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iOS 9.3.2 beta 3 is out now for developers

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A fresh new iOS beta is here.
Photo: Apple

Apple has dropped a new beta for iOS 9.3.2 on developers today, just one week after the company released another big batch of beta updates. 

The new software for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch mostly focuses on under the hood improvements and bug fixes, however it also adds the ability to use Night Shift and Low Power mode at the same time. 

Apple IIc gets a second life in this neat restoration video

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Making an Apple IIc look this good isn't easy.
Photo: The 8-bit Guy

Long before Jony Ive was making ridiculously thin aluminum MacBooks, the Apple IIc reigned supreme as Apple’s first portable computer.

Finding a working model of the 7.5-pound notebook is a tough task, considering it was introduced more than 30 years ago, but restoration expert The 8-Bit Guy came across one and put together a video on how to make the 1984 machine look brand new.

A robot rolls into an Apple Store …

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Lucy Kelly's purchase of an iPhone 6s at the Sydney Apple Store was a global news story.
Lucy Kelly's purchase of an iPhone 6s at the Sydney Apple Store was a global news story.
Photo: Atomic 212

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThe lines outside Apple Stores across the globe will be long later this year when the much-anticipated iPhone 7 goes on sale, a guaranteed media spectacle ripe with companies seeking inexpensive advertising of their products.

No guerrilla marketing stunt set the bar higher than one in Sydney last fall, when a telepresence robot with the cheerful face of a woman named Lucy framed in an iPad took her place in line to buy an iPhone 6s.

Pay what you want for this spring 2016 Mac apps bundle [Deals]

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PWYW Spring Mac Bundle
Name your own price for these 13 super-helpful Mac apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Seize the productive spring energy with this bundle of 13 super-productive Mac apps. From photo editing to 3-D modeling, website building and beyond, there’s something in here for anybody looking to make the most out of the fairer months.

The best part, though, is that you can pay what you want for the whole thing, with a portion of each dollar going to support the important work of Save the Children.

Take a look at what’s included:

Apple Watch made $1.5 billion more than Rolex last year

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Apple Watch
I wish I could have a flop like the Apple Watch!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Going back at least as far the iPhone 5c, some Apple products pick up unfair reputations as “flops” — despite the fact that they are selling in quantities that would make other companies (and my Samsung-loving Cult of Android colleague Killian Bell) turn green with envy.

The Apple Watch, which celebrated its first birthday this week, is just such a product. How much of an impact did the Apple Watch make in its debut year? Enough to bring in $1.5 billion more than Rolex did in 2015.

And more than one-quarter of all Swiss watch exports combined for the past year, just to hammer the point home!

India will force Apple to put a ‘panic button’ in the iPhone

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India decrees that all smartphones must have panic buttons from next year.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

All iPhones sold in India must feature a “panic button” from 2017, according to a new order signed into law by the country’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The law states that every phone must include a panic button and in-built global positioning system, designed to protect women.

After a year with Apple Watch, it’s time for a frank appraisal

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Apple Watches
Time flies when you're having fun.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

I’ve decided to take a step back and take a good, hard look at what I’ve been wearing on my wrist for an entire year. It feels like it was just yesterday the Apple Watch was revealed to the public, and everyone wanted one.

Has it become an essential bit of kit on my wrist, or is it another gadget for the junk drawer, left to gather dust?

Here’s my take on the year I’ve spent with Apple’s magical wrist computer.

Apple will answer objections to proposed Ireland data center

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New data center will be one of Apple's biggest projects in Europe to date.
Photo: John Hoey/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to face a hearing over its proposed 850 million euro ($960 million) data centre in Athenry, Ireland — one of Apple’s biggest projects in Europe to date, which is scheduled to open in 2017.

The hearing over the proposed data center, which will help power Apple Music, the App Store, iMessages, Maps and Siri, will be with An Bord Pleanála, an independent, statutory body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in Ireland.

Apple set to report first quarterly revenue decline in 13 years

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money
All good things come to an end.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s 13 years of astonishing growth is likely to come to a close today, with the company predicted to report its first quarterly revenue decline since 2003 — well before the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch were even faint glimmers in Apple execs’ eyes.

The company is expected to reveal that March quarter sales fell 10 percent year-over-year to around $52 billion. Apple first warned that sales would fall in its forecast back in January, although today we’ll find out the extent of that slide.

Apple will bring iPhone back to life to help find missing teens

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The parents of the missing teens hope this iPhone will give them some answers.
Photo: Blu Stephanos

Apple is reportedly helping in the hunt for two 14-year-old boys who disappeared at sea last year, after one of their iPhones was discovered in non-working condition.

Both Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen were last seen on July 24. After their disappearance, the Coast Guard carried out an extensive eight-day search in the Atlantic, spanning 50,000 nautical miles, but the boys were never found. However, last month their boat was discovered 100 miles off the coast of Bermuda — with Austin’s iPhone on board.

Apple says ‘you’re fired’ to a number of its recruitment staff

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SF pride
Apple employees marching in San Francisco's Gay Pride parade.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple may have recently hired former Box employee Karen Appleton to focus on the company’s enterprise business, and former Tesla VP Chris Porritt as a product design administrator for its Apple Car project, but it seems that it is slowing down on its wider recruitment drive.

According to a new report, Apple has cut all of its contract recruiters over the past several weeks, and is also starting to get rid of some of its full-time recruitment staff. In total, the move could affect upwards of 100 people.

Want lunch with Tim Cook? Consider selling your house

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Tim Cook's next WWDC keynote is right around the corner!
We like to think that this is how Tim orders dessert.
Photo: Forbes

You still have time to raise some scratch if you want to put in a bid on Charitybuzz’s annual auctioning-off of lunch with Tim Cook. The bidding is just barely into sextuple digits with a little under 10 days to go.

