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AAPL shoots up after strong Q3 earnings

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money
And just when people were counting Apple out!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AAPL shares opened almost 8 percent up this morning following Apple’s better-than expected Q3 earnings and sunny outlook for this quarter were announced yesterday.

Shares rose $7.33 after analysts were sufficiently convinced that Apple has “stabilized” falling iPhone sales, along with other positives like a booming App Store. Seriously, do the naysayers and doom-predicters never learn?

iPhone 7 may get 3D Touch home button

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iPhone 7 may get a new Force Touch home button.
iPhone 7 may get a new Force Touch home button.
Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr

The headphone jack might not be the only feature Apple plans to throw away on the next iPhone.

Apple allegedly plans to replace its physical home button on the iPhone 7 (or iPhone 6 SE) with a new 3D Touch button that won’t move when you press it, but well instead give users a haptic feedback to replicate the feeling of pressing a button, like on the Magic Trackpad 2.

7 takeaways from Apple’s surprisingly good Q3 earnings

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money
Apple made $7.8 billion in profit last quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple shocked investors with better than expected earnings for Q3 2016 today, despite some ominous signs that some analysts claimed signaled we’ve reached peak Tim Cook.

Thanks to the booming App Store business and other Services, Apple raked in an impressive $42.2 billion in revenue, which Tim Cook says, “was way better than we expected from so many different points of view.”

Here are the most important takeaways from today’s earnings call:

Carpool Karaoke TV show will be an Apple Music exclusive

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Carpool Karaoke
Missy and Michelle be puttin' it down in Carpool Karaoke.
Photo: CBS Studios

James Corden’s popular “Carpool Karaoke” segment from The Late Late Show on CBS is set to become its own show later this year — and you’ll only be able to watch it on Apple Music.

The viral segment has been a breakout hit of 2016, thanks to appearances by Adele, Justin Bieber, Michelle Obama, Elton John and dozens of other stars who drive around Los Angeles singing popular songs. Now fans will be able to get their karaoke by streaming full episodes every week.

Liveblog: Apple’s surprising Q3 earnings report

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Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2?
Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

All eyes are on Apple this afternoon as the company is set to report its Q3 2016 earnings and Wall Street isn’t expecting anything great.

Apple CEO Tim Cook warned in March that the company will post declining revenues compared to a year ago, but with iPhone sales on the decline as customers wait to upgrade to the iPhone 7, the numbers could be a bit lower than investors are hoping for.

Today’s earnings call for Q3 2016 is set to kick off at 2 p.m. Pacific, when analysts from the top firms around the world will have a chance to ask Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri whether iPhone sales have finally bottomed out, or if things are still going to get worse before they get better.

Get in on the action below:

What to expect from Apple’s Q3 2016 earnings

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Apple CEO Tim Cook
Have iPhone sales finally bottomed out?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its quarterly earnings this afternoon for the third fiscal quarter of 2016 and if the analysts are right, it could be even worse than Apple’s last disastrous quarter.

Investors were advised by Apple during the last earnings call that revenue will likely be down from what it was in the same quarter last year. Apple is hoping it can get a boost from the iPhone SE and the App Store to stay within expectations, however troubles in China and low iPhone demand could hurt the company more than expected.

Here’s what to watch for when Tim Cook and Luca Maestri talk to investors later this afternoon:

KansasFest: Final notes from ‘Nerdvana’

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KansasFest
The future and its foundation have a tense history.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled to KansasFest to meet Apple fans intensely devoted to the Apple II computer line. The machine turns 40 next year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s rare we hear the term personal computer anymore. Yet personal is the only word to begin to understand KansasFest and a small but feisty community of preservationists who love the Apple II line of computers.

The 28th fest concluded Saturday and within the event’s first hour, attendees were already making plans to attend next year, the 40th birthday of the Apple II.

Adobe Lightroom comes to Apple TV

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Review edits with friends and clients and zoom in on the detail with Adobe Lightroom for Apple TV.
Review edits with friends and clients and zoom in on the detail with Adobe Lightroom for Apple TV.
Photo: Adobe

We’re doing everything on our smallest screen, even photography. But Adobe knows that bigger may still be better when it comes to reviewing, sharing and enjoying those pictures.

Adobe, renowned for its imaging and multimedia software, announced Tuesday it is bringing Lightroom to Apple TV. It is now available in the App Store for a free download, but it will require a fourth generation Apple TV and a Creative Cloud subscription login.

Windows apps on Mac? It’s easier and cheaper than you think [Deals]

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Run Windows apps on your Mac without having to get a computer science degree.
Run Windows apps on your Mac without having to get a computer science degree.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you ever thought about running an old PC app, you’ve learned it can be an involved and often frustrating task to use Windows software on a Mac. CrossOver takes the headache out of running your favorite Windows apps and Games on Mac or Linux machines. Right now you can get CrossOver’s latest version for $19.99.

U.S. to ban Apple and others from SMS two-step authentication

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Screen Shot 2016-07-26 at 15.09.44
Using SMS two-step authentication is about to be illegal.
Photo: Apple

As part of Apple’s two-step authentication service it’s possible for users to confirm their identity via an SMS sent to a trusted phone number.

That is about to change, however, according to the latest draft of the Digital Authentication Guideline, which reveals that the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology is set to ban all SMS-based two-factor authentication systems.

Apple Store targeted in ‘organized criminal enterprise’

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2048x1152
Six people were arrested as a result of the scheme.
Photo: Apple

Apple Stores in Chicago were the target of “an organized criminal enterprise,” resulting in the arrest of six people from New York State, according to a new report, citing Lake County authorities.

