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Apple steps up its clean energy efforts in China

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Apple is spreading its green initiative to China. Photo: Apple
Apple is now carbon neutral in China. But it's not stopping there.
Photo: Apple

Apple and Foxconn are teaming up to build solar power plants that will ensure its iPhone-manufacturing factories in China run on 100 percent clean energy.

Foxconn has committed to constructing more than 400 megawatts of solar power plants, beginning in China’s Henan Province, by 2018. Apple will also build an addition 200 megawatts of solar projects throughout China, helping offset the carbon produced by the rest of its supply chain.

Beddi is an alarm clock that’s more like having your own butler

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The Beddi smart alarm clock has a host of functions. Waking you from sleep is just a start.
The Beddi smart alarm clock has a host of functions. Waking you from sleep is just a start.
Photo: Witti

You may have broke your last alarm clock swiping it off your nightstand as you tried to make it stop doing that one thing it’s supposed to do – get your ass out of bed.

In its place comes Beddi, the clock that teams up with your iPhone to wake you, get the coffee started and even hail you an Uber ride. Dock your phone at night for charging, enjoy some pillow talk with Siri, activate a mood light and fall asleep to white noise.

Ferrari boss thinks Cupertino will outsource Apple Car

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Apple Car
Magna International Inc. is making cars for BMW.
Photo: BMW

It’s an open secret that Apple is building it’s own electric car, but according to the chairman of Ferrari, Sergio Marchionne, it’s unlikely that the company will actually manufacture the vehicle on its own.

In an interview this morning on CNBC, Marchionne said that he believes the automotive industry is a space where Apple could really exhibit its skills. However, designing a car and making it are two different things, so Apple will probably have to outsource production.

YouTube’s new streaming service charges iOS users an Apple tax

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YouTube is going ad-free, for a price.
YouTube is going ad-free, for a price.
Photo: Google

Google revealed that it’s getting into the subscription video streaming game today with the introduction of YouTube Red.

The new $9.99-per-month service will give customers ad-free access to all of YouTube’s content, but the company plans to charge customers extra if they sign up through iOS.

Clever leather wallet case can turn iPhone 6s into a dock

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This Italian leather case also attaches with the Micro Dock from Nodus.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

I go through phases of different cases that I like to style my iPhone with. Back in the day I used to like clear cases just to show off the fact that I have an iPhone at all, but lately I’ve been really digging leather. That’s why I was particularly excited to try out the new Access Case 2 from Nodus, but it’s more than just good looks. It works as a compact wallet and dock for your phone as well. Yes, an actual dock.

Apple drops new software for Watch and TV, too

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WatchOS 2.0.1 is out.
WatchOS 2.0.1 is out.
Photo: Apple

The first big updates for iOS 9 and El Capitan were released by Apple this morning, but the company has some smaller updates for the Apple Watch and Apple TV 4, too.

The GM for tvOS was seeded today to developers who already got their hands on the early release Apple TV 4 units. That software will be the final version the new set-top box ships with next week. Apple Watch owners also received an update in the form of watchOS 2.0.1.

The Apple Watch update contains the following fixes:

OS X 10.11.1 update brings new emoji, Microsoft Office fixes and more

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A new beta is out for OS X El Capitan.
A new beta is out for OS X El Capitan.
Photo: Apple

The first big update for OS X El Capitan has been released to the public today after months of beta testing of its new features and improvements.

OS X 10.11.1 brings more than 150 new emoji characters to the Mac, along with improved compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016, better VoiceOver reliability and numerous other bug fixes. The update can be now loaded through the Mac App Store or via the Software Update option in the Apple menu.

Here’s a full list of the improvements:

iOS 9.1 is here with new emoji, wallpapers and more

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iOS 9.3 beta 6 is here!
iOS 9.3 beta 6 is here!
Photo: Apple

A ton of new emoji land on iOS devices today with the public launch of iOS 9.1.

Apple released iOS 9.1 this morning to users after five beta builds of the first big iOS 9 update were tested by developers. Among the new features: dozens of new emoji for everything from tacos, burritos, unicorns — and even a middle finger.

iOS users currently running iOS 9.0.2 can grab the new software via an over-the-air update or download it directly from iTunes.

Here’s everything that’s new in the update:

Steve Jobs’ favorite reviewer slams Aaron Sorkin’s new movie

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Walt Mossberg echoes what others are saying about the Steve Jobs movie: it's inaccurate.
Photo: Joi Ito/Flickr CC

Technology journalist Walt Mossberg opened up about the Steve Jobs movie debuting in theaters this Friday and he didn’t have many kind things to say about it. Mossberg, who knew Steve Jobs for 14 years before his passing, recalls the numerous occasions in which they talked and spent time together including in interviews. None of those times, however, seem to add up to Aaron Sorkin’s portrayal of Jobs in the movie.

Launch this sleek, stealthy drone from the palm of your hand [Deals]

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The SKEYE, now available in a limited black shade, is the ideal drone for first-time fliers.
The SKEYE, now available in a limited black shade, is the ideal drone for first-time fliers.

We’ve all got a jones for drones, but not all of us have the space or cash to hang up a 5-foot-wide quad-copter in our garage. The SKEYE Nano, now available in a Batwing-worthy shade of black, solves both problems, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and at $39.99 it’s cheap enough to keep cash in your pocket.

Tim Cook ranked top CEO by a bunch of computers

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Tim Cook
Not everyone is happy at Apple under CEO Tim Cook.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook heads a company that devotes massive brain power in developing and understanding algorithms. And it was an algorithm that ranked the Apple CEO the nation’s top executive from a list of 250.

ExecRank, a kind of social network for companies to find advisors and board members, uses a statistical and algorithmic analysis to measure 24 categories, including experience, business resolution, company growth and earnings and industry reputation.

