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Apple Pay snubbed by Beijing public transport app

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Beijing public transport
It's easier to commute if you're an Android user.
Photo: Oemaix/Flickr CC

Apple hasn’t always had the easiest time in China, and the latest reminder of this is the launch of a new scheme allowing users of Beijing’s transport system to pay through an app — although it’s not available on Apple Pay, or even iOS.

Instead, the service is only available via Android app, with the likely reason for the iOS lockout reportedly being because Apple sticks to its proprietary Apple Pay system, rather than supporting third-party payment apps.

Macphun photographers to get retooled Aurora HDR 2018

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AuroraHDR2018
Aurora HDR from Macphun will soon have a new interface and great power.
Photo: Trey Ratcliff/Macphun

Imaging software company Macphun today announced a faster, more powerful version of its popular Aurora HDR.

Available for pre-order next month, Aurora HDR 2018 includes a redesigned user interface, speed upgrades in RAW imaging processing and merging and masking performance, and a lens correction tool that fixes chromatic aberration, vignetting and other forms of distortion.

Google will pay $3 billion to remain top search provider on iOS

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Google logo
Amount will bolster Apple's services business.
Photo: Google

Google could pay Apple as much as $3 billion this year in order to remain the default search engine on iOS devices, a new report claims.

The claim comes from Bernstein analyst A.M. Sacconaghi Jr. If true, it would represent a sizable increase from the $1 billion that Apple was paid by Google for the same reason back in 2014.

Apple Watch Series 3 will bring LTE but no design changes

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Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 3 will look exactly the same as its predecessors.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch Series 3 will be a significant upgrade thanks to LTE connectivity, which will allow you to use apps and receive notifications without being tethered to your iPhone over Bluetooth.

But one reliable analyst warns that the new model will look exactly the same as its predecessors.

Good luck getting your hands on HomePod this December

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Apple's new HomePod smart speaker is ready to rock your house.
HomePod will launch in December, but supplies will be constrained.
Photo: Apple

Apple HomePod manufacturer Inventec Appliances warns that the device will be in limited supply when it launches this December.

Analysts expect the company to ship just 500,000 units by the end of 2017. However, supplies are anticipated to improve in 2018, when Foxconn will help with manufacturing duties.

Apple rolls out sixth betas for iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, tvOS 11 and more

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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’s sixth betas for iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, tvOS 11, and watchOS 4 are now available to download for registered developers.

This rollout comes just one week after Apple seeded its fifth beta releases, which indicates the company is close to finalizing these updates for their public debut this fall.

Apple Watch Series 3 on track to launch this fall

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Apple Watch
It will deliver a big boost to one Apple supplier.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch Series 3 is on track to launch this fall, with shipments expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

Apple partner Quanta Computer will enjoy a successful end to 2017 as a result, with revenues already up as a result of increased demand for notebooks and servers.

Pikachu Snapchat filter lets you turn yourself into a Pokémon

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Snapchat dysmorphia
Pika the new Snapchat filter to turn yourself into a Pokémon
Photo: Snapchat

Snapchat has paired up with The Pokémon Company to debut a Pikachu filter that turns users’ faces into that of the famous yellow electric Pokémon.

Best of all, whenever you open your mouth you’ll hear Pikachu’s instantly recognizable voice as the animated character leaps onto the screen to strike a pose!

Apple credited with significantly boosting Taiwan’s exports to the U.S.

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple's a money-printing machine right now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Excitement over the iPhone 8, and Apple’s better-than-expected iPad sales, have driven a number of Apple suppliers in Taiwan to experience massive growth in the last financial quarter.

Taken in their entirety, the strong financial performance of Apple’s suppliers was enough to increase Taiwan’s overall export revenue to the United States in July by a massive 12.5 percent year-on-year in U.S. dollars. For those keeping track at home, that’s pretty darn impressive!

Microsoft memo confirms Consumer Reports was right about the Surface

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

A leaked Microsoft memo confirms that Consumer Reports was right to retract its recommendation rating from the Surface lineup due to reliability concerns.

Microsoft previously denied that users were experiencing an abnormal number of issues with its devices, but an internal document reveals that the Surface Book and Surface Pro 3 both have unusually high return rates long after launch.

iPhone 8 production line revealed in new videos

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
One of Foxconn's many factories, where devices like the iPhone are built.
Photo: CBS

For most of us, the iPhone 8 will arrive in a pristine box, as if it materialized out of nowhere to land in our local Apple store.

Things are a bit different if you’re working on the iPhone production line, however. Two new videos give us a glimpse of what that looks like, as Foxconn employees work on the iPhone 8 rear shells. Check out the videos, which showed up on Chinese social media, below.

Pressure mounts on Apple Watch Series 3 as shipments fall

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apple watch bands
Apple Watch Series 3 needs to be special.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 is under pressure to recapture a larger share of the wearables market after Apple was overtaken by Xiaomi and Fitbit last quarter.

Despite wearables shipments increasing 8 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2017, Apple fell to third place, shifting just 2.7 million units.

Ristar, Twitch, and other awesome apps of the week

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

Remember the innocent joy of gaming in the 1990s? You can relive it this weekend, courtesy of two rereleases of forgotten console gems from the decade of Nirvana and dial-up internet.

Those are just two of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a great update to an iOS email client and a livestreaming app for Mac.

