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Marvel at the size of this giant iPhone 7 ad

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iPhone 7 Dubai
The iPhone 7 screen is big, just not that big.
Photo: Guy Kawasaki/Instagram

Apple’s cool, noir-esque minimalist billboards for the iPhone 7 can be seen all over the world, but is this one the biggest yet?

Spotted by well-known former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki during a trip to Istanbul Dubai, the giant iPhone billboard stretches virtually the entire length of a pair of impressively tall towers.

Well, that’s one way to grab people’s attention!

Doom blasts onto MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

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You can now play DOOM on the Touch Bar.
You can now play DOOM on the Touch Bar.
Photo: Defractive b3ll/YouTube

The jury is still out on whether the Touch Bar will become a useful tool, but one clever coder has already discovered that it’s absolutely terrible for playing video games on.

The Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro is officially the latest absurd piece of tech to run Doom. Apple’s guidelines specifically bans games from running on the Touch Pad but that didn’t stop a developer from porting it onto the narrow screen that’s only 60 pixels heigh.

Check it out:

Instagram gains live video and disappearing messages

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Go live with friends in Instagram's new Live Video feature.
Go live with friends in Instagram's new Live Video feature.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram announced two new features Monday that gives users more privacy controls while letting them be spontaneous with only the followers they choose.

Live Video will be added to Instagram Stores to let users connect in the moment with a live story that disappears from the the app after your broadcast. Instagram also is giving users the ability to send photos and videos that disappear from your friends’ inboxes after they have seen them – and you will be alerted when a user sees it or takes a screen shot.

Apple’s monstrous Christmas ad will melt your frosty heart

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An unexpected holiday visitor finally receives the warm welcome he’s always yearned for.
An unexpected holiday visitor finally receives the warm welcome he’s always yearned for.
Photo: Apple

Apple is sending a message of unity this Christmas season with a new ad that features an unexpected guest: Frankenstein’s monster.

The heartwarming ad starts with Frankie in his little cabin in the mountains, recording music on his iPhone. Then the misunderstood monster makes his way down to a little village to unleash a surprise none of the locals were expecting.

Check it out:

Snag 3 extra-long Lightning cables for the price of 1 [Deals]

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Get three extra long, MFi-certified Lightning cables for less than the price of one.
Get three extra long, MFi-certified Lightning cables for less than the price of one.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Our iDevices depend on Lightning cables to stay charged and up to date. Unfortunately, those cables are super fragile, prone to fraying and breaking. That makes having backup a must, and this is your opportunity to get three extra-long Lightning cables for less than the price of one. Right now, you can pick up three MFi-certified Lightning cables for $21.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

This publisher will help you turn your iPhone photos into a fine art book

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Mobile photography meets the mobile photo book with an on-demand service by publishing house Out of the Phone.
Mobile photography meets the mobile photo book with an on-demand service by publishing house Out of the Phone.
Photo: Out of the Phone

Publisher Pierre Le Govic turned his mission into the company name. Out of the Phone seeks to liberate the beautiful photographs being made today by smartphones.

His Paris publishing house has produced coffee table-worthy books of some of the best photographers documenting the world with their phones. Now Out of the Phone wants to make it easy for everyone to preserve their work with a tangible book.

Apple grounds its AirPort router division for good

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Apple's routers are #1.
AirPort wireless routers, we barely knew you!
Photo: Apple

Apple has disbanded the division dedicated to developing its Airport wireless routers, claims a new report.

The product line — which spawned the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time capsule, which Apple continues to sell — hasn’t been updated since 2013.

Drake sings Taylor Swift in new Apple Music ad

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Drake-Apple-Music-ad
Drake has bad blood with the bench press.
Photo: Apple

Canadian rap star and Apple fanboy Drake gives us a glimpse at his comical side in the company’s latest Apple Music ad by singing along to Taylor Swift while getting beaten by the bench press.

The ad is part of Apple Music’s ongoing “distractingly good” campaign, which has previously featured Swift herself.

Apple will fix your faulty iPhone 6s battery

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google-facebook-and-others-following-apples-lead-on-encryption-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iPhone-6s-Live-Photos-jpg
Certain iPhone 6s model shut down unexpectedly, Apple says.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is offering to replace the batteries of faulty iPhone 6s handsets, produced between September and October 2015.

