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Window cleaners look like tiny ants in latest Apple Park flyover

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Apple Park
"What is this, a campus for ants?!"
Photo: Matthew Roberts/Maverick Imagery

Just in time for WWDC, drone videographers Duncan Sinfield and Matthew Roberts have uploaded new drone flyover videos of Apple Park.

The videos show that landscaping is continuing on the spectacular site and more people than ever are working there. Most astonishing of all is a glimpse of the 24-hour window cleaning crew, reminding us of just how massive Apple’s shiny new headquarters actually is. Check out the videos below.

ARKit 2.0 will allow multiplayer games in the same space

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ARkit
AR will no longer be a solo affair.
Photo: Dent Reality

At WWDC, Apple could debut new multiplayer AR tools which allow two iPhone users to share the same augmented reality space.

The news was shared in a recent Reuters report. While short on details, the report suggests that it will be able to do this while minimizing the amount of personal data that is sent to servers.

Apple Music gets a web player ahead of WWDC

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Apple Music on the web
Apple Music comes to your browser.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Improvements to Apple Music could be showcased at WWDC later today — but one new feature has slipped out early. A new web player gives Apple Music fans the ability to sample and enjoy full tracks in their browsers.

How to watch the WWDC 2018 keynote live stream

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WWDC 2018 Keynote banner
As ever, WWDC was a
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of MacGetting ready for today’s WWDC 2018 Keynote? Of course you are. You probably already stocked up on popcorn, or those filthy Haribo candies, and have a fresh bag of coffee beans ready to grind (or a crate of the manchild’s alternative, Club Mate).

All you need now is a live stream of the show. Let’s see how to watch the WWDC 2018 Keynote on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even PC.

Apple has a new plan for cutting down manufacturing costs

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Apple is now handling ordering for even tiny components like MacBook screws.
Photo: Apple

Apple is known for exerting a lot of control over the manufacturing of its products, and it’s reportedly set to ramp up this control even further.

Beginning with its new MacBook models, Apple will reportedly carry out direct pricing negotiations for the screws and assorted non-key metallic and plastic parts used on its devices, which are currently purchased directly by its contracted supply partners.

Woman in Canada is fined for using Apple Watch while driving

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apple watch 1
Don't use the Apple Watch while driving, y'all!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A woman in Canada has been fined for using her Apple Watch behind the wheel of her car.

Victoria Ambrose was charged with distracted driving and told that an Apple Watch is no safer “than a cellphone taped to someone’s wrist.” She had argued that the existing 2009 law about distracted driving did not apply because it referred to a “handheld wireless communication device.”

Tim Cook congratulates WWDC scholarship winners

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Tim Cook with a 2018 WWDC scholarship winner.
Tim Cook with a 2018 WWDC scholarship winner.
Screencap: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of MacThe winners of scholarships to Apple’s worldwide developers conference got a special bonus: the opportunity to meet CEO Tim Cook.

These students used their coding skills to demonstrate that they belong at this year’s WWDC. In return they receive free admission, free lodging, and help with travel expenses if needed. 

Third lawsuit filed over ‘defective’ MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Another lawsuit accuses Apple of knowingly using a defective MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard in laptops like this one,
Photo: Apple

Thinking perhaps that third time’s the charm, another lawsuit has been filed claiming that the keyboard used in the MacBook Pro is defective. Like the two prior ones filed last month, this seeks to become a class action.

All of these suits claim that the keys in Apple’s laptop can become permanently jammed, and a very expensive fix requires replacing the entire keyboard and other components.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Hidden Apple Watch metric tells if you should exercise, and more!

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cover
Heart rate variability is a new metric that reveals your stress level and whether you have recovered from your last workout. We show how you can use it to optimize your training and more!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Imagine if your Apple Watch could tell you which days were best for you to do a workout, and what kind of workout you should do. Well it can, sort of, thanks to a hidden feature that few people have yet discovered or know how to use.

You’ll find that story and more in this issue. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Save big on awesome apps for your Mac [Deals]

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We've rounded up some of the coolest Mac apps at the lowest prices.
We've rounded up some of the coolest Mac apps at the lowest prices.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac’s a mighty machine, but it needs great apps to be at its best. So we’ve rounded up some of the top titles at the lowest prices, from a powerful mind-mapping program to a ‘Netflix for Mac apps’, a powerful iOS manager and more. Everything in this list is discounted by a third or more, read on for more details:

This wireless iPhone charger can stand up to splashing water

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ONYXX charger
Not even water can stand between an iPhone and this charger.
Photo: CheeNYC

Our iPhone charging cables will soon disappear thanks to the promise of wireless chargers. CheeNYC, a relatively new Qi tech company, has a beauty aptly named ONYXX.