In addition to an epic meal time with the Apple CEO for a winner and their plus-one, the prize package also includes VIP passes to an Apple keynote. And of course, your donation will go to Cook’s favorite charity.

Why you can’t trust ‘lifetime guarantees’ on the Internet of Things

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The looming shutdown of Revolv has some home-automation fans questioning the Internet of Things.
Photo: Andrew Stawarz/Flickr CC

Revolv smart hubs will no longer be supported as of May 15. Even though subscribers have known this was coming since February, there wasn’t a lot of attention until an author’s highly critical piece was published on Medium.

That story has spurred conversations questioning investment in the Internet of Things, or IoT, and prompted Nest to consider compensating users who were early investors in the Revolv hub.

Apple adds Box veteran to boost enterprise efforts

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Kate Appleton will be in charge of getting more businesses to use iPhones and Macs.
Photo: BlackBerry

Apple’s push to become a great company for large companies as well as consumers is getting a big boost this week with the hiring of former Box employee Karen Appleton who has joined the company in an enterprise-focused role.

Appleton revealed last week that she was leaving Box after working with the company since 2007 as employee number 8, but she hasn’t said what exactly she will be doing for Apple.

Apple could get shut out of China

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Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Apple Store employees in China.
Photo: Apple

The closing of the iBook Store and iTunes movies in China might be the country’s first steps toward shutting Apple out, according to a leading expert on global political risks for corporations. 

China has already become the second largest market for Apple in terms of sales, but the iPhone-maker could find itself banned from the country just like Facebook due to its privacy strategy that has already come under fire from government regulators.

8 killer Instagram tips and tricks

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Become an Insta-master with these killer Instagram tips and tricks.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Make the most of your Instagram feed with these eight killer Instagram tips and tricks that will make you an Insta-master.

Learn how to put together video in the Instagram app itself, keep stalkers off your Instagram feed, find amazing photos near your current location, and much more.

Apple taps Touch ID, 4K video in new iPhone 6s ads

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Yeah, we have no idea.
Photo: Apple

Two new iPhone 6s ads are zooming in on super high-def video and the power of your fingerprint.

While one is fairly straightforward and informative, the other is kind of … out there. We’re not entirely sure what to do with it, really. The entire Cult of Mac staff just watched it and had no words. But we really can’t stay mad at Neil Patrick Harris, who shows up at the end.

Check out the videos below.

Microsoft’s one-handed iOS keyboard is here

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Word Flow for iPhone is no more.
Photo: Microsoft

Typing with one hand on the gigantic iPhone 6s Plus just got a whole lot easier thanks to one of Apple’s biggest rivals.

Microsoft revealed today that its new one-handed keyboard app “Word Flow” for iOS is finally ready for primetime after a week in public beta, and it does a lot more than just one-handed typing.

iPhone 7 may make bigger splash than expected

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The iPhone could get a new home button.
The iPhone could get a new home button.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Full details of the iPhone 7 aren’t expected to be revealed until early this Fall, but thanks to the Apple rumor mill we may already know two of the device’s biggest features, and they could be more major than expected.

Apple will supposedly make its next iPhone both waterproof and dustproof, according to  supply chain sources in China that also indicate the home button could get its biggest upgrade since the addition of Touch ID.

Neato’s new vacuum robot will turn you into a neat freak [Review]

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Botvac Connected is the world's most thorough cleaning bot.
Botvac Connected is the world's most thorough cleaning bot.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

My dog has a new archenemy, and its name is Botvac. 

Neato’s tiny automated robotic vacuum stirs my dog into a fit of worried anger every afternoon I send it out for a round of sweeping and vacuuming. It’s so magical my dog doesn’t trust it. 

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. Mostly because I’m too lazy to be bothered with tasks like vacuuming.

New MacBooks, Prince’s legacy, Apple Watch tips and more

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New MacBooks have us a bit underwhelmed.
New MacBooks have us a bit underwhelmed.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Faster processors, speedier memory, longer battery life and a rose gold finish — what more do we need from a new MacBook? We love Apple gear, but it’s possible we’re getting addicted to the “wow” factor.

Add that to Prince’s untimely death, and the dearth of streaming options for listening to his music, and we’ve got a lot to talk about. It’s all in this week’s free Cult of Mac Magazine, along with reviews of Amazon’s new Echo smart speakers and 12 awesome Apple Watch tricks that prove Cupertino’s wearable doesn’t need a “killer app.”

Here are this week’s top stories.

Last chance: Scrivener 2 cuts the clutter to keep your writing front and center [Deals]

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Scrivener 2 has a full suite of tools that keep you focused, and all your writing materials in one place.
Scrivener 2 has a full suite of tools that keep you focused, and all your writing materials in one place.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Cult of Mac readers, it’s your last chance to get this prized writing utility Mac app! If you write on a computer, you know how much of a mess it can be to keep on top of your notes, drafts, research, edits, etc.

Luckily there’s Scrivener 2, an app that’s all about keeping the many parts of your writing process in one place. It’s won awards for its ability to streamline and organize the digital writing desk, it’s beloved by Cult of Mac readers (hey, that’s you!), and right now it can be yours for $22.50, a full half off the normal price.

Samsung to fight Apple Watch Edition with luxury Gear S3

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Samsung is teaming up with de Grisogono again.
Photo: Samsung
Samsung is teaming up with de Grisogono again. Photo: Samsung
Samsung is teaming up with de Grisogono again. Photo: Samsung

Samsung will launch its next-generation Gear S3 smartwatch later this year, according to a new report, and the company has teamed up with a Swiss jeweler to create a luxury version that could take the fight to the all-gold Apple Watch Edition.