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Setting your sights on web development? Get started here [Deals]

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Get a lifetime of access to thousands of lessons in web development.
Get a lifetime of access to thousands of lessons in web development.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

So you want to be a web developer. It’s a dense and diverse field, so you better get studying. A lifetime of access to this bundle of OSTraining Developer Courses is a great place to get started.

With more than 3,000 video tutorials from subject experts and unlimited access to a sprawling training library, you’ll become skilled at building on open source platforms like WordPress and with languages like JavaScript, HTML and more. You can get a lifetime subscription now for just $65.

Idiot grounds flight with stupid Wi-Fi hotspot name

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idiot-grounds-flight-with-stupid-wi-fi-hotspot-name-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201605Qantas_A380_Over-Sydney-Harbour-1200x748-jpg
Don't get on a plane with a Wi-Fi hotspot named "mobile detonation device."
Photo: Qantas
Don't get on a plane with a Wi-Fi hotspot named "mobile detonation device." Photo: Qantas
Don’t get on a plane with a Wi-Fi hotspot named “mobile detonation device.” Photo: Qantas

Everyone knows you shouldn’t say “bomb” on an airplane — and it should be just as obvious that you shouldn’t name your wireless gadgets ridiculous things, either.

A simple Wi-Fi hotspot sparked terrorism fears on a recent Australia-bound Qantas plane because someone thought it would be a good idea to name it “mobile detonation device.”

Samsung successful in bid to block used iPhone sales in India

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
Apple's plans in India have hit a roadblock.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

India might be willing to bend some laws to help Apple gain traction in the country, but when it comes to the company’s request to import and sell refurbished iPhones to the world’s second-largest mobile population, things aren’t quite so positive.

According to a new report, Apple’s application was turned down on the grounds that it might hurt local handset manufacturers.

And one of the companies behind the campaign to stop Apple? None other than decidedly non-local smartphone maker, Samsung!

Top venture capitalist says Apple should be focused on AI

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Prepare for the Woz-pocalypse
The Apple execs of the future?
Photo: TriStar Pictures

Rightly or wrongly, Apple’s stock taking a prolonged plunge has opened the floodgates for people to hold court about what it is that Apple’s apparently doing wrong — and how the company can be righted again.

Today it was the turn of venture capitalist Fred Wilson, founder and managing partner of Union Square Ventures. His answer: that Apple is failing to invest enough in artificial intelligence and cloud cloud computing.

Google teams up with Chrysler to build self-driving minivans

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google-teams-up-with-chrysler-to-build-self-driving-minivans-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2016052017-Chrysler-Pacifica-1011-876x535-jpg
The Chrysler Pacifica could soon drive itself.
Photo: Fiat Chrysler
self-driving
The Chrysler Pacifica could soon drive itself. Photo: Fiat Chrysler

Google is on the verge of signing a new deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to build “several dozen” self-driving minivans, according to a new report.

The first models could be on the road sometime this year for the first phase of the self-driving vehicle partnership, but it’s not yet clear what the main objective is.

‘Jesus’ arrested in Philadelphia Apple Store

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brighter_jesus
Not something you expect to see every day!
Photo: jenamillerrunner

Considering that Apple is the company behind the “Jesus Tablet,” and that its Apple Stores are pretty much modern day tech cathedrals, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to bump into the son of God in one.

Perhaps more of a surprise, though, to arrive in the Apple Store in Center City, Philadelphia to witness a long-haired man in robes — known to locals as the “Philly Jesus” — being dragged out in handcuffs.

What’s on my iPhone SE? Take a look

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What's on Ste's iPhone
Feeling nosey? Take a tour around my iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith / Cult of Mac

The iPhone is one of the most personal devices around, with so many apps out there that there’s near limitless scope for customizing the device with whatever tools we need to make it fit our requirements.

With that in mind, here are the apps that I’m currently running on my iPhone SE. Looking for some tips on what to download for Apple’s latest smartphone? Interested in a tour to see what your favorite Liverpudlian Cult of Mac team member has on his handset?

Whatever your reasons, check out my latest video below.

iPhone SE may be bigger hit than even Apple expected

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Loads of people love the iPhone SE's smaller form factor.
Big hits come in small packages.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

The iPhone SE may be Apple’s smallest iPhone, but it’s apparently a big hit — possibly even more so than Apple expected!

