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Live blog: Apple unveils new iPads and Macs in Brooklyn

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Apple Maps just got a New York update.
Apple Maps just got a New York update.
Photo: Apple

The last major Apple event of 2018 is just hours away. And if the rumor mill is right, it could be the most action-packed keynote Apple has had in years.

New iPads, Macs, AirPods and more are expected to be revealed when Tim Cook and company take the stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. The show kicks off at 10 a.m. Eastern. Apple will live-stream it worldwide, but we will kick off our live blog a bit before that.

Come on in and join the fun!

Halide fixes iPhone XR’s Portrait Mode

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Best iPhone photo accessories
Halide unlocks Portrait Mode on the iPhone XR.
Photo: Chroma Noir LLC

Apart from the screen, the big different between the iPhone XS and XR is the camera. The XS has two, and the XR only has one. This means that — like a one-eyed person — the XR camera can’t calculate the depth of objects in a scene, and therefore can’t use the Depth Blur feature to blur the background. It works around this by using clever facial recognition tricks to allow Portrait Mode with people, but that’s it.

Until now, that it. In its latest update, camera app Halide adds back this functionality to the new iPhone. That’s right. With Halide, you can take depth-effect pictures of anything with the iPhone XR.

Apple’s online store goes down ahead of today’s event

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Be right back
What are you looking forward to from today's Apple event?
Photo: Apple

As expected, the Apple Online Store has gone down (purposely) hours ahead of today’s special event.

When it returns following Apple’s keynote event, we expect to see redesigned versions of the iPad Pro, a new low-cost MacBook, refreshed iMac models, and — after four years of waiting — a more powerful Mac mini desktop.

Apple is having to rethink its Apple Store strategy in China

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Apple West Lake
Apple's gorgeous retail store in the West Lake shopping center in Hangzhou, China.
Photo: Apple

Over the past several years, new Apple Stores have been opening all over China — but the bloom might be off the rose.

According to a new report, Apple’s Chinese retail stores have been struggling with slowing growth. Despite recently opening its 50th store in greater China, Apple is facing challenges on a number of fronts. And they’re causing it to rethink its strategy as a result.

Possible China tariffs could drive up the price of all Apple products

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
The future of Apple prices could rest on a meeting with Donald Trump next month.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

It’s just the news you probably didn’t want to hear before a new Apple keynote event: Your Apple products could be about to get even pricier.

The reason? The Trump administration is reportedly considering tariffs on, “all remaining Chinese imports” by early December. While Apple has so far gotten away unscathed in the burgeoning U.S.-China trade war, this would be all but guaranteed to affect Apple’s business — since the majority of its products are manufactured in China.

Leaked Apple Pencil 2.0 details reveal exciting new features

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4BB93402-A1F7-451A-808A-8CBF5630BF10
Mock up of the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Photo: Ben Geskin

Apple is planning to unveil a second-generation Apple Pencil during its ‘More in the Making’ keynote tomorrow but full details of the new stylus may have already leaked online.

Notorious Apple leaker Ben Geskin tweeted out new info on Apple Pencil 2.0 today, confirming some rumored features of the device, including a new way to charge the stylus.

What to expect from Apple’s big ‘More in the Making’ event

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Apple's got a few more surprises up its sleeve.
Apple's got a few more surprises up its sleeve.
Photo: Apple

The second-biggest Apple keynote of 2018 is nearly here, and for some Mac fans, the wait can’t end soon enough.

Unlike last month’s iPhone XS keynote, all the details haven’t leaked ahead of the “There’s More in the Making” event. Still, we have a pretty good idea what Apple’s magic pipeline will pump out next Tuesday.

iPhone XR is a bit more rugged than iPhone XS

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The iPhone XR bends if you put about 260 poiunds of pressure on it
The iPhone XR bends if you put about 260 poiunds of pressure on it. That's more than twice as much as the infamous iPhone 6.
Photo: SquareTrade

Drop tests show that the new iPhone XR breaks as readily as the more expensive iPhone XS if you drop them 6 feet onto concrete. Note: don’t try this at home.

But Apple’s latest is slightly more resistant to bending.

Crazy iPhone case stows and charges earbuds

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SoundFlow
Stowing and charging earbuds in an iPhone battery case.
Photo: Ascape Audio

Wireless earbuds are great but with this statement comes a couple of asterisks. Careful stowage is critical or risk losing one. Remembering to charge Bluetooth buds is not quite second nature.

Ascape Audio aims to remove the asterisks with an earbuds/smartphone case combo called SoundFlow.

Use iOS 12’s smart albums to clean up your photo library

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Here's a photo that could totally be in some smart albums
Here's a photo that could totally be in some smart album.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Grab your iPhone, if you’re not holding it already. Then open the Photos app, go to the Albums tab, and scroll down. On iOS 12, you’ll see a list showing pretty much every kind of photo you have: Live Photos, Panoramas, screenshots, and a lot more. This is powerful stuff, so let’s check it out

Hilarious bug gives Pixel 3 XL a second notch

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google pixel
Two notches are better than one, right?
Photo: Judner Aura

The monstrous notch on Google’s new Pixel 3 XL phone is getting even worse thanks to a hilarious software bug that is plaguing users.

