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Four Apple suppliers get dragged into Qualcomm conflict

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Apple apparently wants its manufacturers to withhold payments to Qualcomm.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Qualcomm has filed a complaint against manufacturers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal as part of its ongoing conflict with Apple.

In a statement given today, Qualcomm noted that while iPhone makers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal don’t dispute “their contractual obligations to pay for the use of Qualcomm’s inventions, the manufacturers say they must follow Apple’s instructions not to pay.”

iPhone SE handsets made in India go on sale next week

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iPhone SE
Designed in California, made in India.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturing partner Wistron has started work producing iPhone SE models in India at its factory in Bangalore. The handsets are set to ship to customers later this month, most likely as soon as next week.

While no pricing has yet been announced, Apple is reportedly likely to charge significantly less than the $399 and $499 it sells the 32GB and 128GB iPhone SE models for in the United States. In an effort to grow its brand in India, pricing could be as low as $220.

Pictar One gives you a grip on your iPhone photography [Review]

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The Pictar One takes your camera controls off the iPhone touch screen and puts them at your true fingertip.
The Pictar One takes your camera controls off the iPhone touch screen and puts them at your true fingertip.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Because all accessories needed to be categorized, the Pictar One is an iPhone camera grip.

But the word grip kind of sells it short when you learn just how the Pictar One works to make the iPhone camera feel and shoot more like a DSLR.

Apple’s accessibility videos shine light on how its tools change lives

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Apple's "Designed for" videos focus on accessibility.
Photo: Apple

In keeping with its trend of highlighting regular users in its ads, Apple has debuted a new series of videos on its YouTube channel, showing how Apple’s Accessibility features can help users in their everyday lives.

The seven “Designed for” videos, each running under two minutes, highlight stories like a visually-impaired DJ who uses Apple’s award-winning VoiceOver feature, or a sport-playing teenager unable to use her natural voice, but able to communicate using the TouchChat app on her iPad.

Check them out below.

Apple Pay officially opens for business in Italy

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You could say Apple Pay has a pizza the Italian market. You probably shouldn't, though.
Photo: Apple

Apple Pay is officially open for business in Italy, with Visa and MasterCards issued by Boon, Carrefour, and UniCredit all able to used by customers. Additional banks are set to be added later on in 2017.

The Loog is a retrotastic three-string guitar with its own app

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loog guitar pro
The Loog is the perfect beginner guitar, and looks awesome too.
Photo: Loog

This is the Loog Pro, a three-string guitar suitable for kids, and also for awesome adults. The Pro, along with the new Loog Mini, are the sequels to existing Loogs, and bring a whole bunch of neat upgrades. Why are we writing about it here on Cult of Mac? Because it also comes with a free app to help you learn to play.

Steve Jobs wanted Jeff Goldblum to be ‘voice of Apple’

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Jeff Goldblum appeared in a 1998 ad for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Steve Jobs wanted The Fly and Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum to be the “voice of Apple,” the actor claimed in a recent interview on the Today Show in Australia. “Steve Jobs called me up a few decades ago,” said Goldblum. “That was early on, and I did not know it was Steve Jobs.”

Sadly it didn’t exactly happen like that. It seems that, unlike life, Steve Jobs, uh, couldn’t find a way

Rip your DVD library faster and easier with MacX DVD Ripper Pro

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Got a pile of DVDs to convert? Try MacX DVD Ripper Pro for free.
Got a pile of DVDs to convert? Try MacX DVD Ripper Pro for free.
Image: Digiarty Software

This post is brought to you by Digiarty Software, maker of MacX DVD Ripper Pro.

If you’ve got stacks of movies and other discs that you want to watch on your iPhone, you need DVD rip software that makes the conversion process easy and fast. No matter what kind of DVDs you’ve got stashed in your closet, the latest version of MacX DVD Ripper Pro will get the job done — and you can try it for free.

Five keyboard shortcuts every iPad user should know

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ipad-pro-smart-keyboard-safari
Rotating advertiser IDs make a lot of sense.
Photo: Apple

The iPad might be designed for touch, but it’s also surprisingly good with an external hardware keyboard, and includes excellent support for keyboard shortcuts. What’s more, it shares many keyboard shortcuts with the Mac, so if you have these already ingrained in your muscle-memory, they’ll carry right across. Let’s take a look at five of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for the iPad (and iPhone).

How to use 3-D Touch to select and manipulate text

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3-D Touch makes iPhone text selection as easy as it is on the Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac

At launch, 3-D Touch was seen as a bit of a gimmick. A very neat gimmick, but perhaps not a useful one. Over time, though, it has become as natural as using your finger to jab at an icon on the screen. And no part of 3-D Touch is as crazy useful as text selection. That may sound a little dull, but if you ever got frustrated trying to place the iPhone’s “cursor” precisely between some letters in order to correct a typo, you will L-O-V-E love this tip.

Apple launches new ‘Today at Apple’ website for stores worldwide

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Apple's new website keeps you in the loop on classes in your area.
Apple's new website keeps you in the loop on classes in your area.
Photo: Apple

Apple is revamping its efforts to keep customers educated on all of its platforms today with the launch of a new website called ‘Today at Apple.’

