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Simply Mac will shutter multiple stores across U.S.

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Screen Shot 2017-01-20 at 14.27.27
Simply Mac is closing a number of its stores.
Photo: 23WIFR

Simply Mac, the GameStop-owned Apple Authorized Reseller, is closing a number of its stores around the United States.

The list of stores affected hasn’t been released as of yet, but outlets in North Carolina, North Dakota, Montana, Texas and Illinois will all be affected.

Donald Trump forced to give up his beloved Android

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Donald Trump Liberty University
Trump won't be tweeting from a Samsung for a while.
Photo: Washington Post (via YouTube)

Donald Trump has been forced to give up his beloved Android smartphone as he steps into the White House.

He has now been issued a “secure, encrypted device approved by the Secret Service,” alongside a new phone number that only a few people will posses.

New Netflix documentary series focuses on visionary designers

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Screen Shot 2017-01-20 at 13.57.57
Netflix's new documentary series looks like a winner.
Photo: Netflix

Netflix makes some darn good drama shows, but it’s the company’s forthcoming documentary series that really has us interested. Called Abstract: The Art of Design, it’s an 8-part series about visionary designers, set to arrive on February 10.

Despite not featuring Apple (at least, based on what we’ve seen in the trailer), it certainly looks the kind of factual programming that would be of interest to Cult of Mac readers.

Check out the trailer below.

White House uses Steve Jobs video to recruit techies

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Steve Jobs is the star of the government's new ad campaign.
Steve Jobs is the star of the government's new ad campaign.
Photo: U.S. Digital Service

The U.S. government has always had a hard time getting techies to work for it, but with a little help from Steve Jobs, the White House’s Digital Service team is hoping that will change.

President Barack Obama created the U.S. Digital Service as a “startup” within the White House in 2014 to help improve and expand the government’s online services. The service just launched a new marketing campaign this week that features Jobs giving inspirational advice to people who want to change the world.

See Uncle Steve posthumously recruit government tech workers in the ad below.

How Samsung plans to blow Siri out of the water

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Viv
Samsung's new assistant is powered by Viv.
Photo: Viv

S Voice, Samsung’s answer to Siri, has been a poor excuse for a virtual assistant for the last four years. But the South Korean company is working on a brand new version for the Galaxy S8 — and it will have features that blow its competitors out of the water.

These AI playlists will terminate distraction [Deals]

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The machines are coming to help you relax and stay productive.
The machines are coming to help you relax and stay productive.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Before the machines take our jobs, they may help us work better. That was the original promise of computers, but as we all know they’re just as powerful as tools for procrastination as they are for productivity. Brain.fm is a music streaming service that helps you stay on task by generating a soundtrack using brain research to improve focus, foster relaxation, and help settle into sleep. Right now you can get a lifetime subscription for just $39 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Amazon’s Alexa is a big hit — and a huge money drain

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Connect the Amazon Echo Dot to your existing speaker system, and you bingo! -- your speakers just got smarts.
Expensive things come in small packages. From an R&D perspective, at least.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

Amazon’s Alexa devices were some of the most exciting tech products of 2016, and immediately there were rumors that Apple was planning to follow suit with a standalone Siri — possibly even with the addition of facial recognition tech.

A new report, however, claims that despite its popularity, Alexa has been a massive money drain on Amazon so far. In 2016 alone, it lost Amazon $330 million, and this figure is set to rise to $600 million-plus this year.

Protect your iPhone with an InvisibleShield and get $100 if it breaks

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Cult of Mac buyback
Still dropping your iPhone? Get an InvisibleShield.
Photo: Warren R.M. Stuart/Flickr CC

Applying a screen protector to your iPhone might prevent it from getting scratched, but it won’t keep it from shattering. That’s why InvisibleShield protectors are now available with a coverage plan that pays you $100 towards your repair bill if your display gets broken.

Apple closer to bringing wireless charging to iPhone

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iPhone wireless charging
Apple has reportedly placed orders for wireless charging iPhone components.
Photo: Ivo Marić and Tomislav Rastovac

Rumors that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will come with wireless charging just took another step forward, thanks to a report claiming the company has added a new manufacturer to its supply chain to help achieve this.

The new supplier is Taiwan-based Lite-On Semiconductor, which will reportedly be providing GPP bridge rectifier components to support wireless charging.

Apple and Amazon end audiobook deal to avoid antitrust case

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CoM_Audible
Apple won't only buy audiobooks from Audible any more.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple has settled a possible antitrust lawsuit to the satisfaction of European Commission regulators and German Federal Cartel Office, after scrapping an exclusivity deal with the Amazon-owned Audible.

The investigation dates back to November 2015, following complaints from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.

South Korean court won’t allow Samsung heir’s arrest

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Samsung still makes the best displays.
Samsung's heir apparent won't face charges.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

A court in South Korea has denied a request from special prosecutors to arrest the acting head of Samsung over alleged corruption and bribery charges.

