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Samsung just tried to patent the Apple Watch

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Samsung-Apple-Watch-patent
Oh, Samsung!
Photo: Samsung

Ripping off Apple’s iconic designs is one thing, but Samsung just took its copying to a whole new level of stupid by trying to patent the Apple Watch.

Its new filing for a “Wearable Device” uses not one but many sketches of Apple’s popular smartwatch, complete with digital crown and all the same straps.

Apple plans to change the way you find what to watch on TV

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Get your OCD on with folders on Apple TV.
Finding videos on Apple TV is about to get a lot easier.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has a new strategy for how it will take over your television, only instead of selling you TV streaming service that replaces cable, the company is reportedly working on a interface that will help users find what content is available on every iOS and tvOS app.

Tv programmers and video companies have allegedly been approached by Apple about creating a digital TV guide for iPhone and Apple TV that will let users find video content from HBO, Netflix, ESPN and more without having to actually open the apps.

Apple Store app redesign adds Discover tab with product recommendations

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It looks so clean.
It looks so clean.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple is bringing big changes to the Apple Store app for iOS today with a huge update that adds product recommendations to the store for the first time.

The Apple Store app redesign features a simplified UI that focuses on making it easier for users to see their reservations, check if a product is in stock at a nearby store, find out when an order is ready and much more.

Apple fixes security hole with iOS 9.3.4 update

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iOS 9.3 Beta 4
iOS 9 gets one final update.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 9 is getting one final update before iOS 10 makes its big debut this fall. Apple just rolled out iOS 9.3.4, which is an “important security update” that’s recommended for all iPhone and iPad users with compatible devices.

100+ top designers take Apple’s side in fight vs Samsung

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Samsung
Samsung has Silicon Valley on its team, but Apple has big name designers.
Photo: Jim Merithew

Legendary Braun designer Dieter Rams has joined forces with 110 other distinguished industrial design professionals to support Apple in its long standing fight with Samsung for copying the design of the iPhone.

The group of designers have filed a amicus briefing with the US Supreme Court arguing that Apple deserves the millions of dollars it was originally awarded in court because of the company’s innovative look that let to 1 billion units sold.

How to get macOS Sierra to display your photos on a world map

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Sierra Maps
A new way to scan through your photos!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the neatest new additions to macOS Sierra is the increased focus on photos. Using the in-built Photos app, it’s now easier than ever to relive your most cherished memories with nifty features like the ability to display all your photos on a world map — presenting a different way to access your pics.

Here’s how to do it using the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

Gwyneth Paltrow is bringing her coding skills to ‘Planet of the Apps’

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planet of the apes with tim cook
Welcome to our new world Gwyneth.
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox/Apple

Apple has signed Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow to join its unscripted series ‘Planet of the Apps’.

Paltrow will be joined by will.i.am and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on the show where all three will serve as mentors and advisors to app developers in the series that will reportedly act as a launch pad to exceptional developers.

Tenba bag shoulders camera gear with understated style

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The camera bag that does the job without announcing itself, the Tenba Cooper.
The camera bag that does the job without announcing itself, the Tenba Cooper.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

I’ve carried many styles and price points on my rounded shoulder over the course of a photography career, and have a closet full of camera bags to prove it. I always found a reason to retire each bag, whether it’s an expensive name brand, cheap knock-off or proven hand-me-down.

Lately, I’ve been toting gear in a Tenba Cooper bag. I’ve done so for a few months now, long enough where my eyes should begin to look at other styles and brands. I’ve never been happier with a bag.

Take the padlock off your PDFs for conversion, editing, and more [Deals]

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PDFpen makes usually closed-off PDFs fully convertable and editable.
PDFpen makes usually closed-off PDFs fully convertable and editable.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you do work on a computer, you have to reckon with PDFs, the go-to format for documents of all kinds. As ubiquitous as PDFs are, they’re also universally tough to edit or convert unless you’ve got an app like PDFpen to unlock it. This is software that makes it easy to merge, markup, convert using OCR, and more, and right now, you can get PDFpen 8 for $37 at Cult of Mac Deals.

