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Sketchbook gets second life as iPad Pro case

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The look of a sketchbook in an iPad Pro case may appeal to the ever-doodling artist.
The look of a sketchbook in an iPad Pro case may appeal to the ever-doodling artist.
Photo: Longo Case

The iPad Pro and Apple Pencil are impressive tools but what becomes of the special bond an artist has with their sketchbook?

This is centuries-old relationship Apple is disrupting, so an accessories company has designed a case for the iPad Pro that has the look and feel of a personal and coveted sketchbook.

iPad Pro dominated Microsoft Surface lineup during holidays

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Microsoft Surface to take on iPad
Microsoft’s next Surface tablet wants to make difficult for iPad.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft still has a long way to go before it takes down the iPad.

The iPad Pro absolutely dominated the Microsoft tablet lineup, selling more units than the Surface Pro 4 and Surface 3 combined, according to the latest estimates from IDC which revealed that the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as the top selling detachable tablet.

Pro Tip: Get higher-quality exports from Photos app

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Photos app does some things differently than iPhoto did.
Photos app does some things differently than iPhoto did.
Photo: Apple

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bugAs a longtime iPhotos user, I’ve taken my sweet time getting to know the new Photos app in OS X. But I can tell you this much: It brings a few differences in the way it does stuff.

One of the new subtleties of the Mac’s Photos app is how it treats exporting your pictures. There are two ways to get your images out of the Photos app. One will give you a smaller file; the other will preserve the higher resolution of the original photo.

Here’s how to make sure you’re exporting your photos at the quality you want.

Schematic reveals iPad Air 3 will be slightly thicker than iPad Air 2

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iPad Air 3 will be the smartest iPad yet.
iPad Air 3 will be the smartest iPad yet.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The iPad Air 3 is poised to be the biggest upgrade the iPad lineup has ever seen, but all those new features might come with a price of extra thickness.

An alleged schematic of the iPad Air 3 has been leaked that shows the upcoming device’s exact dimensions. The schematic also appears to confirm that the iPad Air 3 will use the Smart Connector found on the iPad Pro.

Check it out:

iPad Air 3 case on Alibaba hints at Smart Connector

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If this picture is accurate, the iPad Air 3 could come with a Smart Connector.
If this picture is accurate, the iPad Air 3 could come with a Smart Connector.
Photo: Shenzhen Hong Technology Co./Alibaba

It’s a product with some holes in it and it’s the holes that could be of interest to Apple fans excited about the upcoming iPad Air 3.

A photo allegedly showing an Air 3 case has cutouts for a Smart Connector and four speakers. The Japanese Apple blog Macotakara raised the possibility of a beefed up iPad after seeing a case available for pre-order on Alibaba.

Feeling bored with your iPhone? Deck it out [Deals]

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Add a phone charger to your wallet. Seriously.
Add a phone charger to your wallet. Seriously.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iPhones are amazing, but they can be better. How? That’s up for you to decide. One of the great things about the explosion of the iPhone is all the peripherals that have been made to trick them out. We’ve found some of the best add ons for the one device most of us always have with us. Take a look and see what grabs you:

Bill Gates says Beatles song perfectly explains relationship with Jobs

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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, rivals and friends.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, rivals and friends.
Photo: AllThingsD

Bill Gates has a song in his heart for the late Steve Jobs. Yes, they were fierce rivals as they pioneered products that revolutionized personal computing, but the competition mellowed into a good friendship.

So when Gates, in an interview on BBC show Desert Island Discs, was asked to choose eight songs and why they are meaningful to him, he had one picked out for Jobs — “Two of Us” by The Beatles.

Porsche CEO: ‘iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road’

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Your Porsche won't drive its self anytime soon.
Your Porsche won't drive its self anytime soon.
Photo: Axion23/Flickr

Don’t count on Porsche to enter the self-driving car craze anytime soon.

In an interview with a German newspaper, Porsche’s CEO Oliver Blume turned up his nose at the idea that one day humans will no longer be in command behind the wheel, saying the company does not plan to develop self-driving vehicles.