Attack of the Clones: 5 totally shameless iPhone 6s ripoffs

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attack-of-the-clones-5-totally-shameless-iphone-6s-ripoffs-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201510Screen-Shot-2015-10-21-at-161545-png
Spot the difference. The Apple legal team edition.
Photo: Apple/Lenovo
Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic
Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic

Jony Ive sure hates rival companies ripping off the iPhone for their latest flagship handset design. Which is why we’d respectfully suggest that Jony doesn’t click the link below, unless he wants to ruin his Wednesday before it even starts.

From the curved edges and color options to the prominent antenna lines, all that’s missing is the Apple stamp of quality. And Jony’s permission, of course.

Millennials get opinions they care about in new iOS app

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Millennials now have a place to register a range  of opinions with the app exacly.me.
Millennials now have a place to register a range of opinions with the app exacly.me.
Photo: exacly.me

Millennials are a generation of “digital natives” with strong opinions and they’re losing interest in social media that only allows them to register a Like on posts.

The creators of a new social media app called exacly.me believe they can give Millennials a platform for meaningful sharing with the honest self-expression that so defines them. The community of users can rate each other’s content with “Me” or “Not Me.” Gasp at a picture of a friend rock climbing? There’s even an option to say “So Not Me.”

Great Scott! Siri prepared for Back to the Future day

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Granted, the future portrayed in Back to the Future Part II is only Oct. 21, 2015, meaning that a whole lot needs to happen in a very short space of time if we’re going to have a hope of catching up. To be honest, we’d skip most of it, so long as someone would hurry up and invent a hoverboard. Hey, at least Nike is planning to release self-tying Power Laces next year to commemorate the movie.
Yep, that's today. Apparently.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Happy Back to the Future Day, everyone! If you’ve somehow been living under a rock, today is the “future date” which Marty McFly visits in the 1989 movie sequel Back to the Future II.

And while we may not yet have ubiquitous hoverboards, self-tying sneakers, rehydrating pizzas or, erm, loads and loads of fax machines, we do have Siri. And Apple’s loaded it full of Doc Brown and Marty McFly references to celebrate the occasion.

Check out the best quips below.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview is about to vanish from Netflix

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6a00d8341c630a53ef0154369e14f5970c-800wi
This is 70 minutes more with Steve than most of us ever had.
Photo: Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview

Between Alex Gibney’s The Man in the Machine documentary and the new Steve Jobs biopic, there’s no shortage of viewing material at the moment if you’re interested in Steve Jobs.

But Netflix-subscribing Steve Jobs completists may want to check out one other Jobs artifact: 2012’s Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview. And you’d better hurry up, too — because it disappears in November.

Place your bets! Analysts take stabs at secret Apple Watch sales figures

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And the roulette wheel of Apple Watch predictions lands on... zero? Photo: John Wardell/Flickr CC
And the roulette wheel of Apple Watch predictions lands on... zero?
Photo: John Wardell/Flickr CC

Apple is still being coy about Apple Watch sales figures, with Cook this week noting that, “We are not announcing the numbers” — but assuring people that the company has “shipped a lot” of Apple Watches, and that numbers continue to grow.

“This is competitive information,” he said. “I don’t want to help the competition. We shipped a lot [of Apple Watches] the first quarter, then last quarter we shipped even more. I can predict this quarter we will ship even more.”

But how many is a lot?

Popular messaging app blocked in Iran after creator refuses to turn spy

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Photo: Quixotic54/Flickr CC
Lotf Allah Mosque, Iran.
Photo: Photo: Quixotic54/Flickr CC

The maker of Telegram, a popular messaging app, has had his creation blocked in Iran on the grounds that he refused to help authorities to spy on their own citizens.

Creator Pavel Durov said that Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology asked him to provide them with “spying and censorship tools” for the service. When he refused, Telegram was quickly given the boot.

Misfit unveils faster, more accurate Shine 2 fitness tracker

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The new Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking.
The new Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking.
Photo: Misfit
Misfit Shine 2 has arrived. Photo: Misfit
Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking. Photo: Misfit

Misfit is back with a major update to its award-winning Shine fitness and sleep tracker. The new Shine 2 is faster and more accurate than its predecessor, with an added 3-axis magnetometer and updated hardware that promises improved responsiveness and snappier syncing.

What to expect from Apple TV’s M2M channel

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M2M channel Apple TV
The M2M Channel is part of Apple TV's ambitious launch plan next week.
Photo: WME/IMG

Apple TV has locked up some fancy, exclusive content ahead of the launch of its new set-top hardware next week.

M2M, which is a really chic way of saying “Made to Measure,” will air content devoted to the fashion world and its icons. It comes courtesy of a partnership between Apple and sports/fashion titan WME/IMG, and you’ll only be able to see it through Apple.

Here’s what you can expect your Apple TV to be wearing when the channel launches Tuesday.

Apple Watch is killing Swiss watches faster than expected

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Apple Watch OS2 add a friend
Makers of Swiss watches may not be adding Apple to their friend circles anytime soon.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The third-quarter figures are in for the Swiss watch industry, and it’s not good news. Exports slid 8.5 percent over the past three months, continuing a trend that has some worried that newer tech like the Apple Watch might be affecting demand for traditional timepieces.

Analysts are citing falling sales in Asia as the reason for the downturn.

High expectations: Best weed apps for your iPhone

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Now that marijuana is  legal in many spots around the U.S., pot apps abound.
Now that marijuana is legal in many spots around the U.S., pot apps abound.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Where can you buy weed legally? What kind of marijuana is best for you? What are the laws concerning pot use in your neck of the woods? Potent new marijuana apps make it easy to answer all your sticky weed questions.

We’ve harvested the best marijuana apps so you don’t have to pick through the seeds and stems yourself.