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Help friendly robots solve puzzles in Apple Arcade’s new Rosie’s Reality

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Save money on Apple Arcade with an annual subscription
Save money on Apple Arcade with an annual subscription
Photo: Apple/RosieReality

Children and their parents can enter Rosie’s Reality, a game where they’ll guide this miniature robot through a series of puzzles by building paths with blocks that resemble virtual Legos.

This latest addition to the Apple Arcade service is the only new title out this week now that its total number of games has passed 100.

iPhone 11 Pro camera holds its own against $20,000 Leica

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Sawyer Hartman compares iPhone 11 Pro to Leica
The iPhone 11 Pro gave a mind-blowing performance against a Leica.
Screenshot: Sawyer Hartman/YouTube

YouTube is full of photographers comparing their professional kits with the latest iPhone camera.

But a recent test and conclusion by Sawyer Hartman risked sounding blasphemes. Could a $1,300 iPhone 11 Pro outshoot $20,000 worth of some of the best gear produced by the iconic German brand, Leica?

That may depend on who’s looking.

The Morning Show showrunner discusses season 2 development

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The Morning Show blitzes viewers with Apple product placement
The female characters of The Morning Show shine brightest.
Photo: Apple

With the fifth episode of The Morning Show landing on Apple TV+ this morning, attention is already turning to season number two.

Morning Show showrunner Kerry Ehrin revealed how the U.S. political landscape could impact some of the storytelling next season. While Trump and current political issues won’t be brought up, Ehrin says some political themes could be added to plot.

ProLine Compact doorbell brings HomeKit Secure Video

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Robin ProLine Compact is HomeKit compatible
You can securely answer the ProLine Compact with your iPhone, thanks to HomeKit Secure Video.
Photo: Robin Telecom Development/Cult of Mac

A follow-up to the world’s first HomeKit-compatible video doorbell from Robin Telecom Development will support Apple’s new system that makes video security systems more private and secure. It’s quite possibly the first video doorbell to do so.

Almost as importantly, the Robin ProLine Compact is smaller than its predecessor.

Forget iCloud and snag one of these cloud storage options on sale today [Deals]

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Cloud Backup Main CoM
Score massive deals on 2, 5, and even 10TB cloud storage options.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Cloud storage is an essential tool these days. But unfortunately, it can cost sky-high prices (see what we did there?). So we rounded up three incredible price drops on top-tier cloud storage solutions, including options for 2, 5 and a mind-boggling 10 terabytes of storage. We’re not even sure how to use that much storage, but at more than 90% off, we’re pretty sure you can afford it.

Apple removes all 181 vaping apps from the App Store

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Apple removes all 181 vape-related apps from the App Store
Apple doesn't want your vaping apps.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

Apple is removing all 181 vaping-related apps from the App Store. This is the result of mounting health concerns about the impact of e-cigarettes.

At least 42 people have died as the result of vaping-related lung illnesses. Apple, it seems, does not want to be in any way responsible for contributing to any more.

The MacBook Pro is PRO again! We talk the new 16-incher plus our Disney+ first impressions, on The CultCast

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CultCast 414: The long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro is finally here, and it's a beauty.
The long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro is finally here, and it's a beauty.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on The CultCast: Everything you need to know about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro! Plus, our first impressions of this hot new machine. And we discuss Disney+, and why it may beat Netflix and Amazon as the best streaming service today.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Apple ad revenue could hit $11 billion a year by 2025

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AppleTV+
How are Apple Originals looking on your TV?
Photo: Roku

The money Apple earns from advertising could rise to a whopping $11 billion a year by 2025, one analyst says.

Cupertino currently rakes in around $2 billion a year from ad revenue. The recent launch of Apple TV+ provides an opportunity for that to skyrocket over the next six years.

But will Apple really take advantage of it?

Stormtroopers invade Fortnite in new Star Wars crossover

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Stormtroopers-Fortnite
Pick up the new outfit today.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s latest crossover sees Star Wars stormtroopers invading the game for the first time. Players will also see a Star Destroyer hovering above the Battle Royale map.

The event celebrates today’s release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the newest title from EA Games. And if you plan to pick that up, you could get Fortnite’s new stormtrooper outfit free.

Mophie iPhone 11 battery case adds hours between recharges [Review]

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Mophie Juice Pack Access for iPhone 11
Mophie Juice Pack Access adds to the thickness of the iPhone 11, but also adds hours of battery life.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Mophie Juice Pack Access for the iPhone 11 extends the battery life of Apple’s latest handset while also protecting it. This hard case leaves the iPhone’s Lightning port available, while also letting you charge you phone with your MacBook’s cable.

Discover if this is the right iPhone 11 battery case for you in our hands-on review.

Apple will dominate 5G sales in 2020

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
5G iPhones will outsell all rivals in 2020.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple will beat out Samsung and Huawei in 5G handsets next year, according to a forecast by industry analysts. This despite accusations by some critics that not putting 5G in the iPhone 11 would put Apple far behind its rivals.

