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These 5G supercuts will burn the word into your brain

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Apple isn't exactly subtle about pushing high-speed 5G networking. These 5G supercuts from the
Apple isn't exactly subtle about pushing 5G.
Photo: Apple

Apple execs uttered the term “5G” so many times during Tuesday’s iPhone 12 unveiling that they could have triggered semantic satiation. (That’s when you hear something so many times that it starts to sound … really weird.)

If their repetition of the word didn’t burn 5G into your brain — or turn your gray matter into mush — the 5G supercuts that followed certainly will.

Nuheara earbuds work like the bionic ears you always wanted [Review]

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Nuheara IQbuds 2 Max review
Nuheara IQbuds 2 Max are a bit larger than many rival earbuds, but they do much more.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Nuheara IQbuds 2 Max aren’t typical wireless earbuds. Sure, they let you listen to music and podcasts, but that’s just the start. They have active noise cancellation when you want quiet. Or they help you hear in-person conversations better by filtering out background sounds.

I did real-world testing of these in-ear headphones designed for people whose hearing isn’t quite good as it used to be.

Nike offers $75 of freebies to new Apple Card users

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Become
Open an Apple Card account in the next month and you can get $75 back from Nike.
Screenshot: Apple

Nike offers a bonus for new users of Apple’s credit card. Sign up for an Apple Card, buy $75 or more from Nike in the first 30 days, and get $75 in Daily Cash.

Plus, Nike offers unlimited 3% back at Nike when Apple Card with Apple Pay is used.

This wireless charger will disinfect your iPhone [Review]

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The Mophie UV Sanitizer With Wireless Charging can blast your iPhone with germ-killing ultraviolet light.
This wireless charger can blast your iPhone with germ-killing ultraviolet light.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

With a recent study showing the virus that causes COVID-19 can live up to 28 days on glass and stainless steel, it might be time to double down on your disinfectant efforts. Remind me again what iPhones are made of … oh, yeah, glass and metal. Yikes!

One easy way to sanitize your iPhone and other small items is to use a device like the Mophie UV Sanitizer with a built-in wireless charger. While the company doesn’t specifically claim that the device kills COVID-19 dead, another recent study showed definitively that ultraviolet light can kill the potentially deadly virus.

At some point, “better safe than sorry” comes into play.

Average US customer spends $20.78 a month on app subscriptions

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Election contributions by Apple employees for heavily toward Democrats
Costs can quickly add up!
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

Recurring subscriptions have changed how we pay for digital content. And, while each service might only demand a couple of our hard-earned bucks at a time, the costs can quickly add up.

According to a report citing data from mobile measurement firm Adjust, the average person in the U.S. spends $20.78 a month on app subscriptions. And, given that this just an average, many spend a whole lot more than that.

Spotify gets an iOS 14 widget that lets you access recent listens

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Spotify
Spotify makes it easier to access your music and podcasts.
Photo: Spotify

If Spotify remains your main streaming music listening platform, there’s some good news: the streaming giant has finally released an iOS 14 widget that lets you quickly access recently played artists, podcasts, and albums in a single tap.

There are both small and medium-sized versions of the widget. The smaller of these shows your most recently listened to item. Meanwhile, the medium-sized widget offers a more luxurious, five most recent items array.

Forget 2020: Binge on a massive library of history documentaries and podcasts

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history hit
Travel back in time and explore significant world events with a growing library of history documentaries, interviews, podcasts, films, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Had a little too much of the news lately? As 2020 winds down (at last!), there’s no better time to immerse yourself in historical events.

Living, as we do, in the age of binge-watching, you can stream history straight to your favorite viewing or listening devices. And this inexpensive subscription service makes sure you’re never lacking for something new and intriguing to explore.

Best Buy’s Canadian website suggests iPad Air 4 goes on sale October 23

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iPad Air 4 Touch ID Sensor
Apple previously said the tablets would be available sometime in October.
Photo: Apple

Beyond saying it would be available in October, Apple didn’t announce a precise launch date for the iPad Air 4 when it showed it off at last month’s “Time Flies” event.

Eagle-eyed Apple watchers may have uncovered the official release date, with Best Buy’s Canadian website listing October 23 as the date it will go on sale. While that’s not conclusive on its own, it coincides with a previous date suggested by Apple tipster Jon Prosser.

Here’s how much RAM the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are packing

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iPhone 12 Pro color options
It seems the iPhone 12 Pro gets a RAM increase from last year.
Photo: Apple

While it’s long been considered a fundamental spec for computers, Apple doesn’t publicize the amount of RAM its iPhones ship with. But newly published AnTuTu scores, referring to a popular Chinese benchmarking tool, appears to shed some light on this year’s iPhone 12 handsets.

They suggest that the iPhone 12 comes with 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 Pro model comes with 6GB of RAM. If accurate, that would be an increase for the Pro models from the 4GB used for both variants of iPhone 11 last year.

Apple demands that Telegram removes posts involving protests in Belarus

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Telegram flames
More controversy involving Telegram.
Photo: Telegram/Cult of Mac

Apple is currently facing a mini-scandal involving messaging app Telegram and posts made by pro-democracy protestors in Belarus, which Apple asked to be removed.

The posts concern political controversy in the country, following this year’s election of President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko, who has been president of Belarus since 1994, supposedly won 80 percent of the vote in August. However, opposition has accused his party of rigging the election, with the fallout continuing several months later.

