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US government bans employees from using risky Chinese phones

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
Huawei is the second-largest phone maker globally, but it just became illegal for the US government to buy its products.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

By law, anyone who works for the U.S. government must give up their phone if it was made by Huawei or ZTE. And federal agencies must get rid of routers and other networking equipment made by the two Chinese companies as well. This is a requirement in the Defence Authorization Act just passed by Congress.

The rule came because both Huawei and ZTE are considered to be too closely tied to the Chinese government to be trusted.

How to rip and save audio from YouTube videos with your iPhone

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rip youtube audio
This screen represents YouTube, and the telephone represents audio. Or something.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Editor’s note: As of Feb. 10, 2010, the tip outlined below no longer works. However, we published a new post about an iOS shortcut that currently does work: “Finally — a YouTube download shortcut for iOS that actually works.” Enjoy.

YouTube isn’t just for video. Lots of folks use it to post audio files, only they gum up the songs with slideshows so they can upload them to the video-publishing service. There are all kinds of apps that let you convert a YouTube video back into an MP3, but today we’re going to see how to convert a video to an MP3 right in Safari, using Apple’a own Workflow/Shortcuts app.

‘Loop disease’ could kill your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

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Fixing 'loop disease' requires disassembling the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus.
Photo: IFIXIT

It has a ridiculous name, but it’s a serious problem. Incidents of “loop disease’ are reportedly sending growing numbers of iPhones to the repair shop.

This isn’t a new virus or an iOS bug. Instead, it’s a hardware problem affecting older iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus units.

VPNs make browsing safer. Why don’t more people use them?

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HideMy.name VPN can hide your deepest, darkest secrets.
HideMyName VPN can hide your deepest, darkest secrets.
Image: HideMy.name

This post is presented by HideMy.name VPN.

For all the regulations and constraints creeping onto the internet, it remains a pretty wild place. You can still find almost any information you want (unless you’re in a blocked country). And if you’re not careful, someone else can access your personal information in a flash.

Custom chips could make Apple Watch even better

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Join the crew with Apple Watch
Apple's got a gutsy move to make Apple Watch a better health machine.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of MAc

Custom health chips could be the next big piece of silicon to come out of Apple’s labs.

Apple reportedly has a team of engineers exploring the creation of a customized processor is optimized to make sense of health information from sensors at a faster rate than the S series processors found in the Apple Watch.

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.