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Streamline your desktop with a sleek charging hub [Deals]

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Aduro Charging Dock
This desktop hub features two smart charging USB ports and 2 standard outlets for easy, clutter-free charging.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Digital devices are all about sleek and slim, so there’s no reason they should make our desktops cluttered and messy. But with one accessory, you can clear up your workspace and still keep all your devices humming.

Apple supplier hopes to resume 50% of production by end of February

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meeting with a Foxconn employee in China.
Photo: Apple

Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn hopes that it can resume half of its ordinary production quantities by the end of February, a new Reuters report claims.

As with other companies in Apple’s supply chain with factories in China, Foxconn has been hit hard by coronavirus. It was forced to shutter two of its main iPhone-producing factories in China. When the most critical one reopened, it did so with fewer than 10% of its usual workforce.

Apple could be planning ‘AirPods Pro Lite’ for 2020

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple could be planning to introduce more affordable AirPods Pro buds. A new report claims Cupertino is in talks with suppliers in Taiwan over “AirPods Pro Lite,” which are expected to debut later this year.

It is believed Apple is also planning to shift production of other devices — including iPad, Apple Watch, and iMac — to Taiwan as the coronavirus epidemic continues to cause problems in China.

FTC wants to know if any of Apple’s smaller acquisitions could be anticompetitive

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Elizabeth Warren chimes in on allegedly discriminatory Apple Card algorithm
Presidential nominee Elizabeth Warren has said that tech giants like Apple have too much power.
Photo: elizabethwarren.com

The Federal Trade Commission wants tech giants, including Apple, to give more information about previous mergers and acquisitions considered too small to report to antitrust regulators.

The move comes as Justice Department, FTC, state attorneys general and the House Judiciary Committee ramp up investigations into big tech. Politicians have accused tech giants of using their size and power to illegally defend market share or move into new areas.

Galaxy S20 vs. iPhone 11: 5 features Apple should steal in 2020

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Galaxy-S20-lineup
The Galaxy S20 lineup looks impressive.
Photo: Samsung

The wait for Samsung’s impressive newest smartphone lineup is almost over. The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra go on sale next month, with prices starting at $999.

You probably won’t be ditching your iPhone to get one if you’re a big fan of iOS, but you might be a little jealous of those who are. Samsung’s new devices offer a number of awesome new features iPhone users can only dream of for now.

Here are five that Apple should steal in 2020.

Siri update tackles tough election questions

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Applenews
Siri can keep you tuned into the latest happenings with the election.
Photo: Apple

“Hey Siri, who won the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary?”

Starting today, Apple’s digital assistant is able to answer that and other election questions as part of Apple News’ 2020 election coverage.

Logitech’s new StreamCam is … a smart webcam for Mac streamers

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Paired with Logitech Capture software, the new StreamCam makes streaming video smart.
Paired with Logitech Capture software, the new StreamCam makes streaming video smart.
Photo: Logitech

The new Logitech StreamCam is built to make video streamers’ lives simpler. The smart webcam captures 1080p/60 fps video and connects via USB-C. Plus, the updated Logitech Capture software — which uses artificial intelligence to automate exposure, framing and stabilization — now runs on macOS.

Galaxy S20 Ultra camera ups ante on iPhone with Space Zoom and 108-megapixel photos

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Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Lots of promised power in this camera bump.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung fired a powerful-sounding salvo in the battle for smartphone camera supremacy Tuesday when it introduced the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

The Ultra kicks off a new decade in smartphone camera technology with an impressive list of specs packed into its four-camera module. Some of the features include 8K video, a 108-megapixel sensor on its main wide-angle camera, and a 100X zoom feature called Space Zoom.

Avalanche uses AI to convert from Aperture to Lightroom (and preserves your edits)

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Avalanche is a universal translator for photo apps.
Avalanche is a universal translator for photo apps.
Photo: CYME

Do you still have all your photos stuck in an Aperture library? Aperture won’t even launch in macOS Catalina, so you’re going to have to do something about that. The long-time answer has been to move to Adobe’s Lightroom, but then all your carefully crafted RAW edits are lost, or at least frozen into JPGs, never to be reversed.

Avalanche is a new Mac app that can convert your old Aperture library into a Lightroom library. What’s more, it uses machine learning to reverse-engineer your edits, and then does its best to redo those edits in Lightroom. It seems amazing. And because it doesn’t need the Aperture app installed on your Mac at all, you can use it even if you’ve already upgraded to Catalina.

Samsung tries to take on AirPods Pro without active noise cancellation

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Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus are going to have to compete against AirPods Pro without a really popular feature.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung today unpacked Galaxy Buds Plus, its answer to Apple’s top-selling AirPods. The Korean company’s latest truly wireless headphones offer better sound quality and longer battery life. But they lack the hallmark feature of AirPods Pro: active noise cancellation.

Get 75% off a VideoProc GPU-accelerated video editing software lifetime license

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Digiarty VideoProc
Digiarty's GPU-accelerated video editing and processing software, VideoProc, is now 75% off.
Photo: Digiarty

This video editing post is presented by Digiarty, maker of VideoProc.

If you’re a 4K/HD video maven and you want to work with it across your devices — handheld cameras, drone cameras, smartphones, tablets, laptops — you know format-compatibility problems often rear their ugly heads. That makes relatively serious video-editing and video-processing software indispensable. And we should add, all the more so when you can get a good one like Digiarty VideoProc for 75% off while the holiday sale remains in effect (like, right now).

