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Connect devices to the internet with a simple tap [Deals]

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Wifi Porter- NFC-Enabled Device
This Wi-Fi puck connects visitors to the internet with a single tap or scan of their iOS or Android device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether at home or the workplace, connecting a bunch of people to your network can prove annoying. There’s no reason to go hoarse from repeating the password over and over, though. Instead, you can get this wooden puck to make getting online as easy as can be.

Apple shows off the greatest Night mode pictures shot on iPhone

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iPhone Night Mode competition 6
Yu “Eric” Zhang used his Phone 11 Pro Max to snap a stunning night picture in Beijing.
Photo: Yu “Eric” Zhang

Apple has released a selection of its handpicked favorite Night mode pictures taken by iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max users from around the world.

The six winning images were selected by a panel of judges out of thousands of submissions worldwide. The winning photographers hail from China, India, Russia and Spain. You can check out the pick of the pics below:

iPad Pro gets harder to find as rumored refresh looms

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The screen really is beautiful.
But is it just coronavirus?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s newest iPad Pro lineup is becoming harder to obtain as supplies dwindle in stores around the world.

The constraints can be an indication that a big refresh is imminent — as recent rumors have suggested. This time around, however, they could have more to do with the production problems arising as a result of the COVID-19 virus  t.

Apple’s biggest manufacturer says production will return to normal by end of March

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Coronavirus-related shutdowns continue to disrupt Chinese factories.
Coronavirus has severely impacted Foxconn production.
Photo: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC

Apple manufacturer Foxconn hopes to resume regular production in China by the end of March.

Foxconn’s operations, which include iPhone production lines, have been severely impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. The world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer previously said it expects its full-year revenues to take a hit.

Apple’s shares just rose by more than market cap of Nike and Spotify combined

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money
Apple stock is up a few percentage points just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s easy to forget just what a crazily big and successful company Apple actually is. Even a slight dip or swell in the company’s share price equates to tens of billions of dollars in real terms.

Case in point: As AAPL recovered slightly from the battering of coronavirus over the past two trading days, its market cap increased by $180 billion. As Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart helpfully points out, that’s the equivalent of the entirety of Netflix. Or Nike and Spotify put together.

Following delay, Apple TV+ movie The Banker has its premiere

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The Banker is the first original movie from Apple TV+.
The original premiere was pushed back due to allegations of abuse.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ movie The Banker had its red carpet premiere Monday night at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

The movie, which is based on a true story, stars Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson as Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, two of the first African-American bankers in the United States.

Mario Kart Tour is finally getting multiplayer for everyone March 8

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Mario Kart Tour multiplayer mode
Get ready for some head-to-head battles with up to eight players.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour‘s multiplayer mode is finally rolling out to everyone — and you don’t need to pay up to play it.

The popular Nintendo kart-racing game debuted its first multiplayer beta test in late 2019. However, only players who subscribed to the game’s $4.99 a month Gold Pass could play it. A public beta process took place in January.

Folding iPhone concept might change your opinion on flexible phones

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Foldable iPhone concept by Iskander Utebayev
This amazing foldable iPhone concept is everything that first-gen flexible handsets aren‘t.
Screenshots: Iskander Utebayev

A concept design for a folding iPhone has none of the drawbacks of the handsets with flexible screens released so far. It shows what an iOS device using this tech might look like some time in the future.

Take a look at a short video of the folding iPhone concept in action:

Facebook Messenger for iOS goes light and fast

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Facebook Messenger video chat includes augmented reality.
Not all of the silly features were stripped out of Facebook Messenger.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook shrunk the size of its Messenger app, and stripped out some features, intending to make it faster to load and simpler to navigate.

Some of the missing features will be back, though.

Moment drops Android camera app to focus exclusively on iOS

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iPhone lenses
Moment's Pro Camera app is now iPhone-only.
Photo: Moment

Smartphone lens-maker Moment will develop photo and video apps exclusively for iPhone, after the company said Monday it will discontinue the Android version of its popular Pro Camera app.

Moment, known for its high-quality lenses, bailed on Android because it does not have the “engineering bandwidth” to keep up with the various camera systems among Android brands. The Pro Camera app continues on iOS.

Bag HomePod for under $200, MacBook Air for $749 [Deals & Steals]

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DS-Mar-2-20
And get Apple's official Clear Case for iPhone 11 at 18% less.
Photos: Apple, Twelve South

Apple’s brilliant HomePod speaker is back to its lowest price yet. Best Buy is matching its big Black Friday discount by slashing $100 off the usual price for a limited time only.

That’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. Other highlights include:

Find all these and more in today’s Deals & Steals roundup.

Steve Wozniak says he (or his wife) might be ‘patient zero’ for COVID-19 in US

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Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak might, or might not, have helped introduce the coronavirus into the US.
Photo: The DEMO Conference/Flickr CC

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak suggested in a tweet Monday that he or his wife might be “patient zero” for the COVID-19 virus currently spreading in the United States. Wozniak said he and Janet Hill came home from China early this year, as the novel coronavirus began to wreak havoc in Wuhan.

Update: Wozniak’s wife says she has an ordinary sinus infection.

20th Century Fox poaches Apple TV+ executive

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Michelle-mendelovitz
Mendelovitz's short stint at Apple TV+ is already over.
Photo: Paul Smith Photography

A top Apple executive who oversaw development of some of the first Apple TV+ series is headed to a rival studio.

20th Century Fox TV revealed today that it tapped Michelle Mendelovitz to lead the development of its drama TV series. Mendelovitz worked at Apple for less than two years, helping to oversee the production of For All Mankind, Servant and Visible: Out on Television.

