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Fortnite offers discounts on in-app purchases made directly to Epic Games [Updated]

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Fortnite discounts are here to stay.
The Fortnite Mega Drop brings permanent discounts to in-app purchases. But not for everyone.
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games launched the Fortnite Mega Drop on Thursday. This offers up to 20% discounts on in-app purchases made on iPhone, iPad or Android, as long as these are direct payments — not ones that go through the App Store or Google Play.

And V-Bucks or real-money purchases made on Mac, PC and other platforms are also discounted by up to 20%.

Update: Apple responded by expelling Fortnite from the App Store.

Applying for a job? This tool will help you craft a winning resume

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Resoume
Take a big step closer to the job you want by making beautiful, ATS-aligned resumés, CVs, or portfolios with this easy-to-ese builder.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Looking for work is a drag no matter how you slice it. Maybe one of the least-fun parts is putting together a resume that gets attention and hits the right marks.

This tool takes the guesswork out of the process, making it easy to build attractive resumés tuned specifically to the search algorithms used by many hiring firms.

How a Fortune photog won an argument with a raging Steve Jobs

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Doug Menuez Steve Jobs
Jobs photos made for a bestselling cover.
Photo: Doug Menuez

Standing up to Steve Jobs wasn’t easy. Alternately a charmer and a tyrant, he was accustomed to winning arguments on just about everything.

But when photographer Doug Menuez found himself on the receiving end of a Jobs tirade, he stood his ground. And the result was not only the best-selling cover of Fortune magazine that year, but a newfound level of respect from Apple’s famous co-founder.

iPhone 12 lens-maker denies reports of camera problems

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iphone-12-pro
The iPhone 12's had 99 problems. But camera lens may not be one.
Photo: The Hacker 34

Yujingguang, a.k.a Genius Electronic Optical, has denied that there are problems with the iPhone 12 camera lenses.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously suggested that some of the coatings for the wide-angle lens produced by the company had cracked during a high-pressure, high-humidity stress test by Apple.

However, Genius maintains that its production is running without issues. It also said that demand from its “brand handset clients” (which reportedly include Apple) remain normal.

Circulous is the mind-twisting puzzle game from one of Apple’s favorite teen devs [Updated]

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Circulous
Puzzle game is available for pre-order today.
Photo: Chain Reaction Games

Update: Circulous launched in the App Store today, priced $4.99.

Like point-and-click adventures? Enjoy escape room puzzles? Then you’ll love Circulous — or so its 16-year-old creator Brayden Gogis hopes.

If your response to a teen creating an iOS game is “how good could it really be?” the answer is pretty darn great. Gogis has been developing games for iOS for several years, and his previous titles won kudos from Cupertino itself. Apple even referred to him as the “high school puzzle master.” Circulous is the title he’s most proud of. Check out a trailer below.

Apple defies the odds with record iPhone shipments in Q2

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Pandemic iPhone: The 2020 iPhone SE seems perfect for the times.
iPhone SE was a big hit during the quarter.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The overall smartphone market in the United States declined 5% year-on-year in Q2, but Apple nonetheless set a new U.S. record by shipping 15 million iPhones domestically, a new Canalys report claims.

“With the launch of the iPhone SE, Apple’s quarterly market share ballooned to 47%,” the report reads. Between Apple and fellow smartphone market leader Samsung, seven out of the 10 smartphones made were manufactured by one of the two companies.

Brazil’s Supreme Court will decide whether Apple gets to keep using iPhone name

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iPhone with gavel.
The case has been raging on for years.
Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm/Cult of Mac

The Brazilian Supreme Court will hear a case determining whether or not Apple can use the iPhone trademark in Brazil. The trademark was already owned by telecommunications firm IGB Eletronica.

The battle between the two companies has been going on for years. Even worse, in 2012 the Brazilian company created a lineup of Android smartphones called “iPhone.”

We might know exactly when iPhone 12 will arrive

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An iPhone 12 concept video shows off lots of color options.
If you want an iPhone 12 Pro, you might be waiting longer than you'd like.
Photo: Terquosive Labs

Apple will hold an iPhone 12 event the week of October 12, with the device shipping a week later, according to up-and-coming leaker Jon Prosser. The iPhone 12 Pro would land the following month, he said.

Without citing a source (obviously), he tweeted his “new, adjusted Apple dates” Wednesday afternoon.

How to make Safari Private Browsing much more private

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How to make Safari Private Browsing much more private
Safari Private Browsing is less private than you think. Here’s how to change that.
Photo: Killian Bell/Ed Hardy

Push a button in Safari and you’re in Private Browsing Mode. Suddenly, you’re completely safe from all tracking, and no one can tell what you did online, right? Wrong.

