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Foxconn teams with Wisconsin university for $100 million lab

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Foxconn signing
Foxconn's Terry Gou and UW–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank sign a partnership agreement.
Photo: Bryce Richter/University of Wisconsin-Madison

Foxconn has pledged up to $100 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to fund a new research facility for its College of Engineering.

This facility will collaborate with Foxconn’s planned manufacturing plant in southeast Wisconsin. Funding will be used to investigate subjects including artificial intelligence, 8K resolution, robotics, and 5G wireless technology — along with human health areas, such as genomics research and medical imaging.

Apple is driving high-end online smartphone sales

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
Apple customers are loyal online shoppers, it seems!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Amazon is responsible for selling an ever-increasing number of smartphones in the U.S., but Apple isn’t doing badly for itself, either.

According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, the iPhone remains the most popular smartphone in both offline and online channels. In Q2, Apple managed to sell almost as many handsets in Q2 2018 as Best Buy’s online store, despite only selling iPhones, rather than a range of brands. It is also almost single-handedly driving high-end online sales.

Easily track, manage and collaborate on projects with Task Pigeon [Deals]

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Get the tools you need to keep your team on track, at a super affordable price.
Get the tools you need to keep your team on track, at a super affordable price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether it’s just you and a partner, or an entire team working in concert, using a task manager can be a huge help. They can keep your short sprints and long hauls aligned, so everybody is in sync and on the same page. But subscriptions to task management platforms can also be expensive — especially for big teams.

Apple expands pilot repair program for vintage Macs

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MacBook Air in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.
Apple isn't giving up on the mid-2012 MacBook Air just yet.
Image: Apple

Apple is expanding its pilot repair program for vintage Macs.

Both the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air machines released in mid-2012 will remain eligible for service at Apple Stores worldwide until August 31, 2020. That’s despite them being added to Apple’s vintage and obsolete products list on August 31, 2018.

Former Apple video exec helps connect authors with filmmakers

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apple tv
New startup shows the crossover of tech and Hollywood.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A former Apple executive who left to join Netflix has launched a new startup, aimed at producing a searchable library of content which can be adapted for movies or TV.

George Berry worked at Apple for almost six years, first as its Senior Manager of Video Operations and then of Global Media Services. He then jumped ship to Netflix, before teaming up with producer Uri Singer to launch TaleFlick as its COO.

Tim Cook cashes in $58 million of his Apple fortune

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Tim Cook earnings apple
Apple's CEO just got even richer.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook has been granted 560,000 restricted Apple stock options and, to celebrate the windfall, he’s cashed in $58 million.

As revealed in an SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) filing, Cook was awarded his stock options on Friday, valued at around $120 million. However, approximately half of these were withheld as the result of statutory tax withholdings on vested stock options.

Ultra-rare original iPhone prototype pops up on eBay

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321dady/eBay
This will make you the envy of Apple fans!
Photo: 321dady/eBay

Apple may have sold well over a billion iPhones, but something in much, much more limited supply are the prototype models for Apple’s original 2007 handset. These never-commercially-available models were produced for internal use at Apple, back when the company was still honing the software and hardware for its now iconic device.

If you’re eager to have a piece of history in your possession, one of these rare prototypes just showed up for sale on eBay — although you’ll have to be willing to splash some serious cash to get it.

Apple’s ancient AirPort Express miraculously gets AirPlay 2 support

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AirPort Express
With Air Port 2 support added, the AirPort Express is your ticket to whole-house audio.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

It’s possible you have an old AirPort Express wireless router in a box somewhere. Dig it out and set it up, because it can now be used as part of an AirPlay 2 audio system.

Even though it’s been discontinued, Apple just issued a firmware update for the second-generation AirPort Express that adds AirPlay 2 support.

Apple tries teaching photo editing over the phone

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Apple Photos app on iOS or macOS
Apple's phone-only training covers the iOS and macOS versions of Photos. But a Today at Apple training session might be better.
Photo: Apple

Apple is once again offering one-on-one tutorials on photo editing. Oddly though, these training sessions are given over the phone.

There are grounds to question the usefulness of a lesson in which neither the teacher nor the student can see what the other is doing. Perhaps an in-person Today at Apple group session would be a better option.

$13,000 iPhone bill nearly puts sad ending on family trip

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data charges
Mom, I swear I didn't use the internet.
Photo: KGO San Francisco

Correction: This story has been updated to accurately explain how Airplane Mode works.

A family from San Jose, California, returned from an overseas trip with several memories. But the strongest may be the one that greeted them at home — an iPhone bill with more than $13,000 in data charges.

