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The one place in the world where an iPhone 6 costs $47,678

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iPhone 6
I love my iPhone, but maybe not enough to spend $47,678.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If you think a new iPhone costs a pretty penny where you live, spare a moment of thought for the poor folks of Venezuela — a.k.a. the most expensive iPhone market in the world.

Due to a combination of limited supply and crazy inflation, iPhones in the country cost 300,000 bolivars, or around $47,678.

Yes, you read that correctly!

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich ‘feels safe’ with Apple Music

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Lars Ulrich by Gage Skidmore
This is the face of safety.
Photo: Gage Skidmore. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has had some issues with music platforms in the past, but when it comes to Apple Music, he’s completely on board.

The outspoken musician spoke at creativity festival Cannes Lions and declared his complete approval of how Apple is handling its upcoming streaming service.

5G is up to 20 times faster than LTE and headed right for us

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Having 4G connectivity when you want to stream music or download a game is awesome, but when 5G gets here, your LTE smartphone will feel like dial-up on Windows 95 all over again.

The new standard, which is officially named “IMT-2020,” can reach speeds of up to 20 Gbps, which is 20 times faster than the 4G we have today. With data that fast, you could download a 25GB Ultra HD movie in just 10 seconds.

Apple now has an official say in the future of Bluetooth

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Bluetooth
Apple now has a say in Bluetooth's roadmap going forward.
Photo: Bluetooth SIG

As a key driver in Bluetooth-related innovation, Apple has today been announced as a new promoter member of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group.)

Giving Apple voting rights on Bluetooth SIG corporate matters, as well as a continual seat on the SIG Board of Directors, Apple joins current promoter members Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, and Toshiba.

It’s about time, too!

Tweetbot 2 for Mac’s latest update pushes it ahead of Twitter

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Tweetoot is a tremendous Twitter client.
Tweetbot's new "quote tweet" functionality.
Photo: Tapbots

Tweetbot 2 for Mac was a long awaited update to Tapbots’ fantastic Twitter app, bringing a host of new functionality and a flat, Yosemite-friendly redesign to fans. But it wasn’t exactly a finished release, as Macworld’s review makes clear.

But Tapbots is not a developer to leave things half-done. They have just released Tweetbot 2.0.1 for Mac, and it’s so ahead of the curve it supports a feature even Twitter hasn’t delivered on yet.

How Apple Watch can help you float your boat in Maryland

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Maryland DNR Apple Watch
Maryland residents can prepare to set sail with their Apple Watches.
Photo: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Apple Watch might not be waterproof, but it will help Maryland residents get sailing, anyway.

The state of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has launched a companion Apple Watch app to help residents find waterways to explore. This makes Maryland the first state government with an official app for Apple’s recently released smartwatch.

Conspiracy theorists thinks Taylor Swift’s Apple beef was a publicity stunt

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Was the bad blood between Taylor Swift and Apple staged?
Photo: Lovethegame/Tumblr

From the suggestion that the Earth is actually hollow to accusations that Jay Z and Beyonce are the world’s most famous Illuminati members, the Internet is nothing if not great for spreading crazy conspiracy theories.

In the wake of the recent Apple/Taylor Swift confrontation over Apple Music, there’s another one to add to the list: That the whole thing was staged to promote Apple’s new streaming music service.

And based on the number of times it’s already being mentioned, a surprising number of people believe it.

Hong Kong politician watches sexy girls on his iPhone during historic debate

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"Erm... ah, how do you get back to the home screen?"
Photo: on.cc

Hong Kong import and export lawmaker Wong Ting-kwong has embarrassed himself after being snapped viewing sexy pics on his iPhone during an important parliamentary debate. Because, you know, helping decide the entire future of Hong Kong isn’t exciting enough!

Crazily enough, Wong is far from the first high-profile politician to be caught using his Apple product inappropriately.

