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Why a dedicated password manager beats your browser every time

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Dashlane password manager vs web browser: Don't rely on your web browser to keep track of your passwords.
Pro tip: Don't rely on your web browser to keep track of your passwords.
Photo: FirmBee/Pixabay CC

This post is presented by Dashlane.

Doing anything online means remembering a slew of passwords. That’s why we’re strong advocates of using a password manager like Dashlane. But why use a password manager when your web browser offers to keep track of passwords for you?

The short answer is that, in today’s age of security and privacy concerns, password management is about a lot more than convenience.

Apple’s Craig Federighi explains how iOS apps will work on macOS

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macOS Mojave
Some of Apple's iOS apps will be available inside macOS Mojave.
Photo: Apple

Apple confirmed during its big WWDC keynote on Monday that iOS apps are coming to macOS.

The company has spent two years developing the frameworks required to make the ports possible. Several of its own iPhone and iPad apps, including Apple News and Voice Memos, will be available inside macOS Mojave this fall.

In a new interview, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, reveals more about how iOS apps will work on a Mac. He also promises that they won’t make your Mac feel like a super-sized iPhone.

How iOS 12’s smartest features put users firmly back in control

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Time for bed screen time downtime
Time for bed. iOS 12 lets you choose who can disturb you.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Maybe the most important new feature of iOS 12 is something that helps you to do less with your iPhone, not more.

If any other company had introduced Screen Time, the new system-wide toolset for limiting phone distractions, then it would (rightly) be dismissed as a gimmick, a sop to the increasing worries about phone addiction. But as is typical of Apple, Screen Time looks like it took a lot of work to get just right.

Screen Time may seem to be about combatting app addiction, and reducing the amount of time “wasted” on your iPhone. However, taken together with the new Do Not Disturb settings in iOS 12, it’s more about putting users back in control of their iPhones.

Will your devices run iOS 12 or macOS Mojave?

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IBook macOS compatible
This iBook definitely won’t run macOS Mojave.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

These are the devices that can run iOS 12 and macOS Mojave

There’s good news and bad news for fans of keeping old hardware running. While iOS 12 will run fine on any device that currently runs iOS 11 — and may even make older hardware run faster — macOS 10.14 Mojave is dropping support for older Macs.

Let’s take a look at which machines will work with iOS 12 and macOS 10.14.

What WWDC’s ‘sneak peek’ at project Marzipan could mean for the Mac

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WWDC 2018
The answer is complicated.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Near the end of Monday’s WWDC 2018 keynote, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi addressed a question that’s been circulating in the tech press for a while: Are Mac and iOS merging?

His answer was direct and unequivocal: “No.”

Then he delivered a “sneak peek” of Apple’s long-rumored cross-platform project codenamed “Marzipan.” In line with the past six months of rumors, the idea of the framework is to allow UIKit-based iOS apps to run natively on Mac. While that probably sounds exciting to Mac owners, it could yield an unwelcome unintended consequence. It could trigger a “lost year” for Mac apps.

Apple’s biggest manufacturer is buying Toshiba’s PC business

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Toshiba
Toshiba was once a leader in the PC industry.
Photo: Toshiba

The Foxconn-owned Sharp Corp. has agreed a deal to acquire an 80 percent share in Toshiba’s PC business. Foxconn currently assembles Macs for Apple, while Sharp is an iPhone display maker.

The move won’t compete directly with Apple, although it puts Foxconn and Sharp in charge of a company which, at its 2011 peak, sold 17.7 million PCs in a year. That number fell to just 1.4 million units last year. Toshiba led the world in producing some of the earliest laptops. Its first laptop launched in 1985.

Give your Mac a checkup from the neck up [Deals]

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This app makes it easy to keep your Mac healthy and clear of junk files.
This app makes it easy to keep your Mac healthy and clear of junk files.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s important to keep a hard-working, complex machine like your Mac clean and well-maintained. For most of us though, computer care stops at emptying the recycling bin and wiping the screen. So it’s nice to know there’s an app that can do the work of cleaning and tuning our Macs.

‘And the winner is…’ Apple celebrates 2018 Design Awards

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apps wwdc screenshot
Apple rewarded the best apps of the 2018 crop.
Photo: Apple

Apple has revealed the winners of its prestigious 21st Apple Design Awards, offering a nice boost to the indie developers in question and some good recommendations for users.

The awards span nine different countries and a variety of app types, from note-taking apps to games. Check out the winners below.

Apple changes App Store rules following Steam Link ban

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Screens remote desktop iOS
Has Apple changed its mind about Steam Link?
Photo: Screens

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to include new rules for remote desktop clients.

Apps can no longer display a “store-like interface” that allows users to “browse, select, or purchase software” they don’t already own, but they can allow transactions if they are processed by a host device.

The change comes just a few weeks after Steam Link for iOS was rejected by Apple because it allowed purchasing inside PC games. It’s not yet clear whether the new rules pave the way for Steam Link’s approval.

Tim Cook talks politics, privacy and machines taking over

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Tim Cook and Ivanka Trump
Tim Cook at yesterday's WWDC event.
Screenshot: Apple

Following yesterday’s WWDC keynote, Tim Cook participated in an interview on CNN with Senior Technology Correspondent, Laurie Segall.

