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Pro-grade acoustic tests find HomePod delivers on its promises

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Siri display
HomePod lives up to its sound quality promises.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Professional grade acoustic tests appear to confirm that the HomePod is indeed the real deal as far as speakers go.

Apple has been talking up its smart adaptive speaker and high-end audio processing algorithms since the HomePod was first shown off at last year’s WWDC event. According to Apple, the HomePod can adapt its sound to fill any room it’s put in. It seems it wasn’t kidding!

Google Chrome ad blocker could prove good for everyone (even publishers)

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Chrome
Here's why it's a win for everyone.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Google will roll out an awesome Chrome ad blocker Thursday that takes aim at some of the most invasive forms of online advertising.

The new Chrome ad-blocking feature won’t annihilate ads entirely. But users won’t need to worry about full-page ads, ads with auto-playing sound and video, or flashing ads anymore.

Apple says that Apple Park campus is a ‘no drone zone’

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no drone
Drones aren't Apple's favorite technology, it seems.
Photo: Kif Leswing/Twitter

Apple has no time for your drones! Yesterday was Apple’s annual investors meeting, and one of the attendees tweeted this photo of signage erected at Apple Park declaring it a “no drone zone.”

Given Apple’s insistence on privacy — and Tim Cook declaring that keeping Apple products under wraps is the “bane of [his] existence” — that’s not necessarily a surprise. Still, it does mean that Apple is seemingly none too happy about the myriad drone flyover videos which keep on showing up online.

Apple’s new 6.1-inch iPhone is expected to sell like crazy

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iPhone X laying down
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming 6.1-inch iPhone will be a smash hit, according to one reliable analyst.

It is expected to become the most popular model in the 2018 lineup, thanks mostly to its more affordable price tag. Sales could total a whopping 100 million units over its lifetime.

Tim Cook says keeping Apple’s secrets are ‘the bane my existence’

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Tim WWDC
Keeping secrets isn't easy.
Photo: Apple

When you’re a company the size of Apple and under the scrutiny that Apple is, keeping secrets is hard.

That’s what Tim Cook told investors during Tuesday’s annual investors meeting, during which he described how, “keeping stuff confidential is the bane of my existence.” In other words, with the exception of the visitor’s center, you shouldn’t expect a tour of Apple Park any time soon!

Flipboard CEO (verbally) flips off Apple News

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flipboard
Flipboard is a rival to Apple News in the news aggregation space.
Photo: Flipboard

The CEO and co-founder of Flipboard has some harsh words for Apple’s rival Apple News aggregation app.

Speaking at the Code Media conference, Mike McCue said that Apple News is “a product … living in the past,” and is lacking behind Flipboard in some very important ways.

Last chance to save: Grab any two Nyloon Apple Watch bands for $65 [Watch Store]

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nyloon
Shop Nyloon's colorfully cool collection of NATO nylon bands for Apple Watch. Shown here is the Seafarer.
Photo: Christopher Lavan

Note: Buy two nylon Apple Watch bands from Nyloon for $65. Regularly priced at $38.95 each. Sale ends Tuesday, February 13 at midnight. Use code Nyloon65 at checkout. 

Nyloon just introduced six fun new designs to its collection of nylon Apple Watch bands right on time for spring shopping. Best yet, these bands compare in quality to Apple’s nylon offering, and cost ten bucks less.

Check out Watch Store’s full lineup of Nylon bands for Apple Watch, and read on to learn more about these must-have straps. Buy two bands for $65 (an 18 percent saving). Use code Nyloon65 at checkout in Watch Store.

Tim Cook wants to see money die

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Tim Cook at Apple iPhone X event
Tim Cook hates cash.
Photo: Apple

The end of money can’t come soon enough for Apple CEO Tim Cook.

During Apple’s annual shareholders meeting today, Cook told investors that mobile payments like Apple Pay haven’t taken off quite as fast as hoped. However, he said he sees promising signs that the death of cash could soon be upon us.

Zens brings super-fast wireless charging to your iPhone

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zens wireless stand
Did you ever dream that wireless charging could be up to 50% faster?
Photo: Zens

Ever since the iOS 11.2 update back in November 2017, the iPhones 8 and X have supported “wireless” fast charging. This allows inductive charging mats to pour 7.5 watts of battery-juicing power into Apple’s latest iPhones. Previous to that, Qi charging mats could only supply a pathetic five watts of charging power. To take advantage of this, you’ll need a charger capable of Apple Fast Charging. Zens has a few new gadgets that will do just that. Let’s take a look.

Kevin Durant scores TV show deal with Apple

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Kevin Durant
Eddy Cue is a huge fan of Kevin Durant (not pictured here) and the Golden State Warriors.
Photo: SF Chronicle/Twitter

The life of Kevin Durant is set to be the inspiration for Apple’s next major TV show.

