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What you need to know about Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s new head of retail

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Deirdre O’Brien, a 30-year Apple veteran, will lead Apple’s Retail and People teams.
30-year Apple veteran Deirdre O’Brien will handle the company's retail push.
Photo: Apple

Apple tapped Deirdre O’Brien to be its new retail boss today in light of the news that Angela Ahrendts plans to leave the company.

While O’Brien may not be a household name to most Apple fans, she’s been with the company for more than three decades. From the days of Steve Jobs saving Apple from bankruptcy to watching Tim Cook leading the company to a first-ever $1 trillion valuation, O’Brien has seen huge changes during her tenure with the iPhone-maker. Now she’s set to be one of the most powerful people in Silicon Valley.

Here are six things you didn’t know about the new Apple retail boss.

Here’s how cool iOS 13’s dark mode could look

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There’s already a basic sort of dark mode in iOS, but there’s room for improvement.
There’s already a basic sort of dark mode in iOS, but there’s room for improvement.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A major new feature in iOS 13 is expected to be a system-wide dark mode, and a designer put together some concept renders of what this could offer.

This goes beyond just inverting pixel colors, which is already possible in iOS.

Spoil your Valentine with Casetify’s sweet Apple Watch bands

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Whether you're crushing, dating, celebrating your partner, or just loving yourself, we've got gorgeous gifts for you and your valentine.
Whether you're crushing, dating, celebrating your partner, or just loving yourself, we've got gorgeous gifts for you and your valentine.
Photo: Casetify

Already splurged on the latest Apple Watch last Christmas? Valentine’s is the perfect opportunity to gift your special someone (or even yourself) a fresh new accessory without breaking the bank.

Cruise Casetify’s gorgeous designs and give big heart and love to anyone who’s lucky enough to unwrap these bands and wear them on their wrist. From stunning in stainless steel to sweet in Saffiano leather, pick the perfect present for you and your beau from the Cult of Mac Watch Store this Valentine’s Day.

How to back up your iCloud Photo Library

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Back up your precious — and totally non-creepy — memories.
Back up your precious — and totally non-creepy — memories.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Wait, what? Why would you want to back up your iCloud Photo Library? Apple takes care of that, right? After all, the clue is in the name — the library is stored in iCloud.

Not so fast. That’s true, but what if something screws up at Apple’s end? What if you lose access to your iCloud account? What if, what if, what if? In most cases, you’ll be fine, but being a good computer nerd, you probably understand the value of redundant backups. So today we’ll see how to make sure all your images are safely stored. Just in case.

Apple adds 4 new Animoji to iOS 12.2

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iPhone X Animoji
Animoji are too much fun!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The latest iOS 12.2 beta Apple seeded to developers today brings four new Animoji options to iPhone X, XS, XR and XS Max owners.

Now iPhone and iPad Pro users can choose between the new giraffe, shark, boar and owl Animoji characters during FaceTime calls and in the effects option for iMessage.

This is what they look like:

Juuk rolls out aluminum bands to fit Apple Watch Series 4

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juuk
The Vitero Ruby Grey aluminum band is now compatible with Series 4.
Photo: Juuk

If you’ve got a new Series 4 Apple Watch, but have been lamenting that the precision aluminum bands from Hong Kong-based Juuk don’t fit, fret no longer.

After painstaking detective work and many hours of redesign, the fruits of Juuk’s labors are starting to hit the market. Currently the Vitero Ruby Grey, Vitero Cosmic Grey and Ligero Obsidian are available for the Series 4 Apple Watch, with more to follow.

How to search Google like a boss

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Google search operators
Search like a pro with Google search operators.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

For many folks, Google is the front page of the internet. You don’t type Facebook.com into your browser. You just type “Facebook,” and then click the first Google result. Or you do a basic search by tapping in what you’re looking for.

But Google is way more powerful than that. You just have to learn a few of its secret code words, and then you can slice and dice your searches like a pro. No more wading through pages of results to find what you want. Use these tricks, and you’ll almost always get what you want on the first page. You can even ask Google to show you the weather.

