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News - page 979

Army special ops top brass is switching to iPhone

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iPhone
iPhone is now the Army's preferred device.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is planning to tell Android to stand down.

Charged with overseeing the Army’s elite special forces operations, the command is reportedly making a switch to iPhone because Android is unstable compared to iOS.

Apple seeds new betas for iOS 10, watchOS 3, tvOS 10

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iOS 10
Get your hands on the latest iOS 10 beta now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has today seeded new beta releases for iOS 10, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10.

These are its third updates to each platform since they were first previewed at WWDC last month, and they should all make your testing devices that little bit more stable.

Dodgy photos show super-powered ‘iPhone 7 Pro’

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iphone-7-iphone-7-plus-iphone-7-pro-back
It looks like there really will be an iPhone 7 Pro.
Photo: NowhereElse

A new photo of Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup all but confirms there will be an iPhone 7, an iPhone 7 Plus, and an iPhone 7 Pro. Only the latter will be blessed with a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector, which means you’re going to have to pay a premium for them.

Xiaomi’s first MacBook clone will be a powerhouse

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Xiaomi plans to ripoff the MacBook Air next.
Xiaomi plans to ripoff the MacBook next.
Photo: GizmoChina

Like most of the products in its lineup, Xiaomi’s next big thing will be inspired by Apple. But it won’t be another iPhone clone. Instead, the Chinese firm is building its very own MacBook rival, and leaked specifications suggest it will be a tiny powerhouse.

iPhone chip designer ARM to be snapped up for $32 billion

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money
ARM just sold for an arm and a leg.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

ARM Holdings, a.k.a. the company responsible for the mobile processor architecture which powers the iPhone and iPad, looks set to be bought by Japan’s SoftBank for an eye-watering (iWatering?) $32 billion, it has confirmed.

ARM’s board will recommend that shareholders accept the deal, which represents 43 percent over the company’s closing market value as per Friday. The news caused shares in ARM to leap up by 45 percent to 1,742.85p per share when the London Stock Exchange opened this morning.

Today in Apple history: First affordable PowerBook goes on sale

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Powerbook_150
Do you remember this Apple laptop?
Photo: Dana Sibera/Wikipedia CC

July 18July 18, 1994: Apple ships its PowerBook 150 laptop, the company’s first truly affordable PowerBook — and the last to feature the original case design, which included a built-in trackball mouse.

While it’s a normal sight to see students using Apple laptops today, there was a time when Mac notebooks were out of the reach of your average learner. That all changed in the 1990s — and the PowerBook 150 played an important role.

Apple’s already doling out contracts for next year’s A11 chip

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Apple chips are getting EMI shielding.
Apple's next-next gen processor is already underway.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 7 is still around eight weeks from hitting shelves, but Apple and its suppliers are already looking ahead to next year’s iPhone refresh — according to a new report claiming that Apple has placed its orders for the next-next-gen A11 chips.

And in a break from its recent strategy, it’s apparently placed them all with one supplier. And sorry Samsung, but it isn’t you!

Forget Pokémon Go, here are some other awesome apps of the week

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
Having an 'appy weekend?
Photo: Cult of Mac

It may be hard to believe, but it turns out that there are other non-Pokémon Go apps out there — and we’ve picked out a few of the juiciest picks of the last week.

From a brand-new Batman game to a movie buff’s answer to karaoke, here are the apps you should be downloading during whichever part of your Sunday isn’t set aside for tracking down Pikachu and the rest.

Why Pokémon Go is the smash iOS hit Nintendo needed, this week on The CultCast

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x
Look at all those little Pokémon, taunting you, just waiting to be caught.
Photo: Yokohama's Pokémon Festival

This week on The CultCast: Why Pokémon Go is the smash iOS hit Nintendo needed; iPhone 7 may get the extended battery life we’ve all been asking for; Cult of Mac’s bizarre connection to Apple’s new Planet of the Apps TV show; and… which is manlier summer attire, midriff shirts or short shorts? We answer life’s most intriguing questions on an all-new Get to Know Your Cultist.

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.

