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Apple ditched plan to make three iPhone 7 models

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iphone-7-iphone-7-plus-iphone-7-pro-back
Only two of these will go on sale this fall.
Photo: NowhereElse

Apple really has been working on three different versions of the iPhone 7, according to sources familiar with its plans — but only two of them will go on sale this fall.

The rumored “iPhone 7 Pro” has reportedly been cut from the final lineup, but we’ll still see Apple’s new dual-lens camera.

Chinese Apple Watch clone costs just $63, but is it any good? [Reviews]

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WatchClone
Has time run out for more expensive smartwatches?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is one of the more affordable devices Apple makes. But a lot of people are still understandably hesitant about shelling out a few hundred bucks on a first-generation gadget they’re not sure they need.

If this describes you, check out our video review of a $63 Chinese Apple Watch clone, the (deep breath) Lemfo Bluetooth Smart Watch Phone GSM Pedometer Fitness Tracker. You may even come away surprised …

Thieving dolphin jumps out of pool to steal iPad on porpoise

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This is why you shouldn't take pics with an iPad.
This is why you shouldn't take pics with an iPad.
Photo: Deklyn Kai

Next time you visit SeaWorld make sure to keep one eye on the dolphins and the other on your Apple products.

It turns out one of the most intelligent species of the ocean is just as crazy about iPads and iPhones as humans are, as seen in a new video from Orlando, Florida where a dolphin jumps out of his pool to steal a spectator’s iPad while she’s taking a photo.

Watch the full video below:

Get double browsing protection with a password manager and VPN [Deals]

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Dashlane Hotspot
This pair of apps will let you take control of your online security.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Going online is automatically risky, what with data thieves, snoops and location restrictions, among plenty of other hazards. One great way to make sure you’re protected is to regularly change up your passwords, and another is to connect through a virtual private network, or VPN.

Either move can take a lot of effort. But with this duo of apps — Dashlane Premium and Hotspot Shield Elite VPN — taking these precautions becomes effortless. And right now you can get three years of both for just $69.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Unexpected Apple military patent is basically MagSafe for tanks

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Maintenance personnel from the 5055th Range Squadron drive an M-973 small unit support vehicle through the snow.
Your Apple Car? Probably not, to be honest.
Photo: Wikipedia CC

With Project Titan reportedly gathering momentum, it might come as no surprise to hear that Apple was granted a vehicle-related patent today.

What might surprise you a bit more is that this doesn’t relate to the Apple Car many people are expecting — but rather to robust steering controls for an articulated truck, originally filed by a company which manufactures and sells military vehicles.

Apple to get answer on Irish data center this month

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Irish flag
Apple's proposed data center has met with a bit of resistance.
Photo: John Hoey/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple can expect to get a final verdict on whether it can continue development on its proposed 850 million euro ($960 million) data centre in Athenry, Ireland later this month.

An oral hearing concerning the major development took place earlier this year, and inspector Stephen Kay has now submitted his recommendations to the Irish advisory board about the project.

Today in Apple history: Mac’s default browser company goes public

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Screenshot of Netscape Navigator internet browser on a Macintosh
Do you remember Netscape Navigator?
Photo: Netscape

August 9August 9, 1995: The Netscape Communications IPO floats shares of the company behind Netscape Navigator, the Macintosh’s default browser, on the stock market.

While not totally an Apple-centric moment, this was big news for Mac fans in 1995. The success of Nestcape’s $2.9 billion IPO also sweetened Wall Street on technology companies. Plus, the experience of using Netscape Navigator to surf the internet on a Macintosh is something many older Apple users will still remember fondly.

Google Photos ad capitalizes on iPhone’s biggest weakness

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Don't you hate this message?
Don't you hate this message?
Photo: Google

Google has decided to attack Apple directly in a funny new ad that rips the iPhone for its paltry 16GB of storage on entry models.

The new ad has been played heavily during NBC’s Rio Olympics coverage and promotes Google Photos “free up space” feature the upload an unlimited number of pictures to the cloud so users have more storage for apps, videos, music and other content. Apple has a similar feature with iCloud, but you have to pay for it.

Watch the hilarious ad below:

Apple and resellers accused of iPhone price-fixing in Russia

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iPhone 6s
Russia is investigating Apple.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple doesn’t sell iPhones directly in Russia, but it’s being investigated by the country’s federal Anti-Monopoly Service for colluding with resellers to fix the price on its devices.

The government agency revealed today that it has opened a case against Apple and 16 major resellers that all had identical prices for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models when they launched in Russia in October 2015.

New MacBook Pro may pack Touch ID power button

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MacBook Pro OLED mockup
Apple will seamlessly integrate Touch ID into the MacBook Pro.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro refresh won’t just bring a fancy OLED touchbar for customizable function keys, but also the first Touch ID sensor on a Mac, according to a new report. And it will be built into the notebook’s power button.

Hulu is killing free streaming

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Watching The Handsmade Tale just got cheaper.
Photo: Hulu

Getting your weekly fix of new TV shows from Hulu is about to get more expensive, as the streaming video service plans to phase out its free tier that was supported with ad revenue.

After letting users watch thousands of episodes for free since it launched nine years ago, Hulu has partnered with Yahoo to offer up its content for a new service called Yahoo View, an ad-supported service that will give viewers the ability to watch the five most recent episodes of shows from ABC, NBC and Fox.

Leaked iPhone 7 logic board reveals tiny chip changes

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Future iPhone processors may be made by Intel.
The inside of the next iPhone may have been exposed.
Photo: Apple

A slew of leaked iPhone 7 casings have already given us a good idea of what Apple’s new device will look like on the inside, but we now have a better idea what it will pack on the inside, too, thanks to some photos out of Asia.

