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The man who gave Steve Jobs his first job is getting into mobile gaming

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Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell: Managing talent should include more fun and games Photo: Flickr/Campus Party Mexico
Atari's Nolan Bushnell was a mentor for Steve Jobs.
Photo: Campus Party Mexico/Flickr

Atari founder and Steve Jobs’ first employer Nolan Bushnell has announced that he is teaming up with Amsterdam developers Spil Games to create a series of original mobile games.

As part of the deal, Bushnell will develop three new games, with the first set for release in 2017. During his time at Atari, the entrepreneur oversaw the development of such classic games as Pong, Adventure and Breakout — the latter of which also happened to be the first collaboration between Jobs and fellow Apple founder Steve Wozniak.

Rumors of iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2, and a kid builds a world-class Apple collection on The CultCast

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One of the world's most impressive collection of Apple artifacts belongs to a 15-year-old kid.
One of the world's most impressive collection of Apple artifacts belongs to a 15-year-old kid.
Photo: Alex's Apple Orchard

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s 13-year record revenue streak is broken; our best picture yet of iPhone 7’s features; rumors point to a faster, untethered Apple Watch 2; Apple has a huge increase in R&D spending, but where’s the money going? And stick around for more stories from the Cult of Mac. This time, a 15-year-old builds one of the world’s most impressive Apple collections.

Our thanks for Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

7 amazing iPad apps to make your photos pop

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All you need are your photos, an iPad, and these apps.
All you need are your photos, an iPad, and these apps.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When you’re looking to create special, one-of-a-kind photo on your iPad, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices out there. We’ve taken some time to find the best apps for photo editing on the iPad and create some step-by-step how-tos to ensure you get the best results.

Whether you’re just looking to out-game your Instagram buddies or create a stunning double exposure photo on your iPad, here are the 7 best ways to make your photos pop.

Galaxy S6 edge+ catches fire while using official Samsung charger

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galaxy-s6-edge-catches-fire-while-using-official-samsung-charger-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2016012016-01-13-153846-jpg
Not what Samsung hoped for when it wished for the hottest smartphone around!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Not what Samsung hoped for when it wished for the hottest smartphone around Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Not what Samsung hoped for when it wished for the hottest smartphone around! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

While we’ve heard reports of smartphones catching fire before, usually this is the result of dodgy third-party charging cables being used.

Not so with a new report claiming that one user’s Samsung’s Galaxy S6 edge+ suffered a similar fate — while being plugged into an official Samsung charger!

Drake airs his Views on Apple Music and iTunes

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Drake talks Apple Music at WWDC.
Drake rocking a vintage Apple jacket at WWDC.
Photo: Apple

Whether it’s hosting a show on Beats 1, sporting a vintage Apple jacket, or having his music tirelessly promoted in Apple Music ads, Drake’s about as established a part of Cupertino these days as Eddy Cue’s collection of Hawaiian shirts.

No surprise then that everyone’s favorite Canadian Degrassi actor-turned-bad-boy-rapper just chose iTunes and Apple Music as the place to debut his new, fourth studio album Views.

Apple HQ suicide victim has been identified

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Apple may as well run Cupertino.
Tragic death at Apple headquarters was 25-year-old software engineer Edward Mackowiak.
Photo: Benjamin Feenstra

The tragic death at Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters this week has been identified by police as 25-year-old software engineer Edward Thomas Mackowiak.

Police were called to Apple’s HQ at 8.35am on Wednesday, along with paramedics. Mackowiak was discovered dead in a conference room, reportedly as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have revealed that “no foul play” was involved, and that this was an “isolated incident.”

Apple’s CEO security budget is surprisingly low

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Tim Cook WWDC 2015
At least he has that knife.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Apple doesn’t spend the least of any huge company on security for head Tim Cook, but it’s way less than we expected.

Considering the iPhone maker is the biggest company, well, ever, we thought that its board might be especially interested in shelling out some major coin to keep Cook safe. But we looked at several different corporations, and Apple’s spending on CEO security is on the lower end.

Like the way lower end. As in, you would not believe how much Facebook pays to keep founder and head Mark Zuckerberg alive.

