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Intriguing iPhone SE Plus concept might actually happen

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Don’t miss the iPhone SE Plus concept video too.
The iPhone SE Plus is allegedly coming later this year, and it might look like this.
Screenshot: The Hacker 34

An iPhone SE Plus with an edge-to-edge screen and Touch ID in the power button is supposedly coming in the second half of 2021. A concept designer transformed the leaked specs into a beautiful video exploring features of the proposed iOS handset. Watch it now.

Mac OS X turns 20: Why it’s Apple’s most important software yet

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Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah 20th birthday: OS X changed the game for Apple.
OS X changed the game for Apple.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

OS X, the most important piece of software in Apple history, turns 20 today.

Going on sale in its full, public version on March 24, 2001, Mac OS X 10.0 — code-named Cheetah, the first of many cat-themed names — transformed Apple’s operating system forever. It brought user interface enhancements that persist to this day, as well as technological advances that form the backbone of Apple’s current operating systems. In fact, OS X paved the way for today’s post-PC devices, from the iPhone and Apple Watch to HomePod and Apple TV. If you’d like to know more about Apple’s operating system evolution, check out this deep dive into its history.

While Apple eventually ditched the “OS X” branding for “macOS,” and switched from naming Mac software after big cats to California locations in 2013, Cheetah’s impact continues to be felt two decades after its introduction.

Apple betas offer clues about new hardware coming soon

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iMac 2021
Is this the face of the new iMacs?
Photo: Jon Prosser/FrontPageTech

Apple’s new betas are, by definition, a glimpse at the future when it comes to Apple’s upcoming releases — and the latest crop is no different. From new iMacs to a possible controller redesign for Apple TV, here are some of the hardware breadcrumbs they drop about future Apple plans.

How to play PC games on your Mac with Steam Link

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Set up Steam Link for Mac
All your favorite PC games on your Mac for free.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Who said a Mac is no good for gaming? It’s now possible to play the latest PC games on any machine running macOS 10.13 or higher, thanks to the brand-new Steam Link app that just hit the Mac App Store.

The free download, which weighs in at less than 30MB, puts all your favorite titles at your fingertips. We’ll show you how to set it up.

Apple leaker Jon Prosser shaves eyebrows after missing key prediction

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Apple leaker Jon Prosser shaves his eyebrows.
Jon Prosser makes good on his promise to totally destroy his eyebrows.
Screenshot: Front Page Tech

Jon Prosser’s eyebrows are officially toast.

Prosser, the serial Apple leaker with a big personality and a seemingly deep field of sources inside Cupertino, pledged to shave his eyebrows if we didn’t get an Apple event on March 23.

Well that day has come. And the Apple event didn’t. So he took a trimmer to his precious eyebrows in the most Prosser way possible — on YouTube, with a solid sense of humor (and a charity to boot).

Apple’s AR headset could weigh half as much as rivals’

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Apple could take on the likes of Oculus with a VR headset as early as 2022.
Ming-Chi Kuo has the inside track on Apple's AR headset.
Photo: Minh Pham/Unsplash CC

Apple’s augmented reality/mixed reality headset reportedly will weigh less than 150 grams. That’s about half the weight of current VR headsets, suggesting that Cupertino plans to make its debut AR/MR headset more streamlined than competitors. (What a surprise!)

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities made this prediction in a new note to clients, seen by Cult of Mac.

Belkin’s stylish MagSafe stand quickly powers up iPhone 12 and AirPods [Review]

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Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand with MagSafe review
Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand makes your iPhone ready to use hands free, and it quickly juices up the handset with MagSafe.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand with MagSafe holds your iPhone 12 up so it’s ready for FaceTime calls or just checking email. And it powers up the handset twice as fast as traditional wireless chargers. Plus, it comes with a built-in AirPods charger. If you’re looking for a Belkin iPhone mount with MagSafe for Mac notebooks, there are additional options available that provide seamless integration.

I put this stylish iPhone accessory to the test. Here’s how it performed in the real world.

iPhone 13 may boast 1TB storage, LiDAR on all models

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iPhone 13 might sport a 120Hz display.
This year's iPhone could be a big update for Apple.
Concept: ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 13 will boast a maximum storage capacity that’s double that of the iPhone 12, claim Wedbush analysts Strecker Backe and Daniel Ives in a new note to clients, seen by Cult of Mac.

Unlike the iPhone 12, which tops out at 512GB, the iPhone 13 could offer up to 1TB. That’s also 62 times the storage of the original iPhone, which topped out at 16GB.

HomePod mini features ‘secret’ sensor that’s waiting to be activated

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First HomePod mini reviews: Better late than never
Apple recently pulled the plug on the full-size HomePod to focus on its smaller sibling.
Photo: Apple

The HomePod mini has a hidden capability that Apple has yet to put into action: a sensor that measures both temperature and humidity.

According to Bloomberg, the sensor could be used to trigger smart home actions, such as turning a fan on or off depending on the temperature. It’s not clear why Apple has not yet activated the sensor so customers can utilize the feature — or when it might do so.

For All Mankind wonders how to mend a broken heart [Apple TV+ review]

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Michael Dorman in For All Mankind
Gordo (Michael Dorman) is getting his groove back at last.
Photo: Apple TV+

The characters in For All Mankind, Apple TV+’s space-race melodrama, all try to find their sea legs … or, uhh, space legs … in this week’s tense episode. Astronaut Ed Baldwin is under the sea. And his wife, Karen, is losing her cool. Meanwhile, Tracy Stevens is on the moon, and her ex Gordo is losing his mind!

