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Apple’s AR Glasses are almost here! Catch the discussion, on The CultCast

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CultCast 409
A reliable analyst says Apple's AR glasses are right around the corner.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s AR glasses are about to be announced! At least according to one very reliable analyst…. we discuss. Plus: Mac OS Catalina is out, but you probably shouldn’t install it—we’ll tell you why. And Final Cut Pro just got massively faster thanks to a new update, and a long awaited iOS 13 feature finally goes live.

Our thanks to Linked In 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.

Stand+Dock brings iPhone, AirPods together for tidy charging [Review]

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Zens-Stand-Dock-white
A spectacularly simple charging solution.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Clear the clutter on your bedside table with the Zens Stand+Dock. This stunning charger tops up iPhone and AirPods simultaneously and eliminates messy cables that are forever in your way.

A built-in USB port on its base also allows you to charge a third device — like your Apple Watch. And with up to 20W of power output, there’s more than enough to go around.

Here’s why we love the Zens Stand+Dock.

Devs ding Catalyst, Apple’s new system for porting iPad apps to Mac

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macOS Catalyst ports iPad apps to Mac
Developers say macOS Catalyst has a lot of potential, but plenty of limitations too.
Photo: Apple

Developers using Apple’s system to convert iPad software to macOS say Catalyst still needs lots of work before it can fulfill its promise.

The functionality is mostly there, but some features are missing and there are complaints about the style of the resulting apps.

Contraband Apple II computers still power old Soviet museum

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entrance to the Lenin Museum
The Apple II has been a faithful comrade to the Lenin Museum.
Photo: mvstang/Flickr CC

The Soviet Union may have collapsed. But Vladimir Lenin, the country’s first leader, lives on, thanks to an audiovisual show still running on a small network of Apple II computers at a museum outside Moscow.

The Apple II is as revered by geeks as Lenin is by nostalgic Communists. Both proved revolutionary. And while the carefully edited story of Lenin might seem interesting to museum-goers, the unvarnished tale of the vintage Apple tech is more compelling.

Don’t update to macOS Catalina without checking this first

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32-bit apps are finished.
32-bit apps are finished.
Photo: Avi Richards/Unsplash

Don’t update your Mac to macOS Catalina without doing some serious checking first. The new Mac operating system makes some deep changes, which means that at least a handful of apps on your Mac will break. And that’s probably the best-case scenario. If you’re a long-time Mac user, this could be a chaotic update for you.

So, how do you know which apps are going to break in Catalina? Here are two ways to check.

We may be waiting until 2020 for new iPad Pro, 16-inch MacBook

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Apple Smart Keyboard Folio turns the 2018 iPad Pro into a notebook.
Cross a new iPad Pro off your Christmas list.
Photo: Apple

You could be waiting longer than anticipated to get your hands on Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro. One trusted analyst says the refresh will arrive in early 2020 with the iPhone SE 2, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come even later.

This could mean that October Apple event we’ve all been waiting for won’t happen after all.

Apple’s first AR glasses could arrive in second quarter of 2020

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Apple Glasses
You can expect big things next year.
Concept: Taeyeon Kim

Apple will launch its first augmented reality glasses in the second quarter of 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities says the device could enter mass-production before the end of this year. The news comes just weeks after one rumor suggested Apple had shelved its AR glasses plans.

New Tile Sticker will help you find anything [Review]

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Tile Pro, Tile Sticker, Tile Mate and Tile Slim
The round Tile Sticker is the new model, but there are also updates to Tile Pro, Tile Mate and Tile Slim.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anyone who’s ever spent a half hour searching for the TV remote can understand the appeal of the Tile Sticker. Glue it to anything relatively flat and you’ll never misplace that item again, as your iPhone can have this tiny tag play a loud alarm. Or put one on the headphones you can never find, or maybe the back of your ID badge.

There are also improved versions of the Tile Pro, Tile Mate and Tile Slim out today to help with finding your keys or wallet. Just don’t get lost in our reviews of all four new item trackers.

Ikea’s dirt-cheap wireless charger is elusive for a reason [Review]

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The Livboj is under there somewhere.
The Livboj is under there somewhere.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This is the Livboj, an inexpensive but hard-to-find Qi charging pad from Ikea. Last week, I visited my local Ikea to stock up on frozen cinnamon buns. I got lost, and found a stack of these amazing devices instead.

Despite its dirt-cheap price tag of 5 euros ($5.50), the Livboj is pretty great. So far I’ve experienced none of the problems other people report from far-more-expensive Qi pads. You should snap up one of these elusive chargers — if you’re lucky enough to spot one next time you’re at Ikea.

How to use the Apple Watch to snap remote selfies

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Apple Watch camera remote
Apple Watch camera remote inception.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is an amazing fitness tracker, and a pretty good notification device. But it has other tricks — tricks that you maybe didn’t know about, or didn’t realize would be quite as useful as they are. One is the Camera app. The Apple Watch doesn’t have its own camera, but it does give you remote control of your iPhone’s camera.

This lets you trigger the camera’s shutter, or record a video, from anywhere in range of your iPhone’s Bluetooth radio. Why? Group self-portraits, without having to set the timer and run back to your friends in time to smile. Videos: I used the video camera function just this week to record my progress for my guitar teacher. Like I said, it might be more useful than you’d expect.

Here’s how to use the Apple Watch camera remote.

OWC’s USB-C multiport hub is built like a tank [Review]

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OWC USB-C Travel Dock with iPad Pro
The OWC USB-C Travel Dock adds multiple ports to an iPad Pro or MacBook.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The OWC USB-C Travel Dock has five ports to extend the capabilities of your MacBook or iPad Pro, including HDMI and dual USB-A. Wrapped around these is a casing of aluminum and plastic thick enough to stand up to the kind of punishment many of us subject our gear to. Yet it still looks professional.

