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iPhone becomes a reliable light meter with Lumu Power [Review]

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Lumu Power light meter
Is that an iPhone or a light meter? It's both.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Lumu Power light meter for iPhone

The iPhone democratized photography and disrupted the video and camera industry. Now a new product that plugs into the iPhone’s Lightning port aims to replace an important photographer’s tool — the handheld light meter.

The Lumu Power light meter is a small, plug-in photodiode that looks like a pingpong ball cut in half. The light meter, a product of Lumu Labs from Slovenia, rose out of a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. It’s won favorable reviews from photographers and photo websites as the company works to improve the companion app.

Here’s how much the three tiers of iPhone 8 will cost

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Get ready to splash some cash!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to show off its new, eagerly anticipated iPhone 8 for the first time next week — and according to renowned Apple leaker and tipster Benjamin Geskin, it won’t be cheap.

Geskin has posted the prices for the new handset on Twitter, which he reportedly heard from a friend with knowledge of Apple’s plans. Here’s how much Geskin thinks we’ll be shelling out for the new devices:

Apple will use another novel pairing method for HomePod

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Phil Schiller gives the world a sneak peek at the HomePod during WWDC 2017.
This is how you'll pair HomePod with your iPhone.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s HomePod smart speaker will pair with other devices by generating a special tone that can be detected by your iPhone or iPad.

The tidbit was discovered by developer Guilherme Rambo over the weekend, hidden in Apple’s latest iOS 11 beta release.

Here’s how you’ll activate Siri on the new iPhone

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We might have a brand new way to activate Siri on Apple’s next-generation iPhones, according to one iOS developer.

References in Apple’s source code hint at a new gesture using the physical sleep/wake button, which will enable us to access the virtual assistant in situations where using the “Hey Siri” command isn’t ideal.

Apple will no longer repair or service your sixth-gen iPod nano

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iPod nano
Don't ask Apple to fix your broken sixth-gen iPod nano.
Photo: Apple

Apple is no longer providing repairs or service for the sixth-generation iPod nano.

The device was added to the company’s list of vintage and obsolete products on August 30, and a memo distributed to Apple stores and Authorized Service Providers confirms that repairs are no longer being carried out … unless you live in California.

Tim Cook defends 250 Apple employees at risk of deportation

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Tim WWDC
Tim Cook is opposed to President Trump on immigration issues.
Photo: Apple

Over the weekend, Tim Cook shared a post on Twitter, showing his support for the 250 of his Apple colleagues who entered the United States illegally as children — who currently benefit from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection. Cook described how these employees, “deserve our respect as equals.”

His tweet comes as President Donald Trump is reportedly set to scrap the legal protections offered under the DACA program, which keeps close to 800,000 young men and women safe from deportation.

Use competitors’ SEO rankings to boost your own [Deals]

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Serpstat Lifetime Subscription
Serpstat does a deep analysis of the SEO landscape, using your competition's strategy to inform your own.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s no doubt that good SEO can make the difference between success and failure online. That means anyone trying to sell products or get an audience is competing with their own regionally tuned cocktails of keywords, domains, and search suggestions. If you’re not working with a major SEO firm, it can be hard to know where to begin.

Raindrop.io, WriteMapper, and other awesome apps of the week

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

Looking for an app that will help you keep all your ideas in one place, whether you’re jotting down basic ideas or fleshing them out in more detail? This week saw the release of a tremendous mind-map and text editing app that will help you do just that.

That’s just one of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a fun update of an augmented reality favorite, a brilliant video app gone free, and an app for easily saving your bookmarks.

Check out our choices below.

Map your Wi-Fi, clean your Mac or fly a drone [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-08-29
This week's best deals include powerful Mac maintenance tools, sleek drones, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With summer coming to a close, the Cult of Mac Store is still bringing in hot new deals. This week, we’ve got a discount on top-shelf Mac maintenance app CleanMyMac 3. Plus, we’ve got half off or more on Final Draft 10, a sleek drone with 4K video, and an app for maximizing Wi-Fi connections. Additionally, for a limited time, you can get an additional 15 percent off each deal by using the coupon code “BYESUMMER” at checkout.

Catch our iPhone 8 event predictions, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast on iPhone 8
It's about time for a big change.
Photo: Johannes Eret

This week on The CultCast: It’s official — Apple’s next iPhone event happens September 12! Tune in to catch our hardware predictions. Plus, we take a look at the leaked iPhone 8 UI, and how the new phone will work without a Home button.

Then we’ll regale you with the story behind the evolution of the Apple logo, and the story you’ve never heard about the purpose of its iconic bite. And stick around for an all-new What We’re Into, where Leander tells us why Game of Thrones has turned into his most despised show!

