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Olá! Apple Pay goes live in Brazil

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Apple Pay iPhone
Yet another reason to use Apple Pay.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Brazil has become the first South American country to get Apple Pay support.

Users can sign up for the service today by registering their Itaú Unibanco, MasterCard, or Visa credit and debit cards in the Wallet app.

Fortnite gets weapon vending machines, explosive game mode

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Fortnite vending machine
Using a vending machine is easy if you have the materials.
Photo: Epic Games

This week’s Fortnite update brings vending machines to battle royale, allowing you to trade unwanted building materials for weapons.

The vending machines are scattered around the map, and each offers three items of randomly-selected rarities. The items are cycled every so often and there is no limit to how many you can purchase in each match.

Epic Games has also added a limited-time High Explosives game mode.

Future iPhones could boast curved displays and touch-free controls

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
Apple is exploring new ways to make future iPhones stand out.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is exploring touchless gestures control and curved screens for possible future iPhones, a new report claims.

Although the two technologies won’t be ready for market for at least two years, they could offer Apple new ways to differentiate its products from those made by rivals.

Bored of selfies? New iPhone X app creates impressive 3D face scans

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Bellus3D
New app puts the iPhone X's 3D depth-sensing tech to good use.
Photo: Bellus3D

The 3D sensing technology behind Face ID is reportedly two years ahead of Apple’s rivals, and developers are keen to take advantage of it. A new app, created by the Silicon Valley computer vision company Bellus3D, uses Apple’s TrueDepth camera to create detailed three-dimensional selfies.

Called Bellus3D FaceApp, the iPhone X exclusive app is currently in beta. It offers users high resolution face scans of the kind that were only previously possible to achieve using expensive professional 3D scanners. Check out a demo video below.

Apple drama starring Jennifer Aniston forced to switch showrunners

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apple tv
One of Apple's shows has run into some real life drama.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple seems to have run into its first bit of (unintentional) drama with its upcoming original series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

The show, based around the happenings at a morning TV show, was signed by Apple to a massive two-series, 20-episode deal last November. Industry trade magazine Variety describes it as Apple’s “first major swing in the premium drama arena.” However, creator and showrunner Jay Carson has now departed the series as the result of so-called “creative differences.”

New Apple Pay ads promote the faster way to splash your cash

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Apple Pay
A useful Apple Pay purchase, apparently.
Photo: Apple

Apple has debuted a series of new eye-catching 12-second ads showing off the ease with which Apple Pay can be used.

Titled “Groceries,” “Coffee,” Kicks,” and “Grooming,” the ads are part of Apple’s continued drive to get users to adopt is mobile payments service. Check them out below.

First mobile phone call made 45 years ago today

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First mobile phone call re-enacted
Martin Cooper uses a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x to re-enact the first cell phone call.
Photo: Wikipedia

A historic milestone occurred April 3, 1973: the very first call on a mobile phone. It was the phone equivalent of landing on the moon.

But that call wasn’t an inspirational message — some equivalent of “a giant leap for mankind.” Nope, Martin Cooper, who headed up Motorola’s team developing the cell phone, called Joel Engel, his equivalent at AT&T’s Bell Labs, to brag that his company had won the race to produce a working device.

Apple steals Google’s AI wiz to make Siri smarter

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John Giannandrea
Starting today, John Giannandrea heads the team improving the Siri voice assistant.
Photo: Google

John Giannandrea used to run Google’s artificial intelligence division, but now he works for Apple. He’s leading the drive to make the company’s Siri voice assistant smarter, a goal many would agree is overdue.

This is the most high-profile move yet in Apple’s ongoing drive to hire more talent for the Siri team.

iPad app lets you play a violin with Apple Pencil

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Pen2Bow
Pen2Bow turns the Apple Pencil into a virtual violin bow.
Photo: Pen2Bow

The Apple Pencil, now compatible with pretty much all new iPads, is not just good for drawing and writing. Because if its bevvy of sensors — tilt, pressure, acceleration, and orientation — the Apple Pencil is also a pretty good musical instrument. Pen2Bow is a new iPad app which turns the Pencil into a violin bow, letting you use all of these natural gestures to play a virtual violin.

Apple Watch helps solve brutal murder

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bezel
An Apple Watch found on a murder victim provided critical evidence.
Photo: Form Function Form

An Australian woman claims her mother-in-law was killed in their home by unknown assilants, but data from the victim’s Apple Watch contradicts that testimony.

An Apple Watch tracks the wearer’s heartbeat. This means it knows exactly when that heart stops, allowing Adelaide police to know precisely when this murder had taken place. And that was far earlier than claimed.

How to sort Safari bookmarks alphabetically

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bookmarks alphabetically
Try sorting this kind of bookmark alphabetically.
Photo: Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr CC

OCD users of macOS 10.13.4 rejoice! You can now reorder your Safari bookmarks alphabetically. Instead of having to settle for having Safari’s bookmarks always being in the order you created them, or having to manually drag them into the order you want, you can now have Safari sort them for you.

