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Is iPhone XS battery life really better?

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iPhone XS gaming
The first iPhone with ProMotion?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple promises that you’ll get better battery life if you upgrade to the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. Their cutting-edge A12 Bionic chips and power-efficient Super Retina displays should mean that they last longer than any other iPhone in between charges.

But is that really the case? One battery test has found that last year’s iPhone X actually has more stamina than its successor.

Apple Store robbery suspect caught by security

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Apple Store Santa Rosa Plaza1
The location of the Apple Store in question.
Photo: Apple

The string of Apple Store robberies in California continued over the weekend — but, on this occasion, everything didn’t go quite as planned for the thieves.

As is becoming routine at this point, a gang of thieves (six in this case) ran into an Apple Store in California’s Santa Rosa Plaza shopping center, and started snatching devices from the stands. However, while five got away with their stolen goods, one was tackled to the ground by mall security and two good samaritans.

Face ID fails to recognize difference between twins

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Face ID
Face ID isn't unbeatable.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s foolproof Face ID system looks like it has met its match.

Even though Face ID is supposed to faster on the iPhone XS and XS Max, it appears that the security system can be completely fooled by identical twins. If you’ve got a sibling doppelganger, you might want to just use a passcode.

Watch how ineffective Face ID is at distinguishing between these two:

Waze’s next-gen navigation cruises onto CarPlay

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Waze CarPlay
The long wait for Waze on Apple's CarPlay in-dash system is over.
Photo: Waze

For too many years, the only navigation application for CarPlay users was Apple Maps. But iOS 12 changed that. Last week, CarPlay users got access to Google Maps. And now the rival Waze is an option.

This means that all three of the most popular turn-by-turn smartphone navigation titles can be used with Apple’s in-dash system.

iPhone XS Max whips Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in speed tests

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Apple wins benchmark and real-world comparisons of the performance of the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9.
Apple wins benchmark and real-world comparisons of the performance of the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9.
Screenshot: SuperSaf TV

Both Samsung and Apple offer really large smartphones fo those who want to carry a miniature tablet around with them everywhere. Anyone trying to decide between the iPhone XS Max and the Galaxy Note 9 should consider which one offers better performance.

In several head-to-head tests, the iPhone solidly beats its Android-based rival. That’s in both benchmarks and real-world use.

Apple Park gets bricked in amazing Lego replica

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LEGO Apple Park
It took the LEGO brick master Spencer R two years to build his replica Apple Park.
Flickr screenshot: Fabrizio Constantini/Spencer R

As architecture to behold, the Apple Park “spaceship” campus has received the ultimate validation — as a Lego model.

The iconic ring, the circular Steve Jobs Theater, the fitness center, and even the plant life have been faithfully re-created at approximately 1/650th scale by a brick master who goes by Spencer R.

How to prepare your Mac for macOS Mojave

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Get ready to go dark with macOS Mojave Dark Mode.
Get your hands on the latest beta today.
Photo: Apple

macOS Mojave just launched, bringing all kinds of neat new features to Apple’s desktop OS. Dark Mode, Dynamic Desktop, Stacks and a fantastically redesigned Finder are some of the highlights.

If you are planning on upgrading, you should do a little prep work first. Here’s how to get ready for your sweet, free macOS Mojave upgrade.

Apple Watch fall detection disabled by default … unless you’re old

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apple watch series 4
If you’re under 65, fall detection isn’t enabled.
Photo: Apple

Don’t just assume your new Apple Watch Series 4 will be there to help you when you drunkenly fall into a neighbor’s flowerbed on your way home from the bar. If you’re under 65, fall detection is disabled by default.

Here’s how to enable it to ensure your emergency contact knows when you’re in trouble.

Sirius XM plans to buy Pandora for $3.5 billion

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Pandora is finally catching up.
Pandora is about to become part of Sirius XM.
Photo: Pandora

Two of the biggest companies in the music business are teaming up to try to better take on Spotify and Apple Music.

Sirius XM revealed today that it plans to acquire the music streaming service Pandora in a $3.5 billion all-stock deal. The merger is far from a done deal though and according to a report, Pandora will have the opportunity to find a better deal from another company.

