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Proposed bill could hold tech giants more accountable for child exploitation

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Proposed bill could hold tech giants more accountable for child exploitation
This could wind up being another story about encryption.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A draft bill by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham could possibly land Apple and assorted other tech giants with major lawsuits. The proposal would potentially affect tech companies who offer services with strong encryption.

It asks the government to come up with a list of best practices for tech companies to prevent cases child exploitation and abuse. That could mean banning such encryption, and making tech companies more responsible if their services are used to share these materials.

Skyle is an iPad Pro accessory that lets you navigate using eye-tracking

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Skyle is an iPad Pro accessory that lets you navigate with your eyes
Making the iPad Pro accessible to a new market.
Photo: Skyle

For most people, tap and swipe-based gestures are the perfect way to navigate on an iPad. That’s not true for everyone, however. This is why the makers of a new eye-tracking system called Skyle have developed this innovative iPad Pro accessory.

Built with the accessibility audience in mind, the system lets users insert their 12.9-inch iPad Pro into a smart protective case, plug in an eye tracker, and then use a special Skyle app to navigate their iPad with nothing more than well-placed glances.

Rose Byrne will star in new ’80s aerobics comedy for Apple TV+

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Rose Byrne
Rose Byrne starred in comedy movie Bridesmaids.
Photo: YouTube/USA Today

Apple TV+ is adding Damages and Bridesmaids star Rose Byrne to its growing stable of stars. The streaming service is reportedly “preparing to give a series order” to a new series titled Physical, starring Byrne.

The show, which will blend comedic and drama elements, is set in a 1980s SoCal beach community. Rose Byrne plays a housewife who finds new fulfilment in the world of aerobics.

That iPhone notch? It’s probably not going away anytime soon

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iPhone X notch
You're used to the notch. It's likely going to be around for a while.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 2020 flagship iPhone is rumored to have a pristine screen free of that dreaded notch.

But a social media post from a Xiaomi vice president claims the “entire industry” is far from solving the light transmission problems caused by placing front-facing cameras behind the screen.

Why Apple is right to keep ads off Apple TV+ [Opinion]

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Why Apple is right not to have ads on Apple TV+ [Opinion]
Apple's not planning to make Apple TV+ into a billboard for other companies.
Photo: Paweł Czerwiński/Unsplash

According to Tim Cook, users won’t see any ads on Apple TV+ anytime soon. Or ever.

“For the TV+ business, we feel strongly that what that customer wants is an ad-free product,” Cook said during Tuesday’s record-breaking Apple earnings call. Considering how much money Apple could rake in from advertising, that’s leaving a lot of cash on the table. But it’s also completely the right thing to do.

Apple pulls its AI from Pentagon drone program

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A MQ-9 Reaper drone won‘t ever have Apple AI software.
The US Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper can surveillance targets and strike them. Apple apparently doesn’t want any part of that.
Photo: US Air Force

Before Xnor.ai was acquired by Apple, the startup was working with the US military on Project Maven, a controversial Artificial Intelligence project related to drone imagery. That collaboration stopped when Apple purchased the company, according to an unconfirmed report.

Ninja, Mx. Claus and bison lead roster of 117 new emoji coming in 2020

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emoji
All these emoji might get added to iPhone in 2020.
Photo: Emojipedia

The full list of 117 emoji coming to Unicode 13.0 was revealed by the Unicode Consortium today ahead of their addition to smartphone keyboards later this year.

While the new list of emoji is short on new smiley faces it does add a number of interesting characters such as ninjas, a gender-neutral version of Santa Claus, a polar bear, bison and a bunch of other miscellaneous items.

Take a closer look at each one:

Apple TV+ poaches streaming video expert from Netflix

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Apple TV+ has a growing amount of content
Apple nabbed a Netflix high-level engineer with years of experience.
Photo: Apple

Ruslan Meshenberg made the jump to Apple TV+ after leaving Netflix, a top rival of Apple’s new streaming service. As the former VP of Productivity Engineering, he brings years of experience to a platform that’s still getting off the ground.

Why the iConnectAudio4+ is the best audio interface for iPad and Mac

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iConnectAudio4+ is the best gift you can buy for your iPad. And your Mac.
This is the best gift you can buy for your iPad. And your Mac.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iConnectAudio4+ isn’t a new product. It’s been around for a few years. And this isn’t really a review. This article will be more of a PSA, telling you about a unique input device can change how you use your iPad for audio.

The feature that sets the iConnectAudio4+ apart from other USB audio interfaces is that it can connect to two computers at once, and send audio to both. It can even route audio — digitally — between your Mac and your iPad.

Apple TV+ popularity might surprise you

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First 3 episodes of crime drama Truth Be Told debut on Apple TV+
“Truth Be Told” on Apple TV+ was the fourth most popular streaming show to debut last quarter.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ shows are drawing plenty of attention, according to a market-analysis firm. Six of the ten most popular streaming series premiering last quarter were reportedly made by Apple.

AT&T lost $1.2 billion last quarter building HBO Max

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HBO Max
Anyone who enjoys binging Friends episodes better learn this name.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Executives at AT&T have quickly learned that building a streaming service to compete with Apple TV+ and Netflix isn’t going to be cheap. During the company’s latest earnings call, AT&T revealed that it has already lost $1.2 billion during the creation process of HBO Max that is set to launch this May.

