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Siri may soon recognize different voices

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Spanish Siri labels Bolivian president a ‘dictator’
Siri's voice is changing.
Photo: Apple

Apple engineers are preparing for the day Siri can reliably recognize voices. They’re working on how this digital assistant will respond to requests from multiple users.

This issue became important with the release of Apple’s HomePod earlier this year, as smartspeaker are used in shared spaces.

Apple could face new encryption fight in Australia

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encryption
A bill in Australia could force tech companies to give law enforcement a "backdoor" to encrypted data that is part of a suspected crime.
Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC

Apple executives could face jail time and multi-million dollar fines if they refuse to hand over private encrypted data linked to suspected crime under a law proposed today in Australia.

The proposed change in telecommunication intercept law will be presented to parliament by Australia’s Ministry for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity. The law would require all technology companies, from Apple and Google to Microsoft and Facebook, to essentially create a so-called “backdoor” to access encrypted data.

Flying phone drone puts your selfie game to shame

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Would you trust your $1,000 to the tiny propellers on this flying iPhone drone?
Would you trust those tiny propellers with your $1000 iPhone?
Photo: T3chformation

Drone photography has taken off big time the last two years, but if you haven’t been able to afford on of DJI‘s incredible drones, don’t worry, pretty soon your iPhone could have the powers of flight.

One brilliant tech-modder managed to attach battery-powered propellers to his iPhone case making it the ultimate selfie-machine.

Check it out:

How to get the best price for your old iPhone

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iPhone SE boxed
Don’t settle for less. Get real cash for your old iPhone — and fast!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We’re around a month away from Apple’s next iPhone event, which means it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll do with your old iPhone.

Will you hand it down to another family member, leave it lying in a drawer to collect dust, or turn it into a fat stack of cash that will help you pay for the newest model? Obviously, selling it is the sensible option — and we can show you how to get the best price for your old iPhone!

Apple welcomes youngest Nobel laureate to speak at Apple Park

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Apple event
Apple hosted Malala Yousafzai for a discussion at Apple Park on Monday.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple hosted Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai for a discussion at Apple Park on Monday.

A Pakistani activist for female education, 21-year-old Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history. Apple teamed up with Yousafzai’s Malala Fund back in January, with the goal of supporting education among girls around the world.

Learn the secrets of success from the world’s most creative people [Deals]

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Learn from 30 of the top creative success stories with a bundle of insight-packed interviews.
Learn from 30 of the top creative success stories with a bundle of insight-packed interviews.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Fortune favors the bold, and there is no shortage of bold people whose success we can all learn from. This bundle of interviews, insights and life hacks from top creatives and influencers will teach you the skills you need to succeed in today’s busy world.

iPhone could get the accessory that every iPad Pro owner loves

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Apple Pencil is the ultimate iPad accessory.
The Apple Pencil could be coming soon to an iPhone near you.
Photo: Apple

If you’ve been hankering to use the Apple Pencil with your iPhone, you may finally get your wish this year. That’s according to a new report from market intelligence firm TrendForce, which suggests that Apple’s next-gen OLED iPhones will boast support for the company’s high-end stylus.

At present, the Apple Pencil is available only for the iPad Pros and the latest entry-level iPad. Apple introduced the accessory in late 2015.

iPhone manufacturer struggles despite record revenues

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Foxconn just announced its lowest net profits in five years.
Photo: CBSRe

With Apple recently hitting a $1 trillion valuation, you’d think it would be a great time to be an Apple supplier. According to new quarterly earnings released by Apple’s long-time manufacturer Foxconn, however, that’s not entirely true.

As revealed in Foxconn’s latest financials, consolidated revenues rose 17 percent year-on-year to reach a new historical high of $34.43 billion for Q2 2018. Unfortunately, net profits for the quarter fell 2.18 percent on-year to their lowest level in five years.

Turkish president says country will boycott iPhones

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Apple store istanbul
Apple's spectacular flagship store in Istanbul.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone is among the U.S. electronic good that could be barred from Turkey as part of a new boycott announced by the country’s president on Tuesday.

“If [people currently] have iPhone, there is Samsung on the other side,” President Recep Erdogan said in a speech at a Symposium in Ankara, the country’s capital city. “And we have our own telephone brands,” he added.

Apple is opening its first store in Kyoto, Japan this month

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Kyoto
Japan was the location of Apple's first non-U.S. retail store in 2003.
Photo: Apple

Apple will open a new Apple store location in Kyoto, Japan this month, its first in the city, which is located in the Kansai region of Japan.

This will be the ninth Apple Store to be opened in Japan, although one of these in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo is currently closed. The August 25 opening comes approximately 15 years after Japan was selected in 2003 as the first country outside of the U.S. to receive an Apple Store.

