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News - page 851

Here’s how Google plans to fight iPhone 8

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Google Pixel
It's in talks to buy HTC, maker of the Pixel lineup.
Photo: Google

Google plans to step up its fight against the iPhone 8 by taking a leaf out of Apple’s playbook.

A new report claims the company is in talks to buy HTC’s struggling smartphone business, which would give it near complete control over future Pixel devices.

Clever iPhone battery case charges AirPods, too

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PodCase
Worried about losing your AirPods? Here, just in case.
Photo: Nova Technology

Where do you put your AirPods when they’re not in your ears? Eric Migicovsky kept forgetting and when he did find them, he sometimes realized he had forgotten to charge them.

So he and a couple of friends came up with the PodCase, a relatively slim iPhone battery case that holds a set of AirPods and keeps them charged. The case can do away with the need to carry the AirPods charging case since the PodCase allows for one-cord charging for both phone and ear buds.

Spotify and Hulu partner to offer $4.99 monthly subscriptions for students

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teamup
A great deal if you're a student!
Photo: Spotify/Hulu

Hulu and Spotify have teamed up to offer U.S. college students one heck of a deal. For $4.99 per month, the same cost as Spotify’s existing student plan, users now get access to Spotify Premium and Hulu’s “Limited Commercials” plan.

The offer is a great way of the companies staying competitive with the likes of Amazon and Apple, both of who offer their own $5 a month low-cost student plans.

Here’s how you mod a headphone jack into iPhone 7

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iPhone 7 headphone jack
The best but most difficult iPhone mod to date.
Photo: Strange Parts

Apple won’t be bringing the headphone jack back to iPhone, so if it’s a feature you’re not prepared to lose anytime soon, you’re stuck with the iPhone 6s. Or are you?

One man, who recently built his own iPhone from scratch using components sourced in a Chinese tech market, has figured out a way to install a headphone jack in the iPhone 7. It’s the ultimate mod for music lovers.

You may have to wait until October to get your hands on the iPhone 8

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iPhone color
Like the look of the iPhone 8? You may have to wait to get your hands on it.
Photo: Ben Miller

The iPhone 8 may be set to debut at next week’s September 12 media event, but according to a new report the actual OLED handset itself won’t ship until October.

That is in contrast to the lower end LED iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus devices, which will ship one week after the September media event. In other words, if you want the best of Apple’s new handsets, you may have to be prepared to wait!

Trippy ARKit demo turns sound into 3D waveforms

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ArKIT demo
ARKit will land on the iPhone with iOS 11.
Photo: Zach Lieberman

A cool new ARKit demo shows how Apple’s new platform could be used to create a trippy and unique way of recording and visualizing sound.

The latest proof-of-concept video comes from code artist Zach Lieberman. The demo turns sound into a three-dimensional wave pattern, allowing musicians — or anyone else — to manipulate audio in a variety of ways.

Apple recruits more TV execs for original content efforts

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appletv
Apple is upping its focus on producing original programming.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is continuing to build up its TV unit with the recruiting of four new veteran television executives.

These include Kim Rozenfeld, former head of programming at Sony Pictures Television, ex-Sony development execs Max Aronson and Ali Woodruff, and former WGN America head of publicity Rita Cooper. All of them will play a role as Apple continues to expand its push toward creating original programming.

Apple signs cut-rate streaming deal with Warner Music Group

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly signed its first major music streaming deal since launching Apple Music in 2015.

Sources “familiar with the matter” say it has signed a new, cut-rate agreement with Warner Music Group, and is on the verge of reaching a similar deal with Sony Music Entertainment.

Analyst: Blame Samsung for iPhone 8’s high price tag

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iPhone 7
Switching to OLED won't be cheap.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming premium iPhone is likely to be its most expensive model ever — and Samsung is partly to blame, according to a reliable Apple analyst.

In his latest research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo explains to investors that Samsung currently holds a practical monopoly on the supply of OLED displays. The company is likely charging Apple a huge amount of money to make the switch from LCD modules to OLED. Apple fans probably won’t be happy with the final price tag.

Apple seeds 10th iOS 11 beta to developers

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iPhone 7
A fresh new iOS 11 beta is available.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The development of iOS 11 seems to be nearly complete ahead of Apple’s big iPhone keynote next week.

Developers received the 10th beta build of iOS 11 this morning, coming just one week after Apple surprised developers by making the ninth beta build available for testing.

Apple will have to fight off new Surface devices next month

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Surface Book
Apple won't make a 2-in-1, but Microsoft has more up its sleeve.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple will have to fight off fresh competition from new Surface devices next month. Microsoft has confirmed it will be holding a keynote in London during its annual Future Decoded event, and sources familiar with its plans say we can expect at least one new device.

