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Tom Hanks thinks having his new movie debut on Apple TV+ is an ‘absolute heartbreak’

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Tom Hanks in Greyhound
Hanks talks about his "Apple overlords" in new interview.
Photo: Apple TV+

Tom Hanks made a few not-so-flattering comments about the “Apple overlords” in an interview about his new World War II movie Greyhound. The film, which was originally supposed to launch in theaters, was pulled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, it will premiere on Apple TV+ this Friday.

In an interview with The Guardian, Hanks describes the shift to Apple TV+ as “an absolute heartbreak.” He also spills the beans on one of Apple’s slightly unusual requests for his press interviews.

Online Today at Apple sessions will help develop London-based music artists

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Made in LDN Today at Apple
Apple is helping find the music superstars of tomorrow. (So long as they live in London, that is!)
Photo: Apple

Apple’s “Made in LDN” Today at Apple program will kick off later this month, after Today at Apple sessions were canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the continuing effects of coronavirus, the sessions will take place online, rather than in Apple Stores.

The Made in LDN sessions are aimed at teaching skills to young musical artists, aged 16-25, in London. They will run from July 27 through August 28. Registration kicks off today.

Inside an indie dev’s ‘overnight success’ [Cult of Mac Magazine 356]

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It took 10 years of work to create StaffPad, an iPad music app that won an Apple Design Award.
It took 10 years of work to create StaffPad, the iPad music app that won an Apple Design Award.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

David William Hearn, co-creator of revolutionary iPad music notation app StaffPad, reveals the decade-long quest that earned the app an Apple Design Award.

You’ll find that story, plus the usual roundup of iPhone and Mac news and rumors, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s packed with Apple how-tos and reviews, too. Download it to read the slick iOS mag on your iPad, or hit the links below to get the stories in your browser.

P.S. Don’t miss our Fourth of July sale in the Cult of Mac Store.

A setup journey of epic magnitude starts with a single step [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
It took three years to assemble this rig.
Photo: @carlosazaustre

It took web designer Carlos Azaustre a span of three years to piece together his setup. Everything was carefully chosen.

To start off, the Madrid-based front-end engineer has the Samsung 34-inch UltraWide Monitor. He previously had a 24-inch FullHD Monitor but after a few years of wear-and-tear he decided it was time to make a change. So he splurged and went with the Samsung UltraWide. He runs his rig off of a 13-inch 2013 MacBook Pro which sits upon an AmazonBasics Laptop Desk Stand.

Apple survey is latest hint that iPhone 12 might not come with charger

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Does anyone really need another iPhone charger?
Many iPhone users already have multiple wall chargers, some still in the wrapping. The iPhone 12 might not include one.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Adding weight to recent reports that the iPhone 12 will ship without a charger in the box, Apple supposedly sent a survey to someone who recently traded in a handset to ask if he’s still using the wall charger. The responses from him and others could help the company decide whether it should leave out this accessory.

How to downgrade to iOS 13 after installing the iOS 14 beta

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How to use widgets in iOS 14
Not ready for iOS 14? Here's how to go back.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you caved and installed the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 betas on your iPhone and iPad, and now you’re running into problems, you’ll be pleased to know you can downgrade to iOS 13.

It’s a relatively simple process that shouldn’t take you long, and as long as you’ve backed up, you won’t lose too much data data. We’ll walk you through the process in this step-by-step guide.

Why people are already mad about iPhone 12, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 442: AirPods with health sensors
The internet's angry about a possible iPhone change, but we're totally fine with it.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: With iPhone 12 right around the corner, a new rumor says it will be missing one key feature, and the internet is not happy. Plus: It’s a CultCast exclusive! We’ll tell you how Cupertino might be planning to bring the Apple Store right to your home. And we discuss our favorite new shows and Mary Jane” accessories in an all-new What We’re Into.

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.

Apple chipmaker may be prepping 80 million A14 chips for iPhone 12 debut

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
The A14 could be a game-changer for Apple.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple chipmaker TSMC is reportedly preparing 80 million A14 chips for the next-gen iPhone 12, claims regular Apple leaker l0vetodream.

Interestingly, this follows a recent report suggesting that certain iPhone orders have been cut in half. If accurate, it suggests that Apple has some very high hopes for the iPhone 12.

Apple supplier resolves customs dispute on China and India border

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Tensions between China and India have been ramping up.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn has successfully resolved an issue that was stopping its component shipments from China being imported to India, amid tensions between the two nations.

Customs officials were holding shipments from China following violent incidents at the Himalayan border, which is shared by China and India. This was reportedly causing problems for Foxconn, which carries out iPhone manufacturing (among other things) in both countries.

Our Fourth of July sale includes VPN protection, cloud storage and more [Deals]

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m6y4V
These great 4th of July deals include language lessons, VPN protection, 10TB of cloud storage and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the reasons to be excited about the Independence Day is deals like these. We’ve rounded up tools for learning and translating other languages, a powerful VPN service, and a massive 10TB of cloud storage. Best of all, they’re all discounted by 80% or more.

