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How to see the huge AR easter egg hidden in Apple’s Oct. 13 event invite

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The invite to the Apple October event 2020 offers an augmented-reality easter egg.
The invite to the Apple October event includes a bit of augmented reality.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the October Apple event is a hint that the company is about to make a big push into augmented reality.

The graphic for the event invite is the Apple logo surrounded by bubbles. iPhone and iPad users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and put it in motion.

Apple ‘Hi, Speed’ event on Oct. 13 could bring iPhone 12, new Mac and more

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The Apple October event 2020 is officially on for October 13.
The theme of the 2020 Apple October event is “Hi, Speed.”
Photo: Apple

Apple just invited the world to an event on October 13. No agenda was announced, but there’s little doubt the star will be the iPhone 12, the first iOS device with 5G wireless networking. Apple hinted at the coming upgrade with the title of the event: “Hi, Speed.”

But a handful of other products might also be on the docket, including the first MacBook built around Apple Silicon rather than an Intel processor.

Total War Saga: Troy marches onto Mac October 8

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Total War Saga: Troy
Coming soon to a Mac near you.
Photo: Total War Saga: Troy

Turn-based strategy game Total War Saga: Troy is coming to Mac, two months after it debuted on Windows.

The game, which received positive reviews upon its August release for PCs, is set during the Trojan War and the Aegean civilization. Players must engage in battles, harvest resources like wood and bronze, and maintain their approval from the Greek gods. This is the second game in the Total War Saga subseries, following 2018’s Thrones of Britannia.

House antitrust report calls to ‘break up’ tech giants

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Should Apple take over the White House?
Could the U.S. government break up Big Tech?
Photo: MattCC716/Flickr CC

The U.S. House of Representatives antitrust report on Big Tech reportedly includes a “thinly veiled call to break up” the tech giants, according to a report by Reuters.

The House antitrust subcommittee could publish its report on Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet this week. However, while it’s not been published yet, it’s already causing controversy.

T2 chip vulnerability could let local attackers hack Macs

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The Apple T2 chip could be the source of mysterious crashes afflicting two of Apple's newest computers.
Apple introduced its T2 chips to Mac a couple of years ago.
Photo: IFIXIT

Security researcher Niels Hofmans of ironPeak has confirmed a T2 chip security flaw. These chips have been found in all new Macs made since 2018.

At its worst, the vulnerability — which is reportedly “unpatchable” — could allow an attacker to interfere with Macs in “classic evil maid” attacks involving an unintended computer. This might open the door for new ways for law enforcement to access suspects’ Macs to retrieve information, for example.

TikTok pulls in more than $130.5 million in user spending in September

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TikTok 1
TikTok has had something of an unpredictable year so far.
Photo: TikTok

TikTok pulled in more than $130.5 million in worldwide user spending in September, making it the top-grossing non-gaming app in the App Store — despite the various existential threats it faces.

In a new report by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, the company notes that user spending on TikTok in September was 7.9 times greater than this time last year. That $130m sum covers both iOS and Google Play revenue.

Apple’s VP of platform architecture talks A14 chips — and what comes next

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A14 Features and specs
Apple's A14 processor will pave the way for Apple technology in the future.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s VP of Platform Architecture Tim Millet says the company’s A14 chip, which debuted last month in the fourth-generation iPad Air, will take machine learning to the next level.

“It takes my breath away when I see what people can do with the A14 Bionic chip,” Millet told German magazine Stern.

Manufactured using a 5nm process, the mobile chip boasts an astonishing 11.8 billion transistors, up significantly from the 8.5 billion of the A13. It is expected to power this year’s upcoming iPhones.

Apple stops selling third-party headphones and smart speakers

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AirPods Studio will apparently look much like this.
Apple’s is prepping a pair of over-the-ear headphones, possibly as part of phasing out its Beats brand.
Render: Jon Prosser/cconceptcreator

Ahead of the expected launch of its over-the-ear headphones, dubbed AirPods Studio, and a possible new HomePod speaker, Apple has stopped selling headphones and wireless smart speakers made by rival firms such as Sonos, Bose and Logitech.

The rival manufacturers previously had their third-party products available on Apple’s Online Store. However, as Bloomberg reported Monday, they have now vanished. Employees at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores have also been removing the products from shelves.

How to leave the macOS Big Sur beta program before public release

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How to leave the macOS Big Sur beta
Don't be stuck with buggy beta releases.
Image: Cult of Mac

With the public release of macOS Big Sur right around the corner, it’s a good time to think about leaving the beta program — especially if you’ve been running the new release on your primary machine.

Dropping out ensures you get stable releases and quick fixes as soon as they’re available, and prevents potentially buggy future betas from being installed on your device. We’ll walk you through the process.