Here’s the Apple Watch emulating a vintage 20-year-old Mac

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Force touch Apple Watch
You won't believe what the Apple Watch can do now.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch might not seem like it has the most powerful processor on the block, but it’s still an A5-caliber CPU, similar to the one shipped with the iPad 2, the original iPad mini and the iPhone 4s.

That means the Apple Watch’s processor is still more powerful than pretty much every other CPU of the last 40 years. And it’s certainly up to the task of emulating a vintage Mac, as this video abundantly proves.

iPhone 6s fear could make Samsung rush to release Galaxy S7

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Samsung may crank out new smartphone models by the bucket-load, but up until now its flagship Galaxy phones have only arrived at a rate of one generation per year.

That may be about to change, since a new rumor claims that fear of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6s could drive the panicked South Korean tech giant to rush forward its Galaxy S7 — in order to coincide with the expected September launch of Apple’s next-gen handset.

Because rushing products out so as to be able to yell “first” always works out well for you, right Samsung?

Howard Hughes’ former home is retro sci-fi, controlled by an iPad

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Howard Hughes House
It's straight out of a David Lynch movie.
Photo: Ben Bacal (via YouTube)

If you have an extra $11.5 million sitting around, and you’ve always wanted to live somewhere that looks like a great place to plan a heist while your robot butler serves you drinks, we may have found your new home.

The house at 535 Haynes Avenue in Beverly Hills once belonged to tycoon, filmmaker, and real-life Iron Man, Howard Hughes. And if its classic charm and amazing views weren’t enough for you, it’s also entirely automated and runs from an iPad.

You can see more of the swanky house in the video below.

Get your jam on anywhere, anytime with Jamstik+

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The newest Jamstik smart guitar has a magnetic pickup and Bluetooth technology.
The newest Jamstik smart guitar has a magnetic pickup and Bluetooth technology.
Photo: Jamstik

So it’s not quite an ax. It’s more of a hatchet.

But you can do some shredding on the diminutive Jamstik. It’s a portable smart guitar that gets beginners playing recognizable chords within a few minutes and helps the inspired musician instantly articulate those notes blooming in his or her brain. Connect it to most Apple devices and learn with the Jamstik tutorial app or record in Garage Band.

The first version was popular, but Minneapolis-based Zivix wanted to make improvements based on customer feedback. The music technology company raised more than $800,000 on a recent Kickstarter campaign to bring Bluetooth technology and a magnetic pickup to the newest generation, Jamstik+.

Jabra’s new earbuds put a fitness coach in your ear

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Jabra Sport Coach put a trainer in your ear
Jabra Sport Coach put a trainer in your ear
Photo: Jabra

Now that I’ve got an Apple Watch I’ll never go back to boring wired headphones, and now that Jabra’s new wireless earbuds have built-in coaching, I’ll probably never have to hire a personal trainer either.

Jabra launched its newest set of earbuds today called the Jabra Sport Coach, that along with sounding excellent and looking cool, the wireless buds add an integrated motion sensor so you can get real-time feedback on all the burpees, lunges, squats, and planks you do at the gym.

Apple Music wanted to rob artists like Taylor Swift robs photographers

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Taylor Swift criticized Apple for initially not paying artistst during the trial period for Apple Music.
Taylor Swift criticized Apple for initially not paying artistst during the trial period for Apple Music.
Photo: Wikipedia

Taylor Swift is a shrewd business woman and thought she was speaking for all the little artists when she told Apple to kiss off when it comes to featuring her album 1989 on its new music streaming service.

To not pay artists during Apple Music’s free three-month trial period is exploitive, the singer-songwriter suggested, not to mention “shocking” and “disappointing.”

So forgive music photographer Jason Sheldon if he is unable to Shake It Off and is bothered by the hypocrisy of her stance. Editorial photographers assigned to shoot her shows must sign away rights to their photos, preventing them from being paid while giving Swift unlimited use of the pictures for publicity and promotion.