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Apple to build flagship store in historic L.A. district

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The Broadway Trade Center in LA, circa 1920. Photo: Army Arch/FlickR
The Broadway Trade Center in LA, circa 1920. Photo: Army Arch/FlickR

Apple is looking to open a flagship store in downtown Los Angeles’ historic Broadway Trade Center, reports the Downtown LA Examiner, which claims its heard whispers that Cupertino plans to invade the massive building that nearly occupies an entire city block.

The Broadway Trade Center building was recently purchased by New York real estate firm Waterbridge Capitol earlier this year for around $130 million, but it the company may have already scored its first tenant.

Turn Notification Center into a game with this fun iOS 8 widget

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Apple’s introduction of widgets in iOS 8 has already created some great new tools for iPhone users, but if you’d like to add a little fun to your Notification Center, Overglide has a widget adds a widget to the boring place where you usually just get calendar and email notifications.

Overglide for iOS 8 turns your Notification Center into a game by embedding its simple paper airplane game into the Today pane, giving you instant gaming access no matter what app you’re in.

YouTube delivers the music streaming service you’ve been waiting for

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Music Key could be the best music streaming service yet. Photo: YouTube

The YouTube music streaming service you’ve been hearing about for months is finally here. It’s called YouTube Music Key, and it lets subscribers stream and save high-quality music and music videos on the web and on Android and iOS devices. For now, however, you’ll need an invite to use it.

Samsung’s corporate rap video is even worse than you’d expect

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Things get weird when Samsung stops copying Apple and tries to do its own thing, and as if to remind us of that salient fact, the company tapped famed Korean rapper Mad Clown, to blast out rap on its new corporate sustainability animated rap video.

The Samsung rap video highlights the company’s positive stats on diversity on work-life, but fails to mention some of the grimmer facts that were discovered in its sustainability report that was published earlier this year.

Samsung posted its bizarre rap video this morning, boasting sick statistic-laced rhymes like “Samsung, we 280,000 humans, 40 percent 112,000 women. You don’t have to worry after giving birth.” If that sick line doesn’t make you want to sign up to build the next Galaxy S6, just listen to the rest of the catchy raps in the video above.

Beats drops new Solo2 wireless headphones

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Photo: Beats
The Beats Solo2 headphones are now wireless. Photo: Beats
Photo: Beats

Beats Electronics today announced it’s releasing its first new headphones since officially Apple-owned company earlier this year. The new headphones are an updated version of the Solo2 headphones, that brings wireless capabilities to the popular headphones, so you’re no longer tethered to your iPhone when kicking out the jams.

This smart coffeemaker lets you brew cups of joe with your iPhone

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Photo:
Photo: Belkin

No pun intended, but coffee is hot stuff in Silicon Valley, where overworked engineers rely on cup after cup of the black stuff to keep them focused on building amazing products.

If you too are a bit of a tech-loving caffeine fiend, you may be interested in the new Mr. Coffee Smart Coffeemaker, a gorgeous new smart coffee-making device programmed and controlled remotely from your iPhone.

Using the dedicated iOS app, users can schedule up to a week’s worth of coffee brew times — meaning that your morning pot of joe can start being brewed while you’re still asleep, so that it’s all ready for sipping the moment you arrive in your kitchen.

Amazing 4K video of the sun is perfect for your 5K iMac

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Might as well be walking on the... Photo: NASA
Might as well be walking on the... Photo: NASA

If you got one of those amazing new iMacs with the crazy 5K pixel resolution, you’d be crazy not to watch this stunning animation of the sun by YouTuber James Tyrwhitt-Drake. You can gaze at the star at the heart of our solar system for a full eight minutes, using YouTube’s new 4K resolution setting and that killer new Mac.

This timelapse covers about 16 days of solar activity, focusing on the largest sunspot in the last 22 years (about two solar cycles), which is cleverly named AR 2192.

Check it out and enjoy.

iOS 8.1.1 may arrive as early as today

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iOS 8.1.1 is imminent. Photo: Cult of Mac
iOS 8.1.1 is imminent. Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to Pangu, we have all been able to jailbreak our iPhone 6’s far earlier than most of us thought possible. Unfortunately, though, Apple has been moving to close the loophole that makes the iOS 8 jailbreak possible with the iOS 8.1.1 beta, which is currently snaking through developer channels. When it arrives, poof, no more jailbreak.

Unfortunately, it seems like the iOS 8.1.1 update could arrive soon, perhaps as early as today. Better jailbreak now, people

iPhone switchers could sue Apple for disappearing iMessages

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Federal judge shoots down down group iMessage lawsuit.
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Apple could find itself facing a class action lawsuit over the loss of “countless” text messages, courtesy of its iMessage service.

