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News - page 879

Hey, Apple! Thunderbolt isn’t the answer to everything

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The 2017 iMac family.
Want to run VR on a new iMac? Get ready to spend big money on an external GPU with a Thunderbolt connection.
Photo: Apple

The new Macs that Apple unveiled Monday bring welcome upgrades to Intel’s latest Kaby Lake processors. However, if you want to use the latest Apple computers for virtual reality, you’ll need to add an external graphics card in a pricey Thunderbolt 3 enclosure.

It’s yet another problem “solved” by Thunderbolt connectivity, but the do-it-all USB-C connector Apple is forcing down our throats isn’t the answer to everything.

Siri tweak lets you type your queries in iOS 11

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Type to Siri on iOS 11
Tired of talking to Siri? In iOS 11, you can tap out your requests silently.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Using Siri in public places can be a drag. Either it’s too noisy for Apple’s AI assistant to understand your query, or it’s too quiet and it’s embarrassing (or even risky) to ask Siri for help.

Luckily, iOS 11 brings a Siri upgrade that changes all that: The new Type to Siri feature lets you silently send all your questions and commands. This feature comes disabled by default, but enabling it shouldn’t take more than a few seconds.

Apple distributors in China arrested for selling data

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iPhone 6s
Oh dear.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple distributors in a coastal province in China have been arrested for allegedly trying to sell iPhone user data, according to reports.

Police in Zhejiang rounded up 22, accusing the distributors of searching an internal Apple database for Apple IDS and phone numbers. Prices for the data were cheap, ranging from a U.S. dollar equivalent of $1.50 to $26.

Apple’s new 4K iMac takes steps toward greater repairability

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New 21.5-inch iMac features removable RAM and CPU.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s new 4K 21.5-inch iMac is slightly more repairable than its predecessor, a new teardown by iFixit reveals. But there’s one big surprise buried in the computer’s guts: Both the CPU and the RAM can be swapped out when it’s time to upgrade.

While it’s still not an easily repairable computer, that’s still a change of direction for a company whose products regularly get dinged for lack of upgradeability.

Today in Apple history: 13-inch MacBook Pro makes power more portable

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Did you own the 2009-era MacBook Pro?
Photo: Bert Schulze/YouTube

xJune 8, 2009: Apple promotes its 13-inch MacBook to join the MacBook Pro family, adding a speed bump, new FireWire 800 port, the first SD card slot on a MacBook, improved LED-backlit screen, and backlit keyboard across all models.

Coming the year after Apple radically upgraded its MacBooks with a new aluminum unibody design, the update is more about evolution than revolution. But it still makes for a pretty darn great laptop!

ResearchKit gets big update that allows it to gather new types of data

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Two years after its launch, ResearchKit just got a big update.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated ResearchKit, adding a number of useful functions aimed at improving medical researchers’ ability to use iPhones around the world as mobile health gathering devices.

ResearchKit 1.5 includes three new “active tasks” researchers can incorporate into their studies, along with the added ability to display rich video content to users within apps.

Apple’s beautiful new ad celebrates Earth, as shot on iPhone

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Screen Shot 2017-06-08 at 11.29.53
Ad includes words of wisdom from Carl Sagan.
Photo: Apple

Apple has debuted a great new ad from its “Shot on iPhone” campaign, showing off some stunning videos of the world shot by everyday users. The ad is titled simply “Earth.”

It comes days after Apple reconfirmed its commitment to environmental causes after President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. Check it out below.

Week’s best Apple deals: It’s not too early to save on the new iPad Pros

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apple deals new ipad pro
You can already save big on the new iPad Pros!
Photos: Apple

It’s been less than 48 hours since we heard all the exciting news from Tim Cook & Co. during the big WWDC 2017 keynote, and we’re already seeing the first deals on preorders of the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

Not to be outdone, Apple itself is providing some impressive discounts on refurbished MacBooks and iMacs. You’ll find those surprising discounts and more in this week’s best Apple deals.

iMac Pro’s insane price tag is actually a great deal

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Apple
Is the iMac Pro really worth $5,000?
Photo: Apple

When Apple unveiled the new iMac Pro at WWDC this week, not only was it the most powerful Mac ever made, it was also one of the most pricey ever.

At $5,000 for the baseline model, the iMac Pro is aimed at the most professional of Pro users, but according to a new price analysis on competing super-powered PC, the iMac Pro might actually be a killer deal.

