Has the government in your city or country shut down everything due to COVID-19? Are the bars, gyms and other nonessential places closed? Are you stuck at home, cooped up with nothing but Facebook and Twitter to fan the flames of your outrage and fear?

Don’t worry. There are plenty of things to do at home. Why not take advantage of all that extra time and use it for something you enjoy?

Anthony Schmidt is that boy, the one who loves cars so much, he has collected die-cast metal toy replicas numbering in the hundreds.

But his car play changed the day he picked up his mother’s iPhone. Anthony started photographing the miniatures from a perspective that fools the eye and makes them appear full-size and sumptuous.

That perspective also is shaped through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy on the autism spectrum.

Apple is extending product return policies after it made the decision to close all retail stores outside of Greater China amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In its updated Temporary Retail Store Closures document, the company says customers will be able to return items for up to 14 days after stores reopen.

Apple’s iPhone shipments in India grew by more than 55 percent during the first two months of 2020, a positive piece of news for the tech giant in what is an otherwise constant barrage of coronavirus-related stories about setbacks.

Apple has invested heavily in India, one of the few remaining growing smartphone markets. Over the last couple of years, the iPhone maker has established manufacturing in the country and will soon open its first Apple Store.

On the Mac, you probably know all the tricks for sorting things in the Finder. You can choose icon, list and column views. And you can sort the files and folders in those windows by various dates (added, created, modified), size, name and lots more. Some, but not nearly all, of these sorting options are also available on iOS in the Files app. Let’s take a look.

Apple employees at the company’s Culver City offices may have been exposed to COVID-19 after an employee tested positive for the virus. Culver City is Apple’s entertainment hub where much of the work on Apple TV+ and Apple Music is done.

Apple vs. Samsung is the modern Apple vs. Microsoft — a battle between seemingly unstoppable tech titans. In his new book, Samsung Rising, author Geoffrey Cain charts the surprising story of the South Korean electronics giant. He also reveals how a burning desire to beat Apple drove Samsung’s successful strategies.

Cain, a former reporter for Time and Fast Company, based his book on more than 400 interviews. Over the years, he spoke with top Samsung and Apple executives to gain an insider’s perspective on the battle between the two companies. In this exclusive interview with Cult of Mac, he serves up surprising insight into a tech rivalry for the ages.

Many Apple employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly run into problems because of this company’s efforts to keep details on future projects from leaking out. This is forcing some of them to keep coming into the office.

Apple is prepared to pay authorized repairers maximum payouts for qualifying products amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a leaked internal memo distributed to Authorized Service Providers.

Cupertino has closed all of its own stores outside of Greater China, leaving third parties to tackle repair needs. It reportedly wants to ensure that those partners are supported financially while the outbreak spreads worldwide.

U.K. cellular network O2 has brokered a deal with Disney to become the UK’s exclusive mobile network distributor for the Disney+ steaming service.

The deal means that new and upgrading monthly customers get six months of Disney+ on O2 as a special offer. This mirrors a similar deal by Apple to offer a year’s free subscription to Apple TV+ for anyone buying a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac computer.

Apple on Tuesday made its new Beats Powerbeats headphones official after a series of big leaks. The $149 wireless buds pack the same technology as Powerbeats Pro, including the newest H1 chip, and last up to 15 hours in between charges.

You can order yours this Wednesday, March 18.

Apple Card owners who are impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have the option to skip their March payment without incurring interest.

In an email to customers, Apple said it understands that it may be difficult for some to keep up with their payments during the outbreak. The company is “committed to helping you lead a healthier financial life,” it added.

You must be aware, however, that you need to tell Apple if you don’t intend to pay this month.

France’s competition watchdog announced on Monday it has fined Apple 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) for reportedly violating antitrust laws, the biggest antitrust fine it has ever levied.

The French watchdog accuses Apple of exhibiting anti-competitive behavior through its distribution network, including reported abuse of the economic dependence of its resellers. The company plans to appeal.

