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Facebook delays smart speaker as privacy scandal grows

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the Facebook logo on an iPhone 6 Plus
Facebook's smart speaker is on the back burner.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Embroiled in controversy, Facebook has delayed the release of its smart speaker. Caught leaking data on millions of its users, the company apparently decided this would be the wrong time to introduce a product designed to gather even more such information.

How to use Apple Pencil with Pages for iPad

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Pages smart annotations
Pages’ pixels might finally be better than paper.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In Pages 4.0 for iPad, you can use Apple Pencil for more than just tapping stuff. Now you can use two great new iOS-only features in Apple’s word processing software. Smart Annotations lets you mark up text just like a teacher would — scoring red lines through words, running a highlighter over a sentence, etc. And a new drawing mode means you can easily add a sketch to a page just by tapping it with the pencil.

The drawing feature is neat, and brings Pages into line with Apple’s Notes app. But Smart Annotations will be a game-changer for many people, because it replicates something many folks still prefer to do on paper. Here’s how to take advantage of the new Pages features.

Stellar speakers, smart doorbells, and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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UPstage 360 Crowdfund Roundup
Unlike HomePod, UPstage 360 supports all your favorite services.
Photo: UPstage 360

Crowdfund Roundup bugIf HomePod just doesn’t do it for you, you need the immersive sound of the UPstage 360. This incredible speaker uses patented technology to deliver high-quality sound that fills almost any room, and it connects to all your favorite services.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have smart home doorbells, stunning mechanical keyboards, and more!

The watchOS improvements I want to see at WWDC [Mockups]

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How Apple could give watchOS a tune-up
How Apple could give watchOS a tune-up.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

In the three short years since Apple Watch debuted, Cupertino has massively improved its smartwatch. Remember the early days, when Glances took ages to load, only to show out-of-date information? When the Fitness app refused to stay in the foreground during a workout? Or when the side button launched a doodling app?

Since the launch, Apple has rolled out big upgrades to watchOS every year at its Worldwide Developers Conference. But there is still loads more that could be done to really unleash Apple Watch’s full potential.

With this year’s WWDC confirmed for June, here’s my wish list of the all the new watchOS stuff I’m hoping will be announced in San Jose, California. It’s a pretty long list, so I’ve broken it down into three separate posts, starting with usability. In followup posts, I’ll focus on fitness, apps and setup.

Location for yesterday’s iPad event is new HQ for Apple’s coding initiative

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HQ
Apple wants to teach the world to Swift.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The site of Apple’s education-themed event yesterday, Lane Tech College Prep High School, is set to become a special hub for the company’s “Everyone Can Code” initiative.

Working with Chicago Public Schools and Northwestern University, Apple announced that the Chicago-based institute will become a special “Center for Excellence” that will be used as a teaching and learning hub to introduce high school teachers to the Swift-focused curriculum.

Tech giants, including Apple, take a big plunge on the stock market

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Apple waives developer fees for nonprofits, others in 8 additional countries
Apple is on track to hit $1 trillion valuation this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Tech stocks are dominating right now, but they got a bit of a wakeup call yesterday. Apple included.

According to a new report, a plethora of tech giants — inlcuding Apple, Alibaba, Amazon, Baidu, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Nvidia, Tesla and Twitter — all suffered falls yesterday. It was the worst drop in the NYSE FANG+ Index, which tracks global tech giants, since it was established four years ago.

iPhone throttling lawsuits will be combined into one giant class action

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
At least 59 lawsuits have been filed against Apple so far.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iPhone throttling iOS update may have died down in the news cycle, but that doesn’t mean that the complaints are going away. According to a new report, Apple currently has at least 59 separate lawsuits being leveled against it by customers on this charge.

That number could soon be reduced, however, since a meeting in Atlanta this week will aim to combine all U.S. cases into one giant class action lawsuit against Apple.

This PRODUCT(RED) iPhone X mockup is RED hot

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product red
Would this handset find a new home in your pocket?
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple didn’t announce a mid-year iPhone refresh at yesterday’s education-focused media event, but that isn’t stopping fans from dreaming.

Leading the pack is designer Martin Hajek, who has taken a page out of Apple’s 2017 playbook (when it introduced the PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7) by giving us a mockup of what a red iPhone X may look us. The answer? Pretty darn sweet.

Everything Apple revealed at its ‘field trip’ event

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“Education then, beyond all others devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men.” - Horace Mann
Apple is making education a bigger focus.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is ready to make a major push into the education market. During its keynote in Chicago this morning, the company revealed how it plans to make students and teachers fall in love with Apple.

Armed with a bevy of new apps, APIs and other software tools, Tim Cook and company revealed Apple’s cheapest iPad ever. Apple pitched it specifically at students, though we suspect it will prove pretty popular with normal Apple fans, too.

Check out all the new stuff Apple unveiled today:

New iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands burst with spring colors

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Apple cases and bands
Springtime comes to Apple cases and bands with fun color options.
Photo: Apple

Celebrate spring with new iPhone and iPad cases, plus new Apple Watch bands, all now available in seasonal colors. Yellow, blue and pink are everywhere, with leather, silicone and nylon as materials.

Your wardrobe changes with the seasons, and your phone, tablet and watch can bust out in brighter colors, too, now that winter is behind us.