Sketchnotes show what’s new in iOS 11 and other Apple platforms

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Apple WWDC 2017 Platforms State of the Union sketchnotes
Apple's WWDC 2017 Platforms State of the Union session gets boiled down to its bare essentials in these sketchnotes.
Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac

The WWDC 2017 Platforms State of the Union, during which Apple laid out what’s new for developers, brimmed with updates. The session at Apple’s annual developer conference focused on fundamentals of and refinements to iOS 11, Swift and Xcode, delivering vital details for coders.

Relive the session’s highlights with these sketchnotes, which should give Apple developers and Apple users alike much to be excited about.

Apple ditches its most affordable 13-inch MacBook Pro

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Mac
Isn't it time you swapped that dusty old Mac for a new one?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s most affordable 13-inch MacBook Pro has been discontinued.

The 2015 model has held onto its place on the Apple online store as a more affordable alternative to more recent MacBook Pros, but you’ll have to buy one of the company’s latest notebooks if you want to stick with a 13-inch display.

macOS High Sierra gets a theme song, thanks to a musical fan

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Screen Shot 2017-06-07 at 17.00.52
Mann was tickled by macOS's new name.
Photo: Jonathan Mann

When Apple revealed the name of its next macOS update this week, Jonathan Mann — like a lot of Apple watchers — found himself somewhat amused by the “High Sierra” moniker.

If you don’t know Mann by name, you may well be familiar with his work. A YouTube musician and Apple fan, he has composed more than 40 songs about his favorite tech company over the years — including one that once made Steve Jobs dance.

Check out his appropriately smoky macOS High Sierra song below.

Clip these filters on your iPhone for truly striking images

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Filtering your photos old school.
Filtering your photos old school.
Photo: SANDMARC

That line, the best camera is the one that’s always with you, gets associated with the iPhone. SANDMARC says its newest product is the camera accessory you will always want with your iPhone.

It’s vying for that place with a claim of adding “cinematic drama” to your iPhone photos with a set of clip-on polarizer and neutral density filters that will improve dynamic range, reduce glare and reflections, enhance color and add motion blur.

iOS 11 makes it far easier to organize Home screen app icons

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iOS 11 brings plenty of powerful new features.
iOS 11 brings plenty of powerful new features.
Photo: Apple

Rather than completely overhauling the Home screen in iOS 11, Apple settled for a few neat tweaks that will make using your iPhone easier. One of the coolest new features makes the previously clunky process of organizing your Home screen a lot less annoying.

Rather than painstakingly dragging individual app icons across the pages of your Home screen, iOS 11 lets you move multiple icons simultaneously with this hidden trick.

Ultra-rare Apple sneakers will sell for big bucks at auction

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Prepare to remortgage your home to afford these!
Photo: Heritage Auctions

Do you hate going outside without anything on your feet? Happen to have a spare $30,000 sloshing around? Then you could be the lucky owner of an incredibly rare pair of authentic 1990s Apple sneakers, going up for auction this weekend.

Part of a Beverly Hills auction titled “The Future is Now” by Heritage Auctions, the shoes will be sold off on June 11, alongside an assortment of “sneakers, surfboards, skateboard decks and street art.”

At WWDC, Michelle Obama says diversity is key to innovation

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Michelle Obama at WWDC
Michelle Obama addressing Apple developers at WWDC.
Photo: Kenny Batista

This week, student Kenny Batista will be writing a diary from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Kenny won a coveted WWDC Scholarship, which includes food, lodging and VIP access.

SAN JOSE, California — Amazing first two days here at dub dub. Let me give you a detailed, eye-witness journal entry!

Today was Day 2 of WWDC. Former first lady Michelle Obama came in to speak on stage. She was truly inspirational. And Christine Darden, a NASA engineer portrayed in the book Hidden Figures, taught us all about supersonic airplanes.

How to ditch Apple Watch’s horrible honeycomb app screen

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Apple Watch
The honeycomb app screen has always been a pain.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is looking to move away from the honeycomb-style app selection screen that debuted on the first Apple Watch.

With the new watchOS 4 software update coming to the public later this fall, Apple added an option that lets Apple Watch owners change the way they view and select apps.

Ditch the honeycomb for good with these steps:

iOS 11 lets you text requests to Siri instead of talk

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
iOS finally has a command line.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Talking to Siri can be a bit embarrassing when you’re in crowded public spaces, but with iOS 11, Apple is finally allowing users to submit questions to the digital assistant via text.

Apple didn’t mention the new feature during its WWDC 2017 keynote, however it’s already become one of our favorite additions in the new beta because it gives iPhone and iPad owners the closest thing yet to a command line.

To enable the feature, follow these steps: