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Apple faces DoJ probe over throttled iPhones

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iphone battery
$29 for a battery replacement isn't too bad.
Photo: iFixit

Investigators at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into whether or not Apple violated securities laws when it disclosed that it throttles CPU speeds on some iPhones.

Apple revealed at the beginning of the year that it intentionally lowers the speed on iPhones with older batteries to prevent unwanted crashes. Customers in numerous counties have filed lawsuits against the iPhone maker. Now it appears that the feds are getting ready to weigh in.

Apple exec Eddy Cue joins SXSW 2018 speaker lineup

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Eddy Cue
Apple VP Eddy Cue runs Apple's media business.
Photo: CNBC

The 2018 SXSW Conference is adding a fresh crop of faces to its speaker lineup this year, including one of Apple’s most popular executives.

Apple media boss Eddy Cue is set to make an appearance at the annual conference that’s a celebration of music, tech, movies and TV. All of which are areas Apple is planning to dominate in 2018.

Strong holiday sales ‘vindicate’ iPhone X’s fat price tag

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iphone x
There are mixed messages about the iPhone X's success.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is being cast as a failure for Apple in some parts of the press, but according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the flagship iPhone was in the three top-selling phones across Europe, Japan, Australia, and the United States in the month of December.

Apple’s high price for the handset? Vindicated.

Microsoft OneDrive now supports iOS 11’s Files, drag and drop

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OneDrive
OneDrive is better in iOS 11.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft OneDrive has been updated to make the most of new features in iOS 11. The earlier update that had been done on the desktop version was purported to be better than NoSQL on Microsoft Azure. But both are simply two platforms that cannot be matched. The note-taking app now supports Apple Files, as well as drag and drop on iPad Pro. It also sports a fancy new look.

Why it sucks when fitness apps don’t share your workout data with Apple

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Who owns your workout data?
Who owns your workout data?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The workout data I log with my Apple Watch belongs to me. It‘s not Apple’s — nor is it Nike’s, Strava’s or anyone else’s, for that matter. It is mine. I paid for it with my own blood, sweat and tears. (OK, it’s mostly sweat, but there were some tears along the way, too.) Over the years, I’ve logged more than 18,000 miles of running data and it is something I’m pretty proud of.

So it really bugs me when mega-corporations try to corral my activity data into their fancy walled gardens, like they think they own it. Apple used to be just as guilty of this as all the other workout rustlers. But the folks in Cupertino did a major pivot in iOS 11. They decided to actually put users in control of our workout data. Apple made it easy for apps to share workout route maps with each other via HealthKit.

The trouble is, none of the major fitness apps are playing ball, and that sucks. Luckily, some indie devs are doing the right thing.

Apple’s value drops $46 billion amid falling iPhone X demand

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iPhone X standing
The iPhone X wasn't such a flop after all.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s market value has fallen $46 billion in a week amid reports that iPhone X isn’t selling.

A growing number of analysts and news outlets have claimed that Apple is cutting production due to weaker-than-expected demand for its flagship device. The Wall Street Journal is the latest to corroborate the claims.

Headshot ZD for iOS lets you blast zombies back to the grave

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zombie
It's good old fashioned zombie-blasting fun!
Photo: Nanoo Company

If you’re a fan of action-packed post-apocalyptic zombie games (and, let’s face it, who isn’t?), it’s your lucky day! That’s because Nanoo Company’s Headshot ZD: Survivor vs. Zombies Doomsday just launched in the iOS App Store today.

Check out the awesome retro-style trailer below — if you dare.

Apple delays big new iOS features to focus on stability in 2018

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iPhone X wireless charging
Apple's putting reliability over big new features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is changing up its plans for this year’s mobile software, a new report claims.

As a result of a recent string of criticisms concerning security and quality issues (outlined by my colleague Killian Bell here), Apple will now reportedly delay some of the big iOS features it had planned to 2019.

Apple’s Worldwide Video team has a new exec to oversee comedy series

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Kristen Wiig slayed us in Bridesmaids.
Kristen Wiig made us laugh in Bridesmaids.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Apple has hired Dana Tuinier, a former creative executive for the Paramount Network and Fox, to help develop original comedy shows for its Worldwide Video unit.

