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Companies control how their info appears in Apple apps with new tool

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Companies control how their info appears in Apple apps with new tool
Companies can edit their Apple Maps place cards with the new Business Connect tool.
Screenshot: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple Business Connect is a new tool that enables businesses to claim their location place cards in Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri and other apps.

It debuted Wednesday, and owners of businesses of all sizes can now customize their place cards.

US judge rules Apple Watch infringes on sensor technology patent

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Apple Watch 6 was the first model to include the pulse oximetry sensor.
Apple Watch 6 was the first model to include the pulse oximetry sensor.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

A judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Tuesday that Apple infringes on one of medical device maker Masimo’s patents for light-based pulse oximetry sensor functionality and components used in Apple Watch 6 onward. The sensor measures blood oxygen levels.

Next the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will decide whether to ban imports of Apple Watches that include the sensor, Masimo said.

In a statement, Apple disputed the ruling.

Mac shipments grew in 2022 while PC tanked

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M2 MacBook Air review roundup: The fast and the beauteous
A redesigned MacBook Air surely helped push up 2022 Mac shipments.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s shipments of Mac desktops and notebooks grew modestly in 2022, according to market research firm. That’s in stark contrast to shipments of PCs that dropped enormously last year.

And Apple could have done even better if it hadn’t pushed back the release of new Macs past the fourth quarter.

These 800-lumen mini utility flashlights hide several tricks up their sleeves

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Try these 800 lumen mini utility flashlights for your next camping trip.
The compact Maxlight Mini flashlight can go almost anywhere.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether you dropped your keys outside or just want to see clearly during your dog’s late-night walk, a flashlight is a great thing to have around. Instead of lugging one of those big, beefy lights with you everywhere, keep things light with an Eight-in-One MaxLight Mini.

This compact utility flashlight packs eight useful tools into a tiny frame. And you can get two MaxLight Minis for just $29.99 (regularly $54).

Apple’s in-house display could debut on the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024

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Apple Store logo in Chengdu, China with two people standing in front of it
Apple wants to shift away from Samsung for its product displays.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple wants to reduce its reliance on sourcing displays for its products from Samsung and LG. So, the company is working on its own custom displays that it intends to use as early as 2024.

This would mark another move from Apple to develop more components it uses on its devices in-house.

Master multiple languages and unlimited new skills with this low-cost, lifetime learning bundle

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Master multiple languages with a proven app included in this low-cost learning bundle.
Take advantage of limited-time low pricing on unlimited access to e-learning courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Those with a curious mind can continue to expand their horizons from home thanks to e-learning options. For a limited time, we’re serving up a special offer on a package that’s primed to elevate those efforts.

Featuring highly popular language app Rosetta Stone, The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle is currently available for a fraction of its standard cost. Normally sold for nearly $1,800, this bundle pairs Rosetta Stone with StackSkills Unlimited, which is loaded with classes led by more than 350 experts, for only $149 combined.

Add a touch of class to your setup with new white-oak desk shelves

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Grovemade's popular desk shelves now come in white oak.
Grovemade's popular desk shelves now come in white oak.
Photo: Grovemade

Home-office goods maker Grovemade rolled out white-oak versions of its popular desk shelves Tuesday, adding a classy new option for anyone trying to improve their computer setup.

You can get the new desk shelves in small, medium or large sizes. They’re not cheap, but you deserve to have nice things.

Protect your valuables with Yale’s new HomeKit-enabled smart safes

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Yale's new smart safes come in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions.
Yale's new smart safes come in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions.
Photo: Yale Home

Worried about keeping your valuables safe? Venerable lock maker Yale said Tuesday it has two new smart safes for you: Yale Smart Safe and Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi.

And you can control the new safes using the Home app via HomeKit. Or, in the case of the Wi-Fi-enabled safe, with the Siri voice assistant.

iPhone 16 could shrink the Dynamic Island with under-display Face ID

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iPhone 16 could shrink the Dynamic Island with under-display Face ID
iPhone 16 Pro might show only a holepunch camera.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Face ID sensors reportedly will be hidden from users in next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. That would free up space for more screen area.

