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T-Mobile makes 5G just $15 a month. Maybe.

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T-Mobile 5G service
T-Mobile 5G hits the airwaves next month, for way less that most people probably expected.
Photo: T-Mobile

When the 5G iPhone launches next year, it’ll be able to connect to the T-Mobile 5G network for as little as $15 a month. That’s half what the carrier currently charges for 4G service.

Dropping prices seems to part of T-Mobile working to convince skeptics that its merger with Sprint will be a big win for consumers. And that’s the ringer here: its new ultra-low cost plan is available only if the merger goes through.

This $10 dongle changed how I use my iPad

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USB-C adapter
Anker’s little dongle is super handy.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The latest iPad Pro comes with a proper USB port, in the shape of USB-C. Now, as long as you can find the right cable or adapter, you can plug in pretty much anything short of a printer, and it will work as expected.

But you still need to find the right cable, or resort to a USB hub (none of which are really designed to work well with a tablet). In the past, that meant buying lots of USB-C to microUSB, USB-C to miniUSB, USB-C to USB-B cables, and so on.

If only I’d discovered this USB-C adapter first.

macOS Catalina 10.15.2 goes into beta testing

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macOS Catalina 10.15.2 beta available for developers
Developers get their first taste of macOS Catalina 10.15.2 in beta form.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Testing for the next version of macOS just began. macOS Catalina 10.15.2 will replace a update that came out only a week ago, but Apple never really stops work on any of its operating systems.

All we know at this point is that the initial beta of this upcoming version makes a few tweaks to networking, but more significant changes are possible.

iOS 13.2.2 finally brings big memory bug fix

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iOS Apps Main
You should update your iPhone pronto.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iPhone and iPad owners received a critical software update this morning aimed at fixing one of the most annoying bugs in iOS 13.2.

iOS 13.2.2 and iPadOS 13.2.2 come just over a week after Apple released iOS 13.2, which contains a nasty memory bug that causes apps to quit unexpectedly in the background. The recent iOS 13.3 beta added a fix for the memory bug, but now everyone can enjoy the bug fix without having to install beta software.

How to make the most of the Files app’s column view in iPadOS

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Column view
Check out the columns on that!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 brought all kinds of neat new features to the Files app, aka the iOS Finder. But maybe the best of all these is the new column view, a very Mac-like view of all the files and folders stored on your iPad. It’s not just an easy-to-browse view, either. The Files app column view also introduces a preview panel with plenty of tricks of its own.

EU eyes Apple Pay and its competitive edge

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Apple Pay on iPhone and Apple Watch
Apple Pay is the only NFC payment system allowed on iPhone. Is that anticompetitive, or Apple just being safe?
Screenshot: Apple

In August, EU antitrust investigators sent a questionnaire to banks and developers of rival payment systems about Apple Pay. They’ve gotten an earful, according to Margrethe Vestager, the EU Competition Commissioner.

Adobe chief defends Photoshop for iPad following poor reviews

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Photoshop-iPad
As the great D:Ream once sang, things can only get better.
Photo: Apple

It’s no secret that Photoshop for iPad is unfinished. A lot of fans have accepted that and are enjoying it for what it is. But others are not, and they’ve forced one Adobe chief to defend its current state.

Scott Belsky, the company’s chief product officer, took to Twitter this week to explain Adobe’s process — and to promise that Photoshop for iPad will get better.

Your amazing iPhone photos could win you a bar of gold

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first place, series, ippa
From the first-place winner in portrait series for 2019 on HIV positive youth called Young Survivors. This was shot on iPhone 8 in Kasese, Uganda.
Photo: Carol Allen Storey/iPhone Photography Awards

Do you have iPhone photos you’re proud of? They might be stunning enough to win you some Apple gear or a bar of gold.

The iPhone Photography Awards today announced a call for entries for consideration of its 13th contest.

Apple II screenshots required a whole lot of extra hardware

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Running Apple II programs on a Mac with an Apple IIe Card was pretty darn awesome.
Kids today don't know how lucky they are.
Photo: Microwavemont/YouTube

Taking a full-screen screenshot on a modern Mac or iPhone is just a matter of tapping a couple of buttons. But things used to be a whole lot more challenging, as longstanding Apple employee Chris Espinosa recently shared on Twitter.

Kids (and “how to” article writers) today don’t know how good they’ve got it!

Spanish Siri labels Bolivian president a ‘dictator’

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Spanish Siri labels Bolivian president a ‘dictator’
Siri's getting political. (Until Apple fixed it.)
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Siri is in trouble again — or, at least, Siri’s Spanish-speaking cousin. According to a new report, the Spanish language version of Siri has been criticized for describing long-standing Bolivian president Evo Morales as a “dictator.”

Morales recently won a controversial fourth presidential term in Bolivia. However, thousands of citizens have marched across the country decrying voter fraud. It seems that Spanish language Siri was spiritually among them.

Shoot cinema-quality smooth video with this 3-in-1 discounted gimbal [Deals]

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Hohem iSteady
Take stunning photos and videos with this 3-in-1 gimbal.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

From dedicated digital cameras to smartphones, advances in technology have put incredible image quality in the palms of our hands. The images we can create with pocket-sized cameras are on par with professional optics from years past. But these are hand-held cameras, so the quality of video we shoot is still limited by how steadily we can hold them. Not so if you have this universal gimbal stabilizer.