A small number of users have reported on Twitter and Instagram that their Pixel 3 XL has sprouted a second notch from a software glitch that’s putting another blank space on the right side of the screen.

A password manager so easy, my mom uses it

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Pauline Kahney
My mom, Pauline Kahney, is a new and enthusiastic user of the Dashlane password manager.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

My mom, who is 75, loves her Apple technology. She’s a full-fledged member of the Cult, with an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac and Apple TV. She uses them all, all the time, to do everything, just like the rest of us.

But she always had trouble with passwords — at least until I introduced her to Dashlane, the official password manager of Cult of Mac.

In our video below, you can see exactly how easy it was for her to start using Dashlane.

‘Leaked’ iPad Pro case shows off that surprising USB-C port

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A USB-C port appears on this image advertising a case for the 2018 iPad Pro.
A USB-C port appears on this image advertising a case for the 2018 iPad Pro, which is expected to be announced tomorrow.
Photo: Olixar

Olixar is best known for two things: one, regularly showing its cases wrapped around unreleased Apple products, and two, having its predictions turn out to be correct.

That’s why it’s a big deal that this company posted images on its site of an iPad Pro with a USB-C port.

Gorgeous concept dreams up big changes for Mac mini

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mac mini concept
The space gray coloring is lit.
Photo: Viktor Kádár

After 1473 days of waiting for an update, new Mac minis might finally be on the horizon.

Apple’s ‘More in the Making’ keynote is less than 24 hours away and one of the most anticipated new devices is expected to be an updated Mac mini. We’ll have to wait a few more hours to see what it looks like, but for now, we’re busy drooling over this gorgeous Mac mini concept that brings a pro look to Apple’s smallest Mac.

Take a closer look:

New iPads are coming! Sell your old one now

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The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro puts monstrous power at your fingertips.
Funding your new iPad could be easier than you think!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s big “More in the Making” event is less than a day away, which means one thing: It’s almost time to get your hands on a brand new iPad Pro. They should be available to pre-order on Friday, November 2, and just like their predecessors, they’ll be pricey.

But there’s one quick and easy way to fund yours. Start by selling your old model to Cult of Mac!

Why USB-C on the iPad would be a terrible idea [Opinion]

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There’s no way I’m sticking that In my iPad’s hole.
There’s no way I’m sticking that In my iPad’s hole.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

At this point, it seems that everyone is agreed that the next iPad will replace the excellent Lightning connector with an inferior USB-C connector. But I’m not so sure. Not only is the “evidence” for this huge change sketchy and speculative at best, but USB-C would bring almost no benefit to anyone — not users, and not Apple.

How to watch Apple’s ‘More in the Making’ keynote

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Tim Cook and Ivanka Trump
Are you ready for Apple's big event?
Photo: Apple

Apple’s ‘More in the Making’ keynote is less than 24 hours away where the company is expected to unveil a slew of new iPads and Macs.

Unlike last month’s iPhone keynote at Apple Park, this week’s event will be hosted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and it’s starting early at 10 a.m. ET. If you didn’t get an invite to the event, don’t worry, the entire thing will be live-streamed.

Here’s how to tune in on whatever device you’re using.

Creative hack gives you stunning iPhone macro shots

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Paul Adshead
Making a macro lens is easy. Shooting with it is another story.
Photo: Paul Adshead/Fstoppers

Commercial photographer Paul Adshead could have spent a few bucks for a macro lens attachment for his iPhone. Instead, a MacGyver-type of a hack gave him a lens and ethereal macro photos that seem achievable with only a high-powered microscope.

Feeling adventurous and uninspired by his smartphone photos, Adshead harvested an internal lens from a 1990s-era CD drive and, with a little tack-it putty, affixed it to his iPhone.

Services could make up nearly half of Apple’s profits by 2020

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Apple waives developer fees for nonprofits, others in 8 additional countries
Apple's Services division is a money-minting machine.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s burgeoning Services division could make up 40 percent of the company’s gross profits by fiscal 2020, predicts Jefferies analyst Timothy O’Shea.

O’Shea says that Apple’s growing Services are the creamy sweet icing (not exactly his words) on top of the cake that is the existing “stable” iPhone business. As a result, he puts a price target of $265 a share on the Cupertino giant.

New Apple Pencil could support gesture recognition

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google handwriting apple pencil
We could see a new Apple Pencil this week.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple Pencil is the best iPad stylus money can buy — and it could be about to get even better.

iOS code reveals an updated model, which is likely to make its debut during tomorrow’s “More in the Making” event, will support gestures that make it even more powerful. It could also pack a physical button that provides access to useful functions.

Apple investigates reports of underage workers at Apple Watch factory

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
The incident allegedly took place at Apple manufacturer Quanta.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple has said that it will investigate allegations that one of its manufacturers used high school students to build Apple Watches in China.

The news came to light late last week, when the Hong Kong-based labor rights group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) said it had received a report. Today, Apple issued a statement saying previous audits revealed no cases of underage labor, but that it will carry out its own investigations.

iBeacon use slows to ‘a trickle’

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beacon1
iBeacons were introduced as part of iOS 7.
Photo: Apple

iBeacons haven’t exactly caught on as Apple hoped, and neither have the similar smartphone-communicating beacons launched by other companies like Google.

But why has beacon adoption slowed to “a trickle?” A new report lays out several possible explanations.