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Instapaper kills its Apple Watch app

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Instapaper for Apple Watch
Instapaper on Apple Watch was surprisingly decent.
Photo: Instapaper

Instapaper has become the latest big service to ditch its Apple Watch app.

The most recent Instapaper app update removes the Apple Watch component, and there are apparently no plans to bring it back. One Instapaper developer explains that it didn’t prove popular enough to warrant a required rebuild for watchOS.

Few VPNs prove as secure as this one [Deals]

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This VPN provider is backed by super secure encryption, Swiss data privacy laws, and lots more.
This VPN provider is backed by super secure encryption, Swiss data privacy laws, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you use a VPN, it’s because you want to protect your online life. That’s a good move, but some providers are more secure than others. So if security is your concerns, check out this deal on ProtonVPN.

Journey to a trillion, and a look at Apple’s troubled history, on The CultCast

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CultCast MacBook Pro
Apple's the most valuable company on earth, but it almost wasn't.

This week on The CultCast: The journey to a trillion! How did Apple become the most valuable company on earth? We discuss, and remember the company’s troubled history. Plus: Is the i9 MacBook Pro a total ripoff? One YouTube reviewer says yes, and his tests are convincing. We’ll fill you in. And stay tuned for the sad decline of MoviePass. Is the troubled movie service still worth it?

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.

Apple’s Android rivals are going all-in on folding phones in 2019

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This early prototype Samsung foldable phone suggests how the Galaxy X might look.
This prototype Samsung folding phone could be a harbinger of many, many to follow.
Screenshot: Samsung

At least four big smartphone makers are reportedly prepping foldable models for 2019. This radical new design could reinvigorate the slowing phone market, hence the widespread interest.

But Apple is a notable holdout. This means it could end up being the only top 5 phone maker not releasing a foldable phone next year.

iPhone could scrap free Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter in 2018

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iPhone 7 dongle
You might have to pay for another one of these.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s decision to do away with the iPhone’s headphone jack in 2016 still causes some fans great pain. The free Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter found inside every iPhone box helps by ensuring you can still use your favorite cans with the latest models — but not for long.

Apple will stop bundling the adapter with its next-generation iPhone lineup later this year, according to a new report. If you don’t already have one, you’ll have to pay to obtain one.

Tim Cook: $1 trillion cap ‘not the most important measure of success’

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WWDC 2019
Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage for WWDC 2018.
Photo: Apple

Apple became the first company to ever reach a $1 trillion market cap on Wednesday as its share price soared to $207.39. But according to CEO Tim Cook, this is “not the most important measure of our success.”

In an email to Apple employees, Cook says that financial returns are simply the result of innovation — and that it’s the team behind them that really makes Apple so spectacular.

On Apple’s trillion-dollar day, Guy Kawasaki wishes he was there

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Guy Kawasaki
Apple reaching a $1 trillion value gives Guy Kawasaki a lot to think about.
Photo: Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki made history with Apple. So you would expect he would have a lot to say today when stock prices surged high enough to make his old employer the first trillion dollar company.

For one thing, the marketing guru behind the success of the Macintosh computer wishes he hadn’t turned down an offer from founder Steve Jobs to return to Apple.

This HAL 9000 replica is ready to lock your pod bay door

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HAL 9000
The HAL 9000 Command Console looks just like the original.
Photo: Master Replicas Group

Fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey can now get their very own replica of HAL 9000, the iconic and murderous robot from Stanley Kubrick’s seminal film.

Master Replicas Group has created a new smart speaker that looks just like HAL 9000 and it uses voice controls and Bluetooth to become the control center for your smart house.

Take a look:

Square Reader is about to get baked into far more apps

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Shake Shack got early access to new a new Square Reader SDK to create a self-service kiosk.
Shake Shack got early access to new a new Square Reader SDK to create a self-service kiosk.
Photo: Square

Square credit card readers are in thousands of stores and restaurants, but the company realizes there are industries where its software isn’t appropriate. That’s why today it introduced the Square Reader SDK, which allows developers to write their own iOS or Android applications to communicate with Square’s point-of-sale machines.

This is the company’s way of getting into industries like transportation and health care.

How to get Low Power Mode on your Mac right now

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This rare photo shows the moment that Michael came up with the idea for K.I.T.T's Turbo Boost.
This rare photo shows the moment that Michael came up with the idea for K.I.T.T's Turbo Boost.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iOS Low Power Mode is fantastic, letting you squeeze the most possible uptime from your iPhone or iPad. But what about the Mac? Why isn’t there a Low Power Mode for MacBooks? After all, they’re just as likely to be used away from power as an iPad.