How to get Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad for $309

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iPad
You don't have to be a student to get the new iPad for $309.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled its cheapest 9.7-inch iPad ever today, only there’s a catch: it’s only the cheapest iPad ever if you meet certain qualifications

Most normal customer won’t qualify for the special $309 price tag and will have to shell out $329 for the Apple Pencil-supported iPad. However, there are still ways to qualify even if you’re not a student.

Firefox now puts Facebook in a ‘container’ so it can’t track you

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Firefox Facebook Container
A ‘Facebook Container’ inside Firefox.
Photo: Mozilla

None of us are happy with the way in which Facebook is handling our data, but many of us rely on the platform too much to follow the #deletefacebook movement. Thanks to Mozilla, you can now enjoy the best of both worlds (almost).

Its new Firefox extension puts Facebook inside a “container” so that you can enjoy the platform without having to worry about it tracking everything you do online.

Moog brings world’s first portable synth to iPad

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minimoog
Skeuomorphism isn't all bad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Moog — pronounced “Moog” — is famous for its awesome-sounding synthesizers. But recently it has has also become famous for making dome of the best iOS music apps. For instance, Moog’s Model 15 is a perfect digital reproduction of its modular synth that sounds as good as the real thing. Which is to say, it sounds incredible. Now Moog has made the Model D, an app version of the original 1970 Minimoog keyboard. And it is just as rad as you might hope,

Next Apple Watch might be plus-size

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2018 Apple Watch
Raise to wake might finally be coming to an end.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch isn’t just growing in sales — it’s about to grow in size, too. At least, that’s the prediction of an analyst with long track record for accuracy.

A larger display would make room for a bigger battery. Apple likely will build new health features into its updated wearable as well.

Cinematic lens brings Hollywood look to iPhone video

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Best iPhone photo accessories
Moment brings the silver screen to your tiny screen.
Photo: Moment

Moment, the maker of premium smartphone lens attachments, unveiled a filmmaker bundle Tuesday that includes an anamorphic lens.

The square lens will give iPhone video a similar look to the wide, letterbox view created with the large, expensive cameras used in the motion picture industry.

How to replace a paper notebook with your iPad

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lock screen notes
The iPad might finally be better than paper.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iPad has replaced many things — it’s a TV, it’s a games console, it’s a book, it’s a (huge) camera, and it’s even a typewriter. But until recently, it hasn’t made a very good alternative to paper. But thanks to the Apple Pencil, and to iOS 11, that has changed. Now you can write and draw a note without even unlocking your iPad, and you can search for anything you write, just as if it were text. Let’s check out lock-screen notes.

iPad makes homework a blast in Apple’s fun new ad

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iPad
Kids, don't eat your iPad.
Photo: Apple

Homework was always a dreaded task back in the days of paper and pencil but in Apple’s new ad, doing homework looks like a total blast.

Eager to highlight its skills in the education market, Apple’s new iPad ad shows how the tablet can be used in creative ways to make learning a fun experience. The two minute ad follows a group of kids as they do a series of gravity experiments utilizing the iPad and Apple Pencil to complete the project.

Check it out:

Apple is finally selling a space gray keyboard and mouse

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Apple keyboard
Get the new Apple keyboard while it's hot.
Photo: Apple

Mac fans that love the look of the new space gray iMac Pro — but don’t want to plop down four grand — can finally buy the computer’s coveted accessories separately.

Apple updated its online store this morning with its new iPad with Apple Pencil support. But what the company didn’t mention during its educational keynote today is that it’s also selling a space gray wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse.

Apple rolls out Schoolwork app for teachers, iWork upgrades and more

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iPad 2018
Apple is ready to takeover the classroom.
Photo: Ian Fuchs

Apple is ready to unleash a wave of new software for teachers going into the 2018 school year.

At its big “field trip” education event in Chicago today, Apple unveiled a series of new apps and APIs that will make it easier for students and teachers to embrace the iPad. From the redesigned iWork iOS apps to the new ClassKit framework, Apple’s got something new for students, teachers and developers.

Logitech Crayon is an Apple Pencil on a budget

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Crayon
It's for kids and budget-conscious adults!
Photo: Apple Events

The Apple Pencil is a great accessory, but it’s prohibitively pricey for schools to buy in bulk. To give students the chance to use a stylus without breaking the bank, Logitech created a more affordable stylus. It’s called the Crayon, and it will be sold by Apple directly to schools.

Apple unveils cheap new iPad with Apple Pencil support

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iPad 2018
The iPad (2018) is aimed at students.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple just unveiled a 9.7-inch iPad that will cost schools just $299. The debut came at today’s education-oriented event in Chicago because this tablet is designed for students, with Apple Pencil support and a faster processor.

Tim Cook and crew did not unveil this tablet at a high school by accident. Apple is aiming the new iPad straight at classrooms and budget-conscious school districts. Support for Apple’s pressure-sensitive stylus is a big part of that.

Kids are the key to the future in Apple’s inspiring new video

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apple ad
Children are the stars of Apple's new video.
Photo: Apple

Apple has an inspiring message for kids in its latest video that was shared during its educational event in Chicago today .

The inspiring new video talks about how “one person can change the world” by creating something that’s never been created before. While showing a bunch of children playing at school, the ad has voice-overs of the kids giving uplifting messages on how they view the future.

Check it out: