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Save a bumbling spy in Secret Oops! on Apple Arcade

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Secret Oops! debuted today on Apple Arcade
Keep an inept agent alive in Secret Oops!, an augmented-reality title on Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple/Mixedbag

Secret Oops! is an innovative augmented-reality game that asks players to save the world’s dumbest spy. Guide Special Agent Charles through an AR landscape, with multiple players using an iPhone or iPad to see the same virtual board in the real world.

It debuted today on Apple Arcade.

Struggling Apple display-maker secures massive bailout

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Struggling Apple display-maker secures massive bailout
Japan Display makes screens for Apple's LCD iPhones.
Photo: Apple

Beleaguered Apple display-maker Japan Display revealed Friday that it has agreed a $918.87 million bailout deal that will throw it a major lifeline as it attempts to claw its way back to profitability.

The money comes for Japanese investment fund, Ichigo Asset Management. Ichigo’s CEO will become Japan Display’s new chairman, while the deal will make Ichigo the company’s largest shareholder.

Low-cost iPhone in trial production: reports

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apple logo
Apple is ramping up production on a budget iPhone.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is already in trial production of a budget-friendly iPhone with mass production set to begin in a couple of weeks, according to supply-chain insiders.

Rumors of either an iPhone SE2 or iPhone 9 have been swirling for months with an unveiling likely in March.

Use the weekend to pick up a new skill [Deals]

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New Skills To Learn Over The Weekend
Take the weekend to learn coding, business management, freelance skills and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The weekend is a great time to relax, but it’s also a great time to focus on self improvement. You could practice an instrument, go to the gym, or any number of other healthy activities. Or, with these short, information-packed lessons, you can improve your professional prospects. These cover coding, management, data analytics and freelance content creation, so there’s something for everyone.

International governments plan to rethink tax rules for the ‘digital age’

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International governments plan to rethink tax rules for the ‘digital age’
Tim Cook has said he would welcome new rules.
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels CC

The tax rules need rewriting for the digital age, and finally the world’s governments are doing something about it. On Friday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation announced that 137 governments around the world have agreed to launch a rewrite of tax rules for multinational companies the digital age.

Tax officials from the countries in question have agreed to meet in Paris for negotiations about how this might work. The aim is to crack down on the kind of tax avoidance that can happen when multinationals shuttle their profits around to different countries.

Apple TV+ serves up zero new content for second week running

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Switched off TV
Nothing new to watch on Apple TV+ this weekend.
Photo: PJ Gal-Szabo/Unsplash

For the second week in a row, Apple TV+ has had a quiet Friday — with zero new content uploaded to the streaming service.

By comparison, this week Netflix debuted seven new series including Next in Fashion, Ragnarok and a sixth season of BoJack Horseman. Disney+, meanwhile, delivered new episodes of Diary of a Future President and Marvel Hero Project, exclusive short Lamp Life and the 2019 Lion King remake.

Apple has a plan to simplify one-time passcodes

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Apple has a plan to simplify one-time passcodes
Apple wants to make this process a whole lot more seamless.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s two-factor verifications have greatly increased security for users. Now Apple wants to make the process more streamlined by standardizing the format of SMS messages which contain one-time passcodes.

Apple WebKit engineers explained the proposal on online code repository GitHub. Alongside Apple, the project also has the support of Google Chromium engineers. Mozilla’s Firefox has yet to get on board.

Last chance: 77% off Just Mobile accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch

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The HoverDock for Apple Watch is perfect for Nightstand mode.
The prettiest Apple Watch dock money can buy?
Photo: Just Mobile

Treat yourself to some awesome new Apple Watch and iPhone accessories with up to 77% off Just Mobile products in the Cult of Mac Store.

You’ll find iPhone cases and screen protectors, Apple Watch charging stands, and portable battery packs all reduced to some of their lowest prices to date. Prices start at just $7.95!

But be quick — this sale must end tomorrow, January 31.

Apple TV+ lands SNL’s Cecily Strong for musical comedy

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SNL's Cecily Strong comedy for Apple TV+
Giving Apple TV+ a Strong comedy lineup.
Screenshot: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong is bringing her comedy chops to Apple TV+ for a musical series about a couple who discover a strange town while backpacking.

Apple is reportedly nearing a series order for the comedy, created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, writers known for the Despicable Me franchise.

Dashlane Super Bowl ad points the way to ‘Password Paradise’ 

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Dashlane Super Bowl ad 2020: Without a proper password manager, things look mighty grim.
Without a proper password manager, things look mighty grim.
Image: Dashlane

This post is brought to you by Dashlane.

