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Teen ‘mastermind’ gets arrested for massive Twitter attack

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If hackers dump your personal data onto the dark web, you need to know about it. Dashlane Dark Web Monitoring can sound the alarm.
Rather than state-sponsored hackers, the Twitter hacker is someone too young to vote.
Photo: sebastiaan stam/Pexels CC

In mid July, a hacker gained access to Apple’s Twitter account, along with those other corporations, high-profile politicians, and celebrities. At the time, there was speculation it was done by Russian hackers. Or perhaps they were Chinese. Some pointed fingers at international criminal gangs.

Nope. Turns out it was a 17-year-old kid from Tampa.

How to get back in shape after lockdown with Apple Watch

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Time to dust off your Apple Watch and start closing those rings again
Time to dust off your Apple Watch and start closing those rings again.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you’ve let your fitness slide during the lockdown, you’re not alone. The Activity app’s constant nagging to close your rings is not very helpful when all the gyms are closed and you’re stuck at home.

Skipping workouts for a few months is understandable under the circumstances, but you don’t want to become a permanent couch potato. So now that we’re all adjusting to the “new normal,” it’s the ideal time to dust off your Apple Watch and get back in shape.

Magazine begrudgingly signed by Steve Jobs sells for big bucks [Updated]

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Steve Jobs magazine
Jobs rarely signed autographs. Apparently he didn't want to sign this one.
Photo: Nate D. Sanders Auctions

Like Steve Jobs? Have approximately $11,000 as a starting bid to pick up some memorabilia to prove as much? Then you could be in the market for a Jobs-autographed October 1989 copy of Fortune magazine autographed by the Apple co-founder.

The magazine, which was signed for one of Jobs’ former chauffeur drivers, is going up for auction this week. And it comes complete with a story of Jobs being, well, Jobs.

Update July 31, 2020: The copy of Fortune that Steve Jobs reluctantly signed for his chauffeur sold for $16,638 on Thursday, significantly above the minimum bid.

Bangkok’s Apple Central World may be the most spectacular Apple store yet

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Apple Central World 3
New Apple Store looks similar to the iconic Steve Jobs Theater.
Photo: Apple

Apple opened its second and largest retail location in Thailand Friday. Located in Bangkok’s famous Ratchaprasong, the new store is spectacular even by the high standards of existing Apple Stores.

“In December, I visited the team in Bangkok as construction was underway, and I know they can’t wait to help our customers and to share this special space with the whole community,” Tim Cook tweeted in celebration.

New all-in-one Apple gift card is ‘for everything and everyone’

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Buy hardware or software with the new Apple gift card.
No more iTunes gift cards and Apple Store gift cards. There’s just Apple gift cards.
Photo: Apple

Apple now offers a gift card that can be used at the Apple Store to buy hardware and also at the App Store to buy software. And iTunes is included as well.

Previously, the company sold separate cards, one for iTunes/App Store and another for the Apple Store.

Simplify electronic signing on any device with this handy app

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DottedSign
Trusted by major companies, simplify your electronic signing process, sign documents and get signatures on any device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

More than ever, business is conducted in the digital realm. That includes things as fundamental as signing documents, which can prove surprisingly tricky. Luckily, this handy app makes that often legally binding process as secure and simple as possible.

PSA: New episodes of Little Voice and The Oprah Conversation arrive on Apple TV+

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Little Voice latest episode
Friday is "new shows" day on Apple TV+!
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ today released the latest episode of its series Little Voice.

Producer J.J. Abrams’ series, created with songwriter Sara Bareilles and writer Jessie Nelson, is about aspiring singer Bess King and her attempts to forge a path for herself as a singer.

Alongside the new episode, Apple TV+ also has the first two episodes of Oprah’s new show The Oprah Conversation.

Bag a 2019 MacBook Pro for as little as $899.99 today only

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Apple_macbook_pro-13-inch-with-retina-display_screen_05042020
Don't miss out.
Photo: Apple

Woot is hosting another big blowout on 2019 MacBook Pro units. You can pick up a 13-inch model, refurbished by Apple, for as little as $899.99. The sale is good for today only, so if you’re interested, make your move before it’s too late.

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

Apple was the only smartphone maker to grow over the past quarter

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Apple has raised $220 million to fight AIDS-related deaths in Africa
iPhone's about the only smartphone thriving during lockdown.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has defied the odds by consistently growing its business through the COVID-19. But just how amazing that is isn’t apparent until you compare Apple’s iPhone success in Q2 to other smartphone makers.

According to a new report by research company Canalys, Apple was the only vendor to grow its smartphone shipments during the April through June quarter. Apple shipments increased 25% from the previous year. That made it the only smartphone maker to experience positive growth during the period.

Facebook worries about what iOS 14’s user-tracking alerts will mean for digital ads

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
iOS 14 could be bad news for companies that rely on digital ads.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Facebook is concerned that one of the big new features in iOS 14 will hurt the social networking giant’s ad-targeting business model.

As reported by CNBC, Facebook CFO David Wehner said Thursday that Apple’s new feature for the upcoming operating system, which allows users to see how activity is being tracked across apps and websites, will make things tough on Facebook ads.

