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Samsung will fight HomePod with Bixby smart speaker

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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

There isn’t an Apple product Samsung doesn’t have an answer to, so it’s not surprising to hear the South Korean company is developing its own HomePod rival.

It will be powered by Bixby, the Galaxy S8’s new virtual assistant, but it’s likely to be a while before it’s ready to hit the market.

iPhone chipmaker no closer to ending dispute with Apple

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Apple patches things up with mobile GPU maker Imagination
Imagination has been building GPUs for Apple since the iPod.
Photo: Apple

Imagination Technologies, the company that has been making graphics chips for Apple’s mobile devices for well over a decade, says it has made no progress in its ongoing dispute with the iPhone maker.

Imagination is still in talks with potential buyers after putting itself up for sale, but it is adamant that it will continue its fight with Apple after the company’s “unsubstantiated claim.”

Zane Lowe: ‘We had just three months to build Beats 1’

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Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe and others talk Beats 1 on the second anniversary of its launch.
Photo: Apple

This month marks the second year of Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station. To mark the occasion, Apple DJs Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden and Julie Adenuga have given an interview with High Snobiety, in which they look back at the successes and challenges faced by Apple Music over the past couple of years.

iPhone 8 might drop Touch ID for 3-D face scanner

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3-D sensors could let face-recognition replace Touch ID on the iPhone 8.
3-D sensors could let face-recognition replace Touch ID on the iPhone 8.
Photo: Carlos R/Pexels CC

The iPhone 8 might ditch Touch ID for 3-D facial scanning that could prove faster, easier and more secure than the fingerprint reader currently used for logins and payments.

The new security system, if perfected in time for the upcoming iPhone 8, also could help Apple get around a possible bottleneck in the production process.

Nebo handwriting app is like paper, only better

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nebo
Nebo is the best Notes app and not in beta. And maybe even then.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Nebo is an alternative to Apple’s upcoming iOS 11 Notes app. Like the Apple app, Nebo lets you use the Apple Pencil to draw and write in notes. It also recognizes the words you write and lets you search on those terms. Unlike the native Notes app, however, Nebo also converts your longhand scrawls into actual, editable text, which can be copied and pasted anywhere.

In fact, I used Nebo to write this entire article. My handwriting isn’t as fast as my typing any more (my hand still hurts), but the app is fantastic.

iPhone 8 will kickstart a revolution in OLED displays

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iPhone 8 concept
Apple is already driving an OLED boom.
Photo: iDropNews

iPhone 8 will drive mass adoption of OLED displays as rival smartphone makers fight to compete with Apple, new research shows.

Rumors have already accelerated the development of new displays for other brands, and it’s thought that 50 percent of all handsets will feature an OLED display by 2020.

iPhone 8 will include fewer casing colors, no Touch ID

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iphone
Apple is certainly shaking things up with the iPhone 8.
Photo: @OnLeaks @GearIndia

Will Apple manage to successfully embed Touch ID into the OLED display of the iPhone 8, or will it have to follow in the footsteps of Android device makers and opt for a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor?

None of the above, claims well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a list of predictions he’s made for the next iPhone, Kuo claims Apple will skip Touch ID altogether for its next-gen handset. And that’s not the only surprise!

Apple could spend big for exclusivity over LG’s OLED displays

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RED iphone
Future iPhone displays could all be made by LG.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple could make a significant investment in LG Display’s new OLED production facility to ensure exclusive supply for future iPhones, according to a new report.

The company is said to be considering a 2 trillion to 3 trillion won (approx. $1.75 billion to $2.62 billion) deal, and a final decision is expected later this month.

Airlines feel the strain of laptop ban

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Emirates
Emirates is one of the airlines affected by the ban.
Photo: Emirates

The decision to ban laptops and tablets on flights to the United States from 10 Middle Eastern countries has put a hurting on airlines, a new report claims.

The new rules, put into place earlier this year, negatively affected long-haul airlines Etihad and Emirates, according to the Associated Press. Countries affected by the laptop ban include United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Photos show grand opening of Apple’s first Taiwan store

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Taiwan
Thousands of customers visited Apple Taipei 101 for the grand opening on Saturday.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s first brick-and-mortar retail store opened in Taiwan over the weekend, and Apple has shared pictures to celebrate the occasion.

The newly opened store is located on the ground floor of Taiwan’s iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper in the Xinyi District. It was the world’s tallest building prior to being overtaken by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2009.

You’ll have to wait for Qualcomm’s fingerprint-scanning displays

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Touch ID
Touch ID sensor embedded in the display may be a while coming.
Photo: Apple

Qualcomm may have cracked the problem of putting a Touch ID-style sensor beneath the glass of a smartphone display, but that doesn’t mean that we can expect it to ship any time soon.

The new technology was demoed last week at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 conference, raising hopes that Apple may also be able to debut similar technology in its next-gen iPhone 8. However, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Qualcomm’s technology still is “not perfect,” and there’s no clear timetable on its release.

Kanye West waves Tidal goodbye

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Kanye West
Kanye is said to have walked over a money dispute.
Photo: Rodrigo Ferrari/Flickr (CC)

Since being acquired by Jay-Z, Tidal has been heavily reliant on superstar names to attract new subscribers — but it just lost a big one.

According to one report, Kanye West has walked away from the service over a dispute regarding payments for The Life of Pablo and exclusive music videos.

