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Apple stock could reach crazy highs after pandemic recovery

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Spending money laptop 1
Time to invest in Apple?
Photo: Rupixen/Unsplash

Apple stock has already recovered to its pre-coronavirus lockdown levels, but according to two investment firms much larger gains are on the horizon.

Speaking with CNBC, Todd Gordon, managing director at Ascent Wealth Partners, argued that Apple could be set to rally an additional 40% from its current share price. That would take Apple to $490 — or $135 above its $355 all-time high.

Email startup accuses Apple of behaving like ‘gangsters’ with in-app payment demands

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Hey email
Hey email app launched this week.
Photo: Hey

One of the creators of newly launched email service Hey accuses Apple of behaving like gangsters by allegedly threatening to remove the app from the App Store if it did not start selling its premium subscription through Apple’s platform — thereby giving Apple a cut of the profits.

“Like any good mafioso, they paid us a visit by phone,” Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson wrote in a long Twitter thread. “…[W]ithout even as much of a curtesy euphemism, [Apple said] they’d burn down our store (remove our app!), lest we paid up.”

Christie Smith, Apple’s VP of inclusion and diversity, leaves the company

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diversity Apple
Diversity is one of Apple's biggest strengths, says Tim Cook.
Photo: Apple

Christie Smith, Apple’s vice president of inclusion and diversity, has left the company after two-and-a-half years in the role. Smith worked under Apple’s SVP of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien.

Smith’s departure was reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by Apple. Her departure had been planned for a couple of months, but Tuesday was her last day.

Set your reminder for Monday’s keynote via WWDC’s YouTube livestream link

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Apple WWDC 2020 lineup revealed
Apple's WWDC keynote will take place on Monday.
Image: Apple

WWDC 2020 Apple has posted the YouTube live stream link that will allow viewers to tune in to its WWDC 2020 keynote next week.

The June 22 event will kick off at 10 a.m. Pacific, streaming directly from Apple Park. This is the second time Apple has streamed a special event on YouTube, following last year’s iPhone unveiling.

Necessity is the mother of all setups [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
This setup proves that sometimes less is more.
Photo: @ollieparker_

Last week, a new job forced Ollie Parker to build his work-from-home setup. No small task, but the British accountant made the most of it and he quickly whipped up a cozy setup great for grinding.

“I just finished the build of it all last week as I started a new job working from home,” he said. “And then I have my Xbox connected and play some Warzone in my spare time.”

The heart of Parker’s setup is a 2019 MacBook Pro attached to a 34-inch LG UltraWide Curved Monitor mounted on a Humanscale MW Monitor Arm.

Adobe Aero augmented reality creation tool goes multisensory with spatial audio

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An AR experience created by Naima Almeida with Adobe Aero.
Designer Naima Almeida used Adobe Aero to design an imaginary interactive garden with integrated spatial sound effects.
Screenshot: Naima Almeida

Artists can use an iPad or iPhone to create augmented reality experiences with Adobe Aero. And today the software added support for embedding audio into AR experiences. It’s now possible to add sound effects to virtual objects overlaid on the real world by this app.

Aero is free, and is intended for creatives not coders.

These obscure ingredients make one hell of a cocktail [What We’re Into]

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You need Velvet Falernum and Scrappy's Firewater Tincture to make a Spicy Dead Lady cocktail.
Spice up your backyard bar with these quirky ingredients.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

What We're Into bug If you’re looking to shake up your cocktail game, try putting these two ingredients in the mix: John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum and Scrappy’s Firewater Tincture.

The first is a syrupy liqueur from Barbados that’s typically used in Tiki drinks. The second is a devilishly hot habanero tincture. They’re both key ingredients in a fantastic cocktail called the Spicy Dead Lady.

Espionage thriller Tehran sneaks toward Apple TV+

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Tehran is reportedly headed for Apple TV+.
Tehran is a spy thriller starring Israeli actress Niv Sultan.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly picked up international broadcasting rights for Tehran, a spy drama about a young Israeli agent trying to destroy an Iranian nuclear reactor.

The eight-episode Israeli series, created and written by Moshe Zonder (Netflix’s Fauda), could be coming to Apple TV+ very soon.

TikTok clone Zynn is booted out of the App Store

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Zynn app
Zynn grew its user base in part by throwing around money.
Photo: Zynn

A Chinese video sharing app which ripped off was heavily inspired by TikTok in its design has been booted out of the App Store, shortly after it was removed from the Google Play Store due to reports of plagiarism.

Zynn not only closely resembled TikTok in its design, but also in much of its content. A previous report from Wired claimed that many popular TikTok users have had their content (and even knockoff user profiles) shared on the rival app. That didn’t go over well!

Apple News algorithm is way more celebrity-obsessed than Apple’s human editors

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Apple News
Apple News is used by 85 million users every month.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Stories picked by Apple News’ human editors are far more likely to represent a diverse range of outlets — and be more serious and less focused on celebrities and entertainment — than its algorithmically curated alternative, researchers claim.

