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How to stop Time Machine backing up every freaking hour

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flux-capacitor
This is what makes Time Machine backups possible.
Photo: Morgan Sherwood/Flickr CC

I do wonder who might need their Time Machine backups to run every single hour. With the versioning tools built into Dropbox, or into text editors like Ulysses, and the reliability of SSD drives, hourly backups may be overkill. Or they may just be annoying. Or, if you have an older Mac, they may slow things down while you’re trying to work. Whatever your reason for complaining about hourly Time Machine backups, then, TimeMachineEditor has you covered. It’s a free utility that takes control of Time Machine scheduling.

Apple’s new short film will make you cry in Three Minutes

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iphone
Three Minutes is a unique Chinese New Year story shot on iPhone X by director Peter Chan.
Photo: Apple

What would you do if your family reunion only lasted three minutes?

That’s the concept for Apple’s heartwarming new short film, Three Minutes, that celebrates Chinese New Year. The entire film tells the story of a mom who works as a train conductor on one of China’s longest routes. Her entire route takes six days to complete and she only gets to spend three minutes with her son and sister at one of the stops. What they do during that short time will shock you.

Prepare to have your heart strings pulled:

Cardboard keyboards, unique gaming mice and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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Kami-Oto iPad
Nintendo Labo comes to iPad... almost.
Photo: Kami-Oto

Crowdfund Roundup bugNintendo has been making headlines with a range of do-it-yourself Switch accessories made out of cardboard. One of the best is a music keyboard, and now you can get one just like it for iPad.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have a gaming mouse with joysticks, an affordable “smart pen” for iPad, and more!

What to expect from Apple’s first earnings call of 2018

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Earnings call
Apple's Q1 2020 earnings report will probably break some records.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The first big Apple earnings report for 2018 is nearly here. And, based on analysts’ expectations, it will likely be Apple’s biggest moneymaking quarter ever.

After weeks of waiting, investors will finally get their first look at how well the iPhone X is selling. Apple’s holiday sales probably hit historic levels. But with recent reports that Apple slashed iPhone X orders in half, there could be quite a few surprises in store.

As usual, Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog all the action as it transpires on Thursday, February 1, at 2 p.m. Pacific. Get ready to watch for these six things during the call:

YouTube TV bundle will land on Apple TV very soon

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apple tv
YouTube TV is a great service for cord-cutters.
Photo: Apple

YouTube TV, the $35-per-month alternative to cable TV, is reportedly coming to Apple TV “very soon.”

YouTube’s premium package offers a skinny bundle of 40+ live TV channels including the likes of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, AMC, ESPN, the Disney Channel, Fox News and Bravo. The service is available in upwards of 80 markets around the United States, covering approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population.

Level up the privacy on all your devices [Deals]

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This single app offers several layers of protection from online security and privacy threats.
This single app offers several layers of protection from online security and privacy threats.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You don’t need us to tell you that the internet is a dangerous place. Surely you need no reminders of the malware, data thieves, and snoops that swim the interwebs. And if you’re aware of all those threats, you’re probably aware that a VPN is one of the easiest security measures you can take to protect yourself.

Easily convert Live Photos into GIFs in iOS 11 [Quick Tips]

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iPhone X Live Photos

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Live Photos are great. They can capture special moments in a way that some pictures just can’t. The little movie clips that play when you force-touch a Live Photo can show the joy or wonder of the image. But therein lies the problem. They’re basically video clips embedded into photos, which makes sharing them to non-iOS users a nightmare.

A plethora of apps can convert Live Photos into GIFs or a standard video clip, but iOS 11 makes it even easier. Check out our video below to see how to quickly convert a Live Photo into a GIF.

The iPhone is going to get even more expensive in India

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple is trying desperately to grow its market in India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

India has just struck Apple another harsh blow by raising its duty on imported mobile phones from 15 percent to 20 percent.

The move, which will make imported iPhones more expensive, follows less than two months after the country raised the import duty from 10 percent to 15 percent. It comes at a time when Apple is trying to grow its market in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.

Austria’s first Apple Store will open later this month

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tech tax
New store will open on February 24.
Image: Apple

After a year and a half of rumors, Apple will open its first ever Apple Store in Austria on February 24, according to Apple’s own website.