California resident Adrienne Moore filed a case against Apple back in May this year, saying that she missed out on receiving text messages after giving up her iPhone 4 and moving to a Samsung Galaxy S5.

Moore’s victory in court means that she now has the ability to pursue a class action lawsuit against Apple. She is also seeking unspecified damages.

Gorgeous Swiss timepiece will cure your Apple Watch envy

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Photo: Luke Dormehl/Cult of Mac
Photo: Luke Dormehl/Cult of Mac

Having not worn a watch regularly since my high school days, I recently took the plunge and bought my first “adult” watch, a self-winding automatic Swiss timepiece.

I had several criteria I wanted to meet. Firstly I wanted a self-winding automatic, because I liked the idea of owning a Swiss watch and I wanted one that, at least in theory, has a longer lifespan than a battery-powered quartz timepiece. Secondly, I wanted to keep my purchase sub-$2,000. Thirdly, as a watch novice, I was looking for something that would be as multipurpose as possible.

After some research, I settled on a watch from the Longines Master Collection — buying it in a dedicated brick-and-mortar store rather than online, so that I could try it out in person before buying.

Overcast, the best podcasting app, now works on iPad and CarPlay

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Overcast is now on iPad and Carplay. Photo: Cult of Mac
Overcast is now on iPad and Carplay. Photo: Cult of Mac

Of the many podcasting apps available for iOS, Overcast on iOS is one of our favorites. Programmed by Instapaper and The Magazine founder Marco Arment, it’s a slick podcasting app with some unique tricks up its sleeves, like smart speed, voice boost, and variable playback speed. We love it. There’s only one problem. It’s been iPhone-only. At least until now.

Well over half of users have now upgraded to iOS 8

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How much is your smartphone spying on you? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

iOS 8 adoption rates have been a bit of a disappointment for Apple up until now. Things may be starting to turn around, however, with the company’s latest figures showing that its latest mobile operating system is now running on 56% of active iOS devices.

True, that’s still less than the adoption rate of last year’s iOS 7, but the gap is narrowing.

iOS 7, meanwhile, is running on a reported 40% of devices, while earlier iOS versions account for just 5%.

The secret apps that Apple doesn’t want you to know about

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One of Apple's many employees-only apps. Photo: iPhonewiki
One of Apple's many employees-only apps. Photo: iPhonewiki

If you’ve got an iPhone or an iPad, there are a fair number of apps you can download for free: Pages, Numbers, iMovie, GarageBand and so on.

But did you know there’s a secret cache of Apple apps that no one but Geniuses can download? There is, and they range from a basic flight sim game to a tank battler to an internal newspaper only Apple employees can read!

Save the world from invading aliens (again) with XCOM: Enemy Within

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Manage your troops, destroy all aliens, save the world. Again. Photo: 2K Games
Manage your troops, destroy all aliens, save the world. Again. Photo: 2K Games

The excellent strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Within, is out now for mobile devices as an entirely new standalone game for $12.99. If you haven’t played an XCOM game yet, this is a fantastic place to jump in – the graphics are stunning and the gameplay is addictive; like Civilization, you’ll battle it out with alien invaders in turn-based, tactical maps that offer some thrilling alien-busting fun.

In the new game from developer Firaxis and publisher 2K Games you’ll manage the XCOM global headquarters and send your troops out to fight, dealing with both battle mechanics as well as resource allocation and research into new weapons and gear for your soldiers. The new game adds a “rogue” human faction, EXALT, that will offer even more battles and maps.

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Mobile proved that turn-based strategy games are a natural fit for touch interfaces,” said lead designer, Firaxis Games’ Ananda Gupta in a statement. “In XCOM: Enemy Within, players can return to the XCOM universe, where they’ll encounter an assortment of new content including powerful new weapons, abilities and strategies, and confront a host of dangerous new alien threats.”

Get 4 hit comedies in HD with The Ultimate Cult Comedy Classics Movie Bundle [Deals]

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Winter is just around the corner. When the weather gets cold and stormy, there’s nothing quite like staying in with a hot drink, some buttered popcorn, and a good movie.

Today you can add 4 hit flicks to your personal movie library to keep you entertained all season long. The Ultimate Cult Comedy Classics Movie Bundle is half price, just $29.99, at Cult of Mac Deals for a limited time.

Sexy, slim cases to complement your iPhone 6

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I tried and tested dozens of different cases for the iPhone 5s, and the one I kept returning to was Apple's official leather case. It had everything I look for in a case, and it looked fantastic. When I pre-ordered my iPhone 6 Plus, I didn't hesitate to pick up the new leather case to go with it. And I'm glad I did.


Just like everything you'll buy from Apple, it's incredibly well-made. It fits the iPhone 6 Plus like a glove, and because it's so thin and lightweight, it adds hardly any bulk, so your shiny new phablet will still fit comfortably in your pocket (just be careful you don't bend it!).


