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AirPods sales spike means total market domination

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AirPods-Pro-vs-AirPods
AirPods and AirPods Pro outsell all rivals by a wide margin.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple sold almost 60 million AirPods wireless headphones in 2019, according to a market-analysts firm. That’s a dramatic increase from the 35 million the company is estimated to have sold the year before.

And Apple took the lion’s share of 2019 sales of totally wireless (TWS) headsets.

FBI cracks iPhone Pro 11, raising doubts about demand for Apple backdoor

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Apple Store employee fired after stealing personal photo from customers' iPhone
Why is the FBI demanding Apple help to create a ‘backdoor’ to unlock iPhones when it has GrayKey? That's a good question.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Revelations that the FBI has access to a tool that can unlock data on secure iPhones are raising questions as to why the agency is demanding Apple help to create a “backdoor” to recover data on the iPhones of a Florida shooting suspect.

Apple wants patent trolls to stop ‘gaming the system’

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Apple wants patent trolls to stop ‘gaming the system’
Apple and other multinationals are fed up with being sued by patent trolls.
Photo: Andrew Becraft/Flickr CC

Apple is among the companies which want to stop so-called patent trolls from stifling innovation with their claims.

A patent troll, for those unfamiliar with it, is a person or company that holds patent portfolios but does not actually make any products. Instead, they earn their money by licensing out the technology — or suing companies which use it unlawfully. And Apple and 34 other multinationals — including Microsoft and BMW — are none-too-happy about them.

Get help dialing in your daily eating habits with this highly rated app [Deals]

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Eat This Much
This meal-planning platform makes it easy to eat well by organizing and planning your shopping and cooking.
Photo: Travis Yewell

Eating is easy, but eating right can be pretty hard. There’s temptation and misinformation everywhere, so it’s important to have a trusty guide that also can keep you honest and on track. That’s just what this daily diet assistant offers.

Latest AI acquisition shows Apple isn’t sacrificing privacy for machine smarts

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Latest AI acquisition shows Apple isn’t sacrificing privacy for machine smarts
Apple is embracing machine intelligence, without losing sight of the human factor.
Photo: Universal

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), Apple wants to have its cake and eat it, too. That is to say that it wants cutting edge data-driven machine learning on its devices, without violating its own user privacy pledge.

And you know what? It’s managing to pull it off — as the company’s latest AI startup acquisition underlines.

Here’s what Tim Cook sends to Apple employees after 5 years of service

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Here's what Tim Cook sends to Apple employees after 5 years of service
But who signs Tim Cook's certificates?
Photo: Lemont Washington

What do you get when you’ve been at Apple for five years — aside from a (hopefully nice) paycheck and the knowledge that you’re valued enough by the world’s biggest tech company that they want to keep you around for half a decade?

The answer: A nifty five years plaque you can hang up on your wall, signed by none other than CEO Tim Cook.

Apple TV+ series Servant accused of ripping off Sundance movie

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Apple TV+ series Servant accused of ripping off Sundance movie
Apple TV+ has its first lawsuit.
Photo: Apple

M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop’s Servant may be arguably the best of the Apple Originals. But it may not be so, well, original, according to a new lawsuit filed against Apple.

The suit claims that the spooky Apple TV+ drama borrows a fair amount from Francesca Gregorini’s 2013 film The Truth About Emanuel.

YouTube’s Luke Miani reveals lessons on buying old MacBooks by the dozen

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YouTuber Luke Miani and his pile of MacBooks video
Luke Miani doesn't think you should buy 12 used MacBook Pros. But he will to prove a point about buying used Apple computers on eBay.
Screenshot: Luke Miani/YouTube

Search YouTube for Apple-related content, and you will easily find hosts who unbox, hosts who hack, hosts who fawn, and, of course, plenty who throw snark and shade.

Then there’s Luke Miani, whose Apple-centric videos with a rising number of views fall under a different category: useful.

Save a ton on these awesome AirPods and Apple Watch accessories

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Elkson-Apple-Watch-Sport
Bag this brilliant Apple Watch band for under $11!
Photo: Elkson

Elkson makes some absolutely terrific accessories for AirPods and Apple Watch, then goes and sells them at amazingly low prices. And you can get yours even less today from the Cult of Mac Store.

We’ve slashed up to 40% off of a number of Elkson’s best products, including a protective AirPods case that adds wireless charging, an incredibly comfortable Apple Watch band, and more.

Apple hires drone, aviation specialist as DC lobbyist

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Apple lobbyist Lisa Ellman with the DJI Mavic Air Drone
Apple sells and uses drones, and so retained Lisa Ellman, an expert in unmanned aircraft law, to lobby in Washington on its behalf.
Photo: Apple/Hogan Lovells

Apple hired an expert on drones and aviation law as a lobbyist. But this doesn’t mean the company is about to introduce a line of unmanned aircraft.

Audient Evo ‘evolutionizes’ iOS audio recording

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Audient's new Evos look as good as they (probably) sound.
Audient's new Evos look as good as they (probably) sound.
Photo: Audient

Audient’s Evo is an excellent-looking new iOS-friendly USB audio interface. Like all other “sound cards,” the Evo lets you hook up speakers, headphones, and connect microphones, guitars, and so on. It then connects to a computer or iDevice via USB, so you can route all that audio in and out of your apps.

