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Apple grows a forest in quirky new Earth Day 2017 video

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Earth Day 2017 has long since passed but Apple’s still not done busting out its quirky videos that celebrate the company’s green environmental protection initiatives.

In Apple’s latest hand-drawn ad published today, the company showcased its efforts to preserve forests so that the paper used in all of its packaging is done in a sustainable way. With a goal of preserving nearly 1 million acres of forest by 2020, Apple hopes 99% of the fibers and papers will come responsible sources and recycling.

Watch Lisa Jackson explain:

Everything you need to know about location sharing in iOS

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Location sharing
Where’s my iPhone? I know I left it around here somewhere
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone knows where you are, pretty much all the time, and you probably know that it can share your location with other people, too, if you let it. Many apps ask to know where you are so that they can do their job (a weather app, a mapping app), but the iPhone has a few built-in ways to let other folks know where you are, and also to help you find a lost iPhone. There are so many ways to use location sharing that it can get a little confusing, but really, all those options are connected to the same service.

Let’s see how they all tie together.

Quick Tip: How to set up your Medical ID on your iPhone

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Medical ID
Adding your Medical ID means that anyone can check your details without unlocking your iPhone.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Inside the iPhone’s Health App, the app that counts your steps and hooks up with other apps to monitor your activity and health, lives your Medical ID. This is a page containing everything important that you might want a doctor or first responder to know in an emergency, and is accessible from your iPhone’s lock screen without a password.

By default, the app only contains your name, and a few details automatically culled from your address book, but fleshing it out is quick and easy. Here’s how to set up your Medical ID with any and all the information you want to make available.

iPhone 8 plans spilled by case-maker

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iPhone 8 Nodus
iPhone 8 imagined by Nodus.
Photo: Nodus

Being one of the first to market with new iPhone accessories can mean big business. We won’t get confirmation of Apple’s plans for the iPhone 8 until September, but some companies are already manufacturing cases based on leaks and rumors.

One of those is Nodus. Launched in 2013, the case-maker focuses exclusively on the iPhone, and its plans for Apple’s next big refresh are already well underway. Here’s everything it knows about the iPhone 8 so far, and how it’s fighting to beat others to market.

Apple promises it won’t store or sell your HomePod data

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Phil Schiller gives the world a sneak peek at the HomePod during WWDC 2017.
We'd love to see Apple lavish some more attention on the HomePod.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed that it won’t store or sell any data collected by its HomePod smart speaker.

HomePod won’t send anything to Apple’s servers until a user activates it with the “Hey Siri” command. Apple encrypts any information received after that point. The data gets encrypted and sent using an anonymous ID.

iPhone 8 leak all but confirms big new feature

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iPhone 8 wireless charging
This is what will bring wireless charging to iPhone 8.
Photo: Weibo

A new iPhone 8 leak all but confirms one of the handset’s biggest new features.

A component we haven’t seen in an iPhone before — almost certainly a wireless charging module — surfaced recently on a Chinese social network. It appears to be equipped with a Lightning connector and is clearly labeled “iPhone.”

How to share documents from the Files app in iOS 11

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Share documents
Files is awesome, but it could be better.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

We’ve been able to share and collaborate on iWork documents for a while, but in iOS 11 (and macOS High Sierra) you’ll be able to collaborate on any document, just by sharing it through iCloud Drive. To begin with, this will only work with Apple’s own apps, but third-party developers may add real-time collaboration features to their own apps. Here’s how to get started.

This ARKit app teleports you into an ’80s music video

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Take your kids back to the '80s with this app.
Take your kids back to the '80s with this app.
Photo: Trixi Studios

Ever wonder what it would be like to live inside an ’80s music video? Thanks to Apple’s new ARKit software, you can live that dream with a new app that draws inspiration from the popular music video for A-ha’s “Take On Me.”

The proof-of-concept app from Trixi Studios pulls iPhone users into a hand-drawn world that reacts to your surroundings. Now you can have a full-on ’80s dance party in your living room.

Check it out:

Tim Cook takes high road after Trump’s transgender military ban

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook and Donald Trump don't agree on much.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

U.S. President Donald Trump revealed today on Twitter that he is reversing former President Barack Obama’s decision to allow transgender men and women to serve in the military. And he’s already drawing tons of fire from Silicon Valley.

