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Score a dozen subscriptions to PlayStation Plus and other awesome streaming services

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The Complete Entertainment Bundle packs subs to a dozen services, including PlayStation Plus, at one low price.
The Complete Entertainment Bundle packs subs to a dozen services, including PlayStation Plus, at one low price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For many of us, everything we do happens at home now, from work to exercise entertainment, thanks to the internet. So we should equip ourselves to get the most out of our new online home life. That’s just what this massive bundle offers.

The Complete Entertainment Bundle includes 12 subscriptions to top streaming services, VPN protection, fitness classes and more — all at one affordable price!

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro teardown reveals smaller battery

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An iPhone 12 teardown wouldn’t be complete without a cool X-ray.
Dive deep into the iPhone 12 standard and Pro with an X-ray.
Photo: Creative Electron

Open up the standard iPhone 12 and and you’d be hard pressed to find a difference between it and the iPhone 12 Pro. An iFixit teardown shows these handsets so similar internally that they can share many parts.

But the news isn’t all good. Another tidbit revealed by cracking open Apple’s latest is that that have smaller batteries than their predecessors.

Hey, Apple … don’t be evil! [Cult of Mac Magazine 372]

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Why Apple needs a
This is how Apple could avoid Google's fate.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

As Apple faces increasing scrutiny from governments around the world, the company should take a lesson from Google. We think Apple really needs to implement its own “don’t be evil” policy — and stick with it.

Also, with the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro arriving this week alongside iPad Air 4 it’s time to take a look at reviewers’ first impressions. (It’s also a good time to revisit best practices for setting up and optimizing a new iPhone).

Read it all — along with reviews of new Apple TV+ movies On the Rocks and Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Download it now to read on your iOS device.

Boost your career and become an Excel expert with two days’ worth of training

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Complete Excel Excellence Bundle
Learn the basic and advanced functions of Excel with 8 courses covering Excel functions, Power Query, PivotTables, and VBA.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Excel is a fundamental part of the modern workplace. It’s ideal for crunching numbers, managing relationships, and all kinds of other important tasks. If you want to be an asset to your office, mastering Excel is a great way to do it.

Cool MagSafe chargers and cases are ready for iPhone 12

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This MagSafe charger from Belkin might be the coolest iPhone 12 accessory.
The Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger might be the coolest accessory with the new version of MagSafe.
Photo: Belkin

A selection of accessories that use the new MagSafe wireless charger are ready for Friday’s launch of the iPhone 12 series.

MagSafe used to be for MacBooks, but Apple rebranded it and built it into its newest handsets. Accessory makers are integrating it into wireless chargers and cases. Some of these are pretty cool.

iPhone 12 first impressions, and HomePod gets crazy new features, this week on The CultCast (now in video!)

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Dolby Atmos on Apple TV 4K: HomePod's new Apple TV features look like game-changers.
HomePod's new Apple TV features look like game-changers.
Image: Apple

This week on The CultCast: The reviews are in, so let’s talk about iPhone 12! Plus: The honest truth about iPhone 12’s 5G; the original HomePod gets powerful new features, and Jony Ive gets a brand-new job.

And now, The CultCast has video! Or subscribe to our audio episodes if you don’t like our faces.

Lack of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps shows limits of Apple’s power

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iOS 13.7 contact tracing feature: Life-saver, or NSA spy tool?
It's not Apple's fault. But it's certainly frustrating.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple and Google moved fast to develop a COVID-19 contact-tracing solution that was both smart and privacy conscious. Unfortunately, more than six months after the companies announced the cross-platform approach to contact tracing, few places in the United States use it.

It’s a tough lesson for the world’s biggest tech company. And one that everyone is a little bit poorer for having learned.

What to do when your iOS backup is newer than your iPhone’s OS

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What to do when your iOS backup is newer than your iPhone's OS
Running an iOS beta can cause problems when you get a new device.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Everyone in Apple’s beta program is running a pre-release version of the next iOS version. Which is great, until you get a new iPhone or iPad. Then you can’t restore the new device from the backup made on your previous one because the old device is running a newer OS.

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t panic — there are a couple of possible solutions. We’ll walk you through both.

Coalition of app developers taking aim at Apple is growing rapidly

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app-store
The battle over the App Store rages on.
Photo: Apple

The Coalition for App Fairness, a group of developers targeting what they claim is Apple’s unfair control of the App Store, has more than doubled in size since its formation last month.

According to a new report, the original group of 13 companies — which included the likes of Epic Games and Spotify — has now increased to 40, with another 400 requests to join.

iPhone 12 MagSafe won’t harm the credit card in your pocket

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How it works
Good for charging and accessories. Bad for hotel cards, though.
Photo: Apple

The magnetic back for the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models won’t damage your credit cards, although you may want to keep it away from direct contact with single use magnetic stripe cards, such as the swipe cards used in hotels.

That’s according to Kaiann Drance, Vice President of iPhone Marketing at Apple, who is interviewed in the latest “Rich on Tech” podcast.