We used this multiport hub on several business trips. Here’s how it came through.

Save 20% on this mountable charging pad + case for iPhone

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Xvida-mountable-charging-pad
Make your iPhone easily accessible while it's charging.
Photo: Xvida

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could slap your iPhone on the wall while it’s charging? You can with the magnificent mountable wireless charging pad from Xvida.

Built-in magnets inside the pad grab onto Xvida’s companion case for iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max to form a super-secure grip. And you can save big on both products today!

How to check (and block) apps that track you on iPhone and iPad

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Protect iOS your privacy and data with a firewall app.
Protect iOS your privacy and data with a firewall app.
Photo: Capturing the Human Heart/Unsplash

Safari’s content blockers effectively block trackers and other Bad Stuff on the web, but that only works in Apple’s browser. Any other app you install on your iPhone or iPad can send all kinds of personal information to anyone, without you ever knowing. Your location, the details of your menstrual cycle, how long you spend asleep — pretty much anything.

So how do you stop this? Well, iOS 13 itself can help limit some abuses. But what you really need is an iOS firewall app that can detect and shut down any unauthorized connections.

16-inch MacBook Pro could get Apple’s most powerful charger ever

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16-inch MacBook Pro concept
What does this mean for the 16-inch MacBook Pro?
Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Details have leaked out of an Apple USB-C wall charger more powerful than any the company currently offers. This has spawned speculation that it‘s for the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro expected to launch soon.

A power adapter that offers more current leads to faster recharges.

iPad is catching up with Mac, but it will never be as easy to use [Opinion]

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It’s not rocket science... oh wait, it is: Opening two files on an iPad.
Opening two files in the same app on an iPad requires rocket science.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Thanks to the recently launched iPadOS, I can finally do simple things on my iPad that I’ve always been able to do on my Mac. Like opening multiple documents in the same app, or installing fonts.

Trouble is, while these things are easy to do on a Mac, they’re fiendishly difficult with an iPad.

In the early days, everyone celebrated the iPad for being easier and more intuitive to use than a Mac. But as Apple crams in more features, that is no longer true. iPad is still easier to use for simple things, but it is much harder and more cumbersome for performing advanced tasks.

All the ways to take a screenshot in iPadOS

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An iPad Pro case can prevent your Apple Pencil from charging.
The Apple Pencil can now take screenshots!
Photo: Apple

Like skinning a cat, there’s more than one way to take a screenshot on the iPhone and iPad. And with the launch of iPadOS 13, there’s now one more way to snap a picture of your screen on the iPad.

Let’s check out all the ways to take a screenshot on an iPad running iOS 13.

Here’s how to turn Live Photos into a video

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how-to for Live Photos video in iOS 13
iOS 13 lets you add more motion to your Live Photos by putting them in a video loop.
Screenshot: Apple Support/YouTube

Fans of Live Photos will be able to save one or more into a single video thanks to a new feature in iOS 13.

Apple Support rolled out a quick tutorial on its YouTube channel Wednesday that shows the easy steps to stitching a string of Live Photos into a fun little video loop.

Apple Watch owners plagued by bad battery life under watchOS 6

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Apple Watch Series 5 California Face
It could be one of many new faces.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recent watchOS 6 upgrade brought a host of new features and faces to Apple Watch. But it has also had a nasty impact on battery life for lots of upgraders.

Apple Watch Series 5 owners are reporting that their new wearable isn’t lasting as long as Apple promised it would in between charges. However, they’re not the only ones who are suffering.

Reliable source says there will be no ‘iPhone 11S’ in 2020

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iPhone-11-red
Customers can't get enough of iPhone 11.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple will not release an “iPhone 11S” in 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Cupertino is instead expected to name its next-generation smartphone — which will launch next September — the “iPhone 12.” This could mean a big break from tradition going forward.

Get free power anywhere with myCharge’s solar battery [Review]

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myCharge Solar PowerFold review
Put the Solar PowerFold in the Sun for a few hours to bring a useful charge to your iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A solar-powered battery should be part of any disaster-preparedness kit, and the myCharge Solar PowerFold can keep an iPhone up and running just by sitting in the sun for a few hours.

We tested the ability of this very portable device to capture the thermonuclear power of our nearest star. Here’s how it went.

Super-sturdy case brings brighter colors to iPhone 11 Pro

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Elago-Hybrid-iPhone-11
Add a splash of color to iPhone 11 Pro.
Photo: Elago

Spend even more of your hard-earned cash on iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max and you’ll have to forget the fancier color options offered by iPhone 11. But there is another way to brighten up your new smartphone for next to nothing.

Elago’s brilliant new Hybrid Case, priced at just $16, comes in a bunch of beautiful finishes that’ll help your 11 Pro stand out.

What to expect at an Apple October event

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16-inch MacBook Pro concept
A 16-inch MacBook Pro, which might look something like this, could be arrive soon.
Concept Art: Viktor Kádár

An Apple October event hasn’t yet been announced, but there’s such an impressive list of products that are supposedly ready to launch that the company seems to need a big venue to show them all off.

There’s an epic new Mac, a big MacBook, fresh iPads and plenty more, all reportedly coming soon.

How to post to Instagram on your Mac

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Post photos direct to Instagram from Safari on your Mac.
Post photos direct to Instagram from Safari on your Mac.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you know the trick, you can use Instagram on your Mac. And I don’t just mean viewing your timeline in Safari. I mean uploading pictures, adding filters, the lot. What’s more, it’s dead easy. Interested? Here’s how it works.