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip phone folds up like a clamshell

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Z Flip
Say hello to the Galaxy Z Flip.
Photo: Samsung

The future of folding phones took a step in a new direction today with Samsung’s unveiling of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Taking a different approach to folding displays than the disastrous Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip packs a screen that folds from a tiny clamshell device, into a full-size 6.7-inch smartphone. And it comes with some novel uses that could change how app design is approached.

Ex-Warner Music Group head of innovation joins Apple Music

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bronikowski
Jeff Bronikowski has worked in the media industry for over 20 years.
Photo: Warner Music Group

Apple Music has added another media industry veteran to its roster of top executives.

Former Warner Music Group head of innovation, Jeff Bronkikowski, revealed that he has accepted a job with the iPhone-maker to become the new global head of strategic music initiatives for Apple Music.

MacBook vs. iPad: Which one is right for you?

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Ableton on Mac and iPad.
iPad vs. MacBook: Which platform is better for your needs?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Looking for a portable Apple computer? You have two choices — a MacBook or an iPad. Both excel at different things. The iPad is super-portable, silent and cool. The Mac is more flexible, offers more connections, and can run much more complex software.

It may be that you already know whether you need a Mac or an iPad. If you use apps that only run on the Mac, or if you need to hook up a lot of extra hardware, then a Mac is your only option. But if you desire the ultimate in portability, or you want to use a touchscreen or an awesome Apple Pencil stylus, you need an iPad.

If you’re on the fence, wondering which portable Apple computer best fits your needs, this article will help you decide. The MacBook vs. iPad battle is on …

Tim Cook tweets tribute to civil rights movement for Black History Month

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook standing at the Foot Solider monument in Birmingham, Alabama.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted a photo of himself at one of the most iconic civil rights movement monuments in his home state of Alabama this morning to show his support for Black History Month.

Cook, who grew up in Alabama during the ’60s and saw the impacts of discrimination and burning KKK crosses first hand, paid respects to the men and women who marched in Birmingham in 1963 to demand equality.

This is what Tim had to say:

AirPods sales could blow past 100 million units this year

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Demand could far exceed supply for AirPods this holidays
The launch of Apple’s new AirPods Pro in October helped the company record steady growth last year.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s AirPods will once again dominate the market for truly wireless headphones in 2020, according to a market research firm. And sales will hit 100 million units this year.

The only real question is which company will come in second in this market.

Egypt in 4K shows why you should have an iPhone 11 Pro

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travel video with iPhone 11 Pro
Book a flight and travel light. The iPhone 11 Pro might be all you need.
Screenshot: Travel Shortfilms/YouTube

Still not persuaded that an upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro is worth the money?

If you are a photographer or wanna-be filmmaker that still needs convincing, travel vlogger Harshit Vora makes a breath-taking argument with a montage of 4K clips from an eight-day trip to Egypt.

China develops a data-hungry app for tracking coronavirus

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The novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in China.
Can an app help stop the spread of coronavirus in China?
Photo: Apple

The Chinese government developed an app that lets users check whether they are at risk of infection from the novel coronavirus spreading across the country.

The location-aware “close contact detector” app reveals whether users have been close to another person suspected of having coronavirus. The data-hungry app serves as yet another illustration of China’s surveillance-heavy approach to controlling its citizens.

Apple restores banned BlueMail app but devs say fight is not over

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Mac App Store
The email app BlueMail finds itself on the outside of the "closed garden."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Banned email app BlueMail is back in the Mac App Store, just one week after its developers tried to publicly rally other small companies to speak out against Apple’s App Store practices.

Ben and Dan Volach’s eight-month appeal of Apple’s ban ended Tuesday when the App Store relisted BlueMail. But the brothers say they will continue to fight Apple in court on claims the tech giant stole patented features of the app before booting it from the App Store.

Judge approves Sprint and T-Mobile megamerger

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t-mobile
Deal has sent stock rocketing upwards.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint has been given the go-ahead by a U.S. district judge, rocketing the companies’ stock prices upward.

Sprint increased 74% this morning, hitting $8.34. T-Mobile, meanwhile, increased 11% to $93.62. However, the deal won’t officially be done until the California Public Utilities Commission approves the merger.

Gear up and take your iPhone photography to a new level [Deals]

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These top iPhone photo accessories will help you capture the perfect image.
These top iPhone photo accessories will help you capture the perfect image.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The cameras on our iPhones are crazy good, but they’re still limited. Taking great photos means having the right hardware. If you want to upgrade your visual game for iPhone, you’ll want to check out this gear roundup, from smart gimbals and ring lights to wide-angle lenses and more.

Apple joins alliance dedicated to reducing world’s reliance on passwords

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Apple joins alliance dedicated to reducing world's reliance on passwords
This image quickly vanished from Twitter. But not the internet.
Photo: Roland Atoui/Twitter

Apple has signed up as a member to the FIDO Alliance, an organization whose mission is to develop and promote authentication standards for reducing the world’s reliance on passwords.

The news was made public in the form of a photo from a recent FIDO Alliance conference, describing Apple as a new member of the group. However, the tweet was rapidly deleted. Nonetheless, the FIDO website confirms that Apple is a board-level member.