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Pursuing a fitness resolution? Nab a sports band for your Apple Watch [Watch Store]

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shift

Photo: EdgeGear

It’s January of a brand new year, and you find yourself with two things that go well together: a resolution for better fitness and a new Apple Watch. What you might be missing is a band that is made to stand up to the rigors of a tough workout.

There’s good news: The Cult of Mac Watch Store has you covered. Here are a few bands that might help you become more fit in 2019:

 

Powerful MacBook dock lets you escape ‘dongle hell’

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Linedock
LineDock has ports, power and plenty of storage.
Photo: Linedock

CES 2019 bugLinedock is a device designed to deliver power and salvation from what its creators refer to as “dongle hell.”

It’s a massive messiah at two pounds with nine ports, a 20,000mAH battery with 100 W pass-through charging and an onboard SSD with up to 1 TB of storage.

Clever iPhone X2 concept finds a cool way to hide notch

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iphone concept
Here's one way Apple could ditch the notch.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The death of the iPhone’s notch can’t come soon enough for some Apple fans.

Concept designer Antonio De Rosa has come out with a new spoof iPhone ad that shows how Apple could easily remove the notch by adding a slide out camera to the top of the iPhone. Xiaomi actually implemented the idea on its latest flagship phone, but after watching this video, you might start jonesing for Apple to do the same.

Cheap accessories that make iPad Pro a productivity powerhouse

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Satechi's iPad Pro USB-C hub packs four commonly used ports.
Get real work done on your iPad Pro.
Photo: Satechi

Is the iPad Pro a laptop replacement? Despite what you might think, and what many reviewers will tell you, it can be for a lot of professionals. But not by itself.

If you’re going to use your iPad to get real work done, and to be as productive as possible, you’ll need some things to go with it. In this roundup, we’ve listed affordable accessories that turn iPad Pro into a productivity powerhouse.

Concept iPhone case makes true wireless charging a reality

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Ossia
Ossia's iPhone cases will be a total game changer.
Photo: Ossia

CES 2019 bug: Concept iPhone case makes true wireless charging a reality The era of using cables to charge your iPhone may finally be coming to an end.

During CES 2019, Ossia, a company that specializes in creating truly wireless charging solutions, debuted its first case for iPhone that can take radio waves out of the air and convert them into useable electricity.

Finally! Apple’s bringing HomeKit to your favorite TVs and gadgets, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 370 Lisa
You'll soon be able to control your favorite TVs and gadgets right from your iPhone.
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: Smart window blinds, smart plugs, smart lights, smart locks and now … the best televisions on the market. Apple just revealed big moves to bring HomeKit to all your favorite gadgets, and Cupertino is just getting started. In 2019, the smart HomeKit devices we’ve always wanted finally arrive. Plus: Tim Cook just let it slip — Apple’s got new services lined up for release this year, but what could they be? We think we might just know.

Our thanks to LinkedIn for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.

2019 iPhones’ big feature will be an extra camera lens

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2019 iPhone render 2
A recent render showing how the 2019 iPhone may look.
Photo: OnLeaks/Digit.in

Expect to see an extra lens for each of the 2019 iPhone models, claims a new report from the Wall Street Journal. In the case of the iPhone XS and XS Max sequel, this will mean jumping from two to three lenses. In the case of the iPhone XR follow-up, it means moving from one to two lenses.

This report appears to back up another recent rumor, suggesting that the new top-tier iPhone will sport a series of camera lenses arranged in a triangle configuration.

Vintage manual shows how Apple got dealers psyched to sell

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Apple training manual
Now get out there and sell!
Photo: Greg Bridges

If you wait long enough to clean out a junk drawer or filing cabinet, you’re liable to find something historic.

In the case of graphic designer Greg Bridges of Sydney Australia, an old three-ring binder he stumbled across during a recent studio purge turned out to be an artifact from the early days of Apple.

Future Apple Watch bands could change colors to match your outfit

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Apple’s new Watch bands.
Color changing bands could be a game-changer for Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple

Buying multiple Apple Watch bands may soon become as outdated as mechanical watches.