In a new page on its official website, Apple notes that it, “has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range.”

Surprise! Jony Ive’s Christmas tree is a plain fir on a white backdrop

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Christmas1
You were expecting decorations?
Photo: Claridge's

Jony Ive certainly can’t be accused of not applying his minimalist mantra to every aspect of life.

Having previously been announced as the co-designer (with BFF Marc Newson) of the Christmas tree at London’s famous Claridge’s hotel, Ive’s creation was unveiled over the weekend, and — surprise — it’s a plain tree with no decorations, set on a white background.

Really, were we expecting anything different?

Touché, Asymmetric, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Looking for some app recommendations to get you through this chilly November Sunday? Want to know which apps have been occupying our Macs and iOS devices this week — and why? Then you’ve come to the right place for our weekly roundup.

Whether you’re looking for an entertaining puzzle game or a great update for a fun fitness app, check out our recommendations below. You won’t regret it!

Seamlessly add up to 256GB to your MacBook [Deals]

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Seamlessly add up to 256GB to your Macbook with this handy MicroSD adapter
Seamlessly add up to 256GB to your Macbook with this handy MicroSD adapter
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you need extra hard drive capacity for your MacBook, the obvious options aren’t very attractive. Either add a bulky external drive to your computer bag, or go through the inconvenience and steep expense of getting a higher-capacity drive installed.

Nifty MiniDrive offers a third option, an invisible but significant expansion of storage capacity. And right now you can pick up a Nifty MiniDrive adapter for just $32.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

How the tech industry outsources pollution to China [Kahney’s Korner podcast]

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Death by Design documentary
The hard-hitting Death by Design documentary is a sobering look at the environmental legacy of the tech industry.
Photo: Death by Design

The tech industry appears to be nice and clean, but it has a long and toxic history of environmental damage. Silicon Valley is home to the most Superfund cleanup sites in the country.

A new film, Death by Design, takes a sobering look at the electronics industry and its toxic environmental legacy — both in the United States and in China. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at the cost of the devices we consume in some measure of ignorance.

Apple features heavily in the film, though it’s not the only tech company implicated.

This week on Kahney’s Korner, I talk to the documentary’s director, Sue Wiliams, about Apple, pollution and Silicon Valley.

Today a sweet VPN deal gets even sweeter [Deals]

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CoM - Hotspot Shield
Take advantage of this one day price drop on Hotspot Shield Elite
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve been looking to add the significant layer of VPN protection to your online life, today’s your lucky day. Hotspot Shield Elite is a top notch VPN provider that’s great for hiding your IP address, browsing securely, bypassing content restrictions, and today an already great discount gets dropped even further. As of today, you can get a lifetime subscription to Hotspot Shield Elite VPN for $39.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: The good, the bad, the ugly, this week on The CultCast

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The reviews are in on Apple's new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar...
The reviews are in on Apple's new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar...
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: The reviews are in! We’ll tell you what praises and complaints reviewers have about new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Plus: The one Touch Bar feature you’ll absolutely covet; why the new Designed by Apple in California book is an artifact Apple fans will love; Apple quietly rebuilds a library of its gadgets long past; how to get the best Black Friday deals; and we review the hawt new Mavic Pro drone by DJI, then crash it into a cliff.

Our thanks to Harry’s for supporting this episode. Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and score a free shave set with code CultCast at checkout.

The ultimate runner’s review of Apple Watch Series 2

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Is Apple Watch Series 2 the perfect running partner?
Is Apple Watch Series 2 the perfect running partner?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

With the launch of a GPS watch, and a renewed Nike partnership, Apple is getting serious about targeting runners. So is Apple Watch Series 2 the perfect running partner that Cupertino promises?

As an avid runner myself, I was keen to find out. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been training for the TCS New York City Marathon, and I took my Apple Watch Series 2 with me every step of the way — right up to the finish line in Central Park last week. Here’s how it measured up.

New York district attorney calls for federal law to unlock seized iPhones

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iPhone 7 back
Law enforcement officials still want Apple to hack the iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance wants the Trump administration to help create federal legislation requiring Apple and Google to remove default encryption from their smartphones.