How to disable multitasking on your iPad

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Ulysses split view
Split View is great, but it's way too hard to use.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apparently, some people really hate multitasking on the iPad. It’s easy to see why. All you have to do is accidentally drag a link in Safari, instead of just tapping on it, and you end up with a split-screen view, with that link in its own window. And getting rid of that window is a huge pain, even if you know how to do it.

Fortunately for people who hate iPad multitasking — which isn’t really multitasking, but is Apple’s term for the confusion of multiple-window views on iPadOS — Apple lets you turn off the feature. Here’s how to disable iPad multitasking (and why you might not want to).

2021’s LCD iPhone might feature capacitive power button with Touch ID

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iPhone-Touch-ID-power
Touch ID isn't dead yet.
Mockup: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is far from done with Touch ID. The latest research note from reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates the technology will return with at least one iPhone coming in 2021 — and it will have a new home.

Apple is expected to integrate a fingerprint scanner into a new capacitive power button on the side of its more affordable LCD device.

Tesla’s Cybertruck design looks better on an iPhone

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iphone that looks like Cybertruck
What are the chances Elon Musk will have one on order by the end of the day?
Photo: Caviar

Elon Musk’s Tesla Cybertruck was laughed at by critics for its angular, alien look. But the futuristic design may win more style points on an iPhone.

Russian luxury jeweler Caviar is showing off its latest mod job, a titanium iPhone 11 Pro inspired by Musk’s prototype of an electric truck unveiled in December.

Kuo: Apple’s huge lineup of products for early 2020 includes AirPower alternative

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AirPower
Apple hasn't given up on wireless charging pads.
Photo: Apple

Apple is planning a huge lineup of products for early 2020, including a brand-new AirPower alternative, according to reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Fans can also look forward to a low-cost iPhone, upgrades to iPad Pro and the MacBook lineup, high-end headphones, and more before the summer, he reported.

Prepare your wallets for one hell of a beating!

Ming-Chi Kuo: Coronavirus could hurt Apple 2021 iPhone production

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iPhone sales
The impact of coronavirus in China could hurt Apple in 2021.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warns that Apple could experience product shipment delays and other risks if the deadly coronavirus spreading in China is not significantly contained before March.

In a note to investors Wednesday obtained by Cult of Mac, the respected soothsayer also warned that the coronavirus has caused consumer confidence in a market Apple has been trying to grow, especially with smartphones.

Wall Street analysts go all-out bullish on record Apple earnings

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Bullish Apple analysts aren’t panicking about coronavirus…yet
With strong iPhone sales and improvements in China consumer sales, Wall Street analyst can't say enough good things about Apple.
Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac

Apple’s first-quarter results have triggered confidence among analysts that the future of the company is stronger than ever on the back of the iPhone.

Wall Street analysts began reporting Wednesday their thoughts on the tech giant – everything from strong sales growth in China, to rumors of a new low-cost iPhone to a 5G-ready mobile later this year.

Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter

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Latest iPhone was 1 out of every 10 smartphones sold in US last quarter
The iPhone had a great Q4 2019.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 11 reportedly accounted for a massive 1 out of 10 of all smartphones sold in Europe and the United States during the last quarter of 2019. The iPhone also made market share gains in every major market — including the big five European countries, the US, China, Japan, and Australia.

As if people needed another reason to be wowed by Apple after its blow away earnings call Tuesday!

iOS 13 has now been installed on 70% of all devices

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iOS 13 on an iPhone X
Have you upgraded yet?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s big iOS 13 update has now made its way to an impressive 70% of all iPhones and 57% of all iPads, Cupertino’s latest data reveals.

Just 23% of Apple smartphones are running iOS 12, while a mere 7% are running an earlier version of its software. A whopping 77% of all devices introduced in the last four years have been upgraded.

Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet

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Apple debuts HomePod in India at its cheapest price yet
Apple has rolled out HomePod in a new market.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple has reduced the price of HomePod to $280, a further reduction on the $349 it charged initially for its smart speaker. Unfortunately, you’ll have to be living in India to take advantage of it.

Having released the HomePod in 2018 in the United States, Apple has finally launched it in India. This heavily populated market is comparable in size to China. However, Apple has not yet been able to make too many inroads in terms of sales.

Dropbox finally gets a dark mode on iPhone and iPad

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Dropbox-dark-mode-iPad
Get the newest update today.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest Dropbox update finally brings dark mode to iPhone and iPad.

The feature works alongside your system settings, so it can be enabled and disabled automatically based on your dark mode schedule. That means Dropbox will no longer blind you at night.

First Apple Store in India might not open this year

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India Apple Stores
Until real Apple Stores open in India, this is what customers have to use instead.
Photo: Lawrence Sinclair/Flickr CC

Apple’s first retail store in India reportedly won‘t open in time for the launch of the 2020 iPhone. And even online sales allegedly won’t begin until the second half of this year.

There have supposedly been problems in Apple’s efforts to begin selling iPhones and other devices directly to consumers in India.