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Busch Light ad tries to squeeze remaining drops of humor out of Apple parodies

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Busch Light
Drink if you've seen something like this before!
Photo: Busch Light

Mocking Apple keynotes is probably about the laziest advertising trope you’re likely to see. But that doesn’t stop attempt after attempt after attempt by companies to copy it.

The latest to try and rinse the remaining laughs out of the concept is Budweiser company AB InBev and their new ad for limited edition Busch Light Apple. It’s an apple-flavored drink, which makes it all too easy to picture how some tired group of copywriters sitting around at 4.45pm threw up their hands and said, “Why don’t we do it as an Apple parody?”

Does it raise the slightest smile? Check it out below to find out.

Apple boots 2,500 unlicensed games from the App Store in China

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Apple Store
Decision reflects Chinese laws about proper licenses.
Photo: Apple

Apple eliminated upward of 2,500 games from its China App Store in the first full week of July, a new report from app analytics firm Sensor Tower notes.

Mobile gaming regulations in the country mean that all games must receive a license from China’s National Press and Publication Administration prior to release. Regulators had promised a crackdown on offending apps since 2016. However, they were slow to act. In the meantime, unlicensed games continued to be published in the App Store.

Apple wins appeal against its enormous $14.8 billion European tax bill

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iPhone with gavel.
Decision went in the favor of Apple and Ireland.
Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm/Cult of Mac

In something of a surprise outcome, Apple and Ireland have won their appeal against a European tax bill order which fined Apple $14.8 billion.

The European Commission ordered Apple pay the enormous sum in August 2016. According to the EU, Apple paid a tax rate as low as 0.005% of its European profits in 2014. This was supposedly part of a “sweetheart” deal it received in Ireland.

Congress wants Apple to ask foreign apps to disclose where they store their data

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TikTok continues to dominate the App Store in 2020.
Congress is worried that apps could pose a security weakness.
Photo: Kon Karampelas/Unsplash CC

Lawmakers from the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Reform want Apple and Google to investigate where third-party apps are storing their data.

In two letters sent Tuesday, Stephen Lynch, chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, wrote to Apple and Google that certain non-U.S. apps could pose securities risks.

Pack your Mac and gear in Ekster’s slim laptop sleeve [Review]

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Ekster Laptop Sleeve review
The Ekster Laptop Sleeve can hold your MacBook and a surprising number of accessories too.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Never carry your MacBook or iPad around “naked,” but a bulky case can be just too much. A laptop sleeve is a compromise, like the one recently released by Ekster. This protects your 13-inch computer, and includes room for a few accessories.

I’ve been using this leather-and-canvas folio for a couple of weeks. Here’s how is stands up to daily use.

iPhone 12 might come with braided Lightning-to-USB-C cable

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This might be a glimpse of the iPhone 12 cable.
The iPhone 12 cable might get an upgrade to make up for there not being a power adapter in the box.
Photo: DuanRui

The iPhone 12 might not come with a charger, but it’ll supposedly get a nicer charging cable.

A leaker with a history of accuracy re-tweeted images that allegedly show a braided Lightning cable intended for the 2020 iPhone. And, it will connect to USB-C ports, not USB-A.

Apple joins White House effort to help workers find the jobs of the future

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Find Something New
If you thought switching from PC to Mac was strange, try jumping to an entirely new career.
Photo: Find Something New

With nearly 18 million Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple, IBM and other companies teamed up with the White House to help workers find new jobs.

The result is the Find Something New campaign. The program encourages to people explore a wide range of education and training options beyond the traditional four-year degree.

How to run Windows XP on your iPhone or iPad without jailbreaking

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How to run Windows XP on iPhone or iPad
The golden age of Windows.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

I bet you never imagined you might one day run Windows XP on an iPhone or iPad. But thanks to a brilliant app called UTM, it’s not only possible, but it is incredibly easy. You don’t even need to jailbreak.

We’ve already showed you how to use UTM to run Mac OS X on an iOS device. In this how-to, we’ll show you how to get set up with Windows XP. It’s even easier, requires less storage, and takes half the time.

Ready to return to the golden age of Windows?

Hapless sports coach Ted Lasso gets his first Apple TV+ trailer

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In Apple TV+ show
Jason Sudeikis reprises his character as an American sports coach turning his attention to soccer.
Photo: Apple

Apple just dropped a Ted Lasso trailer that gives the world its first glimpse of Jason Sudeikis reviving his clueless coach character for Apple TV+.

