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Apple’s impenetrable security chip is penetrated by hacker

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Touch ID
But don't worry — Face ID isn't going anywhere.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s supposedly impenetrable security chip found inside iOS devices has been penetrated.

A hacker has released what is claimed to be a decryption key for the Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) that handles things like Touch ID and password verification. But we shouldn’t worry about the security of our Apple devices being compromised… yet.

Best Buy’s 50-hour sale offers big iPhone 7, MacBook discounts

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iPhone 7 red
Cult of Mac pays real cash for your old Apple devices.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Best Buy will kick off a massive 50-hour sale later today, offering generous discounts on a number of Apple’s hottest products, including the MacBook, iMac, iPhone 7, and iPad mini.

The company is also slashing up to $200 off Beats headphones, and up to $600 off LG’s 4K TVs.

Apple’s real estate ventures hint at massive hiring spree

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Apple's new HQ
The site of Apple's latest office building.
Photo: Google

Apple could come close to doubling its 25,000 Santa Clara Valley employees in the coming years, based on Apple’s aggressive long-term office space leasing in the region.

Its latest long-term lease is two buildings — collectively totaling 73,000 square feet — in Sunnyvale, near its 13,000 person Apple Park campus. Apple also leases another nearby 105,000 square foot building around three blocks away.

Hollywood wants Apple to sell movies within weeks of theater debuts

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Apple TV Dark Mode
The wait for new movies could be just two weeks.
Photo: Apple

Hollywood is pushing for iTunes to show the latest blockbuster movies just weeks after they hit the theater.

Sources say a deal between Apple and a number of major studios could be signed as early as next year without the blessing of theater chains. However, talks are currently held up over the price that Hollywood wants to charge for new rentals.

Apple Watch shipments will reach new highs in 2017

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Nyloon's Elysee Nylon Band for Apple Watch in navy, white and red has a comfortable, fabric-like feel.
Available in a wide range of styles and colors.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch shipments may have slowed in recent months, but with Series 3 right around the corner, the device is expected to enjoy a strong end to 2017.

According to sources in its supply chain, Apple is likely to ship a total of 15 million Apple Watches for the year. That figure could rise even higher in 2018.

Electronic Frontier Foundation slams tech companies for banning neo-Nazis

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EFF logo
The EFF are big proponents of online free speech.
Photo: EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized tech companies that took action against white supremacist groups in the wake of deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Quick to take a stand against hate groups, tech companies removed some neo-Nazi groups’ access to web servers and online services. But the EFF issued a statement reminding them of the slippery slope of censorship.

Apple how-to videos help you make the most of iOS 11 on iPad

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how-to videos
Apple's new how-to videos showcase the best new iPad features in iOS 11.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Six new how-to videos from Apple show how to do things with your iPad running iOS 11. The minute-long episodes are engaging, informational and make iOS 11 look super-exciting, which it totally is.

If you want to get an idea of the neatest new features in iOS 11, these videos make a great place to start. Even better, you might want to send them to somebody else to show them what they will be able to do with their own iPad when Apple releases the final version of iOS 11 in a few weeks time.

How to add subtitles to your movies with SubsMarine

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subtitles mac
Adding subtitles is easy with SubsMarine.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iTunes on the Mac, and the Videos app on iOS, both have great support for subtitles. You can add subtitles for multiple languages, and the iOS 11 video player can even pull in subtitles from YouTube videos. Subtitles help out of you have hearing loss, or if you’re watching shows and movies in a foreign language. And a lot of the time, actors are so mumbly that having subs is essential to follow the story, even in your own language, and with the sound jacked up. But unless you’re buying movies and TV shows from the iTunes store, how do you add subtitles to your videos? The good news is that it’s easy, and once you’ve bought our preferred app — SubsMarine — it’s also free.

Get the best price ever on a MacBook Pro

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macos
Now is the time to get a MacBook Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac

There are awesome prices to be had this week whether you’re shopping for a MacBook or an iMac, and free Beats headphones.

If you’re ready to step up to Apple’s super fast, super light MacBook Pro featuring the innovative Touch Bar, there’s no better time.

Audiobus keeps your music creations in perfect time

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audiobus link
Audiobus now syncs with all other apps using Ableton Link.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Audiobus, the iOS app that lets you route audio between apps on your iPad or iPhone, just got an update. The version number is 3.0.5, which belies the fact that Audiobus 3 just got one huge new feature: support for Ableton Link, which means that it will now keep tempo with all the other music apps on your iDevice.