In a wide-ranging interview, Cook discussed everything from the threat of machines taking over to the “fundamental human right” of privacy to why he’s not interested in running for office. Here are the big takeaways:

iOS 12 makes iPhones immune to ‘brute force’ unlocking

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
Unlocking tools that quickly enter thousands of passcodes though the Lightning port can be blocked out with iOS 12.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of MacThe just-released beta of iOS 12 can be set to partially deactivate the Lightning port after an iPhone hasn’t been used for an hour. This is a clear attempt to make useless the unlocking tools employed by law enforcement.

Police across the country are purchasing a tool called GrayKey. When hooked to an iPhone’s Lightning  port, this swiftly enters thousands of passcodes until the correct one is reached. Deactivating the Lightning port would block its use.

Speed through the WWDC 2018 keynote with sketchnotes

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Apple WWDC 2018 keynote in sketchnotes, Part 1 of 4.
Sketchnotes deliver all the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights the easy, visual way.
Photo: Andy McNally/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac It is always exciting to capture the WWDC keynote in sketchnotes, and this year I filled up four pages of my notebook with drawings showcasing the biggest new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave and watchOS 5.

As seen in my first sketchnote, above, iOS 12 makes performance on both old and new devices a priority. ARKit 2 brings more augmented reality goodness to Apple devices, including the ability for up to four people to share the same AR space at the same time.

For a quick and easy recap of the rest of the WWDC 2018 keynote highlights — plus a bonus sketchnote that proved kind of prescient — check out the rest below.

Face ID in iOS 12 recognizes two different faces

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Multiperson Face ID in iOS 12 can recognize alternate appearances.
Face ID in iOS 12 can be trained to recognize an "alternate appearance," allowing multiple people to unlock an iPhone.
Image: CultOfMac/9to5mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of MacThe first iOS 12 developer beta debuted after today’s WWDC keynote. Intrepid souls who’ve already installed this early version on their iPhone X noticed that Face ID can be trained to recognize more than one person.

This removes one of the significant limitations of Apple’s new biometric security system.

Watch Apple’s hilarious nature mockumentary about nerd herds

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Self-deprecating humor rules in the Apple WWDC 2018 video about developers.
A little self-deprecating humor goes a long way in Apple's new video.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Apple kicked off WWDC 2018 with what was perhaps the best damn video the company ever created.

Taking a page out of David Attenborough’s playbook, Apple crafted a hilarious nature mockumentary all about one of the world’s most extraordinary species — developers — making their annual journey to the great plains of WWDC.

Prepare to laugh your ass off at The Developer Migration!

All the important new stuff Apple revealed at WWDC 2018

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WWDC 2018
WWDC 2018 was packed with new software.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote lasted nearly 130 minutes and was jam-packed with new software goodies for developers and regular old Apple fanboys.

But if you were hoping to see some shiny new hardware unveiled at today’s event, you were in for some big disappointments. Apple is doubling down on its software game. And even though they didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises.

With macOS Mojave, Apple gives Mac some much-needed love

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Mojave
High Sierra is dead. Long live macOS Mojave!
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Developers received an early look at macOS 10.14 today, which bears the far-less-silly-than-last-year’s-High-Sierra name “Mojave.” After what Craig Federighi called a “four year mountain bender” Apple’s heading to the desert for its next-gen Mac OS.

For its 2018 iteration, Apple is introducing a dark mode, some nifty Finder updates, added privacy, and an all new, redesigned Mac App Store. Here’s what you need to know.

tvOS 12 brings cinematic sound to Apple TV

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tvOS12
Apple TV now supports the Dolby Atmos sound bar.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of MacApple TV introduced a better picture in 2017 with 4K HDR. In 2018, tvOS 12 will add cinematic sound to match.

Apple announced today that tvOS 12 will support the Dolby Atmos soundbar for an audio format that gives movie sound a kind of 3-D effect. The addition of Dolby Atmos makes Apple TV the only streaming device that supports both Dolby Vision and Atmos.

watchOS 5 is ready to push Apple Watch into the future

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apple watch
watchOS 5 makes Apple Watch more useful than ever.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Apple is adding more ways for Apple Watch wearers to stay active and connected with watchOS 5, its biggest software update for its wearable in 2018.

Developers got an early preview of watchOS 5 today at WWDC 2018 and it’s packed with UI tweaks and a bevy of new features that make Apple Watch a better exercise companion and communication device.

Stocks app finally comes to iPad in iOS 12

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stocks on ipad_WWDC18
Stocks! On iPad!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Tim Cook finally got his way — the Stocks app will appear on iPad in iOS 12. And the app also gets a bunch of improvements, so that Stocks might no longer be the first app you hide away in a “junk” folder when you get a new iPhone.

ARKit 2.0 will make you actually want to use AR

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ARKit
Apple is taking ARKit to the next level.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac ARKit was last year’s big WWDC announcement. This year Apple introduced ARKit 2.0 and, if we weren’t convinced before about the potential of augmented reality, Apple’s presentation went a long way to changing our minds!

The update to the world’s largest AR platform introduces a new more easily sharable file system, improved face tracking, more realistic rendering, 3D object detection, and — most exciting of all — shared experiences.

Apple previews iOS 12 with ARKit 2.0, huge performance boost

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iOS 12
iOS 12 rolls out to all this fall.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac We just got our very first glimpse at iOS 12 during Apple’s big keynote at WWDC.

The new update, which will be available for free this fall, includes ARKit 2.0 with new experiences and support for multiplayer games, grouped notifications, group FaceTime calls, and new apps.

iOS 12 also promises huge performance improvements across all compatible devices — especially older models that have struggled with previous releases.