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Our hardware predictions for Apple’s rumored March event, this week on The CultCast

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New Apple hardware in March on The CultCast
New Apple hardware in March? Reports say yes, indeed.
Image: Erfon Elijah/Cult of Mac

This week on The CultCast: It’s been five years of CultCasts! We’ll regale you with some of our favorite stories from past shows. Plus: Our hardware expectations from Apple’s rumored March event; why iPhone 8’s wireless charging will probably be lame; Apple has five teams working on next-generation charging tech; why iPhone 8’s camera could pump out industrial-grade slow motion; and Steve Jobs gets a beautiful new home on Apple’s new spaceship campus.

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.

Artist creates with Macs and lets nature take its course

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The artist known as Monsieur Plant prompts nature to override the power of the computer.
The artist known as Monsieur Plant prompts nature to override the power of the computer.
Photo: Christophe Guinet

Cult of Mac 2.0 bug Apple designs its products with an affinity for creatives of all kinds. But a French artist known as Monsieur Plant uses Macs to take “Think Different” to another level.

The Apple computers used by Christophe Guinet, 39, are not the tools but the subject in a body of work that integrates life-giving plant matter with life-altering technology.

Big battery could be a huge draw for iPhone 8 upgraders

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The iPhone 8 won't be cheap.
A battery boost could be a big draw for iPhone 8.
Photo: iDropNews

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty is predicting big things for iPhone 8 sales once Apple finally unveils the device this fall.

In her latest research note to clients, the Wall Street analyst predicts that the edge-to-edge OLED display and longer battery life on the iPhone 8 will accelerate upgrades from customers with iPhones that are two years old or older.

Why selling your app as a subscription makes sense

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Why selling Mac app subscriptions makes sense
If you develop Mac software, selling app subscriptions could be your smartest path to success.
Image: MacPaw

Our App Business section is brought to you by MacPaw, maker of proven Mac apps.

When you’re developing Mac apps, success can sometimes seem self-defeating. The better job you do, the less your customers need to buy subsequent versions of your app. Your job then shifts to marketing and an endless quest to acquire new customers in order to keep cash flowing in. Meanwhile, those who use a subscription business model for their software can easily enjoy that sweet, sweet recurring revenue.

Apple’s A.I. hub in Seattle is about to get a lot bigger

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Siri needs better machine learning skills.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple plans to deepen its roots in Microsoft’s backyard by expanding operations at its Seattle center that specializes in AI and machine learning technology.

Details about the new Seattle hub were shared by Apple in a recent interview that also announced the iPhone-maker has created a $1 million endowed professorship in artificial intelligence at the University of Washington.

Sony’s new sensor could bring super slo-mo video to iPhone

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The iPhone 7 Plus will completely change your photos.
The iPhone 7 Plus will completely change your photos.
Photo: Apple

Future iPhones may be set to get a huge video upgrade, thanks to a new smartphone camera sensor created by Apple’s longtime supplier.

Sony has reportedly developed a new image sensor that is capable of shooting video at 960fps. That’s 720 frames more than the iPhone’s current slo-mo feature.

The Mac App Store is rubbish! Rent apps instead with Setapp [Reviews]

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The Setapp folder full of applications
Setapp currently offers more than 60 apps, with plans to expand.
Image: Setapp

Apple’s Mac App Store is broken. For developers and Mac users alike, the online store just isn’t working.

It’s too hard for buyers to find good software. And, thanks to Apple’s picky restrictions, the Mac App Store can make life difficult for developers.

Setapp, a Netflix-style subscription service for Mac apps, offers an innovative alternative. Instead of buying apps individually, you rent a bunch of them for $9.99 a month.

While it might sound unnerving to anyone accustomed to the idea of buying Mac apps outright, after using the service for two months, I found it liberating. Setup is dead-easy. And the selection is fantastic. Setapp serves up more than 60 Mac apps, all handpicked by MacPaw, the Mac development company that dreamed up the service.

Apple has five different teams working on wireless charging

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iPhone 8 wireless charging
iPhone wireless charging is likely to arrive this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple may be likely to adopt the popular Qi standard when it brings wireless charging to this year’s iPhone, but it seems that Apple isn’t abandoning reports that it could use a proprietary alternative solution.

According to a new report, the company currently has not one or two, but five different groups inside Apple currently working to develop wireless charging technology for future iPhones.

Liberate your iOS data with this dual-use thumb drive [Deals]

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CoM - iMemStick 3.0 MFi-Certified Lightning Flash Drive
Add 64GB of storage to your iOS device with this thumb drive that doubles as an MFi-certified Lightning cable.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter how much storage your iPhone has, you’ll find a way to run out of it. iTunes doesn’t make managing that data very easy, either. That’s what makes iMemStick so useful. Part thumb drive, part dual-sided USB and Lightning cable, it offers a fast and easy way to store files — documents, videos, photos, etc. — from your iOS devices. It also provides a simple way to move those files to and from other devices.