Tim Cook’s letter re: Charlottesville will break your heart

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Apple held a moment of silence for Orlando.
Tim Cook witnessed the devastating impacts of the KKK while growing up in Alabama during the '60s.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed to employees in an email this week that Apple will make $2 million worth of donations to organizations “who work to rid our country of hate.”

The donations come as a response to the tragic events of Charlottesville which Cook told employees have been deeply troubling for him personally. Cook, who has first hand experience with the devastating impacts of the KKK, took aim at President Donald Trump in his letter for supporting the white supremacists and says that Apple plans to play an important role in bringing about positive change.

Apple Park campus is almost crossing the finish line

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Apple Park drone
Apple Park as it appears today.
Photo: Matthew Roberts

A new August drone flyover video of Apple’s spectacular Apple Park campus shows a headquarters on the verge of completion.

The video, by drone photographer Matthew Roberts, depicts both the circular Apple Park main building and its central garden as virtually complete — with most of the construction vehicles now gone. There are also looks at the Steve Jobs Jobs Theater, visitor’s center, and more.

Check it out below.

They’re leakin’ it! McDonald’s uses iPhone 8 render in latest ad

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iPhone 8 McDonald's
Would you like an iPhone 8 with that?
Photo: McDonald's

What’s the best way to generate interest in your latest ad campaign? Include pictures of the next iPhone before it’s even announced, of course!

That’s exactly what McDonald’s has done, using an unofficial iPhone 8 render created by Benjamin Geskin, for a campaign to promote its new mobile ordering app down in Australia.

Apple Pay support pulled from white supremacy websites

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple is fighting back against Nazi websites.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

In its stance against hate speech, Apple has disabled Apple Pay support on three websites selling sweaters with Nazi symbols, “White Pride” paraphernalia, and other offensive items.

While Apple hasn’t issued an official statement, it has highlighted guidelines for Apple Pay, forbidding its use on sites which promote hate, intolerance, and violence.

How to zip and unzip files on iOS

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Zip mail zipping files ios
Zipping is so last century, but you can still do it easily enough on iOS.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Zipping files is easy on the Mac. You just right-click on one or more selected files in the Finder, then click Create Archive. The files get turned into an easy-to-handle .zip file.

On iOS, it’s a bit trickier. Even in iOS 11’s new Files app, you’ll find no built-in support for zipping files into a single package (or for unzipping them). To zip files in iOS, I use Readdle’s excellent Documents app. Lots of one-shot iOS apps will also do the job, but I like Documents because it’s also where all my documents live.

Apple Watch with LTE might not make phone calls on its own

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Apple Watch goal
Apple Watch Series 3 might add LTE (in addition to other cool features).
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The rumored Apple Watch with LTE may not work for phone calls, according to new research from a reliable Apple analyst. Instead, Apple will focus on improving the user experience with the untethered wearable.

That’s the main takeaway from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, his Wednesday research note offers other predictions about the upcoming hardware update.

Everything you need to know about tagging files in iOS 11

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Tagging files in ios 11
Tagging files is a powerful and easy way to tidy up your files, but it’s currently limited to the new iOS 11 Files app.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

One of the most useful features in iOS 11’s Files app may turn out to ta tagging files. Tagging lets you gather pictures, folders, documents and any other files from all across your iPad and iCloud storage by giving them the same tag.

This means you can organize files without moving them — you could create a Vacation tag, for example, to collect maps, a PDF with your Airbnb info, your boarding passes, and even related emails. Then, when the vacation ends, you can delete the tag. The grouping disappears but the files never get moved.

Tags are also synced between the Mac and iOS, so your collections can group files from both platforms. You can also apply many tags to the same file, including it in as many “projects” or lists as you like. The tagging functionality is built into the Files app at a deep level, making it easy to use wherever you are. Here are all the ways you can use tags in iOS 11.

Apple manufacturers in Taiwan hit by major power outage

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iphone
Taiwan relies on Apple business a whole lot. And vice versa.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Three iPhone component manufactures experienced an unexpected — and unwanted — disruption this week, when a major power outage in Taiwan temporarily brought production to a halt.

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, PowerTech Technology and ChipMOS Technologies are all chip assemblers and testers, which make a variety of components for Apple — including the iPhone’s Wi-Fi, baseband, fingerprint chips, and more.