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Stunning iMac concept is the refresh we want for 2020

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Next-gen iMac design
Hello again, circa 2020.
Photo: Kevin Kal/Hacker 34

Apple hasn’t changed the physical design of its regular iMac in years — but that’s not enough to stop Apple fans dreaming up drool-inducing concepts.

The latest is from Kevin Kal, a 20-year-old engineering student in Paris, France. (Who, by my count, would have been in middle school the last time Apple changed up the iMac design.) His concept for the iMac boasts a slimmer bezel and chin, Face ID camera, and a next-gen trackpad that also charges your iPhone. Check it out below.

AT&T refuses to remove misleading ‘5GE’ notification from iPhones

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No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
5G Evolution isn’t 5G, but the 5GE icon isn’t going away.
Photo: Cult of Mac/@Siddavarapu

After an arbitration panel on Wednesday called AT&T’s use of the phrase “5G Evolution” in its advertising misleading, the company agreed to stop using it. However, iPhone and Android devices connected to this telecom’s upgraded 4G LTE network will reportedly continue to display a “5GE” icon.

Boost your Mac’s abilities with 4 great apps [Deals]

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Mac Apps Roundup
These four apps will enhance the performance and capabilities of your Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The best way to get the most from your Mac is with the right software. So we rounded up four apps that enhance your computer’s capabilities. These apps make it possible to customize your Mac OS, edit PDFs, torrent media files and more. Even better, they’re all available for at least half off.

Apple TV+ will profile LeBron James, Tom Brady, Usain Bolt and others in new series

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LeBron
LeBron has previously featured on an Apple ad for the Beats brand.
Photo: Apple

Hot off the heels of Netflix and ESPN’s smash hit The Last Dance documentary, Apple TV+ has announced a new sports documentary series of its own. Called Greatness Code, the series will, according to Apple, spotlight “untold stories from the greatest athletes in the world.”

The first slate of elite athletes is set to include an all-star cast of NBA star LeBron James, Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady, Olympic gold medalist soccer star Alex Morgan, Olympic runner Usain Bolt, Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky, and champion surfer Kelly Slater. Each will get their own episode.

What exactly does coronavirus tracking in iOS 13.5 do? Clearing up the confusion

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contact.tracing.5
Contact tracing could help slow spread of coronavirus.
Photo: World Health Organization

iOS 13.5 dropped Wednesday, introducing a slew of upgrades — including, most notably, the API for Apple’s coronavirus contact-tracing tool, developed in conjunction with Google.

But, despite what you might hear online, this is neither an “app” or an update that means downloaders are being tracked without their knowledge. Let’s correct a few popular misconceptions.

Mobile app downloads surge during coronavirus lockdown

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Mask download
Stuck home? There's an App Store for that.
Photo: Engin Akyurt/Unsplash

Few areas are booming right now like mobile apps, which have experienced massive growth during coronavirus lockdown. According to a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower, data used by mobile app downloads has surged during lockdown.

In a post published Wednesday, the firm said data usage for first-time installs of the top 250 mobile apps worldwide was up 34% from the same quarter last year. Based on an average of the last three years, it is up a whopping 52% — hitting an unfathomable 391 petabytes in Q1 2020. (A petabyte equals roughly 1,000 terabytes.)

Espresso Displays makes the gorgeous external touchscreen your MacBook needs [Review]

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Espresso Displays looks great.
Espresso Displays makes an add-on screen you’ll be happy to use with your Mac for days at a time.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Espresso Displays produces premium external screens compatible with both MacBooks and iPad Pro. And these offer 10-point touch, creating the touchscreen Mac so many have asked for.

Studies have shown that a second display can make you up to 50% more productive. We tested a prototype from Espresso Displays to see if this very slim and light LCD monitor lives it up to its promise.

How actors used 40 iPhones to film Mythic Quest: Quarantine for Apple TV+

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Mythic Quest: Quarantine“ is coming to Apple TV+.
The Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest airs a quarantine-themed episode next week.
Photo: Apple TV+

The cast and crew of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet created a special quarantine episode of the Apple TV+ comedy. The actors had to film themselves, and collaborated via AirPods.

Rob McElhenney who co-created and stars in the show, along with co-creator Megan Ganz, gave an interview about the convoluted process to Hollywood Reporter.

College Board refused to accept some AP exams submitted with iPhones

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The College Board didn’t accept some handwritten AP exam answers from iPhone users.
Many student who hand wrote answers to AP exams and tried to submit them through an iPhone found they couldn’t.
Photo: Startup Stock Photos

Some U.S. high school students couldn’t submit their Advanced Placement tests last week. And it’s all because the College Board doesn’t support HEIC, the image format the iPhone uses.

Fortunately, there’s now a workaround. But that didn’t save the kids who failed their AP tests because they use an iPhone.

