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URcdkeys offers Cult of Mac readers 20% off Windows 10 for only $13

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URcdkeys 20% off sale, April 2020
Save on Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades with our discount code.
Photo: URcdkeys

This Windows 10 and Microsoft Office upgrades post is presented by URcdkeys.

If you currently run old versions of Microsoft software and keep putting off upgrades because of costs, Cult of Mac has you covered. Our readers can get 20% off an assortment of Windows 10 and Office product keys that are already priced well below typical prices.

Once you enter Cult of Mac’s special discount code at purchase and get the key, you’ll be free to install Windows 10 Pro or your choice of 2016 or 2019 Office products on any PC.

Apple Music chief takes over Beats headphones

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Apple Beats PowerBeats in red
There’s a new boss of Beats, an Apple product line of top-tier headphones, some aimed at runners.
Photo: Apple

The head of Apple Music is apparently assuming an additional role. Oliver Schusser is reportedly going to take charge of the company’s Beats line of high-end headphones, while also remaining at the helm of Apple’s music-streaming service.

Apple also took the opportunity to refute a recent unconfirmed report that it’s phasing out Beats.

Chris Evans is a tour guide to the dark ride that is Defending Jacob

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Chris Evan plays the lead character in “Defending Jacob.”
Defending Jacob star Chris Evans talks about portraying every parent’s nightmare.
Photo: Apple

Chris Evans’s first big role after playing Captain America is a district attorney whose 14-year-old son is accused of murder in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+. He and other cast members talk about their characters from this upcoming show in a “First Look”video released Friday.

Watch it now:

Toggle ‘shopping mode’ on your iPhone for touch-free, mask-friendly grocery buying

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Make safe grocery acquisition a little easier with Drafts' shopping mode.
Make safe grocery acquisition a little easier with Drafts' shopping mode.
Photo: David Clarke/Unsplash

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve probably become hyper-aware of how much you touch everything. Your face, your iPhone, the AirPods you never clean, the filthy handle on your apartment building’s front door, etc. If you’re using your iPhone’s Reminders app to manage your iPhone shopping list, you’re likely finding yourself constantly tapping the screen and relying on Face ID to wake it up during trips to the store.

Clearly that’s useless if you’re being responsible and wearing a mask in the supermarket. Today we’ll see how to quickly toggle a “shopping mode” in the Drafts app, which will keep your iPhone awake while you dash down the aisles.

Leaked ad evokes the joy of unwrapping 2020 iPhone SE

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Apple “The Opening” online ad for 2020 iPhone SE
A short and wacky ad from Apple takes an unusual look at opening a 2020 iPhone SE.
Photo: Apple

Every iPhone buyer knows the excitement they feel when they first pull the protective plastic wrapper off their new device. Apple is supposedly about to release an ad for the 2020 iPhone SE that plays on the excitement users feel in that exact moment.

Watch it now:

ACLU wants COVID-19 tracking program loaded with privacy safeguards

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contact-tracing
Privacy groups want to make sure contact tracing technology keeps your data safe.
Photo: MIT Lincoln Lab

The American Civil Liberties Union said Friday it is cautiously encouraged by a commitment to privacy by Apple and Google as they develop Bluetooth-based contact-tracing technology to track the spread of COVID-19.

But the civil liberties group says the two tech giants must resolve “certain important privacy-related questions” key to winning trust from a public growing wary about who sees their data.

New Radeon Pro W5700X GPU is Mac Pro’s most affordable yet

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Mac-Pro-W5700X
Order yours today for $1,000.
Photo: Apple

Those looking to improve the graphics performance of their 2019 Mac Pro can now pick up the Radeon Pro W5700X MPX Module from the Apple Online Store.

For exactly $1,000, the new GPU offers up to 9.4 teraflops of compute performance and 16GB of GDDR6 memory. It uses AMD’s latest RDNA architecture, and it’s now the most affordable GPU module Apple sells.

2020 iPhone SE availability already slips to next month

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iphone.se.image.1
You’ll have to wait a bit if you didn’t already order the 2020 iPhone SE.
Photo: Apple

Apple began taking pre-orders for the second-generation iPhone SE on Friday, and in the U.S. already ran out out of its stock for release on launch day.

Orders placed placed earlier today will arrive on April 24. But the official Apple Store website indicates that orders for the new $399 iPhone placed now won’t arrive until May.

A 49-inch ultrawide monitor dominates this sweet WFH battlestation [Setups]

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An LG UltraWide monitor (and a second screen on top) take this battlestation to the next level.
An ultrawide monitor (and a second screen on top) take this battlestation to the next level.
Photo: iSetups/Instagram

An amazing 49-inch LG UltraWide monitor dominates the sweet work-from-home setup of front-end developer Justin Chua from San Jose, California. A second 32-inch Dell monitor floats above, adding even more screen real estate to this eye-blasting battlestation.

And check out his sweet, custom-made mechanical keyboard!

Explore the mysteries of the ocean in Beyond Blue on Apple Arcade

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Dive to the briny depths in “Beyond Blue” on Apple Arcade
Experience fascinating sea life in E-Line Media’s Beyond Blue.
Photo: E-Line Media/Apple

Anyone missing the ocean can dive into E-Line Media’s Beyond Blue. Playing as a scientist, the goal of the iPhone or Apple TV game is to explore and uncover the secrets of the Earth’s last uncharted frontier.

It debuted Friday on Apple Arcade, the company’s subscription gaming service.

Get a free Windows Pro 10 key with antivirus software purchase

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BZFuture
BZFuture offers a free Windows Pro 10 activation key with antivirus software purchase.
Photo: BZFuture

This antivirus software with Windows key post is presented by BZFuture.