Tuinier will be reporting to Apple’s head of development Matt Cherniss. Among her first jobs will be working on Apple’s recently acquired comedy series, starring Kristen Wiig. The series is inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld’s short story collection “You Think It, I’ll Say It,” and will consist of 10 half-hour episodes.

iRig Stomp I/O turns your iPad into a guitar effects pedalboard

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iRig Stomp IO
Try not to stomp on the iPad.
Photo: IK Multimedia

The new iRig Stomp I/O is a one-stop box for using your iPhone, iPad or even Mac with a musical instrument. You place it on the floor, drop your iDevice onto the provided shelf space, connect it to an amplifier, mixer or speakers, and you’re away.

The idea is that you can hook up a guitar or microphone and use it with any of the music apps on your device, and control it all with foot pedals.

How to make the Mac’s Launchpad useful again

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mac Launchpad
Launchpad is totally worth a second look.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Try this: If you’re reading on a Mac, go ahead and pinch in on your trackpad with all five fingers. If it’s enabled, then you’ll see a grid of apps. lots of apps. That’s Launchpad, which is kind of like an iOS home screen for your Mac.

The problem is, it shows all your apps, in seemingly random order. There’s a search bar to narrow things down, but by the time you’ve got that far, you may as well have used Spotlight to launch your app. Happily, the Launchpad is quite customizable. You can make iOS-style folders, and organize the apps into any order you like. Here’s how.

iPhone X goes to Carnaval in latest Apple ad

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iPhone X
The iPhone X is ready to party in Apple's new commercial.
Photo: Apple

Apple has come out with a colorful new ad for the iPhone X that shows off the device’s amazing selfie camera at one of the most craziest parties in the world: Carnaval in Brazil.

The new ad is part of Apple’s push to make more regional ads. Apple made a similar ad for Carnaval last year that focused on Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Watch the fun new ad:

HomePod version of Siri comes with big limitations

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HomePod
The HomePod version of Siri is a lot dumber than the iPhone version.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new HomePod speaker might be the dumbest smart-speaker on the market.

Based on early reviews and leaked info, it appears that Apple has seriously crippled Siri on the new HomePod speaker and removed some features, making it vastly different than the version of Siri that lives on your iPhone.

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle mixes brainteasers with bloody murder

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Friday the 13th
It's what all the kids are playing at Camp Crystal Lake.
Photo: Blue Wizard Digital

There are some incredibly creative games in the App Store, but never did we think we’d live to see the day in which a cartoony sliding blocks puzzler is mashed together with the hyper-violent Friday the 13th series of slasher movies.

Best of all? It totally works. Trust us, the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees hasn’t been this much zany fun since 2001’s Jason X movie.

Apple and Samsung massively increased chip spending in 2017

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chips
Apple spent $38.754 billion on chips last year.
Photo: Intel

Apple ramped up its spending on semiconductors by more than a quarter in 2017, a new report from Gartner claims.

In the past 12 months, Apple spent a massive $38.754 billion on chips, making it second only to Samsung in terms of semiconductor spend. In 2016, Apple spent “just” $30.39 billion — or 27.5 percent less.

Apple may have chopped iPhone X production in half

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iPhone X laying down
Apple may have massively overestimated demand.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly halved its production target for the iPhone X, a new report claims.

In the three month period starting January, Apple reportedly planned to manufacture 40 million handsets during the quarter. It is now aiming for around 20 million units, based on “slower-than-expected sales in the year-end holiday shopping season” in the U.S., Europe, and China.

Apple could be about to smash its own profitability record

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European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
This Thursday could be a very good one for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will report its quarterly earnings this Thursday and, according to analysts, it could be about to beat its own record for most profitable quarter in corporate history.

The current forecasts call for Apple to announce a net income of at least $19 billion for the three months leading up to December 2017. The holiday quarter, which is traditionally Apple’s biggest, was the quarter in which Apple introduced its next-gen iPhone X and iPhone 8 handsets. Up to now, Apple’s most successful quarter of all time was in 2015.