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Component sales soar as iPhone 8 enters mass-production

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iPhone 6s teardown
Pegatron will team up with an Indonesian manufacturer..
Photo: iFixit

Component suppliers enjoyed stronger sales throughout July as Apple ramps up production of its next-generation iPhones.

Supply chain sources say all three models that will be unveiled in September have now entered mass-production, but shortages are still expected for iPhone 8.

Apple’s R&D spending hints at something spectacular

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R&D
One of Apple's many R&D centers. (This one's in Japan!)
Photo: Apple

This year marks ten years since the launch of the original iPhone and, appropriately enough, Apple has ramped up its R&D spending as a percentage of its total revenue to the level it was during the development of its debut handset.

In other words, something big is coming!

iPhone 8 could silence notifications when you’re looking at it

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iphone
Sounds won't, well, sound when you're paying attention.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 8 might use its 3D facial recognition sensor to silence notifications when you’re looking at the device.

Developer Guilherme Rambo discovered the possible UI element buried inside code accidentally released as part of Apple’s HomePod firmware. Coders digging into the software discovered numerous other details about upcoming Apple devices.

iPhone 8 may only come in 3 color options

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face tracking
Facial scanning may be the iPhone's next big feature.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult fo Mac

Despite rumors of production holdups, the next-generation iPhone won’t face a delayed launch, according to the latest report out of Asia. The new iPhone 8 will allegedly come in only three color options, with manufacturing hitting full swing next month.

Still, getting your hands on one might not be so easy.

Zoom’s Livetrak mixing desk turns your iPad into a music studio

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Zoom livetrak l-12
Zoom’s wonder-box has real knobs and faders, just like a proper music studio.
Photo: Zoom

Zoom’s new Livetrak L-12 could be the only box you need to turn your iPad into a mobile music studio. In one unit, the L-12 combines a mixer, a 12-track recorder, and an interface that lets you hook up all your musical instruments and gadgets to your iPad. And that’s just the beginning.

Universal gamepads, ultimate car mounts and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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ALL Controller
ALL Controller lets you game on anything.
Photo: Digital Depth

Crowdfund Roundup bugMany of us own more than one console, which makes finding and replacing the right controllers a real pain. But not if you have ALL Controller, the gamepad that’s compatible with almost any system — and fully customizable.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have the ultimate smartphone car mount, a top that warms you up on cold winter mornings, and more!

Download the latest iOS 11 public beta now

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
A redesigned Control Center is one of many changes to look forward to in iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Just one day after developers received the fifth beta build of iOS 11, Apple has released the same beta update to public testers, bringing a number of UI changes and bug fixes with it.

iOS 11 public beta 4 and macOS High Sierra public beta 4 are now available to download for all members of Apple’s public beta software testing program. You can also download the new software directly to your Mac, iPhone or iPad if you have the previous public beta installed.

This iPhone 7 Plus case is tough, slender and totally affordable

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Jaagd iPhone 7 Plus case
This minimalist iPhone 7 Plus case offers great protection for just $9.
Photo: Jaagd

This post is presented by Jaagd.

If you’re dropping coin for a new iPhone 7 Plus, you’ll want protection for when you drop the phone. The ideal iPhone case is slim, strong and affordable. That makes the straightforward design of Jaagd iPhone cases a refreshing return to simplicity. We want cases that give our phones a tougher skin, not a whole new look and feel.

How to shoot amazing black-and-white photos on your iPhone

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IPhone tiger black and white

Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Often, our eye is drawn to something because of its color. But sometimes we’re attracted by a pattern, or perhaps color even detracts from an image (like a row of cars in front of a beatific white building). At those times, we should shoot black-and-white images, which emphasize pattern, texture and shape.

The iPhone — with its giant screen, its great camera and its huge library of photo apps — is fantastic for shooting B&W pictures. Let’s take a look at how to shoot amazing black-and-white photos with your iPhone.

Spark email for Mac gets new Smart Search features

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Spark is now available on Mac.
Spark's latest update for Mac makes searching for emails a lot easier.
Photo: Readdle

An update to Spark, a powerful Mac email app from Readdle, brings a serious boost to the software’s Smart Search functionality. The Spark 1.3 update also comes with a lot of under-the-hood changes and performance improvements, making a great Mac email app even better.

India’s telecom regulator isn’t happy with Apple

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Not everyone is happy about Apple in India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple might be desperate to make inroads into India, but not everyone in the country is quite as supportive as Apple might like.

In particular, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has accused Apple of carrying out “data colonization” in the country, while also being “anti-consumer” in its behavior. The strong language suggests an attempt to paint Apple as the bad guy among the general public.

iPhone 8 helps boost demand for OLED displays

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iPhone 8 concept
The OLED revolution has begun.
Photo: Concept

Demand for OLED smartphone displays will continue to rise “at a rapid pace” thanks to the upcoming launch of the iPhone 8 and other flagship devices.

