Cult of Mac

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Apple is launching a new strategy to get customers to ditch their old iPhones for a new model by combining aspects of its two upgrade programs to create the “Trade Up With Installments” plan.

The new program lets customers trade in an old iPhone or Android (they’ll even take Windows phones if you can find one). Apple will then apply the value of the old device toward a new iPhone and let you pay off the rest of the purchase price over 24 months.

Big tech companies might be supporting Apple’s pro-privacy stance when it comes to creating a backdoor for the iPhone, but not everyone is in complete agreement.

Specifically, the family of British soldier Lee Rigby — who was murdered by Islamic extremists in 2013 — has spoken out about Apple’s decision to refuse a court order to break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. Rigby’s family says Apple’s stance is “protecting a murderer’s privacy at the cost of public safety.”

Ever been annoyed by one Mac app blurting out sound at a volume that’s too low, while the next is too high? Well, shocker! There’s an app for that.

Apple might be a rival to other Silicon Valley tech giants, but that’s not stopping the likes of Microsoft, WhatsApp and Google defending Cupertino’s stance against helping the FBI hack an iPhone.

Check out the privacy-minded Apple lovefest from these big companies, as well as groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Amnesty International.

After almost two years of planning, Apple is finally ready to launch Apple Pay in China, the world’s second biggest retail market.

Johny Srouji isn’t one of the best-known Apple executives, but a new feature profile by Bloomberg makes a case that he is one of the most important: being the senior VP for hardware technologies in charge of Apple’s A-series chips.

Srouji was promoted to the role back in December, and the new article (which features an exclusive interview with him) fills in some of the details about one of Apple’s lesser-known leaders — as well as revealing some of the challenges he faces with Apple’s internal components.

Future iPhone software and cameras could support sign language recognition, alongside a range of other in-air interface gestures, according to a patent application published today.

Titled “Three-Dimensional Hand Tracking Using Depth Sequences,” Apple’s patent application describes how devices would be able to locate and follow the location of hands through three-dimensional space in video streams, similar to the face-tracking technology Apple already employs for its Photo Booth app.

A crowd of several dozen protesters gathered in front of Apple’s flagship retail store in Francisco last night to protest the U.S. government’s attempt to force Apple to aid the FBI in hacking into an iPhone.

Ranging from privacy advocates to casual iPhone owners, the crowd argued that such a move sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the safety and security of millions of iOS users around the world.

I’ve never really understood the appeal of flexible smartphones before I saw this video. Now it’s changed things forever for me. I want a flexible iPhone! Or, better yet, a bendy iPad! Because flex tech is going to open up whole new ways to interact with devices.

A couple of new iPhone 6s ads play up the time-saving powers of 3D Touch and the time-travel abilities of Live Photos.

Apple just posted the videos to its YouTube account, and if you’re a fan of the quantifiable measurement of change, you’ll find a lot to like in the 30-second spots. Check them out below.

Google and Apple don’t always see eye-to-eye, but in the matter of encryption, they’re total allies.

Today, Google CEO Sundar Pichai today tweeted words of support to Apple in the aftermath of Tim Cook’s open letter, explaining why Apple was defying a federal order to provide backdoor access to a terrorism suspect’s iPhone 5c.

The battle for phone encryption is hitting the streets, as iPhone owners are going to gather at the Apple Store in San Francisco tonight in a show of solidarity for the company’s refusal to budge on security.

The bulk of protests will occur next Tuesday, February 23, exactly one week after a court ordered the device maker to allow the FBI access to an iPhone 5c belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. But digital-rights group Fight for the Future is stepping up the timetable and hosting its first rally in less than an hour, at 5:00 p.m. PT.

An intrepid Apple Watch developer has managed to make a simulation of OS X Yosemite that runs on his wearable device.

15-year-old developer Billy Ellis revealed a quick preview of his latest project on his YouTube page. The program launches from his Apple Watch’s home screen and includes icons for the Finder, Launchpad, Settings, the App Store and Trash. You can see the demo in its entirety below.

Internet privacy activist and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has come out in favor of Tim Cook’s decision to deny a federal court judge’s request that Apple help the FBI hack the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone 5c.

