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How to fix a frozen MacBook Pro Touch Bar without rebooting

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How to fix a frozen MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Restart your Touch Bar in an instant.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Whatever your opinion may be on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, there’s no denying it comes in handy from time to time. Except when it freezes — which can be a common occurrence — and then it’s no use at all.

You might reboot your MacBook Pro to get its Touch Bar working again when this happens. But there is a quicker, much less disruptive fix. Here’s how to restart your Touch Bar without rebooting your Mac.

The Mosquito Coast ratchets up the tension in Mexico City [Apple TV+ review]

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The Mosquito Coast review on Apple TV+: Things keep getting dicier for the Fox family.
Things keep getting dicier for the Fox family.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Foxes hit Mexico City this week on The Mosquito Coast, the simmering new Apple TV show about a family off the grid and on the run. They’re fugitives, but that doesn’t stop them from becoming tourists, with all that entails.

This week’s episode, titled “Elvis, Jesus, Coca-Cola,” tightens the noose around the criminal family of four, while showing off the wider world they’ve been missing out on.

How to enable and use Reachability on iPhone in iOS 14

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How to enable Reachability
Reachability makes even the largest iPhone models easy to use one-handed.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Reachability remains alive and well in iOS 14 — even if you have an iPhone without a Home button. The feature, which makes even the largest iPhone models easier to operate with one hand, is super-simple to use with just a quick flick of the thumb.

However, Reachability is disabled by default, so you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how to enable and use Reachability in the latest iPhone firmware.

What does it take to freeze an M1 MacBook Air? [Setups]

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3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1?
3D games, video editing, a million browser tabs -- how would you try to jam up a MacBook Air M1?
Photo: Typical_Andrew@Reddit

If you owned a new MacBook Air with an M1 chip and 16GB of unified memory, how much would you have to do at once for it to freeze, bringing up the spinning beach ball of death?

Redditor Typical_Andrew had a run at that.

MacPaw’s Apple museum will feature 323 rare pieces of tech history

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MacPaw
A Macintosh signed by Apple's co-founder is like the Mac fan's Holy Grail.
Photo: MacPaw

Fancy seeing an original Macintosh 128k, signed by Steve Wozniak? Want to feast your eyes on Apple’s first “portable” computer, which tipped the scales at nearly 16 pounds? How about eyeballing a rare Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, the only computer Cupertino ever made that was delivered to customers in a limo, and installed by Apple employees wearing tuxedos?

If you answered “yes” to all these questions, then there’s one more to ask: Are you willing to catch a flight to Kyiv, Ukraine — approximately 6,000 miles from Apple’s home in Cupertino — to look at them in person?

Trying returns for a second unbearable blast of blandness [Apple TV+ review]

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There is not nearly enough Imelda Staunton on this season of Trying
We don't get nearly enough Imelda Staunton this season.
Photo: Apple TV+

No one’s favorite young parents-to-be return for another go-round in Trying, the maddening Apple TV+ show about the travails of a British couple who really want children.

Unfortunately, the show’s second season, which debuts Friday, proves just as exhausting and depressing as its first.

Increase your productivity with this Mac utility at 33% off

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utility app
MacOptimizer keeps your Mac in top shape.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter how great you are at updating your Mac and closing all your windows, you’ll inevitably run into some performance issues now and again. These days, we rely on our computers too much to deal with any downtime. That’s true whether you need to hop into an important meeting in 10 minutes, or were right about to find out the twist in your favorite streaming series.

Chaos Monkeys author calls Apple firing a ‘snap decision’

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Chaos Monkeys
This was the book that led to employee's firing.
Photo: HarperCollins

The Apple employee fired because of controversial passages in his 2016 memoir Chaos Monkeys calls his termination a “snap decision” by Cupertino execs.

Antonio García Martínez, a former Facebook product manager, was recently hired and fired by Apple within the space of a few weeks. In a recent Twitter Space chat with journalists Kara Swisher and Casey Newton, Martínez opened up regarding the specific writing from his book that was widely circulated before his Apple departure. The book describes San Francisco Bay Area women as “soft and weak, cosseted and naive despite their claims of worldliness, and generally full of sh*t.”

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything is a bloated boomer yawn [Apple TV+ review]

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The Staples Singers in 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Even the Staples Singers can't save this nostalgia-riddled mess.
Photo: Apple TV+

With 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, Apple TV+ tried to buy itself a Ken Burns-style documentary about the potent cultural impact of rock and soul. Unfortunately, the eight-episode documentary series, which premieres Friday, proves so low-energy it will put you to sleep.

This deceptively “comprehensive” look at a single year in music history proves as scatterbrained and toothless as a school project. The impression it leaves is not that 1971 really changed everything, but that no one is even remotely willing to admit that their favorite bands really aren’t that interesting.

Tim Cook will testify in court as part of Epic lawsuit later today

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Tim Cook
"Good morning. I've got some great testimony to share with you today."
Photo: Apple

You don’t get bigger witnesses when it comes to an Apple trial than Tim Cook. Cook, the 10-year CEO of Apple, will today take the stand in the ongoing court case pitting Apple against Fortnite maker Epic.

With the trial expected to end Monday, Cook’s Friday testimony will be a “One more thing” event as Apple’s lawyers attempt to dismantle Epic’s case (and vice versa on the part of Epic’s legal team).

