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Putin’s mug and missile give iPhone that Cold War feel

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Caviar
There is now a nuclear option when shopping for an iPhone.
Photo: Caviar

A Cold War is all about rhetoric and saber-rattling. A Russian company called Caviar is taking advantage of growing tension between the United States and the former Soviet Union with a patriotic iPhone celebrating Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s newest cruise missile.

It’s called “Putin Ultimatum.”

Apple’s HomePod miscalculation will haunt the company for years

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homepod
Apple's premium pricing strategy for the first-generation HomePod may keep it from ever being really successful.
Photo: Apple

The fact that the HomePod isn’t selling well means that Apple has probably missed its chance to ever be a significant part of the smart speaker market, according to analysts from Deutsche Bank.

Sales of inexpensive rival devices are exploding, while Apple’s very pricy offering sits on the shelf. That may lock customers into non-Apple solutions.

Is this the year Apple fixes its broken iPhone naming strategy?

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iphone glitch
iPhone naming is all kinds of broken these days.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple could be about to change the way it names successive generations of iPhone. The aim would be to simplify a naming pattern that has become increasingly unwieldy in the past few years.

It’s about time — although that doesn’t mean a new iPhone naming system will necessarily make things any less confusing. Here’s why.

Capture notes quickly with Drafts [50 Essential iOS Apps #5]

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writing in Drafts for iPad
Drafts is where writing starts, before moving on to its final destination.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Drafts 5 note taking and writing app While there are dozens of note-taking and writing apps available on iOS, few strike the balance of rich features and simple design the way Drafts does. Whether you’re looking for a quick way to digitally jot down a passing thought, take notes in a meeting, or store an address or phone number, the Drafts app makes it easy to quickly capture text before taking action.

Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids Edition gives parents complete control

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Echo Dot Kids
Echo Dot is now child-friendly.
Photo: Amazon

Now your little ones can get to know Alexa with the new Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition.

It’s just like a regular Echo Dot, but it comes inside a colorful protective case and a one-year subscribtion to the “FreeTime Unlimited” service that gives parents complete control over content. You’ll have to pay a premium for those extra features, though.

If Mom loves Apple Watch, she’ll love these gifts! [Mother’s Day Gift Guide]

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mom
The editors of Cult of Mac Watch Store have rounded up a beautiful collection of Apple Watch bands, chargers and stands specifically picked for Mom in our Mother's Day Gift Guide.  
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 13 — mark that down and get ready to pay homage to the woman who gave you life. How about a little something for her Apple Watch?

Cult of Mac has rounded up a beautiful collection of Apple Watch bands, chargers and stands specifically picked for Mom in our Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

If you mother is a nerd, a Luddite, a traveler or style maven, we’ve got you covered. There’s a unique gift for every Apple Watch-loving momma out there. Check out Cult of Mac Watch Store’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide, and shop now for on-time delivery. 

Get more than 60 awesome Mac apps for $6 a month [Deals]

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Setapp
Get access and use over 60 Mac utility apps with Setapp
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The subscription model is sweeping content of all kinds, and it makes a lot of sense. Pay a small monthly fee for access to a whole menu of stuff from which you can pick and choose. Movies and TV made it big at first, and now the subscription model has come to Mac apps.

Google brings new Tasks app to iPhone and iPad

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Google Tasks iOS
Google Tasks for iOS can help you get stuff done.
Photo: Google

Google has finally decided that Tasks deserves a dedicated app on mobile.

Available now on iPhone and iPad, Tasks boasts a clean and simple interface with all the features you’ll need to stay productive. It also works closely alongside Google Calendar and Gmail to make managing your most important projects as easy as possible.

Tim Cook will meet with Trump later today

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
We're guessing the pair have quite a bit to discuss.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Tim Cook will have a private meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office later today, according to Trump’s official schedule.

While it’s not clear what they will be discussing, the 1:45 p.m. meeting comes a day after Cook was among the guests present at Trump’s first official state dinner.

Hogwarts Mystery puts you into the Harry Potter universe

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Harry Potter
Ever wanted to be a part of the Harry Potter world? Of course you have!
Photo: Photo:

Do you wish you could enjoy the Hogwarts experience for yourself as your very own custom character in the Harry Potter universe? Now you can, courtesy of the official launch of Jam City’s new game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery on iOS.

Taking place in the 1980s, around four years after Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, the game doesn’t follow the story of any of the books. Nonetheless, it does include a number of recognizable characters from the series — many of them performed by the same actors who portrayed them in the movie franchise.

Check out the trailer below.

iPhone suppliers aren’t expecting business to pick up any time soon

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Tweak this iOS setting to make iPhone speakers louder. (Works with iPad and iPod, too!)
This year's iPhone production hasn't been seamless.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone component orders for Apple’s suppliers aren’t likely to pick up until the third quarter of this year, a new report suggests.

It’s just the latest bit of bad news in a series of recent reports suggesting that Apple is slashing orders for its present generation iPhones, and may be leaving manufacturers with excess inventory.

