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Ireland preps to appeal Apple tax case this week

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money
Apple has been criticized for its tax structure.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Ireland is set to submit its formal appeal of a European Commission ruling that claimed Apple owes the country more than $14 billion in unpaid taxes.

The controversial tax ruling has been opposed by Irish citizens, a majority of whom say they don’t want Apple’s money. Ireland’s Finance Minister Michael Noonan said today that the country’s government has no choice but to appeal.

The only iPhone case that doesn’t give Apple the middle finger

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SkinCase
Your iPhone deserves a case like this.
Photo: SkinCase

This post is brought to you by SkinCase.

It must drive the designers and engineers at Apple crazy. For all the time and resources they put into the design of the iPhone, tons of people end up hulking it out with an ugly piece of plastic.

It’s a catch-22. The iPhone’s flawless design makes you want to keep it safe, but the cases out there ruin what you love about it in the first place.

Apple Pay can now score you big holiday discounts

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Lululemon and other retailers are offering Apple Pay deals.
Lululemon and other retailers are offering Apple Pay deals.
Photo: Apple

Looking to get the best deals on gifts this holiday season? Apple Pay may be the answer.

Apple has created a new promotion for Apple Pay on the Mac that gives shoppers tons of discounts at top retailers when you use Apple Pay. Shops like Adidas, Lululemon, Casper and Vacatia have teamed up with Apple on the promotion. And there’s more to come.

Here’s are the deals you can get:

MagSafe returns for USB-C, handy popup displays and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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

You can find some incredible new gadgets on Kickstarter and Indiegogo that often go unnoticed. We’re rounding up some of the best every week to help them get the funding they need to become a reality.

This week, MagSafe makes a comeback for the new generation of USB-C devices, we have an insanely useful popup display you can take just about anywhere, the “world’s most intuitive smart stylus,” and more.

How much is continuous online security worth? [Deals]

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Getting protection and anonymity for your online life doesn't have to cost your life's saving
Getting protection and anonymity for your online life doesn't have to cost your life's saving
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The online world is a lot like the real one — full of positivity and peril alike, as many wonders as weirdos. That’s why signing on via a virtual private network (VPN) is a must: a secured, encrypted portal to the web that maintains anonymity, protects data sent and received, and sidesteps location restrictions on streaming content. That might sound like protection that will cost you, but nowhere near what you think and certainly much less than it’s worth. Right now you can get a lifetime of VPN protection for just $69 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Samsung buys full-page ads to apologize for Note 7 disaster

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galaxy note 7
The Note 7 is one of the biggest disasters in smartphone history.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Full-page ads are normally taken out by tech companies to promote their products or take swipes at rivals.

Samsung just shelled out to place full-page ads in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Washington Post to beg forgiveness for its disastrous Note 7 smartphone.

iPhone 7 chipmaker enjoys record profits in 2016

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A10 Fusion
There's strong demand for the A10 Fusion chip inside iPhone 7.
Photo: Apple

Strong demand for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus helped chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company achieve record profits for 2016. Not only is TSMC outperforming its rivals, but it now accounts for 16 percent of Taiwan’s entire equity market value.

Cupertino taps NBCUniversal to sell Apple News ads

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Apple News
Apple News is about to get magazines too.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s News app is getting some much-needed help at selling ads.

Instead of continuing to sell advertising on its own, Apple has reportedly inked an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal that will allow the company to sell ads for the News app.

Apple’s new TV app lands with latest iOS 10 beta

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The TV app is set to go public in December.
The TV app is set to go public in December.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded a fresh batch of beta updates to developers this morning. Among the new goodies is the new TV app that was demoed during Apple’s October keynote.

The new TV app can be found in iOS 10 beta 2. Apple also added a couple of other new features to the beta, including a new SOS feature.

Apple’s Irish data center is getting fast-tracked

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Ireland
A mock up of Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

The fate of Apple’s proposed data center in Ireland is finally on the fast-track.

After facing an 18-month delay due to an appeal from two Irish residents, Ireland’s High Court agreed to Apple’s request to speed up the legal process. Now instead of waiting until 2018, the court has to resolve the case within six months.

