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Want to see if your iPhone’s been hacked? There’s an app for that

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hacking pic
You might think your iPhone's safe, but are you sure?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You could be using a jailbroken iPhone containing malicious software that spies on your every move and you wouldn’t even know it.

It might be unlikely, but it happens, and you should be aware of it — especially if you buy used devices. Fortunately, you can now get a simple app that tells you in an instant whether your iPhone or iPad has been hacked.

Amazon just declared war on YouTube

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Can it win?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Amazon is already battling Netflix and Spotify and plenty of other content providers, but it wants an even bigger challenge. The retail giant today unveiled Amazon Video Direct, a sharing platform that’s taking the fight to YouTube.

Apple display maker desperate for iPhone’s OLED switch

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iPhone6-display
The sooner Apple shifts to OLED displays, the better.
Photo: Apple

Apple display maker Japan Display has, quite literally, millions of reasons why it’s desperate for Apple to switch to OLED displays for the iPhone as soon as possible.

The company reported a ¥31.8 billion ($293.5 million) loss for the recently-ended fiscal year as the rising value of the yen, and slowing iPhone and iPad sales, hit the manufacturer hard. And according to its bosses, it’s counting on Apple introducing OLED iPhone displays to help bail it out!

You aren’t too cool to learn to code [Deals]

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Learn to Code 2016

Coding isn’t just something nerdy developers and network specialists do — it’s becoming an expected skill for anyone who works with a computer. Learning to code has never been more valuable, and it’s also never been as easy, which this bundle of lessons proves. With 8 courses in Python, PHP, Ruby, and other essential elements to understanding and using code, it’s a great way to get the skillset you need to get the salary you want. And right now you can get the Complete 2016 Learn to Code Bundle for $59 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Exciting iOS 10 concept reinvents notifications, adds home screen widgets

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iOS 10 will be a milestone for Apple.
Photo: iPhone-tricks

If 2016 is like previous years, Apple will unveil its annual iOS refresh at next month’s WWDC event.

While currently we haven’t heard too much about the milestone iOS 10, a group of dedicated Apple fans have taken it upon themselves to imagine what the upcoming improvements and feature set mat look like in the form of a nifty concept video. And if Apple comes up with anything like what they’ve dreamed up, we’re happy to say that we’ll be very, very pleased indeed.

Check it out below.

Canada’s top banks jump on Apple Pay

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Hockey, maple syrup, and now Apple Pay, too!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay’s availability in Canada has taken a giant step forward with two major Canadian banks starting to offer the service starting today.

Beginning Tuesday, Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will support Apple’s NFC payment technology, along with ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Financial Services — while three other banks out of Canada’s Big Five are set to hop on the bandwagon over the coming months.

Comparison video drives home why iPhone 6s is Apple’s best ever phone

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That's quite the iPhone collection.
Photo: EveryApplePro

Particularly for those of us who have always used iPhones, it’s fascinating to be reminded of how far the technology has come in under a decade.

With that in mind, a recent video by YouTube channel EveryApplePro puts every iPhone model Apple has ever put out (with the exception, unfortunately, of the new iPhone SE) through a battery of tests to check everything from startup time to speaker output to, yes, even their heat signatures.

Check it out below.

Why Apple stock is far from dead

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iphone stocks app
Apple shares have been taking a beating!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AAPL stock fell to a new 52-week low last week, signaling its longest loss streak in 18 years, but portfolio managers aren’t close to throwing in the towel on Apple just yet. In fact, this could turn out to be the equivalent of a Black Friday sale for anyone wanting to get their hands on some massively undervalued stock!

“Things aren’t as bad as everybody thinks,” said Dan Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust, speaking on CNBC‘s “Squawk on the Street.” “[Apple has] a tremendous amount of room to grow.”

Steve Jobs may have influenced Apple Watch more than you know

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Why Salesforce chief gave up AppStore.com for Apple
What would Steve do? The Apple Watch, apparently.
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

The Apple Watch is the first major new Apple product line to be launched under Tim Cook, but according to Apple analyst Tim Bajarin (who, unlike many Apple commentators, actually knows a lot of the people he writes about), it’s a product which owes a tremendous amount to Steve Jobs and his experiences.

Here’s how Bajarin explains it:

Apple’s changing auto design without even having a car out

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Apple car truck
We're pretty sure the Apple Car won't look like this. Not a chamfer in sight.
Photo: devastatormonstertruck.com

We haven’t even gotten an official announcement of the Apple Car yet, but it looks like the company is still working its way into the automotive industry.

