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12 white dudes in room is totally diverse, says Apple VP of Diversity

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diversity Apple
Apple is pledging to do more on the diversity front.
Photo: Apple

Creating diversity at Apple isn’t just about making sure more people of color get added to the mix, according to the exec put in charge of creating a more diverse and inclusive culture at the iPhone maker’s offices.

Denise Young Smith, Apple VP of Diversity and Inclusion, was part of a recent panel discussion on fighting racial injustice where she talked about her mission at Apple. White men currently account for 56% of Apple’s workforce, but Young Smith says that doesn’t mean the company isn’t diverse.

How to use Spark’s amazing advanced email features

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spark header
Spark works everywhere.
Photo: Readdle

Apple’s own Mail app is pretty amazing in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, and is more than good enough for most people. But Cult of Mac readers aren’t “most people,” and that’s where Readdle’s Spark comes in. If you’re looking for more features, like scheduled sending, automatic follow-ups, and integrations with third-party apps and services, then Spark is the place to look. Today we’ll look at how to use these great new features.

Apple pledges $1 million to help fire-ravaged wine country

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Extreme winds and dry weather are making the wildfires in California's wine country hard to contain.
Extreme winds and dry weather are making the wildfires in California's wine country hard to contain.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr CC

The fire-relief efforts in Northern California are getting a boost from some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley.

Smoke from the wildfires ravaging wine country are currently choking out residents in San Francisco’s bay area, so Apple, Google and Facebook are stepping up by donating local efforts.

iPhone X supply still plagued by TrueDepth sensor delays

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iphone x
Your iPhone X is on its way. Now make sure you're prepared.
Photo: Apple

iPhone X supply is still being plagued by manufacturing issues.

Some analysts have slashed supply forecasts even further due to the problems faced by TrueDepth sensor makers. It looks like Apple’s hottest handset will be even harder to obtain than originally anticipated.

Hollywood’s fave iPhone app supports Apple’s go-to video format

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iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
iPhone filmmakers get HEVC support in Filmic Pro update.
Photo: Filmic

Filmic Pro, the gold standard iPhone app for filmmakers to achieve near-cinematic quality, released an update today to support the new HEVC format in iOS 11.

HEVC stands for High-Efficiency Video Coding (also called H.265), a compression standard that reduces the file size of videos while retaining much of the quality. This means users can store twice the number of videos on their iPhones or iPad Pros.

iPhone X makes apps look horrible … for now

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iPhone X wild
This photo of iPhone X highlights an ugly problem.
Photo: EddiOS42/Reddit

The edge-to-edge display on iPhone X is going to make everything we do look spectacular. That’s what Apple tells us, at least. But the truth is, a lot of your favorite apps are going to look downright horrible when you first start using one.

This picture of an iPhone X in the wild highlights an ugly problem Apple’s new smartphone will face when it makes its big debut next month.

Pokémon Go hands out prizes for coolest AR photographs

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Pokemon Go
There's a new reason to play Pokémon GO.
Photo: Niantic

In an attempt to capitalize on current headlines about augmented reality, Pokémon Go developer Niantic has launched an AR photography contest within the app.

Through October 25, users can snap a photo in the game and then upload it to Instagram using the tag #PokemonGoContest. If your image is one of the top 10 submissions, you’ll win a Pokémon Go prize pack containing a Pokémon Go Plus accessory, a poster autographed by the Pokémon Go team, and Bluetooth earbuds.

A crucial iPhone X chip is now reportedly on its way to Apple

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Face ID
Face ID is one of the top features of the iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

Himax Technologies, one of Apple’s suppliers, has reportedly started shipping one of the key components for the iPhone X’s Face ID sensor to Apple.

Alongside the edge-to-edge Super Retina display of the new handset, Face ID is one of the most attention grabbing features of the new iPhone. However, production problems have also made it one of Apple’s biggest pain points — and a reason why supplies of the iPhone X are likely to be so limited early on.

After 2 years of delays, Apple’s Irish data center can finally proceed

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Politicians receive frightening threats about cancelled Apple data center
A look at Apple's data center as it will appear when it's finished.
Photo: Apple

A court in Dublin, Ireland has determined that Apple has permission to officially start work building its 850 million euro ($960 million) data center in Athenry, County Galway.

The new data center was given the go-ahead over two years ago, but has been hit with numerous delays since then due to legal issues. The giant data center will help power Apple Music, the App Store, iMessages, Maps and Siri.

Tim Cook opens up new Oxford Foundry facility in the U.K.

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Cook
Tim Cook shared his thoughts with future entrepreneurs.
Photo: Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Tim Cook made an appearance in the U.K. yesterday to open The Oxford Foundry, a new Oxford University venue that’s focused on developing entrepreneurial skills for students and future entrepreneurs.

In a wide-ranging conversation on stage, Cook discussed everything from his approach to innovation to when to listen to customers (and when not to). Check out a video below.

Google’s most underrated app finally comes to iPhone

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Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards pays real cash for your opinion.
Photo: Google

Google Opinion Rewards, the company’s most underrated app, has finally landed on iPhone.