How Apple made money in the middle of a crushing pandemic

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Apple reports another quarter of record revenue for Q3 2020. Can nothing stop the Cupertino juggernaut?
Can nothing stop the Cupertino juggernaut?
Photo: Bill Oxford/Unsplash CC

People around the world turned to Apple products at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. And the result was an 11% increase in Apple revenue during the June quarter. Some products contributed to that growth more than others.

The pandemic sent people buying Mac and iPad in huge numbers. But it hurt handset sales, despite a relatively strong launch for the iPhone SE. And Apple services experienced something of an off quarter, too.

Apple says new iPhones likely won’t land until October this year

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
We're going to be waiting a little bit longer than usual for this year's iPhones.
Photo: Ben Geskin

The 2020 iPhones likely won’t arrive until October at the earliest, Apple said during Thursday’s earnings call.

“Last year we started selling new iPhones in late September,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later.”

How to fix ‘805’ error codes in Mario Kart Tour for iOS

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Fix '805' errors in Mario Kart Tour
There are some simple fixes that should get you back in the game.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Many Mario Kart Tour players continue to experience mysterious “805” error codes almost a year after the game’s release. They typically appear when attempting to download new game data.

If you’re experiencing one of these yourself, you’ll be pleased to know you’re not alone — and that there are some simple workarounds that should allow you to jump back into the action in no time at all.

Try these fixes first.

Apple stock will split 4-to-1

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AAPL
Get ready for another stock split, Apple investors!
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple’s board of directors has approved a four-to-one stock split, the company said Thursday. AAPL stock, which closed Thursday at $384.76, should go for around $100 a share when the split occurs in late August.

The news, revealed in Apple’s blowout Q3 2020 earnings report, means investors with one share at close of business on Aug. 24 will be given three additional shares trading at one-fourth the price. It’s basically a psychological move that makes Apple stock seem more affordable.

Even COVID-19 can’t slow Apple’s moneymaking machine

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Apple made it through its financial Apple Q3 2020 with flying colors.
Apple brought in far more money than expected recent during the April-to-June quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple took in $59.7 billion in revenue last quarter, an annual increase of 11%. That solidly beats the estimates of analysts, who predicted a drop in revenue as the iPhone-maker, and the rest of the world, grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Very strong increases in revenue from Mac and iPad significantly pushed up the total.

Multitip cords, power hubs and more of the very best home charging solutions [Deals]

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Home Charging Solution Main (1)
From multi-cords to mushroom hubs, we've rounded up some of the very best charging solutions.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Staying charged is essential to staying connected, so we rounded up some of our favorite charging solutions. From multitip power cords to wireless charging stands, these handy accessories will keep your gear topped up in style.

The Morning Show curse? Apple TV+ show’s second season gets a rewrite.

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The Morning Show
Season one also had to be rewritten at the last moment.
Photo: Apple

For the second time, a season of The Morning Show is having to be completely rewritten to reflect sweeping global changes.

The Apple TV+ show had to be virtually rebooted prior to the filming of Season 1 due to the #MeToo movement and the firing of TV host Matt Lauer as the result of sexual impropriety accusations. Now Deadline reveals that Season 2 is also being rewritten — this time to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eddy Cue emails confirm Apple’s deal to cut Amazon’s App Store fees

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Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue met with Jeff Bezos to talk about the deal.
Photo: CNBC

Apple agreed to halve its App Store fee for Amazon so the company would bring its Prime Video app to iOS and Apple TV, emails reveal (.pdf).

Apple exec Eddy Cue and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos personally negotiated the deal in 2016, it was revealed during Wednesday’s antitrust hearing looking into tech giants’ business practices. They agreed that Apple would get a 15% revenue cut from day one for customers who signed up through the app. Apple normally gets a 30% cut for the first year of an app’s subscription. It then claims a 15% commission for subsequent years.

Secure messaging app Telegram files antitrust complaint against Apple in EU

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Telegram logo
Telegram adds its voice to the chorus of developers complaining about Apple.
Photo: Telegram

Popular secure messaging app Telegram filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Union over App Store practices, the Financial Times reports.

In a complaint addressed to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager, Telegram’s creators argue that Apple must “allow users to have the opportunity of downloading software outside of the App Store.”

Apple once considered increasing App Store commissions to 40%

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app-store
Back in 2011, Eddy Cue suggested charging some developers significantly more than current 30% fee.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 30% commission on certain apps is one of the main areas Apple CEO Tim Cook was grilled on during Wednesday’s U.S. House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee hearing.

However, according to internal emails revealed as part of the inquiry, Apple previously considered increasing its cut from 30% to 40% in some cases.

Plugable’s very affordable HDMI adapter connects your Mac and TV [Review]

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Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter review
Using an external display with a MacBook is a breeze with the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

MacBooks don’t have HDMI ports, but the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter makes it easy to connect your laptop to an external monitor. Even better, this accessory is inexpensive and very portable.

I tested the adapter for work, watching video, and playing games. Here’s how it held up.