apps look horrible … for now

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iPhone X wild
This photo of iPhone X highlights an ugly problem.
Photo: EddiOS42/Reddit

The edge-to-edge display on iPhone X is going to make everything we do look spectacular. That’s what Apple tells us, at least. But the truth is, a lot of your favorite apps are going to look downright horrible when you first start using one.

This picture of an iPhone X in the wild highlights an ugly problem Apple’s new smartphone will face when it makes its big debut next month.

Pokémon Go hands out prizes for coolest AR photographs

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Pokemon Go
There's a new reason to play Pokémon GO.
Photo: Niantic

In an attempt to capitalize on current headlines about augmented reality, Pokémon Go developer Niantic has launched an AR photography contest within the app.

Through October 25, users can snap a photo in the game and then upload it to Instagram using the tag #PokemonGoContest. If your image is one of the top 10 submissions, you’ll win a Pokémon Go prize pack containing a Pokémon Go Plus accessory, a poster autographed by the Pokémon Go team, and Bluetooth earbuds.

A crucial iPhone X chip is now reportedly on its way to Apple

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Face ID
Face ID is one of the top features of the iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

Himax Technologies, one of Apple’s suppliers, has reportedly started shipping one of the key components for the iPhone X’s Face ID sensor to Apple.

Alongside the edge-to-edge Super Retina display of the new handset, Face ID is one of the most attention grabbing features of the new iPhone. However, production problems have also made it one of Apple’s biggest pain points — and a reason why supplies of the iPhone X are likely to be so limited early on.

After 2 years of delays, Apple’s Irish data center can finally proceed

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Politicians receive frightening threats about cancelled Apple data center
A look at Apple's data center as it will appear when it's finished.
Photo: Apple

A court in Dublin, Ireland has determined that Apple has permission to officially start work building its 850 million euro ($960 million) data center in Athenry, County Galway.

The new data center was given the go-ahead over two years ago, but has been hit with numerous delays since then due to legal issues. The giant data center will help power Apple Music, the App Store, iMessages, Maps and Siri.