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Apple offers declined customers a ‘Path to Apple Card’

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Apple Card works hand-in-hand with iPhone
If your hopes of becoming an Apple Card cardholder were denied, you could be getting a second chance.
Photo: Apple

Apple and Goldman Sachs are reportedly giving a second chance to people whose Apple Card applications were rejected. The “Path to Apple Card” program explains why they were denied, and gives users a chance to fix the problems.

New York Times bails on Apple News

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‘The New York Times’ kicked Apple News to the curb
Don’t expect to see The New York Times in Apple News any more.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

New York Times articles stopped appearing in the Apple News app on Monday. The newspaper ended its partnership with Apple because the Times wants a more direct connection between itself and its customers.

This is not just about the Apple News+ subscription service. Content from this source no longer appears in the free version either.

Get ready for Big Sur with $300 off MacBook Pro, $100 off MacBook Air

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macBookpro
Big discounts on almost all models.
Photo: Apple

If your Mac is getting a little long in the tooth and even basic tasks result in long load times, you might want to think about upgrading before the huge macOS Big Sur update rolls out this fall. And it’s a great time to do it!

Amazon is currently offering up to $300 off the newest MacBook Pro models, as well as $100 off the latest MacBook Air. These are limited-time discounts, so enjoy them while you can.

Apple Design Awards celebrate the year’s most beautiful, innovative iOS apps

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Apple Design Awards 2020: These are the eight apps Apple thinks you should check out.
These are the eight apps Apple thinks you should check out.
Photo: Apple

The eight winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards showcase “outstanding app design, innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement,” the company said Monday.

Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, said the four apps and four games honored “inspire not only their peers in the Apple developer community, but all of us at Apple, too.”

iPhone 12 Pro could support 4K video shooting at 240fps

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This iPhone 12 concept reflects all the latest rumors.
The iPhone 12's camera setup could be monster.
Photo: svetapple.sk

The top-end iPhone 12 Pro could support 4K at 120fps and 4K at 240fps video recording modes, claims a new video from Filip Koroy of EverythingApplePro. If accurate, this would be massive step up from the current iPhone 11 Pro, which offers 240fps in 1080p.

Koroy reportedly found evidence of the new high resolution, slow-mo format in the iOS 14 beta code. Whether this is accurate remains to be seen. If it is, it would be far above what is available in other smartphone models right now. It would also make it likely that Apple will sell a shedload of high storage handsets this year — or way more iCloud subscriptions.

Google Meet adding blurred backgrounds, images, and other new features

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Google Meet 1
Google Meet's new features will help it to better take on Zoom.
Photo: Google Meet

Thanks to people working from home and coronavirus lockdown, 2020 has been the year of videoconferencing apps — and Google Meet is adding a few new features to try and take on rival Zoom.

According to a new report from 9to5Google, Google Meet is working on new features that will allow users to add images or blur the background of their video calls. This is a feature that already exists for Zoom and Skype users, although this will be the first time it’s available on Google meet.

Metal Slug will make its return to the App Store with Code: J

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Metal Slug Mobile game J 1
Metal Slug will make its return to the App Store for the first time since 2016.
Photo: Metal Slug Code: J

Popular run-and-gun franchise Metal Slug looks to be returning to iOS for the first time since 2016’s Metal Slug Attack. Over the weekend, Tencent’s Timi Studios released a trailer for what they are currently calling Metal Slug Code: J.

From the look of it, it picks up the gameplay that the Metal Slug games are known for, with plenty of action, ridiculously overwrought vehicles, explosions, and more. However, it includes quasi-3D movement that wasn’t part of the original SNK games and a slightly more modern art style. Check out the trailer below.

iPhone 12 might not come with earbuds or charger in the box

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battery
You may need to buy your own charger for the iPhone 12.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 12 reportedly will ship without packaged earbuds, but according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it might also lack another standard piece of kit in its box: a charger.

In a new note to clients sent over the weekend, TF International Securities analyst Kuo confirms as legitimate a recent photo of a 20-watt power charger for the new iPhone. However, he says it won’t come with the next-generation iPhone 12.

Fantastic to fugly: All the new app icons in macOS Big Sur

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macOS Big Sur on a MacBook Pro
What do you think of macOS Big Sur's new app icons?
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020There’s a lot to love about macOS Big Sur, but one thing that’s dividing Mac fans is its redesigned app icons. Some look good enough to eat. Others are so ugly they’ll make you want to use Windows (not really). And some have simply lost some of their charm as a result of simplification.

What do you think of Apple’s new desktop icon designs so far? Check out all of them right here.

