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Senator wants Tim Cook to take personal responsibility for contact-tracing data privacy

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Senator Hawley is concerned about Apple and Google's privacy for contact-tracing data.
Photo: Apple/Google

Sen. Josh Hawley wants Apple and Google to have some skin in the game when it comes to keeping data private in their joint coronavirus contact-tracing project. Hawley’s idea? That the Apple and Google CEOs — Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, respectively — should take personal responsibility for ensuring the data is kept private.

“If you seek to assure the public, make your stake in this project personal,” the Republican senator from Missouri wrote Tuesday in a letter to Cook and Pichai. “Make a commitment that you and other executives will be personally liable if you stop protecting privacy, such as by granting advertising companies access to the interface once the pandemic is over.”

T-Mobile and Sprint start combining their 5G networks

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Nationwide-5G-Map
T-Mobile's 5G nationwide network.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile is wasting no time expanding — and solidifying — its 5G network in the U.S. following its recently completed merger with Sprint. The two companies, now one, are combining their networks following the landmark merger.

On Tuesday, T-Mobile announced that its 5G 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum is now live in parts of Philadelphia, offering T-Mobile customers with compatible 5G phones the opportunity to take advantage of the new super-speedy connectivity — with peaks of nearly 600 Mbps.

Marvelous iPhone 12 concept makes that smaller notch look totally hot

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This iPhone 12 concept reflects all the latest rumors.
Note the substantially smaller notch in this iPhone 12 concept.
Photo: svetapple.sk

A set of concept 3D renders released Tuesday depict all the latest iPhone 12 rumors, including a recent report that this upcoming handset will have a substantially smaller screen cutout.

The images also include other features widely expected to be part of the autumn 2020 iPhone, like a LiDAR scanner.

Wow! Stay-at-home catapults Netflix to almost 16 million new customers in first quarter

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Netflix owes a guy now in prison for a lot of its almost 16 million new subscribers in the first quarter.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Apple and its Apple TV+ streaming service could only dream of numbers this big.

Call it the ‘Tiger King effect’ or whatever you like, but Netflix benefited from the stay-at-home, shelter-in-place directive by adding 15.77 million new subscribers worldwide in the first quarter, according to earnings results released Monday.

Save big: Refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 hits Apple Store

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Refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 units are available now
A refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 is up to 15% less than a new one.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

One way to score a deal on the the latest Apple Watch Series 5 is buy a unit that someone purchased then returned to Apple. These get rigorously refurbished, then are offered to the public at up to 15% off the regular price.

Tuesday is the first day Series 5 units have been available refurbished.

Apple preps 11-inch iPad Air, 23-inch iMac for 2020

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The new iPad Air adds support for Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard.
The 2020 iPad Air could sport a larger display than this 2019 model.
Photo: Apple

Apple is going to increase the sizes of the displays in the 2020 iPad Air and an iMac model also coming later this year, according to an unconfirmed report coming out of Asia.

But neither of these will be MiniLED screens, as Apple will reportedly not have any computer using this type of display until 2021.

How to record Digitakt into Ableton Live with Overbridge 2 [Video]

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Digitakt close up
The Digitakt drum sampler is even more awesome paired with Ableton Live.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Overbridge 2 is an amazing new app/plugin from Swedish drum machine and synthesizer maker Elektron. As its name suggests, it acts as a bridge between your computer and Elektron’s hardware boxes.

Using Overbridge, you can plug in, say, the Digitakt drum computer and sampler, and stream all eight of its audio tracks to your Mac or PC over a single USB cable.

Get an inside track to Apple Music execs with a donation to a children’s charity

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Larry Jackson, Global Creative Director of Apple Music, at a Cartier event in 2019
Make the right donation to charity and you can take a meeting with Larry Jackson, Global Creative Director of Apple Music.
Photo: Larry Jackson/Instagram

If your music career or business would be boosted by meeting with someone high up at Apple Music, then this is your lucky day. Three high-level executives at Apple’s music streaming service are auctioning off private meetings.

Proceeds from these auctions go to the Pablove Foundation, which invests in pediatric cancer research.

Huawei’s latest deceptive ads try the same old camera stunt

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Weibo post busting Huawei for misleading ad
Huawei needs to have more confidence in its smartphone cameras.
Screenshot: Huapeng Zhao/Weibo

The cameras in Huawei smartphones are class-leading. Yet, the company was caught again using a photo shot with a DSLR in an ad to promote pictures produced with their handsets.

Best, of all, the gaffe was discovered by the winner of an iPhone photography contest.

Brilliant Magic Keyboard ad reflects Apple’s crazy attention to detail

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iPad-Pro-Float-GIF
Did you catch it?
Photo: Apple

Apple famously boasts the greatest attention to detail in consumer technology. Some say it’s been disappearing over the years, but if you look for it, you’ll find plenty of examples today.

Take the new ad for iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard, for instance. Pause it at just the right moment and you’ll see the time Steve Jobs announced the very first iPhone beautifully reflected in the eye of a hummingbird.

Access your Mac’s hidden Bluetooth debug menu

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bluetooth keyboard mouse
Troubleshoot your Mac's Bluetooth connections.
Photo: Amy Hirschi/Unsplash

Got Bluetooth problems like a glitchy mouse or an unreliable keyboard? Maybe a screwy trackpad or poor headphone connection? Any of those problems could result from a glitch in your Mac’s Bluetooth radio. Maybe you’ve already tried everything — unpairing your devices, resetting them or even creating a pristine new user account on your Mac solely for troubleshooting purposes. If you’re stuck in a situation where your mouse isn’t working, here’s a guide on how to turn Bluetooth on Mac without mouse.

