Cult of Mac

Apple has settled a long-running antitrust dispute in South Korea. The country’s Fair Trade Commission announced Wednesday that it has accepted Apple’s offer to spend $89.83 million in the country as part of a voluntary correction scheme.

“This is the first time that a correction scheme [to make up for unfair market practices] actually provides direct benefits to consumers such as repair and warranty cost discounts,” said FTC Chairwoman Joh Sung-wook in a press briefing. “[The FTC] shall thoroughly keep watch on whether Apple carries out the promised actions to contribute to the domestic ICT ecosystem.”

Apple could be poised to sign a $3.6 billion deal with Kia Motors to build Apple Car, Bloomberg reports Wednesday, citing Korean news outlet DongA Ilbo.

The report says Apple and Kia, which is owned by Hyundai, could sign a deal as soon as February 17. It would then aim to “introduce Apple cars in 2024,” with a possible target of produce 100,000 electric vehicles per year, according to DongA Ilbo.

A mere day after the release of a fresh macOS version, Apple went ahead and seeded to developers macOS 11.3 beta 1. The company isn’t one to sit on its hands.

The new beta includes small improvments to Safari and Reminders. And enhancements to a range of other features too. Plus bug fixes, of course.

Apple reportedly hired Manfred Harrer for its top-secret self-driving vehicle project. It’s a telling move because Harrer previously was head of chassis development at Porsche. This is a clear sign that the Mac-maker is planning an Apple car, not simply an autonomous vehicle system to be licensed to automakers.

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A job posting leaves no room for doubt that Apple plans more health-related devices. The company seeks to hire a project manager to develop “Apple-branded Health Hardware products.”

The company doesn’t have anything like this now. It’s instead mostly concentrated on building wellness features into Apple Watch, iPhone and AirPods. And selling third-party health devices.

Ed Yoon has a job many music fans and players would covet. He’s chief operating officer of high-end electric guitar maker and distributor Strandberg Guitars USA in Riverside, California. As you might guess from his line of work, he’s a major audiophile. And his office setup makes a lot of noise to that effect.

OK, not “noise.” Beautiful music.

Even before the pandemic, Yoon had been working a lot from home to manage the company’s operations. Then, as COVID-19 spread, remote work became the norm. Unlike most of us, he needed more than just a desk and a computer with decent speakers. He had to have mind-blowing audio.

Apple CEO Tim Cook must participate in a seven-hour deposition during his company’s upcoming legal battle with Epic Games. Epic reportedly wanted Cook for eight hours, while Apple lawyers tried to whittle it down to four hours.

Seven hours is the compromise that was ultimately ruled on by Judge Thomas S. Hixon.

Every parent knows that one of the most effective ways to appease an unhappy child is to hand them an iPad. And with the brilliant Little Buddy case from Laut, it’s finally safe to do so.

The Little Buddy’s lightweight yet rugged design, made from impact-resistant EVA foam, makes an iPad easy to carry around, and prevents it from shattering into pieces when it inevitably gets dropped.

It’s compatible with a wide range of iPad models, and it’s a bargain at under $35.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the “spiritual successor” to the excellent Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, just got a big update on iOS.

The game made its debut back in 2019. It’s a Metroidvania type video game, set in 18th century England during the time of the Industrial Revolution. It started life as crowdfunding venture led by Symphony of the Night assistant director, Koji “Iga” Igarashi.

Ready to take control of your health and wellness? Whether you like to cycle outdoors, go on hikes, or work up a sweat with a fitness app, if you’re not wearing an Apple Watch or similar fitness tracker, it can be hard to tell whether the plan you set for yourself is actually working

If you don’t want to shell out for Apple’s smartwatch, this Fitbit Ionic GPS Fitness Smartwatch is just what you need to help guide you in your fitness goals. it’s packed with helpful features that help you refine your plans and keep up with your progress.

Apple has sold $14 billion in bonds in order to tap into current cheap borrowing costs, Bloomberg reports.

This money will reportedly be used for buying back stock and paying dividends, as well as giving Apple more working capital.

An Apple car could ship in 2025, and will be “positioned as a very high-end” model in terms of pricing, claims TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo doesn’t give a dollar figure. But he writes that the sticker price, as well as the cost of Apple car components, will come in much higher than a those for a regular electric vehicle.

Apple has rolled out a somewhat surprise Google Chrome extension that allows users to access iCloud Passwords on Windows machines.

You can use it to sync all the passwords you’ve created on Mac, iPhone, and iPad to your Windows desktop. And to sync any passwords you create in Chrome to iCloud Keychain for use on Apple devices.

We’ll show you how to get set up.

Apple TV+ just experienced its best weekend ever. And a big part of the reason was Palmer, a new drama starring Justin Timberlake that premiered on the streaming service Friday.

Apple Card holders might soon be able to share access with their family. Users of the credit card will reportedly be able to give their spouse or children access to a pre-established amount of money.

If you have young children at home right now, you know it’s an especially challenging time to make sure they get the education they deserve. If you’re trying to manage your kids’ learning at home online, and are struggling (i.e., trying to stop them from breaking the iPad), this 12-month subscription to Homer — The #1 Learn to Read App for Kids is sure to help.

Perfect for kids ages 2 to 8 years old, this helpful app is designed to boost your child’s reading, math, creativity and social learning skills with 1,000-plus interactive lessons, stories and generally fun activities.

Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.2 to the public Monday, bringing more reliable Bluetooth connections. That should warm the hearts of those using recently released Macs built around Apple’s first-generation M-series processor.

The Mac update brings other bug fixes as well, but the release notes make no mention of new features.

Facebook is going to take a shot at persuading users to skip the “do not track” button that Apple will soon require iPhone application to display. The pop-up is designed to protect user privacy, but the Facebook app will offer its own pop-up screen explaining the benefits of targeted advertising before users are given the option to opt out of being tracked.

Apple enlisted dozens of Black photographers to document their hometowns using iPhone 12 Pro, and the company showed off their handiwork Monday to kick off Black History Month.

“All across the US, these photographers set out to showcase the people and the pockets of their cities that embody their local culture,” Apple said in a press release about the Hometown project.

It’s a neat spin on the company’s ongoing “Shot on iPhone” campaign, and the results are pretty darn impressive. Check out some of the images below.

Apple’s newest iPad mini is now available at its lowest price to date thanks to a generous discount from Amazon. You can bag a 64GB model with Wi-Fi connectivity for just $324.99, which is $74.01 less than you’ll pay for the same device in the Apple Store.

Get yours before the discount disappears!

To mark Black History Month, Apple is releasing a limited-edition Apple Watch Series 6, among other things.

Apple’s Black Unity Collection includes a new Apple Watch Series 6, a Black Unity Sport Band and a Unity watch face. The watch features the words “Black Unity” laser-etched onto the back crystal, while the strap — inspired by the Pan-African flag — includes the words “Truth. Power. Solidarity.”

If you’re a gadget connoisseur, you probably love your iPhone. But, as much as you enjoy using the device itself, you know that quality accessories accentuate your experience. And, while there might be a lot more eye-catching things than Lightning cables, when your usual cable frays and you’re at 5% battery remaining, you probably wish you had a reliable charging cord.

You can find the best of these under-appreciated accessories below. And, for a limited time, you can save an extra 15% off the sale price with coupon code VDAY2021, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The European Union wants to overturn Apple’s 2020 victory in the massive $14.8 billion tax dispute, which has been raging for the past several years.

Bloomberg reported Monday that the appeal challenges a July court judgment ruling against Apple. The court decision going against the EU was a big setback for lead Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Apple TV+ snapped up CODA, a coming-of-age movie screened at this year’s virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The $25 million acquisition, which followed a bidding battle between Apple and Amazon, set a new record for Sundance.