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Bag bargain iPhone refurbs for as little as $99.99 today only

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Analyst complains iPhone’s average selling price is slipping
Don't miss out!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Woot’s spectacular sale on refurbished iPhones is back, with big savings to be had on a wide range of models. Prices start at a mere $99.99 for iPhone 6s and rise to just $769.99 for iPhone 11 Pro Max.

This sale is good for today only. Enjoy it while you can!

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

Apple doesn’t want users covering up their MacBook cameras

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MacBook
Why would you deface your gorgeous MacBook by covering up its FaceTime camera?
Photo: Apple

Mark Zuckerberg introduced large numbers of people to the idea of taping over their MacBook’s camera when, in 2016, he uploaded a photo that revealed a few of his security measures.

But Apple says using camera coverings can hurt MacBooks. In a new support document, Apple notes that covering the MacBook’s built-in FaceTime camera could interfere with the computer’s ambient light sensor, which is located next to the camera. The sensor controls True Tone and the Mac’s automatic brightness feature.

Apple TV+ snaps up the rights to Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Snow Blind

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Snow Blind 1
Apple TV+'s latest acquisition sounds like it's a winner.
Photo: BOOM! Studios

Apple has acquired the movie rights to an adaptation of graphic novel Snow Blind, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Deadline reported over the weekend.

The movie (and the 2017 graphic novel it was based on) is about a teenager, Teddy, who finds out that his family have been in the Witness Protection Program for years. Now someone after revenge has managed to locate them.

Use UV light to keep your phone disinfected [Deals]

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UV Ozone
Up to 99.9% effective, this device uses dual-band UV lamps to disinfect your phone within minutes.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Germs are a major concern these days, so it’s important to stay vigilant. That’s especially true of one of the biggest vectors for germs in daily life: our phones. This sleek, simple desk accessory makes keeping your mobile device germ-free.

It’s App Store trivia time! [Cult of Mac Magazine 357]

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Time to bone up on your App Store trivia.
Time to bone up on your App Store trivia.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Today, the App Store is a part of every iPhone owner’s life — but it almost didn’t happen. Get the story behind that near-miss, plus some other fascinating App Store factoids, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

It’s free, and it also packs the latest Apple news and how-tos. Plus, this week we’ve got reviews of three new Apple TV+ offerings, including Tom Hanks’ World War II movie, Greyhound.

Download it now and enjoy it on your favorite iOS device. (Or use the links below to read in your browser.)

How the creator of Where Cards Fall shuffled the deck and won big

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Where Cards Fall is one of the best available on Apple Arcade.
The creator of Where Cards Fall shares his thoughts on creating an award-winning game.
Photo: Snowman

Sam Rosenthal held onto his determination to make Where Cards Fall for almost a decade. And it’s paid off, as the game garnered a 2020 Apple Design Award.

In a lengthy interview with Apple, the developer shared insights into the design process for this title. Including how he tends to think of games as buildings the players move around in.

Aspiring developers might learn from his experiences.

Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9’s powerful solutions secure your Mac

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Mac Premium Bundle X9 protects your computer from online threats with five apps.
Mac Premium Bundle X9 safeguards your precious computer.
Image: Intego

This Mac security post is presented by Intego.

Macs have a reputation for being less vulnerable than PCs to online threats like malware and viruses, but your machine is certainly not invulnerable. Far from it, actually. It can pay to invest in a suite of security apps like those in Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 to protect your Mac from a variety of online threats.

We talk 14-inch MacBook Pro and a big Apple Maps update, on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
Can you handle some hot, hot beta action?
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: We’ve got more details on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple Maps gets a new feature that blows us away! Plus: We talk our two-week impressions of iOS 14, and a major Hollywood film is coming to Apple TV+.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Puzzle past furniture monsters in the hand-painted world of Creaks on Apple Arcade

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Creaks debuted Friday only on Apple Arcade.
Creaks invites comparison to other atmospheric puzzlers, like the classic Monument Valley.
Photo: Amanita Design

Creaks starts with strange noises behind the walls. Soon, you’re confronting avian folk and deadly furniture monsters. This game, which debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, is a puzzle adventure with hand-painted visuals and eerie original music.