To make the point clear that Porsche will not team up with a tech company, the CEO then dropped a not so subtle dig at Apple’s electric car project.

Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ billboards are back

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Everyday photographers are part of Apple's new ad campaign.
Everyday photographers are part of Apple's new ad campaign.
Photo: Kate Schermerhorn

Apple is bringing back its popular ‘Shot on iPhone’ advertising campaign that won several awards in 2015, only this year instead of using pictures of scenic landscapes and city life, the company is changing the focus by using only portrait photos.

Best iPhone and iPad apps for frequent travelers

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Seven must-have iOS apps for the frequent traveler.
Seven must-have iOS apps for the frequent traveler.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailTraveling abroad, especially for the first time, can be overwhelming. From figuring out transit systems to finding places to say, there’s a lot to consider. That’s why over the past several years, I’ve come to rely on a handful of choice apps to help me travel better, smarter, and cheaper.

International or not, these are the travel apps for iPhone and iPad I never leave home without:

Have no fear, technology is here to keep you from losing your stuff [Deals]

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Attach the iHere 3.0 Tracking Device to whatever it is you lose most often, and find it immediately with a simple mobile app.
Attach the iHere 3.0 Tracking Device to whatever it is you lose most often, and find it immediately with a simple mobile app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As much as technology has become a ‘bicycle for the brain’, somehow the part of it that remembers where we put our wallet doesn’t get much exercise. Thankfully technology can help us with that too, from showing us where we left our keys, our car, even our pet if they run away. We’ve gathered a handful of the best tracking tech out there, and all for a fraction the usual price.

Take a look at what we’ve found:

How to record guitar with an iPhone or iPad

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You don't need expensive equipment to record your guitar, an iPhone or iPad will do just fine.
You don't need expensive equipment to record your guitar, an iPhone or iPad will do just fine.
Photo: Lee Peterson/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailAs someone who plays guitar and records my own music, I’ve been really keen on trying to record an EP using iOS only. I’ve done it on a Mac before, but since the introduction of the iPad I’ve been wanting to record on a touch interface. I’ve used an iPad mini, and it worked well, but with the introduction of the iPad Pro, I wanted to give it another go. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Is Apple prepping a pro version of the iPhone 7 Plus? Catch the discussion on The CultCast

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Apple is reportedly testing dual-lens cameras from three different companies.
Apple is reportedly testing dual-lens cameras from three different companies.
Photo: Computerbild.de

This week on The CultCast: A souped-up iPad Air 3 coming in March; “iPhone 5se” would be a terrible name for a 4-inch iPhone; the iPhone 7 Plus PLUS is for those who demand only the best mobile camera; and why Apple is pumping the brakes on their electric car.

Our thanks for supporting this episode goes to FreshBooks, the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started with a free trial at Freshbooks.com/cultcast.

How to turn your iPhone’s Health app into an essential fitness dashboard

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A dashboard for your body: all your key stats at a glance.
The Health app can become a dashboard for your body, offering all your key stats at a glance.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Despite its heart-shaped icon, Health is an unloved app. It tends to gets relegated to a junk folder, along with other un-deletable Apple cruft, like the Stocks app.

But when you get past its garish colors and clunky user interface, Apple’s Health app turns out to be genuinely useful — if you customize the dashboard to match your personal fitness goals.

Add new dimensions of productivity to your Mac [Deals]

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Don't Just delete an app, get rid of all its digital baggage too to free up valuable space on your Mac.
Don't Just delete an app, get rid of all its digital baggage too to free up valuable space on your Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another day, another batch of new ways to trick out your Mac. From fully removing deleted apps and all their digital detritus, to creating timelapses, recording screen activity and more, we’ve found some of the coolest enhancements for your Mac. And all of them are under $25.

Take a look for yourself:

Apple gear leaks, rumors, how-tos, reviews and more

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Rumors, leaks, gear, and so much more.
Rumors, leaks, gear, and so much more.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

There are so many new leaks and rumors about upcoming Apple gear, we’re awash in joyful speculation. There’s the new iPhone 7 just for photographers, new iPad Air 3 details, and some hidden iPad Pro firmware features, just for starters.

