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iPhone 7 pre-orders will reportedly open on September 9

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iPhone 7 camera lens
The iPhone 7 is just weeks away.
Photo: TechTastic

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will reportedly be made available for pre-order on September 9, according to well-connected tipster Evan Blass.

Extrapolating from that date, it suggests that the two devices are likely to go on sale one week later, on September 16, while the official unveiling of the handsets will take place on September 7.

Apple just sold its billionth iPhone!

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Tim Cook
Apple named in another top tech list.
Photo: Apple

One billion iPhone devices have officially been sold now since Steve Jobs unveiled the magical smartphone back in 2007, the company revealed today.

Apple CEO Tim Cook made the announcement at a company meeting in Cupertino today that was also attended by COO Jeff Williams and other top Apple executives.

Apple deals: Buy one, get one iPhone 6s, Lightning cable and more

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Product image of iPhone 6 Plus, which set a new sales record for Apple by selling 10 million over its launch weekend.
Buy one, get one free on the Apple iPhone 6s/6s Plus for AT&T.
Photo: Apple

This week brings deals that might not be right for everyone, but will be perfect for some. Students can score the cheapest iPad Pro 9.7″ we’ve seen, while AT&T customers can get two iPhone 6s’s for the price of one. These deals and more are in this week’s best Apple bargains.

Former Apple engineers build app to take on iCloud

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iCloud
iCloud has a new rival.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s iCloud platform is getting fresh competition this week from some of its former engineers who want to completely change the way content is stored on your iPhone.

Co-founded by Bertrand Serlet, former senior VP of software engineering at Apple, the new startup called Upthere is launching its first iOS app that allows users to store digital photos in Upthere’s cloud that was custom made to be screaming fast.

Eve Energy smart switch lets you manage your home’s energy use effortlessly

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Eve Energy offers easy tools for controlling and monitoring home electricity use.
Eve Energy offers easy tools for controlling and monitoring home electricity use.
Photo: Elgato

This post is brought to you by Elgato, makers of Eve Energy.

We’ve been told for a long time to expect the Internet of Things to give us a new relationship with our homes. By releasing HomeKit, Apple took a big step toward turning that prediction into reality, offering a platform for apps to interact with your home right through your iPhone.

Microsoft says its new camera app is even better than Apple’s

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Microsoft-Pix-iPhone
Pix wants to help you take better photos on iPhone.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft today launched its new camera app for iOS, and the company claims it’s even better than the one Apple builds into iOS.

Pix uses artificial intelligence to make your camera “smarter,” automatically adjusting settings and making enhancements to give you the best shots.

Apple Maps will help you find open parking spots

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Parking data is coming to iOS 10.
Parking data is coming to iOS 10.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Finding a parking garage with plenty of empty spaces is about to get a whole lot easier in Apple Maps.

To give Apple Map users more data about parking lots and garages around the world, Apple has partnered up with Parkopedia which provides detailed info on more that 40 million parking spots in 75 countries around the world, making the hassle of parking a bit more bearable.

How to use Messages to play videos and preview links in macOS Sierra

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iMessage Messages on Mac
Sharing videos and webpages just got a bit easier.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

macOS Sierra has a ton of neat features that’ll change the way you work using your Mac. The ability to play videos inside Messages probably isn’t one of them, but it’s certainly a nice touch that makes chatting to your friends and sharing content that much better.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

It’s impossible to catch ’em all in Pokémon GO

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Pokemon GO
Pikachu is obtainable, but many others aren't!
Photo: Niantic

Give up trying to “catch ’em all” in Pokémon GO, because it’s never going to happen.

Seriously. No matter how much time you put into the game, you will never catch all 151 pocket monsters from the first generation. Right now, it’s only possible to collect 142 of them. Here’s why.

MacBook Air might not be scrapped after all

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Adding an OLED touchpad could make the MacBook Pro even more magical.
The MacBook Pro might not be the only laptop Apple updates this year.
Photo: Martin Hajek

The death of the MacBook Air has seemed pretty much inevitable ever since the introduction of Apple’s super-thin retina MacBook last year, but it appears that Apple may have at least one more update in the pipeline.

Apple is supposedly planning to release a new MacBook Air with USB-C, according to the latest rumor out of Asia, though no timeframe has been given on the launch date.

These futuristic headphones transmit sound through your skull [Deals]

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KOAR
These bone conduction headphones offer a listening experience unlike any other.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Imagine walking around listening to your music without buds blocking your ears, keeping you present and aware in the place you’re standing. That’s exactly what bone-conduction headphones offer, like this Bluetooth-enabled set by KOAR. Instead of air, they use your skull as the medium to transmit sound to your earbuds for a one-of-a-kind listening experience. And right now, you can get a set for $76.99, almost half off.

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.