It’s thought Apple’s new handset will kickstart an OLED display revolution as rival manufacturers fight to keep up and compete with the iPhone.

Like wrecks over racing? Carmageddon: Crashers is for you

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Carmageddon: Crashers crashing
It's a mobile game of chicken. Kind of!
Photo: Carmageddon: Crashers

If you’ve ever found yourself enjoying the crashing sections of racing games more than, you know, the racing bits, Carmageddon: Crashers may be for you.

It’s essentially a version of the game chicken, in which two cars drive at one another, with one swerving out of the way at the last minute. Except that in this version, no-one swerves!

Apple TV tvOS simulator hacked to run in super-sharp 4K

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Apple 4K TV
4K Apple TV is reportedly on its way this year.
Photo: Steve T-S

Developer and Apple sleuth Steve Troughton-Smith has managed to get Apple’s tvOS Simulator to run in 4K, the same screen resolution that’s been rumored for an upcoming fifth-generation Apple TV.

4K resolution is twice the standard HD resolution. Based on what Troughton-Smith has shared, tvOS appears to work fine in 3840 x 2160 resolution, with text, icons, and more scaling effectively to 4K.

Foxconn is building an R&D center for autonomous cars in U.S.

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LeEco's Lei Ding shows off the LeSEE Pro, LeEco's autonomous electric concept car, in San Francisco.
Another Chinese tech company, LeEco, shows off its autonomous electric concept car in San Francisco.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Foxconn will open an R&D center dedicated to autonomous vehicles in Michigan, according to company founder Terry Gou.

“Automotive development in the U.S. is … more advanced than China,” said Gou. He also said that he is interested in artificial intelligence and, specifically, deep learning technology. He declined to share the amount of investment Foxconn will be making in Wisconsin, although it’s likely to be in the multibillion dollar region.

See all the new tweaks in iOS 11 beta 5

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
Check out all of the new features and tweaks within iOS 11 Beta 5.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Just like clockwork, two weeks after the release of iOS 11 beta 4, Apple has graced developers with iOS 11 beta 5. As per usual, we went straight ahead and installed it to dig around and see what’s new. Among our finds were new camera settings and a pretty cool feature for FaceTime.

Check out all of the new tweaks and changes in action in our video below.

How Apple made the Photos app even more private in iOS 11

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Private photos Linea
App’s like Linea don’t need to read your whole photo library just to save a sketch.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

In iOS 11, developers have a new way to access your Photos library: write-only access. Instead of granting permission for an app to read and write to your Photos library, just so it can save the odd image, an app can now only be allowed to write — or save — images, without getting to poke around inside your library to see what else is there. It’s much more private,

How to use the Universal Clipboard on iOS

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Use Apple's Universal Clipboard to copy anything from one iOS device to another, or to a Mac.
Universal Clipboard lets you copy something on one Apple device, then paste it on another.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Since last fall, your Mac and your iOS devices have shared a Universal Clipboard. That is, you can copy on one device and paste on another. It’s seamless, and incredibly useful. For instance, you could copy a shipment tracking number in Mail on your Mac, then paste it into the tracking app on your iPhone. Or you could take a screenshot on your iPhone, then paste it into a blog post you’re writing on your iPad.

Universal Clipboard is so easy to use, you might have used it already without even realizing. Here’s how it works.

Apple seeds fifth betas for iOS 11, macOS High Sierra and more

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iOS 11 Control Center
In iOS 11, the Control Center becomes a remote control for your life.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta software today from Apple, bringing a bunch of fixes and changes to iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, tvOS 11 and watchOS 4.

The new beta builds come two weeks after Apple seeded its fourth set of updates since unveiling all its new software at WWDC 2017.

4K Apple TV seemingly confirmed by HomePod leak

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apple tv and siri remote
Apple TV might finally get 4K.
Photo: Ste Smith

The next generation Apple TV could be unveiled later this year, based on the latest leak from Apple’s unreleased HomePod.

Code for Apple’s leaky smart speaker reveals that the new Apple TV might finally gain 4K support and it will support two of the biggest formats for super high def video.

Foxconn exec explains why iPhone 8 will be so expensive

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iPhone 8
A mockup of iPhone 8 with its edge-to-edge display.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

Countless rumors have warned iPhone 8 won’t be cheap. One of the things pushing up its price tag is the manufacturing process for its swanky new OLED display.

According to one Foxconn executive, the display is proving difficult to produce because of the “special cutting” required to create the notch at the top of the screen.