This Siri shortcut keeps an eye on police during a traffic stop

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Shortcuts app from iOS 12
Shortcuts app from iOS 12
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The smartphone has become a useful tool in shining a light on police abuse and overreach. Now, there’s a Siri shortcut that quickly readies your iPhone to record your experience with police during a traffic stop.

The shortcut was created by Reddit user Robert Petersen of Florence, Arizona, who suggests having users place their iPhone in a dash mount while driving.

Teardown reveals beautiful guts inside Apple Watch Series 4

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iFixit Apple Watch 4
As beautiful inside as out.
Photo: iFixit

Steve Jobs famously adopted a “paint the back of the fence” approach when it came to design, making sure that the parts of his computers people didn’t see were every bit as attractive as those they did.

While it might strike some as obsessive levels of perfectionism, it also showcases the fact that Apple really does sweat the little details when it comes to its products. Well, it took a few years, but that same mentality has finally arrived on the Apple Watch — as a new teardown reveals.

Apple finalizes Shazam acquisition and vows to remove ads

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Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018
Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed its acquisition of Shazam is now complete, nine months after it was first announced.

The company’s first move will be to rid the music service, which is used more than 20 million times every single day, of pesky ads that most users have to endure. Later on, Apple promises more great ways to discover and enjoy music.

Don’t be fooled: iPhone XS is not a boring ‘S’ upgrade [Review]

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iPhone XS and XS Max
There are over 1.4 billion active Apple devices in the world.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you ever watched schlocky ’70s sci-fi show The Six Million Dollar Man, you probably remember the opening sequence, during which a faceless narrator describes building a man who is “better than he was before. Better … stronger … faster.”

With the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Apple’s engineers achieved just that type of incredible transformation. They fabricated phones that look “normal,” like last year’s iPhone X. But, just like the shadowy geniuses who built the bionic man, Apple indeed made the iPhone X better, stronger and faster — thanks in large part to the A12 Bionic chip that powers the new phones’ most advanced functions. (Other hardware and software upgrades help, too.)

Just like Col. Steve Austin, the ace astronaut who got $6 million worth of bionic implants after a devastating crash, the iPhone X received massive internal upgrades to morph into the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. While it looks like the same old (excellent) device, it’s actually far more fantastic and futuristic.

It’s a total bionic blast!

Learn to build awesome iOS 12 apps [Deals]

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iOS 12 Apps
Get coding for iOS 12 for less than $12!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 12 has finally landed, bringing with it a whole raft of new features and updates like Siri Shortcuts and enhanced AR. It offers plenty of opportunity for developers to innovate and build awesome new apps. That is, if you know the development ropes.

Apple teams up with Salesforce to deliver better business apps for iOS

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Salesforce iOS
The redesigned Salesforce app will bring exclusive features to iOS next year.
Photo: Apple

Apple has entered into a new partnership with Salesforce to deliver new iOS apps focused on business.

Salesforce is redesigning its app and adding exclusive new features as part of the deal, while Apple has vowed to provide tools and resources to help millions of Salesforce developers create their own native apps for iOS.

Storage is cheaper than ever, but iPhone customers don’t benefit

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iphone XS
The new iPhones are Apple's priciest ever.
Photo: Apple

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Apple doesn’t go out of its way to pass savings on to to customers.

According to a new report, despite the cost of NAND flash memory halving in price over the past year, Apple hasn’t reduced the cost of its iPhones accordingly. In fact, Apple charges the same 78 cents-per-gif that it did in 2017 — meaning that the iPhone is even more profitable.

Apple Watch Series 4 review: So good it’ll make your heart race

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Apple Watch Series 4 Infogram Watch Face
The Series 4 comes with some great new watch faces, like this information-packed Infograph face.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

I have a new best friend. It’s the Apple Watch Series 4. Boy, do I love this miraculous little machine.

The new Apple Watch really is wonderful. As with everything else, speed makes it so much more fluid and seamless. The display is gigantic and awesome! There’s so much technology packed inside, it’s a sci-fi marvel.

I took it for a long bike ride to test it out. Here’s what I found.