It is smooth black and shiny, looking very much like the gemstone with the same name, especially when it is wet. The ONYXX is made for the outdoors with components that are resistant to dust and “splashing” water.

This is the most important setting you can enable on your iPhone

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iPhone Data Protection is better than 10 padlocks.
Data Protection is better than 10 padlocks for your iPhone.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There’s a security setting in iOS that will erase everything on your iPhone, resetting it back to a blank, factory-state slate if you tap in the wrong passcode 10 times. It’s called Data Protection, and I never wrote a how to on this because I figured everyone would have it switched on. After all, who wouldn’t want that kind of excellent security if ever they lost their iPhone?

macOS 10.13.5 brings Messages in iCloud to Mac at last

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macOS update
A macOS update adds support for Messages in iCloud.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple released macOS 10.13.5 today, an update that brings the long-awaited Messages in iCloud feature to Mac users.

The new feature, which Apple rolled out to iPhones and iPads earlier this week in iOS 11.4, should free up space on your Mac. More importantly, it will finally allow you to sync iMessages with all your Apple devices via the cloud.

General Magic tells story of Apple spinoff that almost changed the world

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General Magic documentary tells story of the iPhone that never was!
The iPhone that never was!
Photo: Spellbound Productions

How do you follow a project like the Macintosh? A high-flying Apple spinoff called General Magic tried to answer that question in the early 1990s.

After revolutionizing the personal computer, a team of ambitious ex-Apple engineers set out to build a connected touchscreen mobile device that prefigured the iPhone by 25 years. Their startup, General Magic, became one of the hottest ventures in Silicon Valley — before it all came crashing down.

“That period is one of the most important in computing history,” Sarah Kerruish, co-director of new documentary General Magic, told Cult of Mac. “It’s when handhelds were first realized, and when we saw the first early stages of the internet. General Magic combines these profoundly important threads in technology.”

Triple-lens iPhone may arrive way sooner than expected

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triple-lens iPhone
Huawei made the jump from two lenses, left, to three. Will Apple do it this year?
Photo: Huawei

Another day, another analyst, another report speculating about a future iPhone with three lenses.

A Korean newspaper reporting on an expected Samsung Galaxy S10 with three rear-facing cameras casually mentioned Apple’s first planned three-lens iPhone will be an iPhone X Plus that could launch as early as this year.

Protect your photo collection with Google Photos [50 Essential iOS Apps #21]

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Google Photos library backup on iPhone X
Google Photos is the photo and video backup app we all wish Apple would give us.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Google Photos Photos and videos are some of our most important mementos, helping us recount our fondest memories. The thought of losing those keepsakes shouldn’t be something that keeps you up at night.

With Google Photos, every photo and video on your iOS device can be safely backed up to the cloud, accessible even if your iPhone or iPad goes up in flames. Even better, Google Photos can help you free up space on your iOS device, so there’s always room to take more pictures.

This hidden Apple Watch stat tells you whether to exercise or rest

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Heart Rate Variability will help make your workouts more effective
Heart Rate Variability will help make your workouts more effective
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Imagine if your Apple Watch could tell you which days were best for you to do a workout, and what kind of workout you should do. Well it can, sort of, thanks to a hidden feature that few people have yet discovered or know how to use.

Heart rate variability, or HRV, is a new metric that reveals your stress level and whether you have recovered from your last workout. It has been added to lots of high-end sports watches in recent years, including Apple Watch since watchOS 4 & iOS 11.

Here’s how you can use it to optimize your training, reduce your risk of injury, and know when to take a well-earned rest day.

Apple declines chance to defend EU tax case

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money
Apple doesn't want to speak in public about its tax dispute.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has turned down the invitation to publicly testify before the European Parliament’s special committee on tax evasion. According to the company, the reason is that it doesn’t want to risk doing anything which could harm its ongoing appeal against the massive EU tax bill it faces.

In a letter to the EU committee published today, Apple said that, “It is important to ensure public commentary does not prejudice those proceedings.”