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Apple TV+ goes ape with Jane, inspired by chimp-researcher Jane Goodall

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Apple goes ape with ‘Jane,’ inspired by chimp-researcher Jane Goodall
Jane is an upcoming Apple TV+ children's show about animal rescue.
Photo: Apple

Apple is growing its slate of children’s programming with Jane, which is inspired by the mission of Dr. Jane Goodall. However, it won’t be a biopic of the famed chimpanzee researcher. Instead, it’s about about a little girl, her active imagination and a desire to rescue animals.

Use Shazam on Dolly Parton’s 5 to 9 ad to get 5 free months of Apple Music

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Listen to Dolly Parton in ‘5 to 9’ for 5 free months of Apple Music.
A new version of Dolly Parton’s 5 to 9 gets you an extra-long Apple Music trial.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple turned to country music legend Dolly Parton, Squarespace and the Super Bowl to promote Shazam and a new deal on Cupertino’s streaming music service.

You can use Shazam when listening to Parton’s just-released 5 to 9 advertisement to get five free months of Apple Music. That’s two months more than the usual offer.

Garage-based man cave and home office relies on a killer screen [Setups]

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In this setup, an LG curved monitor is great for work as well as movies and TV.
In this setup, an LG curved monitor is great for work as well as movies and TV.
Photo: Paul O'Toole

An IT professional who specializes in Mac and iOS home implementations probably has a leg up on the next guy when it comes to building an Apple-centric home office and man cave.

Or is it a man cave and home office? We’ll let Paul O’Toole, an IT pro from Worcestershire, England, decide that. It’s his, after all. He calls it a “sitting room,” actually.

He turned his garage into an office and movie palace, thanks to an LG 34UC99 curved monitor and a pair of HomePods running with his Mac Pro.

Top Apple engineer now heads AR/VR glasses development

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A Apple VR headset is an Open secret, as demonstrated by a recent patent filing.
An illustration from a recent Apple patent filing shows a possible VR headset.
Graphic: Apple

Dan Riccio, one of Apple’s top designers, is reportedly now concentrating all his efforts on the company’s virtual-reality visor and augmented-reality glasses.

Previously, he headed Apple’s hardware engineering team. Then Cupertino revealed in January that Riccio was transitioning to a new role. But it wouldn’t say what that role will be.

Apple and Hyundai reportedly hit the brakes on Apple car relationship

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The idea of working with Apple to build a car reportedly makes some Hyundai execs nervous.
Apple had supposedly been working with Hyundai on its electric, self-driving vehicle.
Photo: Mpho Mojapelo/Unsplash CC

Apple and Hyundai may have had the business equivalent of a high school relationship in the past few weeks. First they were just friends, then going steady, and now they appear to have broken up — and Apple’s got the hots for someone else. All on a suitably compressed timeline, of course.

Bloomberg reported the breakup Sunday, saying Apple has paused discussions with Hyundai and affiliate Kia Motors about building an electric car. Apple’s now supposedly talking to other automobile companies about a possible deal.

This stylish smart lamp connects to Amazon Alexa to control your home

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This smart light has the features and functionality of Amazon Alexa
This smart light comes with Alexa inside.
Photo: GE Lighting

If you’re limited on space, you know the special value of multitasking furniture and organizers. Whether it’s a standing desk you can easily convert, cord organizers to keep cable clutter at bay, or other helpful space-saving goods, it certainly helps to decorate your pad with stuff that performs more than one function.

This C by GE Sol WiFi Alexa Enabled Smart Light doesn’t just brighten your space with a modern glow. It also fully connects to Amazon Alexa to give you better control of your living space.

Apple car rumors shift into overdrive [Cult of Mac Magazine 387]

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Apple car rumors shift into overdrive.
That roar you hear is the Apple car rumors redlining.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

After years of low idling, the Apple car rumors are really revving up. Possible deals with Kia and other automakers … whispers about secret supply-chain maneuvers … even a surprising claim that Cupertino’s first cars “will not be designed to have a driver.”

That’s the kind of Apple car news you’ll find in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

You’ll also get more potential revelations about that other top-secret Apple endeavor — building a headset. Whether that will be a $3,000 niche VR model or something a little more down to earth remains to be seen.

And if that’s not enough good Apple news for one week, Snoopy is back for new adventures on Apple TV+. We’ve got reviews of The Snoopy Show as well as the latest episodes of Dickinson and Losing Alice.

