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Apple stock blows up as Samsung kills Galaxy Note 7

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money
Apple owes Samsung a fruit basket.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple stock has hit its highest share price in almost one year to coincide with the news that Samsung is permanently withdrawing its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 from the market.

AAPL shares rose 2.3 percent to hit $116.72 last night, representing an increase of $2.66 per share. This rise was the highest for Apple shares since December 2015.

Samsung mercifully puts Galaxy Note 7 out of its misery

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galaxy note 7
It's better to burn out than to fade away.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Galaxy Note 7, we hardy knew ye!

With growing numbers of reports of Samsung’s replacement Galaxy Note 7 handsets catching fire, Samsung has permanently stopped production of its once-acclaimed new smartphone flagship. Owners will be able to return their phones for a refund or to swap it out for another Samsung device.

Devs get new betas for iOS 10.1 and tvOS

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iPhone
A new iOS 10.1 beta is ready for your iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/CultofMac

Apple dropped a fresh batch of beta builds for developers this morning with the release of both iOS 10.1 beta 3 and tvOS 10.0.1 beta 3.

The new betas come less than a week after Apple seeded the last version that brought a number of bug fixes and new features that make the company’s “biggest release ever” even better.

Forget the Galaxy Note 7 and buy an iPhone 7 Plus

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Galaxy Note 7
R.I.P., Galaxy Note 7.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Still thinking about making the Galaxy Note 7 your next smartphone? Forget about it.

I gave Samsung’s latest flagship a glowing review last month. But amid reports that supposedly “safe” replacement devices are overheating and exploding, there’s no good reason to buy a Galaxy Note 7 anymore.

Do yourself a favor and get the iPhone 7 Plus instead.

Apple and Samsung head back to Supreme Court this week

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Samsung
Apple and Samsung will clash again tomorrow.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Samsung and Apple will go back to the Supreme Court this week as part of their never-ending legal battle over patents.

The Tuesday hearing will concern how much of the $399 million patent-infringement damages awarded against Samsung the South Korean tech giant should actually pay.

Majority of Irish voters want government to oppose Apple’s giant tax bill

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money
Irish people are backing Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A new poll suggests a majority of Irish voters support the Irish government in opposing Apple’s enormous $14.52 billion tax bill for unpaid back taxes in the Republic of Ireland.

47 percent of respondents said they agreed the Irish government was right to back Apple, compared to 39 percent who say it’s wrong to do so, and 14 percent who had no opinion on the subject.

Time’s up for Apple Watches in U.K. Cabinet meetings

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Ukraine_Forum_on_Asset_Recovery_(14038928986)
Theresa May worries Russian hackers could hack Apple Watch.
Photo: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

U.K. Prime minister Theresa May has banned ministers from wearing Apple Watches during Cabinet meetings, due to fears that they could be hacked by Russian spies for use as listening devices, a new report claims.

Under the leadership of former prime minister David Cameron, several members of the cabinet wore Apple Watches, including former Justice Secretary Michael Gove. Mobile phones have also been banned for the same reason.

Samsung reportedly pauses production of troubled Note 7

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Galaxy Note 7 that exploded while charging.
Has this been the most disastrous smartphone release in history?
Photo: Mr Ni/Baidu

The South Korean media is reporting that Samsung has suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, following one of the most bungled smartphone launches in history.

Over the weekend, AT&T confirmed that it will no longer issue new Note 7 handsets, while T-Mobile has also said it is halting sales. This follows news that Samsung’s supposedly fixed replacement handsets have also been running into battery problems causing them to burst into flames.

Lock in best iPhone trade-in prices before they drop even further

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Sell your old iPhone
Sell your old iPhone (and other Apple gear) to us to get the best possible resale value.
Image: Cult of Mac

At long last, your local Apple Store has the iPhone 7 in stock.

The jet black one you preordered three weeks ago is finally shipping.

You’ve had the 7 Plus for 10 days, but wanted to keep a backup just in case your new phone spontaneously burst into flames.

Whatever your reason for not selling your old device yet, now is the perfect time to cash it in before prices drop further.

Revamped iPads and next-era Apple tech, this week on The CultCast

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Apple's bold vision of future tech inches closer to reality.
Apple's bold vision of future tech inches closer to reality.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Revamped iPads coming this spring; Apple lays the groundwork for the next era of personal technology; how smart homes get hacked; Google’s Pixel phone versus iPhone 7; and we reveal our favorite new iOS and Mac apps!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device that visits at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off.

Can Apple Watch get you in shape? Here’s what the science says.

