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News - page 899

Nestlé is sued over a game designed by Apple’s co-founders

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Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak make important connections at the Homebrew Computer Club.
Breakout is a Silicon Valley classic.
Photo: Apple/Computer History Museum

A video game co-created by Apple founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs is at the center of a lawsuit between Atari and confectionary company Nestlé, concerning an ad which screened in the U.K.

The 30-second advert was intended to promote Kit Kat, a chocolate bar made by Nestlé in the United Kingdom (in the U.S. it is manufactured by the Hershey Company). It showed a modified, unlicensed version of the 1975 Atari game Breakout — only with chocolate instead of bricks.

And Atari’s none too happy about it!

Walmart’s new Vudu app for Apple TV has landed

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Vudu Apple TV
Vudu has 4,000 movies for free, and access to your UltraViolet library.
Photo: Vudu

Walmart’s new Vudu app for Apple TV is now available to download from the tvOS App Store.

It provides access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows, and lets you stream your UltraViolet Blu-rays at no extra cost — providing they’re in the Vudu library. But it comes with some annoying limitations.

iPhone 8’s most exciting component leaks out early

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iPhone 8 facial recognition sensor
This could be the sensor that brings 3D facial recognition to iPhone 8.
Photo: SlashLeaks

The most exciting component Apple will pack into iPhone 8 has supposedly leaked out early. The module pictured above is what will allegedly provide the tenth-anniversary iPhone with impressive facial recognition capabilities that could one day replace Touch ID.

AirPods are shipping faster than ever before

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AirPods in case
AirPods aren't as good without iPhone
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Shipping times for AirPods have finally fallen below one month. In most countries, the wait has been reduced to just two to three weeks when ordering from the Apple online store, which is the lowest it has been since the earphones made their debut last December.

Telltale’s new episodic Batman game lands on iOS next month

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Batman Enemy Within
iOS gamers can return to Gotham City next month.
Photo: Telltale Games

Telltale’s episodic point-and-click adventure game Batman: The Enemy Within has finally gotten a release date on iOS.

Episodes one and two of the sequel to 2016’s Batman: The Telltale Series will land in the iOS App Store on September 26. Episode one of the five-part series was released on consoles and PC in early August, but mobile gamers must wait a bit to get their hands on the new title.

In the meantime, check out the Batman: The Enemy Within trailer below.

Vintage news video shows Apple leaks aren’t a new phenomenon

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Still from a 1988 news report about a Macintosh Portable leak
I wish every Apple leak was presented like this.
Photo: KGO/Fast Company

It’s easy to think that the constant leaks about upcoming Apple products started during the age of Cupertino-obsessed blogs like, well, the one you’re reading right now. However, a recently digitized news report from February 1988 — concerning a “Macintosh Portable” leak — serves as a reminder that Apple rumors have been around for a long time.

Check out the vintage report, from a San Francisco news station, below.

Apple’s 3D sensing tech is two years ahead of the competition

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iPhone 8
Android manufacturers aren't in a rush to copy all of the iPhone 8's features.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

Don’t expect Android phones to be able to match the upcoming iPhone’s 3D sensing technology any year soon.

According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple competitor Qualcomm is working on its own 3D sensing tech, but it’s at least two years behind. And handset-makers aren’t in a rush to embrace it quite yet.

Roland’s pocket-sized GO MIXER adds great audio to iPhone movies

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go mixer hero
The GO MIXER adds good-quality sound to your iPhone videos.
Photo: Roland

The Roland GO MIXER is a little box that improves the audio on your movies. Aimed mostly at musicians, but usable by anyone with a microphone and the need to shoot a video, the little Lightning-powered box hooks together all your musical instruments and mixes them, live, before sending the audio to your iPhone (or Android device).

tvOS 11 beta includes references to unannounced 4K Apple TV

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apple tv and siri remote
A new Apple TV is on the horizon.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

References to a new Apple TV device have been discovered in the latest beta for tvOS 11, which could indicate that the new set top box is close to a possible launch.

Developers have been combing through the files in tvOS 11 beta 7 after Apple released it this morning it alongside new iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra betas. While the beta doesn’t come with any major new features, one developer discovered it contains some hints about the long-rumored 4K Apple TV.

New iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra betas bring minor tweaks

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
Grab iOS 11 beta 7 while it's fresh!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Development of iOS 11 appears to be nearing the finish line, as Apple seeded a fresh new beta for its big update of the software that powers iPhones and iPads.

iOS 11 beta 7, along with new betas for macOS High Sierra and tvOS 11, are now available to registered developers. They bring a bunch of new bug fixes and performance improvements to the operating systems, which are expected to be released to the public later this fall.

Windows Store proves Apple’s strict guidelines are a necessity

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Windows Store movies
Windows Store has an illegal movies problem.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is often criticized for its strict App Store guidelines that prevent all kinds of titles from being approved. But the state of the Windows Store proves strict guidelines are a necessity.