Sell your old Apple devices and get paid fast!

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Apple gadgets
Trade in your old Apple gadgets and get a cheap upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Don’t miss out on cheap Apple devices in the post-holiday sales.

You can save a pretty penny on a sweet upgrade, whether you need a new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac — and we’ll help you get the money you deserve for your old gear.

Cult of Mac typically pays more than other trade-in services for aging Apple gadgets, and we won’t leave you waiting weeks for your cash.

Give your brain a workout with Brilliant [Review]

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Brilliant iOS app on desk with switch and tv remote
Quit wasting time and learn something with Brilliant.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Whether you’re addicted to Twitter, obsessed with Fortnite or wasting the day away on Netflix, you can kill hours on your iPhone without ever doing anything useful or productive.

Instead of mindlessly killing time, Brilliant gives you a way to expand your mind and learn something new every day.

Apple apologizes for FaceTime eavesdropping flaw; fix coming next week

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2018 iPad Pro Animoji
Apple's FaceTime bug allowed users to eavesdrop on others.
Photo: Apple

Apple has apologized for its FaceTime bug, and assured customers that an iOS software update is coming next week to fix it.

The FaceTime flaw allowed users to see and hear individuals before they answered a Group FaceTime call. Apple took the Group FaceTime servers offline after the news broke, but from the sound of things, it regrets how long it took to deal with the situation.

What’s next for iPhone, plus our favorite gadgets this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 373 iPhone XS
Where does iPhone go from here?

This week on The CultCast: A new report details what’s (probably) next for Apple’s 2019 and 2020 iPhones. Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E. Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018. And we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super-smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Dashlane for supporting this episode. Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It’s so good, even Leander Kahney’s mommy uses it. Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

How to make the Calendar app’s timer picker more accurate

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Wait just a minute calendar picker
Wait just a minute…
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you ever look at the five-minute intervals on the Calendar app’s time picker and think, “I really wish I could set that appointment at 09:03 and not 09:05”?

No, neither did I (nor did anyone else that isn’t some kind of control-freak psychopath). But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Today we’ll see how to tweak the Calendar’s time wheel to show one-minute increments instead of the usual five-minute segments.

Apple might bring dark mode to iOS 13

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iOS 11 dark mode
iOS 12 has an inverted colors option, but it's not a true dark mode.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the hottest features in macOS Mojave could make the jump to iOS soon: Dark mode is reportedly coming in the update expected this fall.

In addition, iPads running iOS 13 could get significant interface improvements, like better side-by-side multitasking.

3D laser camera could make 2020 iPhones AR machines

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The 2019 iPhone could have a much larger camera bump than any predecessor.
Your next iPhone might come with 3 cameras.
Render: OnLeaks/Digit.in

The 3D sensing capabilities on the iPhone are set to get a big upgrade in 2020, according to a new report.

Apple is supposedly planning to add a laser-based 3D camera system to the 2020 iPhone lineup that will be more powerful than the dot-projection system currently used by the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR for facial recognition.

How to place and receive phone calls on iPad

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Remember these?
Remember these?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ever looked at your iPad and thought, “I’d love to hold that huge thing up to my ear and make a phone call. I’d look to-ta-lee badass. Now, where’s my cellphone holster?”? Bonus points if you had this thought while looking at a huge 13-inch iPad Pro.

Of course, it might actually be handy to make calls on your iPad, especially as you probably would use AirPods or EarPods to do so. Your iPhone may be charging, or in another room, or maybe you’re there with a number ready to call on your Mac or iPad. Now, the iPad still can’t use its cellular connection to send or receive SMS messages, or make phone calls, but if you have an iPhone nearby you can use it as a bridge to do both. Bonus: This even works with the Wi-Fi-only iPad.

Everything you need to know about Apple’s disappointing holiday quarter

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Tim Cook sounded confident about Apple’s future when he got on today’s Q1 2019 earnings call with investors this afternoon. Despite slumping iPhone sales and declining revenues, Cook told investors that his company is being managed for the long-haul instead of short-term gains.

