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6,000 iPhones will upgrade United Airlines’ customer service

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United Airlines
iPhone 6 Plus is taking flight at United Airlines.
Photo: United Airlines

The iPad has helped airlines replace the outdated paper flight manuals pilots used to lug around. Now Apple’s first phablet is ready to help revolutionize the way United Airlines provides customer service.

United Airlines revealed today that it plans to distribute over 6,000 iPhone 6 Plus units to customer service representatives at its hubs across the US, as part of the company’s effort to give employees better tools to provide faster service.

iTunes is having a Boxing Week music sale

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iTunes is throwing a Boxing Week music sale.
iTunes is throwing a Boxing Week music sale.
Photo:

Boxing Day. What the heck is it? Traditionally, it’s the day that British servants and tradesmen, busy servicing the upper class on Christmas Day, got to take the day off and open their gifts. But in the context of modern society, it’s mostly notable for being the week when Apple launches its annual Boxing Week sale for customers in Canada and the UK. Which is now live!

Dating app Blume makes sure your amour isn’t a fake

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Real-time selfies are required for meeting a match on the dating app Blume.
Real-time selfies are required for meeting a match on the dating app Blume.
Photo: Blume

Online dating services promise plenty of fish in the sea. They just can’t stop the catfish from biting.

But the pretenders might not have the same luck with the new dating app Blume. Once a match is made, the two users must exchange selfies, using the smartphone camera in-app, before any communication can begin.

Android users defect to iPhone 6s at unprecedented rate

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android-users-defect-to-iphone-6s-at-unprecedented-rate-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201510iPhone-6s-camera-jpg
Android users seems to love the new iPhone 6s.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Apple’s iPhone family becomes even more successful every year, and the latest models aren’t just a hit with faithful fans. According to new research, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are attracting Android switchers at an unprecedented rate.

Klipsch on-ear headphones deliver crisp, clear, booming sound

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These lightweight cans deliver heavy sound.
These lightweight cans deliver heavy sound.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Reference R6i On-Ear Headphones by Klipsch

Sometimes you just need a solid, great-sounding set of wired headphones. They don’t need to charge up like my Bluetooth favorites do, nor do they require pairing (or repairing, like several models I’ve used).

Earbuds are great, too, but for extended listening sessions, I prefer on-ear headphones. They are less sound-isolating — I don’t need to hear my own breathing all the time.

Apple tops ranking of most innovative companies for 10th straight year

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Apple's been the world's most innovative company for a decade.
Apple's been the world's most innovative company for a decade.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When it comes to innovation, American-based corporations are pushing the envelope more than any other nation and Apple is leading the charge.

According to the latest rankings from Boston Consulting, Apple was the world’s top innovator for the tenth year in a row, followed closely by Google.

Cut down on countless wasted keystrokes with TextExpander [Deals]

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TextExpander 5 helps save time and be more efficient by cutting out needless keystrokes.
TextExpander 5 helps save time and be more efficient by cutting out needless keystrokes.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you spend any time behind the keyboard (and let’s be honest, if you’re reading this you probably do), you’re probably wasting a lot of time. The wide menu of commonly used terms, names, phrases and information that we take time to type out add up to minutes and hours that can be saved by using TextExpander. It turns your most regularly used terms into quick keystrokes for populating documents and images, an invaluable time saver that you can get for just $22.

Apple may give Samsung the boot for iPhone 7 chip orders

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apple-vs-samsung
Samsung may be passed over for iPhone 7 chip orders.
Photo: Cult of Mac

After the “chipgate” event of the iPhone 6s — in which Samsung-manufactured A9 processors were rumored to perform worse than those built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) — a new report suggests that Apple may give its South Korean frenemy the boot, and award 100 percent of its iPhone 7 A10 chip orders to TSMC.

Google breaks promise to not collect student data

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google-breaks-promise-to-not-collect-student-data-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512Google-offers-Chromebooks-to-educational-institutions-as-a-low-cost-way-to-bring-students-online-jpg
Google breaks its privacy promise. Photo: Google
Google breaks its privacy promise. Photo: Google

Google has been accused of breaking its student privacy pledge by collecting data and browsing habits from Chromebooks used in schools and Google Apps for Education.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called upon the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Google’s conduct, and to prevent it from using the data it has collected so far.

Need a name for your newborn? Try an Instagram filter

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Sure you could name your girl Rose. But why not Lark or Juno?
Sure you could name your girl Rose. But why not Lark or Juno?
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Excuse the dad for checking his Instagram feed when the nurse brings the newborn into the room. He might be trying to find a name for the kid.

Naming a baby after an Instagram filter is a hot trend according to the annual Baby Names Survey, sponsored by the Baby Center.

Play Darth Vader with Siri and get some hilarious responses

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The popularity of selfies made them the Oxford Dictionary's
Hey, Siri...
Photo: Star Wars

The whole tech world is losing its mind with Star Wars mania, and Apple’s no exception. Hidden within Siri is a neat reference to George Lucas’ epic space opera — accessible when you use the iconic “I am your father” line from the end of The Empire Strikes Back.