Apple stops bundling chargers and headphones with all iPhones

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An Apple charger and headphones don;t with all its iPhones, no matter when they were released.
This is everything that comes in the box with an iPhone ordered today. There’s no charger or headphones.
Photo: Apple

Apple won’t include a wall charger or a pair of headphones with the upcoming iPhone 12 series. And it doesn’t stop there. The company no longer bundles these accessories with any handset ordered from the Apple Store. Even if they came in the box before.

LiDAR Scanner puts iPhone 12 Pro at the forefront of augmented reality

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LiDAR in the iPhone 12 Pro is about more than augmented reality.
LiDAR brings iPhone 12 Pro to the cutting edge of AR.
Photo: Apple

The LiDAR Scanner in the iPhone 12 Pro makes Apple’s new flagship device an augmented reality powerhouse. It enables the handset to make an accurate 3D map of its location into which virtual objects can then be placed.

However, the scanner apparently has been added to the iPhone 12 Pro models in a “build it and they will come” strategy. Apple didn’t show many specific applications demonstrating the benefits of the tech during Tuesday’s launch event for the device.

With iPhone 12, Apple finally ditches its outdated ‘S’ naming. I couldn’t be happier.

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iPhone 12: Say
No sign of an iPhone 11s in sight.
Photo: Apple

There was something big missing from Tuesday’s iPhone 12 event. And, no, I’m not talking about AirTags, AirPods Studio, a new Apple TV, Apple Silicon Macs or live attendees.

The thing that went missing was an “S” at the end of the new iPhones’ names. The demise of the naming convention to indicate alternate-year iPhones marked the end of an era. And it’s totally a good thing.

iPhone 12 costs extra for T-Mobile/Sprint customers [UPDATED]

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iPhone 12 pricing is lower for Verizon and AT&T customers.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini come with a “T-Mobile Tax.”
Photo: Apple

UPDATE: Apple lowered the iPhone 12 price for T-Mobile/Sprint subscribers on Friday.

 


The prices Apple promotes for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini aren’t for everyone. Subscribers to T-Mobile/Sprint must pay $30 more. The same goes for anyone who wants an unlocked unit.

This isn’t the case for the iPhone 12 Pro series.

Why iPhone 12 mini is Apple’s most compelling new iPhone

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iPhone 12 mini held up
Apple's best new iPhone of the year is also its tiniest.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 12 mini is, without a doubt, the iPhone I’ll be buying this year. In an upgrade cycle in which I fully expected the iPhone 12 Pro to win me over, the 12 mini emerged as my absolute favorite iPhone of Tuesday’s “Hi, Speed” event — and, perhaps, my most anticipated iPhone in years.

It’s a blend of classic iPhone and modern iPhone: the handset I’ve wanted since Apple devices started growing progressively bigger around the time CEO Tim Cook took the reins at Apple. Here’s what makes the iPhone 12 mini so compelling.

Deck out your iPhone with great deals you didn’t find on Prime Day

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iPhone Accessories pt 2
Score great deals on phone chargers, MagSafe cables, and other iPhone accessories.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Prime Day (or at least the first day of this misnamed two-day shopping event) has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find great deals on iPhone accessories. Cult of Mac Deals rounded up of some of the best to ease your post-Prime Day shopping withdrawal — and we’re still offering an extra 20% off almost everything in our store.

You can use coupon code “OCTSALE20” at checkout to get the extra savings on almost all of these must-have iPhone accessories. But the savings madness can’t go on forever. In fact, the extra 20% discount ends today.

Mario Kart Tour celebrates first anniversary with new characters, courses, Auto Mode

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Mario Kart Tour was 2019's most downloaded iOS game
The game recently celebrated its first anniversary.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour recently turned one, marking its first year on iOS following its debut in September 2019. To celebrate, the game is offering a slew of anniversary themed celebrations — including new characters, courses, and an intriguing new Auto mode.

Auto Mode can be selected at the beginning of a race. You can then watch the characters speed round the course a bit like an extended demo mode. If you’re into taking screenshots of the game, it’s a good addition since you don’t have to worry about controlling the character.

Catchy toe-tapper sets Tuesday’s iPhone 12 event to music

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Lisa Jackson
Yesterday's keynote reimagined as a pop hit.
Photo: Apple

Musician Jonathan Mann’s got more stickability than the new MagSage connector on the iPhone 12. Since gaining the attention of Apple fans with a song about Apple’s Antennagate PR disaster that even made Steve Jobs dance, Mann unleashes a new Apple-themed song every time the company does a media event.

His latest (mildly NSFW) song, “Does this iPhone have 5G,” sets to music some of the social media reactions to Apple’s Tuesday product showcase. Check it out.

Apple seeds iOS 14.1 golden master to beta testers

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iOS 14.1 is almost here.
Less than a month after the release of iOS 14, Apple is close to releasing iOS 14.1.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple gave developers access to the final pre-release versions of iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 on Tuesday. This is an important last step before releasing these upgrades to the public.

However, we don’t yet know when they’ll be available for iPhone and iPad.

Apple leaks must make things completely crazy in Cupertino

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When will the Apple leaks stop?
Some people love Apple leaks. Other people surely hate them.
Photo: Apple

I imagine Tim Cook seething with rage.

And I imagine workers in Apple’s marketing department filled with a gut-churning mixture of righteous anger, paranoia and dread.

What could cause such unpleasantness inside the pristine glass walls of Apple’s spaceship HQ (or within remote employees’ home bubbles)? Tuesday morning, images of the entire iPhone 12 lineup and HomePod mini leaked just hours ahead of Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event.