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News - page 898

Apple and Nokia join forces after settling patent dispute

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Nokia
Keeping Nokia at bay isn't cheap.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple and Nokia have settled their ongoing patent dispute and entered a new licensing and business cooperation agreement.

Apple will resume selling Nokia digital health products, formerly sold under the Withings brand, while Nokia will provide Apple with network infrastructure products and services.

Apple’s self-driving car filmed cruising California highway

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lexus
The 2015 Lexus RX450h is Apple's vehicle of choice.
Photo: Lexus

The first video footage of Apple’s self-driving car has already surfaced on the internet, just over a month after the company first received permission to drive on public roads.

Apple’s self-driving car is actually a Lexus RX450h outfitted with sensors powered by Apple’s own autonomous driving software. Video of the car in action reveals Apple’s project is already highway-worthy as the company races to catch up to its competition.

Watch it cruise the road with ease:

Apple launches new ‘Switch to iPhone’ ads and website

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Android users can jump to iOS with ease.
Android users can jump to iOS with ease.
Photo: Apple

Apple is turning up the heat on Android with a fresh redesign of its website that teaches smartphone customers how to transition to iPhone.

The new site makes it super-easy for Android users to make the change to iOS by promoting one of Apple’s only Android apps: Move to iOS.

Trade-up to the iPhone 7 and capture all of your trips this summer in perfect clarity

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iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus cameras
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus helped Apple reverse a three-quarter sales decline.
Photo: Apple

Summer is finally upon us and staying up to date with the latest devices is essential for vacation season.  With long awaited trips rapidly approaching, having a great camera to document all your adventures is paramount. Do yourself a favor this summer, sell your old device, and upgrade to a new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus just in time for that beach trip!

New MacBook Pro gives Apple a Q1 sales bump

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MacBook
The new MacBook Pro has been great for Apple's bottom line.
Photo: Apple

Despite a slow global market, Apple’s notebook sales experienced year-over-year growth last quarter, according to a new report that reveals the new MacBook Pro provided the company with a considerable bump in sales.

Notebook shipments were up 6.1% worldwide for the first quarter of 2017 with total shipments hitting 37.81 million units. That’s great news for manufacturers, but TrendForces’ latest findings show that a cool down period could be on the way.

iPhone shipments are growing in all the right places

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iPhone 7 camera
Even more powerful iPhone cameras are coming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone sales might have fallen year-on-year during the first quarter of 2017, but shipments continue to grow in a number of key markets.

In fact, new data shows that shipments declined only in China and Japan during the first few months of the year.

Mac setups featuring a 3D printed Mac Pro, portable screens and more in this week’s iSetups

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mac setups
Want to see a super cool custom, 3D printed HDD case? Of course you do.
Photo: Alex Castro/Morten Bietilæ/Joakim Jidbacken

The great thing about Mac setups is that they can all be completely different. While one person may dream of a super minimalist science lab-type room, another may want an inspiring, comfortable haven. That’s what makes this week’s iSetups submissions so great.

iSetups is our new show that highlights the best Apple-centric setups submitted by our viewers. (You’ll also get plenty of tips and tricks for how you can improve your own setup.) Check them out for yourself in the video below, as well as full breakdowns and links to featured products.

Nike’s new Apple Watch bands mean no more mismatched wrist and shoes

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Nike_Vapormax_DTN_Direction2_Full_Set_16x9_native_1600.0
See what we mean?
Photo: Nike

Ever been socially ostracized for wearing an Apple Watch band that doesn’t match the color of your sneakers, or is way too bright for the time of day you’re rocking it?

Such nightmarish scenarios are set to come to an end this June, courtesy of Apple and Nike’s latest collaboration. Announced today, Nike is releasing four new chic Nike Sports Bands for Apple Watch, coming in colors matching the Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit “Day to Night” collection.

iPhone 8 sized up by new chassis molds

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Screen Shot 2017-05-22 at 13.24.15
The iPhone 8 is the one in the middle with the vertical camera configuration.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

New photos posted online apparently reveal molds of Apple’s upcoming 2017 iPhone refresh — including both the major iPhone 8 upgrade, and the smaller iPhone 7s and 7s Plus updates.

While it’s not confirmed that the molds are genuine, they do appear to back up a number of details about Apple’s next-gen (and not quite so next-gen) handsets. Check the other images out below.

Working Apple-1 disappoints at auction

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Apple-1
The Apple-1 went for a bargain $112,000.
Photo: Auction Team Breker

A rare functioning Apple-1 computer has sold for $112,000 at auction in Berlin — considerably less than the predicted $200,000-$334,000 auctioneers expected it to fetch.