Think of it as a 64GB lifeboat for your iOS data. And right now you can get an iMemStick 3.0 for just $74.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Google’s iPhone keyboard gets voice dictation, more languages

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gboard
Gboard just got even better.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google’s awesome Gboard keyboard for iPhone finally supports voice dictation. The feature is powered by Google’s own voice recognition technology, and you can access it quickly by holding down the space bar.

This update also brings new emoji, Google Doodles, and support for 15 additional languages.

Pokémon GO players can hunt ‘festive hat’ Pikachu this month

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birthday
Pokémon turns the legal drinking age this month.
Photo: Pokémon GO

In news that makes us feel pretty darn ancient, this month marks 21 years since the first Pokémon game launched in Japan — and Pokémon GO is getting in on the action!

As part of the #PokemonDay celebrations, starting February 26 at 1PM PST and running through the next day, Pokémon GO players will be able to hunt and capture a wild Pikachu adored with “festive party hat.”

In other words, you’d better carve out some free time if you really want to catch ’em all!

Apple slams Trump’s reversal of transgender bathroom ruling

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Apple is clashing with President Trump again.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple has criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse a policy that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms according to the gender they identify as.

The controversial stance on bathroom usage was put in place by former President Barack Obama’s administration last May. At the time, it was hailed as a significant victory for transgender rights.

Verizon plans to roll out 5G network in 11 cities

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Verizon is about to get more expensive.
5G is coming to Verizon in 2017.
Photo: Verizon

The next generation of wireless internet speed is nearly here. But only if you have a Verizon account.

The carrier said today that it plans to start rolling out its high-speed wireless 5G network in the United States during the first half of 2017, making it the first cellular network to offer the new technology.

Nearly 80% of all iOS devices now run iOS 10

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iPhone 7
iOS 10 brought a ton of new features to iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s only been five months since Apple unleashed iOS 10 on the world, but the new mobile operating system is already installed on nearly 4 out of 5 iOS devices.

Apple revealed its latest App Store stats today that show iOS 10’s install base has grown to account for 79% of all mobile Apple devices, making it one of Apple’s fastest adopted releases ever.

Create the next big app with this 82-hour iOS training bundle [Deals]

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CoM - iOS 10 & Swift 3 Starter Bundle
Over 82 hours of instruction will get you caught up to coding for Apple's mobile devices.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the most marketable skills you can have these days is the ability to code and develop for mobile. If you’re interested in learning the ins and outs of coding for iOS, we’ve got a deal for you.

This bundle of lessons covering iOS 10 and Swift 3 clocks in at more than 80 hours of instruction and usually costs hundreds of dollars. But right now, you can get the iOS 10 and Swift 3 Starter Bundle for just $22.50 at Cult of Mac Deals. Better still, if you enter the code “LEARN50” at checkout, you’ll save an additional 50 percent.

Donkey goes free to celebrate BASIC inventor’s birthday

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Donkey
Before there was Windows, there was Donkey. Yes, that Windows!
Photo: DONKEY

Today marks the 88th birthday of professor Thomas Kurtz, who invented the BASIC programming language with his colleague John Kemeny.

To mark the occasion, the iOS and Apple Watch port of DONKEY.APP, a game originally programmed in BASIC by none other than Bill Gates, has been made temporarily available for free by its developers.

What better way to celebrate Kurtz’s birthday than by playing the modern port of a clunky old 1981 driving game?

Apple hits the right notes with new ads for wireless AirPods

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AirPods ad
New AirPod ads are targeted at the U.K. market.
Photo: Apple

Apple has rolled out four new ads for its wireless AirPods, each one using the same motif of sheet music with the individual AirPods representing notes.

The ads were shared on Apple’s U.K. YouTube channel, and boast music from British artists Lianne La Havas, Craig David, and The 1975.

Check them out below.

Apple buys iCloud domain from Chinese social network

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iCloud site
Breaking news: iCloud's closing. (Not that one!)
Photo: iCloud.net

In an attempt to crack down on confusion and protect its intellectual property rights, Apple has acquired the website iCloud.net, previously the home of a small Chinese social network.

The web address now displays a message revealing that the site as it currently exists will be closing at the end of the month, and that all existing user data will be destroyed.

Apple hits yet another all-time stock price high

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appl-apple-stock-780x520
What goes up must go... up further?
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

AAPL shares closed at yet another all-time high on Tuesday, with a value of $136.68 — or an increase of 0.71 percent.

The previous closing record was set last Friday when Apple reached $135.72. Do you think Tim Cook ever gets bored of winning?

World’s smallest flashlight, markers made from air pollution and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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

Still worried that smartphone signals will fry your brain? What about your manhood? Spartan boxer shorts can prevent it from happening by blocking over 99 percent of wireless signals.

That’s just one of the awesome ideas we have in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We’ve also got the world’s smallest flashlight, ink made from air pollution, a cute little personal assistant robot, and more.