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Save on iPhone video accessories during this limited-time sale

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MAIN - iPhone Photo Video
Grab these deals on smartphone camera gimbals, LED light rings, lenses and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

In 2020, video has become an essential part of everyday life, from Zoom calls to vlogging to learning the latest TikTok dance. If you want your video to truly shine, you need some extra gear. These four great accessories will help you get more from your iPhone or Mac camera.

What those strange new green and orange dots on iPhone and iPad mean

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What green and orange dots mean on iPhone and iPad with iOS 14
They're there for a reason and you should look out for them.
Image: Cult of Mac

If you’ve already updated to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, you might be wondering why green or orange dots sometimes appear in the corner of your screen on iPhone and iPad. It’s not the result of a strange bug.

Instead, those dots are there to help protect your privacy. When they appear, it means certain features on your device are in use, and it’s important to look out for them. Here’s why.

Convert any video to 1,000 formats with Wondershare UniConverter

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Wondershare UniConverter updated
Wondershare UniConverter, now in Version 12, lets you work with a multitude of media formats.
Photo: Wondershare

This video conversion post is presented by Wondershare UniConverter.

Whether you love to make videos or just watch and share them, if you want them to be seen in virtually any format on practically any device, you need a good video-conversion tool. It might be time to try Wondershare UniConverter, which can convert any video to more than 1,000 different formats. Try the Mac-dedicated version for a taste of how easy and quick video conversion can be.

EU may force Apple to open contactless payment tech to rival services

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Square Terminal could help more businesses accept Apple Pay.
At least, if the European Union laws are as expected.
Photo: Square

Apple Pay may wind up being just one of several mobile payments services available on the iPhone if the European Union gets its way, Bloomberg reported Friday.

The report claims that the EU is weighing up new rules that would compel companies like Apple to open up the NFC (Near Field Communication) tech in its smartphones and watches to rival players. That could mean that Apple Pay isn’t the only option for customers who want to pay for products with their Apple device.

Marble Knights rolls onto Apple Arcade

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‘Marble Knights’ brings rolling fun to Apple Arcade
Marble Knights mixes game genres, and supports multiplayer action.
Photo: WayForward/Apple

The latest addition to Apple’s gaming service is a rare multi-player title. Marble Knights lets up to four people at once roll together through a sword-swinging adventure.

TikTok faces App Store ban in US starting this Sunday

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U.S. investigations of TikTok gather steam.
Unless the Oracle deal is signed-off by President Trump, that is.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

Unless a last-minute deal is agreed, President Trump is going to ban ultra-popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat from the U.S. starting Sunday, the Department of Commerce announced Friday.

TikTok is consistently the most downloaded non-gaming app in the world. In the U.S., it currently has around 100 million monthly users. WeChat, while nowhere near as big in the U.S., is China’s most important app and widely used by many Chinese-Americans to communicate with friends and family back home.

Apple continues to rethink supply chain to get around US-China tensions

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Apple's relationship with Foxconn on the rocks
Tim Cook speaking with a person on the iPhone production line.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s division of its supply chain into one part aimed at the China market and the other aimed at the rest of the world continues apace. The goal? Helping Apple get around rumbling trade tensions between the United States and China.

According to a Friday report from Digitimes, Apple is giving more orders to Chinese firms Luxshare Precision and BYD for the Apple Watch Series 6 and Wi-Fi iPad series, respectively.

Apple TV+ series See resumes production next month

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See featurette asks how Apple TV+ show crafted a world without sight
See was one of the first Apple TV+ shows.
Photo: Apple

The Jason Mamoa-starring Apple TV+ post-apocalyptic drama series See will resume shooting its second season next month, according to a report from Deadline.

Season two of the show will reportedly resume filing on October 14 in Toronto. Filming will continue (unless there’s another COVID-prompted shutdown) through March 2021.

PSA: Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Up debuts on Apple TV+

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‘Long Way Up’ premiers on Apple TV+ on September 18
Long Way Up is just a couple of guys out for a 13,000 mile ride.
Photo: Apple

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman travel across South and Central America on electric Harley-Davidson motorcycles in new Apple TV+ series Long Way Up.

Apple debuted the first three episodes of the road-tripping series Friday, with subsequent episodes being released every Friday.

This is The Orville special-effects quarantine battlestation

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Mac Pro setup
A setup built for a pro.
Photo: Brandon Fayette

Brandon Fayette is VFX supervisor for The Orville, Hulu’s hilarious Star Trek-esque sci-fi comedy show from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Since screen space is vital to Fayette, he runs a triple-monitor rig.

The headliner is a Dell 49-inch UltraSharp Monitor. Its 32:9 aspect ratio means that he needs to find a wide panoramic pic for his screen saver. Next to the UltraSharp, Fayette uses a Wacom Cintiq 27QHD 27-inch monitor. This uber-precise monitor boasts a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, which is four times the pixel density of a standard HDTV.

Fayette’s third monitor is an Eizo CG277-BK 27-inch ColorEdge Professional Monitor. With its amazing image quality, it was specifically designed for professional colorists.

How to use some of the best new features in iOS 14

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How to use the best features in iOS 14
Learn how to use widgets, the App Drawer, and more.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS 14 is finally out and packed full of awesome new features that make being an iPhone user even greater. We’ve got real Home screen widgets, a useful new App Drawer, Picture in Picture, and more!