Check out our choices below.

Why Ulysses subscription pricing is good for the App Store [Opinion]

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Ulysses subscriptions hero
Not all apps should use subscriptions, but for some, it’s the best choice.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ulysses, one of the best writing apps on the Mac and iOS, just switched to subscription pricing. It’ll now cost you $5 per month, or $40 per year. This is fantastic news for Ulysses users. It means the app will generate enough income to support itself. And it minimizes the risk of the developers abandoning the app when the flow of new users dries to a trickle.

Yet despite this good news, the internet lost it mind after yesterday’s announcement of the pricing change. Currently the Ulysses blog is only serving a single post, the one detailing the change, because the traffic has been enough to collapse the servers. What happened?

The next Apple Watch could empty my pockets — in a good way

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Hopefully I won't have to carry this stuff around with me thanks to Apple Watch Series 3
Hopefully I won't need to carry this stuff around after Apple Watch Series 3 arrives.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The latest rumors about the next-generation Apple Watch indicate it might come with LTE cellular data in a slick new design. But Apple Watch already offers data connectivity via iPhone, and Cupertino’s marketing tends to focus on benefits, not features. So how will Apple craft a new product story around built-in cellular?

My guess is it will all be about replacing the need for a very old technology: pockets. Apple Watch Series 3 will move all the contents of our pockets into the cloud.

Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone 8 Home button secrets, new tweaks in iOS 11 and more!

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cover
All kinds of iPhone 8 details have been discovered in Apple’s HomePod firmware ahead of the handset’s official unveiling.
Photo: Ste Smith

Saying goodbye to the physical Home button won’t be easy, but going virtual offers some clear advantages. Clues buried in HomePod firmware reveal one of iPhone 8’s coolest features.

In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find that story and more. Get all the new tweaks in iOS beta 5. And check out Nomad’s brand-new Sport Strap for Apple Watch. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Why this is an unbelievably terrible time to buy an iPhone

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iPhone prices summer 2017
As if the iPhone 8 wasn't enough reason to wait ...
Photo: Rhys Adams/Pixabay

By Angela Moscaritolo, DealNews

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, you may want to wait awhile. Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone, widely referred to as the iPhone 8, is expected to be released soon. Rumors suggest it’ll boast an all-new design. And if history is any indication, we’ll definitely see discounts on the iPhone 7 once the iPhone 8 makes its debut.

So when should you pounce on that new handset? Read on for our full analysis.

This handmade Apple Watch band is a true triple threat [Watch Store]

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triple tour
The Triple Tour is handmade from a solid piece of vegetable-tanned leather, and can be worn three ways.
Photo: Traci Dauphin/Cult of Mac

In a tiny workshop in Austin, Texas, one of my all-time-favorite leather straps for Apple Watch is made carefully by hand. The Triple Tour Band by Arrow & Board is a “split” version of the ubiquitous Double Tour strap — popularized by the beautiful albeit monstrously-priced Hermès version.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Microsoft Surface devices

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Surface Laptop
Beware the Surface Laptop's reliability.
Photo: Microsoft

Consumer Reports has pulled the “recommendation” rating it awarded to four Microsoft Surface devices.

The publication says the change was made as a result of “poor predicated reliability,” and said the estimated breakage rate for Microsoft tablets and notebooks was higher than that for most other brands.

Classic Sega platformer Ristar is reborn on iOS

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Ristar game
Do you remember this stretchy-armed guy?
Photo: Sega

What better way to close out the week than by reliving the glory days of 1995 with Ristar, a newly released iOS port of the classic Sega Genesis game?

Released as part of the retro Sega Forever collection, the free-to-download game is a classic side-scrolling platformer in the Sonic the Hedgehog mold — only with less focus on speed, and more on utilizing the hero’s stretchy arms in a variety of ways.

What’s next for Apple Watch? Catch the discussion on The CultCast!

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cult cast
Catch our unfiltered reactions to Apple's newest products.
Photo: Apple/Erfon Elijah

This week on The CultCast: What does Apple have in store for the next generation of  Watch? We round up the current rumors and reveal our Series 3 wish list. Then: Could Face ID actually replace Touch ID on iPhone 8? We have concerns. Plus: Proof that a 4K Apple TV is right around the corner; more incredible demos of ARKit; and we share our favorite new shows, movies and board games in an all-new What We’re Into!

Our thanks to EERO for supporting this episode. The EERO router system will blanket your home in hyper-fast, reliable Wi-Fi, and you can score free overnight shipping with code CULTCAST at checkout.

Twitch desktop app finally lands on Mac

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Twitch livestream
After months in beta, the full version is finally here.
Photo: Twitch

After several months in beta, game streaming platform Twitch’s desktop app for both Mac and Windows is finally available in its complete full version.

The app includes all the features you’d expend to find in Twitch’s web browser version, such as voice and video calling. However, it also includes a few features that you’ll only find in the app version. In other words, what are you waiting for, gamers?

Ad mockups depict iPhone 8 in all its gorgeous glory

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iphone 8 render
Take our money now!
Photo: Apple

We’re likely to get our first glimpse of the iPhone 8 next month, but for now designers are having some fun showing off not just how they think the new handset will look — but how it could be marketed as well.

These renders come from South African born designer Quinton Theron, which combine the design elements rumored about the iPhone 8 with some nifty ad-style backdrops.