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Photolemur fixes your snaps on autopilot [Review]

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photolemur
Photolemur analyzes the image by detecting faces, exposure and colors and brings just the right pop to a finished photo.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Some photographers spend hours tweaking an image, using powerful editing software to pull details out of shadows and wring out every ounce of color.

A new program called Photolemur for Mac and Windows understands you don’t have that kind of patience or expertise. If you can drag and drop, you’ve pretty much mastered the program.

Imagination in trouble as Apple slashes its royalty rate

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Apple patches things up with mobile GPU maker Imagination
Imagination has confirmed that Apple will no longer use its graphics processing technology.
Photo: Apple

Not only is graphics chip designer Imagination Technologies getting kicked to the curb so Apple can bring its chipmaking technology in-house, but the company is also set to have its remaining royalty rate cut.

According to a new report, Apple is planning to pay Imagination just one-third of its current royalty rate as it winds down its supply deal with the British company over the next two years.

Tim Cook accepts Free Expression award, says companies should have values

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook at Auburn University earlier this year.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

At an event in Washington D.C. last night, Tim Cook accepted the Free Expression Award at the First Amendment advocacy Newseum.

The award was designed to celebrate the fact that Cook has taken a public stand on issues such as racial equality, climate change, privacy, LGBT rights, and more.

Apple Music is hooking up with Facebook Messenger

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Facebook is aiming to make its Messenger app the go-to spot to talk about music with a new update that makes it easier to share songs with friends.

During the company’s F8 developers conference this morning, Facebook unveiled a new way for third-party apps to integrate with communications platform. And Apple Music is one of its first partners.

Apple makes iWork and iLife apps free for all

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You no longer need to buy a new Mac to get GarageBand for free.
You no longer need to buy a new Mac to get GarageBand for free.
Photo: Apple

The best apps made by Apple for iPhone and iPad are finally available for free to all users.

As part of an update to its iWork and iLife apps this morning, Apple changed the price for both the Mac and iOS versions, giving customers access to a suite of apps that can be used for music and video or getting work done.

Apple stores will go green for Earth Day

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Apple Store
Apple's shelling out billions to go green.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s retail employees will be seeing green this weekend as part of the iPhone-maker’s Earth Day celebration.

To raise awareness on the battle to fight climate change, Apple store employees have been given green shirts to wear in replacement of the tradition blue shirts starting on Thursday April 20.

iPhone 8 could be last to include headphone jack adapter

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AirPods
Apple should include free AirPods instead.
Photo: Ste Smith

Apple’s mission to kill the use of headphone jacks on the iPhone may be completed by 2018, according to a new report from Barclays.

In a note to investors today, the research bank says the three new iPhone models Apple introduces this year will all come with a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, but this could be the last time buyers get a free dongle.

iMac’s terrible code name was an in-joke between Jobs and Schiller

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iMac design: The iMac G3 was a bit fatter than model than today's models. The iMac code name was
The iMac G3 could have had a very different name.
Photo: Apple

The first iMac’s frightful code name was an in-joke that reflected Steve Jobs’ respect for Sony. The working name — “MacMan” — was so horrible it would “curdle your blood,” according to Ken Segall, the Apple exec who eventually came up with the name “iMac.” Nearly 20 years after Apple shipped the iMac G3, we now have an explanation for the craptacular internal name — courtesy of Phil Schiller, the guy who came up with it.

Expand your creativity with this Mac app kit [Deals]

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CoM - The Supersized Creative Mac Bundle
This bundle of 12 apps and 3 lessons will upgrade your and your Mac's productivity potential.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac is a creative powerhouse — if it’s loaded with the right apps. With the Supersized Creative Mac Bundle, you’ll supercharge your computer with a dozen top-notch creative apps, like Storyist and Aurora HDR.

Plus, the bundle comes with more than 25 hours of coursework covering the essentials of digital photography, video and web design. This is the shot of productive and creative energy you’ve been looking for. And right now, you can get the Supersized Creative Mac Bundle for just $29 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Samsung Galaxy S8 battery looks awfully familiar

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Hopefully Samsung's disastrous Note 7 battery incident won't be repeated.
Photo: iFixit

Many people thought Samsung might opt for a dramatically different design for its Galaxy S8-series smartphones, after the blowback from its notorious Note 7 smartphone, which had to be recalled due to a major battery fault.

However, it seems the South Korean tech giant is very confident that it was a manufacturing quality assurance issue because, as a handset teardown from our friends at iFixit shows that Samsung has changed virtually nothing for its new premium handset.

Apple diversifies to keep Apple Watch suppliers on their toes

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Theater Mode finally makes its way to Apple Watch in watchOS 3.2 beta 1.
Apple Watch has a new supplier.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Scoring Apple orders is a great thing if you’re a manufacturer, but don’t expect an easy ride!

