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Here’s what we can expect from next month’s Apple event (maybe)

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Tim Cook
What will Tim Cook announce next month?
Photo: Apple

Apple could introduce three new iPhones, two new iPads and an entry-level MacBook at its September event, according to a new report based on supply chain info.

In addition to new details about the fall product lineup, the report also offers up a surprising prediction about Apple’s long-awaited AirPower wireless charger,

Speed up MacBook Pro to 10 Gbps with this adapter

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OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
OWC offers an adapter for your MacBook's Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to 10Gbps Ethernet networks.
Photo: OWC

Don’t be jealous of the 10Gbps Ethernet port in the iMac Pro. OWC introduced an adapter for your MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to networks at the same massive speeds.

Just be warned, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter isn’t an accessory for the casual user. It’ll set you back $187.99.

Apple reassures customers after teenager hacked its servers

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Teenaged hacker recently plead guilty to charges.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Apple has reassured customers that none of their private data was compromised after a 16-year-old teenager plead guilty to hacking into the company’s servers.

An Apple spokesperson said that, “[We] want to assure our customers that at no point during this incident was their personal data compromised.” The hacker in question managed to download 90 gigabytes of secure files.

Twitter calmly explains why it broke your favorite apps

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Twitter
Many of the features of Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and similar apps just stopped working. Twitter's CEO tells us why.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Despite protests, Twitter made changes today that break some features of popular third-party apps. The company’s CEO explains that all Twitter is doing is finally enforcing a 9-year-old policy.

Rob Johnson says the company will no longer devote resources to apps it didn’t want built in the first place. The situation is a bit more complex that that, though.

How to block any website on iPhone and iPad

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Block websites on iPhone and iPad
Stay OUT!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There are probably good reasons to block a website on your own iPhone or iPad, but really, why not just avoid typing its URL? It’s far more likely that you’ll want to block a website on somebody else’s device, probably a child’s. Or perhaps you don’t want your kids to accidentally hit all your bookmarks to porn and gambling sites when they use your iPhone.

Whatever your reasons, here’s how to block any website on your iPhone or iPad.

Hilarious Jimmy Kimmel video mocks fear that iPhones spy on us

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A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia about iPhone privacy violations.
A late-night comedian pokes fun at our paranoia that our phones are constantly spying on us.
Photo: ABC

Apple takes a firm stance on iPhone privacy, with strict rules. Nevertheless, many people remain nervous that their phone is spying on them.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel, on his eponymous TV show, pokes fun at this fear in a newly-released video. Watch it now:

See Turks smash iPhones to protest Trump’s tariffs

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turkey protests
One protester tossed their iPhone X into a box of matches.
Photo: Twitter

iPhone owners in Turkey are taking to the streets to smash their iPhones in protest against the country’s strained relationship with the United States.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Turks to boycott U.S. products — specifically the iPhone made by Apple in California. Multiple videos have been posted online showing iPhone owners using hammers, rocks and even fire to destroy their iPhones.

Watch one of the demonstrators greet some iPhones with a sledgehammer!

Cycle might be the world’s most relaxing music app

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Cycle is wheely, wheely, chilled.
Cycle is wheely, wheely, chilled.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Cycle is both a musical instrument and a meditation device. The app, for iPhone and iPad, is something called a “time lag accumulator.” You play notes on its simple keyboard, and these notes are repeated over and over, slowly fading after time. The result is hypnotic, relaxing and creative, all at the same time.

Tim Cook pays ‘Respect’ to Aretha Franklin, the late Queen of Soul

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Tim Cook tweet
Tim Cook's message on Twitter on the passing of soul singer Aretha Franklin.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s tweet mourning the death of soul singer Aretha Franklin was among countless remembrances flooding social media this morning after news of her passing began to spread.

Cook’s heartfelt message included a black-and-white photo of the Queen of Soul belting out a song during a recording session.

What’s in store for Apple Watch Series 4? [Wish List]

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What cool new features are hidden inside that slimmer Apple Watch Series 4 frame? [Mockup]
What cool new features will be hidden inside that slimmer Series 4 frame?
Photo illustration: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

In just a few weeks, Apple looks set to unveil the biggest upgrade yet to its popular wearable.
While the external appearance of Apple Watch has not changed much since its launch, recent leaks suggest we can expect a new form factor with a larger screen when Apple Watch Series 4 lands.

In the Photoshop mockup above, I’ve shown how Apple’s next watch might look if it slimmed down and added a larger screen (as the rumormongers predict). That would be pretty cool, but there are plenty of other potential upgrades I’m excited about.

Here’s my top 10 wish list for Apple Watch Series 4 new features.

New clue points to Apple Pencil coming to iPhone

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iPad ad
Apple Pencil won't stay exclusive to iPad for long.
Photo: Apple

Both of this year’s OLED iPhones will support the Apple Pencil, a new report suggests, citing “industry insiders.”

If true, this would represent the first time in Apple history in which the iPhone used a stylus, something that Steve Jobs was adamantly opposed to. Samsung’s iPhone rival, the Galaxy Note, has long shipped with a stylus called the S Pen.