Apple CEO took to Trump’s favorite social network to blast the decision saying it’s discrimination. Other tech icons are joining his side too with their voices of descent for the president’s actions.

iPhone saves high-profile photo shoot

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iphone flashlight photo
The flashlight mode on an iPhone helped the photographer light the simulated workspace of European astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
Photo: Alessandro Barteletti

We’ve all used the iPhone flashlight to shine on a keyhole or search for change dropped in a dark room. Alessandro Barteletti used his to land a cover picture for National Geographic.

Barteletti’s photo of an astronaut training in a Soyuz launch simulator graces this month’s cover of the Italian edition of the venerable publication.

The shot almost didn’t happen.

Podcasting 101: What you need to get started on Mac

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Chris Ward's podcasting setup
My Podcasting setup
Photo: Chris Ward

Podcasting is undergoing a renaissance with listeners consuming on-demand shows at unprecedented levels, and creators enjoying surprising levels of success with their work. One thing that sets apart the amateurs from the professionals is good content, but the other is production values.

I have been running my own small podcast for about a year, trying different ideas and formats to see what works. While I’m an amateur podcaster, I create tutorial videos for a living and I used to be a professional musician, so I know a thing or two about sound, music, and music production. I have also been using a Mac since 1997, and have recorded audio with just about every port that Apple has released. For me, the podcast is a great outlet to cover topics I don’t get to cover in my paid writing work. And of course, like many other podcasters, I like the sound of my own voice.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned, along with recommendations on the hardware, software and techniques to get you started podcasting using your Mac.

Groovebox turns your iPhone into a toe-tapping music machine

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groovebox
You won’t be able to stop grooving.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’re looking for a way to lose a few hours later today, you could do a lot worse than Groovebox, a free music-making app for iPhone and iPad. It’s simple enough to start making music as soon as you launch it, but offers enough depth (and enough in-app purchases) to keep you going for quite a while.

It’s super-cheap to become a certified Adobe design pro [Deals]

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Graphic Design Certification School
Master the full creative potential of Adobe's industry standard software suite.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Graphic design skills are key to a more jobs than ever. That means that, if you’re working with digital visuals, you’ve got to get familiar with Adobe’s suite of creative apps. Between Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, you’ve got basically all the tools you need to create industry standard visual content.

Jony Ive talks earbuds inspired by stormtroopers, Apple Park

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AirPods EarPods
Ive had the dark side in mind while designing Apple earbuds.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Jony Ive has revealed that the company’s iconic white earbuds were inspired by Star Wars stormtroopers.

In a new interview, in which he also talks at length about Apple Park, the Apple design chief describes how he had the dark side in mind while creating them for the iPod.

Source claims iPhone 7s production is underway, iPhone 8 on track

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iphone 8 display
iPhone 8 could arrive on time after all.
Photo: Martin Hajek

iPhone 7s production has already started and iPhone 8 won’t be delayed, according to one tipster, who claims to have been speaking to a source at Foxconn.

It is believed that Apple’s largest manufacturing partner is currently assembling around 200 units per day as part of a trial run, but that number will increase significantly as we approach an official unveiling this September.

Apple must cough up $506 million for infringing university patent

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A8 chip
Apple's A8 processor violated University of Wisconsin's patent.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been ordered to pay $506 million in damages after infringing a patent owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A U.S. judge ruled that the Cupertino company was guilty of using processor technology it did not own in its A-series chips for iPhone and iPad. The sum of damages is more than double that awarded by a jury last October.

Trump claims Apple will build 3 ‘big big big’ plants in U.S.

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Peter Thiel separates Tim Cook and Donald Trump at tech summit.
Peter Thiel separates Tim Cook and Donald Trump at tech summit.
Photo: Sean Spicer/Twitter

Apple plans to build new manufacturing plants in the United States, according to President Donald Trump.

In a recent interview, Trump claimed Apple CEO Tim Cook promised to help revitalize American manufacturing by building “three big plants, beautiful plants.” Trump didn’t say what the plants would be used for or where they would be located. But he swears they’re coming.