Motorola’s next flagship is the most shameful iPhone X clone

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Motorola P30 iPhone X clone
There's taking inspiration from the iPhone, then there's this.
Photo: AndroidPure

Android vendors have been taking inspiration from the iPhone X’s design since Apple unveiled it last fall. That’s why almost every flagship handset hitting the market has an edge-to-edge screen and a notch. But Motorola is about to show us what a real ripoff looks like.

Its upcoming P30 handset, which just leaked out early, is the most shameful iPhone X clone we’ve seen so far.

12-inch MacBook shortage hints at impending refresh

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12-inch MacBook lineup
Don’t pay full price for a 12-inch MacBook.
Photo: Apple

A refresh is overdue for Apple’s 12-inch MacBook lineup, and it looks like it could be arriving soon.

Availability of the machine has dwindled at one major retailer, which suggests new models — complete with upgraded internals — will arrive this fall. It could be one of a number of Apple machines that will see improvements before the end of the year.

Recharge your Apple Watch & iPhone with this compact 2-in-1 battery pack [Review]

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zens
Zens' Powerbank charges an iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously.
Photo: Zens

When traveling, if you forget your charger, you’re often hosed. Especially for the Apple Watch. That’s why I keep a Zens Powerbank battery pack in my bag. The Powerbank features a built-in charger for the Apple Watch, plus a USB port for plugging an iPhone or iPad.

It’s light and easy to carry around, yet has enough juice for recharging an Apple Watch almost 12 times. Best yet, the Zens Powerbank battery pack is available now in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store. 

Guess the price of the 2018 iPhone lineup

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2018 iPhone color options
Here’s what the 2018 iPhone lineup might look like.
Photo: 9to5Mac

Apple is probably just a month away from revealing the iPhone 11 and the rumor mill has given us practically all of the info other than a price tag.

Last year Apple shocked the public with the price of the iPhone X even though it had been rumored for months. When it comes to its successors though, the 2018 iPhone costs are still pretty vague. All we know is Apple is making a 6.1-inch LCD version that’s supposed to be cheaper than the iPhone X, but what about the other two iPhones?

Place your bets and vote on which price points make the most sense to you:

Apple releases iOS 12 beta 7, then quickly withdraws it

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iOS 12 features
iOS 12 will bring loads of new features, but not until Apple gets it throughly debugged.
Photo: Apple

The latest early-release version of iOS 12 was made available to developers today — but it disappeared shortly afterward.

This afternoon’s release of iOS 12 beta 7 was met with widespread complaints that it runs slowly. Apple seems to have pulled the OTA version within an hour or so.

Apple secretly urges iOS app makers to add subscriptions

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Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple wants developers to stop selling iOS applications and start renting them instead. The reason is simple: this forces users to pay more for software.

Apple held a secret meeting in New York City last year to convince developers to give up charging users a one-time fee for apps, and go instead to reoccurring charges.

We may finally know AirPower price

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AirPower
AirPower won’t be cheap when it finally launches.
Photo: Apple

The long-awaited launch of Apple’s AirPower wireless charging pad may coincide with the launch of the 2018 iPhone lineup.

Based on a new report out of Asia, Apple engineers are in the debugging phase of the AirPower rollout. The product may not launch on the exact same day as the 2018 iPhones, but a Chinese site claims to know the planned price. And it’s not going to be cheap.

This Siri Shortcut will automatically text your commute time to your spouse

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Siri shortcuts knows how long your bus will take to get you home.
Siri knows how long your bus will take to get you home.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This Siri Shortcut will send an iMessage to a friend, spouse or other contact telling them how long it will be until you get to their location. Once set up, all you need to do is say something simple (and easy to remember) like “Home soon.”

This shortcut uses a brand-new feature in Shortcuts beta 2.0 that allows the sending of messages in the background, without having to confirm them first. It’s a small but powerful addition. Once Apple irons out the kinks, this feature could make a huge difference in how useful Siri Shortcuts will be day to day.

Apple pulls Group FaceTime from iOS 12

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FaceTime group calls iOS 12
We're going to have to wait a bit longer than we expected for Group FaceTIme.
Photo: Apple

Group FaceTime, one of the hot new features promised for iOS 12, won’t be available when the operating system debuts this fall. Apple now says it will push back the Group FaceTime launch until later this year. The company gave no reason for the delay.

Ralph Nader tells Apple to give massive profits to the little guys

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Tim Cook with money bag
Ralph Nader says Apple management spent $100 billion to "enhance their own executive compensation package."
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple becoming the world’s first trillion dollar company has put it in the crosshairs of consumer advocates, including Ralph Nader. He heavily criticized the company for a $100 billion stock buyback, instead of using the money to pay employees more, improve recycling efforts, increase R&D, or making other productive investments.

Nader is angered that businesses like Apple have spent so much of the Republican tax cuts put in place last year on stock buybacks, rather than the “productive investment and jobs” they promised.