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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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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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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.

Apple tells FCC to preserve net neutrality by banning fast lanes

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Protect your connection when logging on over public Wi-Fi networks.
Apple has come out in favor of net neutrality.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple has finally broken its silence on the argument for net neutrality today by sending the FCC its comments on whether carriers and internet service providers should be able to provide fast lanes for companies that pay extra.

As a company that sells content through its online stores and services, Apple warned the Trump administration to not roll back protections. The company didn’t take a stance on whether the FCC should be able to protect the Internet like a utility, but it urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to keep the current rules in place.

Eliminate tangled cords with this gadget organizer [Review]

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cord and gadget organizer
The BUBM case corrals the little things in your everyday tech carry.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Best List: BUBM gadget and cord organizer by ATailorBird

Pulling your charging cord from your shoulder bag or backpack can resemble that gag where you think you’re opening a can of peanuts and get surprised by springy snakes. Your bag’s other contents can catch on your cords and fly out.

The BUBM cord and gadget organizing case offers just one surprise. The mundane task of organizing your cords and other small accessories turns out to be fun and satisfying.

Why ARKit will be Apple’s biggest innovation in years

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ARkit
ARKit is going to be a tasty innovation for Apple.
Photo: Alper Guler

From the iPhone 8 to iOS 11, 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 one that Tim Cook says makes him want to “yell out and scream” with excitement.

That product is ARKit, the augmented reality platform Apple unveiled this year at WWDC. Here’s why it’s going to be massively important for Apple.

Pokémon GO adds its best Legendary Pokémon yet

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Legendary
Get your passport ready! (Or be prepared to wait.)
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon GO developers Niantic have debuted three new Legendary Pokémon in the popular augmented reality game.

The trio of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, from the Gold, Silver and Crystal incarnations of the game, are arguably the best Legendary Pokémon yet. Although to catch ’em all you’re going to need to shell out for some plane tickets. (Or exhibit a bit of patience!)

Possible Apple antitrust complaint being investigated in China

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Apple Store
The mural outside the Hengzhou Apple store in China.
Photo: Apple

China has confirmed that it is reviewing a possible antitrust complaint against Apple for allegedly abusing its market position in the country.

The complaint, from 28 Chinese developers, claims Apple charged excessive fees (the company’s usual 30 percent) and also removed apps from its App Store without providing a full explanation.

Apple reportedly planning its biggest ever iPhone for 2018

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iPhone color
The new iPhone 8 is set to be big. Next year's could be even bigger.
Photo: Ben Miller

The iPhone 8 may be Apple’s most significant handset update since 2014, but if you’re a lover of large smartphones you may be better off waiting on next year’s iPhone.

That’s according to a new report, claiming that Apple has started development of an additional sized OLED iPhone for 2017, which will be the largest screen iPhone yet.