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Apparent iPhone 8 dummy unit is super-confusing

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iPhone-8-dummy-1
Is this the real iPhone 8?
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

Thanks to recent leaks, we thought we had a good idea what the iPhone 8 might look like. But forget what you thought you knew about Apple’s next-generation smartphone.

This apparent dummy unit blows all our previous conceptions right out of the water and leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions.

Apple teams up with surprising partner for OLED iPhone

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battery
The iPhone 8 is set to get a major display upgrade.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has added a petroleum refiner to its list of iPhone suppliers — but, don’t worry, we’re not set for a petrol-powered iPhone any time soon!

Instead, Apple tapped Idemitsu Kosan for its expertise in OLED technology, which the Japanese company started researching way back in the mid-1980s.

These armored Lightning cables are worthy of Iron Man [Deals]

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CoM - Fuse Chicken Titan Plus MFi Lightning Cables
Add a layer of armor to your iPhone's lifeline, with these extra tough Lightning cables.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Part of owning an iPhone or iPad is replacing the Lightning cable that keeps them charged and synced. After all, the standard Apple Lightning cable is a short and fragile affair, made with thin plastic and wrapped in soft white rubber that’s prone to tearing and fraying. That’s why it’s good to have a backup, but why not also get one that’s built to last? That’s what the Fuse Chicken offers: an extra long, extra strong Lightning cable that’ll probably outlive the devices you connect to them. Right now you can get a Fuse Chicken Titan Plus for just $29.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Siri can now read out your WhatsApp messages

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WhatsApp
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest WhatsApp update adds the ability to have Siri read aloud your WhatsApp messages.

You can also use the virtual assistant to compose and send replies, so urgent conversations can continue while you’re busy or driving, and you don’t even need to touch your iPhone.

How to enable YouTube’s secret dark mode

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How to enable YouTube Dark Mode
YouTube's hidden Dark Mode is perfect for late-night video consumption.
Screenshot: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

YouTube is testing a Dark Mode design, which can be toggled on and off once you activate it.

If you’re watching videos late at night, Dark Mode is super-useful to help avoid straining your eyes — plus, it just looks cool. Find out how to enable YouTube Dark Mode it in the video below.

iPhone 8 mass production is two months behind schedule

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iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
One of the recent schematics showing the next-gen iPhone 8.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Mass production of Apple’s high-end OLED iPhone 8 is reportedly running a couple of months behind schedule, claims reputable KGI Securities Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo blames production problems related to the phone’s “significant hardware upgrades” for the delay, which is likely to cause mass production to be pushed back to October/November, instead of the usual August/September timeframe.

Why Uber’s rule-breaking app tactics got Tim Cook so upset

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How much would you pay for lunch with Tim Cook? Photo: Apple
Tim Cook threatened to ban Uber from the App Store.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook dressed down Uber CEO Travis Kalanick — and even threatened to boot Uber out of the App Store — for violating Apple’s privacy rules, claims a new report.

Uber broke iOS privacy laws in an attempt to crack down on a certain kind of fraud in China, in which some drivers would earn incentives by booking fake rides on iPhones, which they then wiped. This allowed them to earn more money.

Wi-Fi cameras, wearable subwoofers, and more [Week’s newest deals]

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A home monitoring camera and a subwoofer you wear on your wrist are just two of this week's newest deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Spring is in the air, which means you’re either enjoying the new blooms or fighting a fresh round of allergies. However the weather has you feeling, the newest deals at the Cult of Mac Store are sure to please. This week, we’ve got a decked-out Wi-Fi camera for home monitoring, a powerful business planning platform, a stylus that doubles as a working pen, and a powerful subwoofer you wear on your wrist (talk about personal audio). Read on for more details:

Instantly upgrade your security, privacy and productivity [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-04-18
Protect your online life with a VPN, guard your privacy with a second phone number, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Welcome to the new week, same as the last week. Except of course for the great deals in the Cult of Mac Store. This go around, our very best deals include a lifetime of VPN protection, comprehensive training in Microsoft Excel, a powerful alternative to Search and Spotlight, and an anonymous second phone line perfect for first dates or Craigslist deals. Everything is discounted by more than half, read on for more details:

We deconstruct the new iPhone 8 leaks, this week on The CultCast

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iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

This week on The CultCast: We deconstruct the latest iPhone 8 leaks! We’ll tell what we’ve learned. Plus: Apple starts testing the driverless car it’s totally not working on; and the best iOS apps for all you marijuana connoisseurs.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.

Apple training documents leak details of self-driving car project

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lexus
The 2015 Lexus RX450h is Apple's vehicle of choice.
Photo: Lexus

Getting behind the wheel of one of Apple’s self-driving cars requires drivers to pass a series of tests, based on new information about the secretive project that leaked out today.

Details of Apple’s self-driving car program have been revealed by documents filed with the California DMV that shed light on the “Apple Automated System” currently under development.

Should iPhone 8’s Touch ID be on its back? [Friday Night Fights]

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A sacrifice worth making?
A sacrifice worth making?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Recently “leaked” schematics for Apple’s next-generation iPhone reveal the company could be returning to a sharper, squarer form factor similar to that of the iPhone 5. They also hinted at a big change for Touch ID.

