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ExxonMobil stations now accept Apple Watch payments

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Juuk watch band
It's now even easier to pay for your gas.
Photo: Juuk Design

ExxonMobil stations throughout the U.S. are now accepting Apple Watch payments.

Customers will need to download the Speedpass+ app, which lets you settle your gas bill with a tap of your wrist. You’ll have the option to use Apple Pay, or input your credit card information manually.

iPhone 8 concept shows how fantastic Function Bar could be

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The Function Bar would be a game changer.
The Function Bar would be a game changer.
Photo: iDropNews/Benjamin Geskin

Getting rid of the home button could be one of the greatest things Apple could do for the iPhone 8.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple plans to embed Touch ID into the screen in order to ditch the home button. A fantastic new concept imagines how Apple could use that extra screen real estate to make navigating the iOS faster than ever.

iPad rules the steadily shrinking tablet market

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Rapha designer Alex Valdman uses iPad Pro for everything.
Rapha designer Alex Valdman uses iPad Pro for everything.
Photo: Apple

The iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, but the tablet market continues to decline.

For a 10th-straight quarter, year-over-year sales of tablet computers fell to a five-year low, according to the market research firm IDC. Even with enviable sales figures, iPad revenues have had a year-over-year slide for the last 13 quarters, according to the IDC report.

TV shows are coming soon to Snapchat

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Snapchat is taking TV serious.
Snapchat is taking TV serious.
Photo: Snap

Snap Inc apparently wants in on the hottest new trend among tech companies: TV shows.

Following the lead of Amazon and Twitter, Snapchat reportedly plans to start showing vertical short films in its app. Only instead of doing all the work on its own, the company is inking deals with some of the biggest names in media.

These are the countries to avoid when buying an iPhone

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iPhone 7 back
Get yours before they're all gone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You may be able to barter with merchants for good deals in Turkey’s famous markets. But if you’re looking for a deal on an iPhone 7, you will want to pick another country.

An iPhone 7 in Turkey costs more than any other country in the world and is about one and half times more expensive than here in the U.S., according to an annual report by Deutsche Bank comparing prices on common goods.

This unashamed iPhone 7 clone is a fraction of the cost

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Don't expect iOS 10.
Don't expect iOS 10.
Photo: UMIDIGI

iPhone clones just hit a new low.

Meet the UMIDIGI G, a device that isn’t ashamed to be a complete ripoff of Apple’s latest smartphone. It runs Google’s latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, and it’s super-affordable at just $79.99. Its specifications aren’t bad, either — but you shouldn’t buy one.

James Comey says FBI can’t hack half of mobile devices

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FBI director James Comey is chasing smartphone backdoors again.
Photo: CNN

The FBI was unable to access the contents of “nearly half” of mobile devices it tried to hack in the first half of the fiscal year, FBI Director James Comey revealed at a Senate oversight committee hearing this week.

That added up to more than 3,000 mobile devices.

These are the Star Wars deals you’re looking for [May the 4th Deals]

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collage-2017-04-26 (1)
May the 4th be with you as you drool over this awesome bundle of Star Wars swag.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it? Star Wars is back, and the return of the year’s biggest nerdfest is upon us. May the 4th is when fans of the galaxy far, far away get a chance to revel in their fandom with their fellow fans around the world. And with the next Star Wars movie mere months away, the Force is strong with this one.

Part of the festivities is the chance to get great deals on Star Wars swag, and the Cult of Mac Store is no exception. We’ve got deals on a bundle of some of the best Star Wars games ever made, a treasure chest of Rogue One collectibles, and a floating speaker worthy of Darth Vader’s desk. Everything is dramatically discounted and worth nerding out over.

Landscaping Apple Park continues in new drone flyover video

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spaceship
Apple Park isn't this, well, park-like just yet.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s fantastic Apple Park campus reportedly opened to some employees last month, but construction crews are still racing to bring the project to completion.

As shown off in a gorgeous new drone flyover video by UAV filmmaker Duncan Sinfield, the buildings are virtually complete, but there are more construction vehicles than ever on site.

Check out the campus as it looks this month below:

Apple won’t be slashing all commissions for App Store referrals after all

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App Store
Decision only affects in-app purchases.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It appears that Apple won’t be slashing commissions it pays when affiliates redirect customers to buy apps from the iOS App Store, after all.

Despite Apple previously noting that, “Starting on May 1st 2017, commissions for all app and in-app content will be reduced from 7% to 2.5% globally,” it seems that the change applies only to in-app purchases.

Imagination Technologies files formal dispute with Apple

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Apple isn't happy with Imagination Technologies.
Apple isn't happy with Imagination Technologies.
Photo: Apple

Imagination Technologies, the British company that has been designing Apple’s mobile GPUs for years, has started a “dispute resolution procedure” with the Cupertino company over a licensing standoff.

Imagination has already confirmed that Apple will be dropping its graphics chips within two years and adopting its own instead. But the company suspects Apple has stolen its intellectual property.

Apple has created more than 2 million jobs in U.S.

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Screen Shot 2017-05-04 at 10.45.26
Apple's new minisite emphasizes its role in job creation.
Photo: Apple

Apple may be the world’s most valuable tech company, but it’s also a major contribution to the U.S. jobs market. And it wants you to know about it!