Apple has been scooping up TV shows like crazy the last few months and the latest project to get the iPhone maker’s thumbs up is a show that will explore Durant’s early life along with the world of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball the players, families and coaches involved.

Stop other HomePod users from polluting your music recommendations

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Apple HomePod smart speaker Listening History
Don't let everybody else's bad taste ruin your music recommendations.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Instead of recognizing the voices of various users and serving up their personal tunes, HomePod is tied to one person’s Apple Music library. That leads to an unfortunate side effect: Whenever anyone in your home tells your HomePod to play a track, that song is added to your listening history.

That means your teenagers’ ironic Ramones session, or your spouse’s un-ironic David Hasselhoff listen-a-thon, will pollute your listening history — and affect your future recommendations. Here’s how to stop that from happening.

This hilarious video is the only HomePod review you need to watch

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Erfon Elijah
CultCast host Erfon Elijah goes ears-on with HomePod.
Photo: Erfon Elijah

HomePod may not be the smartest speaker on the market, but it packs some serious skills where it matters the most: sound.

Now that we’ve had a few days to play with HomePod and compare it to competitors like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, we’re absolutely in love. The CultCast host Erfon Elijah went ears-on with HomePod at his podcast command center for one of the funniest reviews you’ll ever watch.

Prepare to laugh your nips off.

French pranksters face Apple Store ban for tax protests

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Flagship
Apple's flagship store in Paris.
Photo: Apple

Apple wants us to think of our friendly local Apple Store as a “community hub” or “town square,” but that apparently doesn’t include being a space for public protests.

According to a new report, Apple has gone to court in Paris to try and prevent French tax campaigners from pulling stunts inside its local retail stores. Specifically, it wants to ban the French NGO Attac from entering its premises.

iPhone will grab more market share as Samsung falls in 2018

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iPhone plus model next to iPhone X
New iPhones will require millions of new displays.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone will gain market share as Samsung loses its grip in 2018, according to new predictions.

Apple is one of just three companies that are expected to see growth this year following weaker-than-expected smartphones sales in late 2017. TrendForce expects total handset production to grow just 2.8 percent, down from the 5 percent previously expected.

Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration brings Lara Croft back to Mac

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Tomb Raider
An excellent installment in the tomb raiding series.
Photo: Feral Interactive

Feral Interactive has announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration will be making its way to Mac sometime this spring.

The critically acclaimed title stars everyone’s favorite tomb-raiding adventurer Lara Croft, now with slightly more realistic proportions. It was originally released for Xbox in late 2015, while the 20 Year Celebration special edition landed on PlayStation 4 in October 2016.

Check out its spectacular trailer below.

Retro video imagines what Siri would look like in 1980s

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Siri
I can't decide whether to be glad to live now, or nostalgic for the past.
Photo: Squirrel Monkey

Thanks to HomePod, everyone is talking about Siri and how it compares to the other AI smart assistants created by companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

But no matter what Siri’s relative failings may be, the technology is way ahead what was possible only a few years ago — as a brilliant 1980s-style parody for S.I.R.I. software makes abundantly clear. Check it out below.

Apple’s latest videos show off iPhone X’s portrait selfies

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Portrait Lighting in selfies. Humankind can now sit back and relax.
Portrait Lighting in selfies. Humankind can now sit back and relax.
Photo: Apple

Apple published a new set of videos today giving iPhone X owners some more tips on how to get the most out Apple’s most advanced camera ever.

The new videos show how to take advantage of the new Portrait mode selfies feature on the iPhone X and the best way to edit them. There’s also a new tutorial for Live Photos that shows you how to create a bounce photo which is a lot like Instagram’s boomerang feature.

Check ’em out:

How ‘Hey Siri’ works with multiple devices

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hey siri homepod
Hey Siri is smarter that your thought.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri itself might be frustrating, but Hey Siri is great. And on the HomePod, the voice activation for your virtual assistant is even more impressive, because it hears you perfectly, even if you speak at normal volume while the music is hammering the walls, the floor, and your neighbors’ patience. Now it’s possible to have many Siri-equipped devices laying around a room, but somehow, when your say “Hey Siri,” only one device responds. Did you ever wonder how? Here’s the answer.

Apple invests in maker of AR headset displays

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Face Id
Apple wants to make smart glasses that don't look dorky.
Photo: Apple

Apple is gearing up to make a big play in the world of augmented reality glasses with its newest investment.

The iPhone-maker has reportedly made a big investment into AR display component maker EMagin Corp, giving Apple a key partner in its quest to build an AR headset that looks good.

How to use HomePod to control your smart home

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HomePod HomeKit Unboxing
HomePod is a great speaker, and a more-than-adequate Home Hub.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you’re a home automation fan, then you’re going to love Apple’s new HomePod speaker. Not only can you use it to control your HomeKit setup with your voice using Siri, but you can also use the speaker as a Home Hub. That means that you can leave it at home taking care of business, letting you dial in to tweak things from wherever you are in the world.