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the App Store

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10 things you didn't know about the App Store
It's the App Store's birthday. Here's some trivia.
Photo: Malvern Graphics/Cult of Mac

Do you remember the world of software distribution before the App Store? It was a fragmented nightmare that made it very difficult for many companies, particularly smaller ones, to get their products out. The App Store changed all that, while also showing the world that the iPhone could have a different “killer app” depending on the user.

With today marking the App Store’s birthday, here are 10 factoids you (probably) didn’t know about Apple’s mobile app marketplace.

Apple’s biggest supplier is already making trial lenses for Apple Glass

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Apple Glass
Don't expect it right away, though.
Image: Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech

Foxconn has reportedly started trial production on polarized, semi-transparent AR lenses that could be used for Apple Glass, according to The Information.

The Friday paywalled report says the lenses are between one and two years away from entering mass production. However, they have already passed the prototyping phase, having been in development for three years.

Apple Pay customers can get 50% off Snapfish photo books and cards

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Snapfish
Apple Pay's latest summer offer.
Photo: Apple

The latest Apple Pay summer offer promises customers half off the cost of Snapfish photo books, cards, and more — so long as they pay for their purchase using Apple’s mobile payments service and a special code.

Snapfish is a web-based photo-printing service that lets users upload images and have them printed out as photo albums, greetings cards, and the like. The latest Apple Pay deal (one of the best yet) gives customers 50% off purchases through July 15.

Apple Silicon could be powering MacBook Air by the end of 2020

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Your old MacBook Air might be worth a pretty penny.
Coming soon to a MacBook Air near you.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash CC

Apple will ship its first Apple Silicon-based MacBook Air late 2020 or early 2021, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed in a note published Friday.

Kuo has previously said a 13.3-inch Apple Silicon MacBook Pro will ship before the end of the year. However, this is the first time he has talked about the future of the MacBook Air line.

The (potentially) best news of all? Kuo thinks the switch from Intel CPUs could make the MacBook Air even cheaper than current models.

Mac shipments shoot up an amazing 36%

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Apple iMac 2019
Mac shipments went through the roof last quarter.
Photo: Apple

Shipments of Apple Macs increased a full 36% year-over-year during the second quarter of 2020, according to a market-research firm. The growth is pegged to individuals, companies and schools buying computers to make remote work and learning possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

iOS 13.6 golden master means the future’s almost here

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iPhone car key feature is a rumor no more.
A fortunate few can use iOS 13.6 to unlock their car. Only a handful of models are supported at launch.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded what might be the last version of iOS 13 and the iPad equivalent exclusively to developers on Thursday. This “golden master” update brings the debut of CarKey, allowing iPhones to unlock or start vehicles. There are other new features as well, not just bug fixes.

In addition, what are apparently the final betas of watchOS 6.2.8 and tvOS 13.4.8 went to developers too.

Send new downloads to App Library for a tidy Home screen in iOS 14 [Pro tip]

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How to send new apps to App Library
Don't organize all your iPhone apps manually.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4 iOS 14 makes it easier than ever to keep a tidy Home screen, thanks to the ability to hide Home screen pages and its brilliant new App Library. Here’s how to send new downloads to the App Library automatically so that you don’t have to worry about cleaning up yourself later on.

Samsung might follow Apple by not including a charger with handsets

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Does everyone really need a Samsung charger in 2020?
A free Samsung charger with every phone might soon be a thing of the past.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is reportedly considering not bundling a wall charger with future phones. This comes after reports that archrival Apple is considering the same move for the iPhone 12.

The goal is allegedly the same for both companies: reducing production costs. Taking the charger out of the box would also make shipping cheaper.

New Apple course shows educators how to teach coding with Swift and Xcode

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Apple-in-school
A new course taught by Apple will help educators learn to teach Swift and Xcode.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Thursday unveiled a free course to train educators to teach others how to program in Swift and Xcode, tools used to write apps for iPhone and Mac.

In addition, Apple improved its Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code curricula. And it’s adding new remote learning resources for parents and teachers educating children at home.