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How Samsung plans to make the iPhone 7 Plus look like trash

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Galaxy Note 5
The next Galaxy Note will be the best phablet by far.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Samsung’s excellent Galaxy S7 series will have almost certainly exacerbated falling iPhone demand in recent months, and now the South Korean company is working to ensure that things won’t be any easier for the iPhone 7 lineup.

New rumors say its next-generation Galaxy Note phablet will be its best smartphone yet, with stellar specifications, outstanding design, and a new virtual reality experience that will make the iPhone 7 Plus look like trash.

iPhone maker replaces half its factory workers with robots

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Tim Cook greeting Foxconn workers in China. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook meeting with (human) Foxconn workers.
Photo: Apple

Apple manufacturer Foxconn has been talking about investing in robots for years now, but apparently it’s finally done it — replacing more than half of the employees at one of its factories with machines.

“The Foxconn factory has reduced its employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000, thanks to the introduction of robots,” said a government official, adding that “it has tasted success in reduction of labour costs” and that more companies are now likely to follow suit.

Microsoft’s smartphone team is on its last legs

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windows phone
Is this the blue screen of death for Microsoft's phones?
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft may be doing great in some areas of its business, but it’s struggling in others — with “exhibit A” being its smartphone business.

Having sold off its feature phone business this month, Microsoft has now announced plans to “scale back” its smartphone output — which will impact “up to 1,850 jobs worldwide,” although Microsoft still claims it’s got some “great new devices” being developed for the future.

Check out Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s head of Windows’ message to employees:

Why the MacBook Pro needs an OLED touch pad

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MacBook-OLED-touch-pad
What the MacBook Pro might look like with a fancy touch pad.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to deliver one of its biggest ever MacBook Pro refreshes later this year, ushering in a thinner and lighter design and amazing new features. One of them, according to a reliable analyst, will be an OLED touch pad.

Here’s why that would be a stellar addition to Apple’s best notebook.

‘Error 53’ plaintiffs claim Apple not living up to reimbursement promise

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touchid
"Error 53" problem bricked affected iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Apple may have fixed its disastrous Error 53 fault that disables iPhones which had a home button or cables related to Touch ID replaced by an unauthorized third-party.

However, a class action suit brought by a number of iPhone owners is claiming that Apple didn’t do enough — and yet not lived up to its promise to reimburse customers whose phones were bricked by the error.

Apple’s plans for Indian retail stores suffers massive blow

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apples-india-enterprise-boss-quits-to-sell-android-phones-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iphone_india001-780x614-780x614-jpg
India may not be quite the dream market Apple had thought.
Photo: Apple

Apple may be running into problems in China, but it doesn’t seem like its campaign to expand into India — another vast country with plenty of potential for smartphone growth — is going any better.

According to a new report, India’s finance minister has ruled that Apple must conform to local sourcing laws to open official Apple Stores within India, despite previous rumors stating that Apple would be exempted from such rules.

iPhone 7 screen protector confirms no major design changes

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Spot the difference with today's iPhone 6s.
Spot the difference with today's iPhone 6s.
Photo: Pocket-lint

The iPhone 7 may be boasting a few more internal modifications than we had thought, but think again if you’re expecting Apple to offer a full-on redesign of the design and form factor it has been using since 2014’s iPhone 6.

That’s according to a new photo posted online, reportedly showing a very familiar glass screen protector planned for the next-gen handset, looking very much like the one employed by the iPhone 6 and 6s.

Apple plans to make Amazon Echo rival by opening Siri

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Siri might gets its own product.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The next evolution of Siri could feature a new Apple product designed to directly compete with Amazon’s successful Echo device.

Apple is reportedly planning to make a rival to the Amazon Echo, but the in order to compete with the device’s incredible array of features and services, Apple plans to open up Siri to third-party apps.

Apple rehires cryptography expert to tighten security 

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apple-store-union-square
Apple is ready to tighten security.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

Renowned practical cryptography expert Jon Callas is returning to Apple to help the iPhone-maker stay ahead of hackers and the FBI in its on going battle with security. 

Callas co-founded well known secure communications companies such as Silent Circle, Blackphone, and PGP Corp. This will be his third stint at Apple where he is expected to ramp up security features across Apple’s wide ranging product line up.

Take a peek inside our video editors travel bag

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Travelbag
Take a peek at what's in my tech travel bag.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

I’ve already shown you what’s on my iPhone and given you a tour of my office, so now it’s time to find out what I carry with me when I’m on the road.

Video and photography are a big part of what I do here at Cult of Mac, and just because I’m away from my office doesn’t mean I’m not creating something for the YouTube channel or for the team’s articles.

Check out the full video tour below to find out what’s in my bag when I’m on the go!

Former Google CEO admits to using iPhone 6s

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iPhone
Even Googlers love iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt has finally come clean to his long love affair with iPhone.

The former Google CEO was spotted using an iPhone to take pictures in South Korea earlier this year and was finally confronted about using the enemy’s device at a CNBC’s Startup Fest in Amsterdam this week.

Schmidt admitted that he does use an iPhone and an Android device at the same time, but one is clearly superior.