Cult of Mac Magazine: Why ARKit will be huge for Apple and more!

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cover
ARKit is going to be massively important for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s got no shortage of big launches coming in the next few weeks, but the one with the biggest long-term potential for Apple is ARKit. This is going to be massively important for Apple.

In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find that story and more. Get the latest iPhone 8 keynote event predictions. And learn how to stop your iCloud and Apple ID from getting hacked. Save big in our Watch Store this Labor Day weekend! Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Siri gets a new boss

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siri ios 11
Siri has received a lot of love in the latest iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra update.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s digital assistant is under new management.

Along with updating its corporate leadership page to include its two newest VPs, Apple also revealed that it has replaced Eddy Cue as Siri’s boss and given the task over to software VP Craig Federighi.

Apple updates Leadership page to include its two latest VPs

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Leadership page
Apple's two newest Vice Presidents are veterans of the company.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its Leadership page to include its two newest Vice Presidents, both of whom have now started in their new roles at the company.

Deirdre O’Brien is listed as Apple’s VP of People, while Isabel Ge Mahe is Apple’s Managing Director of Greater China. Check out more details concerning the new VPs below.

Stay safe by going online with a VPN [Deals]

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Windscribe VPN
Time to stop messing around and start protecting yourself by using a VPN.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You probably keep hearing about how important it is to use a VPN to get online. That’s because it is important. With all the data and identity theft, content restrictions, and other online snooping, it’s just plain unwise not to have a VPN. If you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve got a great deal for you.

Apple’s peer-to-peer payments service won’t just be available in U.S.

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay Cash will let you send money to friends using the Messages app.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments service set to debut with iOS 11, looks like it will be coming to Europe, alongside the United States.

That’s based on a new trademark application Apple filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) this week.

Apple competes with Netflix over Jennifer Aniston drama series

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple will have to splash the cash to secure rights to new drama series.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly battling with Netflix over the rights to a new original drama series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

The show is based around the workings of a morning television TV chat show, possibly (hopefully!) suggesting something similar to Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom or Sports Night.

Tim Cook signs letter supporting DACA immigration rights in U.S.

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Tim WWDC
Silicon Valley supports the rights of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as kids.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook has joined the CEOs of Microsoft, Amazon, HP, Google, and others in signing a letter from immigration reform group FWD.us.

The letter asks that President Donald Trump keep in place legal protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. Without this protection, they could be subject to deportation.

5 outrageous theories about Apple’s iPhone 8 invite

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Apple invite
Apple fans have a lot of theories about the iPhone 8 invite.
Photo: Alberto Bagnoli/Twitter

After the maddeningly vague invites went out for Apple’s next iPhone unveiling, it took fanboys on the internet no time at all to come up with crazy theories about what the picture on the invitation “really means.”

This year’s invite seems very abstract and completely devoid of hints. But if you squint your eyes and huff enough glue, you too can find some clues about what Apple plans to announce on September 12.

Here are some of the most outlandish theories we’ve seen from fans decoding the invite:

How to switch off Auto Brightness in iOS 11

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Auto Brightness iOS 11
Auto Brightness has been hidden in iOS 11, but it can still be found.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You’ve all been there. You’re sitting near a window or a lamp, reading an excellent article on your iPad — perhaps a well-written How-To from Cult of Mac — and your iPad’s screen Auto Brightness is going haywire. You slide open Control Center, and set it back where you want it, and continue reading. Then, you turn the iPad a little too far towards the light, and the screen brightness creeps up again.

In iOS 10 and prior, you’d just open the Settings app, tap Display & Brightness, and hit the switch for Auto Brightness. In iOS 11, that option has disappeared. The good news is that it hasn’t gone — the Auto Brightness switch has just moved.

WriteMapper mixes mind maps and text editing

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WriteMapper-Hero
WriteMapper is a great app for getting your thoughts in one place.
Photo: WriteMapper

WriteMapper is a new Mac app that combines a mind mapper with a text editor. It works like a regular mind-mapping app, with easy-to-create nodes to get your ideas down and arrange them. But if you open a node, you get a full-featured, cleanly-designed text editor in which to write, so you don’t have to switch to a word-processor or anything else to complete your project.

Then, when you’re done, you can export the mind map as a document to publish it, or whatever you want to do with the finished text.

Developers receive surprise iOS 11 beta 9 update

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
An all-new iOS 11 beta is here!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple surprised developers today with the release of an all-new iOS 11 beta for testing, coming just four days after the previous beta build was seeded.

The new beta build is accompanied by the ninth beta for tvOS 11. Both of the new builds appear to add a number of bug fixes and performance improvements and likely signal that the public release isn’t that far away.