Friday Night Fights bugWith Apple expected to eliminate the Home button from this year’s iPhone, its fingerprint scanner could be relocated to its back — like on many Androids. This would free up space on the front of the phone for a larger display, while maintaining the secure and super-fast biometric sensor we all love.

But is a rear-facing fingerprint scanner a smart move, or should it remain on the front of the iPhone? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the iPhone 8’s Touch ID button.

Last chance for Earth Day bonus: Get an extra $10 for your old Apple gear

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Earth Day gadget buyback
Save the earth and get paid! Trade-in your old Apple gear this week for cash, and take advantage of our Earth Day bonus: an extra $10 on every trade-in.
Photo: Pexels

Last chance! We’ve extended our special Earth Day buyback bonus until Monday.

Americans throw away 9.4 million tons of electronics each year, according to Earth 911. That’s roughly equivalent to the weight of 1.88 million elephants — way more elephants than are even alive today.

Fight that e-waste nightmare by trading in your old Apple gear, and you can take advantage of our Earth Day bonus: You’ll get an extra $10 on every trade-in — just use the coupon code “earthday”!

Touch ID moves to the back in new iPhone 8 renderings

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iPhone 8 rear shell mockup.
iPhone 8 rear shell mockup.
Photo: Weibo

Apple may make the surprising move of relocating the Touch ID button to the back of the iPhone this year, but based on renderings of a leaked schematic, it wouldn’t look that bad.

Several renders, based on the supposed iPhone 8 schematic that hit the internet this week, show what the device’s rear shell might look like during production. It’s not a photo of the real iPhone shell, but for now this is as close to the real deal as we’re going to get.

Here’s another angle:

Apple hires satellite experts for mystery project

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Is Apple thinking about making satellites?
Is Apple thinking about making satellites?
Photo: NOAA/Flickr

A pair of new Apple hirings may hint that the company is setting its sights on the sky.

Two of Google’s top satellite executives have reportedly left the Alphabet-owned company in recent weeks and were hired by Apple. What they’ll be working on isn’t clear, but their experience indicates Apple could be getting serious about satellite internet.

Everything we think we know about the iPhone 8

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iPhone 8 concept
Same size as the iPhone 7, but with a bigger screen.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Thanks to a bevy of leaks that flooded the internet this week, we know more about the iPhone 8 than ever before. Even if only half the rumors turn out to be true, this year’s iPhone is set to be the most innovative device Apple has made in years.

Here’s what we know so far.

Get a second (private!) phone number for $25 for life [Deals]

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CoM - Hushed
Get the flexibility of having a second phone number without the hassle of opening up a new line.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether for dating, work or just buying something on Craigslist, giving out your phone number can be stressful. It’s basically a form of personal ID, a surefire way to be reached whether you want to be or not.

We have secondary email addresses, so why not phone lines? Hushed is offering just that — a private and secure second phone line. It’s a great way to get a layer of peace of mind and privacy when it comes to your digits. And right now you can get a lifetime of Hushed Private Phone Line for just $25 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Snapchat pays record $7.7 million for geofilters patent

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The previous record wasn't even half that amount.
The previous record wasn't even half that amount.
Photo: Snapchat

Snap, Inc., the company behind Snapchat, just paid a staggering $7.7 million to acquire a “geofilters” patent and prevent it being snapped up by Facebook.

It is believed to be “by far the highest amount paid” for a single patent in Israel — the previous record was less than half that — and it goes to local firm Mobli.

Apple celebrates Turkey’s Children’s Day with new iPhone billboards

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Apple is celebrating iPhone photos shot by kids.
Photo: Apple

As if it wasn’t hard enough keeping on top of Apple’s business in the U.S., Tim Cook has tweeted out an image as an advance celebration of Turkey’s National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which takes place on April 23.

The image is a variation on Apple’s long-established “Shot on iPhone,” campaign, except this time depicting photos taken by “young talents” in Turkey. Or, at least, young talents in Turkey fortunate enough to own an iPhone!

Overcast app lets you send podcasts to Apple Watch

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Like podcasts? Like Apple Watch? Then this is the app for you!
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Superior iOS podcast app Overcast has issued a new 3.1 update, allowing users to send individual podcasts to their Apple Watch to listen to when they’re not in the immediate vicinity of their iPhone.

This is something that can’t be done with Apple’s official Podcasts app, even though users can send audio files from the iOS Music app.

The one thing Steve Jobs and Bill Gates agreed on

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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, rivals and friends.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates shared same view on kids and technology
Photo: AllThingsD

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates didn’t always see eye to eye. When it came to their kids’ relationships to technology, however, it seems they agreed on more than they disagreed on.

That’s based on a new interview with Microsoft co-founder Gates, in which he says he and his wife didn’t allow their children to have cellphones until they were 14 — and limited other screen time as well. Jobs did much the same.

Instagram is finally cracking down on fake accounts

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These Instagram tips will help you connect with photographers who share your interests.
We don’t want to see photos from everyone we follow.
Photo: Lee Peterson/Cult of Mac

Instagram is finally clamping down on fake accounts that aren’t controlled by real users.

Instagress, a service that helped Instagram users gain additional followers for a fee, has been forced to shutdown as a result of the crackdown.