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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.

How to stop the Mail app from randomly interrupting you in macOS

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How to prevent Mail from randomly appearing on macOS

Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you use Gmail inside Mail on macOS, you may have noticed an extremely frustrating bug that can cause the app to randomly shove itself in your face. It’s particularly annoying when you’re using another app in full screen mode.

You don’t have to suffer that anymore. In this how-to, we’ll show you an easy fix that permanently prevents unwanted Mail popups from occurring.

16-inch MacBook Pro gets more powerful AMD 5600M graphics option

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macBookpro
Take your MacBook Pro to the limits!
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its 16-inch MacBook Pro buying options by offering the new Radeon Pro 5600M mobile GPU. This joins the existing Radeon Pro 5300M and 5500M GPU options for the MacBook Pro.

Kitting out the new MacBook Pro with a AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU with 8GB of HBM2 memory adds $700 onto the base model MacBook Pro. According to Apple, it will improve performance by up to 75% compared to the 5500M configuration. Is that worth it? It absolutely depends on how much of a pro user you are!

Apple expands 0% Apple Card financing to Mac, iPad, AirPods, and more

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Apple Card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
Good news ahead of WWDC!
Photo: Apple

Apple has expanded its 0% Apple Card financing option for products, including the Mac, iPad, AirPods Pro, AirPods, and Apple Pencil. (No Apple Watch, though!)

The company previously launched a 0% Apple Card financing option for iPhone in December. However, this is the first time that Apple has expanded this to cover other Apple products. Tim Cook suggested that Apple would be expanding the program during Apple’s most recent earnings call.

Father’s Day special: Get 20% off Fanatics sports apparel courtesy of Apple Pay

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Apple Pay Father's Day
Perfect for the sports-loving dad in your life!
Photo: Fanatics/Apple Pay

Sports merchandise online store Fanatics is offering customers in the U.S. a 20% on selected goods so long as they buy them using Apple Pay. The special offer, the latest example of Apple partnering with a retailer for an Apple Pay promotion, is being marketed as a Father’s Day special offer.

Father’s Day 2020 falls on Sunday, June 21. The offer, however, is valid only through 11.59pm EST on June 19. That means that you’ll need to get a bit organized, rather than just settling for the “buy dad a last minute gift the night before” act.

Learn and master the many secrets of Microsoft Excel [Deals]

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eLearnExcel- The 2020 Excel Certification School Bundle
Become an Excel master with 60 hours of content and 300 easy-to-follow lessons and projects.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You might think Excel is a spreadsheet application. But in reality, it’s a multipurpose, powerful tool for crunching numbers and teasing insights out of data. So if you know how to use Excel, you instantly make yourself more useful and valuable, and these lessons can help.

Apple’s first foldable phone could feature 2 displays joined by hinges

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Microsoft Surface Neo
Apple's foldable iPhone could take a similar approach to Microsoft's Surface Neo.
Screenshot: Microsoft

Apple’s “foldable” iPhone will use dual displays to get around the foldable screen problem that plagues other folding phones like Samsung’s beleaguered Galaxy Fold, claims Apple leaker Jon Prosser.

“The current prototype has two separate display panels on a hinge,” Prosser wrote in a tweet Monday. He claims the foldable iPhone prototype boasts “round, stainless steel edges like current iPhone 11 design” and features no notch. Instead, there is a “tiny forehead” on the outer display that houses the Face ID sensors.

iPhone 12 sensor-makers gear up for 2020’s big upgrade

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iPhone-12-concept-2
Time-of-flight sensor will help the new iPhone see in 3D.
Concept: PhoneArena

In another piece of possible evidence that this year’s iPhone 12 handsets will feature ToF (time-of-flight) camera sensors, a report published Monday claims that component makers in the Apple supply chain are gearing up their production for mass-manufacturing.

Time-of-flight camera sensors typically work by emitting a laser pulse which is used to bounce off objects. By measuring how long it takes for the laser to hit the object and return to the sensor, you can work out how far away it is. This makes it possible to create detailed 3D maps of spaces. That could help Apple in both improving its iPhone camera tech and augmented reality ambitions.