Google becomes latest company following Apple’s lead on pistol emoji

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Gun emoji from several companies
Phone and software companies are moving away from a realistic gun emoji to a harmless one.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google today joined the movement replacing the gun emoji with a water pistol. A number of other companies already made the same move amid a growing awareness of gun violence.  

Apple started this trend several years ago when it exchanged the pistol emoji for a harmless pool toy in iOS 10.

Tim Cook attends Trump’s first state dinner

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tariffs
Tim Cook sat down to dinner with Donald Trump, along with dozens of other politicians and CEOs.
Photos: White House/Apple

President Donald Trump held his first White House state dinner tonight since moving into the Oval Office, and Apple CEO Tim Cook was on the guest list.

The left-leaning Cook might have felt very much in the minority. Trump didn’t invite a single Democratic member of Congress to the dinner, but arch-conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch was in attendance.

Get the macOS 10.13.4 update that fixes security flaws

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macOS high sierra
A security update for macOS 10.13.4 patches some potential problems.
Photo: Apple

Several weeks after the release of macOS 10.13.4, today came a security update that patches some holes in this High Sierra version. This isn’t so critical that it has to be installed right now, but Apple says “This update is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users.”

There’re also security fixes for Safari 11.1, which was introduced recently too.

How to cancel App Store subscriptions on iPhone or iPad

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cancel subscription app store
Remember these?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

App subscriptions are great, mostly. Trial subscriptions let you try out all the app’s features for free, and if you like the app enough to keep using it, the developer gets an ongoing income that lets them keep improving the app. It’s a win-win.

But what if you signed up for a trial subscription, and you don’t like the app? Or maybe you subscribed to a monthly magazine, and those unread copies just keep piling up? Canceling a subscription is easy, whether it’s a fresh trial, or a years-long subscription you just don’t want any more. Here’s how.

Apple’s $16 billion tax trial will finally kick off this fall

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
An appeal of an EU ruling that Apple benefited from Ireland functioning as a tax haven will kick off this fall.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A court case to determine if Apple owes the European Union about €13 billion will begin in about six months.  The trial will determine if Ireland gave Apple illegal tax incentives.

The two are actually appealing a decision by the European Commission made in 2016 that Ireland is effectively a tax haven.

How to download all your old Instagram photos and videos

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Instagram
Instagram has a new tool for downloading old photos.
Photo: Instagram

Pulling your photos off of Instagram just got a lot easier.

Instagram revealed today that it is finally starting to roll out a new tool that lets any Instagram user retrieve all of the photos, videos, comments, likes and other data stored on Instagram’s servers.

Get your data by following these steps:

How to get iOS’ handy Recents feature on your Mac

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Clock recent items
This clock illustrates the time component of 'recent' items.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

One of the handiest features on iOS 11’s Files app is the Recents view. This view — available in the Files app itself, and in any other app that uses the Files picker to locate documents — shows all the files you have created or opened in the last few days.

Did you ever wish you could do the same on your Mac? Well, you can. Today we’re going to see how to add a folder to your Dock that shows recent iCloud Drive files.

iOS 11.3.1 rolls out with iPhone display fix

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iPhone 8 Wireless Charging
Cheap iPhone 8 displays should work with iOS 11.3.1.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple just rolled out iOS 11.3.1 with a fix for third-party iPhone displays that stopped working properly after an earlier software update. The release also promises security improvements for iPhone and iPad.

iPhone manufacturers are hurting from uncertainty about future plans

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iPhone X Product Red Wallpaper
What does Apple's next-gen iPhone have in store?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly dropping Touch ID altogether this year in favor of Face ID for its next-gen iPhones. However, Apple is still keeping its suppliers in the dark about plans, a new report suggests.

Shares in AMS, a supplier which produces some of the components for Apple’s TrueDepth camera, have fallen 9.1 percent as a result. That’s its biggest decline in two years. And other suppliers are hurting, too.

Bid now for an original Beta copy of the iconic 1984 Mac ad

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Apple ad
Own a piece of Apple history.
Photo: Brent Thomas

Want to own a genuine rare piece of Apple history? Up for auction right now is an original Beta cassette dub from 1983, containing two different edits of Ridley Scott’s iconic “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Macintosh commercial.

The tape is signed by the ad’s late art director Brent Thomas. It came from his estate, and is a pre-Super Bowl dub of the same original master tape seen by the Apple executive board. They absolutely hated it!

Here’s who Apple will call to the stand in its latest Samsung trial

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iPhone with Samsung
The latest Samsung vs. Apple trial kicks off next month.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has revealed which executives will be taking the stand when it comes to court for its latest bout with Samsung — and, no, sadly that doesn’t include Tim Cook or Jony Ive.

Instead, at Apple’s May 14 hearing it will call Richard Howarth, senior director of the Apple Design Team, and Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing to testify. More intriguingly, it will also call original Mac icon designer Susan Kare to the stand.