But the Evo brings a few clever extras. One is the Smartgain feature, which automatically sets your input levels. The other is something called loopback, which lets you record your iPhone’s own output. This is handy on the Mac and Windows, but essential on iOS, and very welcome.

Apple acquires Xnor.ai for faster, more private iPhone artificial intelligence

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Xnor.ai promises AI everywhere.
Xnor.ai’s artificial intelligence software for mobile devices is likely headed for iPhones.
Photo: Xnor.ai

Apple purchased Xnor.ai, a company that creates artificial intelligence software for mobile devices. The acquisition will apparently lead to AI applications running directly on iPhones, iPads, etc., not outsourced to the cloud. This should make these tasks more private and quicker.

Spike Jonze’s Beastie Boys Story headed for Apple TV+

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Spike Jonze directed Beastie Boys in “Sabotage”
Spike Jonze directed the Beastie Boys in Sabotage. Now they’re collaborating on an Apple TV+ movie.
Photo: Beastie Boys

A documentary about the rap group the Beastie Boys written and directed by Spike Jonze reportedly will debut on Apple TV+ this spring.

It will also supposedly be the first film from Apple’s streaming service to appear in theaters.

This guitar made out of 106 iPhones actually works

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This custom iPhone guitar from Copper Guitars is the most rockin' iPhone mod ever.
This might be the most rockin' iPhone mod ever.
Photo: Copper Guitars

Crazy Russian modders have one-upped themselves yet again by creating an absolutely absurd guitar made out of 106 iPhones (and one iPod touch).

The one-of-a-kind working guitar, with a neck based on a 1999 Fender Telecaster, is being sold by Moscow-based guitar shop Copper Guitars. We’ve seen some pretty wild ways to repurpose old Apple devices, but this is the most metal one yet. And it could be yours for just over $6,000.

Take a closer look:

How to use Low Data Mode on iPhone and iPad

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Low Data Mode
A lazy metaphor for data.
Photo: Tobias Fischer on Unsplash

You surely know about the iPhone’s Low Power Mode already, but did you know there’s also a Low Data Mode? Just like the battery-saving setting, Low Data Mode cuts back on data usage, only connecting to the internet for essential data or when you explicitly request a connection. In practice, your active usage won’t be affected much. It’s all the background stuff that gets cut off.

Here’s how to set up Low Data Mode on your iPhone or iPad.

Google now lets you use iPhone as a physical security key

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Google
Your iPhone is now a physical 2FA key.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google is finally letting iPhone owners use their device as a physical two-factor authorization security key for Google services thanks to a new update to the Google Smart Lock app for iOS.

The new feature uses the iPhone’s Secure Enclave to store private keys. Now, instead of having a 2FA code texted to you, Google can send it over Bluetooth, making your accounts less vulnerable to phishing attempts and other hacks.

Fortnite’s newest update makes playing on iOS better than ever

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Fortnite mobile controller
You can now play at 120Hz on iPad Pro.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Fortnite just got its first update of 2020, and while it may look like a small and insignificant release at first glance, it actually makes playing on iOS devices better than ever.

The version 11.40 update finally adds support for L3 and R3 buttons on compatible controllers. And those playing on iPad Pro can now enjoy super-speedy gameplay at up to 120 frames-per-second.

Steve Bannon says Trump could ‘drop the hammer’ on Apple

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Steve Bannon says President Donald Trump could
Steve Bannon was formerly an advisor to President Trump.
Photo: CNBC

Steve Bannon, the ex-Breitbart chairman and former chief strategist for Donald Trump, warns that the president will “drop the hammer” on Apple if it doesn’t work with authorities.

Bannon is referring to the current standoff regarding whether Apple should unlock iPhones used by the shooter who killed three people at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in December.

Twitter will ‘probably never’ let you edit your tweets, CEO says

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Twitter has changed its mind on deleting inactive user accounts (for now)
Twitter is crushing dreams in 2020.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey this week warned that Twitter will “probably never” let you edit your tweets.

Editing has long been the most-requested feature among the Twitter community. But despite making some “practical considerations,” the micro-blogging network has dashed hopes it will ever happen.

Is a hacksaw the best way to remove an iMac stand?

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Sawing an iMac
Well, that's one way to hack a Mac.
Photo: Kirill Zakharov/Twitter

Travelling with your iMac and perturbed by the fact that it won’t fit in your carry-on luggage? No problem: You can just take a hacksaw and chop off the offending stand. Then simply reattach it at the other end and hope that Jony Ive or his successor doesn’t stop by for a quick spot-check.

That’s the horror movie scenario that Kirill Zakharov, head of design at Unsplash, recently shared on Twitter about a trip overseas by a friend of his dad. Apple fans reacted with the shock you might expect!

Building responsive websites is easy as stacking blocks [Deals]

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Blocs for Mac
Create responsive websites, no coding required thanks to easy-to-use web design software.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s no end to the reasons you might want to build a website, but there’s also no end of challenges in getting one off the ground. But with the right website builder, you can get a sleek, responsive website up and running without a single line of code.

India may offer subsidized loans to win Apple manufacturing bids

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
India has big plans for being a smartphone manufacturing hub in the coming years.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

India wants to woo Apple suppliers into opening factories in the country. To that end, it may offer attractive subsidized loans to make it more appealing.

The proposals by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology may be part of a new federal budget for February. Alongside the subsidized loans for opening factories, it would also cover “industrial zones equipped with taxation and customs clearance.”