The new sub site provides Apple fans with portal that shows all of the events, classes and other happenings at local Apple stores, giving users an easy way to sign up for the 4,000 sessions held across the globe each day.

Location-based stories are coming soon to Instagram

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Here's what Instagram location stories look like.
Here's what Instagram location stories look like.
Photo: Josh Constantine/TechCrunch

Instagram’s streak of sniping features from Snapchat isn’t about to stop with today’s new addition of Face Filters.

Location-based stories are set to be the next big feature Instagram adds to its toolset, only instead of just copying the way Snapchat curates stories, Instagram plans to tap into one of its ‘hidden gems’ to make stories a powerful tool for all users.

Apple may reveal three new MacBooks at WWDC

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15 inch MacBook Pro Silver
The new MacBooks will probably look the same on the outside.
Photo: Apple

Apple fans craving more powerful MacBooks may get their wish next month at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The company is allegedly planning to unveil a new lineup of MacBooks, according to a report that claims the new machines will pack Intel’s new Kaby Lake processor to bring more speed than ever.

Apple Park originally looked like a penis and 5 other wild facts

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Apple hQ
Steve's original vision was a bit different than this.
Photo: Apple

Apple pulled back the curtain of its new spaceship campus in a new interview that highlights all sorts of crazy facts about what went into the new campus, including how it Steve Jobs originally wanted it to look like a penis.

Obviously, Penis Park got scraped in favor of Apple’s perfect circle. But the perfect campus might not have been a disaster if Steve Jobs’ hadn’t shown some early drawings to his son, according to Wired’s deep look into the campus that also reveals how Apple went out of its way to invent an all-new pizza box that keeps crusts fresh.

Apple could soon eliminate the iPad mini

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iPad mini
The new iPad mini is more affordable when you sell your old one.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Still a fan of the iPad mini? Get one while you can, because a new rumor claims Apple is planning to eliminate the device from its iPad lineup in the near future.

The device was only refreshed (albeit halfheartedly) two months ago, but growing demand for Apple’s larger tablets and disappointing sales mean it won’t be around for long.

Instagram now offers Snapchat-style Face Filters

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Instagram isn't shy about ripping off Snapchat's best features.
Instagram isn't shy about ripping off Snapchat's best features.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram’s fight to stay ahead of Snapchat involves stealing its best features so that users have no reason to switch. That continues today with the introduction of Face Filters, which, just like Snapchat’s, apply things like glasses, hats, animal ears, and more to your selfies.

This VPN blocks trackers and increases battery life [Deals]

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CoM - Disconnect
Protect yourself with a mobile VPN that also saves time and boosts battery life.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Here at Cult of Mac, we’re big fans of virtual private networks (VPNs). They offer an encrypted, anonymous channel into the internet, and are an essential way to stay secure online. VPNs come in all shapes and sizes, but not all of them can also increase your connection speeds and extend your battery life. That’s just what Disconnect does, on top of being a great tracker blocker that guards against malware, ads, and data snoops on all your mobile browsers. And right now, you can get a lifetime premium subscription to Disconnect for just $49 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Why Apple Park is Steve Jobs’ final project

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Steve Jobs, creator of the iPad and created on the iPad.
Steve Jobs played a major part in developing Apple Park.
Photo: Jeremy Martin

Apple’s epic Apple Park campus is more or less complete, and it’s celebrated in a great new Wired cover story, written by one of the best Apple journalists out there.

In the article, Steven Levy — who has had the inside scoop on Apple since the 1980s, and written two great books (The Perfect Thing and Insanely Great) on the company — makes a great argument that Apple Park is nothing less than the final product of Steve Jobs himself.

Here’s why:

How iPhone 7 compares to a pro movie camera

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No, it's not a fair face off. But it's pretty intriguing.
Photo: Potato Jet

Apple loves to talk about the quality of its current-generation iPhone camera, but how does it stack up against a professional movie camera?

In a new video, L.A.-based filmmaker and YouTuber Potato Jet, shoots footage with both the iPhone 7 and the $82,100 Arri Alexa camera, the same camera favored by the likes of Steven Spielberg.

It’s a totally unfair contest, but a pretty intriguing video nonetheless. Check it out below.

iOS apps that access iCloud will soon require unique passwords

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Move will affect third-party apps only.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Any third-party app which accesses iCloud data for contacts, calendar, and mail messages will require an app-specific password, starting next month.

If you only use Apple apps to access iCloud data, you don’t need to worry. If, however, you use third-party apps such as Microsoft Outlook, here’s what you need to know:

Apple could snap up ex-HBO chief for original TV efforts

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apple tv and siri remote
Apple is reportedly looking for a Programming Chief.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly searching for a programming head for its TV efforts to show Hollywood that it’s serious about its original content and video efforts.

With that in mind, Apple execs met with HBO’s former programming head Michael Lombardo earlier this year, suggesting that he could be a candidate to take the role.