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Why the iPhone 6s may be the best ‘s’ yet, this week on The CultCast

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This week: Why the iPhone 6s could be the best “s” update yet; Nintendo promises five top-notch titles coming to iOS; the paltry earnings of top Mac App Store apps; and just when we thought we’ve seen it all … a new iPhone accessory helps you deal with your major gas issues.

Our thanks to Automatic for supporting this episode. Plug Automatic into your car’s data port, and their beautiful app will show you where you parked, how to save fuel with tips based on your actual driving, and even diagnose and turn off your car’s check engine light.

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Full show notes ahead!

What does ‘fitness’ mean and why does it matter?

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Apple Watch Activity
What exactly are fitness trackers tracking?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Many people say they want to get fit, but what does this actually mean? Fit for what?

The websites of leading fitness trackers, like Apple Watch, Fitbit, Microsoft Band and Jawbone Up don’t shed much light on this question. They talk a lot about the things that their devices measure, and even suggest changes in how we go about our day, but they rarely explain why this matters or what the actual benefits are.

Image is everything as restaurants plate their food for Instagram fame

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Food photography
Restaurants try to take advantage of the free marketing Instagrammers provide when they share food photos.
Photo: Brigham Young University

Some restaurants take pride in offering perfect food and wine pairings. Others think more in terms of food and phone pairings.

Yes, you can blame Instagram if your restaurant is a little brighter and the presentation of the food is a bit fussier. Restauranteurs are trying to cash in on our obsession with photographing our meals by giving Instagram users better lighting and compositional conditions to make more appetizing shots.

China goes wild during Tim Cook’s week-long Apple Store tour

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Tim Cook and Apple might be moving into San Francisco.
Tim Cook and Apple might be moving into San Francisco.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook just finished a week-long tour of China, complete with stops at new Apple Stores across the country, as well as a visit to the elementary school at Communication University of China, and a meeting with China’s Vice Premier.

Cook created a Weibo account earlier this week to announce Apple’s new green initiatives in China, but the Apple CEO didn’t stop there. Rather than posting to Twitter, Cook stayed active on the Chinese microblogging all week, posting his interactions with customers and colleagues. In just five days, Tim has amassed over half a million Weibo followers (he’s got 1.3 million on Twitter) by keeping Chinese fans updated with seven posts during the trip.

Take a look at Tim’s awesome Weibo travelogue:

Wiz Khalifa rocks Apple Watch in new music video

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Wiz loves two things: Apple Watch and weed. But mostly weed. Photo:
Wiz loves Apple Watch almost as much as weed.
Photo: Wiz Khalifa/YouTube

Drake and Kanye West have both shown their love for Apple Watch with their custom gold Edition models. Now rapper Wiz Khalifa is getting in the Apple Watch game by rocking one throughout his entire new music video.

Wiz Khalifa’s latest surprise video, “The Play,” features three of Wiz’s greatest loves: his son Bash, weed, and Apple Watch. The video focuses on father-son moments between the rapper and Bash, but his stainless steel Apple Watch Sport with a white sport bands steals the show between blasts of lyrics talking about real guys making it off the streets without help.

Watch the heartwarming video below:

‘Businessman’ who made $43,000 scamming Apple jailed

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Defraud Apple, go to Egypt.
Defraud Apple, go to Egypt.
Photo: Edward Hornsey/Facebook

Edward Hornsey has had an impressively long relationship with Apple’s customer service department. The 24 year-old has returned 51 iPhones in the past year, and Apple has replaced them with brand-new units.

The only problem is that none of those phones were his, and he’s now in jail for fraud.

Court keeps cellphone network ‘kill switch’ a secret

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The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus are coming on September 18th, according to German carriers.
This could be the government's doing.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

It only took one sentence for the United States Court of Appeals to keep the federal government’s emergency plan to disable cellular service a secret. It was a very long sentence, but it got the job done.

This ruling reinforces the Department of Homeland Security’s attempts to block Freedom of Information Act requests that it feels will endanger public safety.

Google I/O vs. WWDC: Which software summit will rule the summer?

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Friday Night Fights returns!
Friday Night Fights returns!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Dueling developer events Google I/O and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will happen in the next couple of months, which makes this an exciting time of year for Apple and Android fans.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Both events attract a lot of attention — they’re two of the biggest software-focused conferences in tech — and getting a ticket to either one is nearly impossible.

But which is better? Find out what we think in this week’s Friday Night Fight with Cult of Android versus Cult of Mac!

ICYMI: Apple Watch Nightmares

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Getting Apple Watch ordered or fixed can be a nightmare.
Getting Apple Watch ordered or fixed can be a nightmare.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s hot new wrist gadget is pretty fantastic and shiny, but when you trash it, how can you get it fixed? We’ve got the skinny on how to do just that, based on our own run-in with a shattered Apple Watch Sport. Plus? Rob and Evan take on more tips and tricks for the Apple Watch than you can stand, Luke’s got a look at how the next iPhone 6s could be the biggest “incremental” upgrade ever, and Leander has a rant-tastic video on his time with his own Apple Watch.

Get all of this, and lots more, in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, free to download and subscribe.

Zwift wheels its virtual bicycle racing platform into open beta

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Journalists and bike geeks gather at the Rapha Store in San Francisco for Zwift’s launch in September 2014.
Journalists and bike geeks gather at the Rapha Store in San Francisco for Zwift’s launch last September.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Zwift, which calls itself an “online fitness entertainment gaming platform,” has finally opened up its virtual roads for anyone with a bicycle on a trainer to ride.