Rock out in the rain with this weatherproof Bluetooth speaker [Deals]

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This rugged Bluetooth speaker is designed to sound great while being impervious to the elements.
This rugged Bluetooth speaker is designed to sound great while being impervious to the elements.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The mobility of Bluetooth audio gets put out pretty quick when the rain starts falling. That’s why this rugged, weatherproof HomeSpot speaker was built to keep up with your outdoor adventures. It’s resistant to dust, dirt, and water, coated with a rubberized surface that makes it ideal for camping, rafting, whatever. And right now you can get a HomeSpot Bluetooth Speaker for just $29.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Watch devs read 1-star reviews of their apps

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Screen Shot 2016-11-07 at 11.28.03
Everybody hurts sometimes.
Photo: Úll/Vimeo

App developers may be rich, charismatic, good-looking and able to code (OK, so a significant portion only fall into one of these categories), but they’re also human — and that means criticism hurts.

With that in mind, a new video mines devs’ negative user reviews for comic gold by getting indie developers to read their own negative feedback in the App Store.

Check it out below.

Apple gets one step closer to iPhones made in India

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Designed in California, made in India. Maybe.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has “sought incentives” to set up a manufacturing facility in India, according to a new report.

Apple reportedly made its case to the country’s Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY).

Campaigners want Apple to block your iPhone while you’re driving

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iPhone-7
Feature could save lives, campaigners claim.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Relatives of four U.K. citizens who were killed by the driver of a truck as he used his phone while driving are campaigning for Apple to introduce a feature disabling drivers’ iPhones from working in the car.

“There is an epidemic of people using their phone at the wheel,” said Doug Houghton, who lost two of his sons in the incident. “And what do you do with epidemics? You cure them.”

Benedict Cumberbatch’s SNL toilet ad pokes fun at Apple

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egogjz9h9gac7z6uztti
And it comes in Jet Black, too.
Photo: SNL

Whether it was Slack’s CEO last week or SNL this past weekend, it seems the world can’t go more than a few days without paying homage to an iconic piece of Apple marketing.

In a new sketch for Saturday Night Live, none other than Benedict Cumberbatch stepped up to the plate bowl to offer a take on a futuristic toilet ad, which looks suspiciously like Ridley Scott’s “1984” ad for the original Macintosh.

Check it out below.

Best List: Shure MV51 is a tough, versatile microphone for iPhone field recordings [Review]

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Shure MV51 microphone
Shure's MV51 microphone is MFi-certified and great for recording with an iPhone or iPad.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: MV51 microphone by Shure

Looking like something Elvis Presley would rock, the Shure MV51 is a handsome, retro-styled microphone well-suited to podcasting with an iPad or iPhone. Sturdy and portable, I find it great for recording on the go. It’s small enough to throw into a jacket pocket and, because it’s made of all metal, it’s nigh indestructible.

Paired with an iPhone and Shure’s well-designed recording app, it’s a lot more compact than most podcasting rigs, and versatile enough for most recording situations. Best of all, the audio it captures sounds great.

Has Apple become boring? [Friday Night Fights]

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FNF
Are you still excited by Apple in 2016?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple might be the biggest company in tech, with revenues that make eyes water every quarter, but even some fans think it’s getting a little boring in Cupertino.

Friday Night Fights bug Following last week’s big MacBook Pro event, Apple has delivered everything it had planned for 2016. We’ve had upgrades to iPhone, Apple Watch, and the 12-inch MacBook; brand new AirPods (though those aren’t shipping yet); the diminutive iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

But was all that enough, or could Apple have done more? None of these releases were really that revolutionary, and investors are still waiting for Apple’s next big thing. So, is it true? Is Apple really boring now?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over these questions and more!

Hype, 1-Bit Rogue, and other awesome apps of the week

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

Want to find out which apps were gracing our iPhones, iPads and Macs this week? Check our list below.

From a search engine that will search every single thing to ever grace your Apple device to a couple of awesomely fun retro-inspired games, this is the perfect way to spend the remainder of your weekend.