Steve Jobs Theater is as special as any other Apple product

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The roof to Apple's theater looks like a UFO.
What, you don't think a building named after Steve wouldn't show obsessive levels of perfectionism?
Photo: Apple

Ahead of next week’s iPhone 8 keynote at Apple Park’s Steve Jobs Theater, a few more details have been shared about Apple’s brand new location for media events.

And they’re every bit as obsessively perfect as you’d expect a building named after Apple’s co-founder and former CEO would be.

From Cupertino with love: Apple could acquire James Bond franchise rights

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James Bond
Both Apple and Amazon are reportedly among the bidders.
Photo: Eon Pictures

Apple is in the running to secure movie (and possibly TV) distribution rights for the James Bond franchise, a new report claims.

While Warner Bros., Sony, Universal and Fox are the more likely candidates, Apple and fellow tech giant Amazon have also reportedly thrown their names into the hat. Jony Ive as 007, anyone?

Apple teases iOS 10 users with new iOS 11 features

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
A redesigned Control Center is one of many changes to look forward to in iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has begun promoting new iOS 11 features to iOS 10 users ahead of the update’s public release.

The Tips app is issuing notifications that tease things like iOS 11’s redesigned Control Center, giving users a chance to preview them before the mobile operating system’s release in coming weeks.

India fights Apple over anti-spam app ban

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Apple is at odds with the Indian government.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is running into big problems in India, concerning a clash with the government over its anti-spam iOS app.

The problem comes down to a Do Not Disturb app, which the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India wants Apple to distribute on the App Store. Apple, however, is refusing since it allows people to share spam call and text message logs with government agency, which Apple claims violates its privacy policies.

Drone flyover shows off a bustling Steve Jobs Theater

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Steve Jobs Theater
The Steve Jobs Theater is the site or next week's iPhone 8 event.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

A spectacular new drone flyover video of Apple’s enormous Apple Park campus shows off employees gathered at the new Steve Jobs Theater, where next week’s iPhone 8 keynote is scheduled to be held.

While it doesn’t give any spoilers away about what we can expect from the event, it’s the best look we’ve yet received at the new location for media events, all courtesy of drone photographer extraordinaire, Duncan Sinfield. Check it out below.

Apple rolls out tvOS 11 beta 10 for registered developers

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apple tv and siri remote
Grab the latest tvOS 11 update now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has rolled out its tenth beta of tvOS 11 for registered developers ahead of a public release this fall.

The release comes just under one week after developers got their hands on beta 9, and it mostly includes bug fixes and performance improvements at this point.

Tim Cook promises employees to work with Congress to help Dreamers

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook greeting employees at CTS.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a new letter this morning pledging to help fight for the protection of his employees who are now at risk of being deported.

The letter comes just hours after Donald Trump’s administration revealed plans to officially rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the next six months. If Trump’s plan goes through, hundreds of Apple employees who are Dreamers could be forced out of the country. In his email, Cook says he’ll work with members of Congress from both parties to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Read Tim’s inspiring note to employees:

China will get a new Apple store in time for iPhone 8

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Apple store's new location
Apple's newest Apple store location.
Photo: Wikipedia CC

Apple has announced that it will open its latest China Apple store just in time for this year’s iPhone 8 release.

The new store will be located in Ningbo, a sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang. The space that Apple has picked out is in Tianyi Square, a giant retail area covering a massive 350,000 square meters. Tianyi Square has won awards for its design, which makes it the perfect location for design-fixated Apple.

Why it might be easier to choose the right iPhone 8 for you

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iPhone color
iPhone 8 may come in only two storage options.
Photo: Ben Miller

A recent report suggested that the new iPhone 8 will ship in three different storage configurations, starting at $999 for a 64 GB option, and increasing at $100 increments through 256 GB and an unprecedented 512 GB model.

A new note from UBS analysts Steven Milunovich and Benjamim Wilson disagrees, however. Instead, they think it’s “unlikely” that Apple will ship a $1,199 version, and instead that Apple will offer only two storage options — in the form of a 64 GB and 256 GB version.

Most Apple fans have no idea what to expect from iPhone 8

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iPhone 8 render
iPhone 8 will be a huge upgrade, but most fans aren't prepared.
Photo: Quinton Theron

If you’ve been keeping up with the iPhone 8 rumors, you’ll know exactly what to expect from Apple’s big refresh this fall. But for the vast majority of fans, the upgrade will come as a huge surprise.

One survey has found that for ordinary iPhone users, the urge to upgrade is no more significant than it has been for previous, more incremental releases.

Siri helps save life of teen stranded in Hurricane Harvey flooding

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
On this occasion, Siri was a real life lifesaver.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri is being credited as helping save the life of a critically-ill teenager in Texas, who was trapped on a roof with her family due to flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

After calls to 911 and pleas on Facebook and Instagram failed to yield results, the 14-year-old — who suffers from sickle cell anemia — asked Siri for help. Siri proceeded to place calls with the U.S. Coast Guard, which resulted in the family being rescued.