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Apple bucks the trend as global smartphone market declines

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Gene testing, coming soon to an iPhone near you. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
What can we say? People just love their iPhones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Smartphone sales may be slowing down worldwide, but try telling that to Apple!

According to a new report by research firm Gartner, iPhones sales increased by an impressive 36 percent in the June quarter this year — representing a 2.4 percent increase in total market share.

Apple leans on Sharp for its super-sharp iPad Pro displays

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The iPad Pro could delay the iPad Air, cancel the iPad mini.
The iPad Pro is on its way.
Photo: CURVED

Apple is turning to Sharp to provide the displays for its upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro, according to a new report, claiming that the device will go into production by the end of this year’s third quarter — with mass production following shortly thereafter.

Sharp is said to be providing Open Cell LCD displays, while GIS will be responsible for the super-sized tablets’ touch modules, lamination and LCM assembly.

Apple Watch’s disappearing logo is tiniest mystery ever

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Some users are reporting a problem with the back of their Apple Watch.
Some users are reporting a problem with the back of their Apple Watch.
Photo: dougie70w/Apple Discussions

Looks like we’ve got some wear issues on the Apple Watch, especially the Space Gray ones. There are posts on Reddit and the Apple Discussion Forums that show both the Apple logo and actual text etched into the back of the watches peeling off.

Apple Discussions user dougie70w says that he bought his Apple Watch at the beginning of June “and the band started to peel part so bad that I replaced it with an after market metal band that I purchaced on Amazon.”

He’s got an appointment at a local Apple Store today and hopes that having Apple Care will let him get a replacement.

El Capitan beta 7 is now ready for testing

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Hair Force One rocking the El Capitan reveal.
Hair Force One rocking the El Capitan reveal.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s fifth El Capitan public beta was quickly pulled yesterday after its release, but the company is ready to give developers a taste of the newest fixes in its upcoming operating system with the release of El Capitan beta 7.

Twitter for Mac’s anemic update is a total slap in the face

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twitter-for-mac
Twitter for Mac got an update no one asked for.
Photo: Twitter

Good news: the official Twitter app for Mac finally got some attention today for the first time in almost a year. It now supports direct messages without the 140-character limit. Bad news: that’s the only feature added in the update, rendering it so totally insignificant you’re probably considering donating a new coffee machine to the Twitter for Mac team.

How to enable subtitles on Apple TV

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Closed captions make it easier to understand what's going on.
Closed captions make it easier to understand what's going on.
Photo: Apple

Closed captioning is useful to those with a hearing impairment to make the audio of videos accessible. Subtitles help those who speak a different language understand what’s going on in a film not in their original language.

You can enable these features on your Apple TV, but it’s not super-intuitive — there’s no single button to make it happen.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t easy. Here’s how to turn on Apple TV subtitles, even if you just want to watch a scary movie at night and have the sound turned down.

MLB tried to ban coach from wearing the Apple Watch it gave him

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MLB Coach Ned Yost at a game in 2012 against the Orioles.
Kansas City Royal's manager Ned Yost during a game at the Orioles.
Photo: Keith Allison/Flickr

Kansas City Royals coach, Ned Yost was been slapped on the wrist by the MLB for wearing his Apple Watch during games, even though they’re the ones that gave it to him.

Yost received the watch as a gift from the MLB for serving as the American League manager in the All-Star Game, but after the manager was repeatedly seen wearing the device in the dugout, the MLB decided to step in and try to stop him from using it in games.

New iPhone 6s bend test reveals super-strong aluminum shell

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The first iPhone 6s bend test is here.
The first iPhone 6s bend test is here.
Photo: Lewis Hilsenteger

Apple is hoping to avoid another Bendgate controversy by using a new aluminum shell for the iPhone 6s that’s twice as strong as the iPhone 6 version. We got our first look at the super-strong iPhone 6s last week, when Lewis Hilsenteger got his hands on a leaked shell that indicates Apple will use series 7000 aluminum for the upcoming model.

Hilsenteger’s latest video puts the new and improved iPhone 6s aluminum frame to the bend test. Only this time, instead of using his bare hands like he did with the original Bendgate video, Hilsenteger uses sophisticated equipment to give us extra insight into the new case’s super strength.

Add some reach to your charge with this 10-foot Lightning cable [Deals]

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This 10-foot cable will make sure your phone is well within reach when it's charging.
This 10-foot cable will make sure your phone is well within reach when it's charging.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s happened to all of us — you’ve got important business to take care of on your mobile but it’s plugged into the wall charger. The short leash that is the typical Lightning cable means you’ve got to hunch like Quasimoto just to send a text. Charging your phone shouldn’t also mean paying a chiropractor, which is why at $18.99 this 10-foot Lightning cable is a great investment.

‘Leaked’ Apple ad envisions a colorful iPhone 6s

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The iPhone needs a splash of color.
The iPhone needs a splash of color.
Photo: Tony Knoxville

The iPhone 6s keynote is less than a month away, and while Apple’s not expected to bring any huge design changes to its newest smartphones, the new models could be the most colorful phones out of Cupertino since the iPhone 5c.

Someone has created a fake “leaked” iPhone 6s commercial that envisions what the iPhone 6s would look like if it came in more color options than the iPod Touch. Even though the 30-second spot that supposedly comes straight from an Apple office is definitely not made by Apple, it’s interesting to see what the iPhone would look like if Apple made it as fun as the original iPod ads.

