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Apple buys a $9.99-a-month magazine subscription service

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Texture
Could this be the Apple Music for magazines?
Photo: Apple

Apple is moving into magazine distribution by acquiring Texture, a digital subscription service that grants users unlimited access to their favorite titles for a single $9.99 monthly fee.

The service, which could be thought of as Apple Music for magazines, covers 200 top magazines. These can be read either in their complete form or via curated articles.

Apple Watch band detects dangerous potassium levels without drawing blood

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KardiaBand Apple Watch
KardiaBand can diagnose hyperkalemia with 94 percent accuracy.
Photo: AliveCore

A new Apple Watch band can detect dangerous levels of potassium in your blood without the use of needles.

KardiaBand takes an electrocardiogram, then uses a specially designed algorithm to identify abnormal patterns. AliveCor says its Apple Watch band can detect hyperkalemia with 94 percent accuracy. Such a diagnosis usually would require invasive blood tests

Rihanna is first female artist to hit 2 billion streams on Apple Music

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Rihanna
The biggest artist under Apple Music's umbrella. Ella, ella. 'Eh 'eh?
Photo: Apple

Rihanna is the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple Music, according to a tweet sent out by Cupertino.

It’s not clear whether the quick stat refers to just Rihanna’s solo songs or includes other artists’ tracks on which she appeared. However, it’s a big achievement — and proof positive of just how big Apple Music is getting.

Get your reading up to speed [Deals]

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Vastly boost your reading speeds with this pair of useful apps.
Vastly boost your reading speeds with this pair of useful apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Reading is the key to a broader, sharper mind. It’s also the key to success for countless innovators and entrepreneurs with voracious reading habits, no less than Elon Musk and Bill Gates. So if you want to make a difference in the world and in your life, reading more is square one.

Westworld game lets you try and manage your own robot theme park

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Westworld
The brilliant series in on its way to iOS as a simulation game.
Photo: Westworld

Like a whole lot of folks, I’m a massive fan of Westworld, the HBO TV series which depicts a wild west-themed amusement park, staffed by futuristic robots.

A new game, coming to iOS, promises to bring that same experience to our pockets. No, it doesn’t let you play as a guest, living out your wildest gunslinger fantasies — but instead takes the form of a simulation game, in which you’re tasked with running the park. Check out the intriguing (if ambiguous) trailer below.

New improved MacBook Air and 9.7-inch iPad could debut at WWDC

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A plain manila envelope became a key stage prop for selling the MacBook Air.
The MacBook Air could get a sequel this year.
Photo: Apple

Apple is prepping a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook that will debut in the second quarter of 2018. It will reportedly set users back around the same price as the MacBook Air, which would peg it at about $999.

While the report leaves a bit of flexibility by saying that it could be this price “or slightly higher,” this suggests that users could get a price cut versus the $1,299 12-inch MacBook.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Incredible, totally awesome iPhone home screens, and more!

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cover
In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we'll show you some incredible tweaks for your home screen!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s not like you can ever find the app you’re looking for on your various home screens anyway, so why not do something fancy with those icons instead? Like, making your home screen an expression of your inner chakra, man. In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we’ll show you some amazing tweaks for your home screen.

You’ll find that story and more in this issue. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

And the winner of our iPhone X giveaway is …

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At long last, we can announce the winner of the Cult of Mac iPhone X Giveaway.
At long last, we can announce the winner of the Cult of Mac iPhone X Giveaway.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When we launched our mouth-watering iPhone X giveaway, we knew people would jump at the chance to win Apple’s newest flagship device. And we were right — it sure seems like a lot of people would like to get a $1,000 smartphone for free.

After a flurry of entries, we can at last announce the lucky winner. Drumroll, please….

Apple scores with millennials as ‘most intimate brand’

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brand intimacy
Apple takes that bond you have formed with your iPhone very seriously.
Photo: Apple

In just 24 hours, Apple went from being ho-hum in charisma to number one in brand intimacy.

What sounds like fickle middle school popularity are actual rankings based on research, data and scientific surveys of, well, fickle people.

Apple ended its workweek ranked first for brand intimacy among millennials, according to a report MBLM, a marketing firm that specializes in helping brands form said connection. Apple as a brand must have worked hard on itself over the last year because it beat out Netflix, which was tops among millennials last year.

iPhone owners just love smart speakers

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Smart Speakers
Apple fans are leading the adoption of smart speakers.
Photo: Apple

Smart speaker sales have exploded, with 47 million Americans now using one, up from about zero two years ago. And Apple fans are leading the trend — they’re 22 percent more likely than Android users to own a smart speaker.

How to set custom vibration alerts on your iPhone

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custom vibration drums
Satisfy your inner drummer by creating custom vibration alerts.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Custom ringtones and text tones are great for letting your know who’s calling, or who just sent a message. But what about when your iPhone is sett to silent, and hidden in your pocket? All your alerts use the same vibration, so you have no idea if that buzz was a message from your awesome and hot significant other, or yet another eBay alert about those paperclip auctions you’re watching.

