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News - page 934

iPhone 8’s wireless charging won’t be as good as we hoped

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iPhone 8 wireless charging
iPhone 8 will have wireless charging, but it won't be special.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you were hoping Apple had developed a spectacular new wireless charging system for iPhone 8, you’re going to be disappointed come September.

The latest rumor claims that Apple won’t be using range charging technology developed by Energous as previously expected, but instead one of the existing solutions already found in rival smartphones like those made by Samsung.

Apple Pay looks set to arrive in Germany and Italy soon

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple could be on its way to two new markets.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay may be set to arrive in two new markets, as Apple has updated the local support document pages for both Germany and Italy.

The pages now include translations of the “About Apple Pay” document which can be found in other markets where Apple Pay is already active. The pages were both updated last week.

Apple: Europe doesn’t understand how we make money

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money
Tim Cook has always insisted that Apple is no tax dodger.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has filed a defense against its massive European Commission tax bill, arguing that it shouldn’t have to pay its $14 billion tax bill, and that the request should be either totally or partially annulled.

The argument, essentially, is a 14-point extension of Tim Cook’s previous assertion that existing tax codes are designed for an industrial, rather than a digital age.

Apple asserts that the European Commission misunderstands Apple’s business dealings, and says the reason it shouldn’t have to pay massive taxes in Ireland is because the actual profit-driving work Apple does is carried out elsewhere.

iPhone 8’s ‘revolutionary’ FaceTime camera to bring facial recognition

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iPhone 8 facial recognition
You'll be able to unlock your iPhone simply by looking at it.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This year’s iPhone 8 will offer a “revolutionary” FaceTime camera that will be capable of facial recognition and iris scanning, according to one reliable analyst.

Apple is expected to do away with the handset’s physical Home button and Touch ID in favor of a larger display and a mini Touch Bar. Facial recognition could well become the new method of unlocking your iPhone and securing your apps.

Apple debuts two new ads showing off iPhone 7 Plus Portrait Mode

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Screen Shot 2017-02-21 at 12.27.41
Portrait Mode is a big selling point for the iPhone 7 Plus.
Photo: Apple

Apple has debuted two new ads, both shared to its YouTube page, showing off the Portrait Mode feature of the iPhone 7 Plus.

As with other ads in the series, Apple shows how the larger-sized iPhone is able to detect depth in pictures and use this to improve the quality of snaps by separating the subject from their background.

Check the ads out below.

Apple’s ‘One Night’ ads show iPhone photography around the globe

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Screen Shot 2017-02-21 at 08.04.30
Apple's new ads have an international flavor.
Photo: Apple

Apple has debuted four new ads on its YouTube channel, showing off the photography prowess of the iPhone 7 through 15 second snapshots of four different cities.

The ads highlight Johannesburg, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo, and focus particularly on the iPhone’s ability to shoot in low light conditions. Check them out below.

Should Apple give iPhone 8 a mini Touch Bar? [Friday Night Fights]

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FNF iPhone 8
Wouldn't you want an iPhone like this?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The jury’s still out on whether the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar is a useful upgrade or a fancy gimmick. But according to recent rumors, Apple is already planning to bring similar functionality to this year’s iPhone 8.

Friday Night Fights bugTo make this happen, the company would almost certainly have to drop Touch ID. Would a mini Touch Bar be worth the sacrifice, or would contextual shortcuts and buttons make iOS more complicated than it needs to be?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether a Touch Bar would be a useful addition to the iPhone!

Apple seeds new betas for iOS, watchOS and tvOS

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iOS 10.3 is full of new features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh new batch of updates from Apple today: the third beta builds for iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2.

The new beta builds come two weeks after Apple’s last betas got made available to developers, bringing a host of bug fixes, performance improvements and even some new features and UI changes for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Apple is America’s fifth most reputable company

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Will Apple ever bring manufacturing jobs back to America?
Would you buy a used Apple Car from these people?
Photo: Adam Fagen/Flickr CC

In something of a rare showing for the usually top-performing company, Apple takes “only” fifth place in the 2017 Harris Pool’s Reputation Quotient Ratings.

The list, which considers the “100 most visible companies,” is based on 20 different attributes — such as a company’s emotional appeal, social responsibility, financial performance, products and services, and more.

YouTube is killing 30-second unskippable ads

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youtube-iphone-6
YouTube's most annoying feature is going.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Google has confirmed plans to scrap 30-second unskippable ads on YouTube in 2018.

The clips, which users are forced to watch before their chosen video, are seen as a nuisance to viewers. Google will instead focus on “formats that work well for both users and advertisers.”