Sudeikis first played Lasso in a hilarious 2013 ad for Premier League soccer games on NBC Sports. With this Apple Original, he will extend the gag to series length, portraying a hapless, small-town college football coach hired by a U.K. soccer team.

Check out the amusing trailer below.

It’s possible to tweet, email and even control smart devices using an Apple II

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Apple II tweet gmail 1
This is what working from home could have looked like in 1983.
Photo: @ReEstInv

The Apple IIe was introduced 37 years ago in 1983. But don’t think it’s not up to performing the latest productivity tasks, circa 2020. Well, kind of.

Twitter user @ReEstInv and Oliver Schmidt, a.k.a. @dangerfreak, recently showcased how it’s possible to get an Apple IIe to run modern, up-to-date apps like writing in Slack and Evernote, sending emails, or even controlling smart home gadgets.

So long as you’re not necessarily expecting the latest UI elements, that is.

Another Professor Layton puzzle-adventure is coming to iOS this month [Updated]

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Professor Layton Unwound Future 1
A letter from the future kickstarts the latest Professor Layton adventure.
Photo: Level-5

Update: Layton: Lost Future HD is now available for $13.99 in the App Store. A discounted bundle ($10 off!) of all three games is also available.

Classic Nintendo DS puzzle game series Professor Layton continues to make its way to iOS slowly but surely.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, the last installment in the original trilogy, which launched on DS a decade ago, is coming to the App Store July 13. Complete with some swanky updated HD graphics for your troubles!

Mystery Apple app could be on its way to Windows 10

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Microsoft Windows
Coming soon to a Windows PC near you?
Photo: Microsoft

Steve Jobs once said that Apple software landing on Windows was like serving ice water to a person in hell. If a new report from Italian website Aggiornamenti Lumia is to be believed, Windows users may be about to get their first cool, refreshing beverage in a while.

The report states that Apple is gearing up to launch a dedicated Apple app on the Microsoft Store. There’s no word on what this will include. However, it could well be related to Apple’s streaming subscription services making their way to Windows.

Former Mac boss thinks Apple Silicon could break up Windows and Intel

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Microsoft Surface Pro X
Now that Apple is giving up Intel, and Surface Pro X shows Microsoft is considering it, the future could be grim for Intel.
Photo: Microsoft

Macs moving from Intel to Apple Silicon could cause Windows computer-makers to dump Intel as well, according to Jean-Louis Gassée, the former head of Mac development back in the 1980s. He thinks the move could be led by Microsoft.

This classy MacBook setup uses both a mouse and a trackpad [Setups]

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MacBook Pro setup
This setup is great for work and hobbies.
Photo: @hipstergram89

Garvin Ling is a Seattle-based coder whose setup was designed to handle some pretty heavy-duty stuff. The Samsung CJ89 43-inch UltraWide is an absolute mammoth of a monitor. It gives him a ton of screen real estate without sacrificing quality. He runs his setup off a MacBook Pro.

He has an Apple Magic Keyboard with the Numeric Keypad, which accompanies both a Logitech MX Master 2s and an Apple Magic Trackpad. This mouse-trackpad two-punch combination makes for easier and quicker coding and editing.

How to run Mac OS X on your iPhone or iPad without jailbreaking

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How to run Mac OS X on iPhone or iPad
A dream come true?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

It’s highly unlikely Apple will ever give us an iPad that runs macOS — and that’s OK. Because with a few tricks (that do not require a jailbreak), you can easily install Mac OS X on your iPad all by yourself.

The process won’t void your warranty or interfere with iPadOS in anyway. All you need is a copy of Mac OS X, an app that lets you run virtual machines, and plenty of storage space.

Check out our step-by-step guide to learn more.

Apple asks retail employees to help with online customer support

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Like everyone else, Apple retail employees are being asked to work online.
Apple retail employees are being asked to become online employees to make using Apple.com better for customers.
Photo: Apple

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s retail boss, sent a video to retail employees this weekend asking them to sign up to help customers remotely. She also said they should expect store closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue “for some period of time.”

Separately, Apple told employees that it doesn’t expect to have everyone back in its corporate headquarters before the end of 2020.