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Save up to 60% on official Apple cases for iPhone 12

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iPhone 12 MagSafe Sleeve case
Save $77.01 on the new Leather Sleeve with MagSafe.
Photo: Apple

Bag yourself an official Apple case for iPhone 12 and save up to 60% for a limited time only. Prices start at just $19.99 — down from $49.99 — for the Silicone Case with MagSafe for iPhone 12 mini.

Our top pick, however, is the Leather Sleeve with MagSafe for iPhone 12 Pro Max. It’s now down to just $51.99 — its lowest price yet after a $77.01 discount.

Study: Night Shift makes no difference to a good night’s rest

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The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not be worth the hype. Using dim, cooler lights in the evening may be more beneficial to our sleep and health.
The Night Shift mode on Apple products may not live up to the hype.
Photo: Envato Elements

The iOS and macOS feature that changes display color temperature to reduce blue light so as to promote good sleep might not work quite as well as hoped.

A new study by Brigham Young University suggests that the Night Shift feature, introduced in 2016, doesn’t make any noticeable difference to sleep patterns.

Apple awards extra $410 million to optical firm that makes LiDAR lasers

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Advanced manufacturing
This is the latest investment from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund.
Photo: Apple

Apple has awarded an additional $410 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to II-VI, a firm that makes optical technology for the iPhone, including the laser for the LiDAR scanner found in the iPhone 12 Pro.

Apple previously awarded the firm $390 million back in 2017. The extra cash will “accelerate delivery of future components” for iPhone. It will also help fund the creation of more than 700 jobs in Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run gets its first big update on iOS

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Crash Bandicoot: On the Run
Crash keeps on running.
Photo: King

Back in the day, it took more than a year — from September 1996 to October 1997 — for fans of Crash Bandicoot to get a second dose of action with the game’s sequel.

Jump forward to 2021 and fans of Crash Bandicoot: On the Run who have completed the game, launched on iOS in March, can already get a second fix of Crash action courtesy of the title’s first big update.

Australian stores remove AirTags over safety fears

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AirTag pairs easily with iPhone, much like AirPods.
AirTags are tiny. So are their batteries.
Photo: Apple

A chain of office supply stores in Australia suspended sales of Apple’s AirTag over child-safety concerns.

Officeworks, which sells approximately 30,000 products in its 167 giant stores, confirmed that the “Apple AirTag range will temporarily be unavailable” for purchase. This is reportedly due to how easily the replaceable cell batteries can be removed from the location-tracking tags. And, presumably, swallowed.

Execs fretted over whether App Store ads were ‘at odds’ with Apple messaging

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TikTok continues to dominate the App Store in 2020.
Apple sells ads through the App Store.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

Many people may be surprised to hear that while Tim Cook has often taken thinly-veiled shots at the targeted ad-supported business model of some rivals, Apple does itself sell targeted ads.

Although there is a bit more nuance to that, it can look like a contradiction, or even a bit of hypocrisy, from the outside. As emails highlighted during the current Apple vs. Epic legal battle shows, Apple employees also grappled with whether or not Apple should offer ads in the App Store — and whether this opposed Apple’s messaging.

Read Epic Games’ reasonable idea for opening up the App Store

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App Store
The CEO of Epic Games had an idea for making the App Store more open. It’s likely to find some support.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Epic Games suggested a change to the iPhone App Store that, if Apple had followed it, might have prevented the lawsuit that landed the two tech giants in court this week.

The game developer recommended that Apple continue to police third-party software, looking for malware, privacy violations, etc. But once the iPhone-maker signed off on an app, it would be up to the developer how the software got distributed.

Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’ [Updated]

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Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’
Problems with multiple iCloud services are preventing some users from accessing them.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

Anyone having trouble with Apple’s Find My service, or signing into iCloud, can stop rebooting their devices trying to fix the problem. Apple itself reports that four of its online services are currently experiencing problems.

Update: Apple reports that all four previously malfunctioning services are now fixed.

This 3-pack of PlayStation Plus subscription codes costs just $90 right now

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PlayStation Plus
Get best-of-web pricing on three years of PlayStation Plus for yourself and/or your friends.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you and your friends are big PlayStation fans, you probably already know about PlayStation Plus — but you might not realize just how different it is from PlayStation Now. PlayStation Plus is actually made for users to reap the full benefits of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Snap up some cheap AAPL stock while it’s tanking

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AAPL shares took a nosedive on Tuesday
Apple’s stock price went down quite a bit.Perhaps now’s the time to buy
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple shares spent much of Tuesday down 4% in value. The AAPL selloff was part part of a general drop in tech stocks amidst fears of a rise in interest rates.

At one point during the day, the value of each AAPL stock had dropped about $5.30. That’s a decrease of roughly $88 billion in Apple’s $2.1 trillion market capitalization.