Bruce Springsteen reveals his creative process in Apple TV+ documentary

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Bruce Springsteen ‘Letter To You’ debuts October 23
Bruce Springsteen Letter To You is both an album and an Apple TV+ documentary.
Photo: Apple

The next Bruce Springsteen album Letter To You will debut on the same day as an Apple TV+ documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at the live studio album’s creation.

In addition, the Letter To You documentary will include full performances from the E Street Band playing songs from the new release.

You won’t believe the crazy camera rigs used to shoot Tiny World

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Tiny World making of: Turns out these tiny frogs are grapplers.
Turns out these tiny frogs are grapplers.
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ nature docuseries Tiny World was definitely not shot on iPhone.

Documentarians who captured those pint-size critters’ everyday adventures show off some of their crazy camera rigs in a new behind-the-scenes video. And the photo gear looks absolutely crazy. The clip also shows off some of the incredible footage in the series, which debuted Friday on Apple TV+.

Spotify now lets you search by lyrics just like Apple Music does

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
There's a new way to search on Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

On Monday, Spotify announced a new feature that lets iOS and Android users hunt for songs by searching for lyrics. This ability has long been built into Apple Music’s feature set. However, now it is available for those using the leading streaming music service by subscribers.

Using the new search by lyrics feature couldn’t be any easier. In the regular search box on the Spotify app, just type the lyric you’re looking for and the song(s) it comes from should pop up in the search results.

Star Wars, Marvel and other Disney movies get free 4K upgrade in iTunes

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Stormtroopers-Fortnite
"These are the 4K upgrades you're looking for."
Photo: Epic Games

An assortment of Disney movies are now available in 4K HDR quality on iTunes. If you’ve not bought them already, the movies can be purchased for the same price as their previous HD counterparts. If you previously purchased the HD version, it will be automatically upgraded to 4K for free.

This includes the Star Wars movies, much of the Marvel catalog, and various Pixar and Disney films — with more being added all the time.

Tim Cook tweets tribute to Steve Jobs on 9th anniversary of his death

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“The Big Night In” was raising funds for charity, and Tim Cook dropped by the help.
Tim Cook remembers his friend and former boss.
Photo: BBC TV

Tim Cook quoted poet Maya Angelou in a tweet commemorating Steve Jobs on Monday, the ninth anniversary of the Apple co-founder’s death.

“A great soul never dies,” Cook’s message reads. “It brings us together again and again.” Cook also added a personal note: “You’re always with us Steve, your memory connects and inspires us every day.”

Meanwhile, on the Apple website, admirers’ remembrances of Jobs flowed across a tribute page.

10 states now use Apple and Google’s contact-tracing API, with more on the way

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iOS 13.7 contact tracing feature: Life-saver, or NSA spy tool?
Several months later, Apple and Google's contact tracing tool is finally gaining momentum.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

More than two months after Virginia became the first state to use Apple and Google’s Exposure Notifications API, a total of 10 states now distribute their own contact-tracing apps to fight COVID-19.

The two most recent — New York and New Jersey — launched their apps last week.

New SVP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak joins Apple’s Leadership page

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Greg Joswiak
Joswiak's bio as it appears on Apple's Leadership page.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its Leadership page to officially show Phil Schiller’s replacement by Greg Joswiak as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

Schiller was named an Apple Fellow in August, an honorific title that Apple has given to a handful of top employees over the years. Schiller, who still appears on Apple’s list of leaders, will continue to head up the App Store and appear at Apple Events.

Protect your online privacy and security with a powerful, affordable VPN

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NordVPN
This critically acclaimed VPN uses double encryption to keep your browsing safe and private.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For many of us, going online is a part of daily life. Unfortunately, the internet is also full of risks to our security and privacy. That’s why more and more people are turning to virtual private networks, so that activities and personal data stay hidden from prying eyes. That’s why we love VPNs, and this chance to get powerful protection for just a few bucks a month.

These Apple Fitness+ trainers will whip you into shape [Cult of Mac Magazine 369]

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Are you ready to get in shape from the comfort of your own home?
Are you ready to get in shape from the comfort of your own home?
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

When Apple Fitness+ arrives later this year, it will live or die on the motivational skills of its talented team of high-energy trainers. Our cover story this week offers introduces you to the pace-setting athletes Apple enlisted to whip us all into shape.

Plus, with iPhone 12 right around the corner, we’ve got more rumors to peruse. And with iOS 14 and watchOS7 already here, we’ve got some timely how-tos. All that good stuff comes wrapped up in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it for free and enjoy it on your iOS device, or get the links below.

Apple A14 processor makes iPad Air 4 dramatically faster

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iPad Air 4 launches later this month.
The iPad Air 4 offers a big speed boost over its predecessor.
Photo: Apple

The iPad Air 4 is the first computer of any kind unveiled with the Apple A14 processor. The tablet isn’t out yet, but an early Geekbench 5 benchmark score apparently shows it’s nearly 50% faster than its predecessor.

This bodes well for the iPhone 12, which is also expected to run Apple’s new chip.