Add to that some fine new how-tos, some great app roundups and a look at Apple’s biggest financial quarter yet, and you’ve got a fantastic digital magazine ready for downloading right now.

Here are the top stories from this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

Apple is finally fixing Siri’s abortion ‘glitch’

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apple-maps-nearby-businesses
Maps hasn't been as helpful as it should be for some searches.
Photo: Apple

Apple is finally correcting an issue with Siri that it has known about since at least 2011.

The problem has appeared when users ask the virtual assistant to show nearby facilities that offer abortion services. For years, the results have directed people toward adoption centers, which is kind of the opposite of what they were looking for.

Apple says it’s made improvements to the search algorithm since it first identified the problem, but some users are still getting the undesired suggestions.

How to find out which Mac apps are using your location

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Find out when your Mac is looking at your location data.
Find out when your Mac is looking at your location data.
Photo: Apple

As our digital lives converge across mobile and desktop devices like our iPhones and Macbooks, we rely on them knowing where we are at any given time. Safari suggestions, for example, count on knowing your location, as do any Maps searches or such.

You might want to know when your Location data is being used, however, for privacy reason. If you enable the Location Services menu bar, you’ll be able to see when any app is accessing your private location data, making it more possible to lock down any sources you don’t want using it.

Here’s how to get that menu bar notice working.

Stack blocks to save the galaxy’s cutest robot in clever Atomi

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Atomi
The day I don't want to help a cute robot is the day I stop living.
Photo: Studio Baikin

If you can look Atomi‘s super-cute robot hero in his single, perfectly round eye and say that you don’t want to help him get home, then you may be a monster. I’m sorry you had to hear it from me.

Atomi needs to gather atoms to repair his busted spaceship, but he has a few things in his way. Specifically, he can’t climb or jump, and some of those things he needs are on very tall platforms. But that’s where you come in. And the time you spend getting the little ‘bot where he needs to be is both fun and charming as it sounds.

Here’s what photos from a dual-camera iPhone 7 might look like

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This enlarged portrait shows a difference in quality from the iPhone 5s, left, and a dual-camera system created by LinX Imaging.
This enlarged portrait shows a difference in quality from the iPhone 5s, left, and a dual-camera system created by LinX Imaging.
Photo: LinX Imaging

If the pictures “Shot on the iPhone 6” were impressive, a dual-camera iPhone 7 could have the photography world again licking its chops.

Just how much further the technical quality could go with smartphone images is a future found in the work of an Israeli company called LinX Imaging, which happened to get purchased by Apple last year.

How to make any picture a Live Wallpaper on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

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LivePapers lets you transform any of your photos into Live Wallpapers on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
LivePapers lets you transform any of your photos into Live Wallpapers on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThe iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come with the option to make any Live Photo you take a Live Wallaper on your iPhone’s Lock screen. However, if you have still images in your Camera Roll you’d like to make live, here’s how to turn any photo into a Live Wallpaper on iPhone:

London asked Apple to sponsor Garden Bridge

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The Garden Bridge, brought to you by Apple?
The Garden Bridge, brought to you by Apple?
Photo: Garden Bridge Trust

London Mayor Boris Johnson asked Apple to help him build the city’s controversial Garden Bridge, according to a report that reveals the politician flew to Cupertino in February of 2013 to pitch the company on becoming the project’s corporate sponsor.

Apple executives met with the mayor to hear about the ambitious pedestrian bridge project that will stretch across the River Thames. Also present in the meeting was British architect Thomas Heatherwick who designed the Garden Bridge.

Why doesn’t the iPhone have wireless charging already?

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fnf
Get a move on, Apple!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is finally working to bring wireless charging to iPhone, according to a recent report, but we’ll have to wait until 2017 to get it. Why? Because Apple doesn’t think the wireless charging standards we already have are good enough.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Instead, the company is said to be developing a long-range alternative that means you won’t need to place your iPhone down on a special charging pad. But is this really necessary? Will the technology be worth waiting for, or should Apple just deliver wireless charging already?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we fight to the death over this very topic. It promises to be… electrifying.