Futurama, Ghost Detector Radar, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy July 4 weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Augmented reality brings a plethora of ghosts and ghouls to your own home, courtesy of augmented reality.

That’s just one of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a brand new Futurama game, a slew of classic cartoons for your Apple TV, and an HD remix of an iOS RPG favorite. Check out our choices below.

Three ways to upgrade your mobile audio, and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-06-29
This week's best deals include three top shelf audio upgrades and lessons in one of the office's most-used applications.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Here’s hoping everybody’s summer is rolling along nicely. This week at the Cult of Mac Store, we’ve got three personal audio upgrades that can help dial in the summer vibes. Because some people are still thinking about their work, we’ve also got a pair of courses in Excel. That’s a skill that looks good on any resume. Everything is available at a major discount – read on for more details:

Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone turns 10: Inside stories from a decade of Apple innovation

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Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone Turns 10
Get behind-the-scenes stories from the quest to create a world-changing gadget.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s hard to put into words the iPhone’s massive impact on society over the past decade. But we tried! In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we’ve rounded up our best coverage (including stories from our collaboration with Wired UK) of the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.

We’ve got insider stories about the development of breakthrough iPhone features, ultra-rare iPhone prototypes and much more for your reading pleasure. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

The stories behind 3 of the best iPhone photos of the year

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iPPA awards
Dina Alfasi finds intrigue and beauty in her fellow commuters.
Photo: Dina Alfasi

Dina Alfasi sat across from a slim man on a bus who looked to her as though he was levitating and traveling someplace magical. With her iPhone, she made a picture.

What she captured was magic — and the picture made its own journey this week by getting published all over the world as one of the year’s best photos shot with an iPhone.

Camaraderie, chaos and the original iPhone launch stories you’ve never heard, on The CultCast

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Introducing, iPhone
Though Steve played it cool, the iPhone's launch was plagued with huge problems.

This week on The CultCast: You’d never know it from Steve Jobs’ effortless keynote introduction, but the original iPhone was plagued with huge design and production issues that almost made Apple call it quits — right up until the day it was released! To commemorate the iPhone’s 10th anniversary, we’ll recount some of the incredible stories behind iPhone’s beleaguered early days, and celebrate how Apple pulled off one of the greatest device launches in history.

Our thanks to Shutterstock for supporting this episode. Kickstart your next interactive project with video clips or music tracks from their collection, and save 20 percent for a limited time at shutterstock.com/cultcast.

Everything the iPhone replaced

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iPhone 2G
The iPhone has taken the place of many a device since its release back in 2007.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone turns 10 When the iPhone was announced 10 years ago, it reinvented the phone. But in doing so, it has taken the place of so many other products.

As part of Cult of Mac’s collaboration with Wired UK to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, we’ve taken a look at everything the iPhone replaced in 2007. Check out the video below to see how much changed thanks to one device.

How to stream the Tour de France on iOS, Mac and Apple TV

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How to stream Tour de France
Fire up your Apple gear and get ready to stream the Tour de France.
Photo: Tookapic/Pexels CC

By Chris Brantner

The Tour de France is the premier cycling race in the world. Anyone can enjoy watching the event as the cyclists put themselves through one of the most grueling physical tests in all of sports. If you want to watch during the three-week race, you can easily stream the Tour de France on Apple devices, with or without cable.

The Tour de France starts Saturday, July 1, and finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday, July 23. Throughout the race, NBCSN will air live coverage on a daily basis. Thankfully, there are some great ways for you to stream the race on any of your Apple devices.

The InkCase adds a second screen to your iPhone 7 Plus

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Inkcase
Why stare at boring aluminum when you can stare at a second display instead?
Photo: Oaxis

We’ve seen Oaxis’ e-ink cases a few times here on Cult of Mac. The InkCase is a relatively slim iPhone case with an e-ink screen embedded in the back, and a Bluetooth connection to the host iPhone. The idea is that you can use the low-power e-ink display that covers its back as an always-on second screen to so that you don’t have to keep waking up your iPhone to check things like shopping lists or calendar events.

And now, the case is available for the iPhone 7 Plus

How to make animated GIFs of your iPhone screen in iOS 11

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workflow gif
Making screen-capture videos in iOS 11 is easy, and turning them into GIFs is even easier.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to the new screen-recording feature in iOS 11, you can now make a video of whatever you’re doing on your iDevice, and share it. I use this for how-tos (although ironically, not this one), developers can use it to make videos of their apps for the App Atore (the new iOS 11 App Store features videos quite prominently), and regular folks can use it to record a snippet of a YouTube video or suchlike. But what if you prefer to share your optimized video as a huge, bandwidth-hogging GIF instead?

Well, iOS has you covered there, too, but you’ll need to download Apple’s free Workflow app.

Is Apple Pencil a harbinger of the designapocalypse? [Friday Night Fights]

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Apple Pencil FNF
Is Apple's design team losing its way?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is famous for its iconic designs, but is the company slowly losing its way?

Friday Night Fights bug Products like the Apple Pencil and Smart Battery Case suggest that Apple’s design team might be missing a certain spark. Even the iPhone, once the prettiest smartphone by a long shot, is now being outshone by rivals from the likes of Samsung and LG.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple design has become lazy and boring. And be sure to have your say!