Lee Kun-hee, Samsung’s vice chairman and the only son of its incapacitated chairman, had been accused of using Samsung subsidiaries to make possible bribery-related payments of $36 million as part of a scandal involving the country’s president Park Geun-hye and a confidante.

Hulu will add live streaming, offline viewing ‘in a few months’

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A new App
Hulu on Apple TV.
Photo: Hulu

Hulu has promised it will give subscribers a new live streaming bundle and the ability to download content for offline viewing “in a few months.”

Many of the company’s biggest competitors already offer an offline viewing feature, with Netflix the latest to join the party back in November. Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins assures fans that his team is “working hard” on it.

Apple could keep us waiting for 3 new iPads

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iPad Pro 3
Put away your wallets for now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to launch three new iPad models in various sizes in 2017, but we may have to wait until the second half of the year to get our hands on them.

Sources in Apple’s supply chain have confirmed earlier reports that three new models are coming — but they’re unlikely to arrive this spring as previously anticipated.

Forgetful? This iOS app will jog your memory

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Dontforget
The iOS app that gently asks, "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Photo: Layman Lab

In the old days, a piece of string tied around a finger served as a reminder. You just couldn’t forget what the string was for in the first place.

Today, there’s a better way to use your fingers to remember your keys, passport and other personal items with the iOS app Don’t Leave It! Type items into the app you can’t be without and an alert will go off should a certain distance separate you from that particular item.

Apple Pencil 2 may get magnets to stick to iPad Pro

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Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil is the best iPad accessory.
Photo: Apple

Keeping tabs on your Apple Pencil is about to get a lot easier once Apple comes out with the second-generation version later this year.

A new rumor out of Asia claims Apple plans to release an updated version of its fancy stylus this spring and like the Smart Cover, it will use magnets to attach itself to your iPad.

Apple adds new music tools to Logic Pro X and GarageBand

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Logic Pro X now supports the Touch Bar.
Logic Pro X now supports the Touch Bar.
Photo: Apple

One of the most powerful synthesizers in the world has finally arrived on iPhone and iPad, thanks to a big update for GarageBand that Apple pushed to users this morning.

Both Garageband for iOS and Logic Pro X for macOS received huge new features today, bringing new music creation tools for iPhone and Mac users, as well as support for the new Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro.

Week’s best Apple deals: First-ever AirPods discount!

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Act fast to get a hot deal on AirPods!
Act fast to get a hot deal on AirPods!
Photos: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac, Insignia, Apple

AirPods are the hottest item in tech right now, but you can already bag a discount on Apple’s wireless headphones. Plus, we’ve got iPhones both current- and past-gen to suit every taste and budget, all in this week’s best Apple deals.

iPhone 8 may pack frickin’ lasers for facial recognition

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iPhone
Lasers could be the iPhone's next big feature.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next iPhone may come with new facial recognition technology and actual friggin’ laser beams, according to an analyst.

By adding lasers near the front-facing camera, Apple will be able to depth-map objects, according to analysts at Cowen and Company. The camera could also be used for image recognition, enhancing security and fueling augmented reality.

Apple earns ‘most intimate brand’ title

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Apple is no. 1! Woop, woop!
Photo: MBLM

Apple is the “most intimate” brand in the U.S., according to MBLM’s new Brand Intimacy 2017 Report.

What is an “intimate” brand, you might ask? According to MBLM, brand intimacy is defined as, “a new paradigm that leverages and strengthens the emotional bonds between a person and a brand.”

Apple Music subscribers get CBS Sports Radio

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CBS copy
Apple Music fans have a new channel to enjoy.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Music fans in the United States can now listen to CBS Sports Radio as part of their subscription package, bringing the total number of news and sports radio channels on the service to nine.

“CBS Sports Radio delivers this to fans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so it’s an ideal next step to launch a channel on Apple Music, one of the most popular streaming services today, as yet another way we continue to meet the evolving desires of this passionate audience anywhere and everywhere,” said Chris Oliviero, Executive Vice President of Programming for CBS Radio.

Turn Apple Mail into a handy personal assistant [Deals]

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MailButler makes Apple Mail into the basis of a powerful task management assistant.
MailButler makes Apple Mail into the basis of a powerful task management assistant.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple Mail houses all of your contacts, correspondence, and other critical details of your day to day life. That makes it a great platform for a productivity manager, and MailButler turns it into one. Packed with a variety of email-organizing functions, this handy plug-in streamlines and optimizes your correspondence to help you prioritize and get organized. Right now you can get MailButler for just $34.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Kodak smartphone still shooting for photographers

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Kodak Ektra smartphone
The Kodak Ektra is a camera with a smartphone built in.
Photo: Kodak

It was a pretty bold move for the pioneering but fading photography icon Kodak to launch a smartphone dedicated to serious photographers one month after Apple’s release of the highly anticipated iPhone 7 Plus.

The Android handset was released in Europe and Australia and some lackluster reviews soon followed. But Kodak and its partner in smartphones, Bullitt, still have high hopes in putting the Kodak Ektra in the hands of more photographers.