That’s according to the staff at car news site The Drive, which placed Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive and CEO Tim Cook on its list of “The 10 Most Influential People in Automotive Technology.” They didn’t top the list, however; that would be crazy. But they did place higher than some people who are actually in charge of real vehicles that people are driving around right now.

But The Drive backs its decisions up pretty well.

Apple Music is somehow helping Spotify grow

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Spotify
Spotify now boasts 100 million users worldwide.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify might have been more than a little worried when Apple Music launched last June, but the rivalry has so far been beneficial for the streaming music pioneer. Spotify revealed today that it has grown even faster over the past year.

Microsoft can’t even give away Windows 10

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Microsoft-Surface
Windows 10 is almost a year old, and Windows 7 still rules.
Photo: Microsoft

I like Windows 10. There, I said it. But unfortunately for Microsoft, millions of others have no interest in it.

Despite being free for almost a year, the company’s latest upgrade hasn’t been able to put any significant dent in Windows 7’s user base. It has only just overtaken the universally despised Windows 8.1 release.

Siri’s latest shortcoming: Public speaking

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NPH iPhone 6s ad
Oh, you.
Photo: Apple

A new iPhone 6s ad features actor Neil Patrick Harris, the Internet’s boyfriend, practicing an acceptance speech with digital assistant Siri.

The spot shows off the latest device’s hands-free feature, which lets you activate the helper with voice commands without the phone having to be plugged in. But mostly it’s just a fun little promo.

Check it out below.

Siri’s sequel beats the heck out of Apple’s AI assistant

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Viv
Viv is going to blow you away!
Photo: Viv

Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, creators of the artificial intelligence technology that brought Siri to the iPhone, today showcased a new virtual assistant that’s even more amazing.

Viv, which has been secretly in development for the past four years, is a much more open platform that works closely with a whole bunch of different services to be even more powerful than its predecessor, and to take AI to a whole new level.

Strikingly simple Yohann iPad stand works all the angles [Reviews]

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Yohann iPad stand updated photo
It's just one piece, but it does basically everything you need.
Photo: Evan Killham, Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

I have a pretty decent iPad cover that lets me easily prop up my tablet in case I want to stay in bed and watch Netflix all day like someone who does not suffer from depression at all. But the recently released Yohann iPad stand makes my existing system look like cheap garbage.

It’s genuinely a beautiful and elegantly designed piece that looks great whether it’s holding the iPad or not, and it’s also incredibly useful. You’ll pay for every bit of that ingenuity, but if you have the scratch, this belongs in your home.

iPhone 7 might kill two of iPhone 6s’ worst design flaws

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It's convincing, but is it real?
Photo: MacRumors

This year’s iPhone upgrade probably won’t be a spectacular one, but it could kill two of our biggest design complaints with the latest models.

An iPhone 7 dummy unit promises more discreet antenna bands that are nowhere near as ugly, and a flush camera lens. It also reignites hopes of a Smart Connector.

Periscope takes to the skies with live drone streaming

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Broadcast from your GoPro, iPhone, or DJI drone with Periscope.
Broadcast from your GoPro, iPhone, or DJI drone with Periscope.
Photo: Periscope

Now you can stream live from your drone when you take to the skies with Periscope, Twitter’s service that lets you broadcast live video, provided you have the app on iOS and a DJI drone.

In addition to live drone streaming, Periscope is also rolling out a new search function that will let you look for specific live streams and saved broadcasts. You’ll be able to search for topics or hashtags with the new system.

A save function, currently in beta, is also expected to arrive in a few weeks.

Microsoft more profitable than Apple at $1 trillion milestone

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Windows 10 Mobile
Lumia's failure hasn't hit Microsoft too hard... yet.
Photo: Microsoft

Apple may have quaffed all the champagne at the $1 trillion in revenue party before Microsoft even got its invite, but the Windows maker rocked up in a bigger limo.

Last quarter, Microsoft finally reached the major milestone that Apple celebrated back in 2015, and it currently boasts even more profit.

Coffee table book is self-taught photographer’s valentine to Apple design

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Jonathan Zufi's book ICONIC has been popular with Apple fans.
Jonathan Zufi's book ICONIC has been popular with Apple fans.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThe fun Jonathan Zufi had playing RobotWar on his high school’s lone Apple II in the early 1980s re-emerged one day. He just had to play it again.

The lark that led Zufi to an online search for an Apple II to play the game grew into the acquisition of more than 500 vintage Apple items, which he lovingly photographed, but then sold to fund production of a coffee table book that has sold more than 15,000 copies.