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Apple’s WWDC scholarships now include a free place to stay

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A lot is changing at WWDC.
A lot is changing at WWDC.
Photo: Apple

The rules for winning a coveted scholarship to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference are changing this year.

Apple revealed today that it will begin accepting applications for WWDC 2017 scholarships on March 27. Getting one of the spots means you don’t have to pay the $1,599 ticket price. And for the first time ever, Apple is going to hook up student winners with a free place to stay.

All-glass iPhone 8 concept art looks totally gorgeous

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We hope the iPhone looks this good.
We hope the iPhone looks this good.
Photo: Daniel Csonth

Apple fans are anxiously awaiting the grand unveiling of the iPhone 8 which is expected to have the thinnest bezels of any iPhone ever. How Jony Ive will go about reducing the bezels is still a mystery, but one concept designer has a great idea: make the body all-glass.

In his new iPhone 8 concept, Daniel Csonth imagines how Apple could make the OLED screen double as a speaker so that there’s no ugly bezels at the top of the camera. The end result is an iPhone that looks like window into the digital world.

Check it out:

Lightroom Mobile’s new HDR mode means even better iPhone photos

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Lightroom Mobile from Adobe now has HDR to balance shadows and highlights in contrasty settings.
Lightroom Mobile from Adobe now has HDR to balance shadows and highlights in contrasty settings.
Photo: Adobe

Your iPhone photos can look more spectacular than ever, thanks to an update to Lightroom Mobile that brings an HDR mode capable of capturing three RAW DNG files.

We’ll explain all the acronyms in a bit, but here’s the gist: Adobe Systems’ popular image processing app can now capture the kind of rich photographic details you previously could get only with a conventional digital camera.

Go totally ballistic with these nylon Apple Watch bands [Watch Store]

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x
The colors pop in Nyloon’s vibrant selection of Apple Watch bands crafted from ballistic nylon.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Breathe new life into your Apple Watch with a cool, contemporary nylon band inspired by the original NATO watch strap. Best yet, this one won’t leave you cash-dry.

Spanish company Nyloon started with the goal of making high-quality versions of the NATO straps created by the British Ministry of Defence in 1973. The result is a line of fun, versatile and easily interchangeable nylon bands that are now flying off the shelves.

Apple won’t go all-in on OLED until 2019

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The iPhone 8 won't be cheap.
The iPhone 8 will be the first to get OLED.
Photo: iDropNews

Apple may not put an OLED screen on every new iPhone this year, but a new report is claiming all iPhones will pack the new display tech within two years.

According to the latest rumor out of Apple’s supply chain in Asia, the Cupertino plans to double adoption of OLED panels in 2018 before going all-in in 2019.

These charging cables evolved. Have yours? [Deals]

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CoM - Nomad Charging Roundup
These three versatile, tough new charging options show that the Lightning cable has evolved.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Considering how much we rely on and use various cables to connect and charge up our devices, it’s high time they learn to keep up. These three new, rugged and highly adaptable cables from Nomad represent a step in the right direction.

From a PVC-jacketed cable to a built-in battery and a universal interface for any connection type, these next-gen cables are well worth checking out.

Apple suppliers make big bets on iPhone 8 circuit boards

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iPhone-7-logic-board
iPhone 8 logic boards are big business right now.
Photo: iFixit

Apple suppliers are investing tens of millions of dollars into the production of flexible printed circuit boards to meet inevitably strong demand for an iPhone 8 with an OLED display.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is reportedly expanding its production plant in Vietnam at a cost of $88 million, while Interflex is expected to make a similar investment later this year to ensure steady supply.

Recover unsaved QuickTime files with this handy trick

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If you lost an audio file due to the dreaded QuickTime crash, this tip could save the day.
If you lost an audio file due to the dreaded QuickTime crash, this tip could save the day.
Image: PSD.Graphics/Ste Smith

When you’re recording audio in QuickTime, there’s nothing more frustrating than a crash before you’ve had time to click Save. But all is not lost: This handy trick can help you recover lost recordings in the QuickTime app.

It might just save you a whole lot of effort. Here’s how to use it.

Curved OLED displays will be exclusive to premium iPhone 8

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iPhone 7
Not all iPhone 8 models will be created equal.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will indeed bring OLED displays to the iPhone 8 this year, according to fresh reports out of Japan — but you’ll have to pay a premium to get your hands on one.

Sources claim the new 5.8-inch curved display will only be available with the high-end iPhone, while the more affordable 4.7- and 5.5-inch models will carry LCD panels similar to those Apple has been using since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007.