After Tim Cook spoke enthusiastically about the iPhone SE during Apple’s most recent earnings call, the company has reportedly upped its orders for the diminutive handset for next quarter.

Don’t bid farewell to iPhone 7’s headphone jack just yet

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iPhone 7 won't be cheap.
Has the rumor-mill been lying to us? Surely not!
Photo: Eric Huismann

One of the most widely-circulated rumors about the upcoming iPhone 7 is that it will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning or wireless headphones.

But don’t be so certain that this is the case: a newly-published photo, reporting to be a shot of the next-gen iPhone internals, appears to show the headphone jack still hanging on despite rumors of its demise.

Fitbit CEO: Apple Watch is ‘the wrong way to approach’ wearables

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Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is no Fitbit. Apparently.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch may have out-earned Rolex to the tune of $1.5 billion last year, but according to Fitbit CEO’s James Park, Apple’s pursuing the wrong direction with its wearable devices.

“We look at it from a consumer point of view,” Park said, noting that the Apple Watch, “is a computing platform [instead, and] that’s really the wrong way to approach this category from the very beginning.”

Tim Cook promises iPhone features you’ve never dreamed of

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LOVELOUD
Everything at Apple is great. Promise...
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Future iPhones are going to be so amazing, you probably haven’t even thought of the features Apple is going to add, Tim Cook claimed in a recent interview.

The Apple CEO appeared Monday on Mad Money in an effort to abate the company’s bleeding stock price following last week’s less-than-stellar earnings call. Cook reassured investors that the rumors of Apple’s demise have been greatly exaggerated once again.

While lackluster iPhone sales last quarter have scared off mega-investors and analysts alike, Cook promised some incredible innovation is in the pipeline. In addition to touting upcoming iPhone features, Cook’s wide-ranging conversation with Mad Money host Jim Cramer touched on everything from the Apple Watch being (inaccurately) dubbed a flop to Apple’s growing interest in India and much more.

Here are the highlights:

Surprise: Silicon Valley campaign donations lean to the left

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surprise-silicon-valley-campaign-donations-lean-to-the-left-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201605Crowdpac-tech-political-donations-jpg
Crowdpac silicon valley campaign donations companies
You won’t find a lot of Trump yard signs in the valley. Source: CrowdPAC

Silicon Valley campaign donations have poured way more money into the presidential bids of Democrats than Republicans, surprising nobody, ever.

This shocking revelation comes from a report from CrowdPAC, a non-partisan, political crowdfunding organization that has discovered that the companies most likely to donate to campaigns are Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. And while the findings don’t include fine-grain data like individual amounts or the actual numbers of employees, they do make one overwhelming conclusion:

Techies don’t like Donald Trump.

Mac app Quitter keeps you from falling down the Twitter hole

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Shut down Twitter so you can get things done.
Shut down Twitter so you can get things done.
Photo: Marco Arment

You know how it is: you spend way too much time on Twitter or Slack when you should be working. Ideally, you’d just not launch them, but that’s not super feasible if you also use these apps for work.

The answer, then, is an app that will hide or quit apps for you after a certain amount of idle time. Called Quitter, it sits nicely in your Mac’s menu bar and makes sure you don’t fall down the Twitter hole.

Fashion fiend Jony Ive calls handmade clothes overrated

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This 3D printed dress will be part of Apple's Manus x Machina exhibition.
This bizarre 3-D printed dress is part of the Apple-sponsored Manus x Machina exhibition.
Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope/The Met

An Apple-sponsored exhibition featuring dozens of weirdly wonderful gowns — some produced using 3-D printers, lasers and other exotic techniques — should challenge people’s assumptions that handmade items are inherently better, according to Jony Ive.

Apple’s chief design officer talked up the power of machine-powered manufacturing when he took center stage at this morning’s press preview for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Manus x Machina exhibition. The show, which opens today in New York City, explores the relationship between fashion and technology with a gallery of more than 150 unique couture gowns from designers such as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Dior, Miuccia Prada and Yves Saint Laurent.

