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What the Xiaomi Mi Mix could tell us about the next iPhone

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Mi-Max-display
Mi Mix is easily the prettiest smartphone to date.
Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s incredible new Mi Mix smartphone brings a jaw-dropping “edgeless” display, a ceramic design and groundbreaking new technologies.

Unveiled today, it isn’t just the prettiest smartphone of 2016; it’s the prettiest smartphone to date.

The Mi Mix is not an iPhone clone — something Xiaomi has become famous for — but it could tell us a lot about Apple’s next handset.

Apple leaks images of new MacBook Pro with ‘Magic Toolbar’

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MacBook Pro
The Magic Toolbar looks like one long key.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Need more proof that Apple is going to launch a new MacBook Pro on Thursday?

Apple accidentally leaked images of the OLED touchbar on the upcoming MacBook Pro in its latest update for macOS Sierra. Not only do the images confirm what we’ve known for months, but they also give us a glimpse at how the Magic Toolbar will work.

Check it out:

Apple squeezes Blackberry to build carOS

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Ford CarPlay
CarPlay has a new podcasts player.
Photo: Ford

The rotting corpse of Blackberry Ltd. may provide the extra juice needed to get Apple’s car project rolling.

Apple has reportedly poached key engineers from BlackBerry’s QNX team in Canada to help develop the operating system for its self-driving car. And the iPhone-maker has set up shop just five-minutes away from the QNX offices.

Your iOS devices can be hacked just by opening a JPEG

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photos in ios 10
Beware this nasty bug in iOS 10.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you haven’t already installed Apple’s latest iOS 10.1 update, do it now. Thanks to a vulnerability in earlier release of its software, it’s possible for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to be hacked using only a malicious JPEG image or PDF file.

Steve Jobs’ yacht designer created Xiaomi’s insane new concept phone

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xiaomi-mi-mix
Xiaomi's latest smartphone is a stunner.
Photo: Xiaomi

The Mi Mix, an intriguing new concept phone from Xiaomi, offers an edgeless 6.4-inch display in a form factor no bigger than a regular 5.7-inch handset.

The feature-packed new smartphone was designed in partnership with French designer Philippe Starck, who is perhaps most familiar to Cult of Mac readers as the man who designed Steve Jobs’ high-tech yacht.

Apple Pay goes live in Japan, but not without its problems

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Apple Pay
Apple Pay arrived in Japan today.
Photo: Apple

Apple Pay made its debut in Japan today, although it didn’t completely get off to the best start.

The reason? One of the most eagerly-anticipated selling points of the service — the ability to use it on the subway — didn’t work properly. While East Japan Railway Co. says things were fixed within a few hours, the rush hour outage has made some users worried about future system stability.

What to expect from Apple earnings call Q4 2016

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money
Apple will reveal Q4 2016 earnings on October 25.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

During tomorrow’s Apple earnings call, Tim Cook is likely to unload some bad news. Wall Street expects Apple to report its first annual revenue decline since 2001, snapping one of the most impressive streaks ever witnessed.

Slumping iPhone sales mean Apple’s annual revenue could drop to $215.67 billion for 2016. That would be a significant decline from the $233.72 billion in revenue Apple posted in 2015 — but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Suge Knight claims Dr. Dre tried to kill him over Apple money

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Dre's finally apologizing for his misogyny.
Suge Knight has not forget about Dre.
Photo: Beats

Beats co-founder and Apple employee Andre Young, aka Dr. Dre, allegedly hired a hitman to kill Suge Knight, according to a lawsuit filed by Knight.

The former hip-hop mogul who co-founded Death Row Records claims Dre tried to have him murdered because Knight was owed a $300 million payout after Apple’s $3.4 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics in 2014. That deal made Dr. Dre the first billionaire in hip-hop.

iPhone sales expected to explode in 2017

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iPhone-7
The 2017 iPhone will be a game changer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 probably won’t be enough to reverse Apple’s declining sales slump when it reports earnings tomorrow. But analysts say Apple is sitting on a “powder keg of dramatically aging” iPhones that could lead to a super-cycle of upgrades in 2017.

Apple Watch shipments suffer sharp summer decline

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apple-watch-2
Apple has seen its share of the smartwatch market crumble.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch shipments declined a staggering 71.6 percent this summer, according to IDC, with Apple shifting just 1.1 million units during the third quarter. During the same period last year, the company sold an estimated 3.9 million units.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 is now available to the public

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macOS Sierra logo
A new update for macOS is here.
Photo: Apple

The public release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1 has finally arrived for Macs everywhere, bringing a bunch of bug fixes and tweaks.