A sturdy stand for smartphones or tablets, and more [Week’s Newest Deals]

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collage-2017-03-01 (1)
Get a 2-in-1 stand for iPhone and iPad, a pair of reinforced Lightning cables, and more in this week's best deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s the beginning of March, a time when it’s hard to decide whether the year is moving way too fast or way too slow. However you feel about it, there’s more than enough time to review the latest at the Cult of Mac Store. This week’s a good one, with deals on a gorgeous set of over-ear Bluetooth headphones, a 2-in-1 stand ideal for iPhone or iPad, a pair of extra long and extra tough Lightning cables, and a lifetime’s access to 16 top shelf Mac apps. Read on for more details:

One super-slim battery can charge almost any device [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-03-01
From a massively powerful and super slim battery to time-saving typing app and lots more, check out this week's best deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

While everyone’s freaking out about the state of the world, we here at the Cult of Mac Store are busy finding the best deals we can find. This week, we’ve got a single super-slim battery that can juice up anything from an iPhone to a MacBook, a full year of the uber-popular TextExpander app, a lifetime of powerful VPN protection, and a set of comprehensive courses in programming for iOS.

Get these deals while they last!

Tim Cook promises to make Apple ‘pro’ again, this week on The CultCast

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Are you ready for Apple to make Macs
Are you ready for Apple to make Macs "pro" again?
Photo: Cult of Mac

This week on The CultCast: Are you yearning for a more powerful Mac? Well, friend, Tim Cook is promising to make Apple “pro” again. We discuss! Plus: iPhone 8 ditching Lightning for USB-C; Spotify about to go Hi-Fi; why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints; and the best iPhone bumper case in the land!

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.

This portable SNES is like a retro Nintendo Switch

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Why didn't Nintendo make this 20 years ago?
Why didn't Nintendo make this 20 years ago?
Photo: Huxarufaxara/Twitter

Nintendo’s new Switch console is turning the gaming world on its head today with its ultra-portable features that let you do some serious gaming no matter where you go.

Lines for the Switch nearly reached iPhone launch size levels, but if you didn’t manage to get your hands on one, here’s the next best thing: a homemade portable Super NES console.

Take a look:

Should Apple swap Lightning for USB-C? [Friday Night Fights]

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friday_night_fights
Which would you prefer?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A recent rumor claimed Apple could swap its Lightning port for USB-C connectivity with iPhone 8 later this year. That’s already been debunked by one reliable analyst, but is it a move Apple should consider making in the foreseeable future?

Friday Night Fights bugLightning and USB-C both have their pros and cons. One has been around since iPhone 5 and we’re all familiar with it; the other is an open standard that anyone can use, which makes accessories, cables, and peripherals more affordable.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple should give Lightning the boot in 2017.

Watch Tim Cook introduce Al Gore’s new movie to Silicon Valley

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LOVELOUD
Tim Cook has pushed Apple to be one of the world's most environmentally friendly companies.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook made a special appearance during one of the first screenings of former vice president Al Gore’s new movie this week.

To kick off the Silicon Valley screening of Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” Cook gave a short speech before the silver screen lit up. Tim praised Gore for his work on the movie which is a direct sequel to the Academy Award-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” which highlighted the signs and dangers of climate change.

Apple Music’s new ads highlight the best of British music

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

Apple has published a new series of ads for its music streaming service and just like its last ads for AirPods, the new spots focus on the U.K. market.

The two new Apple Music ads originally aired during the BRIT awards last month, but Apple just added them to its YouTube channel. Beats 1 radio host Julie Adenuga narrates the ads which highlight a bevy of British artists while talking about Apple Music’s best features.

Check ’em out:

4 discounted Mac app deals to keep your Mac happy [Deals]

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collage-2017-02-26
We've rounded up dozens of top shelf apps for Mac, from productivity to utility and beyond.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve been thinking about adding some new apps to your Mac, you’re in the right place. We’ve gathered some of the best offers on a range of Mac apps: a comprehensive drive utility, Roxio’s latest version of Toast Titanium, a powerful PDF converter, and a bundle of 12 Mac apps that you can name your price for.

Everything’s discounted by half off or more!

Senior Apple execs fight for Hollywood deals

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Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue is one of three Apple chiefs trying to secure original content.
Photo: CNBC

Three senior Apple executives are in talks with Hollywood’s “most successful” TV and movie producers over original content for Apple TV, according to a new report.

Each member of the trio, which includes Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, is so desperate to secure the first deal that they supposedly are fighting against each other.

iPhone 8 to bring custom ultrasound fingerprint scanner

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touchid
It won't need a physical Home button.
Photo: Apple

Apple might be doing away with the physical Home button for iPhone 8, but Touch ID is going nowhere.

Sources in the company’s supply chain say Apple is working on a custom fingerprint scanner that uses ultrasound technology, which will be integrated into the iPhone 8’s OLED display.

Spotify boasts more than double the subscribers of Apple Music

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Spotify
You won't have to listen to music you don't like.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s batch of exclusives haven’t been able to stop Spotify’s impressive growth of paid subscribers over the last year.

Spotify revealed today that it new has over 50 million paid subscribers for its music streaming service, which is more than double the 20 million subscribers Apple Music had at the end of 2016.

Oculus has no plans to bring VR to the Mac anytime soon

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Alex Heath gets down in the Oculus booth. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
You still can't use the Oculus Rift on Mac.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Mac users hoping to jump into the world of virtual reality will have to wait even longer than expected.

Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell revealed in a recent interview that the company currently has no plans to bring Rift support to the Mac. Even though Mitchell himself is a MacBook Pro user, he says Apple’s machines don’t have the resources to deliver a premium experience