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Today in Apple history: iPhone 3G sells 1 million in single weekend

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iPhone 3G
The iPhone 3G went on sale on this day in 2008.
Photo: Apple

July 11 July 11, 2008: The iPhone 3G goes on sale, becoming the first Apple product in history to sell more than 1 million units in its first weekend.

Building on the original iPhone by adding GPS, 3G data and a higher-quality build, the iPhone 3G also coincided with the launch of iOS 2, which introduced push email, turn-by-turn navigation and, most importantly, the App Store.

Pokémon GO, Thinga.me, and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
Appy weekend, all!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

From the augmented reality Pokémon game everyone’s talking about to a notable update to disappearing messaging app Snapchat, 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!

The cheap ways to protect your tech without AppleCare, this week on The CultCast

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It's gonna break... we'll tell you how to protect your tech on the cheap.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

This week on The CultCast: The best ways to get your gadgets the protection you want, but without those high AppleCare prices! Plus: The iPhone 7 might pack more storage than you expected; taking over Tidal could mean CD-quality streaming is coming to Apple Music; hands on with the iOS 10 and macOS Sierra betas; “the Fappening” hacker heads to the slammer; and this year’s iPhone Photography Award winners prove your iPhone is all your need to create captivating images.

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them. Learn why and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.

Master iOS 10, streamline your workflow and more with the best deals this week [Deals]

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TaskPaper uses plain text editors to keep yourself on point and organized.
TaskPaper uses plain text editors to keep yourself on point and organized.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Every week we take the many amazing deals we have and decide on a small handful of the absolute amazingest. This week we’ve got a dead simple way to streamline your desktop workflow, a speaker that projects sounds and glittering light, a high-speed VPN subscription and a lifetime of courses in iOS coding — including the soon-to-be-released iOS 10.

iOS 10 beta 2, new malware targeting Macs, iPhone Photography Awards, and more

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Cover

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we introduce you to the iOS 10 beta 2, and give a hands-on look at the latest tweaks and updates to Apple’s latest operating system. More than 50 changes have been discovered by developers, affecting everything from Apple Music to widgets, and we uncover many of them this week.

Learn about “OSX/Keydnap,” the latest strain of malware intended to attack your Mac. Disguising itself as an innocent text or image file, OSX/Keydnap installs malicious code onto your machine. We’ll let you know how the malware works, and how to prevent this from happening to your Mac!

Peruse the stunning images of this year’s iPhone Photography Awards winners. iPhone photography has never looked so good. Plus, The CultCast, How-Tos and lots more.

All this, and much much more, in Cult of Mac Magazine, free for you right now.

Here are this week’s top stories.

What is Apple’s most underrated product? [Friday Night Fights]

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FNF Apple's most underrated
Which Apple product do you think deserves more respect?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Not every Apple product has been a runaway success, but that doesn’t mean those that weren’t were complete failures. Products like the Newton MessagePad, the G4 Cube, the Macintosh TV and even the iPhone 5c — which were all considered flops — brought great features and innovations that weren’t appreciated.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we butt heads over Apple’s most underrated product to date.

Apple to open first iOS academy in Italy this October

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iPhone SE
App makers in Italy will get hands-on learning from Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first-ever iOS development center in Europe created by Apple is set to open later this year, providing aspiring developers with the practical skills and training necessary to make killer apps.

Apple revealed today that the center will officially be named iOS Developer Academy to be located at Università di Napoli Federico II.

Barista shuts down Tim Cook’s request to use Apple Pay

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Apple acquisitions
As easy as a stroll down the street.
Photo: Drew Angerer

Apple CEO Tim Cook has spent the past few days hanging out with the biggest figures in tech and media during the Sun Valley Idaho conference, but apparently not everyone in town has heard of Tim’s preferred way to pay for coffee.

During a visit to a local coffee shop, Cook reportedly tried to use Apple Pay which allows iPhone and Apple Watch owners to make transactions wirelessly. Even though the tech debuted two years ago, Tim ran into a roadblock when he busted out his iPhone to take care of the check.

