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Lock down your home network with this super-secure Wi-Fi router [Deals]

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Gryphon Guardian
Safeguard your home Wi-Fi network with malware filtering and advanced parental controls.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Going online can be risky business, so protecting your connection is always smart. And if you’ve got kids, there’s good reason to make sure they don’t end up where they don’t belong. Inappropriate content, excessive screen time, social media addiction, there’s plenty of reasons to get a tighter control of online life at home.

UK’s National Health Service to use Apple-Google API in contact tracing app

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nhs.x.contact.tracing.app.logo
The UK's National Health Service will use Apple/Google technology to warn users if they've recently been in contact with someone suspected to be infected with coronavirus.
Photo: NHS

Great Britain’s National Health Service has confirmed plans to use joint contact tracing technology developed by Apple and Google in an upcoming app to warn users if they have been near someone suspected of being infected with COVID-19.

Bloomberg: As many as 4 new 5G iPhones coming in the fall

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iPhone 12 with LiDAR scanner
A re-designed iPhone 12 - similar to this conceptual design - could be coming in the fall, reportedly with 5G.
Photo: svetapple.sk

Apple reportedly will roll out a major refresh to its top-of-the-line iPhones in the fall that will see the addition of 5G and a re-design of two models with a slimmer, sleeker design. Sources said the company also plans to release a smaller, less expensive HomePod and an electronic finder technology to monitor the location of anything from keys to a purse.

Last chance! Save when you snag 2 beautiful Nyloon bands

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Show your pride and joie de vivre with Nyloon's rainbow band.
Cool and colorful canvas bands.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Some of the discounts in the Cult of Mac Store’s big Easter sale are coming to an end. Don’t miss your chance to bag two Apple Watch bands from Nyloon and save $15.

They’re available in a host of dazzling designs and made from ballistic-grade nylon that’s super-sturdy and incredibly comfortable all day long.

This sale ends later today so take advantage of it before it’s gone!

Manage your iOS data better than iTunes [Deals]

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iMazing 2 Main
Manage all your iPhone data easier with iMazing.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Ever plug your iPhone into iTunes and realize you have no idea how to get your music from one device to another? You’re not alone. iTunes is clunky and confusing. Luckily, apps like iMazing stepped in to offer easier and more intuitive iOS management.

Right now, you can get this powerful tool at a gigantic discount.

Why the iPad Pro is like a Swiss Army knife [Cult of Mac Magazine 344]

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iPad Pro as Swiss Army knife: Just exactly what kind of tool(s) do you need?
Just exactly what kind of tool(s) do you need?
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If you’re asking whether the iPad Pro is a laptop replacement, you’re asking the wrong question. Apple’s tablet is more like a Swiss Army knife that can tackle tasks that a MacBook can never master.

Find out why in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. In the free iOS mag, you’ll also find the latest on Apple’s attempts to battle COVID-19, including a contact-tracing partnership with Google and those rad face shields for health care workers whipped up by Cupertino’s finest.

Plus, you’ll get the usual mix of Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Grab yours now from the App Store.

A lighter approach to understanding contact tracing

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Done properly, contact tracing could help defeat COVID-19 (and Big Brother, too).
Done properly, contact tracing could help defeat COVID-19 (and Big Brother, too).
Image: Envato

Friday’s announcement that Apple and Google are teaming up to create a contact-tracing program to stop the spread of COVID-19 generated more questions than answers.

We broke down how these apps could help with our Cult of Mac explainer on the subject. However, we also found a more lighthearted, comic resource that addresses the ins and outs of contact tracing.

Explainer: Contact tracing and how Apple and Google will make it work

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COVID-19
Electron microscope image of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Apple and Google revealed Friday that they’re teaming up to take on one of the most colossal tasks in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19: contact tracing.

If you’re like me, you probably hadn’t heard about contact tracing until the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s proven to be an important tool in countries that have seen a drop in their reported cases of the coronavirus.

With a little background, here are the basics of contact tracing and what you need to know.

Instagram takes DMs to the desktop

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Instagram fact checking
Direct messaging via desktop has arrived.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram has been a little more desktop-friendly lately. On Friday, the photo-sharing app gave users the ability to read and send direct messages from a desktop computer.

