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McDonald’s rips Jony Ive in tasty new ad for ‘the STRAW’

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Screen Shot 2017-02-16 at 15.40.32
This looks weirdly familiar...
Photo: McDonald's

Apple can barely manage a few days without someone else parodying or ripping off one of its iconic ads. The latest? McDonald’s, which just debuted a commercial for a product called “the STRAW” to market its forthcoming St. Patrick’s Day-themed Chocolate Shamrock Shake.

From the white backdrop to the earnest-sounding “person with a British accent,” there’s no doubt who the fast food chain is having some fun at the expense of.

Working a side gig or two? This bundle’s for you [Deals]

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Plenty of us need to work a side gig to pay the bills. These tools and lessons are here to make the gig life easier,
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Like it or not, we all live in the age of the side gig. None of us does just one thing anymore — pretty much every digital professional must act like an entrepreneur, finding new opportunities and creating some for themselves.

If you’re wearing a bunch of different hats, we’ve got great stuff that can help you out. From educational courses on digital skills like social media marketing to must-have tools like domain hosting and animation software for websites, you’ll want to check out our latest deals for surviving — and thriving — in the gig economy.

Apple considered buying Ron Howard’s production company

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tomhanks
Imagine is the company behind some major hit movies.
Photo: Columbia Pictures/Imagine Entertainment

Apple was in advanced talks with Imagine Entertainment, the Hollywood production company owned by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, about a possible “first look” deal, investment, or even full-on purchase — before discussions fell apart.

A new report claims negotiations were far enough along that both Tim Cook and Eddy Cue were involved. Imagine is the company behind big hit movies like Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code.

WWDC 2017 kicks off June 5 in San Jose

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A lot is changing at WWDC.
Prepare for iOS 11, macOS 10.3, and more!
Photo: Apple

Apple today confirmed details for its 28th annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where it will preview its next major updates to macOS, iOS and its other software platforms.

This year’s event kicks off June 5 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, and you can apply for tickets starting March 27.

New Apple TV to bring super-sharp 4K video this year

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apple tv and siri remote
A new Apple TV could be on its way later in 2017.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s fifth-gen Apple TV will reportedly be capable of streaming ultra-HD 4K images, according to a new report. The new box is codenamed “J105” and could launch later this year.

The article also notes a couple of previously unrevealed details about the current fourth-gen Apple TV, such as the fact that Apple engineers debated packaging it with a dedicated gaming controller as a way to compete more directly with the PlayStation and Xbox.

iPhone 8 to get mini Touch Bar that replaces Touch ID

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iphone concept
Apple has major changes planned for iPhone 8.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

Apple is making major changes to the iPhone this year as the device celebrates its tenth anniversary. According to the latest claims from one reliable analyst, the iPhone 8 will offer a larger OLED display and a new “function area” that replaces its Touch ID button.

With Setapp, buying Mac apps goes the way of the dusty DVD collection

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Setapp Mac apps subscription service
You probably don't go to the store for DVDs anymore. Why do it for Mac apps?
Photo: MacPaw

This post is presented by MacPaw, the software team behind Setapp and a variety of proven Mac apps.

Remember the good old days when owning the movies you wanted meant going to the store to buy DVDs? Nowadays, most of us don’t even have a DVD player, and with good reason. Joining a streaming service like Netflix, which lets you pick and choose from a wide variety of great content, is a much more sensible option. It saves you time, effort, space, money and the waste of a misguided purchase (just think of all those DVDs gathering dust).

Apple’s spaceship campus gets perfectly replicated in Minecraft

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The spaceship is ready for liftoff.
The spaceship is ready for liftoff.
Photo: Alex Westerlund

Apple’s new campus isn’t move-in ready just yet, but you can take a virtual tour of the company’s new headquarters thanks to a Minecraft player who painstakingly re-created the entire spaceship.

It took over a year for Alex Westerlund to replicate the Apple spaceship campus in Minecraft, with more than 232 hours invested in the virtual building. Without using help or mods, Westerlund claims his Minecraft Apple Campus is 100 percent accurate.

Take a look:

Pokémon GO is finally adding 80 new monsters this week

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Pokemon-Go
Pokémon Go lets you catch pocket monsters in the real world.
Photo: Niantic

Catching all the Pokémon in the world is about to get a lot more challenging.

The makers of the popular game Pokémon GO revealed that 80 new creatures will be added this week, along with gender-specific variations and an all-new way to evolve your Pokémon.