Creepy Calls is a fascinating but flawed head trip [Apple TV+ review]

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Calls on Apple TV+
Calls on Apple TV+
Photo: Apple TV+

With new show Calls, Apple TV+ brings a French TV sensation to America and it’s three things in one. It’s a fascinating experiment, an old idea repackaged — and something of a missed opportunity.

The series, which premieres this Friday, hides its star-studded voice cast behind pixelated images and on-screen text, making it sort of an anti-event. That alone means Calls faces an uphill climb to find a new audience.

Forget swiping, Apple’s AR headset will react to what users are looking at

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Hololens
Microsoft's HoloLens are currently the mixed reality glasses to beat.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple’s upcoming augmented reality head-mounted display will be controlled by eye-tracking technology, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says in a note sent to clients Friday.

Instead of using hand controls, the technology will be able to detect wearers’ eye movements and blinking, then instantly compute the required information so it can be seen on the device’s micro-OLED display.

Apple’s rumored March event may have been a ploy to catch leakers

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Chess
Apple's playing 4D chess while most of us are playing checkers.
Photo: Unsplash/GR Stocks CC

The misinformation about Apple’s March April special event may have been an attempt by Cupertino to catch out the people leaking information about the company’s plans.

That’s according to Jon Prosser, one of several reporters who shared March 23 as the date of Apple’s next special event. Prosser was so sure of it he even said he’d shave off his eyebrows if he was wrong. Well, he was wrong. But it all may have been a cunning plan from Apple.

Apple will release its first mini-LED MacBook Air in 2022

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2020 MacBook Air
MacBook Air could get a fancy new display next year.
Photo: Apple

Apple will introduce its first MacBook Air with mini-LED display panel in 2022, TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a new research note to clients published Thursday.

Kuo previously reported that the next-gen displays will be introduced to the high-end MacBook Pro this year. They are also rumored to be part of the next 12.9-inch iPad Pro, debuting in April. Kuo’s latest report, seen by Cult of Mac, suggests that they will also be introduced to Apple’s entry-level laptops, too.

2021 iPad Pro might pack performance on par with M1 Macs

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An iPad Pro with a mini-LED display could be in the offing.
A blazing fast processor and Thunderbolt could be hallmarks of the 2021 iPad Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The 2021 iPad Pro will get a considerable performance boost, according to a trusted source. To the point where the tablet is as fast as the M1 Macs released last autumn.

In addition, the USB-C port in the next iPadOS device might support Thunderbolt.

How to quickly calculate the wattage of any iPhone charger

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How to calculate wattage of iPhone charger
A simple calculation is all you need.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Looking for an iPhone charger that will deliver the fastest possible charging speeds? Forget the one that came bundled with your old iPhone and pick up a super-speedy 20W adapter instead.

If you can’t find the wattage of an adapter in its product description, we’ll show you a quick and easy way to calculate it yourself so you don’t waste your hard-earned cash on the wrong one.

Apple’s rumored March event reportedly will take place in April

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Apple April Event — Oops!
Time marches on. So do March events.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s next product launch will take place in April, not March, a soon-to-be-eyebrowless Jon Prosser claimed Wednesday. Prodigious leaker Prosser had been so sure of his predicted date of March 23 for Apple’s next event that he wagered the integrity of his own facial hair on it. Now he’s admitting defeat.

“The event is in April,” Prosser tweeted. In a follow-up, he suggested that Apple had not previous hosted an April event, so “I get it if you’re skeptical. But here we are.”

Easily find COVID-19 vaccine locations with Apple Maps

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Apple Maps now shows COVID-19 vaccine locations.
A quick search in Apple Maps displays nearby COVID-19 vaccine sites on a map.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

An update to Apple Maps adds COVID-19 vaccination locations. Users can find nearby businesses and organizations providing the life-saving injections from the Search bar in Apple Maps by selecting COVID-19 Vaccines in the Find Nearby menu.

HomePod failure shows Apple should quit making pricey niche products

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homepod
Watch out, AirPods Max! You might be next.
Photo: Apple

After throwing in the towel on the original HomePod after just three years, Apple should stop releasing pricey, niche products.

They don’t sell well — at least not well enough to keep Apple interested, apparently — and it’s not fair to consumers who shell out big bucks, then get stuck with a product that vanishes after just one generation.

Yes, Apple says it will continue to support the full-size HomePod with software updates, even as it refocuses on the $99 HomePod mini. But the old-school HomePod is a dead-end product.

You can read the HomePod debacle as an admission of failure regarding Apple’s framing of the device as a smart speaker rather than high-end audio gear. But it’s more than that. It’s an illustration of Apple’s faltering strategy of creating premium products for niche corners of the market.

StudioDock brilliantly transforms iPad into iMac mini [Review]

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Kensington StudioDock iPad Docking Station review
With the Kensington StudioDock, an iPad tablet becomes an outstanding desktop with multiple ports and wireless chargers.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Imagine an iMac with an iPad for its screen and you’ve got the Kensington StudioDock. Slip your tablet into the docking station and it’s elevated to eye level, plus you have access to an extensive collection of built-in ports. The stand can even wirelessly charge your other Apple devices.

Read on to explore all the reasons why this is the best iPad desktop stand ever made.

Go old-school with iPhone icons inspired by 1984 Macintosh

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The iPhone and Macintosh can be friends
Wax nostalgic for the 1984 Macintosh with a set of iOS icons and wallpapers inspired by Steve Jobs’ pet project.
Photo: Ben Vessey

Take your iPhone back to Apple’s roots with a set of replacement iOS icons inspired by early Macintosh computers. Keep the links to your 2021 applications on your iPhone, but sub in icons that have the look of the first Mac’s 72 dpi screen thanks to the iOS (Old School) collection from designer Ben Vessey.