In a newly-launched website, Apple shares some details about the “two million … and counting” jobs in the United States that it has created across the country.

“The numbers tell the story,” it notes. Here are just a few of them:

Tim Cook reveals $1 billion fund to boost U.S. manufacturing

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Apple wants to help spark a manufacturing boom in the US.
Apple wants to help spark a manufacturing boom in the US.
Photo: CNBC

Apple is making a $1 billion investment aimed at boosting high-tech manufacturing jobs in the United States, CEO Tim Cook said today.

“We asked ourselves, ‘How can we get more people to do advanced manufacturing in the United States?'” Cook said during an interview with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer at Apple Campus today. “And I’m proud to tell you that we’re creating an advanced manufacturing fund. We’re initially putting $1 billion in the fund.”

Twitter flips out over mysterious Tim Cook tweet

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Tim's got a lot to be happy about.
Tim's got a lot to be happy about.
Photo: Twitter

Apple CEO Tim Cook set Twitter ablaze with speculation today — and all it took was a simple smiley face emoji.

Cook sent out a tweet with just a smiley face emoji this morning. No other context was provided, and the tweet got deleted shortly later, leading Apple fans on Twitter to wonder what the most powerful man in tech was really trying to say.

These are the most popular theories:

How to turn anything into a PDF on your iPhone or iPad

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How to turn anything into a PDF on your iPhone or iPad
If you're running iOS 10, your iPhone is already a PDF-making machine.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Stop! Don’t download that PDF converter app for iOS. You don’t need it. What if I told you iPhones have come with a built-in PDF-conversion tool since iOS 10?

Once you know where this iOS PDF converter is buried, you can quickly and easily turn anything into a handy PDF on your iPhone or iPad.

The Apple Watch business is way bigger than you think

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apple watch bands
Apple Watch Series 3 needs to be special.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch gets a lot of stick for being a “me-too” product, and people who don’t see the need for a smartwatch assume the business is a bust. There’s this crazy perception that Apple Watch is just not selling — but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Apple Watch, alongside other Apple wearables, is now raking in billions of dollars every year. The business is huge. So huge, in fact, that it would be a Fortune 500 company all by itself, outselling supposed smash hits like Microsoft’s Surface tablets and the Amazon Echo.

Here’s why Apple Watch isn’t the flop you think it is.

HBO plans to pull its shows off Amazon Prime next year

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You'll have to subscribe to HBO Now to see Game of Thrones.
You'll have to subscribe to HBO Now to see Game of Thrones.
Photo: HBO

The battle for video streaming supremacy is already turning allies into rivals.

After making some of its best shows available on Amazon Prime since 2014, HBO revealed today that it does not plan to renew its licensing pact with Amazon once it expires next year.

The ultimate MacBook charger, smallest 4G phone and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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All the ports you need.
All the ports you need.
Photo: PowerUp

Crowdfund Roundup bugWith only a single USB-C port to work with, it’s difficult to connect anything other than a charger to your MacBook. That’s why you should treat yourself to PowerUp, a charger with three traditional USB ports built-in that lets you connect all the devices you need.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have the world’s smallest 4G smartphone, a smart water bottle that will help you stay hydrated, and more!

These wireless earbuds are workout-ready [Deals]

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Que Bluetooth earbuds In-Ear Headphones- 2-Pack
Work out without worry thanks to these wireless, sweat-proof earbuds.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days pretty much all of our music is mobile, and thanks to Bluetooth earbuds, wires have become a needless obstacle. A fine example of the benefits of Bluetooth can be found in this workout-ready headset from Que.

These sleek, sweat-proof, long-lasting, in-ear buds are built to last. And right now you can get a two-pack of Que Bluetooth In-Ear Headphones for just $29.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Hulu is bringing live TV to iOS

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Hulu
Hulu's new app is a cord-cutter's dream come true.
Photo: Hulu

Ever wanted to watch live TV on your iOS device? Thanks to Hulu, you can!

That’s because the company today introduced its Hulu with Live TV app. The app will fulfill a range of functions — from the ability to watch more than 50 live and on-demand TV channels and record them to your Cloud DVR to tracking features, designed to let you manage your shows, movies, and networks.

Apple places orders for its Amazon Echo rival

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amazon-echo-adds-spotify-to-its-musical-repertoire-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602amazon-echo-jpg
Standalone Siri speaker could be shown at this year's WWDC.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly placed the first orders for its standalone Siri smart speaker, a device designed to rival the Amazon Echo.

Inventec, the Taiwan company that makes Apple’s popular AirPods, received the order, which was reported by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News. No order numbers or production timeline have been revealed, although previous reports suggest Apple could unveil the device this June at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

Here’s why iPhone sales slowdown may be good for Apple

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Do falling iPhone sales mean growing iPhone 8 excitement?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple reported weaker-than-expected iPhone sales during its earnings call yesterday. However, not every Apple watcher is convinced that’s bad news for the company.

In a note to clients, Mizuho Securities analysts Abhey Lamba and Parthiv Varadarajan suggest that the “pause” in sales is less likely to be about people losing interest in the iPhone — and more related to massive excitement over the forthcoming iPhone 8.