How to use your Apple Watch to control your Apple TV

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Control your Apple TV from your Apple Watch.
Control your Apple TV from your Apple Watch.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

What a magical world we live in. We can lift our Apple Watch up to listen to music, talk to our friends, and (yes) even tell the time.

If you’re an Apple TV user, you can send your Apple Watch tunes to the big screen, and you can even control your Apple TV right from your wrist.

Simply magical. Here’s how to control your Apple TV with your Apple Watch.

Mega-investor Carl Icahn gives up on AAPL

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iphone stocks app
Apple shares are taking a dive.
Photo: Ste Smith

Apple’s biggest cheerleader on Wall Street, Carl Icahn, is getting rid of all of his AAPL shares after the iPhone-maker reported its first year-over-year decline in revenues for the first time in 13 years.

The iconic investors has insisted for years that Apple shares are grossly undervalued and has made over $3.4 billion investing in Apple. Now Carl is throwing in the towel even though he still thinks the stock is ridiculously cheap.

Google Photos update brings better search, customizable movies

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google-photos-update-brings-better-search-customizable-movies-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604n6p_photos_update-search-png
If you're still not using Photos, you're missing out.
Photo: Google
Google Photos
If you’re still not using Photos, you’re missing out. Photo: Google

Google is rolling out a major Photos update that adds a greater search experience, and the ability to customize movies that were created automatically. The release also makes it possible to rename, create, and delete folders on microSD cards.

HP’s latest MacBook rival will only cost you half as much

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hps-latest-macbook-rival-will-only-cost-you-half-as-much-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604HP-Chromebook-13-jpg
It's even made of aluminum.
Photo: HP
HP-Chromebook-13
It’s even made of aluminum. Photo: HP

HP has another answer to the super sleek Apple MacBook, and despite similar specifications, it costs less than half the price.

The new all-aluminum Chromebook 13 boasts an Intel Core M processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a battery that lasts up to 11.5 hours in between charges — and it starts at just $599!

The Jot 8.5 eWriter brings notepads into the digital age [Reviews]

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boogie-board-jot-8-5 - 4
Still better than a "smart" refrigerator.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

Nowadays it seems like we’re ready to replace just about every standalone device with a smartphone app or add a Wi-Fi connection to it, when the reality is that plenty of these devices work perfectly fine already. (I’m looking at you, Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators.) So it was refreshing to be able to review a product that’s confident in what it is and what it isn’t: the Boogie Board Jot 8.5 eWriter.

The Jot 8.5 is an ultra-thin display that lets you write or draw whatever you want on it, then instantly erase all the contents at the push of a button. Think of it as a practical Etch-A-Sketch that doesn’t suck.

For world’s biggest Apple museum, book a flight to Italy

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The All About Apple Museum in Savona, Italy.
The All About Apple Museum in Savona, Italy.
Photo: All About Apple Museum

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugFor years, Apple has been under pressure to open an Apple museum. The company’s rich and storied past has its fans clamoring for a central repository of that history.

Word from the company: No. Apple’s leaders say they are more interested in the future than the past.

In fact, the most complete historical collection of all things Apple is nowhere near Cupertino. The serious Apple fan must travel to, of all places, Savona, Italy.

Work with photos? You’ve got to learn Adobe [Deals]

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Learn the power of Adobe for photography with this bundle of comprehensive lessons.
Learn the power of Adobe for photography with this bundle of comprehensive lessons.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you’re a hobbyist or a pro, if you work with photos you’re going to have to work with Adobe. They wrote the book — or at least the code — for digital image manipulation in photography, design, typography, you name it. Now you can also learn it, with this comprehensive bundle of lessons covering the image-making potential of Adobe, specifically for photographers. And right now, the whole thing is just $29 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Take a look at what’s included:

‘No foul play’ involved in employee death at Apple HQ

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Apple HQ
Our condolences to everyone affected by this tragic story.
Photo: Ryan B/Flickr

Investigators have deemed yesterday’s shock death of an employee at Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters to be not suspicious, suggesting that it was the result of a suicide.