This ‘dark mode’ iPhone 7 might make Darth Vader squee

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iPhone 7 concept with black aluminum case and OLED dark mode screen
iPhone 7 concept with black aluminum case and OLED dark mode screen.
Image: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

With so many iPhone 7 leaks and rumors on the interwebs right now, there may not be many surprises left by the time Apple unveils the device. But what if everything we think we know is wrong? Could all the iPhone 7 rumors be pointing toward something more interesting than the current crop of leaked photos?

Creating these iPhone 7 mockups based on recent rumors made me realize that the next iPhone could be a real black beauty.

Yelp makes it easy to find five-star PokéStops

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Pokémon Go
Yelp will help trainers catch em all.
Photo: The Pokémon Company.

Want to chow down at a five-star restaurant while luring Pokémon to your location and battling other trainers? Finding the perfect spot is about to get a lot easier thanks to Yelp.

The popular location reviews app is ready to capitalize on the Pokémon Go craze by adding new filters that show players whether a restaurant, store, bar or other venue has a PokéStop or gym nearby.

When will Apple take gaming seriously? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Gaming isn't great on most Apple devices.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Less than two weeks after making its debut, Pokémon Go is already the most popular mobile game in U.S. history, earning developer Niantic millions of dollars every day. Apple takes a 30 percent cut of that, but is it doing enough to make gaming great on its own platforms?

Friday Night Fights bug It’s hard to argue gaming could be better on iPhone and iPad — though we could use better gaming accessories — but platforms like tvOS and macOS seem somewhat neglected. With Mac sales finally falling, should Apple do more to appeal to gamers?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we throw virtual hands over gaming on Apple devices.

Explosions, droids and aliens rule Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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The war continues on December 16th.
The war continues on December 16th.
Photo: Walt Disney Studios

Star Wars has given fans a behind the scenes of the upcoming movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which is due out later this year.

As part of the Star Wars 2016, director Gareth Edwards and Kathleen Kennedy and unveiled a new clip detailing the making of the new film that looks like an massive war film set at one of the most beautiful locations in a galaxy far far away. Star Wars nerds can get an early look at many of the new aliens, droids and troopers that are set to land in theaters later this year.

Check it out:

Katy Perry’s new single is latest Apple exclusive

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Katy Perry Rise
“Rise” is available for streaming now!
Photo: Capitol Records

Katy Perry’s new single, her first since 2014, is out today — and you’ll find it only on Apple Music and iTunes. “Rise,” which will be used as the anthem for NBC’s coverage of the Rio Olympics this summer, is exclusive to Apple’s services at launch.

China is worried Pokémon Go will uncover secret military bases

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Pokemon GO
All your base are belong to Pikachu.
Photo: Niantic Labs

With Pokémon Go mania running wild, did you really think the worst that might happen was some would-be Ash Ketchum stumbling across a dead body?

If so, your concerns are mild compared to those of people in China. Although the game isn’t actually available there, rumors on Chinese social media claim that the game could be an attempt by Google and Nintendo to uncover details of secret military bases in the country.

T-Mobile lures Pokémon Go fans with free data

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Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go players might want to switch to T-Mobile.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Go players have been busy laying lures at Pokéstops across the globe for the past week, but T-Mobile CEO John Legere just baited his own trap to draw in new customers.

Starting on July 19th, T-Mobile will offer all Pokémon Go players free data when playing the game for the entire year, giving you no excuse to not catch ’em all.

Leaked iPhone 7 rear casing caught on video

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A black iPhone 7 would be killer.
A black iPhone 7 would be killer.
Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr

The first video of the allegedly headphone-jack-free iPhone 7 has finally found its way into the Apple rumor mill.

A video of two alleged iPhone 7 rear shells was posted on Chinese social networking site Weibo today, showcasing the simplified design Apple supposedly plans to unveil in September. The controversial decision to kill the headphone jack would free up room for a second speaker and hopefully a larger battery.

Check out the video:

Woz and other tech icons sign anti-Trump open letter

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wozniak
Woz joins Silicon Valley's anti-Trump crusade.
Photo: Reddit

Silicon Valley is uniting against presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in an open letter today that calls out the candidate for his “anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people, and a fundamental belief that America is weak and in decline.”

The letter is signed by some of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mark Pincus at Zinga, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Vint Cerf and dozens of others.