Samsung credit-card size SSD holds up to 2TB [Review]

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Samsung T7 review
The Samsung T7 isn’t much bigger than an Apple Card but still holds 2 terabytes of data.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Samsung T7 holds an amazing amount of data considering its svelte design. This Solid State Drive isn’t much bigger than a business card but holds up to 2TB. And it can be passed around between multiple computers — it’s compatible with Mac and iPad Pro, as well a wide variety of other devices.

I loaded up this recently-released SSD with a variety of files and put it through some real-world testing. Here’s how it stood up.

Master Microsoft Excel from A to Z [Deals]

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The Premium A to Z Microsoft Excel Bundle
Get lifetime access to 43 hours of Excel instruction, from basic to advanced.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There are few programs as common as Microsoft Excel. That’s because it’s full of potential for organizing, visualizing, processing and manipulating data — tools that go far beyond a regular old spreadsheet.

Basically, if you’ve got a grip on Excel, you’ve got excellent skills for the workplace.

Stunning concept video brings iPhone 12 rumors to life

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iPhone 12 rumors mix in this concept video.
The real iPhone 12 ads could look much like this concept video.
Screenshot: ConceptsiPhone

A new concept video beautifully combines iPhone 12 rumors into a three-minute ballet of tech. Done in the same style as Apple advertisements, it offers an early glimpse of what the real ads might look like when the 2020 iPhone models arrive this fall.

Watch it now:

WWDC 2020’s biggest reveals [Cult of Mac Magazine 355]

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Relive WWDC 2020's biggest moments.
WWDC 2020 gives us a clear vision of the bright future of macOS and iOS.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2020 We didn’t get the new Apple hardware we expected during this week’s WWDC keynote, but we did get a whole bunch of hot new software. Get our take on upcoming updates to Apple’s biggest platforms — macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7 and more — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Don’t miss our roundup of all the cool “hidden” iOS 14 features that Apple couldn’t squeeze into its slick virtual keynote. We’ll also toss in the rest of our coverage of this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, plus some handy how-tos and reviews. Read it all in the free mag (which you can download from the App Store) or in the links below.

Look inside a professional wedding photographer’s iMac Pro setup [Setups]

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Jake Weisler's iMac Pro setup is totally pro.
A real "pro" setup.
Photo: Jake Weisler

Jake Weisler is a professional wedding photographer and a content creator for Full Time Filmmaker, which produces crash courses about filmmaking. So having lots of storage — a whopping 56 terabytes — is key to his success.

At the center of this setup is the incredible 27-inch iMac Pro. Weisler uses a Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with the additional Numeric Keypad. He also sports an Azio Retro Classic Mouse, which actually has a leather topping for some genuine comfort. As an editor, he needs both a trackpad and a mouse because he uses them simultaneously to scroll, click and swipe.

When you’re a Mac user, you’re a Mac user all the way [Setups]

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iMac Setups
A Mac lovers' setup.
Photo: @iammichaelevins

Designer and photographer Michael Evins’ desk is loaded with Apple gear. Almost everything on this setup was designed by Apple in California.

“I have been using Mac for about 12 years now,” Evins said, “I just like how everything works together in harmony.”

The lifeblood of his rig is the 2015 iMac. For peripherals he, of course, has the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. An iconic duo.

We rave about iOS 14’s best ‘secret’ features on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
Get a second shot of WWDC 2020 talk in this week's podcast.
Image: The CultCast

WWDC 2020 This week on The CultCast: We bring you a huge list of great iOS 14 features that Apple did not mention onstage during this week’s WWDC keynote, and there’s a lot here to love.

Plus: Why iOS 14’s new Home screen widgets aren’t as powerful as you might think. And get ready to log into websites with Face ID or Touch ID.

Today’s episode is supported by CleanMyMac X, an all-in-one utility that takes care of your Mac’s health: It’s a macOS cleaner, a performance monitor, a malware remover and, occasionally, a lifesaver. And until July 5th, you can go to macpaw.com/cultofmac to get CleanMyMac X with a 30% discount.

Why Apple still refuses to give the iPad a calculator

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Craig Federighi explained today why there’s no iPad Calculator app.
Apple exec Craig Federighi helped unveil iPadOS 14 at WWDC 2020, but there was still no Calculator app.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple software chief Craig Federighi just answered a question that’s puzzled people for years: Why doesn’t the iPad come with a calculator app?

In a video posted Friday, he also explained why the iPad lacks a weather app.

Apple TV+ snaps up neo-noir thriller Losing Alice

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‘Losing Alice’ is coming to Apple TV+ later in 2020.
Losing Alice, coming to Apple TV+ later in 2020, takes the viewer through Alice‘s conscious and subconscious.
Photo: Apple

To ensure Apple TV+ has new shows for later this year, Apple revealed on Friday that bought the international rights to Losing Alice, an eight-episode series the company calls “a neo-noir psychological thriller.”