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Apple chipmaker prepares to build 5nm chips as manufacturers get back to work

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
TSMC is making the A-series chips for the next iPhone.
Photo: Apple

The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak may be continuing apace, but Apple manufacturers are getting back to work.

According to two new reports published Wednesday, Apple contract manufacturers Compal Electronics and Wistron are joining Foxconn in planning for production levels to return to normal by the end of March. Apple’s A-series chipmaker TSMC is also gearing up to start producing its new 5-nanometer chips.

Apple and other big tech companies head to White House for COVID-19 consult

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Should Apple take over the White House?
A White House meeting will try to coordinate big tech companies, including Apple, with efforts by the Trump administration to fight COVID-19.
Photo: MattCC716/Flickr CC

Apple, Facebook, Google and other tech heavyweights are reportedly heading for the White House on Wednesday. There they’ll meet with officials from various government agencies to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak.

Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories gets a new coat of paint, but it needs an engine [Review]

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Amazing Stories review: Victoria Pedretti does her best in the Apple TV+ show but the material doesn't give her much to work with.
Victoria Pedretti does her best in Amazing Stories but the material doesn't give her much to work with.
Photo: Apple

Amazing Stories, the Apple TV+ reboot of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s show about all things fantastical, bafflingly kicks off with a limp romantic fantasia. One can only hope that the dull opening episode, a rote time-travel story titled “The Cellar,” does not prove representative of what will follow.

Spielberg created the anthology series Amazing Stories in 1985. It was one of a handful of shrewd moves that, calculated to do so or not, turned his crowd-pleasing style into a brand. Cupertino clearly wanted to capitalize on Spielberg’s reputation as a storyteller. Regrettably, the reboot’s first episode does little but remind us that we’d rather be watching one of his movies instead.

Apple’s HomeKit may add Night Shift to smart lights

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Ikea Tradfri bulbs
Multicolor bulbs controlled by HomeKit may soon get Night Mode.
Photo: Ikea

Apple’s HomeKit home-automation system will reportedly get a version of Night Shift to reduce the amount of blue in smart light bulbs as each day nears its end. This feature, allegedly coming with iOS 14 in the fall, is supposed to help people sleep better.

In addition, Apple might be adding facial recognition to security cameras controlled with HomeKit.

With iPhone SE 2 delayed indefinitely, source confirms Apple nixes rumored March event

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iPhone 11 Pro
With new products not ready to sell and coronavirus concerns on the rise, a source says Apple postponed a planned product event.
Photo: Apple

Apple decided to postpone a March product launch event after continuing delays in the production of an expected successor to the iPhone SE, a source at Apple confirmed to Cult of Mac.

A number of other problems played into the decision to delay the event that was being planned, including the worsening impact of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus in California and elsewhere.

These Control Center tricks let you take control of Do Not Disturb

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grid of doorbells
Do Not Disturb.
Photo: Serge Le Strat/Unsplash

This is a trick I use almost daily, and until I showed it to a friend yesterday, I didn’t realize that it might not be generally known. Most people know about iOS’ amazing Do Not Disturb mode, which stops users from being pinged by incoming messages and app notifications all the time. But did you know about the great do not disturb shortcuts built into the Control Center?

Protect your beloved AirPods Pro with this affordable silicone case

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Elkson-AirPods-Pro-bumper
Sturdy silicone keeps AirPods Pro looking fresh.
Photo: Elkson

AirPods Pro might be the best accessory Apple has ever made. So you would be mad to let yours get beaten up in the bottom of your bag. Protect them with this wonderfully affordable silicone case.

Made from military-grade materials, the Elkson bumper keeps AirPods Pro free from scuffs and scratches. It also has a handy carabiner that lets you attach your beloved buds to almost anything.

Apple works on new fitness app for iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV

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Max-out your aerobic fitness with Apple Watch by checking the VO2 max metric.
Apple Watch may soon serve up workouts on your wrist.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Peloton and other workout apps could soon get some fresh competition from Apple in the form of a new fitness app that runs on Apple Watch, iPhone and Apple TV.

MacRumors revealed this week that Apple is working on a special project code-named “Seymour” that will serve up a series of workouts and other fitness-related videos that users can download and complete to improve their health.

How to check the exact time someone read your WhatsApp message

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a crumpled up paper receipt
The correct fate for all receipts.
Photo: Michael Walter/Unsplash

In a civilized society, there would be no such thing as a “read receipt” for messages or emails. You’d send your message, and that would be it. But read receipts are here, and if you’re one of the folks that doesn’t turn them off, then you’re going to love this WhatsApp tip.

You already know the meanings of the checkboxes that indicate successfully sent, delivered and read messages in WhatsApp. Today we’ll see how to check the exact time a recipient read your WhatsApp message.