The latest example of this is Quanta Computer, which up until now has been the chief supplier of the Apple Watch. However, according to a new report, Apple has decided to hand over 20-30 percent of Apple Watch orders as a way to”decrease Quanta’s price bargaining power.”

Pandora’s Apple Music rival is now available to all

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Pandora
Get your mitts on Pandora Premium today.
Photo: Pandora

Pandora’s fight back against Apple Music officially begins today, with Pandora Premium, the on-demand streaming service, now available to all.

Priced at $9.99 a month, the subscription grants access to millions of tracks and albums that you can listen to ad-free, as often as you like. It also boasts a couple of neat features you won’t find elsewhere.

Sources confirm some of iPhone 8’s biggest upgrades

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iPhone 7
Technical challenges could put the kibosh on some of iPhone 8's possible features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next iPhone refresh will be the device’s biggest in years, but some of the more dramatic upgrades could be curtailed by technical challenges.

In its report on the new iPhone 8, Bloomberg corroborates many previous rumors about the next-gen iPhone, but suggests that more “ambitious” features may be scaled back or ditched due to manufacturing problems.

Twitch planning new subscription tiers up to $25

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Will you pay more to support your favorite streamers?
Will you pay more to support your favorite streamers?
Photo: Cult of Mac

Twitch is planning to introduce new subscription tiers that will give fans the opportunity to donate more cash to their favorite streamers.

Starting later this month, you’ll be able to pay up to $24.99 a month, which could get you new benefits like exclusive emotes and subscriber roles.

Apple plans powerful ‘server-grade’ iMac for 2017

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Apple iMac showing the Apple logo.
Start saving now!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-generation iMac with powerful new internals will start shipping in the second half of 2017, according to sources in the company’s supply chain.

Apple is also said to be preparing a “server-grade” iMac packing Intel Xeon processors, up to 2TB of NVMe solid-state storage, and a discrete graphics card that will be available by the end of the year.

‘iPhone Edition’ may get Apple Watch-like steel band

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

The iPhone 8 may take some design cues from the Apple Watch, if the latest rumor out of Asia turns out to be true.

Apple will supposedly use an improved version of the Apple Watch’s stainless steel as the frame for the new iPhone 8. Glass in the front and the back will sandwich the stainless steel plate on the iPhone 8 but, according to the report, it won’t have a curved screen.

Instagram now lets you save photos into collections

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Instagram now has more than 600 million users.
Photos can now be grouped into collections.
Photo: Instagram

Keeping tabs on all your favorite Instagram posts just got a lot easier today, thanks to a new update that adds a new ‘Saved’ section.

Instagram’s new update lets users create Pinterest-like collections based off of posts from other users. However, unlike Pinterest only you can see the collections. For now.

How to spot Apple’s self-driving cars in the wild

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tim cook in a car
Tim Cook and Apple are getting serious about the auto industry.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple finally received permission from the California DMW to test self-driving cars on public roads this week, but spotting an Apple Car in the wild won’t be easy for fans.

Instead of making its own automobile for the streets, Apple will simply be testing its autonomous vehicle software using other company’s cars. Apple has permission to drive only three cars, so seeing them on the road might be tough.

Here’s what to look for.

Al Gore to talk climate change at SF Apple store

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Al Gore at the 2009 National Clean Energy Summit.
Al Gore at the 2009 National Clean Energy Summit.
Photo: Center for American Progress/Flickr CC

Al Gore will speak about climate change this week during an appearance at Apple’s flagship store in San Francisco.

The ex-veep — now a filmmaker, writer and environmental activist — will be joined by Apple VP of Environment Lisa Jackson, who served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency during the first four years of the Obama administration. Anyone can attend the event, during which the pair will talk about Apple’s ongoing commitment to the environment.

Apple seeds new betas for iOS, tvOS, macOS and watchOS

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A new iOS beta is out.
Photo: Ste Smith

Developers just received a big batch of beta updates today for every single once of Apple’s platforms.

The third beta builds of iOS 10.3.2, macOS 10.12.5, tvOS 10.2.1 and watchOS 3.2.2 are available to download from the Apple developer center, bringing a host of new bug fixes and performance improvements to every single Apple platform.

Woz: In 2075, we’ll use iMacs on Mars

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wozniak
Woz demonstrating how to drive a spaceship.
Photo: Reddit

The future of Apple will be bright throughout the rest of this century, according to co-founder Steve Wozniak, who says he sees the company lasting well past 2075.

If the Apple legend is right, we’ll all be using iMacs on Mars before the end of the century.