If you were able to avoid the iOS 14 beta and all these things are still brand-new to you, you might be wondering how some of them work. Well, don’t worry — Cult of Mac has how-to guides on all of them.

Find out how to use some of the best new features in iOS 14 right here.

Deciding between iPad Air 4 and iPad Pro could be a real struggle

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iPad Air 4 vs. 2020 iPad Pro vs. iPad 8
Apple’s current lineup of tablets offers a lot of overlap in features.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The newly announced iPad Air 4 is going to make choosing a tablet harder. It borrows so many features from the 2020 iPad Pro models that many who might have gone for one of Apple’s professional tablets should choose this new model instead. But certainly not everyone.

Here’s how these devices compare, with the newly-unveiled iPad 8 thrown in for good measure.

Cult of Mac readers get 30% off all iPhone accessories by Totallee

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All Totallee iPhone accessories are on sale for Cult of Mac readers.
All Totallee iPhone accessories are on sale for Cult of Mac readers.
Photo: Totallee

This iPhone accessories post is presented by Totallee.

Totallee is best known for its ultra-thin iPhone cases that add an extra layer of protection without adding bulk. However, the company offers a full lineup of accessories to help you get the most out of your iPhone, and now is the perfect time to grab some at a deep discount.

To make room for new inventory for the upcoming iPhone, Totallee is offering Cult of Mac readers 30% off all iPhone accessories with code CULT30. It’s valid until Sept. 25, 2020.

Animated kids’ series Doug Unplugs and Stillwater premiering on Apple TV+ this autumn

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‘Stillwater’ seems to have a very Zen vibe to it.
Stillwater on Apple TV+ will teach kids life skills.
Photo: Apple

Coming soon to Apple’s streaming service are two animated shows for children. Doug Unplugs is from DreamWorks Animation and based on a successful book series about a young robot. And Stillwater, which is also based on a book series, stars a very wise giant panda.

Apple TV+ also revealed on Thursday that the second seasons of its children’s shows Ghostwriter and Helpsters will both premiere in October.

Awesome stand gives Apple Watch the retro Game Boy look [Review]

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Elago-W5-Front
Give your Apple Watch a vintage Game Boy vibe.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Every Apple Watch deserves a good charging stand. The W5 from Elago takes you back in time with a one-of-a-kind design that resembles an iconic handheld gaming console.

Made from high-quality silicone, it’s simple, sturdy and surprisingly affordable. It’s also compatible with every Apple Watch ever made. Here’s why we think the Elago W5 charging stand is a great way to spend $19.

Apple Watch SE and Series 6 first impressions: Time for an upgrade?

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Apple Watch SE is only $279
Solid upgrades to an already great smartwatch.
Screenshot: Apple

Ahead of the new Apple Watch units finding their way onto users’ wrists, the initial “first impressions” reviews have hit the internet. While they’re not deep dives into the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE (users got to try them out for 24 hours), they still provide a sense of how they’re being received.

So what do the lucky individuals Apple sent an early review unit to have to say about them? Read on to find out.

Users won’t have to wait for Apple Watch Series 6’s blood oxygen sensor

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The Apple Watch Series 6 Blood Oxygen app lets you measure oxygen saturation in just 15 seconds.
The blood oxygen sensor on the new Apple Watch is big news.
Photo: Apple

Buyers won’t need to wait to use Apple Watch Series 6’s marquee feature: a blood oxygen sensor. The Blood Oxygen app should be available from day one in the United States and many other countries, according to Apple’s list of watchOS 7 features.

That stands in stark contrast to the delay for Apple Watch Series 4’s big health-related feature. People who bought it had to wait quite a few months before the smartwatch’s new ECG feature went live. It switched on in the United States three months after the device shipped, and users elsewhere had to wait even longer.

Apple One subscription isn’t fazed by different Apple IDs for Apple Music and iCloud

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An Apple One bundle might be announced in September. Or October.
Apple One is the Amazon Prime-style bundle for all your services in one.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Apple One subscription bundle service promises to make your monthly Apple subs easier by rolling them into a simple, one-off payment. But what if your existing subscriptions, such as Apple Music and iCloud accounts, are tied to different Apple IDs?

Fortunately, Apple’s longest-serving employee, Chris Espinosa, says that poses no problem. “It manages that,” he wrote in response to a question on Twitter. “I just double-checked.”

Save hundreds on MacBook, MacBook Pro, iPad refurbs today only

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Save on MacBook, iPad refurbs
Don't miss out!
Photo: Apple

Woot is hosting another massive blowout on refurbished Apple devices, giving you the chance to save hundreds on MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iPad — as well as some original Apple accessories.

These deals are available today only, so enjoy them while you can.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t interested in AR glasses that are like ‘an Apple Watch on your face’

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Apple Glass
Zuck's comments sound like a shot at Apple's plans.
Image: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a low-key shot at Apple’s AR plans in a new interview with The Verge, saying that he’s not enthusiastic about “putting an Apple Watch on [his] face.”

While Zuck was talking more broadly about augmented reality glasses, the fact that he called out Apple Watch (and the fact that Apple is the highest profile company reportedly working on AR glasses) makes it pretty clear which direction he’s throwing his shade.