Why it pays for startup founders to use iMessage blue bubbles

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iMessage
Blue bubbles good. Green bubbles bad. Or something.
Photo: Killian Bell's Peartree Productions/Cult of Mac

Considering that blue and green aren’t too far apart on the color spectrum, the difference between sending blue bubble messages and green bubble messages is pretty stark. The former, of course, means that the user is sending an iMessage, while the latter is a generic SMS, probably from an Android device.

For years, a certain segment of the population have mocked the green bubble crowd — with the gist being that a green bubble sender must have something wrong with them if they don’t own an iPhone. In a recent tweet, the CEO of a popular startup noted something else: That green bubble startup founders may have a tougher time landing investment.

“Unfortunate reality: if you don’t have iMessage, you are less likely to succeed at work,” Joshua Browder, the CEO of legal tech firm DoNotPaytweeted this week. “The blue bubbles build trust!”

Logitech iPad Pro keyboard case offers big trackpad without Bluetooth hassles [Review]

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Logitech Combo Touch review
The Logitech Combo Touch includes a well-designed iPad Pro keyboard and trackpad. And it looks great.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Logitech Combo Touch combines an iPad Pro case with a kickstand and removable keyboard. It sets itself apart from the crowd with a large trackpad and using the Smart Connector rather than Bluetooth.

I brought this keyboard case into my daily work life for most of a week. I also compared it to the Apple Magic Keyboard. Here’s why I like it.

PopGrip iPhone wallet/stand attaches easily with MagSafe magnets

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PopGrip iPhone wallet/stand attaches easily with MagSafe magnets
PopGrip for MagSafe and PopWallet+ for MagSafe attach to an iPhone 12 with magnets, not adhesive.
Photo: PopSockets

The new MagSafe system for iPhone is a huge boon for PopGrips. A new collection of these pop-up phone handles can cling to the magnets built into the back of the latest Apple models, but also be easily detached.

PopSockets released PopGrip for MagSafe and PopWallet+ for MagSafe on Thursday, and these don’t have to be glued on. Or built into cases.

Apple TV+ spins Silo dystopian sci-fi trilogy into Wool drama series

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Rebecca Ferguson will star in the Apple TV+ sci-fi series ‘Wool.’
Rebecca Ferguson will star in Wool, a drama series based on Hugh Howey’s New York Times bestselling trilogy of dystopian novels.
Photo: Apple TV+

The collection of sci-fi series available on Apple TV+ is growing again with a series order for Wool. It’s based on a bestselling trilogy of dystopian novels, and will star Rebecca Ferguson.

When available, it’ll join several other sci-fi series on Apple’s streaming video service.

Apple takes funny look at apps tracking users in new video

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Apple takes funny look at apps tracking users in new video
Apple shows what the world would look like if brick-and-mortar businesses were just as nosy as apps.

Apple has a new video for all the people who took a TL;DR approach to the iPhone’s new App Tracking Transparency. Rather than read an explanation of the feature that debuted in April, there’s a short video showing what the world would look like if brick-and-mortar businesses were able to follow people the way apps can.

The result is pretty funny. Watch it now:

Not your imagination: iMessage is having an ‘issue’ [Updated]

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Not your imagination: iMessage is having an ‘issue’
It’s not a good day for iMessage
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

Update: Apple fixed the problem it was having with iMessage on Thursday.

Previous article:

If you aren’t getting texts from your friends, don’t blame your iPhone. It’s a larger problem. Apple reports that its iMessage service has been having difficulties for several hours.

Apple TV 4K review roundup: The new Siri Remote makes all the difference

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Apple TV 4K reviews: Finally more than a hobby?
Finally more than a hobby?
Photo: Apple

Apple once labelled the Apple TV a “hobby.” Now, six generations down the line, it’s proven it’s longevity as an interest for Apple. But is it the “must-have” streaming box the company has long promised?

With the review embargoes having lifted for the 2021 Apple TV 4K, it seems like Apple may have finally cracked the formula. And all it took were some neat upgrades and switching out that darn Siri Remote for something a whole lot better.

Here’s what the inaugural reviews had to say:

Top language-learning app Babbel costs only $179 for a limited time

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Babbel
The top-rated language app just dropped its price to $179 for a limited time.
Photo: Babbel

There are plenty of benefits to learning a new language, whether you want to live in a different country for a few years or land a role where there’s a secondary language requirement. Either way, learning a language doesn’t just have benefits for travel. It can sharpen your problem-solving skills and open up a whole new world of job opportunities.

iPhone 12 is a monster hit in Japan

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purple iphone 12
5G has been a killer feature in Japan.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 12 series has led a massive boom in smartphone shipments, particularly 5G models, in Japan.

According to a new report, Japan was the recipient of a 17% boost in smartphone shipments over the past 12 months. There was also a massive 40-fold increase in 5G handset shipments. Of the 5G smartphones, the iPhone 12 series made up almost half.

How to download the Opera GX browser beta on iPhone and iPad

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How to download Opera GX beta on iPhone and iPad
Start testing Opera GX today.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Gaming-focused web browser Opera GX is on its way to iPhone and iPad, almost two years after its initial debut. It comes with a customizable interface, the ability to sync with Opera GX on desktop, and ad blocking.

The browser also offers a number of unique features aimed at gamers, like GX Corner, which highlights gaming news and deals. Anyone can download and try out the Opera GX beta today. We’ll show you how.