You may even know about the hidden Bluetooth menu that appears when you option-click on the Bluetooth menu bar icon. But did you know that there’s another, deeper, super-hidden menu with extra troubleshooting tools? There is. Here’s how to fix Bluetooth problems when nothing else seems to work.

Kuo: 5G iPhone delayed until October; iPhone SE Plus pushed back until late 2021

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iPhone 12 with LiDAR scanner
The 5G iPhone allegedly won‘t be out quite as soon as many might hope.
Photo: svetapple.sk

The first iPhone with 5G reportedly won’t debut alongside the other new iOS handsets early this autumn. Trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple will begin producing a pair of 4G handsets in September, but won’t start making the 5G model until October.

Kuo also says an iPhone SE Plus with a larger screen than the current one might come out far later than he originally thought.

6-in-1 charger rolls out the welcome mat for all your Apple devices

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Air Omni 6-in-1 charger
The charger for the Apple fan who carries everything.
Photo: Pitaka

If you live in an older house where places to plug in are few in number, you begin to appreciate the idea of a charging station for multiple devices.

Pitaka’s Air Omni is a wireless charger for up to six devices that does away with multiple chargers and cords. And it will prevent you from having to cut additional sockets into the walls of your vintage digs.

Adobe bundles Photoshop, Fresco for iPad into one affordable sub

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Enjoy both apps for just $9.99 a month.
Photo: Adobe

Adobe on Tuesday delivered a new bundle for iPad users that provides access to its Photoshop and Fresco apps for just $9.99 a month. That’s half the price users would have paid for both apps before.

In addition, Photoshop on iPad now has the ability to automatically find and update missing fonts in your work, and there’s a brand-new coloring book to enjoy.

Take it to the Max: HBO’s new streaming service debuts next month

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Friends
It'll be the only place to stream Friends (and a bunch more movies and TV).
Photo: Warner Bros.

HBO isn’t playing around when it comes to streaming video subscription services. The company, which already has its HBO Now subscription video-on-demand, will launch HBO Max on May 27 — complete with original shows, Turner TV shows, and Warner Bros. movies.

Check out more of the details, along with the first trailers for Max Originals, below.

Apple bets big on 5G iPhone lineup despite demand concerns

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iphone-12-pro
An artist's take on 'iPhone 12' with 5G.
Photo: The Hacker 34

Apple is asking suppliers to “crank out” components for its upcoming 5G iPhone lineup, despite some fears that it could launch to weak demand as a result of COVID-19, a Tuesday report claims.

The company is said to have confirmed plans to make around 213 million iPhone units in the 12 months through March 2021 — an increase of 4% over the same period last year.

Some suppliers are concerned that initial orders could end up being “significantly lower.”

Top iOS games are swimming in cash while players are stuck home

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App Store game revenue 1
App Store games ranked by revenue.
Photo: GoldenCasinoNews

There aren’t too many businesses that are thriving right now, but mobile games in the App Store certainly appear to be one of the outliers. Provided that you’re among the top titles, that is!

With many people stuck at home due to COVID-19 lockdown, a Tuesday report from GoldenCasinoNews claims that the top five games in the U.S. App Store hit $9.7 million in daily revenue in April. The leader of the pack right now is the ultra-popular Roblox Mobile, which is raking in approximately $2.7 million daily.

Become a Google apps wizard with a mastery of scripts [Deals]

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Take your business's online integration to a whole new level with 56 hours of lessons in Google scripts, apps, projects and tips -- source code included.
Take your business's online integration to a whole new level with 56 hours of lessons in Google scripts, apps and projects -- source code included.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Google apps like Docs, Spreadsheets and Calendar are super-convenient services. But with the Google Apps Scripts platform, you can string them together so that they become the basis of powerful custom applications. This bundle of courses will teach you how to do it.

Apple restrictions block France’s contact-tracing iPhone app

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Brace yourself for beautiful pictures. iPhone XS and XS Max pack the best cameras yet.
Apple's new platform just won't cut it.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

France is calling on Apple to loosen its Bluetooth restrictions on iPhone that are said to be holding back a government contact-tracing app designed to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Apple currently prevents iOS apps from using Bluetooth connectivity in the background under certain circumstances. Its policy blocks France from moving forward with its app, a Tuesday report reveals.

5G Mini LED iPad Pro may have been pushed back to early 2021

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Adonit Note+ review
You may be waiting a bit longer for the next iPad Pro.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s first 5G-compatible cellular 12.9-inch iPad Pro has reportedly been pushed back from late 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, an Economic Daily News report published Tuesday claims.

As with most hardware delays right now, the issue is the coronavirus pandemic. While China is getting back up and running, it has seemingly impacted production enough to delay Apple’s next-gen iPad Pro later this year.

Apple Ring could let you control devices around you by pointing at them

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Apple Ring 1
Will Apple ever make an Apple Ring?
Photo: USPTO/Apple

Apple hasn’t given up on the idea of an Apple Ring wearable that could be used to control Apple devices by performing specific hand gestures. The concept has been around for a few years, but Apple has yet to launch such a product.

However, on Tuesday it was granted a second patent for its invention, offering some more information about the device. Coming soon to a ring finger near you?

WhatsApp starts pushing out increased group call limit for all

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WhatsApp group calls
Look out for the newest WhatsApp update.
Photo: WhatsApp

WhatsApp has begun rolling out a big increase to its group call limit that will make it easier to keep in touch with colleagues and loved ones while stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s now possible to have voice and video calls with up to eight people. The change comes just days after code hinting at a new limit was spotted in an early WhatsApp beta release.