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Secret Oops! brings silly spy-themed AR fun to Apple Arcade [Review]

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Secret Oops! is AR fun on Apple Arcade
Secret Oops! puts its virtual 3D game board in your living room.
Screenshot: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Mix a bumbling spy, a secret base, and a lot of augmented reality and you’ll get Secret Oops!, the latest addition to Apple Arcade. This innovative children’s game from MixedBag shows a virtual 3D game board in the real world through the magic of AR.

I explored the possibilities of Secret Oops!; read on to see what I found.

10 years of iPad: How Apple’s tablet changed mobile computing [Cult of Mac Magazine 334]

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10 years of iPad: How Apple's tablet changed mobile computing.
A decade ago, the iPad changed everything.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

When the iPad came out 10 years ago, some people dismissed it as nothing but a super-sized iPhone. In reality, Apple’s tablet changed mobile computing forever.

We pay tribute to the iPad in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine cover story. We’ve also featuring a rundown on Apple’s blow-out earnings call as well as the usual tips for Mac and iOS users. Plus, some sweet product reviews and recommendations.

Download your free issue now — and read it on a revolutionary iPad — or hit the links below.

Instantly double your laptop’s screen real estate [Deals]

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Duex Pro
Double your laptop screen size with a lightweight, attachable 1080p monitor.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Designers, illustrators, recording engineers, stock brokers…. Plenty of us use two screens so we can maximize productivity at the computer. That can make laptops feel like a downgrade, but with this simple upgrade, you can carry your dual-screen arrangement with you.

Save on iPhone XS, MacBook Pro and more [Deals & Steals]

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DS-Jan-31-20
And get the 10.2-inch iPad at its lowest price yet.
Photos: Apple

Retailers are seeing out January with stellar deals on some of the hottest Apple devices today. In our Deals & Steals roundup, you’ll find massive discounts on iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and more.

Here are some of the highlights:

Find all these and more in our live blog below!

Transform your Mac’s trackpad with the 3-finger drag

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Magic Trackpad foot
Clicking can be a drag.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I prefer the Mac’s trackpad to a mouse in every way but one. It’s more comfortable, it relieves RSI, it can be used equally easily by the left or right hand, and it does scrolling and multitouch. But the one thing it’s terrible at is actually clicking. Specifically, clicking and dragging to move a window, or to make a selection. And I’m still using the original Magic Trackpad, the one that runs on AA batteries. It has physical switches in its feet, so clicking is a lot harder at its top edge.

Enter the three-finger drag. This Mac accessibility setting lets you tap with three fingers to simulate a click and drag. And it does a lot more than just making it easier to move windows around the screen.

Apple’s Foundation series will be Ireland’s largest-ever production

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Troystudios
This is where the bulk of Foundation's filming will take place.
Photo: Troy Studios

Apple’s TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel trilogy, Foundation, is set to become the largest studio production in the history of Ireland.

During a press conference today, Screen Ireland revealed that Apple will create more than 500 jobs when it begins production on Foundation later this year. With its gigantic budget and epic world-building plot, Apple clearly thinks Foundation could be its answer to Game of Thrones, which was also shot in Ireland.

Your definitive Apple TV guide to watching Super Bowl LIV

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NFL Super Bowl 52 logo
Super Bowl 54 is on multiple platforms through streaming Apple TV devices, even in 4K.
Logo: NFL

Super Bowl LIV (or 54, if you don’t prefer Roman numerals) will take place Sunday in a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

For Apple TV users, there are lots of ways to watch, for free and not so free. Here’s your complete guide.

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.