Given that, in 2014, another Apple-1 computer sold at auction for an incredible $905,000, it’s proof positive that the spike in Apple-1 prices which followed Steve Jobs’ death is most likely over.

Old Man’s Journey, Google Assistant, and other awesome apps of the week

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

A gorgeously illustrated, story-driven game with an utterly unique gameplay mechanic is just one of the titles we’ve picked out for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also got Google’s AI assistant, a classic Capcom game finally landed in the App Store after almost 30 years, and a third party keyboard that’s gotten even better. Check out our picks below.

Will Siri ever be as good as the Google Assistant? [Friday Night Fights]

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The gap is getting wider.
The gap is getting wider.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google brought its Google Assistant to iOS this week, finally giving iPhone fans a taste of the best virtual assistant on the planet. But those on Android are in for so much more, with major improvements on the way, including impressive Google Lens integration.

Friday Night Fights bugThe changes make it harder than ever for Siri to catch up. Despite the improvements Apple made with iOS 10, it still feels like Siri is well behind its rivals. Is that gap now too big, or can Apple catch up? Will Siri ever be as good as the Google Assistant?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we wage war over virtual assistants.

Apple’s patented pizza box gets a hands-on review

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Pizza box
A thin crust pizza from Caffé Macs in a round box.
Photo: The Outline

Apple’s patented pizza box set the tech press on fire earlier this week when Wired took a behind-the-scenes look at the nearly finished Apple Park campus.

Even though the story packed tons of interesting details about the campus — like how it originally looked like a penis until Steve Jobs’ son intervened — the custom-designed Apple pizza box stole everyone’s attention. The box has actually been on Apple campus for a long time, but was never seen by the public until now.

Beautiful iOS 11 concept shows big changes iPad needs

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They call it
They call it "The Shelf".
Photo: Federico Viticci

Apple hasn’t exactly given the iPad first priority when it comes to iOS updates, but that could change next month at WWDC where the company is expected to unveil iOS 11.

Most of the iOS 11 concepts we’ve seen have been all about the iPhone, but iPad power-user Federico Viticci and Sam Beckett created a beautiful concept that shows some big and simple changes that would transform the iPad from a fun tablet into a pro machine. Features like Finder, Drag and Drop between apps, multi-channel audio and more are on display in the fantastic mockup.

Apple, if you’re reading this, please steal these features:

Why I love Apple’s hideous Smart Battery Case

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iPhone case
Apple's Smart Battery case has got me charged!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s own battery case, cleverly titled the Smart Battery Case, has been on the market for over two years now. I had never really taken an interest in it;  it was just another battery case, only this one looked like it was pregnant with an iPod.

That was until last week, when I was desperately in need of some form of charger for my iPhone and decided to pick one up. Since then, my thoughts on what was just an ugly, overpriced battery case have totally changed.

Check out the video below to find out why it’s earned a place in my heart — and is now my favorite iPhone case.

iPhone 8 still on track for September launch

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iPhone 8 concept
The OLED revolution has begun.
Photo: Concept

Worry no more about an iPhone 8 delay.

According to the latest rumors surrounding Apple’s next-generation smartphone, a launch will go ahead in September as originally planned. Analysts say they see no delays in the company’s supply chain, and still expect the iPhone 8 to enter mass production on time.

Records confirm Apple is fighting the ‘right to repair’ bill

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apple-iphone-cracked-security-mac-ios-malware-flaw
Apple doesn't want users to perform repairs themselves.
Photo: Faris Algosaibi/Flickr CC

New York state records show that Apple has been lobbying hard against the Fair Repair Act, a bill that would force companies to sell replacement parts to customers.

Apple isn’t the only company opposed to the bill. According to New York State’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics, others include Verizon, Toyota, printer company Lexmark, heavy machinery marker Caterpillar, phone insurance company Asurion, medical device company Medtronic, and the Consumer Technology Association are also fighting against it.

New MacBook Pros as WWDC? Don’t miss this week’s CultCast!

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Are you ready for Apple to make Macs
Are you ready for Apple to make Macs "pro" again?
Photo: Cult of Mac

This week, on The CultCast: new MacBook Pros at WWDC? Insiders say yes! We’ll tell you all we know. Plus: why future Macs might get much faster CPUs; Apple makes a big move to bring manufacturing back to the US; and we’ll wrap up with 5 weird and whacky facts about the new Apple Park campus.

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