Apple expected to introduce red iPhone 7 in March

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For now, if you want a red iPhone, you have to buy a red case.
For now, if you want a red iPhone, you have to buy a red case.
Photo: Apple

Apple will debut a new red variant of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at a media event in March, a new report claims, citing a Barclays analyst.

The report also claims the March event will see Apple introduce a new iPad Pro lineup, as well as a new Apple Watch band and an added iPhone SE storage option.

Apple reportedly snaps up Israeli facial-recognition company

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iPhone 8 facial recognition
How facial recognition could work on a future iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly acquired RealFace, an Israeli startup that developed facial-recognition technology for user authentication.

The news comes shortly after a separate report claiming that Apple is planning to incorporate new biometric security systems into future iPhones starting in 2018.

Some popular Mac apps fail as developer certificates expire

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Screen Shot 2017-02-18 at 9.26.30 PM
1Password is one of the apps that stopped working this weekend.
Photo: AgileBits

Several popular Mac apps began crashing over the weekend after their developer certificates expired.

The apps suddenly refused to open due to a change Apple made to its signing policy last year. Apple now requires that all apps from the Mac App Store have a valid provisioning profile that must be updated periodically.

You can now buy Snapchat Spectacles online

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Snapchat is taking TV serious.
The wait is over (if you live in the U.S.).
Photo: Snap

Snapchat Spectacles can finally be purchased online.

Until today, the glasses were only available from a popup store in New York City, or from bright yellow vending machines that popped up randomly in different cities for just 24 hours. Now anyone in the U.S. can get their hands on a pair through the new Spectacles store.

Slayaway Camp, TwIM, and other awesome apps of the week

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

What better way is there to spend a lazy Sunday than by catching up on the best apps you missed over the past week? Fortunately, Cult of Mac has done the leg work for you in selecting what we think are the most important new apps or app updates to arrive over the past seven days.

Check out our picks below. And then get downloading!

The big changes coming to iPhone 8, this week on The CultCast

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According to new reports, iPhone 8 is getting the big changes you've been waiting for.
According to new reports, iPhone 8 is getting the big changes you've been waiting for.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This week on The CultCast: According to new reports, the iPhone 8 will get a huge makeover with an edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, a huge battery and more. We’ll tell you everything we know. Plus: A 4K Apple TV is on the way; our favorite TV shows from days of yore; and the search for the perfect corn dog.

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.

This ugly case disguises iPhone prototypes in the wild

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Apple is ultra-protective of prototype iPhones.
Apple is ultra-protective of prototype iPhones.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

It’s no secret that Apple loves to keep products secret, but thanks to a new leak we can now see the crazy lengths the company goes to just to keep prototype iPhones under wraps.

Notorious Apple leaker Sonny Dickson has put out some new images of an ugly iPhone case allegedly used by Apple to keep the iPhone 6s secret. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but there are a bunch of tiny details that help Apple keep features from leaking.

Apple pushes iPad Pro as PC killer in new ads

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The iPad Pro comes with LTE.
The iPad Pro comes with LTE.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s latest advertising campaign for the iPad Pro touts how well the tablet works as a PC replacement.

The funny new ads, released today, use real tweets from real people to highlight how the iPad Pro excels over old-school computers in areas like speed, Wi-Fi, productivity and viruses. Each clip is only 15 seconds long — and they all exhibit a playful tone that’s similar to the old “Get a Mac” campaign.

Watch all four right here:

Apple’s Sydney store cleared due to possible bomb threat

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Apple_Store_in_George_Street,_Sydney
The George Street Apple store was evacuated.
Photo: Jon Bragg/Flickr CC

Apple’s flagship retail store in Sydney, Australia, was temporarily evacuated earlier today as part of a “police operation.”

A sniffer dog was spotted entering the building, while the three-story venue was cleared of customers by police, who also diverted local traffic. According to one customer who was evacuated, store employees were talking about a bomb threat. She noted that police were “very firm in telling people to leave immediately.”

Samsung chief is arrested on bribery, embezzlement and perjury charges

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Galaxy S7 is pretty, powerful, and packing huge improvements.
The man arrested is the likely heir to the Samsung empire.
Photo: Samsung

The de-facto head of Samsung, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, was arrested earlier today on alleged corruption charges.

According to the special prosecutor’s office, Lee — who is the heir apparent to the Samsung Group and only son of Samsung’s incapacitated chairman — is being held on charges including bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury.

Apple will build iPhones in India regardless of perks

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Loads of people love the iPhone SE's smaller form factor.
Apple is keen to grow its market share in India.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to begin manufacturing iPhones in India whether or not it has received agreement from the government over proposed tax relief incentives, a new report claims.

The first iPhones to be assembled in India are said to be 300,000 – 400,000 iPhone SE models, which will be manufactured at a plant owned by Winstron in Karnataka, Bengaluru.