Possibly delayed iPhone 12 will boast ‘high-end’ camera array

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iPhone 12 rumors mix in this concept video.
The new iPhone will boast a new 'high-end' camera, says reliable Apple analyst.
Screenshot: ConceptsiPhone

The makers of the “high-end” camera lens arrays used in the iPhone 12 will reportedly start shipping them in mid-July, says reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a research note published Friday.

Kuo doesn’t deal exactly what these new lenses consist of. However, he has previously suggested that the iPhone 12 will feature seven-element lenses that will offer superior image quality to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro due to increased light transmission rate.

Digital ad agencies aren’t happy about Apple’s new user-tracking notifications

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privacy WWDC
Privacy was a big theme at WWDC.
Photo: Apple

A group of digital advertising associations in Europe have taken issue with Apple’s plan to offer users notifications on which apps track them to offer personalized ads.

At WWDC 2020, Apple announced new tools for iOS and iPadOS that let users better control which apps track them by asking for permission in the form of pop-up messages. The next versions of the iPhone and iPad operating systems will reveal to users what type of data different apps collect. But the digital advertising companies say that this could carry a “high risk of user refusal.”

Dear… is a timely reminder that we can do better [Apple TV+ review]

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Oprah Winfrey reads a letter from a fan in Apple TV+ show Dear...
One episode of Dear... focuses on Oprah Winfrey.
Photo: Apple TV+

So far, the Apple TV+ shows affiliated with Oprah Winfrey (or approved by her) represent some of the streaming service’s safest offerings. And her spirit, to say nothing of her face, is all over the inspiring series Dear…

Each episode focuses on a single celebrity and the moving fan letters they receive highlighting the star’s impact on regular people. A such, it takes the form of part-biography, part-tribute to its famous subjects.

Dear… certainly does not stand out as one of the most hard-hitting journalistic exercises you’ll see. But as puff pieces go, the episodes prove both persuasive and reasonably inspiring. The show plays like a MasterClass with lessons about community building and standing up for yourself.

See just how amazing macOS would look on iPad

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Check this simulation of macOS on iPad created with SwiftUI.
macOS on iPad is a dream of many people. A developer created a glimpse of that possibility.
Photo: Jordan Singer

There’s pent up demand for Apple to bring macOS to iPad, so a clever developer created a simulation in SwiftUI to show what it would look like.

While it appears much like an Apple tablet running the Mac operating system, and even seems to work, this is not macOS Big Sur on an iPad. It’s just something that mimics part of the user interface. Still, it shows those eager for a “MacPad” what one could look like.

Watch a video of the macOS simulation in action:

Tim Cook agrees to testify before Congress in antitrust probe

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Tim Cook goes to Washington
Apple chief Tim Cook will testify before Congress, and he’ll be joined by the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook and Google.
Screenshot: Apple

The CEOs of four of biggest tech firms will testify in the House of Representatives’s probe into antitrust activities. That includes Apple’s Tim Cook, along with the heads of Amazon, Facebook and Google.

This is part of an ongoing investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into whether the largest tech companies play fair with smaller competitors.

How to sort podcast episodes so they play in the right order

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How to sort podcast episodes
You don't always want to hear the most recent episode first.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’re starting a new podcast that you want to listen to from the very beginning, you’ll need to change some settings to ensure that the Podcasts app doesn’t automatically play the latest episode first.

It’s a simple tweak that takes just a minute, and we’ll walk you through it in this step-by-step guide.

Apple explores tracking the veins in your hands for gesture controls

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Gesture controls are enabled by scanning for veins.
Finding the veins in users’ hands is the secret to gesture controls in new Apple tech.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Apple

Apple was awarded a slightly macabre patent for scanning the veins in someone’s hands to determine finger position, thus enabling gesture controls.

This technology could potentially be used in Apple Watch or the smart glasses the company is allegedly developing.

iPad music app’s overnight success took 10 years of hard work

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StaffPad being used on iPad
This great musical notation app is one of Apple's favorites.
Photo: David William Hearn

Londoner David William Hearn is not a trained programmer. He has no university education when it comes to making software. And yet his musical notation app for iPad, StaffPad, just won a coveted Apple Design Award this week.

The iPad app gives composers and conductors powerful tools for writing and tweaking musical scores, and for sharing their changes instantly with musicians on a stage or in a recording studio. StaffPad places the iPad and Apple Pencil squarely in the center of the collaborative creative process.

Here’s how Hearn and his team created their award-winning music-notation app.

Engage your kids in STEM studies with play-based learning [Deals]

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Papumba
Connect your kid to one of the world's top play-based preschool platforms, which offers more than 500 interactive games and activities.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are subjects many kids don’t seem to naturally love. One thing that all kids do love, though is play — and this clever STEM learning app combines the two.