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Apple blocks iTunes payment changes on old versions of iOS, OS X

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AirPods will ‘just work’ with a 10-year-old iPhone
AirPods will ‘just work’ with a 10-year-old iPhone
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed that it plans to block iTunes and App Store payment information changes on old versions of iOS, OS X, and Apple TV Software.

As of June 30, those with really old devices could have trouble making purchases when their existing payment information expires. Apple says the change is to “ensure your financial data is protected when you make purchases.”

Get 20% off TGI Fridays when you use Apple Pay

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TGI Fridays
Treat yourself to TGI Fridays and pay less with Apple Pay.
Photo: TGI Fridays

Celebrate July Fourth with a juicy burger from TGI Fridays and get 20 percent off your order with Apple Pay.

Simply place your order through the TGI Fridays app for iOS, enter the promo code, and use Apple Pay to complete your purchase. The offer is valid until July 8.

Steve Jobs stars in awesome ’80s computer archive from BBC

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Steve Jobs
BBC's archive is a glimpse into the personal computer revolution as it took off.
Photo: BBC

Are you a computer history nerd? Want to hear 32-year-old Steve Jobs ruminating after the future of computing, or Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talk phone phreaking and the birth of the Apple II?

If so, you’ll almost certainly be happy to hear about an amazing new archive of classic computer industry footage which just emerged online. Created in the 1980s by the U.K.’s BBC public broadcasting company, the footage comes from something called The Computer Literacy Project, aimed at inspiring a generation of people to code.

Sony may change its stupid stance on Fortnite cross-play for PS4

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Fortnite Wingman Starter Pack
Yes, you'll need a Samsung to play Fortnite for Android.
Photo: Epic Games

You might soon be able to team up with friends on PlayStation 4 when playing Fortnite on rival consoles.

Sony has finally said that it is exploring the possibilities of a cross-play “solution” that it hopes will make everyone happy. Microsoft and Nintendo are already allowing gamers to play together, regardless of the device they’re using.

Samsung no longer Apple’s only OLED supplier for iPhones

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iPhone X
Apple is no longer just leaning on Samsung for OLED screens.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly set to add another OLED display producer for the iPhone, helping Apple reduce its reliance on current OLED manufacturer Samsung.

For extra displays, Apple will turn to South Korean company LG Display, which will initially supply between 2-4 million screens. While this is a small number by Apple’s standards, it will work to ramp up its capacity to produce more in the future.

Apple could combine music, TV and magazines into one subscription package

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
An Apple Prime service would be a money-printing machine.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple still hasn’t revealed exactly how it plans to make its original video content available to customers.

However, a new report suggests that Apple may take a page out of Amazon’s playbook by launching a single Amazon Prime-style subscription package, compiling Apple Music, a magazine subscription service, and its original TV shows into one.

Amp up your Apple Watch with Carterjett’s all-weather, silicone bands

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Carterjett Tire Tread Sport band review: A silicone band for big wrists.
The awesome tire tread sport band is now just $19.99.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple’s Sport band is the basic bro of Apple Watch straps. If you want something a little more rugged — and a lot less forgettable — strap on a Tire Tread Sport band from Carterjett. These sturdy silicone bands come in brilliant colors, with extra-large sizes and surprisingly small price tags.

They’re a perfect option for revving up your Apple Watch collection.

Millions of Americans watching World Cup on their iPhone or iPad

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World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Extremely heavy downloads of apps like Fox Sports Go show that World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Photo: Fox

Living in America, it’s sometimes easy to forget the FIFA World Cup is going on now in Russia. Soccer isn’t one of the Big Four U.S. sports. Heck, most Americans don’t even call it by the right name.

But the fact that new downloads of the Fox Sports Go app grew 950 percent during the first week of the World Cup shows there are vast numbers of people living in this country watching the matches on their phones or tablets.

iPhone spared from Trump’s tariffs, for now

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iPad and iPhone tariffs aren't happening. Yet.
iPad and iPhone tariffs aren't happening. Yet. There are still no extra fees for shipping Apple's devices from China, but that could change..
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Trump administration is headed for a trade war with China, and there’s danger that Apple will get caught in the middle.

That said, the tariffs on Chinese imports going into effect in July won’t affect the iPhone or iPad. However, these devices could easily be part of a later round, which President Trump promises will be 10x bigger.

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine ordered to pay $25 million for Beats royalties

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Jimmy Iovine, Tim Cook, Andre Young, and Eddie Cue. Photo: Apple
Dre and Jimmy can afford it.
Photo: Apple

Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have been ordered by a court to pay over $25 million to their former business partner Steven Lamar.

The legal battle between the two parties has been going on since 2014 when Iovine and Dre first sued Lamar for falsely advertising that he was a co-founder of Beats. Now a jury has ruled in favor of Lamar’s claim that he should receive more royalties from the company’s headphone sales.

Make your 10.5-inch iPad Pro look like an analog sketchbook

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iPad sketchbook cover
Your 10.5-inch iPad Pro can now look more like an analog sketchbook.
Photo: Longo Case

Artists share a bond with their sketchbooks and the company Longo Case thought the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, tools of the modern artists, needed a little help connecting.

