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News - page 929

Apple to switch up its manufacturing process for iPhone 8

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iPhone 7 black
Apple's making big changes for an all-new iPhone 8.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will adopt a new manufacturing process to deliver an all-new form factor for iPhone 8, according to a new report. The next-generation Apple smartphone will use a stainless steel forging process for its metal frame as opposed to traditional CNC machining.

Apple’s Carpool Karaoke show will roll with a new host each episode

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Carpool Karaoke
Missy and Michelle be puttin' it down in Carpool Karaoke.
Photo: CBS Studios

Instead of having a single host, Apple’s upcoming TV show Carpool Karaoke will put someone new in the driver’s seat each episode.

The company also plans to add more interview elements to the show, which was created by Late Late Show host James Corden. The show will pair different musicians and celebrities for each of the first 16 episodes during Season 1.

Apple drops first new beta updates of 2017

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iOS 10 is awesome — but is it enough?
A new iOS 10 beta is here.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first big batch of beta updates of 2017 have finally arrived from Apple, bringing developers a slew of bug fixes and performance improvements on the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Apple’s betas come nearly three weeks after the last batch of updates. The new software updates includes the third betas for iOS 10.2.1, macOS 10.12.3, tvOS 10.1.1 and watchOS 3.1.3.

Promising 2017 makes Apple ‘top pick’ for investors

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iPhone 8 concept
iPhone 8 is expected to be a huge success for Apple this year.
Photo: iDropNews

Analysts have labeled Apple a “top pick” for investors in 2017.

Morgan Stanley predicts Apple will have a successful year due to a variety of factors, including the much-anticipated iPhone 8, a potential 11-point deduction in tax rate, and consumer loyalty in China where iPhone sales are expected to grow 20 percent.

Sun-baked iPhone 7 Plus ad focuses on Portrait Mode

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Screen Shot 2017-01-09 at 15.39.03 1
Shooting in portrait is no longer for n00bs.
Photo: Apple

Apple dropped a charming new iPhone ad over the weekend, showing off the Portrait mode available on Apple’s phablet-size iPhone 7 Plus.

Called “Take Mine,” the ad tells the story of a young woman who arrives in a Greek village to visit her grandma, only to quickly become an in-demand portrait photographer for the locals. Upbeat, warm, and showing off the iPhone 7’s impressive tech without a hard sales pitch, it’s a definite winner.

Check it out below:

Apple pulls iOS app that helped locate lost AirPods

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Finder-for-AirPods
"Finder for AirPods" has been pulled by Apple.
Photo: Deucks

Apple has pulled a third-party app that helped users locate lost AirPods.

“Finder for AirPods” first landed on the App Store last week and used a Bluetooth signal to track down missing earpieces. But just days later, it’s gone, with Apple telling its creator that it is “not appropriate for the App Store.”

Tim Cook on iPhone birthday: ‘We’re just getting started’

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iPhone
The iPhone turns 10 today!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Today marks ten years since Steve Jobs first unveiled the original iPhone (check out our handy iPhone history here) and, according to Tim Cook, “the best is yet to come.”

Cook’s comment was made as part of a press release, put out by Apple to celebrate the event. “iPhone is an essential part of our customers’ lives, and today more than ever it is redefining the way we communicate, entertain, work and live,” he noted, adding that the iPhone has “set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade — and we are just getting started.”

Apple to deliver 3 new iPads this spring, but no new mini

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iPad Pro
The iPad lineup could look a lot different this spring.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to unveil three new iPad devices this spring, but none of them will cater to fans of the iPad mini.

According to one reliable analyst, the company is focusing its efforts on updating the 9.7-inch iPad and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and on introducing a new model with a 10- to 10.5-inch display.

This is the iPod-style UI originally built for iPhone

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Good thing Apple didn't ship this.
Good thing Apple didn't ship this.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

The original iPhone nearly came with a digital click wheel that mimicked the iPod’s interface, according to video of an alleged prototype running the software that has not previously been made public.

Former Apple engineers confirmed in the past that Apple created a click-wheel-based solution for the iPhone’s software during the early stages of development, but until now, no one outside Apple had seen what it looked like.

The worst gadgets of CES 2017, this week on The CultCast

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Bluetooth hair brushes, smart refrigerators, dancing robots—welcome to CES 2017.
Bluetooth hair brushes, smart refrigerators, dancing robots—welcome to CES 2017.
Photo: Engadget

CES2017 This week on The CultCast: We run you through the most ridiculous gizmos at CES 2017 — stuff that nobody on earth actually needs. Then we spice things up with our most hotly anticipated tech of 2017.

And finally, we’re gonna be real with you guys…. Apple had a rough 2016. But that’s all behind us now. It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start. We discuss what Apple needs to get right in 2017.

Best HomeKit-compatible smart home devices from CES 2017

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ces_homekit
HomeKit devices are spawning fast.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

CES2017 The jury’s still out on whether HomeKit will really take over our homes and all the smart devices in them, but new HomeKit-compatible devices continue to pop up all the time. At CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, vendors showed off a bunch of them, from light switches to security cameras.

Here’s our roundup of the best.

Does Apple Watch Series 3 need a major overhaul? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Will you buy another Apple Watch that looks like this?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The next-generation Apple Watch will be another incremental upgrade focused on performance and battery life improvements, according to recent rumors. But almost three years after the original model made its debut, should we be expecting more?

Friday Night Fights bugMany Apple Watch fans have been hoping for a slimmer form factor, while earlier rumors promised features like cellular connectivity and even a FaceTime camera. Would you buy another Apple Watch that looks the same but lasts longer in between charges?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether Apple Watch Series 3 needs a major overhaul.

iOS 10 now installed on 76% of devices

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iPhone SE
Users love iOS 10.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has revealed its latest App Store stats as of January, which show that iOS 10 has now been installed on 76 percent of devices.