Jack Bandy and Nicholas Diakopoulos from Northwestern University analyzed thousands of Apple’s “Top Stories” and “Trending” articles over a 10-month period. They discovered that the latter, which are determined algorithmically, show stories from significantly fewer outlets, predominantly CNN or Fox News. Articles from BuzzFeed and People also figured heavily in the mix — with an emphasis on light news.

Apple comes out swinging against antitrust investigation, blasts companies that ‘want a free ride’

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Apple.logo.paris.store
The Apple logo outside the Paris, France Apple Store.
Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac

Apple says that it is disappointed to be targeted in two new antitrust investigations by the European Union. The two antitrust investigations, into both the App Store and Apple Pay, were announced Tuesday.

“It’s disappointing the European Commission is advancing baseless complaints from a handful of companies who simply want a free ride, and don’t want to play by the same rules as everyone else,” Apple told Reuters in a statement. “We don’t think that’s right — we want to maintain a level playing field where anyone with determination and a great idea can succeed.”

iPhone 12 will debut in September, but don’t expect EarPods in the box

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iphone-12-pro
Excited about the iPhone 12?
Photo: The Hacker 34

According to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, Apple has overcome whatever delays it faced in manufacturing the iPhone 12 and, as of now, the devices should debut in September as planned. Shipping would take place early the next month.

While that’s marginally later than last year’s launch date, it suggests that Apple has managed to claw back its schedule after coronavirus rocked the supply chain earlier this year.

Apple faces more antitrust scrutiny in Europe, this time over e-books

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Kobo
Kobo's e-book app is available through the App Store.
Photo: Rakuten

Apple faces another antitrust complaint in the European Union, this time from Japanese tech company Rakuten. The anti-competition complaint relates to Apple’s e-book business, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

In response, the EU opened an official investigation into the App Store. On Tuesday, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the government will scrutinize Cupertino’s business practices. “We need to ensure that Apple’s rules do not distort competition in markets where Apple is competing with other app developers, for example with its music streaming service Apple Music or with Apple Books,” Vestager said. “I have therefore decided to take a close look at Apple’s App Store rules and their compliance with EU competition rules.”

App Store is a $519-billion-a-year economic engine, Apple says

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The App Store facilitates sales of billions of dollars in sales of physical goods.
Apple’s App Store is much more than software sales. It contributes to the economy in many ways.
Photo: Apple

The Apple App Store ecosystem contributed over half a trillion dollars to the global economy in 2019, according to a study commissioned by Apple.

This total encompasses far more than just what iPhone or Mac users pay for software. It includes transactions done through these apps, from grocery deliveries to streaming services.

iOS 13.6 beta confirms that iPhones will work as car keys

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iPhone car key feature is a rumor no more.
No room for doubt. iOS 13.6 Beta 2 flat out says Apple Wallet is getting virtual car keys.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple inadvertently confirmed rumors that iPhones will soon function as car keys. Buried in the privacy information for Apple Wallet in the iOS 13.6 Beta is a lengthy description of the upcoming feature.

Called “Adding and Managing Car Keys,” the verbiage details how wireless keys can be added to Wallet and how they can be shared.

AnyUnlock helps you out of jams with your Apple device, iTunes and Apple ID passwords

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iMobie AnyLock
With AnyUnlock, your password troubles are over.
Photo: iMobie

This Apple device access post is presented by iMobie, maker of AnyUnlock.

It was bound to happen sometime, or maybe many times. You got locked out of your Apple device. Or you lack access to your iTunes backup. Or you want to reset your Screen Time or Restrictions passcode.

Here’s the good news about any of these little crises: Getting back in without resetting and erasing your data is a snap with iMobie’s AnyUnlock app. You can do it with no technical knowledge.

Macs get their own version of Apple Developer app the week before WWDC

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Apple Developer for Mac is finally here.
A Mac version of Apple Developer is finally out. Just in time for WWDC.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020 The Apple Developer app is the one-stop-shop for all the information devs need, but until now there’ve only been versions for iPhone and iPad. On Monday, the company finally brought out a version for Mac. This guide to the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference comes a week before WWDC kicks off.

And while this event will be entirely online, Apple is sending out press invites anyway.

Apple offers college students free AirPods along with deals on Mac and iPad

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Apple back to school 2020 deals are already here
Get a deal on a Mac or iPad with Apple’s 2020 back-to-school sale. And get free AirPods too.
Photo: Apple

Summer is just starting but Apple is already thinking back-to-school. College students and teachers can save up to $200 on a MacBook or iMac. Or up to $100 on iPads. And get a pair of AirPods gets thrown in for free.

In previous years, Apple’s back-to-school promo always included Beats headphones. This is the first time AirPods have been part of the deal instead.