Check it out:

iPad Pro to pack Force Touch, plenty of pixels, optional stylus

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The iPad Pro could delay the iPad Air, cancel the iPad mini.
The iPad Pro is coming.
Photo: CURVED

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will boast an impressive 2,048-pixel x 2,732-pixel display, come with Force Touch technology, and be here by Christmas, according to new reports.

For those who are worried that the device will turn its back on Steve Jobs’ “no stylus” rule by coming with a pen-shaped accessory, have no fear: the iPad Pro’s rumored stylus is also said to be a completely optional add-on.

Why MacBook screens must be angled at 76 degrees in Apple Stores

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12-inch MacBook
Apple's got some pretty unique angles for selling.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Have you ever noticed that the MacBooks are positioned at a slightly awkward angle whenever you visit an Apple Store?

As it turns out, there’s method to Apple’s madness — and it’s all about getting customers to adjust the screens, thereby giving them a taste of just how gorgeously tactile the company’s MacBooks really are.

Apple’s sapphire maker grows the world’s biggest sapphire crystal

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sapphire-boule
Has Apple's latest manufacturer cracked the sapphire code?
Photo: GT Advanced Technologies

Apple has had its problems with sapphire manufacturers before, but not with its latest supplier, which not only stands as the largest sapphire manufacturer in the world and one of the few that are showing any kind of operating profit — but also just churned out the world’s first 300lb synthetic sapphire crystal.

The most popular colors for App Store icons explained

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The Top 200 iOS app icons, charted to a color wheel.
The Top 200 iOS app icons, charted to a color wheel.
Photo: Stuart Hall / Medium

There are thousands of colors an App Store icon can be … so why does it so often look like developers only had half a box of crayons to choose from when we look at our iPhones?

But App Store iconography may be more colorful than it seems at first. Don’t believe me? These color wheels show exactly how dominant certain colors are in the icons of the most successful apps.

This app makes Android Wear look like the Apple Watch

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this-app-makes-android-wear-look-like-the-apple-watch-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508Screen-Shot-2015-08-18-at-33751-PM-jpg
This app makes your Android smartwatch look like the Apple Watch. Photo: Bubble Cloud Launcher
This app makes your Android smartwatch look like the Apple Watch. Photo: Bubble Cloud Launcher

The Apple Watch doesn’t work with Android smartphones, and probably never will. That means if you’re an Android fan who loves the Apple Watch’s Bubble UI, you’ve got two choices: get an iPhone, or install this new launcher that will turn your Android smartwatch into a virtual clone of the Apple Watch’s launch screen.

Robot butler rolls out to begin life of thankless drudgery

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Botlr hotel robot Aloft

Photo: Aloft

Guests of the boutique Aloft Silicon Valley hotel might be a little surprised to see its newest employee.

It might be his height or his odd way of moving around, or it might be the basket of towels where its head should be. But mostly, it’s going to be weird because the new guy is a robot, and that’s just inherently strange at this point in history.

Why leave? Apple Music is great right now

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Find new music; listen to your favorites. It's that simple.
Find new music; listen to your favorites. It's that simple.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

What the hell, internet? Apple Music, for all its growing pains and glitches, is a fantastic music streaming service.

It’s free unlimited music now, cheaper unlimited music later, and Apple Music is undoubtedly going to get better, especially if you’re already tied into Apple’s ecosystem.

If you take off before the trial period ends, you’re gonna miss out.

Each state has its own fave emoji (and some of you people are weird)

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Everybody loves emoji. Even the weird ones.
Everybody loves emoji. Even the weird ones.
Photo: Technewz

 

Emoji have quickly become the language of choice for digital natives, but when it comes to the tiny pictograms, not all emoji are used equally. To find out which areas of the United States use emoji differently, SwiftKey analyzed over 1 billion emoji used on its keyboard app between June 2014 and 2015, and came away with some interesting take aways — like the elephant emoji being most popular in Alabama, while the volcano emoji is blowing up in Maine.

Check out the map to see which is your state’s favorite emoji:

How to cure WhatsApp’s picture hoarding

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WhatsApp

Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

WhatsApp is a pretty popular messaging app that went from 200 million daily active users in April of 2013 to 800 million of them as of April 2015.

Unlike competitor SnapChat, however, WhatsApp will save every photo and video file sent to you to your Camera Roll. This could make for some embarrassing moments when you’re swiping through your photos to show mom your latest cat pictures.

It could also start to clog up your iPhone, really, with all that racy video your friends keep sending you.

To avoid these situations, you can disable the “feature.” Here’s how.

iPad lock defeats ram-raiding thief

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The Maclock device securing an iPad to the counter upended the plans of this thief.
The Maclock device securing an iPad to the counter upended the plans of this thief.
Photo: 7 News Melbourne

When it comes to security and tamper-resistant devices, nothing beats the testimonial of a failed burglary attempt caught on camera.

A robber, who recently rammed his truck into an Australian electronics store, hit a snag when he tried to swipe an iPad encased in a double-lock kiosk made by Maclocks. Security camera footage shows him pulling with all his might and then giving up. With time against him, he wound up leaving the store with empty display boxes.