Central Park villain reveals destructive plot in series’ first trailer

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central-park
Central Park is unlike any cartoon you've seen.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s first original cartoon series, Central Park finally got the official trailer treatment today ahead of its debut on Apple TV+ in May.

Central Park‘s first trailer gives a quick glimpse into the zany musical comedy that follows a family of caretakers that live in New York City’s famous Central Park. A dog-wearing old lady villain comes up with a tyrannical plan to destroy the park in the name of capitalism which unleashes a whole bunch of chaos.

Watch the two-minute trailer here:

Handwriting recognition might finally come to iPad

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Sketching with an Apple Pencil is the merest tip of the iceberg of Apple’s suggestions for making your iPad Pro more useful.
iPad handwriting recognition is reportedly coming soon, allowing users to write words into any text box with an Apple Pencil.
Screenshot: Apple

iPad users will be able to use an Apple Pencil to write words into any text box, if an unconfirmed report is correct. Handwriting recognition will allegedly be built into iPadOS 14.

This would bring real changes to the way many interact with their tablet.

iOS 14 might include built-in augmented reality viewing app

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Adobe Aero on an iPad Pro
Every iOS 14 iPad and iPhone could come with an augmented reality viewer.
Photo: Adobe

An augmented reality application could reportedly become one of the default apps in iOS14. This would allow any iPhone user to view their location with AR at any time.

This is apparently part of Apple’s embrace of augmented reality this year, with the company reportedly building 3D scanners into the next-generation iPhone and iPad.

iOS 14 could bring brand-new Home screen layout with list view

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iPhone X home screen
iOS 14's Home screen could be very different.
Photo: Apple

iOS 14 will ship with a brand-new Home screen layout that allows users to arrange icons in a list, according to a new report. The view is expected to be customizable and will incorporate Siri Suggestions for making your most frequently used apps easier to access.

It could be the biggest change to the Home screen since the first version of iOS debuted with the original iPhone in 2007.

WWDC on or off? Santa Clara County bans mass gatherings, piling on pressure

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Apple faces tough decisions about a potential March product event and WWDC 2020 as COVID-19 virus spreads.
COVID-19 could force Apple to cancel WWDC.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The chances of Apple having to cancel — or drastically change the format of — its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) have ramped up significantly, with Santa Clara County banning all mass gatherings.

Both Apple’s Cupertino campus and the WWDC venue in San Jose fall within those county limits. The ban, announced Monday night, is currently planned to last for only three weeks. However if the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus continues it’s highly possible that gets extended.

Shot on iPhone video takes stunning 5-hour tour through Russia’s State Hermitage museum

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Latest Shot on iPhone video is a stunning 5-hour tour through Russia's State Hermitage museum
Apple's latest Shot on iPhone video is jaw-dropping.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s “game-changing” Shot on iPhone ad campaign typically ranges from a single image to a short film such as Lady Gaga’s latest music video. Things have certainly ramped up for the latest installment, however.

In Apple’s newest Shot on iPhone video, debuted Monday, it depicts a beautifully filmed after-hours tour through the iconic State Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Total running time? Five hours, 19 minutes, and 28 seconds. This includes more than 45 galleries and even a live ballet sequence.

You can check it out below. (There’s also a 90-second teaser if you happen not to have five hours to watch the whole thing.)

Apple confirms an employee at its Cork, Ireland, campus has COVID-19

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Apple-Store-logo
This takes the total number of cases in Ireland to 24.
Photo: Laurenz Heymann/Unsplash

Apple on Tuesday confirmed that an employee at its Cork, Ireland, campus has contracted COVID-19.

The employee is now in self-isolation while Apple is deep cleaning all its offices, and some workers have been asked to remain at home while further assessments are carried out. Apple insists, however, that the risk to others is low.

Apple, Spotify and other streaming companies accused of price-fixing ‘conspiracy’

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Music licensing company takes aim at Apple Music for illegal streaming
PRM thinks music streaming companies are playing dirty.
Photo: Stas Knop/Pexels CC

A music licensing company accuses Apple, Spotify, Google, SoundCloud, and other streaming services of entering into a price-fixing “conspiracy” to keep streaming music prices at anticompetitive levels.

Pro Music Rights (PMR) filed the complaint Monday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. PMR previously filed a lawsuit against Apple in December for allegedly streaming copyrighted music without the necessary permissions.

Apple cancels all ‘Today at Apple’ classes in Seattle and San Francisco

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Apple Union Square — Today at Apple classroom
Apple Union Square won‘t be holding “Today at Apple” classes for weeks.
Photo: Apple

Apple cancelled classes in its retail stores in two cities in California and Washington where the novel coronavirus is spreading. A check of the calendar for “Today at Apple” in both Seattle and San Francisco finds nothing scheduled.

However, this doesn’t seem to be a first step toward closing the Apple Stores in these cities. Even temporarily.