Facebook, which owns the app, had signaled last year that it wanted to make private messaging easier across all of its apps regardless of device.

Apple and Google team up to build COVID-19 contact tracing apps

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Apple Google
Apple and Google join forces using Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Photo: Apple/Google

In a rare moment of collaboration, Apple and Google said Friday they have teamed up to create a contact-tracing program that uses smartphones to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The privacy-focused solution created by the companies will use anonymous Bluetooth “chirps” from phones as a way to tell where an infected person has been and who they’ve come in contact with.

AirPower wireless charging pad project reignited with A11 chip to manage heat issues

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This sleek wireless charging pad can juice up a Qi-enabled iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once.
Apple is reportedly working on a new design of its charging pad that controls heat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple is working on a totally re-designed, wireless charging pad with the ability to route power to exact areas to prevent overheating, according to Front Page Tech analyst Jon Prosser.

Prosser reported Friday that engineers on Apple’s Sharing and Proximity team and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic recently received prototype units of something called “C68”. AirPower isn’t mentioned by name, but descriptions and details appear to match Apple’s failed charging mat.

Analyst: iPhone 9 set for mid-April release, but 6.7-inch iPhone 12 delayed

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iphone9
The iPhone 9 release could be right around the corner.
Photo: Mauro Batino

Apple will “likely” launch a low-cost iPhone 9 as early as next week, according to an analyst report published Friday.

Travel difficulties caused by the coronavirus outbreak may push back the release of the largest iPhone ever until late fall, the analyst said. However, other new iOS devices are still on schedule for September.

HBO lengthens support for older Apple TV streaming devices until May 15

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HBO-Now
2nd and 3rd gen Apple TV users have a little more time to find options to watch HBO.
Photo: HBO

HBO reversed its plans Friday to drop support for second- and third-generation Apple TV units saying it would extend its policy until May 15.

In a comment to Cult of Mac, the company said it would continue support for the older devices “a few additional months.”

Save on Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases and more in our big Easter sale

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CoM-Easter-sale
Treat yourself to discounted gear this Easter.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The Cult of Mac Store’s big Easter sale is in full swing, offering sweet discounts on top brands like Juuk, Mujjo, and Monowear. We’ve got Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, charging stands, and more — all available at up to 78% off the usual price.

The sale won’t last long, so enjoy it while you can!

Mac Pro and Mac mini land in Apple refurb store with huge savings

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President Trump will tour Apple's Mac Pro factory in Texas this week
You can finally buy a certified pre-owned Mac Pro.
Photo: Apple

Looking for a new Mac but don’t want to put a dent in your bank account during the COVID-19-induced economic meltdown?

Apple added a bunch of 2018 Mac mini and 2019 Mac Pro units to its online refurbished store late Thursday, offering customers huge savings with the same warranty as a brand-new machine. In the case of the Mac Pro, you can save up to $4,000!

Live-stream on Instagram and Twitch with this professional video gear [Deals]

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iRig
Livestream like a pro with a mounting clip, mic, remote shutter and all the tools you need to record great-looking video on your smartphone.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s never been a better time to start producing video content. However, even for YouTubers and other DIY types, the standards of quality are high. Getting the right video gear can make the difference between gaining an audience or just streaming into the void.

These discounted high-end hardware bundles offer all the tools you need for creating professional-grade video content straight from your smartphone.

Apple might step in to save Martin Scorsese’s next movie

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Killersoftheflowermoon
Scorsese says his big-budget film will feel like a western.
Photo: Rainy Day Books

Apple TV+ could become the home of Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese’s next major film.

Scorsese’s project, Killers of the Flower Moon, is reportedly looking to find a new partner to produce or distribute the film after Paramount Pictures balked at the estimated $200 million budget.

We talk AirPods X, Apple Face Shield and the (incoming!) 14-inch MacBook Pro, on The CultCast

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CultCast 435
Here comes the 14-inch MacBook Pro you've been waiting for...
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: A tipster says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro is right around the corner! We’ll tell you what we know. Plus: Apple is readying its secret over-the-ear headphones, and a mysterious little product called the AirPods X. We discuss! And we wrap up with a USB-C charger that can charge it all, Logitech’s new StreamCam and a double-duty iPhone/Apple Watch stand in an all-new Under Review.