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Thinner 2020 iPhone may look disappointingly familiar

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Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
Will 2020 be the year of the big iPhone design change? Maybe not.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone is due for a design change in 2020, having last received an overhaul with the iPhone X in 2017. However, you may be waiting a bit longer, if a new report from Mac Otakara is to be believed.

The online publication claims that the iPhone 12 could boast the same housing design as the iPhone 11. The only big changes would be the camera technology and overall size and thickness of the devices.

Here’s how iPhones might do interchangeable lenses

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patent illustration for iPhone lens mount
Now that's a camera bump.
Illustration: Apple/USPTO

The camera bump on future iPhones could include an “interlock arrangement” for mounting additional third-party lenses, according to a patent awarded to Apple.

The idea sounds potentially compromising to the svelte design we’ve come to expect from our iPhones. Sure, “the best camera is the one in your pocket” — but in the future, you just might need a bag.

Share your music with other AirPods, wirelessly

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AirPods sharing
Things are about to get romantic.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you and a friend both have AirPods or Beats headphones, you can share audio coming from a single iPhone or iPad. This is great for listening to the same music track or podcast, or — most useful I reckon — watching a movie together. Apple makes it really easy for you to share your audio stream with someone else. In fact, you could say it’s easier than doing it the old way, because A) there are no wires to get tangled and B) there’s no splitter adapter to lose.

Here’s how to set up audio sharing on AirPods.

Why it’s a great time to upgrade your aging MacBook

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Apple devices
Don’t let your old Mac drag you down. Cult of Mac can help you upgrade on the cheap.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Whether you need ample power or exceptional portability, it’s a great time to bag a new MacBook, with discounts of up to $300 on the latest Apple notebooks. And Cult of Mac can help make yours even more affordable.

Sell your old machine to us and we’ll give you a great price. We will also cough up real cash, so you can spend it wherever you like.

iPhone 11 solidly outsells Pro series

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iPhone 11 continues to shine while iPhone 11 Pro Max sales flatten out
Apple sold nearly three times as many iPhone 11 units as it did either of the more expensive Pro models.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The budget iPhone 11 version was Apple’s biggest seller by a very wide margin last quarter, according to a market-research firm. It has the lion’s share of all iOS sales.

Still, the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max also sold fairly well in Q4 2019, making up a higher proportion of Apple’s total sales than the iPhone XS series did in the same period the year before.

Judge greenlights Apple’s lawsuit against former chip engineer

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Apple sues former chief architect of iPhone chips
Apple is suing its former chip engineer, center, for breach of contract.
Photo: Nuvia

A chip engineer who left Apple to start a new company lost ground in court after a judge allowed the tech giant to move forward with a breach-of-contract suit against him.

Gerard Williams III asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Mark Pierce to dismiss the suit, saying California law allows people to plan new business ventures while employed elsewhere. But Pierce denied the request, telling Williams the law doesn’t allow people to “create a competitive enterprise … on their employer’s time and with the employer’s resources.”

Tim Cook calls for global overhaul of corporate taxes

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Tim Cook delivers the goods at Apple's iPhone 11 event.
Cook says worldwide corporate tax reform is "desperately" needed and that Euroepan privacy regulation needs tightening.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook called for worldwide corporate tax reform Monday, saying the tech giant “desperately” wants the system to be fair.

Speaking in Ireland at an awards event, Cook said he thinks “logically everybody knows it needs to be rehauled. I would certainly be the last person to say that the current system or the past system was the perfect system.”

Jennifer Aniston bags Screen Actors Guild award for The Morning Show

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The Morning Show's Billy Crudup earns Apple TV+ its first major awards win
Jennifer Aniston and Billy Crudup in The Morning Show.
Photo: Apple

Jennifer Aniston earned a Screen Actors Guild award for her portrayal of embattled news anchor Alex Levy in The Morning Show.

The former Friends star, who also co-produces the Apple TV+ show, won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Aniston beat out Olivia Coleman of The Crown and Jodie Comer of Killing Eve.

AirPods Pro noise cancellation spoiled by firmware updates, users say

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AirPods-Pro-vs-AirPods
Have you noticed a change?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

AirPods Pro’s brilliant noise cancellation feature gives them a huge advantage over regular AirPods. Except when that noise cancellation feature doesn’t work properly.

A growing number of users say their buds aren’t blocking out background noise as effectively as they once did. And testing confirms that to be the case.

Snowboarders show how cool ‘slofies’ can be

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A snowboarder takes a slofie
A snowboarder takes a slow-mo selfie with an iPhone 11.
Screencap : Apple

Apple doesn’t want iPhone 11 owners to forget they can record slofies: slow-motion video of themselves taken with the front-facing camera. As a reminder, the company posted a pair of selfie videos of professional snowboarders captured while they’re doing tricks.

Watch them now:

Apple TV+ spring 2020 boasts Amazing Stories, Chris Evans and 5 more shows

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Chris Evans plays a conflicted district attorney in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+.
Chris Evans takes on a dramatic role in Defending Jacob on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

No less than seven new shows will debut on Apple TV+ before the middle of this year. There’s Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories reboot, a thriller starring Chris Evans, a mystery, two comedies and a pair of multipart documentaries.