Police seek help in solving another Apple Store robbery

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Apple Store
Police have released a photo of the incident.
Photo: Roseville Police Department

The Roseville Police Department in California has released a photo of two of the thieves who robbed a local Apple Store this week.

The crooks stole 20 iPhones, two MacBook Pros, and one iPad mini. Fortunately no-one was hurt during the robbery, which involved no weapons.

Teen pleads guilty to hacking Apple’s computer system

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Proposed bill could hold tech giants more accountable for child exploitation
Teenager was able to hack into Apple's system and access personal data.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An Australian teenager who repeatedly broke into Apple’s computer system is facing criminal charges after Apple contacted the FBI.

The teenager, who hasn’t been named for legal reasons, reportedly downloaded 90GB of secure files and accessed customer accounts. The information was uncovered in a raid on his family home in Melbourne, found in a computer folder called “Hacky hack hack.”

Check out Apple Park’s spectacular new giant glass doors

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Just when you think Apple Park couldn't get more impressive.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

In case you hadn’t noticed, Apple’s enormous Apple Park HQ is a pretty architecturally ambitious place — and it’s continuing to underscore that point.

Accompanied by a message titled “Lunchtime at Apple Park just got a whole lot more exciting,” CEO Tim Cook has shared a time-lapse video of the giant motorized doors which have apparently just been unveiled at the Apple Park cafeteria. They’re pretty darn stunning!

Glimpse the inside of Apple’s gargantuan Arizona data center

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close. (There are pictures available; we just can use them.)
Photo: Pexels

Apple is very secretive about its data centers. For good reason: They’re at risk from criminals, foreign spy agencies, terrorists and more. But the company gave a local newspaper a look inside its Arizona server farm.

This 1.3 million-square-foot facility in Mesa houses Apple’s global data command center.

Apple runs afoul of Japanese government again

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Apple Japan required carriers to subsidize iPhone
Apple Japan allegedly used strong-arm tactics to get Yahoo's Game Plus online service shut down.
Photo: Apple

For the second time this year, Apple is being investigated by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission. This time, it may have forced Yahoo to scale back a web-only gaming platform that competes with the App Store.

Apple Japan seems to play hardball. This summer, the FTC made it stop forcing Japanese carriers to put subsidies on iOS handsets.

Beware, this apple pop-up shop isn’t selling iPhones

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Apple popup shop
This is not a real Apple store.
Photo: Ashley Carman/The Verge

Apple fans in NYC eager to visit the company’s first ever pop-up shop in The Big Apple are going to be in for a rude surprise when they show up to the doors tomorrow morning.

A new store has popped up in the Big Apple this week promising to provide a taste of the future. The logo and font on the outside is minimalist and very Apple-esque, but instead of selling limited editions iPhones or Apple Watches, the shops are promoting actual apples.

Google One brings cheap cloud storage to the masses

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Google One is apparently going to replace Google Drive.
Google One replaces Google Drive, and it offers cloud storage plans that actually compete with Apple iCloud.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google One was unveiled this spring, promising 2TB of online storage at half the cost of the old Google Drive. As of now, you can actually subscribe to this service, which wasn’t possible before.

This revamp of this company’s cloud storage options seems to be intended to make them more competitive with Apple’s.

Casetify stainless steel Apple Watch bands get colorful

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casetify
Brand-new to Casetify's Stainless Steel Mesh Band lineup are Space Gray, Yellow Gold and Fuchsia Purple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Stainless steel meticulously weaves its way through the Mesh Band for Apple Watch — Casetify’s answer to the significantly more expensive Milanese Loop by Apple. Casetify’s version is just as stylish and functional as the behemoth brand’s band, and now comes in three brand-new finishes: Space Gray, Yellow Gold and Fuschia Purple.

And, through August, you’ll save 20 percent when you purchase two (2) Casetify Apple Watch bands using this code at checkout: CULTOF20.

Apple yanks Group FaceTime from the Mac, too

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Group FaceTime Mac
As with iOS 12, support for FaceTiming multiple people simultaneously won't be a part of macOS Mojave when it first launches.
Photo: Apple

Apple just released a fresh beta of macOS Mojave to the public, on the way to a full launch this fall. While betas usually bring new capabilities, the one just introduced is missing a feature.

Earlier this week, Apple said Group FaceTime won’t debut until later this year. It’s now been pulled from the latest iOS 12 and macOS Mojave betas.

Everything you need to know about your iPhone camera’s shutter speed

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iPhone shutter speed
Camera blur can be your friend.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone camera is pretty good at taking photos automatically. You just point it, shoot, and the camera works out all the tricky stuff. But what is actually going on in there? How does it take the light that you see and render it as an image on the screen?

In this short series, we’ll look at the physical parts of a camera — the aperture, the shutter, the magnification of the lens, and so on — and see how they affect the final image. Today’s topic: shutter speed.

New MacBook Air reportedly slated for Q3 launch

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air
The MacBook Air hasn't been updated in over a year!
Photo: Apple

New MacBook Airs could launch as soon as the end of Q3 2018, according to a new report out of Taiwan that signals the wait for an affordable new MacBook is nearly over.

Apple hasn’t updated the MacBook or MacBook Air since June of 2017, but with a new update on the horizon, it could bring a big boost to Apple’s market share.