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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.”

Choetech’s Dual Wireless Charger is so convenient and reasonably priced that it’s always a no-brainer to recommend. And that’s before the gigantic discount you can get on this two-up wireless charging mat at Amazon today.

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.

Amazon is today offering a rare $49.02 discount — the biggest we’ve seen so far — on Apple’s newest AirPods with a Wireless Charging Case. Bag yours for just $149.98 before the price returns to normal.

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.

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!

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 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.

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 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 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’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.”

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+ 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.

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.

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.

Google finally lets Gmail users read their email while also displaying another app. Apple introduced Split View multitasking way back in 2015, but it’s just now coming to this popular email application.

Tom Hanks is here to rescue a cargo convoy from the Nazis — and presumably you from your free time. His new movie, Greyhound, is being released straight to Apple TV+ this Friday after COVID-19 scuttled the film’s theatrical release. This means there’s nothing between you and some old-school, flag-waving thrills.

In fact, Greyhound is the very definition of old school. There’s no fuss, no muss: just a man, his crew and some German U-boats hiding out in the gray fog of World War II, ready to pounce on American soldiers.