Wall Street is already responding positively to Apple’s earnings report with shares trading up in after-hours trading. The company has 1.4 billion active Apple devices in the world, positioning Apple to continue raking in money as no other company can. However, today’s call revealed some new challenges Apple faces going forward.

What you need to know about playing Fortnite for iOS with a controller

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Fortnite mobile controller
You can now play at 120Hz on iPad Pro.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Fortnite for iOS finally supports wireless game controllers. After installing the latest version 7.30 release, you can connect a compatible MFi controller and bid goodbye to fiddly touch controls.

But don’t expect exactly the same experience as on consoles, and don’t assume you’re going to have an advantage over other mobile players.

Here’s what you need to know about playing Fortnite for iOS with a controller.

How to make Shortcuts give you a weather forecast on iPad

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iPad weather
Life’s a beach — without this iPad weather shortcut.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iPad infamously still lacks a built-in weather app. There are plenty of ways around this — you can ask Siri, you can use the Maps app to see the weather anywhere, or you can wait for your iPhone to give you a lock-screen forecast every morning.

Today we add a new method. We’ll make a quick shortcut that gets the weather at your current location, and displays it as a notification.

Unknown iPads pop up in Eurasian database

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New mages could be of the rumored iPad mini 5.
iPad mini 5, supposedly pictured here, could have been listed in a Eurasian database.
Photo: Mr-white

Reports that Apple plans to bring out new iPad models in the near future strengthened today when several new tablets appeared in a Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database.

These could be an update for last year’s 9.7-inch model and the rumored return of the iPad mini.

Death of 3D Touch, AirPods with health sensors, and a MacBook Pro flaw you need to know about, on The CultCast

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Cultcast 372 MacBook Pro
New AIrPods with health sensors in 2019? Is Apple killing 3D Touch? We'll tell you what we know.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Why iPhone’s 3D Touch is probably dead; new reports say AirPods packed with health sensors are coming in 2019; the MacBook Pro “stage light” flaw affects all models built after 2016 — and could cost you $600 to fix. Plus, the wild saga of MoviePass … continues.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

How to move your iOS GarageBand projects to the Mac

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This parking garage could totally have a band inside.
This parking garage could totally have a band inside.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I can’t tell you how much I love GarageBand on the iPad. But even though it’s a fantastic app, and totally self-contained, sometimes you need to use a Mac. That’s because the iOS version lacks several features of the desktop version. But that’s OK, because the Mac can open iOS GarageBand projects easily. And today we’re going to see how to do it.

20 most important Macs of all time

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128k Mac and 21-inch iMac
Things have come a long way in 35 years.
Photo: iFixit

Today marks 35 years since the launch of the original Macintosh computer, the product which most defined Apple until the iPod and iPhone came along years later. The Mac changed the course of personal computing history, and started a product line which Apple continues today. But which Macs along the way rank as the biggest game changers?

We went right back to the start to bring you our picks for the top 20 most important Macs of all time.

Slim backpack hides even the biggest MacBooks and iPads in style

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The new Sutter Slim Backpack provides special pockets to store your Apple gear.
The new Sutter Slim Backpack provides special pockets to store your Apple gear.
Photo: WaterField Designs Sutter Slim Backpack

WaterField Designs’ new Sutter Slim Backpack keeps a low profile while swallowing up a 15-inch MacBook, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a bunch of other gear.

A few neat features make it sound like a pretty great way to carry all that tech we drag around everyday.

How to stop Google from tracking your clicks

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Stop the madness
Stop! The! Madness!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Whenever you click a link in a Google search, it replaces the URL of the site with a tracking URL. If you hover over a link with your mouse before you click it, Safari will show you the full URL of that link. It’s a great way to check where you’re about to get sent. Google plays along with this, showing you the proper URL for the link in question.

Only when you actually click on it, it swaps out that link, replacing it with its own tracking link.

Fortunately, there’s a way to block this sneaky, underhanded and totally unsurprising behavior.