“After further investigation it appeared there was no foul play and no other individuals were involved,” Santa Clara County sheriff’s Sgt. Andrea Urena told the Los Angeles Times. “This appeared to be an isolated incident and no employees or members of the public are at risk.”

Apple won’t have to abide by local sourcing laws in India

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apples-india-enterprise-boss-quits-to-sell-android-phones-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iphone_india001-780x614-780x614-jpg
Apple Stores are coming to India very soon.
Photo: Apple

Despite disappointing earnings in other parts of the world, India is doing great for Apple right now — with iPhone sales up 56 percent over the past quarter, without Apple even having a brick-and-mortar retail store in the region.

Things may be about to get even better, however, as Apple’s plans to open Apple Stores in India have taken a leap forward as the country’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has recommended Apple be exempt from laws stating that foreign single-brand retailers must source at least 30 percent of their products locally.

How to secure your Notes in OS X

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Password Protect Notes Mac
Keep your notes secure in OS X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Lots of us were excited to keep our Notes private when iOS 9.3 added the feature to Apple’s mobile devices. We all store private details in our notes such as bank details, pin numbers and more within the notes app for convince. Knowing this information is now more secure than ever is one less thing to worry about.

But did you know that you can do the same on your Mac?

In this week’s Quick Tips video, I’m going to help you with your peace of mind and show you how to secure your notes in OS X.

Check out the video below.

Apple introduced iTunes Store 13 years ago today

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iTunes is down!. Photo:
The iTunes Store was a revolution.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The iTunes Store turns 13 year old today, having originally opened its virtual doors on April 28, 2003 — back when 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” was riding high in the music charts, Anger Management and Bulletproof Monk were in theaters, and Saddam Hussein had just been ousted from power.

Who could’ve guessed that, years later, it would become the largest music vendor in the world, with well over 25 billion songs sold worldwide? Steve Jobs, that’s who!

Check out Jobs’ original unveiling of what was originally called the iTunes Music Store below.

Homemade iPad robot is a piano-playing prodigy

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iPad mini 4
It turns out the iPad can be a pretty great piano player.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

It’s pretty darn cool watching talented human musicians bust out music using an iPad, but one thing we’re all limited by is the ability to react perfectly to 120 frames of motion each second.

Which is why it’s awesome to see the work of YouTube user DenverFinn, who recently built a D.I.Y. robot with the express aim of breaking the record for iPad piano game Piano Tiles. With the aid of an iPhone and a homemade machine able to hammer a specific tile on the screen when asked to, DenverFinn’s robot shows prodigy levels of piano-playing excellence.

Check out the video below.

Apple continues mobile health drive with new CareKit apps

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CareKit is designed to put health in the hands of patients.
CareKit apps emphasize patient-led healthcare.
Photo: Apple

Apple today started rolling out CareKit, its recently-announced open-source mobile software framework for health apps.

Beginning today, CareKit will integrated within four iOS apps, including Glow Nurture, Glow Baby, depression medication-monitoring app Start, and diabetes tracker One Drop. More will follow over time.

iPhone demand won’t get better in a hurry

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iPhone-6-vs-iPhone-6s
Shipments will take another tumble this quarter.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After this week’s disappointing earnings report — which saw Apple’s profits decline year-over-year for the first time since 2003 — many people are speculating on when they can expect to see the iPhone decline turn around.

The answer? Certainly not this quarter, according to a new report which suggests that iPhone shipments are likely to fall to around 40 million units (compared to 51.19 million units) in the next three month period.

Apple Watch ‘only’ owns half the smartwatch market

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Apple Watch
Ugh, you only sold 52 out of every 100 smartwatches this quarter? Get out of here, loser.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

A new quarterly report by research firm Strategy Analytics has Apple’s share of the smartwatch market falling to just over 52 percent in the first three months of 2016. It’s the latest drop in a week full of disappointing news of the iPhone maker making way fewer billions of dollars than investors expect.

Apple head Tim Cook briefly addressed the Apple Watch “problem” during the company’s earnings call yesterday, but that’s probably not going to stop the cries of doom.