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Apple store goes down ahead of today’s big education event

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Apple store down event
"We'll be back."
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

The Apple online store is down ahead of today’s big education event, which kicks off at 10 a.m. central time.

Downtime is an indication that Apple is preparing to add new products to its lineup, which could be available to purchase or pre-order later today. Recent rumors have hinted at the arrival of a new MacBook Air and an even more affordable iPad.

Spotify could finally come to Apple Watch at WWDC

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Snowy-Spotify-Apple-Watch
Spotify hired Andrew Chang, creator of a third-party Spotify app for watchOS, last April.
Photo: Snowy

Spotify will finally deliver its first Apple Watch app this year, according to a new report.

It could get an official reveal at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June alongside “StreamKit,” a new framework for watchOS 5 that will boost the cellular Apple Watch’s standalone capabilities.

Foxconn is buying a renowned Apple accessory maker for $866 million

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Belkin has long been a manufacturer of high quality Apple accessories.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Long-time Apple device manufacturer Foxconn is about to get even closer to Apple — thanks to its acquisition of well-known iPhone accessory maker Belkin.

According to a new report, Belkin International will be bought by FIT Hon Teng, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Foxconn for a massive $866 million. The acquisition also includes Linksys and Wemo-branded products and services, as well as the smart home water management company, Phyn.

Win a WWDC scholarship just by being creative

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WWDC scholarships are available
WWDC scholarships are available to talented and creative students.
Graphic: Apple

Attending Apple’s developer conference costs a whopping $1,599 but a fortunate few can win a WWDC scholarship by building a creative Swift playground. Apple began taking submissions today, and 350 winners will be announced in April.

Google’s first Chrome OS tablet arrives day before new iPad

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Chrome OS tablet
Acer’s 9.7-inch Chrome OS tablet is designed for students.
Photo: Acer

The first ever tablet to run Google’s Chrome OS has finally arrived.

Acer revealed its new Chromebook Tab 10 which is aiming to take a big slice of the education market. Chrome OS laptops have already had a lot of success in schools, but Apple is planning to launch its own cheap tablet for schools tomorrow. And it will undoubtedly steal the Chromebook Tab 10’s thunder.

ClassKit could plant Apple in more classrooms

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The Apple Classroom app could get a whole lot better.
Apple's Classroom app could get a whole lot better.
Image: Apple

During Apple’s big education event tomorrow, we undoubtedly will hear Cupertino’s grand plan for reshaping the classroom. Just as Apple predicted that the future of television is apps, what if the future of classrooms and textbooks is also apps?

It’s time to consider what Apple’s rumored new ClassKit framework will mean for students and teachers — and what role a new, cheaper iPad could play in education.

2018 iPhone X models could be cheaper (and bigger)

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
The new 2018 iPhone is expected to cost less than the iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An updated iPhone X could be a better deal than the current version, coming it at $100 less. Or buyers might be able to get a larger version for the same money as the original.

That’s the latest speculation about 2018 iPhone pricing, as Apple’s smartphone lineup gets increasingly complicated.

Force YouTube videos to play full-screen in Safari on iPad

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full screen youtube iPad safari
Is it time you took a break from YouTube?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

 If you’re watching YouTube on your iPhone or Mac, then you can just tap a button to watch the video in proper full-screen, just you and a skateboarding dog, with nothing to distract you. But on the iPad, the same “full-screen” button just maximizes the video into the browser tab, with all the Safari chrome still surrounding it. And because it doesn’t use the native iOS video view, you can’t watch the video in Picture in Picture mode.

Happily, we can fix that. Today we’ll see how to make YouTube play its video in full screen on your iPad, with one tap, using a bookmarklet. If you’re experiencing videos not playing on iPhone, you might be encountering a recent YouTube bug—learn more about it here.

What to expect from Apple’s big ‘field trip’ event

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What to expect from Apple education event 2018.
Apple took us to schoo
Image: Apple

Apple will take a field trip out of Silicon Valley to host its first major event of 2018 tomorrow. Instead of focusing on iPhones and Apple Watches, this Apple keynote will be all about education and creativity.

Rumors have been swirling for months that new MacBook Airs and an updated, inexpensive iPad could arrive this spring. We might see those, but Apple probably has a couple other surprises in store that you haven’t heard of.

