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Buy it now? Rare original Apple-1 shows up on eBay

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Photo:
Yep, this could belong to you. Photo: eBay/auctioncause2

If you think an Apple Watch Edition is rare, you should try getting your hands on an Apple-1 computer.

Only 63 are known to exist, but you can nab one now — provided you cough up the necessary cash. A working Apple-1, owned by its original purchaser and his family for more than 36 years, has appeared on eBay and is currently carrying a bid of $20,600.

Google’s Snapseed app got much worse in version 2.0

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post-319203-image-4fded3e56e1f5f1582062295c170958c-jpg

Available for both iOS and Android, Google’s Snapseed has long been one of my favorite on-the-go photo retouching apps. After a year without updates, then, I was excited to see Google update Snapseed to version 2.0, with several new features, including the ability to copy edits from one image to another, five new filters, adjustable lens blur, and brush tools.

Unfortunately, the Snapseed 2.0 update wasn’t all for the better. In fact, it stripped the app of one of its best features: the grunge filter.

The new Retina MacBook could be Apple’s least-repairable notebook yet

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The new MacBook in pieces. Photo: iFixit
The new MacBook in pieces. Photo: iFixit

Apple’s new MacBook may be one “for the future” but it’s already had a teardown from our friends over at iFixit, filling you in on all the ways the next-gen notebook differs from its predecessor.

That includes Apple’s butterfly mechanism keys, its Force Touch trackpad, form-fitting layered battery, and, of course, the thinnest, most energy-efficient Retina display ever seen on a Mac.

It’s not just ports the new notebook is missing, however. It’s also one of Apple’s least-repairable notebooks to date!

Samsung sets up 200-person team to build displays for Apple

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Samsung is after more of Apple's iPhone business.
Samsung and Apple are BFFs again. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Anyone who dreams of Apple giving a “This is Sparta!”-style thrust-kick to rival Samsung, forever booting it out of Cupertino’s production process, is going to be sorely disappointed.

If anything, Apple’s leaning more heavily than ever on its longtime frenemy, with new reports claiming Samsung created a standalone team of around 200 employees dedicated exclusively to building new screens for iPads, MacBooks and possibly future Apple Watches.

Make iOS Calendar look the way you want

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Calendar
Press the button. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Oh, that pesky list view in your iOS Calendar app. It sure likes to go missing in various iOS updates, doesn’t it, like in iOS 7 when it just, sort of, disappeared.

It’s not totally gone now in iOS 8.3, but there is a new way to access it along with a new layout. There are also some funky ways to move around your Calendar app that may not be as intuitive as they should. These aren’t necessarily new to iOS 8.3, but it’s handy to know them, as well.

Here’s the recipe you’ll need to view your iOS Calendar the way you want on your iPhone and iPad.

Apple’s latest acquisition could revolutionize iPhone camera

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Get ready for a major camera upgrade for the iPhone 6s.
What tech advances will the next iPhone camera bring? Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Apple is looking to ramp up its camera technology with the acquisition of Israeli company LinX.

The two companies reached a deal that will see Apple paying about $20 million for the startup, but if the company’s multi-aperture cameras are actually as stunning as advertised, future iPhones could gain SLR-quality images.

Blizzard’s addictive card game Hearthstone is now on your iPhone

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I can play this anywhere? Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
I can play this anywhere? Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Hearthstone addicts players rejoice! Blizzard’s incredibly compelling digital card game is now optimized for your iPhone or iPod touch.

We’ve heard rumors that some folks even use their iPhone while in the bathroom. Gross! If you’re one of those people, though, get ready to never stop playing Hearthstone again.

Sure, the video game company behind mega-hits World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo III has had a version of this easy-to-learn, hard-to-master two-player collectible card game on the Mac and iPad since 2013, but this is the first time you’re able to play it on the small screen without any jailbreaking or hacking needed.

Hearthstone is now officially supported on iPhone and iPod touch,” says the App Store description. “…Featuring an all-new intuitive interface hand-crafted for the mobile experience, it’s never been easier to take Hearthstone with you anywhere you want to play.”

China overtakes U.S. for iOS app downloads

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App Annie
China is now beating the United States on iOS downloads. Photo: App Annie

 

Tim Cook has been staunchly outspoken in his belief that it’s only a matter of time before China overtakes the U.S. as Apple’s biggest customer.

According to a new report from app analytics company App Annie, that benchmark has now been passed when it comes to app downloads — with China leading the way in the first quarter of 2015.

But which country is winning in the all-important revenue generating category?

New Guitar Hero will turn you into a realistic rock star

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Things could be going a bit better, for sure. Photo: Activision
Things could be going a bit better, for sure. Photo: Activision

You’re in the green room, waiting for your curtain call. You can hear the throngs of rabid fans in the audience, just waiting for you and your group of rock and roll rebels to take the stage.

You and your bandmates head out, winding through backstage. You flirt with a cute blonde production assistant; a bearded roadie hands you your favorite axe. You step out onto a massive stage in front of a crowd of thousands. You totally suck at playing the guitar. The crowd, fickle as ever, turns on you.