Snowden is calling Apple’s battle over security the most important tech case in a decade, and has called out Google for not coming to the public’s side on the issue. In a series of tweets expounding on the issues, Snowden said the FBI’s efforts to force Apple to give them a key bypasses citizen’s ability to defend their rights.

Doodling on a Snapchat is fun; it lets you customize just about any snap with the power of your own artistry, or lack thereof.

If you’ve noticed, though, when you choose the color for said doodle, there’s no white or black options. And what if you want something in between red and white, like, say, pink?

Here’s how to make your images truly your own with custom Snapchat colors.

A federal judge has ordered Apple to comply with the FBI’s demands to unlock the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone 5c. Apple CEO Tim Cook has boldly and politely refused. However, his reason has nothing to do with whether Apple has the ability to hack the iPhone.

It simply doesn’t want to.

Apple has spent the past few years making its devices more secure by adding Touch ID and a secure element. The iPhone 5c doesn’t have Touch ID, though, so the FBI wants to brute-force unlock it by guessing the terrorist’s PIN. The problem is, iOS will automatically wipe the device after too many unsuccessful attempts — and iOS also delays how often you can guess a passcode. So the FBI created a plan for how Apple can help the bureau get around it.

If there’s a single iPhone and iPad accessory I consider myself to be the most picky about, it would be charging docks and stands. While there isn’t a shortage of options, let’s be honest, most of them aren’t that great. They either don’t dock securely or they’re obsolete when a new iPhone or iPad form factor comes out.

That’s why I’ve narrowed down my vote for best iPhone and iPad charging docks to only two candidates. Yep, just two. Here’s what they are and why I think they’re better than most:

If you haven’t already grabbed a free trial of Spotify, you’re in luck – this deal makes joining the streaming music service even more enticing.

Today through February 28, when you buy three months of Spotify Premium for $29.97, you’ll get a free Chromecast.

Google takes a leaf out of Samsung’s marketing playbook in its latest Android ad, with a subtle swipe at Apple and the lack of choice you get when you choose iOS.

“Monotune” is part of the company’s “Be together. Not the same.” campaign, and it’s nothing short of brilliant.

Apple just granted the Apple TV App Store another small update today. It now supports developers adding video previews to their app description pages. These videos can be up to 30 seconds and showcase how the app works or aspects of the gameplay.

If Apple had any common sense, they would just succumb to the FBI’s demands and unlock the San Bernardino terrorist iPhone, claims the all-wise and powerful Donald Trump. However, in his bold letter refusing to comply with a court order to create a backdoor to iOS, Apple CEO Tim Cook argues that doing so would set a dangerous precedence and leave customers vulnerable to hackers.

This is the biggest challenge Apple’s ever faced when it comes to iPhone security. The company has made iOS devices impossible for even it to hack, but that could be coming to an end if the federal government has its way.

So, who’s right?

Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts in the comments:

Best List: iClever BoostCube 3-port wall charger

I have a bit of an embarrassing problem: Part of my device-charging setup in my bedroom includes a power strip that sits on the floor next to my bed. It isn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s ugly, and sometimes I trip over it. But I may have found a solution in the 3-port iClever BoostCube. It will save my pride, and some space in my bag when I travel, and that’s just good news all around.

Plus, the ports glow an eerie blue when it’s plugged in, and that’s really cool-looking.

Jony Ive and Tim Cook graced the pages of fashion bible Vogue this week in a brief and slightly odd interview talking about everything from the new spaceship campus destined to open at the end of the year, to the iPhone-maker’s new status as a fashion icon.

“In what we do,” Tim Cook observed, “design is crucial, as it is in fashion.”

Apple’s been steering its ship deeper into the water of the fashion world ever by launching the Apple Watch and hiring a bevy of fashion house talent, and based on Jony Ive’s remarks, it sounds like Apple plans to dive much deeper into wearable tech.

Twitter and animated GIFs are a popular combination – the social media company’s users shared 100 million of them last year – but finding just the right one has been more art than science.

Today, however, Twitter rolls out a new way to search for your animated funnies from within the 140-character service itself.