And Apple says an animated comedy by the creator of Bob’s Burgers will launch this summer. Here’s a rundown of the other new Apple TV+ shows coming in early 2020.

Score a lifetime of language lessons on your iPhone [Deals]

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Babbel App Image
Learn 14 languages and access more than 10,000 hours of high-quality language education online.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Learning a language takes consistency and daily practice. That’s why language apps are so great, they’re with you wherever you go and available whenever you’re ready to study. With this deal from Babble, you can study 14 languages across more than 10,000 hours of high-quality online language lessons, for life.

Apple allegedly eyes 1,500-employee office space in Munich

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thekarl
The Karl has been designed by Chipperfield Architects.
Photo: Chipperfield Architects

Apple might be preparing to make a big expansion into Germany, based on the latest real estate rumors leaking out of the country.

According to a recent report, construction on the “Karl” office building in Munich is set to be completed in 2021. Currently, no tech company has publicly stated it will move into the building, which could house as many as 1,500 employees. However, strong hints point toward Apple as the upcoming occupant.

Biopics of Oprah, Big Bird and more head for Apple TV+

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Oprah Winfrey says Apple TV+ can have a genuine impact on humanity.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the celebrities to be profiled on the Apple TV+ series “Dear...”
Photo: Apple

A documentary series dubbed Dear… will profile internationally recognized leaders in a unique way: each will feature letters written to the subject of the biopic by people whose lives they’ve changed. That’s the source for the name of the series, which is headed for Apple TV+ in a few months.

Robin ProLine video doorbell is first with HomeKit Secure Video

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The industrial finish on the ProLine HomeKit video doorbell looks gorgeous.
The Robin ProLine Video Doorbell now securely stores and transmits its video recordings.
Photo: Robin Telecom Development

Support for Apple’s new HomeKit Secure Video system has been added to the Robin ProLine Video Doorbell. With this combination, users can see who is at their door while staying assured that this information is kept private.

Apple won‘t save you if you default on your Apple Card

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Apple Card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
Apple is the face of the Apple Card, but Goldman Sachs really controls it.
Photo: Apple

Don’t expect Apple to go easy on you if you get delinquent on payments to your Apple Card. Because that is not in Apple’s control.

The credit card is underwritten by Goldman Sachs. And the bank made it clear this week that it alone makes the decisions about collections from delinquent cardholders.

Buying used Macs on eBay is YouTube gold [Cult of Mac Magazine 332]

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Luke Miani might be eBay's ultimate Mac bargain hunter.
Luke Miani might be eBay's ultimate Mac bargain hunter.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Luke Miani isn’t afraid to take a header when it comes to buying used Macs on eBay. He’ll scoop up piles of Apple laptops in various states of disrepair, then swap out parts or fix them up as needed. His ultimate goal? Scoring a sweet deal — and dishing out some serious knowledge.

Miani dutifully documents his eBay adventures, then shares the fruits of his labor with a growing audience on YouTube. We talked with Miani about his operation, and you can get the scoop in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Also inside: All the latest Apple news, plus helpful how-tos for iPhone, iPad and AirPods Pro owners.

Snag 4 super-useful Mac apps for under $20 [Deals]

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Four Utility Mac Apps
Each of these awesome Mac apps is under 20 bucks.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Upgrading your Mac doesn’t have to mean downgrading your bank account. These four Mac utility apps are among the best you can get, and right now you can grab each one for less than $20. Whether you want powerful dictation software, a superior iTunes alternative, an iPhone ringtone creator or a YouTube video downloader/converter, these great Mac apps deliver the goods — at big discounts!

iOS beta adds off switch for iPhone 11 Location Services

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iPhone 11 Max Pro cameras
The next iOS update will have an additional off switch for Location Services after recently data privacy concerns.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple is testing an iOS fix for Location Services that will potentially allay any privacy concerns among iPhone 11 users.

Apple makes privacy part of its brand yet found itself answering questions when a security news site in December discovered the iPhone 11 Pro continued to track user location even after all Location Services toggles were switched off.

Student loses 140 pounds in a year playing Pokémon Go

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After losing 140 pounds playing Pokémon Go, Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier.
Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier, thanks to Pokémon Go.
Photo: Niantic

The world views video gamers as couch potatoes who spend countless hours in front of the TV, and that may be true, for the most part. But there are some spectacular exceptions to the rule.

Tommy Monkhouse credits Pokémon Go for changing his life in a big way by helping him lose a whopping 140 pounds in just one year simply by walking.

This Mac plush will make screen time cuddly

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plush Mac by Philip Lee
Say "Hello" to this softy.
Photo: Philip Lee

Philip Lee makes toys that disrupt our logic boards with mushy feelings.

The Hong Kong designer, known for his cute Classicbots line inspired by classic Macs, will launch two new toys this year that should bring a twinkle to the Apple of your eye.

Meryl Streep will narrate Apple’s 2020 Earth Day short film

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Here-we-are
Apple is taking a different tone on Earth Day this year.
Photo: Apple

Meryl Streep, the greatest actress of her generation, is finally teaming up with Apple.

Apple revealed today that Streep will lend her vocal talents to the company’s animated Earth Day short film, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth. The roster also includes vocal performances by Chris O’Dowd, Jacob Tremblay, and Ruth Negga.