The recommendation comes from the DA office’s second report on Smartphone Encryption and Public Safety, presented by Vance at the opening of the Manhattan DA’s new cyberlab. New York County is currently sitting on 423 iPhones it can’t break into, even with a warrant, so the DA’s office is pushing for change.

World’s first HomeKit community springs up in San Jose

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HomeKit is now getting packaged into new homes.
HomeKit is now getting packaged into new homes.
Photo: KB Home

Apple’s HomeKit platform is set to power an entire community currently under construction in San Jose.

Real estate development firm KB Home revealed today that its new community, Promenade at Communications Hill, will be the first ever in the US to have HomeKit technology built-in, providing a seamless experience from the foundation up.

Should Apple license macOS for third-party Mac Pros? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Wouldn't you like a powerful PC running macOS?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has finished unveiling its product lineup for 2016, and yet again it appears to have forgotten about the Mac Pro. The high-end desktop will be three years old next month, and although it might look pretty on the outside, it’s way past its best on the inside.

Friday Night Fights bugApple won’t tell us why the Mac Pro isn’t a priority anymore, but its focus is clearly elsewhere. This is a problem for creative professionals who rely on the extra power the machine provides. For some, the iMac just isn’t beefy enough.

Some believe Apple should license macOS to third-party computer makers that are willing to cater to the pros Apple is ignoring. It’s a move Apple would never make, but is it a good idea?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple should let rival PC vendors build macOS machines!

How to delete Safari extensions on macOS Sierra

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Extensions featured-2
Get rid of certain extensions for good!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Extensions can be very useful on Safari for Mac, adding functionality, and — in Apple’s words — letting users, “explore the web the way you want.” But how do you get rid of them once they’re installed?

If you have issues with extensions causing crashes, glitches, or you just don’t plain want them anymore, here’s our easy guide to removing them.

How industrial design is changing the tech industry [Kahney’s Korner Podcast]

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Belkin's design director Oliver Seil says designers are basically psychologists.
Belkin's design director Oliver Seil says designers are basically psychologists.
Photo: Oliver Seil/Belkin

For many ugly years, manufacturers considered industrial design an afterthought. They would outsource the task to a contractor or neglect it altogether, in an effort to get products out quickly and cheaply.

The result: hideous-looking products that didn’t work well or proved difficult to use.

Nowadays, companies like Apple are changing the game when it comes to incorporating industrial design and user experience into product engineering.

On this episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk with Oliver Seil, senior design director with Belkin International’s Innovation and Design Group. Seil is Belkin’s Jony Ive, the top designer who overseas the company’s diverse array of products.

Belkin specializes in mobile accessories, from power packs and iPhone cases to WeMo home automation products

iPhone 8 mockups tease Apple’s bezel-free future

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iPhone 8 concept
Apple is already driving an OLED boom.
Photo: iDropNews

The iPhone 7 has barely been out for two months but the first concept designs of next year’s iPhone are ready to get you hyped for a future without bezels.

Early rumors for the 2017 iPhone have claimed Apple plans to make some major changes. The home button and bezels at the top and bottom could get the boot. And with a curved OLED display, Apple’s next phone may be the most beautiful one ever.

Take a closer look:

macOS bug gives MacBook Pros a fake graphics upgrade

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intel-graphics-800x600
Is your MacBook Pro reporting the right graphics?
Photo: MacRumors

A bug in macOS Sierra is incorrectly telling some users that their MacBook Pro just got a nice graphics upgrade.

Some 15-inch units are packing Intel Iris Pro 580 graphics, according to the built-in System Information report. But in actual fact, they have Intel Iris Pro 530 graphics instead.

Claim lifetime ownership of your terabyte in the cloud for a special price [Deals]

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Zoolz is offering two forms of high capacity cloud storage for a single super low price
Zoolz is offering two forms of high capacity cloud storage for a single super low price
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days, having a mixed storage strategy is the only sensible way to consider your data ‘backed up’. The cloud needs to be part of the equation, and if the high cost of secure cloud storage has kept your storage on the ground, we’ve got good news. As of today, Zoolz is offering a terabyte of secure cloud storage for life at 10 bucks less off an already massive discount. Right now you can get a lifetime of Zoolz for just $29 at Cult of Mac Deals.