Check out some of Siri’s best responses below.

Apple offers kids free ‘Hour of Code’ programming classes

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Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 13.51.14
Apple is doing its bit to encourage the coders of tomorrow.
Photo: Apple

Apple is once again supporting Code.org’s “Hour of Code” initiative by offering a range of workshops and other special events for kids aged 6 and above at Apple Stores around the world.

Other participating tech companies include Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. Apple is presenting a range of interesting sessions, including a free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming taking place on December 10 at local Apple Stores.

Pro Tip: How to speed up your Apple Watch

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Apple Watch
Get your Apple Watch ready for your new iPhone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Pro_Tip_Cult_of_Mac Apple Watch is becoming second nature to me after several months of owning it. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like something’s missing when I don’t strap it to my wrist in the morning before starting my workday.

Thing is, the Apple Watch has so many animations on it that I sometimes feel like getting things done takes too long. I just want to find and use apps, with a minimum of fuss and bother.

Luckily, you can turn off those animations on Apple Watch to make it all feel a bit snappier.

Apple Pay was a massive flop on Black Friday

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Apple Pay
Is Apple Pay struggling to make an impact?
Photo: Apple

Apple may have kicked butt on Black Friday, with reports of its strongest Friday sales in history and more online purchases made using iOS devices than Androids by a giant margin.

There was one area of Apple’s business where Black Friday wasn’t a day of triumph, however, and that’s Apple Pay. According to a new report, only half the total percentage of Apple customers who used Apple Pay at last year’s Black Friday used it during this year’s sales bonanza.

iPad giveaway prank proves you shouldn’t ignore Terms and Conditions

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Just agree -  everyone's doing it.
Just agree - everyone's doing it.
Photo: Apple

Despite the fact that they frequently contain things we should be concerned about, it’s rare that we pay much (if any) attention to what we’re agreeing to when we hit “Accept” on the Terms & Conditions section of some new app we’ve downloaded.

However, a fun viral video by YouTube prankster Jena Kingsley shows why we should read a bit more carefully, with members of the public unknowingly “agreeing” to do everything from adopting a child (who’s standing right there!) to giving up an organ — all in the name of trying to win an iPad.

Check it out below:

Stunning iOS puzzler Monument Valley goes free for first time

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Monument Valley
Monument Valley is one of my favorite iOS games.
Photo: ustwo

Tremendous iOS puzzle game Monument Valley has just gone free on iOS for the first time in its history.

Inspired by the surrealistic designs of M.C. Escher, the title is a triumph of isometric design, in which the player guides a princess through a series of impossible structures in a game that Apple lyrically described as, “akin to a walk through a museum or listening to a music album.”

Seriously, download it now.

Apple drops two new ‘ridiculously powerful’ iPhone 6s videos

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The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
Photo: Apple

Apple is positioning the iPhone 6s as both incredibly user friendly as well as ridiculously powerful in a couple of new spots appearing on YouTube Tuesday evening.

The first ad, “Ridiculously Powerful” admits that the iPhone 6s is essentially the same as the iPhone 6, except now it’s incredibly high-powered.

Check it out below, along with a second video that focuses on friendliness via the Hey Siri feature of the new iPhones.

The 4-inch iPhone 6c: Coming in time for Valentine’s Day?

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An iPhone 6c concept.
An iPhone 6c concept.
Photo: iPhonesoft

There are many who claim that the iPhone 5c, Apple’s plastic-backed “budget” iPhone, was a disappointment, especially compared to the sales of iPhone 6/6s/Plus. Yet rumors continue to circulate that the iPhone 6c will be released next year.

Here’s another rumor to throw on that fire: Supply chain sources within Foxconn are allegedly saying the iPhone 6c is on track for a February 2016 debut.

iPhone 7 concept video isn’t as crazy as it looks

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Iphone 7 concept video parachute system
Don't worry -- the Parachute System has this under control.
Photo: Sonitdac (via YouTube)

A tongue-in-cheek (we assume) iPhone 7 concept video shows a feature that may be too awesome to ever actually exist.

YouTube user Sonitdac has discovered a way to keep the sure-to-be-expensive device safe from even the clumsiest of owners. They call it the “Parachute System,” and we really wish it were real. Not because it would be useful or practical but because it would be a ton of fun to play with.

Check it out in computer-generated action below.

Study examines Apple Watch quitters and their quibbles

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Not everybody who bought the Apple Watch is wearing it.
Not everybody who bought the Apple Watch is wearing it.
Photo: Apple

If you bought an Apple Watch that now collects dust on your dresser, you are not alone.

Web-based research firm Wristly, which found a 97 percent user satisfaction rate among early adopters, took equal interest in the unhappy 3 percent. What it found from 340 former Apple Watch users could provide valuable insights for Cupertino as it works on future generations of the smartwatch.

The reasons people gave up the watch include: