Microsoft has acquired Nuance Communications, the speech recognition AI company which helped* power Siri.

Microsoft snapped up Nuance for a massive $16 billion ($19.7 billion, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt). That’s the most it has spent on a company since buying LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.

Both Apple and Google have blocked an update to England and Wales’ Department of Health contact-tracing app, built using the tech giants’ API.

The update was intended to be released to coincide with the relaxation of lockdown measures in the United Kingdom. However, it apparently breached one of Apple and Google’s main rules: Apps built with the contact-tracing technology are not allowed to gather location data that could track users.

If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need a fancy, expensive setup to create beautiful, professional-looking videos and photos. But at the very least, you do need to have the right equipment to create high-quality content.

And the first place you can start is making sure you have a combination of the right techniques, proper lighting and the best tools to support your recording device.

Apple TV+ is looking to ramp up its investment in original movies, and has hired a former WarnerMedia executive to help it, according to The Information.

The report cites “two people familiar with the situation” as saying that Apple wants to “beef up its original film production” to better compete in the streaming stakes.

Apple is working on a new smart home product that would combine Apple TV, a HomePod speaker and a camera for FaceTime or Zoom-style video conferencing, Bloomberg reported Monday.

The company “has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but [this] versatile new device in early development could change that,” according to the story, which describes the in-development product as “Apple’s most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date.”

Apple continues to run into production challenges with its next-gen iPad Pro, but they won’t stop the tablet from debuting later this month, reports Bloomberg.

If you plan to get one, you might want to brace yourself for a wait, though. The next iPad Pro — notably, the larger, 12.9-inch model — could prove tough to get your hands on in the early days.

It’s Sunday, and you’re staring at your computer. What’s it gonna be? Work or fun?

Some of the new and upgraded apps in this week’s roundup put an array of clever tools at your disposal if you’re feeling productive. You can free up space on your Mac’s hard drive, download YouTube videos or give your Home app a makeover.

Others focus on fun. They give you new ways to flex your creativity and stay entertained — and maybe even get paid while doing so. Time to dig in!

If you use Apple devices, you might wonder why you would need another cloud storage service. After all, you’re probably already familiar with iCloud, which syncs your photos and music across your devices.

But Apple’s service does come with its own annoyances. For example, there’s no automatic deletion of the photos you choose to get rid of. If you’re looking for the best comprehensive, unlimited cloud storage solution for all your files, look no further than this G Cloud Mobile Backup Unlimited Storage Plan.

Have you ever spent hours scouring YouTube for an accurate instrumental or vocal track from your favorite song? If the answer is yes, you know just how difficult it can be to find a particular isolated track.

EasySplitter is the perfect solution to this problem. The app (iOS or Android) seamlessly splits the vocals and instrumentals from any recorded song. Valued at nearly $600, a lifetime subscription to EasySplitter Pro is now available for just $39.99. That’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of remix freedom.

Adding dozens of new games is great and all, but embracing the past might be the smartest move Apple Arcade made this month.

Now Apple’s subscription gaming service includes two new categories — Timeless Classics and App Store Greats — that showcase just how fantastically fun mobile gaming can be.

The expansion is a real boon for casual gamers who might be more into sudoku than an arty indie game they’ve never heard of. And it makes Apple Arcade’s $4.99-a-month subscription look like an unbeatable deal.

If you haven’t tried Apple Arcade, now might be the time to take the plunge. And if you haven’t checked out Apple One subscription bundles — all of which include Apple Arcade — you might be missing out some real savings.

Read all about Apple Arcade’s power play (and get the rest of the week’s top Apple news) in Cult of Mac Magazine. Download the free app to read on your iOS device, or get the links below.

A Senate subcommittee wants to ask Google and Apple antitrust-related questions about their software stores, but the iPhone-maker reportedly turned down a request to testify.

Apple told Senators it could not do so because of ongoing litigation. That’s probably a reference to the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit currently in the pre-trial phase.

In this week’s episode, Apple TV+’s alternate-history space show For All Mankind finally gets to the big, violent “what if?” it’s been building to all season. Is it too late to make any of the fireworks they’ve seen saving go off in spectacular enough fashion to save a dreary second season?

The answer … will not shock you.