Go beyond mindfulness with a multifaceted meditation app

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Omvana Meditation App: This customizable meditation app will help you focus on what matters to you.
This customizable meditation app will help you focus on what really matters.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Mindfulness is all the rage these days. And while there’s a lot more to mindfulness than just “clearing your mind,” let’s be honest: It’s not the one solution to all our problems. Living and working with a better mindset takes many forms — and this meditation app takes many approaches.

On the Rocks is a warmhearted comedy about all kinds of infidelity [Apple TV+ review]

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Rashida Jones and Bill Murray in On The Rocks
Rashida Jones and Bill Murray On The Rocks.
Photo: Apple TV+

On the Rocks, the first Apple TV+ arthouse film, is an extremely winning combination of midlife crisis, comedy of remarriage, and road-trip movie.

Writer/director Sofia Coppola’s charmingly cynical, shaggy-dog anti-romance — which stars Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, and debuts today on Apple TV+ after a brief theatrical release — is a smart step toward filling out the streaming service’s growing library of original movies.

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPad Air 4 arrive in stores today

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iPhone 12 packaging
Packaging up Apple's new devices for eager customers.
Photo: Apple

It’s a big day for Apple fans as the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro with 5G have gone on sale, alongside the iPad Air 4 — marking a trio of devices with the new, breakthrough A14 chip.

As preorders arrive and Apple Stores open with the new handsets and tablet, Apple shared some images of satisfied customers, along with fulfillment workers gearing up to dispatch the new iPhones and iPads to stores.

PSA: On the Rocks, Letter to You, more debut on Apple TV+

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Bill Murray and director Sofia Coppola reunite for On the Rocks.
Bill Murray and director Sofia Coppola reunite for On the Rocks.
Photo: Apple TV+

It’s a packed Friday for Apple TV+ with the debut of Sofia Coppola’s movie On The Rocks, plus a new episode of Tehran and Long Way Up. There’s also the new Bruce Springsteen documentary Letter to You, which was due to debut Friday, but wound up debuting Thursday after a tweet sent out by The Boss (and, no, we don’t mean Tim Cook).

Here’s what to expect from this week’s new arrivals.

Scarlett Johansson will star in genre-bending Bride on Apple TV+

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Scarlett Johansson will star in ‘Bride’ on Apple TV
Scarlett Johansson is probably best known as Black Widow, but she’ll also star in Bride on Apple TV.
Screenshot: Marvel

Scarlett Johansson reportedly will take the lead in an Apple TV+ film. Bride will be about a creation designed to be the perfect wife. And what happens when she rejects the role.

Oscar-winner Sebastián Lelio will direct the film.

COVID-19, riots finish off Minneapolis Apple Store

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Say goodbye to the Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis.
The Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis didn’t survive multiple blows from 2020.
Photo: Apple

The Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis closed its doors for good. Though it might be more accurate to say the store won‘t reopen, as it’s been shuttered to the public since March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

That didn’t stop the store from being damaged by rioters in May after the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. 2020 has been just extra hard on it.

Sleek Zagg Pro Keys adds detachable keyboard to iPad Air 4 and iPad 8

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Zagg Pro Keys
Zagg Pro Keys has a design that puts it head-to-head with the Apple Smart keyboard.
Photo: Zagg

Zagg Pro Keys is a keyboard case for those who want to use their iPad as both a slender tablet and a laptop. There are versions for the new iPad Air 4 and iPad 8.

In addition, the Zagg Pro Stylus debuted on Thursday. It sports two tips, making it a competitor for the Apple Pencil as well as basic capacitive styli.

Halide Mark II brings pro camera features to the average Joe

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Halide Mark II is for professional photographers and beginners.
Halide Mark II sports a new UI intended to make the camera software easier to use and more powerful.
Photo: Lux Optics

Halide Mark II brings a significant revamp to a popular alternative camera application for the iPhone. The developer redesigned the software to make it even easier to use for beginners. But it also comes with professional-grade features built in, like new tools for working with RAW images.

Quibi’s crash and burn makes the slow, steady approach of Apple TV+ look smart

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Tortoise
Apple's not in a rush with Apple TV+.
Photo: Magdalena Kula Manchee/Unsplash CC

In the words of Ron Burgundy, “That escalated quickly.” A day after short-form video streamer Quibi pivoted from a mobile-only approach to launch an Apple TV app, the beleaguered service announced it will shut down for good.

What lesson can we learn from Quibi’s glitzy, high-profile launch, only to crash and burn six months later? That the slow-but-steady, tortoise-like Apple TV+ strategy looks smarter than ever.

Save $400 on a speedy 2019 MacBook Air today

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2019 MacBook Air
Don't miss out!
Photo: Apple

Pick up an ultraportable MacBook Air with beefy internals and enjoy $400 off the usual selling price today only.

B&H Photo is offering a 2019 model with Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for just $1,299 — down from $1,699. Or you can save up to $100 on newer 2020 options.

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