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Apple reveals why its Irish data center is so important

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Ireland
A mock up of Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

Concerns about the effect Apple’s massive Irish data center will have on badger and bat populations may have momentarily suspended the company’s plans, but Apple representatives have assured locals the $950 million project will be largely invisible.

Robert Sharpe, Apple’s senior director of global data center services appeared at a hearing in Galway County this week to address concerns about the 500 acre data center and revealed why it’s so important to Apple’s expansion plans in Europe.

New software brings iPhone’s 3D Touch to any smartphone

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ForcePhone makes Androids pressure-sensitive.
ForcePhone makes Androids pressure-sensitive.
Photo: University of Michigan

You don’t need a pressure-sensitive display or fancy sensors to take advantage of the 3D Touch features on the iPhone 6s. Engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a way to bring 3D Touch to any smartphone using incredibly clever software.

Apple’s Echo rival will always be watching you

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Can Apple top the amazing Amazon Echo?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Details of Apple’s upcoming Amazon Echo competitor are starting to surface, and it sounds like it could be both Apple’s most futuristic and creepiest product yet. 

The iPhone-maker is considering adding a camera to its Echo rival, according to a new report that claims the device will be able to tell who is using it just by looking at you.

Apple winning as lawmakers give up on forced backdoors

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iPhone SE
The FBI won't get its backdoor anytime soon.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

U.S. lawmakers are said to be giving up on their push for new encryption laws that would require companies like Apple to create software backdoors that allow the government to access our devices.

It’s thought the lack of White House support and Apple’s high-profile battle with the Justice Department, which was unable to force the company into providing an iPhone unlock, are some of the reasons why supporters are losing hope.

5 of Apple’s best-paying jobs–and how you score one

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Apple Position Image

With over $223 billion in revenue and 115,000 employees, Apple is unquestionably a tech giant. And given its financial success, competitive wages, and sheer brand power, it’s no wonder that it’s the dream workplace of many seeking to work in tech.

Interested in landing a job at this Cupertino-based company? Read on: we’ve crafted a list of some of Apple’s highest paid positions and their job requirements, as well as several resources designed to get your foot into the door.

Samsung Pay could soon be available on your iPhone

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samsung-pay-arrives-to-take-on-apple-in-china-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201504samsung_pay_0_0-1-jpg
Samsung wants to fight Apple Pay in its own backyard.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung Pay is doing all it can to make things difficult for Apple Pay, and that could include bringing the fight to its own backyard. Samsung is said to be working on porting its mobile payment service to the iPhone — but there is a catch.

Grandfather scammed out of $50,000 in iTunes scam

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money
Police say they want to stop others being scammed in the same way.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An almost 90-year-old grandfather was recently scammed out of $50,000 in iTunes vouchers, police detectives have revealed.

Calling the scam artists “the lowest of the low,” Detective Mike Oakley says that the victim received a call on May 3 from a person pretending to be his grandson and saying they had been involved in a serious car accident during a vacation in Florida.

Apple ‘working rapidly’ to bring Apple Pay to more markets

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple wants to bring Apple Pay to every major market the company operates in.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay, says that Apple is “working rapidly” to expand the company’s mobile payments system way beyond the six countries it currently operates in.

“Our goal is to have Apple Pay in every significant market Apple is in,” Bailey said in a new interview.

Fancy a cup of Steve Jobs tea?

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Steve_Jobs_2007
For some reason I have the feeling Steve or his estate didn't approve this!
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

You can pay to have a cup of coffee with Tim Cook, so doesn’t it make perfect sense that you can also buy tea bearing the likeness of his predecessor, legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs?

Not really, if we’re honest — but try telling that to makers of “Tea Rebels,” a brand of teabags discovered recently in a supermarket in Katowice, Poland.

Here’s to the milky ones…

DIY update adds CarPlay to your Hyundai

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CarPlay
CarPlay has a new arrival.
Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai car owners can now get Apple’s CarPlay technology on their dashboard thanks to a new Do-It-Yourself update that has been made available for 2015, 2016, and 2017 car models.

The free update doesn’t even require a trip to the dealer to be installed, and if you want Android Auto, the software can add that too.

MSI’s backpack PC makes high-end VR portable

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Oculus-portable
Oculus in the park? Not quite.
Photo: Oculus/Cult of Mac

Thanks to headsets like Google Cardboard and Gear VR, the virtual reality experience is already pretty portable. But on a smartphone, you’re only getting a watered-down version.

That’s why MSI decided it would be a good idea to build a PC into a backpack, allowing you to enjoy high-end VR on the go.

Apple TV could become an Amazon Echo rival

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apple tv and siri remote
A new Apple TV could be Apple's answer to Alexa.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is planning to open Siri up to third-party developers and it appears that Apple TV could be the biggest benefactor from the expanded platform.

In order to better compete with Amazon’s Echo devices, Apple reportedly plans to update the Apple TV with more Siri features that will hopefully turn the device into the hub of everything.

Apple has a plan to revolutionize the Walkie Talkie

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apple-store-union-square
Apple's two-way radios would be perfect for store employees.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

Walkie Talkies could be getting a big upgrade thanks to a new Apple patent that reveals the company has been thinking about more than just iPhones when it comes to two-way voice conversations.

Apple’s new patent describes a revamped wireless communication device that connects to a receiver module via Lightning or standard headphone jack, only instead of broadcasting to other devices using cellular it uses point-to-point ad hoc networking.

Patent troll wants iMessage and FaceTime banned

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Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s most hated patent troll, VirnetX, has hit the iPhone-maker with more legal woes this week, after it requested a court in Texas to have iMessage and FaceTime banned in the U.S.

VirnetX was awarded $625 million in damages after a jury found Apple had infringed on the company’s patents with iMessage and FaceTime. Now the patent troll is asking for an extra $190 million on top of the injunction because it feels Apple’s just been too unreasonable.

How online retailers collect and use consumer data

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To get your dollars, online retailers first need to get your data.
To get your dollars, online retailers first need to get your data.
Photo: Cult of Mac
Most consumers can’t deny the convenience of online vs. in-store shopping. Think about how you can buy anything you want right on your tablet or iPhone, without having to sit in traffic, find parking, wait in line, and still, you don’t find what you were looking for.

Factor in things like free shipping, better inventory, and the option to make purchases from around the globe that you’ll never find at your local mall, online shopping has opened up more ways to make a satisfying customer experience that’s hard to replicate brick-and-mortar style.

Sid Meier’s Civilization looks beyond Earth and to the stars [Deals]

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The newest Civilization installment and its expansions leaves Earth far, far behind.
The newest Civilization installment and its expansions leaves Earth far, far behind.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you grew up around computers, you’ve encountered Sid Meier’s epic Civilization series, the singular strategy game that put players at the helm of humanity’s history. But as time has gone on the series has moved on, and in Civilization: Beyond Earth – The Collection, the gaze of these games is now pointed at our future among the stars. This bundle of Civilization: Beyond Earth, the Exoplanets Map Pack and the Rising Tide Expansion, an interstellar adventure you can embark on today for $29.99.

Don’t expect your iPhone 7 to be any thinner

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iPhone-7-plus-scheme
This tells us the iPhone 7 Plus will be no thinner than its predecessor.
Photo: LetemSvetem Applem

Some reports have claimed Apple’s next-generation iPhones will be its thinnest yet, but according to a new schematics leak, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be just as thick as the company’s latest models.

But that doesn’t mean the headphone jack is sticking around.