Get wireless charging early with this iPhone 7 case

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iPhone-7-wireless-charging
ZENS is compatible with any Qi charging pad.
Photo: ZENS

Why wait for Apple to bring wireless charging to the iPhone when you can add it yourself?

ZENS is an iPhone 7 case that adds Qi charging capabilities, allowing it to be used with almost any wireless charging pad. It’s also slim and protective, and it comes bundled with a wireless charger for under $60.

Apple pushes back against shareholder diversity demands

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diversity Apple
Apple needs to step up its diversity game, a small group of shareholders claim.
Photo: Apple

A small group of Apple investors think the company isn’t doing enough to improve its racial and gender diversity quotas, and suggest that Apple needs to step up its pace.

For the second time, investor Tony Maldonado has filed a shareholder proposal asking Apple to, “adopt an accelerated recruitment policy … to increase the diversity of senior management and its board of directors.”

It seems Apple disagrees, though.

We’re loving these weather-resistant, magnetic earbuds [Deals]

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CoM - FRESHeBUDS Pro Magnetic Bluetooth Earbuds
These earbuds are water resistant, long-lasting, comfortable, and sound great.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

FRESHeBUDS have been making awesome earbuds for years, but the latest Pro model take things to another level. With an improved fit, water- and sweat-resistance, enhanced battery life, automatic pairing through a simple magnetic link, and of course stellar sound quality, these are the future-ready earbuds you’ve been waiting for.

And right now you can get FRESHeBUDS Pro for just $29.95 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Keep your smart home secure with D-Link’s HD HomeKit camera

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Screen Shot 2017-02-15 at 14.33.54
It's like a security-minded HAL 9000.
Photo: Apple

Apple is continuing to broaden the number of HomeKit-compatible devices available it sells, with D-Link’s new smart home security camera system now available through its online store.

The $199.95 Omna 180 Cam HD boasts a 1080p night vision camera, with two-way audio and 180-degree field of view, capable of sending video notifications to your iPhone or iPad whenever motion is detected.

Apple in talks with another OLED maker for future iPhones

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battery
Apple is pushing to adopt OLED displays from the iPhone 8 on.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple could add another supplier to its list of OLED display manufacturers for future iPhones, a new report claims.

The company in question is China’s BOE Technology Group, whose screens Apple is said to have been testing “for months.” BOE is currently spending $14.5 billion building two AMOLED factories in the southwestern province of Sichuan, China in anticipation of possible orders.

iPhone maker will spend $5 billion building factories in India

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Foxconn will spend big bucks in India.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple supplier Foxconn has reconfirmed its intentions to build factories in India, with officials telling ministers from the state of Maharashtra that it will invest $5 billion building plants in the country.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is said to be working with Foxconn to help find suitable land in the state to fit the iPhone maker’s demands.

Our new video series iSetups will showcase awesome Apple setups

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Enter your setup for a chance to be featured on our YouTube channel!
Photo: Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac is stoked to reveal that we’re launching a new monthly video series called iSetups, where we indulge our love for cool Apple setups. For our preview episode, we’re giving you a look at our own video production setup.

Each month, we’ll take a look at the best Mac setups to find inspiration, give tips and suggestions, and, hopefully, be amazed by some gorgeous Apple gear. If you’d like to submit your setup, check out the video below to find out how to get featured.

Twitterrific for Mac, guitar training LEDs and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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Crowdfund Roundup
Help turn these awesome ideas into reality!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Twitterrific for Mac is making a big comeback with all kinds of awesome new features, but it needs your support! Help bring back one of the best Twitter clients on desktop by making a pledge through Kickstarter.

This week’s Crowdfund Roundup also includes an awesome keychain case for your Raspberry Pi Zero, an LED training kit that promises to teach you guitar in record time, and more!

How to turn off sound in Facebook News Feed videos

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facebook-news-feed
Some Facebook users now have a second News Feed.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook is making big changes to the way it approaches video. Videos in the Facebook News Feed previously played silently unless users turned sound on. Now if you want to keep the sound off, you’ll need to dig through your Facebook settings.

Turn off the annoying new feature with these steps.

Facebook is making a video app for Apple TV

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Facebook
Facebook is coming to Apple TV.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Mark Zuckerberg wants to take over your television.

Facebook revealed today that it is planning to build an all-new video app for set-top-box devices like Apple TV and Amazon Fire. And if it’s successful, it could cause big problems for YouTube.