Small Bluetooth fitness earbuds that fit super snug [Reviews]

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Jaybird Freedom wireless earbuds marry form and function, with a very small earprint.
Jaybird Freedom wireless earbuds marry form and function, with a very small earprint.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Jaybird Freedom wireless earbuds

Promoted by pro beach volleyballer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, the Jaybird Freedom earbuds are premium sports headphones specifically designed for the active, lifestyle-focused consumer. That means those who work out and those who want to look great doing it.

These earbuds bring huge wireless sound to the trail, the gym, the street and anything in between. Jaybird CEO Judd Armstrong stopped by Cult of Mac for a demo, and says the Jaybird Freedom is designed to enhance any athletic and adventurous pursuits.

Light and sound collide in this portable Bluetooth speaker [Deals]

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FRESHeCOLOR Bluetooth portable speaker
The FRESHeCOLOR Bluetooth speaker will please your eyes as well as your ears.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Summer is as much about its sights as its sounds. Whatever your musical mood, the FRESHeCOLOR renders it in a dazzling and colorful display that you can take anywhere you go, from the poolside to the party to just hanging out in your living room with the fan on your face. Right now you can get this portable vibe enhancer for $59.95.

What you can expect from Amazon Prime Day sales

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1 trillion value
Amazon's growth has only recently caught the eyes of investors.
Photo: simone.brunozzi/Flickr CC

Amazon attempted to further its domination of online retail last year with the creation of Prime Day. Meant to reward the users of its wildly popular subscription program (best known for providing free shipping, but offering many other perks), Prime Day was supposed to rival Black Friday for deals, according to Amazon.

In reality, Prime Day was widely criticized for poor savings — but was popular enough for the megastore to bring it back. With many eyes on Amazon again this year, shoppers are surely expecting the store to do something big this time around. Here’s what you can expect.

Today in Apple history: QuickTime brings video to the Mac

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An image of a Macintosh computer running the first QuickTime beta.
QuickTime was a breakthrough for Macs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

July 8 July 8, 1991: The first QuickTime beta arrives, making it possible for people to play movies on their Macs for the first time, with no extra hardware needed.

The innovative software showcased Apple’s commitment to pushing technological boundaries and set the stage for the seamless integration of video into everyday computing.

Lunch with Apple’s new rockstar exec is up for auction

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Bozoma Saint John
Bozoma Saint John at WWDC this year.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook isn’t the only Apple executive who’s willing to have lunch with fans in an effort to raise money for charity. Bozoma Saint John, chief of global consumer marketing for Apple Music and iTunes, is auctioning off a “power lunch” in aid of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

How to make Amazon Echo default to Spotify or Pandora

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The Amazon Echo may finally have competition from Apple.
It's easier than ever to get the Amazon Echo to play tracks from Spotify Premium.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Barking out a song request at my Amazon Echo smart speaker, then hearing the track magically start playing, makes me feel like I’m living in the future.

Unfortunately, that feeling evaporates when the song isn’t part of the relatively skimpy Amazon Prime Music catalog. If it’s not there, Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa queues up an annoying 30-second sample — and that makes me realize I’m living in the very buggy present.

Luckily, you can fix that. Here’s how to make Amazon Echo default to Spotify so you don’t get stuck with those annoying song and album previews.

Behold the year’s best iPhone photographs

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This photo of man and eagle was the grand prize winner in the 2016 iPhone Photo Awards.
Photo: Siyuan Niu

The winners of the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards could have made their celebrated photographs with almost any camera. But the iPhone isn’t any camera and our amazement over it hasn’t waned.

And it won’t once you behold the incredible images of this year’s entries.

iOS 10 and macOS Sierra betas are now open to the public

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iPhone SE
Public testers can download iOS 10 now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple fans who want to get a glimpse of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra before their public release later this fall will finally get the opportunity to install the new software today.

Coming just two days after the release of the second beta of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra to developers, Apple is now letting members of its public beta program install the new software, which debuted last month at WWDC.

Learn app development now, just in time for iOS 10 [Deals]

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iOS Online Courses
Gain lifelong access to cutting-edge coding education with iOS Online Courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 10 is almost here, and along with it a whole host of new features for enterprising developers to take advantage of. Oh, you’re not a developer? Well that can change. iOS Online Courses is a leading provider of expert instruction in iOS game and app development, and right now you can get a lifetime of access for just $69 at Cult of Mac Deals.