Why would you want to do this? Well, if you’re browsing through a huge folder of bookmarks, then having any kind of sort order is better than none. And if you’re using accessibility options — for instance if you are using screen readers because your sight is impaired — then alphabetical listings are essential.

iOS 11.4 public beta arrives with AirPlay 2

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Don't take a chance on a bricked HomePod.
AirPlay 2.0 makes HomePod even better.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

HomePod owners no longer need to be a developer to test AirPlay 2.

Apple seeded the first public beta of iOS 11.4 to testers today, allowing anyone who signs up for the beta testing program to play with some of the new features coming out later this spring.

Snapchat adds group video chat and friend tagging

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Snapchat
Snapchat lets you video chat with up to 16 people.
Photo: Snapchat

Snapchat just rolled out a big update that gives users the ability to tag friends in Stories and enjoy chaotic group video chats with up to 16 people. It has also added support for even more ridiculous voice calls that support up to 32 people.

Got a broken phone? Let us fix it for less.

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Our partnership with MyPhones Unlimited offers unbeatable prices and convenience for fixing your iDevices.
Get your iPhone (or your iPad or MacBook) fixed the fast, cheap and painless way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When you break your iPhone, you want it fixed fast and frugally. That’s why our cheap iPhone repair service stands out. We’ll get your broken iPhone fixed up and shipped back to you in no time, at an extremely competitive price.

Apple Music videos make the leap to Android

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Music Video
Apple Music -- now with added music videos.
Photo: Apple

Apple has rolled out its new music video-oriented Apple Music app update for Android.

Now available to download in the Google Play store, the Apple Music 2.4.2 update boasts the same “music video experience” recently added with iOS 11.3. That means that users can access a plethora of exclusive music video playlists curated by Apple.

Apple Pay nagging might violate antitrust laws

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Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
It’ll take years to roll out to everyone.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is under fire for nagging iPhone users to activate Apple Pay.

Some users say its persistent notifications in iOS are “the most aggressive” push Apple has ever made to encourage users to adopt a new service. Analysts are even labeling it “antitrust behavior.”

Turn your Mac’s files and folders into locked boxes [Deals]

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Protect and organize all the sensitive files on your machine with this one app.
Protect and organize all the sensitive files on your machine with this one app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Losing track of personal or sensitive data is getting easier, and riskier. Most of us worry about our online activity and information, so we sign on with VPNs, encrypt our web traffic, and take other measures. But the data on your machine itself is worth protecting too.

Apple’s education-focused iPad isn’t designed for rougher students

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iPad
The new iPad has already been taken apart.
Photo: iFixit

Apple only just got done introducing the new iPad at its recent education-themed event, and already the folks at iFixit have gotten hold of a unit and broken it open.

Their findings? That the device is virtually identical to last year’s iPad, albeit with a few cheaper touches like not laminating the screen. The most notable part is that, despite the new focus on the education market, the new iPad remains next to impossible to repair. Tsk, tsk!

Happy 8th birthday to the iPad

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quotes on Apple
iPad obviously makes the list (but Apple Pencil doesn't).
Photo: Apple

Happy birthday to the iPad.

Apple’s revolutionary tablet first went on sale eight years ago today, two months after its big unveiling at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. It remains the best tablet money can buy, and recent rumors have claimed it’s going to get even better in 2018.

Apple’s MicroLED displays could debut later this year

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apple watch 1
Apple's new displays will likely make their debut on Apple Watch.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is going all-in on MicroLED displays, a new report claims. The company is reportedly gearing up to use the next-gen displays in future Apple Watches, Macs and even an as-yet-unreleased wearable device, which could be Apple’s augmented reality glasses.

The first MicroLED displays may arrive sooner than expected, too.

iPhone shoppers prefer bargains to newest models

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iOS 11 Beta 4
Apple shipped millions of iPhone 7 units last quarter, maybe more than the iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Buyers just aren’t going for the latest iPhone models. An industry analyst says nearly half the handsets Apple shipped last quarter were older devices, not the company’s latest. 

Even worse, the Apple reportedly sold about 45 million devices, down about 13 percent from the same quarter a year ago. 

Is iPhone X really too expensive? We’ll find out May 1.

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Apple earnings
Mark your calendars for Apple's next earnings call.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The date for Apple’s second financial earnings call of 2018 was revealed on its investors’ website today, setting Tuesday, May 1, as the big date.

Apple has reportedly been facing slumping iPhone sales amid waning demand for the iPhone X. Investors will find out just how bad (or good) the sales figures are when Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri go over all the numbers at 2 p.m. Pacific. Per usual, Cult of Mac will be here live-blogging the whole thing.

Why Apple Watch apps are dying off in droves

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timestand
People would rather look at Instagram on a Mac than an Apple Watch.
Photo: Just Mobile

Apple Watch sells very well, but apparently not strongly enough for some companies. A deadline requiring developers to base their apps on newer versions of watchOS just passed, and some businesses choose to pull their software rather than update it.

Instagram garnered the most attention, but there are surely other examples.