Apple’s newest iOS 13.4 update could roll out to everyone on Tuesday, March 17, according to leaked Alipay marketing materials. It should be accompanied by iPadOS 13.4, tvOS 13.4, watchOS 6.2, and macOS 10.15.4.

The iPhone update, which is currently in beta testing, is expected to bring Alipay support to Apple Wallet for the first time. That would make this release a pretty big deal for iPhone owners in China.

Apple’s Powerbeats 4 headphones have landed in Walmart — and, potentially, other retailers — without any word of an official announcement.

An image of the new wireless buds was posted on Twitter on Sunday. Twitter user Eddie Wap shared an image of the new Powerbeats in red, white, and black color options. They are listed at $149, making them $50 cheaper than the $199.95 Powerbeats 3.

Apple’s forthcoming A14 processor for the iPhone 12 series will be the first Arm-based mobile processor to exceed 3GHz, a report published Sunday claims.

According to Research Snipers’ report, the new supercharged chip could hit a GeekBench 4 running score of 3.1GHz. That would be 400MHz higher than the current A13 Bionic chips’s 2.7GHz.

This week we “watch” our to-dos with Things, read the news really, really fast with NetNewsWire, make Keynote-style presentations with Markdown, and more.

Laptops are all about staying productive on the move. But many of us rely on two screens to maximize our productivity. And whether you’re at the coffee shop or working from home, you can maintain your double screen setup on your laptop.

There’s won’t be a COVID-19 version of Pac-Man, or any other equally tacky game. Apple today banned all entertainment applications that use this pandemic as a theme.

In addition, Apple reiterated an earlier rule requiring software that provides information about this global health crisis be from official sources.

Many Apple Stores across the United States are closed to consumers, but a select number are being staffed to handle pre-existing orders and already-scheduled repair pickups, according to social media posts, calls to selected stores and physical visits.

Cult of Mac was able to confirm 22 stores across the U.S. were manning their locations Saturday with a skeleton staff to finish fulfilling existing orders and repair jobs. Some stores and online agents said locations will be staffed into Sunday and as far out as March 16.

iOS 14 leaks came fast and furious this week. We rounded ’em all up in one place to give you a look at possible new features coming to iPhones and iPads this year. Yep, basically it’s everything we think we know about iOS 14.

Plus, we’ve got the lowdown on WWDC 2020 going online-only due to COVID-19 (and a related post on how to work remotely without going nuts, among other timely how-tos). And we wrap up with a review of the second episode of Amazing Stories, streaming now on Apple TV+.

You’ll find it all in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now and read it on your iPad or iPhone. Or get the links below.

Bonus: Enter now for your chance to win an Apple TV (or other streaming hardware), delightfully paired with a free one-year subscription to the streaming service of your choice.

Technology just keeps getting more portable, so it’s easier than ever to fill our bags with cool stuff. For today’s daily dose of deals, we rounded up some of our best tote-worthy tech, from portable power banks and noise-canceling earbuds to three-in-one charging cables and more.

In an unprecedented move, Apple said late Friday it will immediately close all its retail stores outside Greater China in an effort to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The stores will remain closed through March 27.

CEO Tim Cook revealed Apple’s decision to close hundreds of stores late Friday in an open letter-style press release titled “Apple’s COVID-19 response.” He wrote, “This global effort — to protect the most vulnerable, to study this virus, and to care for the sick — requires all of our care, and all of our participation.”

Apple has shuttered its 11 retail stores in Spain in an abundance of caution as the coronavirus continues to spread through Europe.

Cult of Mac has confirmed the closings will take effect Saturday after all the stores were open for business Friday. Social media reports indicate a small number of stores closed early on Friday.

The second episode of the redesigned Amazing Stories finds its legs with a story of a track star caught between life and death.

If showrunners Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz have anything even a fraction as good as this up their sleeves for the rest of the season, Amazing Stories might prove the strongest of Apple TV+ shows, considering its short episode order.