ANZ’s hilarious Apple Pay ad is better than Apple’s

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Apple Pay is simply amazing.
Apple Pay is simply amazing.
Photo: ANZ Australia

Using Apple Pay to buy stuff feels like magic every time. Apple’s official ads don’t really portray how awestruck people are when I bust out my iPhone or Apple Watch to buy a Red Bull, but a bank in Australia has captured the moment perfectly.

ANZ’s funny Apple Pay ad is super and simple and just shows a regular guy buying a carton of milk from an Australian version of Seth Rogen. Not much happens, but the wave of utter amazement and disbelief that hits everyone in the store when the guy taps the counter with his iPhone is something you’ve got to see.

Check it out:

Wrap your iPad and iPhone in luxurious leather [Reviews]

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These lovely, leather folios are delightfully classy.
These lovely, leather folios are delightfully classy.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

SurfacePad for iPhone and iPad solves a problem I have with most folio-style cases.

These tend to cover up too much of the gorgeous Apple design without giving much in return. There’s always a trade-off between form and function. If you’re going to hide the gleaming Apple devices behind a case, at least make it look as classy and useful as Apple does.

The SurfacePad for folio cases from Twelve South are delightfully minimal, covering the front and rear of your iPad or iPhone in luxurious leather without sacrificing a refined look.

Teen uses lawn-mowing money to fund incredible Apple collection

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Alex's Apple Orchard
Alex's Apple Orchard occupied the basement of the family home.
Photo courtesy of Alex Jason

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugA 10-year-old kid in Maine finds an iMac G5 on Craigslist and arranges to trade a minibike and a snowblower for it.

The computer was supposed to be for games and homework. It instead proved to be the first piece in what is becoming one of the most significant private collections of Apple devices in the United States.

iPhone 7 might get battery boost, new leak suggests

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The next iPhone will have a huge battery.
The next iPhone will have a huge battery.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Leaked images from Apple’s supply chain in Asia have allegedly revealed the upcoming iPhone 7’s battery, and it looks like it will be slightly bigger than the one found in the iPhone 6s.

Photos of the batteries where published this morning on the Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo showing that the iPhone 7 will be upgraded to a 7.04Wh battery — a bump up from the iPhone 6s’ 6.61Wh battery — that will hopefully bring a few more hours a usage time to the new device.

In an innovative economy, project management is a make-or-break skill [Deals]

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Learn one of the most valuable skills in the modern jobs marketplace with this comprehensive project management lesson bundle.
Learn one of the most valuable skills in the modern jobs marketplace with this comprehensive project management lesson bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The tech market is all about iteration — build it, replace it, fail faster. Companies of all sizes launch and land constant streams of projects, like the sped up lights of airliners coming into LAX, each one needing someone skilled in seeing it through. That skill is called project management, and it’s one of the most in-demand capabilities anyone can bring to a gig. It’s a skill that you can learn, and this PMP Project Management Prep Bundle is a great place to start, offering comprehensive instruction and a leading project management certification. Right now you can get it for $65 at Cult of Mac Deals.

iPhone takes a bullet to save Turkish soldier’s life

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iPhone 6 Plus_7

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6 may have earned a rep as the bendiest device Apple’s ever made, but it turns out the iPhone also doubles as a decent bullet shield.

A Turkish soldier discovered that fact the hard way while battling the terrorist organization PKK. In the middle of a fire fight, a young soldier was hit by a bullet, but thanks to the iPhone tucked in his pants pocket he walked away with his life.

Take a look at the damage:

Apple’s touching Mother’s Day ad was shot on iPhone

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Apple's new ad is all about moms.
Apple's new ad is all about moms.
Photo: Truman P/Youtube

Mother’s Day is less than a week away and to celebrate, Apple has published a new video ad that spotlights mothers across the globe.

The new ad was shot entirely on iPhone, only instead of hiring a high-profile filmmaker to shoot the touching commercial, Apple compiled a collection of photos and short videos of moms shot by amateur photographers and iPhone users.

Watch it below:

CareKit, Word Flow Keyboard, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome-Apps-of-the-Week2
What are this week's hottest apps?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Looking to get up to speed on the week’s hottest apps? We’ve got your back!

Since my colleague Evan Killham has already covered the latest hot iOS games, I’m focusing on non-gaming apps this week: whether that’s an all-new custom keyboard, relaunched Q&A platform, or an update to an existing live-streaming favorite. Check out our picks below.