Apple Watch owners will definitely want to grab the new update ASAP because it makes unlocking your Mac with your watch a lot more reliable. There are also some new additions for iPhone 7 Plus owners.

iOS 10.1 brings Portrait Mode to the iPhone 7 Plus

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iphone 7
Portrait Mode is finally here!
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

iPhone 7 Plus owners can finally start using Apple’s highly-touted Portrait Mode starting today.

Apple released iOS 10.1 to the public this morning after weeks of beta testing the new Portrait Mode. The software update comes with a couple of other tweaks for iPhone and iPad as well as a number of bug fixes.

Drake will debut new collection of songs on Apple Music

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Apple Music and Drake
Drake sure does love Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Drake is following up on his album Views, which became the first album to hit one billion streams on Apple Music, with a new song collection, scheduled to debut on the service in December.

Entitled “More Life,” Drake announced the collection during his Sunday night “OVO Sound” show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station.

What to expect at Apple’s ‘Hello again’ Mac event

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MacBook Pro
Are you excited for the Magic of the OLED Toolbar?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s been more than 500 days since the last MacBook Pro release, but Apple’s
“Hello again” Mac event will change that this week.

So what should you be expecting to see? Here’s a rundown of everything we predict Apple will reveal at the eagerly anticipated event, which takes place Thursday at Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop campus.

Apple Watch Nike+ launches in 41 countries on October 28

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Apple Watch Nike Plus
You have to buy a Nike+ watch to get the band.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

New Macs aren’t the only new products on the horizon for Apple this week.

Apple revealed today that the Nike+ edition of the Apple Watch Series 2 will be available in over 41 countries starting Friday. More countries will get supply during the weekend. But if you want to buy a Nike+ band for the Apple Watch you already own, you’re out of luck.

Mac sales no longer defy faltering PC industry

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macOS Sierra
Mac sales may fall for their fourth year-on-year quarter in a row.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The days of Macs avoiding the fate of the rest of the ailing PC industry may be over.

Analysts who have filed their predictions for Apple’s quarterly earnings call, which is coming tomorrow, think Mac sales finally failed beat those of PC competitors. And they’re expecting to see Apple’s fourth consecutive year-over-year quarterly decline in Mac sales.

Apple forgot to celebrate iPod’s 15th birthday

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iPod
Was it really 15 years ago?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

An important anniversary passed this weekend, but you’d have been hard-pressed to remember based on the lack of recognition it received from Apple.

That milestone event was the 15th anniversary of the iPod, the portable music player that squeezed 1,000 songs into our pockets, sold upwards of 350 million units, and — up until the iPhone — was the best-known product in Apple history.

Flud, Nightgate, and other awesome apps of the week

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

Looking to get up to speed on the top apps we checked out this week? We’ve got your back!

In a week in which China finally overtook the U.S. as Apple’s most profitable market for apps, some great apps, and app updates, found their way onto our mobile devices.

Whether you’re looking for some great puzzle games or a third-party keyboard worth downloading, we think you’ll find something to entertain you…

Massive Mac updates, incoming! Catch all our Mac event predictions on The CultCast

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A major Mac refresh is on the way!
A major Mac refresh is on the way!
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Is Apple about to make massive updates across the entire Mac line? Don’t miss our Oct. 27 Mac event predictions! Plus: Decoding the Apple event invitation, and everything we know about Nintendo Switch.

This episode is supported by CultCloth, the best way to keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean. Check them out at CultCloth.co and, for a limited time, save 20 percent with code JetBlack.

Apple approached Time Warner about possible acquisition

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Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Buying Time Warner would be great for Apple TV.
Photo: Apple

AT&T isn’t the only company interested in acquiring HBO’s parent company Time Warner Inc.

Apple executives approached the company about a potential merger a few months ago, according to a new report that claims the iPhone-maker is keeping a close eye on Time Warner’s advanced acquisition talks with AT&T.

Can Samsung recover from its Galaxy Note 7 nightmare? [Friday Night Fights]

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Galaxy Note 7 on fire
Will you buy a Samsung phone again?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Fans have mourned the loss of the Galaxy Note 7 — perhaps the best smartphone released in 2016 — and while a small few are determined to cling onto the device despite the risks, most have handed theirs back and moved on.

Friday Night Fights bugThe whole debacle is going to cost Samsung billions in lost revenue, and it will likely take years for the South Korean company to regain the trust it has lost. But just how detrimental could the problem be for Samsung’s smartphone business?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss Samsung’s chances of recovering from the Galaxy Note 7 nightmare.