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News - page 845

Almost two-thirds of Americans own an Apple product

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Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup
Breaking news: People sure do love Apple.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

64 percent of Americans own Apple products, with the average U.S. household owning more than two, a new poll claims.

The survey, carried out by CNBC, suggests that Apple ownership is a trait shared by every income group, age demographic, race, sex, and region of the United States, although the ownership rate falls below 50 percent for those on incomes under $30,000, retirees, and women over the age of 50.

Trump tax policy could make Apple a $1 trillion company

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
Apple could soon be the world's first $1 trillion company.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook may not always have seen eye to eye with President Donald Trump, but if a Trump policy could help push Apple toward a trillion dollar market cap that would surely help undo some of the bad blood.

This is exactly the scenario presented by analysts at RBC Capital Markets, who claim that Apple would stand to gain in a big way from the Trump administration’s planned U.S. tax changes — particularly tax deduction caps for interest expenses, tax rates on foreign profits, and a lowered repatriation tax.

No, Apple is not slowing down your iPhone to force upgrades

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5 tips to fix an unresponsive iPhone screen
Is your iPhone slower with iOS 11? It's all in your head.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Every major iOS update slows down older devices to force users to upgrade. At least that’s what recent reports have suggested.

The truth is, Apple is doing no such thing. Benchmark data proves that iPhone performance drops over time are just a myth. The 4-year-old iPhone 5s is about as fast with iOS 11 today as it was with iOS 7 when it made its debut in 2013.

Apple is working to fix annoying Reachability bug on iOS 11

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iPhone 7
Craig Federighi says a fix is on the way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An iOS 11 bug involving the iPhone’s Reachability feature will be fixed in a future software update, Craig Federighi has said.

The bug means that the new iOS 11 Cover Screen with Notifications isn’t accessible from the middle part of the screen, thereby removing one of the most useful features a person might want to use while employing the Reachability mode.

Tim Cook talked taxes, supporting startups with French president

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Tim Cook still hid a few surprises up his sleeve for the iPhone X event.
This was Tim Cook's first meeting with the French president.
Photo: Apple

Yesterday’s first ever meeting between Apple CEO and French President Emmanuel Macron involved discussion of Apple’s support for local startups and French economic reforms — which could result in Apple having to pay more in the countries where it operates.

Macron is one of many European leaders wanting to reform tax structures to make it more difficult for companies, including Apple, to avoid taxes by using complex shell company structures. He has previously accused tech giants of failing to contribute to a common good.

Top-rated UK TV exec in talks with Apple

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Apple original content
Jay Hunt, former creative content chief with Channel 4 in Great Britain, may join Apple's efforts to create original programming.
Photo: Edinburgh International Television Festival/YouTube

Apple is reportedly close to landing another heavy hitter to help build original content.

Jay Hunt, who recently left Great Britain’s Channel 4 after seven years as its chief creative officer, is in talks with Apple for an executive position, according to several British news sites that cover UK’s television industry.

This Pad & Quill leather MacBook bag will outlast anything you put in it

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pad and quill attache
You don't need a big beard to be a hipster.
Photo: Pad & Quill

If you want to crush your shoulder, and at the same time have all your gear and gadgets within easy reach, then a messenger bag is the way to go. Less formal than a briefcase, and less sporty than a backpack, a messenger bag is stylish and practical. And Pad & Quill’s Attache messenger bag is more stylish and practical than most. It’s a hand-stitched leather beauty which can swallow most of your Mac and iOS devices and accessories.

Apple seeds new betas for macOS, watchOS and tvOS

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macOS High Sierra
Apple is said to be working on a fix.
Photo: Apple

Along with dropping a new iOS 11.1 beta, Apple also released the second beta builds for macOS 10.13.1, tvOS 11.1 and watchOS 4.1.

The new batch of betas come about two weeks after Apple seeded the last set of betas to developers and come with a host of bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements for Apple’s platforms.

iPhone X’s biggest feature may come to iPad Pro in 2018

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iPhone cameras
The True Depth Camera keeps an eye on you.
Photo: Apple

Apple will include Face ID and the TrueDepth Camera in 2018 iPad Pro models, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors Monday morning.

Kuo, who has a highly respectable track record on Apple predictions, also said the technology that is part of the soon-to-be-released iPhone X, will be standard issue in future iPhones.

Apple drops iOS 11.1 beta 2 with dozens of new emoji

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iOS 11.1 emoji
Mythical creatures coming in iOS 11.1.
Photo: Apple

Apple unleashed hundreds of new emoji on developers today with the release of iOS 11.1 beta 2.

