A lawsuit from plaintiffs from the Democratic Republic of Congo claims that Apple is among the companies willfully exploiting the use of underage labor for cobalt mining for lithium-ion batteries.
It claims that “young children” are being forced to work full time dangerous mining jobs. They are “regularly maimed and killed” by hazards such as tunnel collapses.
This week we import photos from SD cards straight into Lightroom for iPad, make loops with L7 Looper, find the next bus or subway ride with Transit for Apple Watch, and more.
The 2019 Mac Pro: It’s a powerhouse workstation that looks like a cheese grater. And it’s the most upgradeable Apple computer in years. But you’ll pay for all that computing muscle: It starts at $5,999 and pairs with a Pro Display XDR, which starts at $4,999. Maxed-out, this monster costs an eye-watering $53,000. Even adding wheels costs $400. Still, it’s not the most expensive Mac ever — not by a long shot!
Find out more in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. You’ll also get — for free! — the rest of this week’s top Apple news stories, plus plenty of reviews and how-tos. Grab it now (or get the stories in your browser below).
Also, don’t miss your shot at winning one of 10 copies of Leander Kahney and David Pierini’s new book, The Cult of Mac, Second Edition. Enter our giveaway now! (The book’s also available now for preorder, just in case you don’t win.)
When it comes to our mobile phones, dead batteries are the great equalizer. That’s certainly true of the new iPhone 11. They are high-capacity and high-power devices, so the more you need and use them, the quicker they’ll go kaput. Not so with this slim wireless battery case.
Sandmarc, a top producer of high-quality smartphone lenses, now has a line of mounting cases for its lenses to fit on the iPhone 11 series.
Many smartphone lens makers had to rethink their mount designs after Apple rolled out new iPhones with square camera bumps. The two Pro models have three cameras in the module and companies got busy making new mounts and cases.
The new Apple TV+ series Ghostwriter is more than entertainment for children. A new video gives cast and crew a chance to talk about the role classic literature plays.
Watch it now:
Maybe my favorite Continuity feature is Apple Watch Unlock for the Mac. Once you set it up, you’ll never need to enter your password to unlock your Mac ever again — not until you restart it, anyway. It’s one of the best examples of Apple’s It Just Works™ philosophy, and it will change the way you use your Mac.
Only a handful of the latest Macs are fully compatible with Apple’s stunning new Pro Display XDR. But it turns out that other machines — such as the $5,000 iMac Pro — will work, too.
Just don’t expect a full 6K resolution.
Amazon has added support for Apple Podcasts on Amazon Echo devices, enabling users to stream more than 800,000 shows.
Users can link their Apple ID to the Alexa app, giving them the ability to not only play, but pause and resume podcasts where they left off.
Starting today, AT&T consumers in 10 cities can connect to this telecom’s 5G network. While faster than 4G, this is low-band 5G, a slower form though with greater range than mmWave.
At this time, only one handset supports this service.
One of the most useful travel features from Google Assistant is ready for the iPhone.
After bringing its real-time translation feature to Assistant-enabled smart displays and speakers earlier this year, Google is finally adding to the feature to the Google Assistant app on Android and iOS today.
Instead of writing to Santa Claus, a 10-year-old boy named Aiden sent a message to iPad magician Simon Pierro asking for a few Christmas-themed magic tricks in a YouTube video.
Pierro not only came through with Aiden’s request, but he also used the kid’s drawing of Olaf, the snowman character from Disney’s Frozen, in his unique iPad magic.
Tim Cook’s street food tour of East Asia continues. Earlier this week, Cook enjoyed a traditional breakfast in Singapore’s Tiong Bahru Market. Now he’s hopped over to Thailand, where he chowed down on some “five star” crab omelette in Bangkok with food bloggers Yota and Jira.
Oh, and visited some developers and Apple users, too. But, you know, that crab omelette!
Apple is offering its employees free genetic testing for diseases, courtesy of a deal with California genomic testing lab Color Genomics.
Cupertino offers these tests through AC Wellness, the company’s employee health clinics. The hope is that genetic testing could help employees understand potential health problems they face — and take steps to reduce risk.
Apple has been given a welcome reprieve on tariffs for the iPhone, iPad and Mac after President Donald Trump agreed to a limited trade deal with China on Thursday.
The phase one agreement means rolling back existing tariff rates on Chinese goods and canceling new tariff rates that would have gone into effect Sunday.
Wireless charging is super convenient. Even more so when you can bring it with you. This powerful, portable charger is no exception, working as a wireless charging pad and power bank. Not only is it super useful, you also get two of them.
iOS 13.3 dropped this week, bringing a brand-new parental controls feature called Communication Limits. But it comes with a serious flaw that allows kids to bypass any rules set by adults.
Apple says a workaround is available, and it is working on a fix that will be included in a future software update.
This week on The CultCast: The Mac Pro isn’t just a beauty, it’s also a beast. We cover our first impressions, plus discuss some of the insane upgrades available for Apple’s new powerhouse Mac. Plus, we reveal more of our favorite tech, shows, movies and more in our Best of the Year picks, part 2!
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It’s Friday, which means Apple just unleashed new episodes of Apple TV+ shows. Apple today debuted new installments of The Morning Show, For All Mankind, Truth Be Told and Servant. That should be enough to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Here’s what this week’s new Apple TV+ episodes have in store.
YouTube’s biggest star just dropped a brand-new game for mobile devices, but you won’t be playing it on iPhone. Poopdie is a “poopcrafting adventure” from PewDiePie that’s too disgusting for the App Store.
Its developers this week confirmed the title was rejected by Apple for “crude imagery” — despite its cartoon visuals aimed at kids.
Apple Watch users in New Zealand can now take advantage of cellular connectivity on compatible devices.
Local carrier Spark has become the first to roll out eSIM support and a new plan aimed specifically at wearables. It only serves Apple Watch Series 5 for now — but support for other devices will come later.
Apple Arcade is getting a sports franchise — and it sounds all kinds of intriguing. Ultimate Rivals brings together all-star athletes from different pro sports eras and leagues, including the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and US Women’s National Soccer Team.
Boasting a cartoony style, the game series will let you pit athletes from different sports against one another. The first game in the series? A two-on-two hockey game called Ultimate Rivals: The Rink.
Check out the trailer below:
A foldable iPhone is probably somewhere in Apple’s future, but a concept designer shows us just how amazing it might look today.
The flexible display allows this dream device to be both phone and small tablet.
Future iPhone cameras could get some big upgrades thanks to the latest company Apple purchased in the U.K.
Spectral Edge, a start-up that combines image processing with machine learning to create sharper smartphone photos, has quietly been acquired by Apple, giving the iPhone a potentially huge advantage over its competitors.
AirPods contribute as much to Apple’s bottom line as the iconic iPod did at its peak, according to an industry analyst. And Apple Watch long since passed that milestone.
Combined, Apple’s Wearables and Home products are expected to far outsell Mac and iPad this quarter.