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Does the Apple Watch activity app have all the answers?
Does the Apple Watch activity app have all the answers?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you’ve considering buying a shiny new Apple Watch Series 2, you might be wondering if it can really help you to get in shape. Especially if you’ve seen the recent headlines claiming that fitness trackers don’t work.

So what does science really have to say about wearables? I decided to investigate the science behind Apple Watch fitness assumptions.

Facebook’s new iOS app helps you find events

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Find stuff to do with Facebook Events.
Find stuff to do with Facebook Events.

Facebook is on a quest to cure your boredom with its newest standalone app that is focused solely on events.

Available only on iOS (for now), the new app dubbed Events from Facebook helps you find things to do in your area by giving you a filtered feed of what your friends are up to.

The FBI needs help unlocking another terrorist’s iPhone

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iPhone 7 Home button
iPhone's security has the FBI stumped.
Photo: Ste Smith

The FBI and Apple could be on a collision course for another legal showdown over a dead terrorist’s locked iPhone.

Apple refused to comply with the FBI’s demands to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone eight months ago. That led to a very public legal battle over privacy and security. Now the FBI needs help again after obtaining the iPhone of a terrorist that stabbed 10 people in a Minnesota mall.

Why you shouldn’t place all your trust in iPhone camera tests

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Two cameras that excited the world about photography, the iPhone and the Kodak Brownie.
Two cameras that excited the world about photography, the iPhone and the Kodak Brownie.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Miroslav Tichy roamed the streets of his Czech Republic town with a camera made of plywood, a cardboard tube and a plexiglass lens he polished with toothpaste and cigarette ashes. His crude, distorted photographs now hang in museums around the world.

So don’t worry if the camera on that iPhone 7 you just purchased doesn’t score high in some laboratory test that pits its image quality against other cameras.

Apple scores $119.6 million from Samsung in ‘slide to unlock’ lawsuit

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iOS and Android are killing off the competition.
Samsung vs Apple lawsuits will never end.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Court of Appeals gave Apple another victory today in its five-year-long legal battle with Samsung.

Apple won its appeal in an 8-3 ruling that reinstated a previous patent-infringement verdict that awarded the company $119.6 million. The judges in the case said it was wrong for the three-judge panel to throw out the verdict in February and suggested Apple could be owed even more money.

Even flaming Galaxy Note 7 can’t scorch Samsung profits

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Galaxy Note 7 that exploded while charging.
Samsung's not revealing Note 7 recall costs, though.
Photo: Mr Ni/Baidu

Samsung’s booming chip and display business was enough to offset the cost of having to recall its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, according to a Q3 regulatory filing the South Korean tech company made today.

The company’s 7.8 trillion won ($7 billion) profit grew 5.6 percent by quarter to beat expectations. However, things might be a bit more complex than they initially appear.

Apple Music and Spotify offer user-uploaded remixes

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Apple Music
Dubset Media brings legit remixes to listeners and ensures musicians get paid.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music and Spotify have started offering users access to unofficial, user-uploaded music remixes, courtesy of a deal with Dubset Media Holdings.

The company uses algorithms to sort out licensing and royalty payments for musical remixes. It’s an incredibly complicated problem to tackle, since a single remix might have upward of 600 different rights holders.

iPhone 7 goes on sale in India, costs half the average annual salary

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iPhone 7
Would you pay the equivalent of $28,000 for an iPhone?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus went on sale in India today, as Apple continues to try and grow its brand in the country.

It’s going to be a challenge, though, as Gartner research vice president Mark Hung told CNBC’s “Street Signs” — given that the price for the new handset is more than the average Indian citizen earns in six months.

Ex-NSA staffer reveals way to hack Mac’s camera and mic

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Mac App Store
You might want to put tape over your webcam.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Security researchers discovered a new way to hack the Mac’s built-in webcam this week, and the method is undetectable by users.

Apple built a green LED light into every Mac with firmware-level protection that turns on anytime the sensor is tripped by unauthorized access. The security feature has become increasingly difficult for hackers to beat, but former NSA staffer Patrick Wardle found a way to piggyback on outgoing feeds and record them.

Pent-up demand will make 2017 a banner year for iPhone

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iPHone 7 sales
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is still selling well, according to wireless carriers.
Photo: Ste Smith/CultofMac

The iPhone 7 won’t be enough to break Apple out of its sales slum.

In 2016, total mobile phone shipments are set to decline 1.6 percent. However, the latest forecast from Gartner reveals that 2017 could be a record-breaking year for Apple due to pent-up demand for a new form factor and better features.