The update made its public debut less than four months ago, bringing a revamped Messages experience, new 3D Touch features, a more open Siri, and lots more.

While Apple goes thin, Windows PCs go fat at CES 2017

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Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Photo: Acer

CES2017 Apple got some serious flak from fans when it unveiled its new MacBook Pro at the end of 2016, but if CES 2017 is any indicator, Apple’s not in danger of being out innovated by PCs anytime soon.

The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar may not be a phenomenal innovation. And its four USB-C ports mean you’ll need some dongles. But when looking at the competition, the MacBook Pro is hands-down the sleekest, most useful and most beautiful laptop you can get in the world right now.

Look at these embarrassing Windows laptops:

Tiny iPhone attachment projects bedtime stories on walls

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Moonlite uses your smartphone flash to project illustrated bedtime stories.
Moonlite uses your smartphone flash to project illustrated bedtime stories.
Photo: Moonlite/YouTube

Natalie Rebot tried reading bedtimes stories to her 3-year-old daughter, but they didn’t hold her interest. So one night mom pulled out her iPhone and used the flashlight mode to create shadow play on the bedroom walls.

The nightly ritual stirred young Chloe’s imagination. The gears in mom’s head started turning, too, and before long, Rebot had designed a smartphone attachment that uses the camera flash to project a story on walls and ceilings.

Apple execs pay dearly for 2016’s failures

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Tim Cook
Apple named in another top tech list.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook received less pay in 2016 as a result of the company missing revenue and profit goals.

In a new filing with the SEC, Apple revealed that other top executives also got less compensation for 2016 as well. Cook only took home $8.7 million last year after being paid $10.2 million in in 2015.

Cute Apple Watch stand will drive Mac fans crazy

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This stand from elago will charge your Apple Watch in a time warp.
This stand from elago will charge your Apple Watch in a time warp.
Photo: elago

If you have an Apple Watch on your wrist and an old Mac in your heart, the design company elago has a stand that will take you back in time.

The Apple Watch rests on the W3 stand behind a silicon housing that is a cute scale model of a 1984 Macintosh computer monitor, incorporating the watch face so it appears you have a little working Mac.

Track how drunk you are with this Apple Watch accessory

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The BACtrack Skyn puts a blood-alcohol sensor on your wrist.
The BACtrack Skyn puts a blood-alcohol sensor on your wrist.
Photo: BACtrack

Getting a reading of your blood-alcohol content levels is about to become as easy as glancing at your Apple Watch.

The first-ever wearable alcohol monitor made its debut at CES in Las Vegas this week, giving drinkers a new option for keeping track of whether or not they’re fit to get behind the wheel.

At 80, Polaroid’s new gear embraces the past while eyeing the future

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The Polaroid booth at CES 2017 in Las Vegas shows the company's embrace of the past as it moves forward.
The Polaroid booth at CES 2017 in Las Vegas shows the company's embrace of the past as it moves forward.
Photo: Polaroid

CES2017 The iPhone and Instagram get credit for being the first shoot-and-share social network, but even Steve Jobs would say that’s wrong. The Polaroid camera introduced a social component to taking pictures in the late 1940s, the first instant photography with three steps — shoot, shake and share.

Polaroid brought disruptive innovation to the market and also became a casualty of it when it failed to change course in time to be part of the digital photography revolution.

But a new version of Polaroid is thriving and even stirring up some buzz this week at CES in Las Vegas with new products covering iPhone photography, consumer 3D printing, camera drones and fun cameras that produce an on-the-spot print.

Week’s best Apple deals: Accessorize your gadgets on the cheap

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iphone and ipad accessories
You've got the Apple gear. Now it's time to accessorize.
Images: CASEFORMERS, iNK Stories, Logitech

Whether you received the gifts you wanted over the holidays, or had to return something and treat yourself, you’ve probably gotten the Apple gadgets you want by now. Take this time to accessorize the ones you’ve got.

We found cases, keyboards and more for this week’s roundup best Apple deals.

Sennheiser’s new earbuds let you record 3D audio on your iPhone

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These headphones record audio in 3D.
These headphones record audio in 3D.
Photo: Sennheiser

CES2017 At a time when most headphone manufacturers are embracing the wireless earbuds, Sennheiser has decided to unveil one of the smartest pairs of wired earbuds ever created.

Yes, you can listen to your tunes on the new AMBEO Smart Surround earphones and the music will sound great. But what sets the new buds apart from every other pair debuting at CES is these ones come with the ability to record 3D audio using only your iPhone.

These smart wireless earbuds make AirPods look dumb

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Nuheara IQbuds work like regular wireless earbuds, but add
Nuheara IQbuds work like regular wireless earbuds, but add "augmented hearing" to the mix so you can focus on a conversation.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

CES2017 SAN FRANCISCO — Apple packed some amazing tech into its weird-looking AirPods. But to Nuheara co-founder David Cannington, Apple’s white-hot wireless earphones are just “dumb wireless.”

Sure, AirPods let you listen to music, take phone calls and tap into Siri, but they represent a missed opportunity because they don’t solve a crucial problem faced by many people in the modern world: hearing what’s going on around them.

As you might have guessed, Cannington’s company tackled this problem with a new product that launched at CES this week. Nuheara’s IQbuds are smart, truly wireless earbuds that do more than just make calls and deliver high-fidelity audio to your ears. They make it possible to carry on conversations in noisy environments like restaurants, bars and even massive Las Vegas trade shows.