Apple will not provide a livestream of the event, but Cult of Mac will be in attendance. Joins us Tuesday morning for our liveblog of everything that’s going down at the event. In the meantime, here’s our handy guide to what to expect.

Spotify still boasts twice as many paying subscribers as Apple Music

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Spotify
Spotify is still ruling the streaming world
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify says it has between 73 million and 76 million paying subscribers, around twice what Apple Music currently has. This year, Spotify plans for that number to grow to between 92 million and 96 million premium users.

According to Cupertino’s most recent figures, Apple Music has signed up 38 million users who pay a monthly subscription.

Blush gold iPhone X could reignite sales for Apple

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Leaked blush gold iPhone X photo looks great.
Would you shell out for this iPhone?
Photo: Ben Geskin

The iPhone X has reportedly been a bit disappointing when it comes to sales, and Apple may have a mid-year solution to help squeeze a bit more life out of its tenth anniversary handset.

According to a new report, Apple will introduce a new gold iPhone X color option, joining the existing silver and space gray options available at launch.

Apple will ‘blow past’ $1 billion budget for original TV shows

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apple tv
Apple now has 12 original TV shows on its slate.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple could debut its original TV content as early as March 2019, a new report claims.

And, while previous reports have pegged Apple’s overall budget as $1 billion for original TV programming, the company will supposedly “blow well past that figure” in total spending on content.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend, everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

A great battle royale game that’s sure to become one of the year’s most popular titles (and isn’t Fortnite!) is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a great update for a tremendous iPad drawing app, a minimalist puzzle game, and more. Check out our selections below.

Cult of Mac Magazine: What to expect from Apple’s big ‘field trip’ event, and more!

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cover
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple will take a field trip out of Silicon Valley to host its first major event of 2018 next week, and much more.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple will take a field trip out of Silicon Valley to host its first major event of 2018 next week. Instead of focusing on iPhones and Apple Watches, this keynote will be all about education and creativity.

Rumors have been swirling for months that new MacBook Airs and an updated, inexpensive iPad could arrive this spring. We might see those, but Apple probably has a couple other surprises in store that you haven’t heard of. Here’s what to expect from Apple’s education event next Tuesday.

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.

Juuk’s Ligero Apple Watch band in Cosmic Grey is back

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juuk
The Ligero is built from robust 6061 series aluminum — the same aluminum used in the aircraft, automotive, boating and diving industries.
Photo: Juuk

When Eugene Ho first saw the Apple Watch, it made him think of a jukebox. If the watch piece is the player then the wristband is like a song that can be changed according to taste and mood.

Ho is building a band brand, Juuk Design, that acknowledges the watch wearer who likes to change bands on a whim. The Ligero is an aircraft-grade aluminum link band designed in vibrant finishes that will complement the aluminum Apple Watch model in Series 1-3.

Give your iPhone X an exoskeleton with the Radius X [Review]

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exoskeleton
Is this the most unusual iPhone X case ever?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The futuristic design of Mod-3’s Radius X makes it one of the most unusual iPhone X cases I’ve seen. If you’re after the ultimate minimalist case, or don’t like having a case on your phone but still want to protect it, the Radius X could be the perfect candidate.

In fact, it’s less of a case and more of an exoskeleton (or an updated version of a bumper case). Find out what makes this case special in our video, or read our full Radius X review below.

Apple wants to bring these accessibility emoji to iOS

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Apple accessibility emoji
Apple's new emoji suggestions, designed to better represent those with a disability
Photo: Apple

Apple has proposed a bunch of new accessibility emoji that it wants to bring to iOS.

There are nine altogether — some of which are available in different genders and skin tones — including guide dogs, a heading aid, prosthetic limbs, and more.

How to customize text in Safari for Mac

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Customize text in Safari.
Customize text in Safari.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You probably spend more time in Safari than in any other app on your Mac. Some people I know almost never use anything else, even typing their blog posts into a text field in the browser. The good news is that Safari is an excellent browser, and makes it really easy to read most sites on the web. Today, though, we’ll see how to make things even easier to read. With a few quick tweaks in Safari’s settings, we can customize text for any website.