Did you know that you can set custom vibration alerts for each of your contacts? And that you can actually record your own vibration patterns and assign them to whoever you like? You can, and you’re going to love how easy it is.

Navigate the world as Mario in Google Maps

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Super Mario Google Maps
Celebrate Mario Day in Google Maps.
Photo: Google

You can navigate the world as Mario for a limited time inside Google Maps.

The awesome new feature, added to celebrate Mario Day on March 10, shows you driving along in Mario’s red kart — complete with familiar sound effects.

Sweet robot vac won’t suck your wallet dry [Review]

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Deebot N79S
The Deebot N79S is sucking awesome.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

No one enjoys vacuum cleaning, so why are we still doing it? Robotic vacuum cleaners have gotten so good — and so much more affordable — that manual cleaning is no longer necessary. I let the Deebot N79S do all my vacuuming for me.

The N79S is an updated version of the best-selling N79. It packs all the same features and the same great design, but now it supports Amazon Alexa. That means you don’t even have to push a button to get it going; you just tell it what to do.

It’s one of the many things that make the N79S one of the best affordable robot vacs you can buy.

Swift cracks list of the most popular coding languages in the world

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ios 11
Swift has been a massive success since launching in 2014.
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple’s Swift programming language it continuing its ascent through the coding ranks. According to a new quarterly ranking by developer-focused analyst firm RedMonk, Swift has entered the top 10 programming languages as indicated on GitHub and Stack Overflow.

The rest of the top 10 (from no. 1 through no. 9) is comprised of JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C#, C++, CSS, Ruby, and Swift and Apple’s previous coding language Objective-C ranking in joint tenth place.

HomePod mini and the end of iTunes, this week on The CultCast

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MacBook Pro

Photo: Apple

This week’s episode of The CultCast is packed with great Apple stories. We talk: Reports of a cheaper, smaller HomePod; the end of iTunes; MoviePass tracking your every move; the first security camera for your car; and more! Hit play to catch the discussion.

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.

Fortnite Battle Royale is coming to iPhone and iPad

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Epic is putting Fortnite in your pocket.
Epic is putting Fortnite in your pocket.
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games is bringing its insanely popular Fornight Battle Royale to iPhone and iPad.

It will be exactly the same 100-player game you’ve been enjoying on consoles, with the same map and the same weapons — and it will support cross-platform play between PlayStation 4 and PC. You can sign up to join the beta on Monday, March 12.

Amazon could beat Apple to $1 trillion market cap by one week

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple remains no. 1... for now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Amazon could beat Apple to become the world’s first $1 trillion company, a new report suggests.

While Apple’s market cap currently stands at $893 billion to Amazon’s $752 billion, the online retail giant is rapidly closing the gap. By current trajectories, it will beat Apple to the $1 trillion mark by a mere week.

Yes, we can? Apple wants to sign Obama to a content deal

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Obama at SXSW
President Obama wants to continue spreading his message.
Photo: WH.gov

Apple is reportedly battling with Netflix and Amazon to sign former President Barack Obama to a deal that would see him produce a high profile series of shows with wife Michelle Obama.

These shows will likely focus on the Obamas hosting conversations on a variety of topics, ranging from health care and climate change to nutrition. Unfortunately for Apple, it seems that Netflix may have this deal in the bag!

iOS nips at Android’s heels in user loyalty

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iPhone Loyalty
Apple fanboys get a bad name, but Android users are less likely to switch.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Americans are far less likely to switch between an iPhone and an Android smartphone than they once were. A new study shows that virtually all users of both types have little interest in moving to the other team.

Loyalty to Android is just slightly stronger than it is to iOS. Nevertheless, more people are switching away from Google’s operating system than they are Apple’s.

Hands on with Ottm’s wonderful wooden Apple Watch bands [Video]

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ottm
The Ottm wooden Apple Watch band in Gabonese Zebrawood.
Photo: Ottm

In the world of watch straps, we think Ottm, a manufacturer of wooden Apple Watch bands, offers one of the best unboxing experiences.

The box itself is plain and simple, but the package is thoughtfully designed, containing extra links and a pin removal tool that makes it very easy to adjust your new band.

The bands are awesome, too. Made from zebrawood and/or sandalwood, each hand-finished strap is eye-catching, comfortable and unique.

We made a video to show you what to expect. And, check out Ottm’s wooden Apple Watch bands in the Watch Store.

Kellogg’s beats Apple on ‘charisma’ (and so do 7 other surprising companies)

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Tim Cook’s Charisma
Surely Tim Cook has charisma.
Photo: Apple

Charisma is hard to judge, but apparently Apple doesn’t have it. Or at least it’s less charismatic than many rivals, including Amazon and Google.

“Compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others,” is how the Oxford dictionary defines charisma. Since Apple is known for generating a legion of fans — a cult, if you will — one would expect it to sit at the top of a new survey judging the charisma of various brands. Instead, the iPhone-maker ranked eighth.