For the first time, iOS users have the chance to answer surveys that earn them real cash. More than 10 million people are already using the service on Android.

Apple and other tech giants battle Chinese intellectual property theft

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Apple Store
Apple has faced challenges growing its brand in China.
Photo: Apple

Chinese companies copying Silicon Valley tech giants, and thereby infringing on intellectual property rights, is something that has been an issue for years.

It seems that U.S. tech companies are striking back, however, with a trade group that represents companies including Apple, Google, and IBM speaking out against Chinese regulators at an International Trade Commission hearing this week.

OnePlus is dominating Apple in key emerging markets

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iPhone in India
iPhone's high price tag puts it out of reach.
Photo: CC: Aasif Iqbal J/Flickr

Smartphone sales are exploding in emerging markets like China and India. Apple has been trying to take advantage of that for years, and it insists it is succeeding. But in reality, other manufacturers are dominating the premium smartphone segment.

According to the latest data, OnePlus handsets accounted for 57 percent of all premium handsets sold in India during the second quarter of 2017.

This dongle fixes the jackless iPhone 7 for good

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amazon lightning iphone 7 dongle
Amazon is getting in on the iPhone dongle game.
Photo: Amazon

Apple’s obsession with lopping ports off its devices has spawned a whole industry of dangling dongles. Every time Apple removes hole to slim down an iPhone or a MacBook, or to make space for a bigger battery, somebody else fills that gap with an external widget that does the exact same thing, only messier and more expensive.

The latest in this dongle parade is the AmazonBasics Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Audio Adapter with Remote and Lightning Charging Port, a product whose name tells you almost everything you need to know.

This free weather app is a perfect storm of features

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The WeatherBug free weather app serves up lightning alerts and other real-time info.
The WeatherBug free weather app serves up lightning alerts and other real-time info.
Photo: Pixabay CC

This post is brought to you by GroundTruth.

Nearly everybody cares about the weather, because unexpected changes can ruin plans or even bring danger. Among the methods for staying up-to-date on weather forecasts, using a weather app stands out as one of the most effective.

But you should think twice before selecting a weather app.

How to find the hidden printing options in Preview app

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Printing a PDF isn't what it used to be.
Printing a PDF isn't what it used to be.
Photo: Thad Zajdowicz/Flickr CC

Today’s tip is a simple one which might help some of you from going nuts trying to find hidden pricing options on your Mac. Did you ever try to print a PDF in Safari? Usually when you click on a PDF link in the browser, Safari opens it up right there. This seems great if you want to quickly print the PDF, but you should stop right there. Safari’s printing sheet, the one that opens up when you hit Command-P to print, is a cut down version of the regular one.

Even worse, the missing features are exactly the ones you’ll want to use if printing a PDF — especially if you’re printing tickets, or boarding passes.

Don’t fall for free iPhone scams on social media

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Free iPhone scam
No, Apple won't give you a free iPhone for likes.
Photo: ZeroFOX

iPhone 8 is now on sale and iPhone X is right around the corner, so every Apple fan wants to upgrade. Scammers are taking advantage of this by promising free handsets on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, but believing what you read could prove dangerous.

Apple and LG team up for foldable iPhone

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Foldable smartphone
Apple is serious about creating a foldable iPhone. Above, is a drawing for a patent Apple was granted last year.
Photo: Apple

LG is reportedly in business with Apple to develop a foldable iPhone.

A South Korean news site, citing unnamed industry sources, said LG has two separate teams working on key components for a flexible handset that could debut by 2020.

Qualcomm’s massive antitrust fine is good news for Apple

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Qualcomm patents
Apple and Qualcomm have been battling throughout 2017.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm has suffered another blow in its battle with Apple after being fined a record $773 million by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission for alleged antitrust violations over a period of at least seven years.

Specifically, the fine involves Qualcomm’s collection of NT$400 billion ($13.2 billion) in licensing fees from local companies. The Taiwanese regulator hammered Qualcomm’s monopolistic market status for not providing products to clients who won’t agree to its terms and conditions.

This small sensor gives your iPhone an eye for color [Deals]

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This keychain-sized sensor can tell you the precise color, for liquid and digital paint.
This keychain-sized sensor can tell you the precise color, for liquid and digital paint.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Getting the color you see in the world to match the color on your brush can be tough. Whether you’re painting on canvas or designing on the computer, working with exactly matched colors takes a trained eye. And sometimes, it takes a handful of color swatches. Unless of course you’ve memorized the color hex code system (and let’s be honest: you haven’t).

Woz: Aspects of Steve Jobs’ personality were ‘very Trumpish’

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Steve Jobs had one or two things in common with our current President, Steve Wozniak says.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Aspects of Steve Jobs’ personality strike former Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as, “very Trumpish,” Woz reportedly told an audience Tuesday night at Carnegie Music Hall as part of the American Middle East Institute’s 10th Conference.

Specifically, Woz seems to have been referring to Jobs cheating Woz out of some of the money for an early project the two collaborated on at Atari, his failure to listen, and tendency to say nasty things to people.