The sheriff’s office claims that the suspects made fraudulent purchases from Apple Stores using stolen identities and credit cards.

Ford putting CarPlay, Android Auto into 2017 lineup

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Ford CarPlay
CarPlay is coming to your next Ford.
Photo: Ford

Ford today confirmed plans to put CarPlay and Android Auto into all of its 2017 cars, SUVs, electric vehicles, and light trucks. The platforms will become part of the company’s own Sync 3 system, allowing drivers to connect their iPhone or Android device.

Iris scanner will put the ‘eye’ in iPhone in 2018

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Apple devices will scan the iris of the user's eye
The window to your soul will soon be the key to your iPhone.
Photo: Bill Dickerson/Flickr

In the near future, you won’t even have to touch your iPhone to unlock it.

Smartphone manufacturers are racing to add new iris-scanning technology to devices, and Apple is also reportedly planning to join the battle by bringing the feature to iPhones in 2018.

How to share, compare and compete with watchOS 3’s Activity rings

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Get set to test yourself to the limit with your Apple Watch.
Get set to test yourself to the limit with your Apple Watch.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is getting a ton of new features this fall for fitness freaks, giving wearers the ability to not only track their own fitness better than ever, but also go head-to-head with other Apple Watch-loving friends.

With iOS 10 and watchOS 3, Apple Watch owners can share their Activity rings to view each other’s progress and compete to be fittest person in the clique. Here’s how to get started:

KansasFest is a second-chance childhood for one programmer

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Martin Haye, left, and Ivan Drucker talking Apple II hacking at KansasFest.
Martin Haye, left, and Ivan Drucker talking Apple II hacking at KansasFest.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled to KansasFest to meet Apple fans intensely devoted to the Apple II computer line. The machine turns 40 next year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – They say they travel to KansasFest to feel like kids again. Fest attendees stay up all night laughing, arguing and eating pizza. They program and play games on their Apple II machines and call each other nerd or geek.

Bullied and closeted as a boy, Martin Haye describes KansasFest as the childhood he wished he’d had.

“If I had this when I was 13, I would’ve been fine,” says Haye, 48, a programmer for the California Digital Library who lives in Santa Cruz. “I didn’t try to fit in but I was little, I carried a briefcase to school, I was a target. I have a good life now, but this week is the most intense, sustained, predictable happiness I’ve ever had.”

Apple puts Bob Mansfield in driving seat for secret car project

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ipad-2-Keynote-088
This is what he looks like when he's driving it.
Photo: Apple

Bob Mansfield has been chosen to head up Apple’s “secret” electric car project three years after stepping down from his executive role, according to a new report.

Mansfield was previously in charge of Mac hardware at Apple and led development of products like the MacBook Air, iMac and iPad.

New photos offer first glimpse at supposed iPad Pro 2

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iPad Pro 2 leak
Something's not quite right about this iPad Pro.
Photo: AppleInsider

If you’re sick of looking at photos of the iPhone 7, perhaps this apparent iPad Pro 2 leak will leave you satiated. The images purportedly give us our first glimpse at Apple’s early prototypes ahead of this fall’s iPad refresh — but can we trust them?

The photos, which were sent into AppleInsider, don’t give too much away. Don’t expect them to spoil Apple’s big press event this September, then. One thing they do tell us is that Apple still hasn’t fixed its big bezel problem.

Apple could confirm major iPhone milestone this week

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money
Apple may announce billionth iPhone sold during tomorrow's earnings call.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Nobody’s expecting big things from Apple’s quarterly earnings call this Tuesday, but it is possible that we’ll hear one incredibly significant metric announced at the event: Apple’s sale of its billionth iPhone.

While it is likely that iPhone sales will continue to decline this quarter — with 40 million likely to be reported as the number for the past three months — the billionth sales mark would serve to underline once again just what an enormous success the iPhone has been for Apple.

These steel Lightning cables are the Terminator of iPhone chargers [Deals]

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Titan's steel-sheathed Lightning cables are tough and convenient.
Titan's steel-sheathed Lightning cables are tough and convenient.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Lightning cables we use to charge and back up our mobile devices are like lifelines, but they’re also prone to fraying and breaking. That’s why Titan has made their line of steel-sheathed MFi-Certified cables like tanks. They’re reliable and tough and pretty cool looking, too.

iPhone 7 might not go by the name you’re expecting

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iPhone 7 camera lens
Is Apple's next iPhone going to be called the iPhone 6SE?
Photo: TechTastic

A new rumor coming out of China suggests that September’s next-gen iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 7 as expected, but rather the iPhone 6SE — continuing the naming scheme Apple introduced for its 4-inch iPhone SE earlier this year.

A separate report, meanwhile, suggests that it’s likely to debut on Friday, September 16. That’s just two months’ away…

Apple opening an app development center in India

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Apple is continuing its Indian drive.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple plans to open a new high-end app development center in Bengaluru, India, according to a new report, citing people familiar with the company’s plans.

The report claims that Apple has already come to terms concerning a 40,000 square foot office space, spread across two floors. It is likely that this space will house around 300 people, and will open in early 2017.

Trulia, KLOCKI, and other awesome apps of the week

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

If you’re looking to unwind this fine Sunday by sampling the latest App Store delectables for your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Apple TV, look no further: Cult of Mac has your back!

Whether you’re on the hunt for a great mashup between two classic card games, a real estate app optimized for your Apple TV, or more, we’ve got what you’re searching for.

Check out our picks below. You won’t be disappointed.