10 awesome iOS photo editing apps you need to try

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Cult of Mac
Want to create some amazing photo effects? Here's the apps to help you achieve them.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There are hundreds upon hundreds of different photo editing apps for iOS in the App Store. So, how would you know which ones are worth trying out? Well, I thought I’d help you out by running through my personal top ten photo editing apps.

Check out my video rundown below.

Today in Apple history: Apple fires first shot in war against Samsung

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Samsung
The start of Apple's battle with Samsung.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Aug4August 4, 2010: Apple fires the first shot in its apparently never-ending war against Samsung, when a team of Apple executives visit Samsung’s HQ in Seoul, South Korea, and give a presentation with the title, “Samsung’s Use of Apple Patents in Smartphones.”

It marks the official start of a multi-billion dollar battle between the two rivals (and, weirdly, collaborators) which has continued to rage ever since.

Apple Music for Android is finally out of beta

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Apple-Music-Android
Apple Music for Android is keeping up with iOS.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The first major Android app made by Apple engineers is finally ready for primetime.

Coming over a year after the launch of Apple Music on iOS, Apple released the first non-beta version of Apple Music on the Google Play Store today and it comes with a couple new features.

Another 23 U.S. banks now support Apple Pay

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay's reach extends even further.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple today confirmed another 23 U.S. banks and credit unions now offer support for Apple Pay. The moves comes just a day after Canadian banks Tangerine and President’s Choice Financial also announced support for the mobile payments service.

YouTube feeds addiction for tech unboxing obsession

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Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Photo: Lamarr Wilson/YouTube

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugMaybe Christmas morning doesn’t come often enough. How else do you explain the full-blown obsession of millions of people who turn to YouTube to watch videos of someone opening boxes containing new products?

Tech companies, especially Apple, know that packaging and how it opens to present you that shiny new gadget is a critical first step towards a love connection. Companies are even conscious of how a sparkling YouTube personality with a child-like excitement for what’s inside the box can help drive sales.

Apple says its gender pay gap has been fixed

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Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s workforce became a little bit more diverse in 2016 according to the company’s annual Inclusion and Diversity report that was published today, revealing that minorities made up 54 percent of new U.S. hires.

The company is also hiring more women than ever and says it is finally paying women equal wages, and will continue to analyze the salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants of all employees worldwide to solve the gender pay gap once and for all.

Latest iPhone 7 Plus mockup reveals beautiful blue finish

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iPhone-7-Plus-mockup-blue
iPhone 7 Plus looks beautiful in blue.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Yet another iPhone 7 Plus mockup has been captured on video ahead of Apple’s official unveiling this fall, but this one’s a little more exciting than most.

Not only is it thought to be the most accurate representation of the iPhone 7 Plus we’ve seen so far, but it also comes in a new blue finish that could replace the space gray option in Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup.

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

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lightning cable
Get two, 10-foot long, MFi-Certified Lightning cables for the price of a single standard 3-foot one.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Considering they’re the lifelines for the most important devices in our lives, Lightning cables sure are fragile and, at just 3 feet, short. Odds are your own cable’s already frayed or nicked if you’ve had it for more than a couple months, time for a replacement. Lucky for you, there’s a chance to add length and life to the cable you use to charge and transfer data between your devices, twice. You can get two 10-foot long, MFi-Certified Lightning cables for just $14.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Today in Apple history: World’s first Apple killer goes on sale

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Photo of Tandy TRS-80 computer
The TRS-80 was Apple's first big rival in the marketplace.
Photo: Rama & Musée Bolo/Wikipedia CC

Aug 3August 3, 1977: The Tandy TRS-80 personal computer makes its debut. The first affordable, mass-market computer gives the Apple 1 some serious competition.

Although the TRS-80 arrived the year after the Apple 1 and a few months after the Apple II, it proved to be the first “Apple killer” on the market, predating later rivals like the IBM Personal Computer as Apple’s first big tech industry opponent. And, for the longest time, Tandy’s computer seemed to be on course to win.