Well, here’s some good news. Using third-party software, it’s easy to put your Mac into Low Power Mode whenever you like. You can get around a third more battery life using an app called Turbo Boost Switcher.

Apple’s flagship L.A. store will be part retail, part performance center

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Tower Theatre
The 91-year-old Tower Theater will be the home of the first LA Apple Store in the Downtown district.
Photo: Steve Minor/Flickr

Apple’s plans for the historic Tower Theatre store were revealed today, showcasing how the iPhone-maker plans to turn the Los Angeles location into one of its main flagship stores.

Tower Theatre was one of the first buildings in L.A. with air conditioning, an aspect that intrigued Apple when it started making plans. Instead of constructing a perfect glass box store, Apple plans to keep a lot of the building’s historical aspects intact.

Fortnite challenge guide for season 5, week 4

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Fortnite
Team Rumble just got a lot better.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest list of challenges is live in Battle Royale.

As usual, there are seven to complete — four easy and three hard — that will earn you a total of 50 Battle Stars. Three are available to all for free, but you will need to purchase the season five Battle Pass to access the other four.

Here’s our guide to completing each one.

Pro Tip: How to take fancy, single-window screenshots on Mac

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Make your windows look as good as this one.
Make your windows look as good as this one.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bug You already know how to take a screenshot on the Mac: You hit either ⌘⇧3 (to capture the entire Mac screen) or ⌘⇧4 (to bring up a crosshairs to select a part of the screen). But did you know that there’s a third option that will snap a fancy picture of a single app window, complete with a classy drop shadow and a clean white background?

Prepare yourself for screenshot glory!

iPad’s hot streak shows no sign of cooling

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2018 iPad and Apple Pencil
The 9.7-inch iPad released this fall helped keep Apple on top of the tablet market.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

There was a time the glory days of the iPad seemed over. Sales declined quarter after quarter. Then the iPad Pro line debuted, and now Apple has seen six straight quarters of increasing tablet shipments.

That’s not true for rival device makers. Samsung tablets haven’t experienced a quarterly shipment increase since at least 2016.  

This SD card reader will satisfy the Apple user’s need for speed

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UHS-II card reader
This card reader will make you forgive Apple for taking away the SD card slot on the MacBook Pro.
Photo: Satechi

Some frustrated creatives believe Apple is abandoning them and will point to the removal of the SD card slot on the MacBook Pro as one example. A new high-speed card reader by Satechi could ease that anxiety.

The brushed aluminum Type-C Micro/SD reader will be especially valuable to photographers and videographers routinely pausing their workflow to transfer large, high-resolution files. This reader is equipped with UHS-II, which carries a transfer rate of 312 MB/s.

HomePod sales reportedly hit 3 million units in U.S.

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Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
HomePod sales are "small but meaningful," according to a new report.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The smart speaker contest may be a two-horse race between the Amazon Echo and Google Home, but Apple’s HomePod is starting to carve out a share as well.

According to new research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the total smart speaker market has now reached 50 million units in the United States. Among the installed base of U.S. devices, Amazon has 70 percent, Google has 24 percent and Apple has 6 percent.

Get the tools to host, build and optimize your website for life [Deals]

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Dragify
Get your website off the ground and drive traffic to it with Dragify
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Getting a website going takes a lot of work. First, you need a place to host it. Then, you need to actually build the thing. And you definitely need to optimize your site for SEO so people actually can find it.

That’s a lot, but with this bundle you get all of the above — for life!

Apple will help China fight iMessage spam

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iMessage
Users in China complain they're being swamped with spam on iMessage.
Photo: Weibo

Apple is working with Chinese telecoms firms to find a way to cut down the amount of iMessage spam customers in the country receive.

Apple has recently been under fire by state-controlled Chinese media for supposedly allowing users to be bombarded with illicit content through its iMessages. These are said to include gambling ads (illegal in China, aside from state lotteries), pornography, and counterfeit goods.

Facebook puts game demos in your news feed

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Facebook news feed game demos
Look out for playable demos inside the Facebook app.
Photo: Facebook

If you think your Facebook news feed couldn’t possibly get any messier, think again. As of today, users will see start seeing playable game demos as they scroll their Facebook timelines.

The demos will let you enjoy sections of a game before downloading it to your device, Facebook says. Angry Birds developer Rovio is already reaping the benefits of playable ads.

You can now buy Microsoft’s newest competitor to iPad

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Microsoft Surface Go
Surface Go puts the power of Windows 10 in your palms.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s latest competitor to the iPad, the more affordable Surface Go, is now available to order.

Prices start at just $399 in the U.S., and for that you get an Intel Pentium Gold processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 10-inch PixelSense display. You can also enjoy Windows 10 in the lightweight S mode.