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Apple registers new web domain for AppleOriginalProductions

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See
Apple TV+ is built on original content.
Photo: Apple

Apple has registered the website AppleOriginalProductions.com, underlining the company’s continuing push into Apple TV+ Originals.

Currently the web address does not go to any website. It could be an example of Apple defensively registering an address to stop others from using it. Alternatively, it could at some point be used to redirect to Apple TV+ or to a dedicated production company making shows for Apple.

What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? An Apple Watch Series 6 wish list.

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Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is almost due for its annual hardware update, which comes like clockwork every September. First came the addition of GPS, then cellular, a thinner case with a bigger screen, a compass, and even an ECG heart monitor.

With each new model, Cupertino’s wearable creeps closer to perfection, which presents a bit of a problem. What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything?

Here’s my top 10 wish list of features I’m hoping Apple has up its sleeve.

WeChat alternatives receive a boost following Trump’s executive order

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WeChat logo
WeChat is threatened by Trump's executive order.
Photo: WeChat

Downloads of encrypted messaging apps Signal and QQ reportedly spiked following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Tencent’s WeChat.

WeChat, while not particularly widely used in the United States, is an essential app in China. Many people who use it in the United States do so to keep in touch with friends and family in China, where WhatsApp has been banned since 2017.

Best Buy slashes up to $300 off newest MacBook Pros

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Apple_macbookpro-13-inch_screen_05042020
The sale runs for three days only.
Photo: Apple

Best Buy is today offering some of the biggest discounts we’ve seen on Apple’s newest MacBook Pro models as part of its three-day Anniversary Sale. You can enjoy savings of up to $300.

Prices start at just $1,599.99 (down from $1,799.99) for the newest 13-inch MacBook Pro, while 16-inch models are down to as little as $2,099.99 (from $2,399.99). Get yours before the sale ends!

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Fortnite wasn’t first: 5 more times Apple’s iconic ‘1984’ ad was mocked

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Futurama Apple parody
Apple's most famous ad has been parodied for years.
Photo: Futurama

Shortly after Fortnite was unceremoniously ejected from the App Store Thursday, Epic Games dropped a — no pun intended — epic parody video depicting Apple as the same dystopian Big Brother it had railed against in its famous Nineteen Eighty-Four commercial for the original Macintosh.

But this is far from the first time Apple’s sledgehammer-tossing, Ridley Scott-directed Mac ad has been spoofed. Here are five more times that shows or companies satirized the imagery of what might be Apple’s best-known advert.

PSA: Ted Lasso, Boys State debut on Apple TV+

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Jason Sudeikis is the titular Ted Lasso
Jason Sudeikis plays the titular host in Ted Lasso.
Photo: Apple TV

Apple TV+ got plenty of fresh content Friday, with new episodes of two existing series, the first three episodes of a new show, and a feature-length documentary. Perfect for a weekend of viewing!

Comedy series Ted Lasso is the biggest launch. The show is about a hapless American football coach who travels to the UK to lead a soccer team. However, there are also new episodes of The Oprah Conversation and Little Voice. Plus the debut of Sundance documentary hit Boys State.

Apple expels Fortnite from the App Store; Epic Games sues

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The Epic Games office in Berlin.— Fortnite App Store
Epic Games has sued Apple for allegedly monopolizing iOS app distribution.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin/Flickr CC

The hugely popular game Fortnite was removed from the iPhone App Store on Thursday. This move came in response to Epic Games instituting a direct payments system for in-app purchases in violation of App Store guidelines.

And Epic Games responded with a civil lawsuit that accuses the App Store of being a monopoly. And a video that harks back to the famous “1984” ad.

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.