Update: Apple shares finished the day down 3.54%.

Ted Lasso and Stillwater score Peabody nominations for Apple TV+

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Bumbling coach Ted Lasso is back, and headed for Apple TV+.
Jason Sudeik stars in Ted Lasso, a fish-out-of-water comedy for Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Peabody Award nominations went out Tuesday to Apple comedy series Ted Lasso as well as the children’s program Stillwater.

The annual Peabodys honor excellence in broadcasting the same way Pulitzers recognize outstanding journalism. The awards “reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day,” according to the National Association of Broadcasters.

Steve Jobs once called Facebook ‘Fecebooks’

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Steve Jobs once called Facebook ‘Fecebooks’
Typo? Or cutting insult? Apple’s former CEO once used the term “Fecebooks.”
Photo: Cult of Mac

Disagreements between Apple and Facebook have made headlines recently, but bad blood between the two companies dates back decades. In 2011, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs even called the social-networking service “Fecebooks.”

Quickly view available keyboard shortcuts in any iPad app [Pro tip]

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See iPad keyboard shortcuts
Speed up common tasks inside your favorite apps.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4iPad has gotten better and better at working with external keyboards in recent years. You’ll now find great support for keyboard shortcuts in most of the apps you use regularly. But how do you quickly find out which keyboard shortcuts are available to you?

There’s an easy way in iPadOS — and it works inside any app.

Apple’s chipmaker could build up to 6 factories in Arizona

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TSMC 7nm processor
Plans have gotten more ambitious it seems.
Photo: TSMC

Apple M- and A-series chipmaker TSMC is reportedly planning to build more than just the one chipmaking factory currently announced for the United States.

According to Reuters, the company — which is the world’s leading edge semiconductor manufacturer — plans to build “several more” in the state of Arizona. TSMC’s original intentions to build a $12 billion chip factory in AZ were announced in May 2020.

Want an M1 iPad Pro? Turn you old model into fast upgrade cash today

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There’s more 2021 iPad Pro RAM than in any previous Apple tablet.
A quick way to make your 2021 iPad Pro upgrade more affordable.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s newest iPad Pro is on the way with a blazing-fast M1 chip, a Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 16GB of RAM. Prices start at a rather steep $799, but Cult of Mac can help make yours more affordable.

Sell your old iPad to us today and we’ll cough up real cash that you can put toward a new model. We won’t leave you waiting for your money, and we typically pay more than other buyback services. Find out how much your old Apple devices are really worth in under a minute!

Researchers find no link between tech and teen mental health

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In December, Apple will offer free coding classes to teach kids and teens.
Teens spend plenty of time using tech. Is it hurting them?
Photo: Apple

A new study suggests that there is “little evidence” for the supposed link between technology and problems with mental health among teenagers.

The study, carried out by the Oxford Internet Institute, cross-referenced longitudinal viewing and usage habits with depression, behavioral problems, and even suicidal tendencies among 430,000 people between the ages of 10 and 15.

Scrivener can help you write the novel of your dreams, and it’s just $30 right now

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writing app
This award-winning app is beloved by writers everywhere.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Always dreamed of writing your own novel but don’t know where to begin? You’re not alone. Fiction writing can be intimidating, and it’s no coincidence that novice novelists often run into the same problems, like starting with a heavy exposition or lacking continuity in plot or setting.

Even if you’ve finally figured out how to flesh out your characters, there’s the actual writing part of it — that’s a whole other story.

Social audio app Clubhouse’s growth appears to stall

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Clubhouse
Clubhouse attracted a whole lot of buzz earlier this year.
Photo: Erin Kwon/Clubhouse CC

It’s not just teen-focused social media apps that face the fickle habits of their users. Clubhouse — the invite-only social audio app that pulled in enough celebrities, influencers and business professionals to make it the most buzz-worthy app of 2021 — seemingly faces the same challenge.

According to a report from Business Insider, Clubhouse is already hitting a hurdle when it comes to growth. After racking up 9.6 million installs in February, just 2.7 million people downloaded the app in March. That number fell to only 922,000 new users last month.

There’s no downgrading if you’ve already upgraded to iOS 14.5

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iOS 14.5 brings App Tracking Transparency, mask-friendly Face ID
Don't think about turning back.
Photo: Apple

Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.2 and iPadOS 14.4.2. That means that it’s no longer possible to downgrade if you’ve upgraded to iOS or iPadOS 14.5.

The eagerly anticipated iOS 14.5 was a big iOS update for Apple. It introduced the ability to unlock an iPhone using an Apple Watch while wearing a mask, along with the controversial App Tracking Transparency feature, new emojis and Siri voices, a Podcasts app update, and more.