If true, under-display Face ID might mean that the days of the Dynamic Island are numbered, even though the feature only recently debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro.

iPad mini 6 drops to its Black Friday price in this killer deal

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iPad mini on table
At $400, the iPad mini 6 provides a lot more value for money.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Did the iPad mini catch your fancy? Amazon has a killer deal on Apple’s smallest tablet, knocking $99 off its retail price.

After the discount, you can get the 2021 iPad mini for $399.99, down from its original $499 MSRP. This is the same price the tablet was available for during Black Friday.

Black Bird’s prime directive: Giving serial killers the finger

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Paul Walter Hauser playing serial killer Larry Hall in Black Bird on Apple TV+.
Paul Walter Hauser lit up Black Bird with his depiction of suspected serial killer Larry Hall.
Photo: Apple TV+

BOSTON — Before he put pen to paper and gave us violent sagas of lowlife P.I.s and desperate criminals, Dennis Lehane used to deliver flowers to a hospital next door to the Liberty Hotel. Now the novelist, who acted as writer and showrunner for the brilliant Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, is sitting here in the Liberty, so named because of its former vocation: a prison.

It’s an appropriate setting. Black Bird tells the true story of Jimmy Keene, a prison informant who risked his life to nail a serial killer. (The series is based on Keene’s autobiographical novel, In With the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.)

Lehane and his chilling Black Bird star Paul Walter Hauser sat down with Cult of Mac and other journalists recently to discuss their critically acclaimed Apple TV+ show, which is racking up nominations as awards season gets underway. If Black Bird’s outstanding cast and crew receive the recognition they deserve, the show stands a good chance of picking up a handful of awards — and adding to the growing glow of prestige programming on Apple TV+. (Update: Hauser won the Golden Globe on Tuesday night for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.)

In the group interview, Lehane and Hauser talked motivation, working conditions and seeing into the mind of a psychopath, among other things.

Easily share a screen between 2 Macs with this clever KVM switch [Review] ★★★★

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IOGear 2-Port 4K USB-C KVM Switch with DisplayPort Output review★★★★
Multiple Macs can share a 4K screen with IOGear's new USB-C/DisplayPort switch.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Your Mac and MacBook can easily share a monitor, and quickly flip between them, with the IOGear 2-Port 4K USB-C KVM Switch with DisplayPort Output.

I tested it in my home office, and it really reduces the hassle of switching between two computers. And it lets the computers easily share a wired mouse and keyboard.

This folding wireless charger can handle iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time

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This compact wireless charger can power an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time.
This wallet-size, folding wireless charger can juice up three Apple devices at once.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Nobody said you have to wait for spring cleaning to tidy up a little. If you’re sick of cable clutter, a simple solution is to get rid of most of your cords and replace them with a multi-surface wireless charger. The MagStack is a foldable, three-in-one wireless charging station that works with any Qi-compatible phones or Bluetooth earbuds, and it’s on sale now for the best price online. Get one for just $44.99 (regularly $69.99).

First Apple Watch with microLED screen could be on the way

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First Apple Watch with microLED screen could be on the way
A future Apple Watch Ultra might include a cutting-edge microLED screen.
Photo: Apple

Apple will bring a microLED screen to its wrist wearable, according to a reliable source of insider info. This would replace the OLED displays currently in Apple Watch.

A switch to microLED would bring an improved type of screen: brighter and less prone to burn-in.

Apple’s new ads highlight iPhone 14’s Action Mode and Undo Send in Messages

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iPhone 14 in purple
Apple is highlighting iPhone 14's Action Mode in a new ad.
Photo: Unsplash

Apple has released a couple of new ads highlighting the iPhone 14’s Action Mode and the Undo Send feature in iOS 16’s Messages app. The features are available on both regular iPhone 14 and 14 Pro series.

This is the second ad Apple has released since the iPhone 14 release to promote Action Mode. The advanced stabilization mode provides gimbal-like stabilization.

Apple’s custom 5G iPhone modem could finally launch in 2024

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Apple 5G modem chip
Qualcomm is slowly but surely getting the boot.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s drawn-out effort to make its own 5G modem will reportedly begin to bear fruit in 2024. This will replace ones now sourced from Qualcomm.