Shortcutify integrates Spotify, Google Maps, Todoist and more into Shortcuts

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Control your smart lighting, your music, and more with Shortcutify.
Control your smart lighting, your music, and more with Shortcutify.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Shortcutify is a free iOS app that lets you use web-based services in your Shortcuts. For instance, it can connect with Spotify, Todoist, AirTable and more, and provides an easy bridge between these services’ complicated APIs and the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or iPad.

If you use any of the supported services, you’re going to totally love Shortcutify. If not? More app integrations are planned for the future.

Pricey AT&T TV service rolls out nationwide

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att
AT&T TV can be streamed from your iPhone.
Photo: AT&T

AT&T’s latest cable replacement for cord-cutters, AT&T TV, launched nationwide today, replacing the streaming service DirecTV Now.

The carrier is offering big discounts to customers that sign a 24-month contract for AT&T TV which allows you to stream live sports, news, shows, and on-demand titles for a monthly fee. The only problem is it might not be much cheaper than your old cable bill.

Apple spotlights female artists with 5,000 creative sessions

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Apple celebrates International Women’s Day
Apple celebrates International Women’s Day with a special Today at Apple Series in its retail stores.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Throughout March, select Apple Stores will host “She Creates” sessions led by women from across industries and mediums. This includes co-chair of the Women’s March Linda Sarsour, musicians Meghan Trainor and Victoria Monét, designer Carla Fernández, and many more.

Spotify wants labels to pay for playlist promos

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Spotify Premium update October 2018
Labels might start shelling out big bucks for more visibility on Spotify.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify is reportedly making a big push to get record labels to pay to promote artists’ music in its service as a new way to generate revenue.

Despite having nearly double the number of paid subscribers as Apple Music, Spotify still isn’t a profitable company and is looking to the music industry to help it create new revenue streams. Although the talks are still ongoing, you could soon see sponsored songs in your playlists and other areas of the app.

iPadOS 13.4’s Full Keyboard Access offers incredible touch-free control

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tab key Full Keyboard Access
You will come to love the Tab key with iPadOS 13.4's Full Keyboard Access.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you know you can control your iPad using just a keyboard? You can use the arrow keys to move between icons on the Home screen. You can use the arrow keys (again) to scroll lists. And you can even tap and toggle buttons using the space bar. Apple added this capability via iOS 13.4’s new Full Keyboard Access feature, and it’s wild.

How wild? How about offering system-wide, custom keyboard shortcuts for running actual Shortcuts? And that’s just the beginning.

Apple may owe you $25 for throttling your iPhone

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jet black iphone 7 plus
The iPhone 7 is one of the device listed in the settlement.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly reached an agreement to pay up to $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in which it was accused of secretly throttling iPhone CPU speeds.

According to Reuters Apple reached a preliminary agreement for the lawsuit on Friday night. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila still has to approve it, but if the settlement goes through, some U.S. iPhone owners could get paid $25 per iPhone that Apple throttle.

If you owned one of these iPhones covered in the lawsuit, a check might be coming your way:

Forget anagrams, Sticky Terms is a word puzzle game with a twist

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Word puzzle game
You're not just rearranging the letters here.
Photo: Sticky Terms

Want a text-based puzzle game that will stretch your brain, help you relax and, heck, maybe even teach you some new words? Sticky Terms is the game you’ve been searching for.

Created by 28-year-old iOS game developer Philipp Stollenmayer, it’s a playable head-scratching lexicon of words covering a wide array of languages. The game presents each word as a puzzle, torn into between two and five pieces. It’s up to you, the player, to arrange them into a completed word. No timers, failures or high scores apply.

And you know what? It’s kind of addictive.

A game-changing Mac Pro just got a lot more affordable [Deals]

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Apple Mac Pro 3.7GHz Quad Core
The 2013 Mac Pro is a classic workstation with a powerful processor and a compact form.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

At the end of 2013, Apple released a completely reimagined Mac Pro. No longer the sleek silver tower we all knew so well, it had become a droid-like black cylinder. It was compact, powerful — and expensive. Like, $4,000 expensive.

If you always wanted to get your hands on a radically redesigned 2013 Mac Pro, but didn’t want to spend all that cash, now’s your chance. Thanks to this deal, you can snap one up for a fraction of its original price.

Coronavirus could cause mobile device shipments to ‘plunge’ in Q1 2020

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16-MacBook-Pro
Notebook shipments could fall by as much as 36%.
Photo: Apple

Coronavirus will cause mobile device shipments to plummet during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report.

Production at major manufacturing plants throughout China is said to be at “way below normal levels” this week after workers returned to their posts last month. Smartphone shipments could slip below 1.3 billion units for the year.

2 Apple suppliers allegedly used Uighur Muslim forced labor in China

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China’s population of 1.4 billion makes it a huge potential market for Apple.
Both companies have factories in China.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Two suppliers that make components for Apple in China employ forced labor, according to a report published Sunday. The Washington Post says BOE Technology Group, which supplies screens to Apple, and O-Film, which makes iPhone cameras, both use Uighur labor, either directly or through contractors. Apple lists both companies on its latest supplier list.

The report describes how the Chinese government detained more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs from China’s western Xinjiang region in reeducation camps. And it says evidence indicates that authorities “are moving Uighurs into government-directed labour around the country as part of the central government’s Xinjiang Aid initiative.”

Flagship iPhones get more expensive in Apple’s biggest untapped market

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Slickwrap iPhone 11Pro
Apple has ramped up prices of the iPhone in India. For some devices, at least.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple has raised the price of several iPhone models — including the top-tier iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max — yet again in India, risking denting sales in the country that were just starting to take off.

The price hike is just under 2%, making it smaller than the sizable iPhone price increase Apple introduced in India in 2018. It follows increased import duties announced during India’s Union Budget 2020.