Apple recently patented a brilliant idea for a chameleon-like Apple Watch band that can change colors to match what you’re wearing. Sometime in the future, you might be able to snap a picture of the color you’re wearing, and have Apple Watch match it in an instant. It’s about to get a lot harder to make fashion faux pas.

How to make your old iPhone last longer

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cracked-iphone
Don't let this happen to you.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s revenue is hurting this quarter. Part of that is down to China, but part of it is Apple’s own stupid fault. The iPhone is just too damn good.

Unlike most crappy Android junk, which slows down and falls apart almost as soon as you’ve opened the box, the iPhone lasts for years. Even if you, the original owner, replace it after just a couple of years, then it’s likely that you’ll hand it down to a friend of a family member who will enjoy it for a few more.

The iPhone is a great investment, then (for you, if not for share traders) but you can make it last a lot longer. Try these tips to make your iPhone last you for years.

How to search for songs by lyrics in Apple Music

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Just look at that rick(shaw) roll!
Just look at that rick(shaw) roll!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Do you have a snippet of a song in your head, and it’s driving you crazy? Did you forget to Shazam it when you heard it playing in that hipster boutique vegan-boots-and-artisanal-ramen store? Then you need Apple Music’s search by lyrics feature, which lets you find a song based on a few vaguely remembered snatches of verse.

Two months with iPad Pro and USB-C [Opinion]

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This is a great-looking hub, but it still has problems.
This is a great-looking hub, but it still has problems.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In the nearly two months I’ve been using the new iPad Pro with USB-C hubs, I’ve found these accessories to be alternately miraculous and frustrating.

This isn’t a review, or a how-to. It’s just a look at what’s right — and what’s still very wrong — with USB-C and the 2018 iPad Pro.

Your new Apple Watch Series 4 deserves a serious leather strap

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Strapa
Strapa makes gorgeous leather Apple Watch Series 4 straps that combine craftsmanship with high-quality materials.
Photo: Strapa

So, someone who obviously likes you very much gifted you an Apple Watch Series 4 this holiday season. Now you’d like to add some personal style with an out-of-the-ordinary Apple Watch band. You should consider those made by Strapa, a company based in The Netherlands that produces some of the best leather Apple Watch bands we’ve seen.

Trust us, you’ll love these bands.

Welt smart belt is like an Apple Watch for your waist

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Welt2
This belt will monitor your increasingly girth.
Photo: Welt

CES 2019 bug Forget your wrist. The new location for wearable devices is clearly your waist, at least according to Korean wearables company Welt. At CES 2019, the startup unveiled its smart belt, which promises to track physical activity, measure your expanding waistline, and even perform Apple Watch-style fall detection.

The Welt smart belt does this using a bevy of sensors and a Bluetooth connection. The data gathered is sent to a connected mobile device such as an iPhone.

How to free up storage on your iPhone or iPad

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There’s no need to buy new storage space for your iPhone — just free up what you already have.
There’s no need to buy new storage space for your iPhone — just free up what you already have.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

It’s happening again! You cheaped out and bought that 32GB iPhone or iPad a few years back, and it’s full up, again. But wait — before you go deleting your photos, or uninstalling apps at random until you recover enough space, take a look at this how-to. You might be able to recover tens of gigabytes from apps you’d totally forgotten about.

How to share photos safely with Shortcuts

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Removing geodata won’t always protect a photo’s location
Removing geodata won’t always protect a photo’s location
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you know that every photo you send via iMessage, or other messaging services like WhatsApp, contains all that photo’s location data? If you snap a picture in your home, anyone who’s receives that photo will be able to see where you took it on a map.

The same goes for uploading images to online auction sites, or internet forums. The good news is that it’s easy to sanitize your images with Shortcuts.

Aura band makes your Apple Watch even smarter

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Aura Band
Everything that makes the Aura Band great is coming to Apple Watch.
Photo: Aura

CES 2019 bugThere aren’t many health and fitness statistics Apple Watch can’t track, but to make up for some of those that are missing, there’s the impressive new Smart Strap from Aura.

