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T-Mobile joins growing support for Apple Business Chat

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Apple Business Chat example
Make purchases or get tech support from companies like T-Mobile with Apple Business Chat.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The goal of Apple Business Chat is to make it easy exchange messages with companies. The service just debuted in iOS 11.3, and T-Mobile today joined the handful of businesses that support it. 

With it, people can make purchases, schedule appointments, or just ask questions.

Beautiful RED iPhone X mockups show what could have been

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iPhone X mockup
iPhone X would like killer in RED.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple missed a golden opportunity to bust out a RED iPhone X to go with the (PRODUCT) RED iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus based on the latest mockups from our favorite Apple concept artist.

Martin Hajek came out with some renderings of what the iPhone X would look like with a red coat of paint and it’s absolutely stunning.

Take a look:

Mac shipments grew in Q1 as PCs declined

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iMac Pro
The new iMac Pro almost certainly helped give Apple a larger share of the PC market in Q1.
Photo: Brian King/Twitter

Apple was a bright spot in the global PC market last quarter. Market analysis firm Gartner says Mac shipments grew 1.5 percent, even as the total market for laptops and desktops dropped 1.4 percent.

The U.S. helped drag down the global totals, with a 2.9 percent decline. Still, that helped push up Apple’s share of the American market to 12.6%.

Apple warns macOS users that it will drop support for 32-bit apps

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

Apple has begun issuing notifications to macOS users that confirm plans to drop support for 32-bit applications.

“This app needs to be updated by its developer to improve compatibility,” reads the warning users will see when they load a 32-bit app for the first time in macOS High Sierra 10.13.4. This is the final version of macOS that will allow 32-bit apps to be opened “without compromise.”

Fortnite still down after 12 hours due to database failure [Update]

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Fortnite mobile down
No one can play Fortnite right now.
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

No, it’s not just you — no one can play Fortnite right now.

The hottest game on the planet is down — and has been for over 12 hours — as a result of a database failure. Epic Games is in the process of carrying out major upgrades to its database systems, but there’s no word on when Fortnite will be playable again.

HomePod inventories pile up after early demand dies quickly

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Apple HomePod volume controls
HomePod sales are already suffering.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has been forced to cut HomePod orders as inventories continue to build up in its retail stores, according to a new report.

The $349 speaker enjoyed a promising start when it made its debut in February, but demand has fallen quickly as smart speaker shoppers turn to more affordable options from the likes of Amazon.

Twitter follows Apple’s lead on gun emoji

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Pistol emoji going away
Twitter's version of the pistol emoji is being replaced with a squirt gun. Apple made this switch years ago.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The pistol emoji has been rejected by Twitter. Instead, its place is being taken by a bright green squirt gun.

Apple was the first to replace this controversial emoji with a harmless pool toy, and many other companies have followed suit.

Apple ranks among world’s most trusted tech companies

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Apple takes privacy seriously
This privacy pledge in iOS 11.3 is why people can trust Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

People trust Apple. A recent survey found that only a tiny percentage of Americans think the iPhone maker is irresponsible with their personal data.

That’s good news for Tim Cook and co., who have worked hard to differentiate themselves from Facebook, the least trusted tech company by a wide margin.

Here’s what Apple Watch may look like with bigger display

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Series 3 6 months on
Apple Watch is getting a bigger display in 2018.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is set to get some of its biggest upgrades ever this year, including a bigger, brighter display.

Rumors have suggested Apple plans to increase the display on the Apple Watch Series 4 by about 15%. The move could add more room for a bigger battery, but a new concept mockup of the Apple Watch Series 4 shows Apple could squeeze the bigger display into the current design.

Check it out:

How to add a stack of recent documents to your Mac’s Dock

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recent documents stack
Like a tidy stack of documents, right in your Dock.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Left to its own devices, the Dock on your Mac is little more than a list of running apps, plus a trash can. You probably already know that you can force apps to stick around in the Dock for quick-launching, and that you can drag any folder to the Dock and just click it to see inside. But did you know that you can add special folders that show you your recent documents, applications, your favorite items, and more?