Go retro and rock Casetify’s military-grade Mixtape case for iPhone

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Casetify-Mixtape-1
Bring back the cassette without its many downsides.
Photo: Casetify

Just the image of a classic cassette tape is enough to evoke precious memories of great times gone by for a lot of us. That’s one of the reasons why we love Casetify’s terrific Mixtape case for iPhone.

It has all the charm of an old cassette and combines it with military-grade protection that keeps your precious smartphone looking brand-new. What’s more, it’s now available for the 2020 iPhone SE — as well as iPhone 11 and more.

Misleading ‘5GE’ notification will soon disappear from AT&T iPhones [UPDATED]

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No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
AT&T agrees to stop telling customers it’s offering 5G Evolution, a type of connection rival telecoms all call 4G.
Photo: Cult of Mac/@Siddavarapu

AT&T will stop using the term 5G Evolution to describe an enhanced type of 4G. Rival T-Mobile convinced an arbitration panel on Wednesday that the description is misleading.

This apparently means iOS and Android handsets will stop informing customers that they’re connected to a 5G E network.

Update: AT&T will stop including 5G Evolution in its advertising, but will continue to put the 5GE icon on iPhones and Androids connected to its improved 4G LTE network.

Twitter tests feature that lets users clamp down on conversations

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Twitter tests new feature that lets users limit who can reply.
Imagine a Twitter where only specified people can reply to a given tweet.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Twitter is expanding testing of a new feature that lets users specify exactly who can reply to their tweets. The new conversation settings, which Twitter said Wednesday it is rolling out to a small percentage of users, lets people limit replies to people they follow or to certain individuals.

It’s Twitter’s latest attempt to tame toxic conversations on the free-wheeling platform. (As you might expect, not everyone is thrilled with the concept.)

iOS 13.5 brings Apple’s COVID-19 tools to the masses

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iOS 13.5 golden master is available only to developers.
iOS 13.5 makes it faster to unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask, as well as other features related to COVID-19.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

All iPhone users can now install iOS 13.5. This includes the tools Apple and Google created to make COVID-19 contact-tracing applications. And this update brings a number of other new features focused on the current crisis.

Apple also released iPadOS 13.5, which incorporates many of the same features.

Senators raise concerns over iPhone-maker’s $12 billion US chip factory

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Apple A14 processor
Senators want to be sure a Taiwanese semiconductor plant being built in Arizona won‘t be a security risk. The factory could someday make Apple processors.
CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A trio of Democratic Senators raised questions on Tuesday about what incentives the Trump administration offered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to build a new processor fabrication plant in the U.S. This factory could be used to produce chips for future iPhones.

The lawmakers want to be sure that TSMC isn’t getting unfair advantages over American chip makers. And that the plant won’t allow U.S. trade secrets to leak to China.

Leaked photo spills Powerbeats Pro’s pretty new color options

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Feast your eyes on these fresh new color options for the upcoming second-gen PowerBeats Pro.
Feast your eyes on these stunning color options.
Photo: WinFuture

German website WinFuture posted pictures of what it claims are the new Powerbeats Pro colors. The colors — Glacier Blue, Spring Yellow, Cloud Pink and Lava Red — were previously leaked, although this is the first time we’ve seen the purported shades.

Glacier Blue, Spring Yellow and Cloud Pink are all softer pastel colors, while Lava Red is a brighter color like Apple’s (PRODUCT)RED variants. According to the report, the wireless earphones will come in a black case.

Productively work from home with these affordable, smart noise-canceling headphones [Deals]

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Mu Noise Headphones
Listen to your playlists in comfort, full fidelity and sans distractions with these top-notch Bluetooth headphones.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Keeping distractions at bay is harder than ever, especially if you’re working from home. That makes noise-canceling headphones an essential tool for productivity (or just keeping your sanity).

If you don’t already own a set, this is your chance. We’ve got deals on smart noise-canceling headphones that won’t drain your bank account.

Hide UI is sneaky spyware law enforcement can use to steal iPhone passcodes

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iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with a keyboard
Spyware could help law enforcement figure out passcodes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Grayshift, a company which creates iPhone-cracking tech for use by law enforcement, has reportedly developed software that can be used to break into suspects’ iPhones.

Described in a recent article by NBC News, the Hide UI spyware works not by cracking the code needed to unlock an iPhone, but rather logging it when the user accesses their device. Here’s how it works.

China won’t punish Apple over US sanctions on Huawei, experts claim

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
Chinese state media has suggested U.S. companies like Apple could face sanctions.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

Despite concerns being raised, Apple is unlikely to face any blowback from China over the United State’s current standoff with Huawei, experts told CNBC in a report published Tuesday.

Chinese state media recently suggested that U.S. firms including Apple could have their success in China hampered by “rounds of endless investigations” after the White House imposed sanctions on Chinese smartphone maker Huawei. But expert voices suggest China’s bark may be worse than its bite in this case.