Microsoft’s marketplace is currently littered with apps that allow users to illegally stream movies and TV shows for free. There’s also a range of titles that provide access to pirated music.

iPhone 8’s amazing facial recognition is super quick, works in the dark

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face tracking
Apple's new face recognition will be a game changer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 8’s facial recognition feature will work “within a few hundred milliseconds,” be more secure than the existing Touch ID sensor, and even work in the dark, a pair of new reports claim.

In addition to the regular iPhone sensors you’d expect to find, the upcoming handset will reportedly boast a new “structured light” sensor, which uses bounced infrared light to work out the depth of different points on the face.

ZCast update makes iPhone’s best podcasting platform better

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ZCast on iPhone
ZCast now supports high-definition audio recording.
Photo: ZCast

ZCast, the app that makes podcasting from an iOS device easy, just got a big new update that makes it an even greater platform for publishing your own shows.

Version 3.0 gives users the ability to record in studio-quality audio, and support for social media embeds that allow fans to enjoy your content directly within tweets and Facebook posts.

Barclays customers can now make payments using Siri

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Barclays bank sign
Barclays just made Apple Pay even greater.
Photo: Barclays

Barclays is making it even easier for its customers to spend their hard-earned cash.

The latest update to its Mobile Banking app on iOS lets you use Siri to send money to any existing payee, but there is a limit to how much you can send with your voice.

Exciting iPhone 8 components continue to leak early

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Slashleaks
Apple's edge-to-edge iPhone 8 display.
Photo: Slashleaks

The latest purported iPhone 8 components leak appears to show the handset’s display assembly, flex cables for power transfer, and part of the Lightning connector.

The new component leaks appear to confirm previous reports about the form factor of the new iPhone 8 display. Check out the other two pics below.

Apple invites iTunes users to donate to civil rights advocacy group

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iTunes donation
Apple recently made a $1 million donation the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its iTunes desktop and mobile storefronts to grant users the ability to donate money to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation.

Users have the option of donating in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 increments. Apple states that 100 percent of donations will be transferred to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and that it won’t share user information with the organization.

NASA’s solar eclipse coverage, Data Wing, and other awesome apps of the week

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

Want to know which app to download for everything you need to know about this week’s total solar eclipse? We’ve singled out one of the best options as part of our latest “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also got a great update to a brilliant iOS fighting game, a story-driven racing title, and a big improvement to ESPN’s app for every sport lover out there. Check out our choices below.

Today in Apple history: Apple becomes the most valuable public company ever

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A photo of an iPhone with U.S. money on the screen
By 2012, Apple was a giant.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

August 20: Today in Apple history: Apple becomes the most valuable public company ever August 20, 2012: Apple breaks records as it becomes the most valuable public company in human history.

When markets close, Apple’s market cap — the stock price multiplied by the number of outstanding shares — sits at an astonishing $623.5 billion. This beats the previous record of $618.9 billion set by Microsoft on December 30, 1999, at the height of the dot-com bubble.

Why Apple may make your next TV, this week on The CultCast

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The Apple television lives!
The Apple television lives!
Photo: Getty

This week on The CultCast: Apple makes a major play to become the next HBO. Meanwhile, intriguing new images surface showing what looks to be a product we all thought had died — the long lost Apple Television.

Plus: A trusted source says Apple’s next Watch will be more boring than we hoped; and finally … eating bugs … Thai Tinder … yes, Buster Heine is back to share strange stories from his travels deep into the heart of Thailand.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.

Apple ditches many color options for iPhone, Apple Watch accessories

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iPhone 7 cases
What's disappeared where you are?
Photo: Apple

Apple has begun eliminating official accessories in many color options from its online store.

Shoppers are discovering that a number of iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch accessories are no longer available in some color options. They are likely being phased out before new accessories for Apple’s next-generation devices arrive this fall.

iPhone 8’s powerful new A11 chip is pictured for the first time

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TSMC A11 chip
This is the chip that will power Apple's next-gen iPhone.
Photo: Slashleaks

As we get closer to the iPhone 8’s launch, more and more alleged components are starting to show up online. The latest is what is reported to be the A11 chip which will power the next-gen device.

Made by TSMC, previous reports have stated that the new chip is manufactured using a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion used in the iPhone 7. It should also be faster than the A10X Fusion chip used in the latest iPad Pros.

Apple’s impenetrable security chip is penetrated by hacker

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Touch ID
But don't worry — Face ID isn't going anywhere.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s supposedly impenetrable security chip found inside iOS devices has been penetrated.

A hacker has released what is claimed to be a decryption key for the Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) that handles things like Touch ID and password verification. But we shouldn’t worry about the security of our Apple devices being compromised… yet.

Best Buy’s 50-hour sale offers big iPhone 7, MacBook discounts

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iPhone 7 red
Cult of Mac pays real cash for your old Apple devices.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Best Buy will kick off a massive 50-hour sale later today, offering generous discounts on a number of Apple’s hottest products, including the MacBook, iMac, iPhone 7, and iPad mini.

The company is also slashing up to $200 off Beats headphones, and up to $600 off LG’s 4K TVs.