Get your MacBook Pro’s Escape key back without spending $3,000

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Escape the Touch Bar's tyranny by restoring your MacBook Pro Escape key.
Find out how to escape the Touch Bar's tyranny.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The Escape key is pretty essential to the Mac. You can use it to, well, escape from the current window/view/text field. You can use it to dismiss some dialog boxes. It can even be used to force-quit an unresponsive app. And that’s before we get to the Vim text editor, which is as dependent on the Escape key as Jony Ive is on new kinds of aluminum. So why did Apple remove the physical MacBook Pro Escape key when it introduced the Touch Bar?

Apple made that move, much to the despair of some users, back in 2016. Now, in the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, the Escape key is back. But what if you have a perfectly good previous-gen MacBook Pro? Are you really going to spend close to $3,000 just to get your Escape key back? No, you are not. Instead, you are going to repurpose the Caps Lock key, and turn it into an Escape key.

Apple News+ subscriber growth is stuck in neutral

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Some publishers report that Apple News+ isn't a 'huge boon' for business
Apple News+ hasn't been as big a hit as Apple hoped.
Photo: Apple

Apple News+ has been struggling to ramp up its subscriber numbers since launching in March, according to a new report that claims growth has been stuck in neutral for months.

News came out this morning that Apple is considering bundling services like Apple Music, Apple News+ and Apple TV+ together for a monthly fee. At this point, the company might need to do that to get more people onto the Apple News+ platform in order to make it worthwhile for publishers.

Instagram’s hidden likes experiment goes global

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heart shapes
Your fans will know you are liked. They just won't know how much.
Photo: Iouri Goussey/Wikimedia CC

Anxious influencers worldwide opened their Instagram feeds to a new reality today: the “like” tally on their posts won’t be seen by their followers.

Instagram started removing public-face “likes” this summer as a test in a few countries. The test is now global and Instagram took to Twitter this morning in hopes of reassuring content creators who make money off their posts.

Why the new MacBook Pro will be my first new Mac in 6 years

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macbookpro
To be honest, I’d buy any MacBook as long as it didn’t have that broken butterfly keyboard.
Photo: Apple

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro launched yesterday, and by all accounts, it’s fantastic. But it arrives at a time when the MacBook (Pro or otherwise) is no longer the default choice for a portable Apple computer. Regular readers will know that several Cult of Mac writers use an iPad Pro as their main machine. Killian, Ed, Ian and I all ditched the Mac awhile ago in favor of iOS.

And I haven’t bought a Mac since 2013. It was a MacBook Air that has since moved on. The only Mac I still own is a 2010 iMac. And yet I have already ordered the new MacBook Pro. Why? What changed?

Motorola resurrects the Razr with costly folding screen

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2020 Motorola Razr
The 2019 Motorola Razr is like a blast from the past.
Photo: Motorola

The flip phone is back, baby! A vastly updated — and very expensive — 2019 Motorola Razr uses a flexible display to make an Android-based smartphone with the same basic design as the iconic handset of 2004.

It’s another option in the growing selection of foldable phones — a formfactor Apple is also considering.

UK cops pursue Apple Store thieves with helicopter

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U.K. cops used a helicopter to help chase down Apple Store thieves
Apple Store in Festival Place, Basingstoke was the target.
Photo: Apple

Police arrested nine suspects in England after a raid on an Apple Store. The dramatic incident saw authorities employ a helicopter and officers on the ground during the search for the thieves.

The robbery took place in Basingstoke, the largest town in the county of Hampshire. Three thieves involved in the incident attacked a security guard, before making off with seven iPhones.

Elizabeth Warren chimes in on allegedly discriminatory Apple Card algorithm

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Elizabeth Warren chimes in on allegedly discriminatory Apple Card algorithm
Sen. Elizabeth Warren thinks Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs has some explaining to do.
Photo: elizabethwarren.com

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has chimed in on the allegedly sexist Apple Card debacle. Warren criticized Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs, saying that if the bank can’t explain how the algorithm used to determine credit score works, it should “pull it down.”

The complaints about Apple Card began last week when entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson said he was offered a credit limit 20 times that of his wife. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak claimed something similar.

Woman temporarily goes blind in one eye after smartphone overuse

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Woman in China temporarily goes blind in one eye after smartphone overuse
An admittedly extreme example of smartphone overuse.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Well, here’s a reason to listen to the recommendations of Apple’s Screen Time feature! A woman in China reportedly suffered a grisly injury after going temporarily blind in one eye due to excessive strain from overuse of her smartphone.

The female patient’s retina burst from “excessive strain” after spending too long using her mobile device.

Apple Research app lets iPhone users join new health studies

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Apple-Research-app
Three studies are available from today (if you live in the U.S.).
Photo: Apple

Apple today unveiled its brand-new Research app for iPhone, with three new health studies for users in the United States.

The Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Heart and Movement Study, and the Apple Hearing Study are available from today. They give participants the opportunity to contribute to “groundbreaking medical discoveries with iPhone and Apple Watch.”