The new beta update arrives nearly two weeks after the last beta was made available and comes with a host of new features and bug fixes, including support for Unicode 10 emoji characters.

iPhone X Plus concept shows that bigger really is better

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iPhone X Plus
2018 iPhones will look at lot like the iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X launch is less than a month away but we’re already lusting after what 2018 might bring. Even though the iPhone X has a larger screen than the iPhone 8 Plus, we wouldn’t be shocked to see the edge-to-edge display come to the Plus-sized model next year.

Now we know exactly what such a device could look like thanks to some new renders that show how beautiful all that screen real estate would be.

Check out what it’d look like compared to the iPhone X:

Samsung will be first to deliver big feature Apple couldn’t

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Galaxy Note 7 USB-C
Samsung's next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning display.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung will beat Apple to delivering a revolutionary new smartphone display, according to one reliable analyst.

The South Korean company’s next Galaxy Note will have a fingerprint-scanning screen, which Apple had to drop from iPhone X because it couldn’t be perfected in time for launch.

Steven Soderbergh’s Mosaic iOS app is a new type of storytelling experience

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Mosaic
It's like a "pick your own adventure" experience.
Photo: HBO

An innovative new “branching narrative” TV app is being launched by HBO and Academy Award-winning movie director Steven Soderbergh, which will let audiences make active decisions that will help shape the story’s outcome.

A linear version of the show, Mosaic, is set to debut on TV in January 2018. However, the app version isn’t just a bit of advance promo, but a fully-fledged part of the experience, which reportedly took three years to develop.

Apple’s ‘Free App of the Week’ is gone in iOS 11

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iOS 11 iPad Pro
Look out for the changes next month.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple appears to have dropped its “Free App of the Week” promotion.

Users have been unable to find the giveaway since the introduced of the all-new App Store in iOS 11. Apple now has “App of the Day” and “Game of the Day” highlights, but unless its picks were already free, you have to pay for them.

Microsoft admits the Windows Mobile platform is dead

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Windows 10 Mobile
Windows phones could be about to make a comeback.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s effort to compete with Android and iOS is over.

In a series of tweets, the company’s vice president of operating systems admitted that there will be no new features or hardware for Windows 10 Mobile in the future. He blamed the decision on a lack of support from third-party app developers.

Apple’s new Irish data center gets support from 300+ person rally

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Ireland
A mock up of Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

Over the weekend, more than 300 people in Ireland staged a rally in support of Apple’s proposed 850 million ($960 million) euro data center in Athenry, County Galway.

The new data center was officially given the go-ahead over two years ago, although construction on it has been delayed by continuing legal issues. If built, the data center will help power Apple Music, the App Store, iMessages, Maps and Siri — while providing plenty of jobs to locals.

Strike one! MLB coach fined for using his Apple Watch in the dugout

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apple watch 1
Remember to take off your Apple wearable in the dugout.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Major League Baseball might be all in on incorporating Apple technology wherever possible, but it has its limits.

During last week’s NL Wild Card game on Wednesday, game cameras caught Diamondbacks coach Ariel Prieto wearing an “illegal electronic device” in the dugout, which transpired to be an Apple Watch. Although the wearable was reportedly left on in error, and wasn’t being used for anything related to the game, Prieto has been fined for the incident.

Tim Cook meeting with France’s President Macron

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Tim Cook takes home $125 million for Apple’s best year since 2009
It is likely the duo will discuss Apple's tax battles with the E.U.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook is currently in France, where he making a variety of visits — including meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.

Cook will meet with President Macron, who assumed power in this year’s May election, later today. He has also made a number of stops, including meeting with one of Apple’s suppliers and paying his respects at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.

Stranger Things: The Game and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A fun, appropriately retro game retelling of the first season of Netflix hit Stranger Things is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a great action-packed top-down blaster, a superb upgrade to a popular iOS camera app, and… YouTube? Check out our picks below.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Google’s Pixel 2 vs. new iPhones and more!

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cover
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine, we show you how Google's Pixel lineup compares to iPhone 8 and the upcoming iPhone X, and much more!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Can Google convince iPhone fans to jump ship for the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL?We show how Google’s Pixel lineup compares to iPhone 8 and the upcoming iPhone X.

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find that story and more. Check out the serious internal upgrades packed into iPhone 8 Plus, and Google’s new mini speaker. We’ve got some great Mac apps for photo editors, a roundup of the best chargers and stands for Apple Watch Series 3 and a review of the iconic Speidel Twist-O-Flex band. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.