Dashlane’s first Super Bowl ad gets mythic to evoke the nightmare that is trying to manage your passwords without a proper tool. The unmistakable message: Without Dashlane — the official password manager of Cult of Mac — you’re basically doomed to internet purgatory.

This is the most realistic 2020 iPhone concept we’ve seen yet

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iphone-12
The 2020 iPhone could pack some serious camera upgrades.
Photo: Hacker 34

The grand unveiling of the iPhone 12 (or whatever Apple calls it) is still over half a year away, but you can already get a pretty good idea of what to expect thanks to a new concept video.

Most iPhone concept videos we see throw in a bunch of unrealistic features. Instead of focusing on what could be, the Hacker 34’s new concept video brings to life all the reliable rumors we’ve heard so far. The concept won’t wow you with promises of a holographic display and instead focuses on the iterative changes we’re likely to see in 2020.

This is about as close to the 2020 iPhone commercial you’re going to see right now:

EU regulators move closer to banning Lightning cable

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The bottom of the XR: The Lightning port isn't perfectly aligned with the speaker holes, and of course, there's no speaker jack.
The days every iPhone has a Lightning port may well be numbered.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

In a move that seems squarely aimed at killing Apple’s Lightning port, a large majority of the European Parliament voted in favor of establishing a common charger standard for mobile devices.

This is only a step in a process that is likely to see the Lightning connector banned from devices sold in Europe, but it’s a significant one.

iPads are flying off store shelves

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Here’s the 10.2-inch iPad for 2019.
The first 10.2-inch iPad brought a surge of iPad sales.
Photo: Apple

Apple has a real hit on its hands with the 10.2-inch iPad it launched last fall. It helped push Apple to a 22.7% year-over-year increase in tablet shipments last quarter, according to a market-research firm.

iPadOS devices continue to vastly outsell all their rivals, and Apple increased its lead in the final three months of 2019.

How to use scroll-bar scrubbing on iPadOS and iOS 13

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scroll-bar scrubbing
Get ready for scroll-bar scrubbing.
Photo: Cult of Mac

We all know how to scroll through long documents or lists on iOS, right? You swipe on the screen, and then keep doing it, over and over, as fast as possible, like some kind of maniac. And, at some point in the future, you will probably arrive at the other end of the list. Scrolling to the very top is easy — just touch the top of the screen. But in iOS 13, you can grab the scroll bar that appears on the right side of the screen, and use it to navigate.

This is a really, really useful feature. Here’s how it works.

Apple debuts redesigned Maps with major U.S. improvements

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Apple-Maps-Jan-20-update
It offers more detail and Apple's answer to Street View.
Photo: Apple

Apple today rolled out its major Maps redesign to all users in the United States. It packs big improvements, including better road and pedestrian data, more precise addresses, and more detailed land coverage. It also offers Look Around, Apple’s answer to Google Maps’ Street View, in select locations.

Shrewd millennial investors make Apple their top stock pick

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Apple waives developer fees for nonprofits, others in 8 additional countries
AAPL shares have been boomin the last 12 months.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Millennials don’t just love Apple for the iPhone. Turns out AAPL is also their favorite stock.

A recent survey of over 734,000 portfolios from US-based investors with an average age of 31 found that Apple and Amazon are the two most popular stocks with young investors by a long shot.

J. Lo’s Super Bowl halftime show is coming to Apple Music as ‘visual album’

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superbowl
J. Lo and Shakira are sharing the stage for this year's show.
Photo: Pepsi Co.

Music fans won’t even need to tune into Super Bowl LIV to catch a glimpse of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s joint halftime show.

The NFL revealed today that all musical performances at this year’s big game will be released as a visual album on Apple Music. Along with the J. Lo/Shakira set, you’ll also be able to stream the National Anthem with Demi Lovato and America the Beautiful with Yolanda Adams.

Apple closes 3 China stores over coronavirus worries

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apple store in shangahi
The Shanghai Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

Government-ordered quarantines in place to contain a deadly coronavirus outbreak in China have forced Apple to temporarily close three stores in the country.

Apple’s good news about a record-breaking quarter this week have been tempered as executives monitor conditions in a country critical to the mass production of its most popular devices, especially the iPhone.

iOS 13.3.1 eliminates iPhone XR’s connectivity issues on O2

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iPhone XR 1
You can use your iPhone XR on O2 again.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s most recent iOS update eliminates the connectivity issues plaguing iPhone XR owners on O2, the U.K.’s second-largest carrier.

Many users have been unable to make calls or browse the internet without being connected to Wi-Fi. But O2 today confirmed that updating to iOS 13.3.1 restores normal functionality.