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Steve Jobs was talking about the power of remote working back in 1990

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Steve Jobs 1990 interview
Jobs was predicting the power of Slack and similar tools 30 years ago.
Photo: The Machine That Changed the World

As a result of coronavirus-induced lockdowns, the way we work has changed dramatically in 2020. Plenty of employees and businesses are now talking seriously about remote working and whether it represents a viable path forward for reimagining employment.

It turns out that Steve Jobs was talking about this exact topic 30 years ago. No, Jobs didn’t foresee COVID-19. But an old interview clips unearthed by journalist Jon Erlichman shares Jobs’ thoughts on the way technology can transform the way that you and I work.

Check it out.

iOS 14 could allow Apple Pay users to pay up by scanning QR codes or barcodes

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QR codes
That's a whole lot of QR codes.
Photo: Thomas Leuthard/Flickr

iOS 14 will allow users to make payments using QR codes with Apple Pay, a hidden feature in the Wallet app discovered by 9to5Mac suggests.

While the feature isn’t functional yet, it will allow users to point their iPhone camera at a QR code or barcode in order to pay bills. Apple didn’t make any mention of it at WWDC 2020, but that could potentially be transformative for scan-as-you-go shopping and other scenarios.

Apple re-closes retail stores in Melbourne, Australia after coronavirus spike

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Apple Chadstone store
Apple Chadstone is one of the stores to re-close.
Photo: Apple

Apple is re-closing four more of its Apple Stores in Melbourne, Australia as coronavirus cases spike again in the region.

Apple Chadstone, Apple Southland, Apple Doncaster, and Apple Fountain Gate will all be temporarily closing down, along with Apple Highpoint, which closed its doors last week. Australian Apple Stores began reopening two months ago, after having been shuttered since March 14.

This setup goes UltraWide [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
All it takes to build a nice setup is a MacBook and an UltraWide.
Photo: @developerdylan

Programmer Dylan Garrett used to have a dual monitor rig, until he became enlightened in the ways of the UltraWide. Although the extra screen space that comes with having two monitors was an obvious plus, their resolutions were terrible and he decided to throw them both in the trash and adopt the LG 34-inch UltraWide as his sole monitor.

iPhone 12 dummy vids and packaging leak get us stoked for the future

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These iPhone 12 dummy units show what the real handset might look like.
As these iPhone 12 dummy units show, Apple’s 2020 handset is expected in a wide range of sizes.
Photo: Marques Brownlee

iPhone 12 dummy models supposedly show how this upcoming handset will look in various sizes. Reliable leaker Marques Brownlee got his hands on some, and videoed them in action.

Meanwhile, a separate report claims to show the packaging of the iPhone 12, adding weight to rumors that this handset won’t come with a wall charger.

iOS 14 beta 2 adds Files widget, other tweaks

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iOS 14 beta 2 adds a Files widget.
The new Files widget is the biggest change in iPadOS 14 and iOS 14 beta 2.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the second beta versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 exclusively to developers Tuesday. The most notable new feature appears to be a widget for the Files app, giving users access to recently used files directly from the Home screen.

The latest betas bring some small changes as well, of course. Development of these operating systems continues, with full releases expected this autumn.

Apple keeps tinkering with the best design for folding iPhone

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A folding iPhone might leave a portion of the screen always exposed.
Apple patented a folding iPhone with a section of the screen ialways available for notifications or other functions.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple has undoubtedly been investigating a folding iPhone for years because it keeps patenting designs. Including one awarded on Tuesday for an iPhone that folds closed while leaving a portion of the screen exposed to display status updates.

CaliCase lets Cult of Mac readers take their iPhones anywhere – at a 20% discount

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CaliCase with lanyard
Every CaliCase comes with a lanyard to keep it safely on your person.
Photo: CaliCase

This iPhone case post is presented by CaliCase.

You never really want to be without your iPhone, do you? And that goes for any smartphone. The precious thing is going to be in your pocket or hand in almost any scenario. But you can keep it on your person in extreme conditions, too, like scuba diving and mountain climbing, thanks to the rugged wares of CaliCase.

Tom Hanks says Apple TV+ ‘saved the day’ by snapping up Greyhound

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Tom Hanks saves Apple TV+ threw Greyhound a lifeline.
Tom Hanks thanks Apple TV+ for throwing his new World War II movie a lifeline.
Photo: The Today Show

Tom Hanks said Tuesday that Apple TV+ “saved the day” by releasing his new World War II movie during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the actor couldn’t say enough good things about Apple when he hit The Today Show to promo Greyhound, which debuts on Apple TV+ this Friday.

All the happy talk came a day after Hanks made headlines for calling Greyhound’s upcoming streaming debut an “absolute heartbreak.”

Wonderful wooden stands charge Apple Watch in style

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Anden-Valet
Man, these stands look good.
Photo: Anden

If you’re kind of a big deal. If you own many leather-bound books and an apartment that smells of rich mahogany. Then, boy, do we have the perfect Apple Watch charging stand for you.

Made in London from sustainably sourced walnut, cherry, and maple wood, these Anden stands add a touch of sophistication to any living room or home office. Get yours now from the Cult of Mac Store.

Next-gen AirPods will take a page out of AirPods Pro design playbook

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AirPods Pro with black background discounts
Apple will ditch its original AirPods design completely with the next-gen model.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s third-gen AirPods will boast a design and compact system-in-package (SiP) solution similar to AirPods Pro, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in his latest research note to clients.

Kuo suggests that the next-generation wireless earbuds will arrive in the first half of 2021. That would be approximately 18 months after Apple debuted the AirPods Pro design in 2019.