Tim Cook hints at greater health features for Apple Watch

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Stainless steel Apple Watch meets pumping iron.
Apple Watch could soon tell you more about yourself.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook has hinted that the Apple Watch will get even greater at monitoring your health and fitness. Speaking at Startup Fest Europe in Amsterdam today, the Apple CEO said the company’s wearable may one day tell you when it’s time for a checkup.

Asked for iTunes gift cards to pay IRS bill? Yep, that’s a scam

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iTunes
Crazily enough, you can't pay your taxes in iTunes gift cards.
Photo: Apple

Florida police in Port St. Lucie are warning people of a new scam that asks for iTunes vouchers as payment for money apparently owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

While such a thing sounds like something no-one would fall for, it has already apparently duped one unfortunate man into buying an iTunes card worth $2,300 at his local Target store.

iPhone 6 prototype pops up on eBay with crazy price tag

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$_57
The iPhone 6 prototype runs Apple's in-house debugging software.
Photo: niftynina

If you’re an Apple fan, eBay is a great place to pick up rare bits of Cupertino paraphernalia — whether it’s a vintage Apple jacket of the kind Drake wore at last year’s WWDC, or Steve Jobs’ high school yearbook.

Well, if you’re on the lookout for an even rarer Apple collector’s item — and have more than $4,999 to spend — you may want to check out an auction for an apparent iPhone 6 prototype, running Apple’s in-house debugging software called SwitchBoard, and boasting a red lightning dock port.

MacBook Pro to get Touch ID in biggest ever refresh

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apple-12q2-macbook-pro-ret-zebra-lg
Sadly you'll have to wait until the end of the year to get one!
Photo: Apple

Apple is set to give its MacBook Pro lineup their “most significant upgrade ever,” according to respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.

Kuo claims that Apple’s new high-end laptops will boast a thinner and lighter form factor (just as you’d expect), but will also include Touch ID and an OLED display touch bar to replace physical function keys on the keyboard, as well as employing the same metal injection molded hinges and butterfly mechanism keyboard seen on the 12-inch MacBook.

How to save webpages to iBooks on iOS

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Save webpages
Save your favourite FNF articles as a PDF.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A few weeks ago, I showed you how to turn text into a spoken iTunes track to allow you to read your favorite Cult of Mac articles on the move, while being offline.

But what if you just want to read your articles yourself, instead of having them read to you? Or how about printing out a webpage from your iPhone or iPad?

Well in my latest Quick Tips video, I’m going to show  you how to save webpages to iBooks, to read at a later time.

Check the video out below.

Stay splashy: Ultimate summer speaker gets an upgrade

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UE Roll 2 waterproof
The UE Roll 2 is ready to rock you through your splashy summer.
Photo: Ultimate Ears

The UE Roll, a UFO-shaped Bluetooth speaker that’s built to withstand the rigors of your super-splashy summer, is getting a welcome upgrade. Much like this year’s refreshed MacBook line, the UE Roll 2 packs performance enhancements (and a new paint job) into a product we already know and love.

With its “lifeproof” design, and a beefy bungee cord built right in, it’s the ultimate “take your tunes anywhere” speaker. Only now it’s a wee bit better.

Leaked iPhone 7 Pro mold reveals dual-lens camera

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Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Your next iPhone might have two camera lenses.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will most likely introduce its first ever iPhone with two cameras on the back later this year, but it appears the feature will be exclusively available on the iPhone 7 Plus, and not smaller the iPhone 7.

A set of alleged production plates for the iPhone 7 lineup has leaked out of China along with a schematic that shows the camera opening for the iPhone 7 Plus is wide enough to hold two separate camera sensors.

Take a look:

5 features Apple must steal from Android N

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Google's new operating system takes its name from colors.
Android N is coming this fall.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-generation iPhone and iOS 10 will have to fend off tough competition from Google’s biggest Android update in years when they arrive this fall.

Android N is coming with huge improvements and big features fans, and fans couldn’t be more excited. Some of those features are so good, Apple just has to steal them. Here are five we’d love to see in future versions of iOS.

This emoji iOS trick will change the way you search

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Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Yes, you can use emoji on iPhone search.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Emoji have rapidly changed the way we conversate in the digital age and now thanks to a new feature in iOS, they’re about to change the way we search too.

iPhone and iPad users can now use emoji as search terms in the iOS spotlight feature that’s accessible on any home screen by swiping down.

The feature is actually super-useful, though it doesn’t work with all emoji. Looking for a place to have a beer with a buddy? All you have to do is tap the beer emoji icon and Spotlight will bring up suggestions for drinking holes that you can open in Apple Maps.

Here are some of the emoji you can use for search:

Tim Cook admits iPhone is too damn expensive

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Apple CEO Tim Cook
Tim Cook has no desire to make great devices for poor people.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Buying an iPhone is a major financial decision for most people that pine for Apple’s pricey products, but according to CEO Tim Cook, the iPhone could soon see a price cuts in certain markets.

During his heavily publicized tour of India, Tim Cook sat down for an interview with Vikram Chandra on NDTV to talk about Apple’s interest in the country. When asked about whether the iPhone is too expensive, especially considering some features don’t work in countries outside the U.S., Cook actually acknowledged the price is a bit steep.