The new Vienna Apple store is located at the Kärntnerstrasse, one of downtown Vienna’s most profitable shopping streets, in a three-floor location previously occupied by clothing company Esprit. Until now, the closest physical stores were located in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Mario Kart Tour will race onto iOS… sometime in the next year

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Mario Kart
Nintendo says the game is coming to the App Store before March 2019.
Image: Nintendo

In news that’s worthy of celebration, Nintendo says that Mario Kart Tour, a new instalment in its crazy popular kart racing franchise, is coming to iOS.

In a tweet, Nintendo said that, “The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near.” However, it’s not revealing exactly when the game will be speeding into the App Store — other than that it will be in the “fiscal year ending in March 2019.”

Apple adds amazing Flex and Flow sound pack to GarageBand for iOS

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Flex and Flow
The new Flex and Flow pack is R-A-D rad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This week, GarageBand saw the first new entry in its Sound Library since the feature was added in version 2.3. The Sound Library is a kind of App Store for music, letting you browse and download all kinds of samples, loops, presets and even brand-new software instruments. These come in sound packs arranged around a theme or genre. The new one is called Flex and Flow, and it brings you chilled hip-hop.

Spotify’s new app is a Pandora copycat

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Spotify Stations
Stations are coming to Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify is testing a new tool to up the competition with Apple Music by stealing a key feature from one of the oldest companies in the streaming game: Pandora.

Stations, a new stand-alone app from Spotify, launched on the Google Play Store in Australia this week allowing users to listen to curated stations without any type of manual controls.

These are the touch gestures you can use with HomePod

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homepod
HomePod likes to be touched.
Photo: Apple/Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The HomePod’s fancy gimmick is that you can use Siri to control it. Even when the music is loud enough to get your neighbors banging on the walls, Siri can hear you thanks to the six microphones’ ability to ignore the sound from the speakers. But touch is always faster than talk, so a quick tap on the top of the HomePod will often be better than trying to get Siri to understand you.

Colgate’s iPhone-controlled AI toothbrush is smart, but not essential [Review]

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toothbrush
Brushing is getting a 2018 overhaul.
Photo: Luke Dormehl/Cult of Mac

Colgate’s new iPhone-compatible smart toothbrush promises to transform the way you brush your teeth, thanks to the magic of machine intelligence.

So is the E1 Smart Electronic Toothbrush With Artificial Intelligence like having a virtual dentist at your beck and call? Here’s what we make of it after a week of tooth-cleaning action.

Feds have questions about iPhone throttling. Apple has answers.

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iphone battery
Apple will replace your battery for just $29.
Photo: iFixit

Apple says it is cooperating with U.S. government agencies investigating the company’s decision to throttle CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries.

The official statement from Apple this morning comes a day after news broke that the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether Apple broke any securities laws.

Apple works to bring iPad apps to Mac in 2018

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iPad apps on macOS
Your iPad apps could also run on macOS this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s primary focus for its software updates this year is on improving performance and stability. But there’s a big new feature that the company is still working to bring to macOS, according to a new report. That’s the ability to run iPad apps.

Juice up your iPhone in style with these accessories [Deals]

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Take your iOS charging to the next level with these awesome accessories.
Take your iOS charging to the next level with these awesome accessories.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS devices are sleek and stylish and exciting to use. But none of those terms usually apply to charging them up. So we’ve rounded up some of the slickest charging accessories for iPhone. From a walnut-lined Qi charger, to an understated wireless charging pad, and a pair of eye-catching Lightning chargers. There’s something here that can juice up anyone’s charging game.

Apple could soon have iPhone 6s assembled in India

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iPhone 6s
Apple supplier Wistron started building iPhones in India last year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturer Wistron is reportedly putting the final touches on a deal that will allow it to secure another 100 acres of land in India’s tech hub of Bengaluru.

The $157 million facility will be used to start building iPhone 6s handsets in India. At present, Wistron only produces the iPhone SE in India, although it always planned to expand to other handsets after proving that Indian manufacturing was viable.

iPhone just hit its highest ever share of the U.S. phone market

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iPhone X standing
iPhone X market share reportedly isn't suffering in the U.S.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple smartphone market share has reportedly risen from 37 percent to 44 percent in the U.S., representing its highest point in history on Apple’s home turf.

According to research from Counterpoint’s Market Pulse program, Apple shipped a record 22 million iPhones in the 2017 holiday quarter, representing the first time the company has ever achieved this. While iPhone X may be weaker than expected worldwide, the report claims that this lower demand is not the case in the U.S.