This mode really can help protect your privacy when you’re surfing the web, but you need to know its limitations.

Apple updates iOS, iPadOS and macOS to fix some very particular problems

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iOS 13.6 Developer Beta 2 replaces version 13.5.5
Today brings minor updates for iPhone, iPad and Mac users.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple released updates for iOS, iPadOS and macOS on Wednesday that fix a variety of small problems. These aren’t big changes, but if you’ve got one of the problems outlined in the release notes, they should prove quite welcome indeed.

Here’s how Apple describes today’s updates — iOS 13.6.1 (and the iPad equivalent) and macOS Catalina 10.15.6 supplemental update:

Focusing on major movies could prime Apple TV+ for success [Opinion]

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It's the perfect time for Apple TV+ to makes its move with movies.
It's the perfect time for Apple TV+ to makes its move with movies.
Photo: riviera 2005/Flickr CC

The deal to bring legendary director Martin Scorsese’s future films to Apple TV+ sounds like a gift for movie fans who subscribe to the streaming service.

But signing Scorsese and other top filmmakers could turn out to be a shrewd and self-serving move that benefits Apple, too. Focusing on films crafted by the world’s top directors could differentiate the fledgling Apple TV+ from dominant rivals like Netflix. And it looks like Apple might be timing the market perfectly.

Wall Street Journal won’t bail on Apple News

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The Wall Street Journal is staying put with Apple News
The Wall Street Journal sees multiple benefits from being part of Apple News.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In the wake of The New York Times quitting Apple News, the head of News Corp. says that The Wall Street Journal isn’t leaving the news service that’s built into iOS and macOS.

Star-studded Harriet the Spy tiptoes toward Apple TV+

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An animated ‘Harriet the Spy’ heads for Apple TV+
An animated series based Harriet the Spy is being produced for Apple TV+.
Photo: Penguin Random House

Apple ordered an animated version of the children’s classic Harriet the Spy. It’ll star Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee Beanie Feldstein and Emmy winner Jane Lynch. The series will be produced by The Jim Henson Company.

Still hoping to learn Spanish? Get there by learning through songs with this app

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Lirica
Make learning Spanish easier with the help of Lirica.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For many English speakers, learning Spanish is a must. But it’s also a goal that plenty of us somehow fall short of. We take classes in high school, maybe play around on apps, only to stop practicing so we forget what we’ve learned. But remembering songs and lyrics is way easier, so that’s how this app teaches language.

Here’s how Trump could take down TikTok in US

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U.S. investigations of TikTok gather steam.
Scope of POTUS's TikTok ban could be massive.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

The plan for implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting TikTok reportedly would take a two-pronged approach that could cripple the wildly popular app in the United States.

The executive order could ban TikTok from Apple’s and Google’s app stores, effectively stopping the video-sharing app’s wildfire growth. (The app has “reportedly been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and over one billion times globally,” according to Trump’s executive order.) The move also could financially strangle the Chinese-owned app by forbidding U.S. companies from buying advertising on it.

These details emerged in a White House document outlining the plan that was seen by Reuters.

Apple’s biggest supplier splits its manufacturing to avoid being hit with tariffs

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Apple's relationship with Foxconn on the rocks
Tim Cook meets with a person working on the production line building iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Apple manufacturer Foxconn said Wednesday that it plans to split its supply chain in two. One segment will service the China market, while the other will focus on the United States.

Foxconn chairman Young Liu said the manufacturing giant now operates 30% of its capacity outside China, up from 25% last June. In recent years, the company began moving manufacturing to other regions such as Southeast Asia to avoid possible tariffs on Chinese goods headed to the United States.

It’s now even easier to pay with Apple Card on Apple’s Online Store

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Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status is hitting retailers in the wallet
What could make Apple happier than Apple customers buying Apple goods on its Apple Online Store with Apple Card?
Photo: Apple

Paying for your Apple Online Store purchases is easier than ever if you’re an Apple Card user. Starting Tuesday, Apple added the ability the pay for items with a dedicated one-click Apple Card option.

To pay with Apple Card, simply select the Apple Card option when you’re ask to complete your purchase.

Cameras rule in this picture-perfect workspace [Setups]

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This camera-focused setup is easy on the eyes.
This camera-centric setup is easy on the eyes.
Photo: Brandon Remler

This standup setup is definitely ready for its close-up. Artfully outfitted by Fujifilm North America salesman Brandon Remler, it sports a pair of laptops. But the real focus falls on Remler’s array of cameras, both film and digital.

“I do primarily use digital,” Remler told Cult of Mac in an email. “I did film for 20 years and it has a great feel and experience.  Now moved on to Fujifilm GFX system. Gfx100 or Gfx50 — as well as our other Fujifilm x series (have one of everything so it’s not fair ;-).”