And the iPhone-maker is also working to produce other wireless chips it currently gets from Broadcom.

How to make parking in the city easier with Apple Maps and SpotHero

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How to make parking in the city easier with Apple Maps and SpotHero
Apple Maps now has the SpotHero parking-space finder built in. Here's how to use the new combination.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone users can now find a parking space with Apple Maps. Starting Monday, the navigation application has SpotHero built in, giving parking options for more than 8,000 locations across North America.

The feature is free, though the spaces are not. Here’s how to use it.

Old Cinema and Thunderbolt displays handle new gear and gaming [Setups]

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With the right adapter you can use a new Xbox with an old Cinema Display (on the right).
With the right adapter you can use a new Xbox with an old Cinema Display (on the right).
Photo: [email protected]

So many people love Apple gear because the Cupertino tech giant gets a lot right with its hardware. That certainly includes monitors, and not just the phenomenal Pro Display XDR and new Studio Display. We see a fair number of new computer setups relying on classic Apple screens like Cinema Display and Thunderbolt Display.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro and Xbox setup is a good example. Even with a modern gaming console — and given the right adapter — a display from a dozen years ago is still keeping it real.

iPhone 15 already in trial production

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iPhone 15 already in trial production
Apple is hard at work on the iPhone 15.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac/Pixabay/Pexels

The iPhone 15 is reportedly in trial production, a fairly early stage in bringing the product to market. Still, it means the final feature set and design are essentially complete and Apple is thinking about assembling the device.

Trial production is going on at a Foxconn plant in China. The iPhone 15 will also be made in India.

Apple’s first retail store in India takes one step closer to opening

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iPhone 14 Pro in India
Apple's first retail store in India could finally open its doors soon.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s first retail store in India has moved closer to its opening. After years of delays, the company has started hiring retail store workers in the country.

The company has posted 12 job positions on its career page in India as it looks to fill various retail positions.

Start your new year strong with a Costco membership

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Wrap up your holiday shopping, or give a great last-minute gift, with a Costco membership.
See how much shopping you can get done at Costco.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Eating well on a budget can be tough, but one way to enjoy more adventurous or healthier meals without spending a ton of money is by making them at home. If you’re planning to cook more this year, you’ll want to consider shopping at Costco.

With a Costco Gold Star Membership, you can find shelves of enticing ingredients and premade delectables to help you create amazing breakfasts, lunches and dinners. For a limited time, you can get a one-year Costco Gold Star Membership for $60 — and it comes with a $30 Digital Costco Shop Card.

Stream live music, podcasts and radio with Broadcasts

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Listen to Internet Radio
Use your phone to tune in to radio broadcasts all around the world.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac/Arianit/Wikimedia Commons

Most people don’t really use AM and FM radios anymore, but streaming live content is hardly dead. Lots of podcasts do live streams — and you can still tune into radio stations online. Broadcasts, an app by independent developer Steven Troughton-Smith, makes listening to live music and streaming radio on your iPhone very easy.

Let me show you how it works.

No major AirPods, iPad or Apple Watch upgrades planned for 2023

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Apple logo with red background.
Apple seems to be focusing on the launch of its AR/VR headset this year.
Image: Rajesh

Every year, Apple has some significant hardware upgrades planned for at least a few devices in its product lineup. 2023 could be an outlier, though.

This year, Apple’s major hardware launches will include its first AR/VR headset and the iPhone 15 series. While other products in the company’s lineup will receive a refresh, they will be relatively minor upgrades.

Apple silicon Mac Pro might not feature user-upgradeable RAM

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Side look at 2019 Intel Mac pro
The upcoming Mac Pro could look like this.
Photo: Unsplash

Contrary to rumors, the upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro might disappoint many in the design department. A new report suggests the forthcoming Mac Pro refresh will have the same design as the 2019 Intel-based model.

The Apple silicon Mac Pro is widely expected to launch later this year. It would stand out in the Mac lineup by offering a certain degree of user upgradability but come with non-upgradeable system memory.