The company launched a case that had the spiral wire binding of an analog sketch paper pad. It has a leather, understated back and front cover for protection, taut elastic loops to secure the pencil and a back with pop-out panels to create a kind of tabletop easel.

There was enough of a love connection with the sketch case for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro that Longo Case has one in the works for the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

Amazing 2018 iPad Pro concept packs all the new features we want

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2018 iPad Pro concept art
Not today!
Photo: Álvaro Pabesio

Edge-to-edge phone screens are all the rage, so it’s not surprising that people want them in tablets too.  A artist shows what the iPad Pro would look like if the screen bezels were considerably reduced.  

His concept device also includes other improvements, including better cameras, Face ID, and a faster processor.

The Jammy is yet another attempt at an iOS-ready travel guitar

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Jammy is air-travel friendly.
Jammy is air-travel friendly.
Photo: Jammy

Truth: Every wireless musical gadget has to have its publicity photos shot in a park. Never mind that the user/model is wearing headphones, isolated from their idyllic surroundings, and likely struggling to read their iPhone display in the hot sun. The Jammy is no different. It’s a 17-inch-long practice guitar that can not only be taken to the park, but splits in two for carrying on planes.

iPhone X camera officially ‘studio quality’

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Apple ad says iPhone X takes studio-quality portraits.
There were some complaints after Apple ads claimed the iPhone X takes "studio-quality portraits."
Photo: Apple

The advertising regulatory body in the UK ruled that Apple can say that the  iPhone X takes “studio-quality portraits.”

An ad for this smartphone promised “Radically new cameras with Portrait Lighting. Studio-quality portraits. Without the studio.” However, this brought two complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Apple could let users transfer data by bumping iPhones

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bump transfer
Apple was awarded a patent for bump transfer of data between iPhones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The federal government has awarded Apple a patent for iPhone users to transfer data by bumping together handsets.

If this sounds familiar, it is because bump transfers for both iOS and Android have been possible through apps, most notably an app called Bump that debuted in 2008.

Paprika makes your iPad a kitchen sidekick [50 Essential iOS Apps #31]

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Paprika on iPad with kitchen items around
Following recipes is easy and convenient with Paprika.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: PaprikaHave you ever decided to make dinner, only to find the recipe has gone missing. Sometimes it’s a misplaced notecard, other times, a saved (or pinned) link that is now dead. With Paprika, your favorite recipes are stored digitally, and you’re in control. As someone who cooks nearly every day, Paprika is the best recipe app for chefs of any skill level.

Foxconn scores generous benefits package for first U.S. factory

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Wisconsin is offering a super generous package to attract Foxconn.
Photo: CBS

Wisconsin will be the site of a new display factory built by Apple manufacturer Foxconn — but local residents will be paying for it.

According to a new report, Wisconsin residents will be coughing up an extra $1 billion on top of the existing $3 billion package of subsidies to attract Foxconn to the area. This “sweetener” will come out of public funds, and will leave the state “on the hook” for 40 percent of the public bonds which finance local expenses should the project flop.

Future-proof your iPad keyboard case with ZAGG Nomad Book

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ZAGG Nomad Book
The ZAGG Nomad Book is a keyboard case that fits a range of tablets, including the 10.5- and 9.7-inch iPads.
Photo: ZAGG

The ZAGG Nomad Book is a keyboard case designed to fit around range of tablets 10.5 inches or smaller. That means it can be used with every iPad released for the past several years except the very largest.

ZAGG also just introduced the Messenger Folio. This has many of the benefits of the Nomad Book but was created specifically for the iPad Pro 10.5.

Huge Fortnite update adds Playground, Final Fight, dual pistols

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Dual pistols are live in Battle Royale.
Dual pistols are live in Battle Royale.
Photo: Epic Games

Clear your schedule for the evening because this week’s Fortnite update is a big one!

Epic has given us two new game modes to enjoy — including the long-awaited Playground mode — plus Battle Royale’s first dual pistols. It has also made a whole host of big improvements and tweaks to gameplay and performance.

Pokémon Quest takes you on a free, cube-shaped adventure

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Pokémon Quest iOS
Pokémon Quest is available now on Android and iOS.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Polish off those Poké Balls and prepare yourself for battle because Pokémon Quest is finally available on Android and iOS.

The new free-to-play game from The Pokémon Company takes us on an all-new adventure across Tumblecube Island with a fresh spin on filling up your Pokédex.

Wi-Fi is about to get way more secure

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smart-gadgets-are-getting-their-own-wi-fi-standard-in-2018-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201409150272362_95f26266a2_b-jpg
After the changes being implemented in WPA3, you might feel less nervous about public Wi-Fi.

Part of the reason public Wi-Fi is so risky to use is that the security built into this short-range wireless networking standard hasn’t had a significant upgrade since 2004. But that’s about to change.

The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3, the next generation of Wi-Fi security. This adds new features to simplify Wi-Fi security and enable more robust authentication. The enterprise version offers increased cryptographic strength.