Cybercriminals use complex methods to hijack, damage and exploit your computer and data. They think know more than you do — and maybe they do. At least for now. But their success relies on you remaining lazy, overly busy and ignorant. And since you already know you need potent protection, it’s no great leap to realize products offered by BZFuture can assist you. Does it help even more that the reseller now offers a free Windows Pro 10 activation key with purchase of antivirus protection? Sure it does.

WhatsApp may increase group call limit to help keep us connected

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WhatsApp group calls
WhatsApp currently allows just four people in a single group call.
Photo: WhatsApp

Seeing friends and family in person just isn’t possible during a global pandemic, so WhatsApp could be making some changes to ensure that we can still have face-to-face contact (via a screen) without leaving our homes.

Changes in the app’s latest beta release suggest the limit for group audio and video calls will soon increase. It currently allows for just four participants at any one time, while others — like Facebook Messenger — can support up to 50.

Home sick: Snap judgments on new Apple TV+ architecture docuseries [Review]

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Apple TV+ Home review:
Apple's new architecture docuseries is half-inspiring, half-insufferable.
Photo: Apple TV+

Home, the new Apple TV+ docuseries about unconventional structures designed by unorthodox architects, is — surprise, surprise — as much a mixed a bag as anything else on the streaming service.

The nine-episode series, available to watch Friday, provides a window into homes and the ethos, hardship and breakthroughs that lead to their creation. It would be an understatement to say that some episodes prove more interesting than others.

Goldman Sachs thinks Apple is massively overvalued right now

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International governments plan to rethink tax rules for the ‘digital age’
Apple might not be worth as much as some investors think.
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

Goldman Sachs may be Apple’s partner in Apple Card, but that doesn’t mean that its equity research division is a cheerleader for Apple in everything it does. In fact, the firm just cut its price target on Apple from $250 down to $233, and recommends that clients sell their Apple shares.

This is the third time that Goldman has downgraded its Apple earnings estimate since February 17. Analysts led by Goldman tech analyst Rod Hall think that Apple is headed for a reduction in iPhone demand this year. That’s likely to be followed by a shallower recovery headed into 2021.

iPhone 12 design secrets supposedly spilled in new drawings

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iphone 12 cad design
Comparing the iPhone 12 with the iPhone 11.
Photo: EverythingApplePro

Want a glimpse at the (possible) new iPhone 12 Pro Max? YouTube channel EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach have posted what they claim is a leaked design for the new handset, based on supposed CAD drawings.

As expected, they suggest that the new iPhone will borrow design cues from the squared-off, boxier iPad Pro redesign. It also looks set to sport a slightly thinner profile, just 7.4mm thick next to the 8.1mm of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Oh, and notch-haters might be pleased by the smaller notch on the device.

Check out the video below.

Preorder the 2020 iPhone SE now ahead of its April 24 debut

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2020-iPhone-SE-lineup-hero
Don't miss out on launch day delivery.
Photo: Apple

Apple is now taking preorders for the 2020 iPhone SE ahead of its official debut on April 24. Prices start at just $399 for a 64GB model, making this one of the company’s most affordable smartphones to date.

Go claim yours before those shipping dates slip — and don’t miss some of the preorder deals being offered by some third-party retailers.

TSMC gives more evidence that iPhone 12 will be ready for later this year

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
TSMC is Apple's A-series chipmaker.
Screenshot: Apple

In more evidence that this year’s iPhone 12 will debut on time, Apple chipmaker TSMC says that its 5-nanometer chips are already in volume production and with satisfactory yield rates. TSMC expects a “a very fast and smooth ramp” of these chips in the second half of the year. It is heavily rumored that these will be the chips used in the new iPhone 12.

CEO CC Wei told investors this during an investor meeting held Thursday. Wei also said that TSMC is on track to deliver 3-nanometer chips which could be used in phones as soon as 2022.

Here We Are animated short and Home series lands on Apple TV+

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Here-we-are
Animated short features A-list talent such as Meryl Streep.
Photo: Apple

Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, Apple TV+ debuted Friday a new animated short movie titled Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth. Featuring an impressive cast of voice talents including the much celebrated Meryl Streep, Chris O’Dowd, Preacher‘s Ruth Negga, and Room‘s Jacob Tremblay, the half-hour animated short is available to watch for subscribers right now.

Apple TV+ also debuted a new show about spectacular houses around the world.

Apple and Google in standoff with NHS over contact tracing

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bluetooth
NHS wants Google and Apple to give it more access for contact tracing.
Photo: MIT

Apple and Google are reportedly in a “standoff” with the UK’s National Health Service over the development of the companies’ joint program to build contact tracing APIs.

According to a report from The Guardian, the two companies are taking a strong stand against the NHS’s insistence to break current Bluetooth privacy protocols. The NHS is hoping Apple and Google will lift their limits on how Bluetooth can be used, but Google says those limits are in place so that they can’t be abused for surveillance efforts.

Apple CEO tells employees he’s ‘optimistic’ in ‘stressful’ times

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Apple CEO Tim Cook shows off a face shield Apple is making for medical workers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been working from home during the COVID-19 crisis. He addressed Apple employees in a virtual town hall today.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In a virtual meeting with employees on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that COVID-19 makes for an “uncertain and stressful” time, but he’s optimistic about the future.

Cook hosted Apple-wide meeting that let workers pose questions to Apple’s CEO about the effects COVID-19 is having on the company.

Apple touts 7 reasons why you should upgrade to iPhone SE

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Apple wants older iPhone users to upgrade to iPhone SE
Apple’s “iPhone SE — Why Upgrade” page extols the advantages of the A13 processor.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple wants users of older iPhone models to know the advantages of a new budget iPhone. Its “iPhone SE — Why Upgrade” page describes the multiple ways this just-announced handset is faster, with a longer battery life, a better camera and other improvements.