Supercell’s Rush Wars goes to the big App Store in the sky

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Supercell’s Rush Wars has gone to the big App Store in the sky
You really had to rush to play this one.
Photo: Supercell

It’s easy to look at games like Clash of Clans and think that, with the right marketing budget and remorseless pushing of in-app purchases, anyone could create a money-printing mobile game powerhouse. Sadly, that’s not the case — as the sad ballad of Rush Wars makes clear.

Developed by Supercell, the company behind Clash of Clans, the game has already been pulled by its creators. It never even had the chance to exit beta.

Qualcomm may have just hinted that 5G iPhones are coming in 2020

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
Coming soon to a pocket near you. Hopefully.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf predicts 175 million to 225 million 5G handsets will be sold in 2020. The company is also expecting new flagship devices with its 5G chips to be made available for sale next fall.

While that’s far from a guarantee, the comments provide more (possible) clues that 2020 could be when we get the first 5G iPhones.

BritBox steps up fight against Apple TV+ with UK expansion

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BritBox
Enjoy BritBox today on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Photo: BritBox

BritBox has stepped up its fight against Apple TV+ and other streaming services by expanding its reach to the United Kingdom.

Priced at just £5.99 a month, the service offers an impressive catalog of content from leading British TV channels — including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

You can no longer downgrade from iOS 13.2 if you’ve already upgraded

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You can no longer downgrade from iOS 13.2 if you've already upgraded
Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.1.2 and 13.1.3 following the release of iOS 13.2.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Following the release of iOS 13.2, Apple has stopped signing previous versions iOS 13.1.2 and 13.1.3. That means that it’s no longer possible to downgrade again from the latest version of iOS if you’ve already upgraded.

To paraphrase T-Bird in 1994’s The Crow, “This is the world of iOS 13.2. There ain’t no coming back.”

Pebbled leather makes Courant Carry a luxury wireless powerbank [Review]

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Courant Carry
The Courant Carry is both gorgeous and highly functional.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Courant Carry is a lightweight and sleek phone powerbank that holds 8,000mAh. Even better, it’s wrapped in pebble-grain Italian leather so it looks outstanding, which is very important for an accessory intended to be carried everywhere.

It can wirelessly charge every iPhone released since 2017. And the Carry itself can be charged without cables.

Does the functionality of this external battery live up the the appearance? Read on to find out.

iPad growth enjoys a boost as Amazon skyrockets in Q3 2019

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Logitech Slim Folio Pro review
Apple's market share climbed 4% last quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPad enjoyed steady growth during the third quarter of this year, giving Apple an even greater share of the worldwide tablet market.

But it is Amazon that will be most delighted with the latest figures. Shipments of its Fire slates more than doubled year-over-year as a result of generous Prime Day discounts.

Pro or no: Which AirPods should you get?

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AirPods vs. AirPods Pro: Which is better? Feature-packed, or sleek and simple?
Which is better? Feature-packed, or sleek and simple?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple’s AirPods are brilliant. They’re incredibly convenient, sleek and offer pretty good sound. They also add a layer of functionality you don’t get with many other Bluetooth headphones or earbuds. And I’m not even talking about the new AirPods Pro.

So, now that Apple expanded the AirPods line to include both the standard AirPods, and the pricier (although more feature-packed) AirPods Pro, choosing the right option might not seem so clear. How do you choose the AirPods that are best for your life?

It’s not too early to dream of these iOS 14 features

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Split View on iPhone in iOS 14
An artist proposal for iOS 14 is a wishlist of great ideas, like bringing Split View to iPhone.
Screenshot: the Hacker 34

iOS 13 is still almost brand new, but some people are already looking ahead to the next version. An iOS 14 concept video is packed with suggestions likely to catch the eye of iPhone users, including support for multiple accounts, user-defined default applications, and far more.

Watch the concept video now:

Elegant wall-mounted charger turns iPhones into art

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MagEZ Bar from Pitaka
Wireless charging that's pretty as a picture hanging on a wall.
Photo: Pitaka

There are wall-to-wall alternatives on the market for what was supposed to be AirPower. One actually mounts to the wall and looks like a piece of art while it charges multiple devices.

The MagEZ Bar from Pitaka charges two phones simultaneously. It holds them in place with strong magnets that easily align the phones or AirPods with the charging coils. To the right of the charging coils, a hidden magnetic array provides a space for keys or AirPods.

The MacBook is a disaster. Can Apple fix it?

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Macbook problems
The Mac is in serious trouble. Can Apple fix things before it’s too late?
Photo: Ales Nesetril/Unsplash

Despite the endless disappointments with iPadOS 13, there’s still no way I’d switch to a MacBook right now. MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) were always the gold (or aluminum?) standard for laptops — reliable, well-designed and long-lasting. Reviewers would even recommend that PC users buy a Mac and install Windows on it via Boot Camp. But today, MacBooks problems abound.

Apple’s laptops are a sorry bunch. And it’s not just the troublesome butterfly keyboard. Every week, I read tweets and blog posts about freelancers and employees of big companies alike losing valuable time as their MacBooks go back for repair for the third or fourth time. So what is happening? What are the biggest problems with today’s MacBooks? And can these MacBook problems be fixed?

Escape Apple’s memory bug with iOS 13.3 public beta 1

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iOS 13.3 in beta
iOS 13 has made it easier for users to shut down location tracking.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Public beta testing just started for iOS 13.3, along with the iPad equivalent. This adds an important feature to Screen Time, but the main benefit of this pre-release version is it apparently fixes a serious memory-management problem introduced in iOS 13.2.