No, this isn’t that anxiety dream you’ve been having ever since you were a teenager, this is the new Guitar Hero, a new video game with a familiar name and a very different experience.

Did ‘bug’ cause Russian Siri to be homophobic?

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Photo: Jackee Chang / Twitter
Apple's Russian virtual assistant had some Siri-ously outdated views. Photo: Jackee Chang/Twitter

Apple’s Russian version of Siri launched earlier this month, and while the presence of the virtual assistant in Russia is certainly welcome, its early bigoted views were not.

According to one YouTube user, Siri not only refused to answer questions about gay bars but went a step further, providing downright homophobic responses. In the video, Siri supposedly claims to be embarrassed by the topic, suggesting that gay marriage is a bit of a downer.

ResearchKit is now open to everyone

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ResearchKit is just as revolutionary as researchers hoped.
Now everyone can be a medical researcher. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Apple’s unveiling of ResearchKit was one of the biggest surprises at event in March. The software framework is designed to help doctors and scientists with medical and health research, and starting today, Apple is opening up ResearchKit to everyone.

The first five ResearchKit apps that study asthma, breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease already enrolled over 60,000 iPhone users in the first few weeks. Now medical researchers all over the world will be able to tap into the same software that researchers at Stanford and Oxford University used to develop their medical apps.

Future iPhones could advise your friends to quit bugging you

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iPhone patent would take a note out of the I.M. playbook. Photo: Kiwihen
iPhone patent would take a note out of the I.M. playbook. Photo: Kiwihen

The iPhone is more advanced than it’s ever been, but there’s one thing Apple’s smartphone can do no better than the Nokia 3310 I had when I was a teenager: stop you getting calls at inappropriate times.

That may be about to change, however, as a newly-published patent describes an Instant Message-type system whereby future iPhones could automatically broadcast their user’s status — essentially advising others on whether it’s a good time to ring or not.

Your selfie stick isn’t welcome at WWDC

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Selfie sticks aren't welcome at WWDC. Photo: R4vi/Flickr
Selfie sticks aren't welcome at WWDC. Photo: R4vi/Flickr
Photo: R4vi/Flickr

If you’re lucky enough to get an invite to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this June, make sure you don’t turn up at Moscone West with your selfie stick.

Apple’s information page for the event confirms that selfie sticks and similar apparatus will not be allowed inside the venue or within the Yerba Buena Gardens, so if you really must take pictures of your own face, you’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.

Drafts, iOS’s best note-taking app, will be even better on the Apple Watch

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Drafts is coming to Apple Watch. Photo: Agile Tortoise
Drafts is coming to Apple Watch. Photo: Agile Tortoise

Agile Tortoise’s Drafts is, without a doubt, the single best note-taking app on the iOS App Store. It’s not only the easiest app to jump right into and start typing before you lose your train of thought, it’s the easiest app to export your notes from: It plugs into pretty much everything, from Dropbox to Evernote.

And coming soon? Drafts will plug into the Apple Watch, too.

Foxconn is buying up to 60,000 used iPhones per day to sell in China

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Customs officials in China caught this man trying to smuggle 94 iPhones into the country. Photo: Sina News
Foxconn is buying more iPhones per day than even this guy can carry. Photo: Sina News

Looking for more evidence that China is set to take over from the U.S. as Apple’s biggest market?

According to a report from the Chinese-language news outlet Tencent, Foxconn is currently buying 50,000-60,000 second-hand iPhones per day through worldwide channels, and then selling these on to the Chinese market.

Roughly 80 percent of the iPhones are said to sell through stores in Hong Kong.

Apple will kick off WWDC 2015 on June 8

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WWDC 2015 is official. Photo: Apple
WWDC 2015 is official. Photo: Apple

This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off June 8 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, Apple said today. The five-day event will provide an early glimpse at the future of iOS and OS X, plus more developer sessions than ever before.

Users in China are going to have to wait for Apple Pay

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Tim Cook's going to have to keep on waiting for Apple Pay to show up in China. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook has described making Apple Pay available in China “top of the list” in terms of his priorities. Sadly, it seems he’s going to have to wait a bit longer until that dream becomes a reality.

That’s because, despite beginning conversations with China’s eight major banks last year, Apple’s discussions have apparently not gone well — as Chinese banks have been reticent about letting the Cupertino company eat into their existing profits.

IBM’s Jeopardy!-winning A.I. will revolutionize Apple health data

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Photo of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs flipping off the IBM logo.
A lot has changed since Steve Jobs flipped off IBM 30 years ago. Photo: Andy Hertzfeld
Photo: Andy Hertzfield

IBM has announced a new alliance with Apple (among other companies) to utilize its acclaimed Watson artificial intelligence system to provide personalized insights regarding health data.

For those who don’t remember, Watson was the IBM A.I. which famously defeated two former winners on the gameshow Jeopardy! in 2011 to receive the first place prize of $1 million.

By linking up with Watson, Apple not only solidifies its existing relationship with IBM, but also gains a very powerful ally in its quest to revolutionize the way we think about mobile health with the Apple Watch and iOS 8 Health app.