The Chung family prepared for their trip to Vietnam with a firm rule that the iPhones would be on Airplane Mode to avoid roaming and internet fees. So it appeared son Nicholas Chung was in trouble when the T-Mobile bill showed the sky-high data charges coming from his number over a 30-minute period.

Instagram now lets users apply to be verified

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Instagram lawsuit
Instagram is letting everyone apply for verified badges.
Photo: Pixabay

Getting verified on Instagram just got a little bit easier. The social photo sharing app revealed today that it will now let users apply to get a little blue check by their profile so followers know if you are really a public figure, celebrity or global brand.

These new HomePod rivals are even pricier than Apple’s smartspeaker

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This Bose smartspeaker costs more than the HomePod, built not nearly as much as an upcoming Harman Kardon model.
This Bose smartspeaker costs more than the HomePod, built not nearly as much as an upcoming Harman Kardon model.
Photo: Bose

Apple’s HomePod smartspeaker has struggled at least partly because of its high price. Well, Bose doesn’t see a problem because it just unveiled an even pricier option. And Harman Kardon will bring out one twice as expensive.

The Bose smartspeaker uses Alexa, while Harman Kardon turned to Google Assistant. Both these voice control systems are widely regarded as a more capable than Apple’s Siri.

Huawei embarrasses itself with jab at iPhone X notch

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Huawei notch
Oliur Rahman didn't have to say much to start the conversation on Twitter.
Photo: Oliur Rahman/Twitter

Huawei can boast about surpassing Apple in worldwide smartphone sales. It just shouldn’t try to one-up the iPhone X on design and interface points.

The Chinese tech giant got a lesson in marketing, user experience and the power of the Apple brand community last week when a presentation showing the notch on the Huawei P20 next to the one on the iPhone X backfired.

Don’t even think about copying Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater

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steve jobs theater
The Steve Jobs Theater as it appears today.
Photo: Apple

Apple is rightly proud of its Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus, and now it’s got the design patent to stop others copying it.

The attractive circular glass building gives way to a 1,000 underground auditorium — complete with hidden walls, high tech projection system, and leather chairs which set Apple back a reported $14,000 apiece.

Hands-on with Survival Straps’ paracord Apple Watch bands [Unboxing]

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survival straps

Photo: Benjamin McKay/Cult of Mac

Survival Straps’ paracord Apple Watch bands are a big hit with Watch Store customers. These custom-made bands are the real deal, made with military-grade materials and great craftsmanship — yet the unboxing experience isn’t what we expected.

I know what you’re thinking. Did I just pay $49.99 for my watch band to come in a plastic baggie? We thought the same thing, and you how Cult of Mac loves a good unboxing. While Survival Straps’ packaging is barebones, the contents speaks for itself and doesn’t disappoint. Let’s check it out.

Apple Music is getting a massive upgrade on Android

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music streaming
The latest release also includes Chromecast support.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple Music is about to get a big upgrade on Android.

A beta version of its next major update reveals Android Auto support is on the way. A number of other new features will also be added to bring the Android version of the app in line with its counterpart on iOS.

MacBook concept ditches physical keys for a giant Touch Bar

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MacBook sales rising
This concept takes the Touch Bar to the next level.
Photo: Apple

When Apple introduced the MacBook with Touch Bar a couple of years back, it got positive reviews — although it also seemed like a concept that Apple hadn’t pushed as far it would go.

That same criticism certainly can’t be leveled at a new concept video created by Turkish designer and Apple fan Furkan Kasap. Kasap has reimagined the MacBook keyboard as a full-on virtual keyboard built around a touch display. Check it out.

Microsoft makes account sign-ins easy with Apple Watch

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Save big on the Apple Watch Series 3
Get your Apple Watch for under $200.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You can now sign into your Microsoft account using your Apple Watch.

Microsoft’s free Authenticator app, which brought password-free logins to iOS last year, has made the leap to watchOS. It’s in beta testing for now, but it’s easy to sign up for early access.

2018 iPhones could be the biggest smash hit since iPhone 6

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2018 iPhone compared to 2017 iPhone X
This is gonna be the big one, folks!
Photo: Jonas Dähnert

Apple is expecting big things for its new iPhones — and we’re not just talking about the extra spacious screen size of Apple’s largest OLED handset.

According to a new report, Apple is planning to ship 70-75 million of its new handsets by the end of this year. If accurate, this would be the biggest iPhone launch since 2014’s iPhone 6 series.