By sending electricity through your body (without hurting you), the Smart Strap can measure your weight, fat, muscle mass, and more. It won’t cost you much more than a regular Apple Watch band, either.

Tim Cook: New services coming to Apple in 2019

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Tim Cook
Unsurprisingly, he won't spill the beans on what they are.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook teased new services that will be coming to Apple users this year. Responding to questions about falling iPhone sales during a CNBC interview, Cook stressed the way that Apple’s services division has grown significantly in the past several years.

“The services are on a tear,” Cook said. “On services, you will see us announce new services this year. There will more things coming.”

This might be our first look at the iPad mini 5

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New mages could be of the rumored iPad mini 5.
New mages could be of the rumored iPad mini 5.
Photo: Mr-white

Images posted online might be our first glimpse of the next iPad mini. A new version of this small tablet is rumored to be out this year.

While the leaked pictures reveal a few details about the iPad mini 5, they don’t answer some pressing questions.

Switch on your iPad’s super-dim, low-light mode

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A glitter ball represents the concept of low-light and accessibility low-light filter
A glitter ball represents the concept of low-light and accessibility.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Turned the screen brightness on your iPad (or iPhone) all the way down? Still too much light for you? Reading in bed next to someone whose eyelids seem to amplify light the same way a magnifying glass turns the sun into a death ray for ants?

Then this tip is for you. With a simple triple-tap of the top button or Home button on your iPad, you can dim the screen way beyond its usual limit.

Although your whining, over-sensitive bed partner will likely just start complaining about the noise of those button taps instead.

Control Ikea’s new blinds with HomeKit

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Ikea’s new blinds work with your iPhone via homekit.
Ikea’s new blinds work with your iPhone via HomeKit or a dedicated app.
Photo: Ikea

Too lazy to get up and close the drapes? Then you need Ikea’s new HomeKit-enabled blinds, Kadrilj and Fyrtur. These new powered blinds have already launched in Germany, and can be integrated with your home hub, your Alexa, or your Google Assistant.

Apple explains why some LTE iPad Pros might come bent

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The screen really is beautiful.
Apple and some iPad Pro customers are debating “How bent is too bent?’
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

A recent support document from Apple describes a manufacturing process that’s apparently the cause of complaints that 2018 iPad Pro units sometimes arrive new from the store already slightly bent.

While acknowledging that this is possible, Apple stands by its earlier statements that its inspection process eliminates any units that are bent more than 0.016 inches.

Apple’s TV service just scored a huge win at CES 2019

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TV makers like Vizio are suddenly BFFs with Apple.
Did you get an early invite?
Photo: Vizio

CES 2019 bugThe biggest TV makers in the business are finally ready to play nice with Apple.

Apple’s long-rumored TV streaming service isn’t expected to launch until later this year, but in the meantime, Vizio and LG revealed that they’re adding AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to their 2019 TVs. And it could be a crucial win for Apple’s growing ambition to take on Netflix.

Apple is quietly hyping HomeKit devices at CES 2019

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HomeKit
2019 could be the year of HomeKit.
Photo: Texas Instruments

CES 2019 bugApple doesn’t really make its presence felt directly at CES. However, at 2019’s event it has ramped up its focus somewhat. No, Apple’s not unveiling the Apple Car at the gigantic tech lover’s event, but it did invite reporters to meet with a number of third-party companies who have created HomeKit devices for smart homes.

These include smart lights, smart locks, smart door cameras, and more.

What to expect from Apple in 2019

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Any USB-C hub will work with your iPad Pro, but they all have really short cables.
This year’s iOS 13 could bring dramatic benefits to the iPad Pro in multitasking and USB-C support.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Expect 2019 to be a big year for Apple’s iPad tablets. And for professional-grade Macs, too. The next 12 months won’t be as significant for the iPhone and Apple Watch lines, though there will certainly be some improvements.

Services and software are as important to Apple as hardware, so expect the long-awaited video service to arrive, and we predict a resurgence in augmented reality games too.

Read on for all our predictions for the most important changes in the Apple ecosystem this year.