43% of Warren Buffett’s investment portfolio is now Apple shares

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Buffett
For a man who can't use an iPhone, Warren Buffett sure loves Apple.
Photo: CNBC

A decade ago, Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett said he just didn’t get Apple. Today, Apple shares make up some 43% of Berkshire Hathaway’s entire stock portfolio, according to a report from Motley Fool.

The firm’s 245 million Apple shares have increased in value by more than $55 billion since the start of 2019 to be worth upward of $91 billion. Still, from an investor’s perspective, it makes you wonder whether you’d be better off simply investing in AAPL itself, rather than paying a fund manager!

Get the alarm clock that’s also a Bluetooth speaker and wireless charger [Deals]

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Gotek Wireless Charging Music Station
It's a Bluetooth 5.0 speaker, wireless charger clock and more offering 8 hours of wireless playtime.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Some technology never goes out of style — it just gets better. The good old-fashioned alarm clock, for example, is ripe for an upgrade. This combination alarm clock, Bluetooth speaker and wireless charger checks that box.

Logitech’s high-end MX Keys and MX Master 3 get makeovers for Macs

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MX Master 3 for Mac and MX Keys for Mac - optimized for Mac and now in space gray.
The high-end MX Series keyboard and mouse from Logitech get a Mac-oriented overhaul.
Photo: Logitech

Logitech launched Mac versions of its popular MX Keys and MX Master 3 on Tuesday, giving the pro keyboard and mouse a space gray makeover and adding some Apple-specific tweaks.

Most of the changes seem totally awesome for the “Mac purists” Logitech is targeting with these high-end accessories. One change might not be so welcome, though, depending on your experience with Bluetooth peripherals.

The company also released a new Mac-oriented version of its smaller K380 keyboard in white and pink color options.

US government is ‘looking at’ banning TikTok

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TikTok 1
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reservations about TikTok.
Photo: TikTok

The United States is considering banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Speaking with Fox News, Pompeo said “we are certainly looking” at such a ban. When asked if people should download the app, Pompeo said, “Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Apple ranked world’s second most valuable brand for fifth year running

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Apple.logo.paris.store
Apple is one of the world's most valuable brands.
Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac

Apple retained its second place spot for the fifth year running on the world’s most valuable brands list compiled by branding valuation company BrandZ.

The firm values Apple’s brand at $352.2 billion. Unlike a market cap, which values the business as a whole, this brand valuation is designed to assess the value of the branding itself.

Apple ‘assessing’ new Hong Kong security law that will crack down on protests

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
This isn't the first time Apple has been dragged into the ongoing Hong Kong protests.
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

Apple is “assessing” a new Hong Kong security law that could make protest a crime, claims Bloomberg.

The newly passed National Security Law criminalizes acts of secession (breaking away from China), undermining power and authority of the government, the use of violence or intimidation, and collusion with foreign or external forces.

China says that it was return stability to Hong Kong, although critics of the new law worry that it will negatively affect freedom of speech and protest.

Tim Cook will testify in Washington antitrust hearing on July 27

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Tim Cook goes to Washington
Tim Cook will join the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, and Google during hearing.
Screenshot: Apple

Tim Cook’s testimony in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee antitrust investigation committee will take place on July 27 at midday EST. The hearing, which will be live-streamed, will be accompanied by similar testimonies from Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.

The title of the investigatory hearings is “Online Platforms and Market Power” with a focus on “Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple.”

Wemo’s mini HomeKit smart plug is right around the corner

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Wemo WiFi Smart Plug hardly takes up any room.
A redesigned Wemo WiFi Smart Plug brings HomeKit support to regular appliances later in July.
Photo: Belkin

Belkin began taking pre-orders on Monday for a much smaller version of the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug. Like the original, it supports Apple’s HomeKit home automation system. But in a design that doesn’t crowd the wall socket.

Apple TV+ ventures Where the Wild Things Are in deal with Maurice Sendak Foundation

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Apple TV+ could create a ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ series. Maybe.
The Maurice Sendak Foundation owned the rights to Where the Wild Things Are. And they just made a deal with Apple TV+.
Photo: The Maurice Sendak Foundation

Apple TV+ and The Maurice Sendak Foundation have teamed up to develop new shows based on the many works of Maurice Sendak, a world-renown author and illustrator of children’s books. Whether this means a series based on Where the Wild Things Are is in the works is anyone’s guess, though.

Give your videos that sweet cinematic bokeh with Focos Live

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Focos Live lets iPhone users film bokeh video.
Don’t wait for the iPhone 12. Focos Live lets iPhone users film bokeh video today.
Photo: Xiaodong Wang/Cult of Mac

iPhones can automatically blur the backgrounds of still images but not video. Enter Focos Live, a recently released application that brings to iPhone video the effect Apple calls Portrait mode (and everyone else calls “bokeh”). The effect gives photographers the ability to unfocus the background to draw attention to what’s going on in the foreground.

Greatness Code proves Apple TV+ is in the relationship business [Apple TV+ review]

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Greatness Code
What is the code for greatness? No one in the documentary series Greatness Code is going to tell you.
Photo: Apple TV+

There’s a reason this review only has one image in it: Apple TV+ doesn’t have any more press pictures for this show. Why? Because why should it? This paper-thin passel of hagiographies isn’t worth promoting.

Greatness Code, which debuts July 10, isn’t a show so much as it’s an investment in the big star athletes being interviewed. To say no to the project would have meant scuttling potential relationships with some of the biggest names in sports. But to admit it’s worth your time seems a bridge too far.