The $49 case protects the back and sides of your device, and there's a slight lip that wraps around the front edge to provide some protection for its display. You still get easy access to your headphone jack, Lightning connector and mute switch, and the protruding iSight camera is no longer an issue.


I picked up the iPhone 6 Plus Leather Case in olive brown and, while it looks great, I've since seen the red model in my local Apple store and it looks even more dazzling, especially when combined with a white device. — Killian Bell


Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you're going to use a case, it should look good. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You’ve got a brand-spanking new iPhone 6, and boy is it beautiful. You love looking at it and holding its tender, curved edges, but you’re terrified that you’ll drop it and scratch it up. Or worse: shatter the screen into a million tiny pieces.

You need a case that’s protective, functional, and most importantly, good looking. Something minimal and preferably made of quality material. OtterBoxes are great if you’re worried about your iPhone getting run over by a tractor, but most of us want something sleeker for everyday use.

The good news is that there’s already a handful of sexy iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases worth checking out. We’ve collected the very best:

5 basic OS X Yosemite tricks everyone needs to know

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OS X Yosemite is packed with new features. Unfortunately, not everybody knows every single trick to squeeze the latest, greatest functionality out of Apple’s new system software.

In today’s instructional Cult of Mac video, we share five basic OS X Yosemite tricks that everyone needs to know. We’ll show you how to make phone calls from your Mac, switch to Yosemite’s “dark mode,” use Spotlight like a pro, easily record video from your iOS device screen, and let other people control your Mac (and vice versa).

Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV for all our latest videos.

How Apple avoids paying taxes on iTunes revenue

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iTunes is down!. Photo:
Apple paid nearly zero taxes on iTunes in Europe. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s tax tactics in Ireland have landed the company in Congress’ hot seat this year, but another European nation has also helped Apple wiggle its way out of paying massive taxes on its iTunes revenues.

Apple reportedly took advantage of Luxembourg’s complex and corporation-friendly taxation system to get out of paying taxes on its iTunes revenue in Europe. The country has a 29% corporate tax rate, but after negotiating a deal, Apple paid only $25 million in taxes out of the $2.05 billion in iTunes revenue. Apple’s not the only American company exploiting Luxembourg’s tax laws either, with some companies paying less than 1% of revenue.

Here’s how Apple avoids paying nearly all taxes in Europe:

Apple Pay is one step closer to arriving in China

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Photo: Adrian Korte CC
Photo: Adrian Korte CC

Apple is talking to Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba about bringing Apple Pay to China, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

“Right now, I think what we can say is that this is focused on the China market for Apple,” senior Alibaba executive Joseph Tsai is quoted as saying. “We are positive about the potential cooperation, but it depends on the details being worked out.”

Chinese programmer installs Windows 95 on iPhone 6

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The iPhone 6 now runs Windows 95. Photo: XYQ058775
The iPhone 6 now runs Windows 95. Photo: XYQ058775

The iPhone 6 is the best smartphone Apple’s ever created, but for those that think iOS is starting to look a little old and dated, a Chinese programmer has figured out how to install an entirely new operating system over iOS. Unfortunately, it’s Windows 95.

Chinese programmer xyq058775 posted the picture above as proof that he finagled Microsoft’s ancient OS onto the enormous display of the iPhone 6. To pull off the trick, the programmer used a tool called iDos, which simulates the 16-bit DOS environment.

Everything worked great, he says, except he discovered he couldn’t upgrade to Windows XP. If you’d like to take the plunge on your iPhone, you can grab the full instructions from his post (as long as you can read Chinese).

Via: Techcrunch

‘Call it the iWatch and we’ll kill you’

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Just don't call it the iWatch. Photo: Apple

Having written about the Apple Watch for months before it was announced, I’ll admit it was difficult to stop referring to the device as the “iWatch.” Even Tim Cook has slipped up and used that name in interviews, suggesting that this is the name Apple’s wearable debut had inside the company.

With that in mind, CollegeHumor has created a hilarious public service announcement video entitled, tactfully enough, “Apple: Call It the iWatch and We’ll Kill You.”

iPhone 6 continues to dominate Japan’s smartphone market

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The iPhone is big in Japan. Photo: Jpellgen/Flickr CC
The iPhone is big in Japan. Photo: jpellgen/Flickr CC

It was once thought that Japan disliked the iPhone so much that the Apple device couldn’t be given away for free. To paraphrase Dinah Washington, what a difference five years makes!

In October, the iPhone 6 held seven of the top eight smartphone positions (and nine out of the top 14). While sales figures are lacking, the data indicates the strength of the iPhone in Japan, according to a new report from Forbes.