The recent documents folder is worth the price of this tip alone (which is $0 BTW), because it keeps track of all your recently-used documents, anywhere on your Mac, and gathers them into one place. If you’re the kind of person who has a desktop cluttered with pretty much all your documents, then fast access to that file you were using one moment ago — and you swear it was right here, oh God where has it gone — is a lifesaver.

Here’s how to add it.

Apple might be losing its lead in augmented reality to China

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Augmented Reality version coming soon
An augmented reality version of this game could have web a huge win for Apple.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

While ARKit gave Apple an early lead when it comes to augmented reality apps, a highly respected analyst thinks a Chinese company has nearly caught up.

As evidence, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo points out that the AR version of enormously popular game Honour of Kings will land on iPhone and Oppo’s inexpensive Android phones at the same time.

Day of reckoning looms for old, slow Apple Watch apps

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watchOS 1 app warning
Opening a watchOS 1 app on a device running that latest beta of watchOS 4.3.1 gets this warning.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The latest watchOS beta warns that support will end soon for applications that haven’t been updated for years. This is part of an ongoing push by Apple to get all third-party apps that were written for the first-generation Software Development Kit updated to something more recent.

Unfortunately, this drive is instead causing some developers to drop their out-of-date Apple Watch apps.

Forget HomePod — check out Ikea’s amazing new home speaker

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eneby ikea speaker
The Eneby is $300 less than a HomePod, and it's not like Siri works properly anyway.
Photo: Ikea

Ikea’s new Eneby speaker may not pack the smarts of a HomePod or an Amazon Echo, but it’s great-looking and it’s pretty cheap. The new range of Ikea Bluetooth speakers starts at $49. If all you want is a nice, easy speaker for the living room, kitchen, or even the backyard, you should take a look.

iOS 11 also breaks genuine Apple displays on repaired iPhones

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Cult of Mac buyback

Photo: Warren R.M. Stuart/Flickr CC

Apple’s most recent iOS updates are causing problems with iPhone displays that have been fitted by third-party repairers. It was initially believed that unauthorized parts were the cause of the issue, but it seems there’s something bigger happening under the hood of your devices.

Even genuine Apple displays don’t work properly if they’re not installed by Apple.

Check out the first (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 unboxing video

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RED iPhone
Apple is circumventing the traditional media once again.
Photo: Marques Brownlee

The new (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhone 8 won’t start arriving until Friday, but one lucky YouTuber has received an early unit from Apple. Popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee was gifted a pre-release RED iPhone 8 Plus, and has posted an unboxing video online.

Brownlee’s take on the “seriously red” iPhone? That it’s pretty darn great — and the palette swap from white to red frontage, compared with last year’s iPhone, is much appreciated. Check out his video below.

This punchy Bluetooth speaker takes a licking and keeps on ticking [Deals]

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This portable Bluetooth speaker sounds great and can survive almost anything.
This portable Bluetooth speaker sounds great and can survive almost anything.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Bluetooth speakers have made our music more portable. There’s nothing quite like bringing your tunes to the beach, on a boat, up a hill. There’s also nothing quite like the feeling of dropping your precious electronics into water or onto the rocks.

Haunting Russian game The Mooseman is coming to iOS

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Mooseman
Could this be one of the year's most visually beautiful iOS games?
Photo: Vladimir Beletsky

The Mooseman, a beautifully evocative 2D adventure game, is coming to iOS next month.

Having launched on Steam last year, the game is already a proven winner with players. Boasting a gorgeous wintry palette and plenty of Russian lore thrown in for good measure, The Mooseman puts you in control of a mystical character with the ability to see beyond the physical world. Check out the trailer below.

Fortnite on iOS gets Port-a-Fort, squad commands and more

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Fortnite
Team Rumble just got a lot better.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite Battle Royale’s weekly content update has rolled out on iOS, adding the new Port-a-Fort grenade, squad commands, and more.

Epic has also addressed a whole bunch of pesky bugs — including one that caused weapons to hover in the air when switching quickly between items. There are big changes for consoler and PC players, too.