This week, Cult of Mac is giving away two snazzy iPhone 12 cases from our friends at Mujjo. You get a chance to win either a leather wallet case or a slim profile case in your choice of color.

Mujjo’s leather cases are among the best iPhone cases we’ve reviewed here at Cult of Mac.

If your iPhone needs a spring makeover, be sure to enter this giveaway.

Apple will charge you a heck of a lot for a piece of silicone you can slap on the back of your iPhone. And you can get silicone cases almost just as good for a fraction of the price. Elago’s premium MagSafe Silicone case for iPhone 12 is just $21.99 — and it’s absolutely terrific.

Its hybrid design makes for a robust but slim skin that superbly fits your iPhone, and protects it from scratches and scrapes. It’s available in a number of pretty color options, and it’s well worth your cash.

Redditor franklinrockz makes no bones about the minimalist setup he bought with lockdown savings for online classes, calling it “pretty basic” and “nothing fancy.” But it gets the job done and looks good doing it.

A testament to that are the three dozen comments his post had by day two online. Lots of folks liked what franklinrockz did with the workstation and wanted to know about its components.

Apple Music TV, the 24-hour streaming music video channel that serves as Apple’s version of classic MTV, is now available outside the United States.

Apple launched the free music video channel stateside last October. Jump forward six months, and it can now be viewed by people in Canada and the United Kingdom. While that represents only a small fraction of the places Apple does business in, it suggests that the company is keen to roll out this service further afield.

Apple’s ProMotion technology, which delivers buttery-smooth scrolling and motion content on some iPads, may come to the iPhone this year.

According to a report from Digitimes, the next-gen iPhone will adopt LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) backplane technology that could enable 120Hz screen refresh rates. The current iPhones have a refresh rate of just 60Hz.

On average, Americans view their smartphones up to 52 times a day, whether we’re scrolling on Instagram, working a side gig or texting a friend.

The more we use our phones, the more we need to charge them. And if you want to keep your iPhone battery full on the go, you’ll need a reliable charger that can easily fit in your backpack or purse. That’s where the BackPack Magnetic 5,000mAh Power Bank comes in. Made with extra-strength magnets, this power bank locks safely to the back of your phone.

iPhone models made up a massive 6 out of 10 of the top-selling smartphones in January 2021, according to a report from Counterpoint Research.

The report suggests that the top-selling handset was the regular iPhone 12, followed in short succession by the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro.

Now we know why Apple never brought iMessage to Android, despite the fact that doing so could have made it a ubiquitous messaging app like WhatsApp.

In a court filing for the company’s ongoing legal battle with Fortnite-maker Epic Games, internal emails showcase exactly why Apple execs made the decision they did. And, yes, it’s probably for the reason you guessed!

It’s a relatively quiet Friday for Apple TV+, with just one single episode of a new show on Apple’s streaming television service. Fortunately, that show is the entertaining space-age alternative history For All Mankind, now approaching the end of its second season.

Episode 8 of 10 is titled “And Here’s to You.” The preview reads: “Gordo returns to space. Molly faces an unsettling new reality. Aleida confronts her first major hurdle at work.” If you’ve not yet tuned in, this may be your chance, with just a couple of weeks to go until the finale.

Cleaning AirPods is kind of a disgusting job, but Cardlax has a solution. It’s an itty-bitty washing machine to clean the crud off your earbuds in a couple of minutes.

Before you ask, April Fools’ Day was last week. This is a real thing.

Samsung reached out to iPhone users with iTest — a web app that simulates a Galaxy smartphone on an iOS device. The device maker says it’s hoping some people “might find the grass a shade greener.”

The iTest app isn’t a simple static image — it offers samples of some commonly-used Android applications, including phone calls and texts with marketing messages.

The upcoming Chipolo One Spot could rise to be a top Bluetooth item tracker. And if that happens, it’ll be with Apple’s help. The product will be one of the very first accessible through Apple’s Find My network, which means iPhone, Mac and iPad users can locate it without having to install any software from Chipolo.

The same is true of AirTags, Apple’s own much-rumored item tracker expected to be released soon.

Broken one of the physical buttons on your iPhone or iPad? That won’t prevent you from shutting it down completely. This simple trick allows you to turn off your iPhone or iPad from within iOS in just a few steps.

We’ll show you how.