The leaked pictures claim to show a bare iPhone 7 logic board, revealing what the layout will look like before any chips have been placed on the board.

Take a look:

How to send stickers in Messages in iOS 10

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Messages iOS 10
Messages is getting stickers in iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

Messages is getting much more creative in iOS 10, and for the first time, users will be able to download and send all kinds of awesome stickers. Apple is already offering four sticker packs, and many more iMessage stickers will become available from third parties later.

Here’s how to download and send iMessage stickers to your friends.

iPhone 7 to feature pressure-sensitive home button

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iPhone 7's home button will be a lot different.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest iPhones could be its last with physical home buttons. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the iPhone 7 series will instead feature a new pressure-sensitive home button that uses Apple’s Force Touch technology.

The future of Siri [Kahney’s Korner]

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Kahney’s Korner podcast with ArcTouch
ArcTouch devs Adam Fingerman and Paulo Michels give us a peek into the future of Siri.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has opened up Siri to third-party developers, which means we’ll soon be able to do a bunch of things — like ordering pizza or sending money — simply by speaking to Apple’s intelligent assistant.

It’s a big change, and another step toward a friction-free future in which we will talk to our devices instead of poking at them with our fingers.

In this week’s episode of Kahney’s Korner, I talk with Adam Fingerman and Paulo Michels of ArcTouch, a mobile development company that works with big media companies like ABC, NBC and CBS. As they’ve explored the Siri API, they’ve gained insight into what we can expect when iOS 10 and macOS Sierra get released to the public this fall.

These accessories will expand your idea of what’s possible with a selfie [Deals]

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Turn any surface into a phone mount, perfect for group shots.
Turn any surface into a phone mount, perfect for group shots.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The word ‘selfie’ might make you smile or it might make you roll your eyes, but there’s a lot more to it than just front-facing cameras and goofy looking sticks. We’ve gathered some great tools for taking a wide variety of shots in a variety of situations, whether you’re trying to get the perfect jumping shot, experimenting with points of view, get shots or video from inside a car, or just more space for storing all of those photos. Any one of these could change the way you take selfies, so take a look:

Almost half of all iPads go to enterprise customers

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apple logo
iPads are proving more popular than ever with people in business and government.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

A growing part of Apple’s iPad business is coming from governments and corporations, with almost half of the tablets (particularly high-end models) being bought by this audience, according to a new report from The New York Times.

“Apple is stronger in the enterprise market with its devices than it is with consumers,” Forrester analyst Frank Gillet told the newspaper.

Apple Watch product line could split in two this year

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Apple Watch Update
We may get double the number of Apple Watch 2 models we're expecting.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple will reportedly release two different next-gen Apple Watch devices, according to a well-connected analyst.

In a note sent to investors over the weekend, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple will launch a slight iterative improvement on the Apple Watch later this year, boasting the same overall design but an improved 16nm processor and improved waterproofing. However, really keen Apple Watch enthusiasts will also be able to get the Apple Watch 2, which will reportedly add a host of other improvements.

Thank Apple Maps disaster for public betas of iOS and macOS

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TomTom will continue to power Apple Maps.
Apple Maps was a turning point for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s decision to open up macOS and iOS for public betas was inspired by the company’s horrible experience with the iOS Maps debacle in 2012, according to a new interview with Tim Cook, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi.

One of the most notorious botches in Apple history, Maps’ problems ranged from depicting horribly warped landscapes to directing folks visiting the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, to drive across one of the taxiways. And it changed Apple’s culture in the process.

Crooked Path, Instagram Stories, and other awesome apps

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
'Appy weekend all!
Photo: Cult of Mac

From a Snapchat-inspired Instagram update to a beautifully frustrating endless runner puzzle game, we’ve sifted through this week’s most exciting apps to bring you the ones you absolutely need to download now.

Check out our picks below. Trust us, this is the way you want to spend Sunday!

Record your every mile with an 8GB dashcam, and more [Week’s Newest Deals]

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Charge your Apple Watch in style with the meticulously engineered NightStand.
Charge your Apple Watch in style with the meticulously engineered NightStand.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week brought with it a great crop of deals on gears and gadgets, and there are some brand new ones you might have missed. We’ve got a sleek nightstand for your Apple Watch, an app that will keep your writing error free, a versatile tripod for your cell phone, and a high res dashcam with a massive 8GB drive. That’s a lot to sort through, get digging:

Get a VR headset with stereo sound, and more [Week’s best deals]

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Get a top shelf VR experience without paying a top shelf price.
Get a top shelf VR experience without paying a top shelf price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We find great deals on the regular, but this week we’ve found some especially awesome gear and gadgets on sale. We’ve got a virtual reality headset that’ll blow your mind without breaking your bank, lessons in developing for the upcoming, game-changing iOS 10, a pair of extra-long, MFi-certified Lightning cables, and a tool that will transform the way you use PDFs. Take a look:

Apple censors iOS 10 emoji, plus how to find specific Pokémon in ‘Pokémon GO’ on The CultCast

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Not to worry, iOS 10 will protect you from harmful emoji
Not to worry, iOS 10 will protect you from harmful emoji

This week, on The CultCast: the controversy around iOS 10’s new gun emoji; we compare Instagram’s new stories feature to Snapchat’s; Gwyneth Paltrow brings her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’; we attended a 5-day Apple II festival, we’ll tell you the cool parts; and stick around for the best ways to find specific Pokémon in ‘Pokémon GO’.

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