The virtual bicycle racing platform lets riders hook their two-wheelers up to their computers (Mac or PC). Then they receive real-time data about their ride — including speed, cadence and even power — and can match their performance against another rider who is using Zwift at the same time.

5 proven SEO tips to boost your site’s search rankings right now

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These tips will boost your SEO immediately
These tips will boost your SEO immediately.
Photo: GotCredit/Flickr CC

This post is brought to you by SEO PowerSuite, an all-in-one suite of powerful yet easy-to-use Mac SEO tools.

As Google changes its algorithms, website operators who want to land a prized top spot in search results must update their approaches to publishing and search engine optimization, or SEO.

Google’s goal is to return helpful search results to its users. Understanding how Google determines what sites are relevant is critical if you want to raise or maintain your site’s organic visibility.

Oculus Rift won’t be launching on Mac

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Oculus Rift
Rift won't be launching on Mac anytime soon.
Photo: Oculus

Oculus finally revealed the recommend specs for the Rift system scheduled to launch in early 2016. The good news is that minimum hardware specs will only cost you about $800. The bad news is the company has decided to stop developing for the Mac and focus entirely on PC for the launch.

Headaches await if you break your Apple Watch

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Good luck trying to get a broken Apple Watch repaired. Replacements are as scarce as brand new ones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

What happens when you try to get a broken Apple Watch repaired? Not much of anything!

I know this because my Apple Watch broke last week and I have a repair order pending.

Luckily, the watch is covered by Apple’s AppleCare+ extended warranty, which covers accidental damage. It also offers two-day express replacement. No downtime without your new precious.

This would be great, but Apple doesn’t have any watches to replace it with. Apple’s watches are in such short supply, it might be Christmas before a replacement is available.

Manufacturer denies Apple Watch production problems

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Quanta says Apple Watch supply is finally reaching demand.
Quanta says Apple Watch supply is finally reaching demand.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Quanta’s vice chairman has seemingly denied rumors that the Apple Watch has low yield rates, and that Apple was so upset about it that it’s considered outsourcing orders to other manufacturers.

In fact, according to him, Apple Watch production is no longer a problem “in both technology and quality,” despite a few hiccups early on in the production process.

Why the Apple Watch is keeping me awake at night

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Apple Watch
There's a definite downside to Apple Watch obsession.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

No gadget ever caused me to lose as much sleep as the Apple Watch.

I wish I could forget about Apple’s shiny new smartwatch, but the damned thing has me under its spell. It’s the curse of Cupertino, and I’m just another hapless a victim.

Light-up signs let co-workers know to stay away

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A Wired In sign for the desk can let co-workers know you can not be disturbed.
A Wired In sign for the desk will let co-workers know you cannot be disturbed.
Photo: Wired In

Everything about your vibe – the earbuds, furiously typing fingers and intense body language – says do not approach. But the steady stream of co-workers stopping by your desk can’t take a hint.

You could tell people “Can’t talk now!” but you’re afraid to come off as rude. Your politeness is killing your productivity.

A Utah startup called Wired In has come up with a simple, sleek desk accessory that does the talking for you. It’s a light-up sign that lets people know you’re in the zone without insult or anxiety.

Kahney’s Korner: Cultmaster lays down an Apple Watch rant

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In the first Kahney's Korner, our fearless leader rants and raves about the Apple Watch.
In the first Kahney's Korner, our fearless leader rants and raves about the Apple Watch.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

So here we go. A new video series featuring, of all people, our Editor and Publisher Leander Kahney.

You’ve heard him on the CultCast. You’ve read his books.

You’ve been educated, entertained and occasionally enraged at his stories here on Cult of Mac. And now he is going to come into your lives in talking pictures with his new video series, Kahney’s Korner. The format is pretty loose, but he is never at a loss for words, so this should be pretty fun.

Bentley celebrates excellence by shooting its latest ad with iPhone 6

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The iPhone was once again the star of this year's Bentley shoot.
The iPhone was once again the star of this year's Bentley shoot.
Photo: Bentley

Luxury carmakers Bentley have once again turned to the iPhone to shoot the company’s latest short film: A video showcasing four major designers on London’s Savile Row, each given a commission to create a bespoke “driving jacket” for the high-end auto company.

Check out the short film and a special behind-the-scenes video below:

Smile! iPhone 6s camera is set for a major upgrade

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iPhone-6-Plus-cam
The fabled 12MP camera could finally be here.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6s is set to get a considerable camera boost, as per a Weibo posting from Kevin Wang, IHS Technology’s research director in China.

After years of using 8MP cameras in its iPhones, Wang claims the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are likely to boast 12MP cameras — theoretically greatly improving the current standard of iPhone photography, which is already pretty darn high.

But there’s a twist.

Newt Gingrich asks the Internet to help him review Apple Watch 

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Here is the new face of tech journalism.
Here is the new face of tech journalism.
Photo: Newt Gingrich (via YouTube)

Former House Speaker and architect of the “Contract with America” Newt Gingrich has joined Mashable as a tech blogger.

You did not misread that.

The new reviewer took to Twitter this evening to ask for some suggestions for his upcoming coverage of the Apple Watch, and he probably should have suspected he’d get some weird responses.