Apple boosts trade-in value for Mac mini prototypes to soothe angry devs

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Mac mini with ARM chip
Apple more than doubled the trade-in on the early return of the Mac mini Developer Transition Kit.
Photo: Apple

Apple sweetened the deal offered to developers for the early return of the Mac mini that they used to test macOS Big Sur running on Apple Silicon. Friday, the company responded to complaints that it wasn’t offering enough for the Developer Transition Kits by more than doubling the amount of money previously offering for the units.

Who needs aluminum? These insane Macs are made of ice, coal and beeswax.

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This concept Mac is made of sandstone.
Is metal or plastic really the best material to make computers out of. How about sandstone?
Photo: Hank Beyer/Alex Sizemore

Concept designers are supposed to think outside of the box. Hank Beyer and Alex Sizemore created some Mac designs that are so far outside of the box you sometimes can’t tell there ever was a box. Their computers are encased in stone, ice, beeswax and other exotic materials.

Apple’s AR glasses look like something you might actually want to wear

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A patent shows what Apple Glass AR glasses might look like.
These possible Apple augmented-reality glasses aren’t all that sexy, but they also aren‘t a huge visor strapped to your face.
Illustration: Apple

Apple filed a patent application that could give a first glimpse of the AR glasses the company is developing. An image included with the filing shows a small, lightweight augmented-reality device about the size of a standard pair of eyeglasses.

The primary focus of the patent is the ways the glasses might detect what its wearer is doing. These will allow the wearer to interact with the head-worn device in a variety of ways.

Sound designer’s setup powers a home office and AV wonderland [Setups]

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Widescreen monitor
When you have more gear than you use, it's time to break it down to basic needs.
Photo: Gareth Owen

Gareth Owen is a London-based professional sound designer whose job involves extensive CAD and acoustic modeling, but he also does sound effects work and multitrack mixing.

So he built a setup that functions as both his home office and a basic home studio.

That big film shoot grows perilously near in Losing Alice [Apple TV+ review]

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Writer Sophie, played by Lihi Kornowski, is ready to take whatever she can in Apple TV+ thriller
Writer Sophie is ready to take whatever she can in Losing Alice.
Photo: Apple TV+

On this week’s episode of Apple TV+’s behind-the-scenes filmmaking drama Losing Alice, rehearsals have begun, locations are found, and parts are cast. Now all that remains is for the relationship between writer, director and star not to devolve into shrieking sexual hysterics.

Easier said than done.

Man swallows AirPod in his sleep, and lives to tell the tale

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AirPods
You want a snack? Make yourself a pasta bake!
Photo: Cult of Mac

A man in Worcester, Massachusetts, has reportedly wound up in hospital after accidentally ingesting one of his AirPods while sleeping.

Bradford Gauthier reportedly fell asleep wearing his AirPods, only to discover that he was missing one of them upon waking. He also felt a discomfort in his chest. That’s not a great combination of events.

Speakly makes learning new languages quick, easy and fun

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This language learning app has 4.8:5 stars in the Apple App Store
Get a lifetime subscription to a highly reviewed app that will let you learn eight languages quickly.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Learning a new language doesn’t need to be tedious and time-consuming. The Speakly language app uses a proven methodology that combines science and computational algorithms to teach you the 4,000 most statistically relevant words of your target tongue in order of their importance.

And while that might sound intense, the app actually makes language learning fun and engaging.

The Snoopy Show will charm children and de-stress adults [Apple TV+ review]

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Snoopy and Woodstock return forThe Snoopy Show
Snoopy and Woodstock return for more low-key laughs in The Snoopy Show.
Photo: Apple TV+

Everyone’s favorite beagle flies back into action for a new series of misadventures on Apple TV+. Charles Schulz’s beloved gang of misfits are here to provide support on The Snoopy Show, based on the Peanuts comics.

The new animated series premieres Friday, bringing some stress-busting, family-friendly entertainment to Apple’s streaming service.

Snapchat admits iOS 14 privacy feature could disrupt its business

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Snapchat logo
Snapchat thinks its business could be disrupted by changes.
Photo: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash CC

Snapchat parent company Snap has added its voice to the tech companies complaining that iOS 14’s privacy measures could hurt its business.

Releasing its Q4 2020 earnings Thursday, the company’s CFO Derek Andersen said that the Apple changes might disrupt Snap’s ad-centric business model.