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Apple snaps up Christmas Carol movie with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds

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Will Ferrell
But will it be Anchorman Will Ferrell or Holmes and Watson Will Ferrell?
Photo: Eva Rinaldi/Wikipedia CC

Apple has picked up the rights to a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

The movie, which will be shown on Apple TV+, will be written and directed by Sean Anders and John Morris, the creators of the hit Daddy’s Home movies.

Apple’s first AR glasses could arrive in second quarter of 2020

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Apple Glasses
You can expect big things next year.
Concept: Taeyeon Kim

Apple will launch its first augmented reality glasses in the second quarter of 2020, according to one reliable analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities says the device could enter mass-production before the end of this year. The news comes just weeks after one rumor suggested Apple had shelved its AR glasses plans.

Caution: Don’t rush to upgrade to macOS Catalina

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
Photo: Apple

Catalina the island is a paradise. Catalina, the Mac operating system, could be hell for some creatives, including DJs, writers and photographers if they immediately upgrade.

Adobe, makers of Photoshop and Lightroom, are telling users to hold off on updating to macOS Catalina until it can iron out a number of compatibility issues.

Jennifer Aniston explains how #MeToo shaped her new Apple TV+ show

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Early review calls The Morning Show ‘a painful bellyflop’
The show has a plotline ripped straight from the #MeToo era.
Photo: Apple

Jennifer Aniston says production on Apple’s first TV show, The Morning Show, basically had to be completely rebooted once Matt Lauer got fired from Today.

The pilot for The Morning Show originally focused on the cutthroat world of morning TV. In a new interview, Jennifer Aniston explained that all of that had to be reshaped after the #MeToo movement took a head-on collision with one of the biggest male TV show hosts.

The iPad Pro is the best and worst iPad I’ve ever owned [Opinion]

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3D Touch shortcuts now work on the iPad.
My iPad Pro has been nothing but trouble.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The 2018 iPad Pro is an incredible machine. It’s powerful. It has a screen so good that it’s hard to look at anything else after seeing it. Face ID was made for the iPad, and is way more suited to a tablet than a phone. And the physical design is beautiful. It’s thin, the bezels are small enough not to notice, and the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is far more useful than I imagined.

And yet this is the worst iPad I have ever used. It has been buggy. It can’t do basic tasks with any consistency. Audio drops out. And until I updated to iOS 13, the screen would freeze a few times a day.

Oh, and once I bent it without even realizing.

What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful.

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
Everyone thinks of the money. But there's a lot of work to get there.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

What’s it like when Apple buys your startup? According to David Hodge, founder of mapping app Embark, the answer is: stressful.

Apple bought Embark back in 2013 as part of its efforts to grow its mapping services. Embark focused on building free transit apps to help people navigate public transportation. In a new series of tweets, Hodge reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the Apple acquisition.

Judge doubts whether anyone cares about exact iPhone pixel count

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the notch on the iPhone x
Does the notch take away precious pixels? Do you care?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A judge set to rule on a lawsuit claiming Apple misrepresented iPhone screen size and pixel count bluntly expressed his opinion in a hearing last week with this: No one cares.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. took the arguments under submission, meaning he will at some point issue a written ruling over Apple’s request to dismiss.

More than 8 out of 10 U.S. teens own an iPhone

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Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
And even more want to own one!
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

More than 8 out of 10 teens have an iPhone, a new piece of research by analysts at Piper Jaffray claims.

The “Taking Stock with Teens” report notes that 83% of teenagers own an Apple handset. That’s the highest rate since Piper Jaffray began tracking this information. Last year, the report claimed that 82% owned an iPhone.

New York City uses Israeli tools to crack into locked iPhones

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
iPhone security is no match for Cellebrite.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Law enforcement agents in New York City have been cracking into locked iPhones since January 2018, according to a new report.

Agencies are using a tool called Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) that’s developed by Israeli firm Cellebrite. It is said to have cost at least $200,000 and allows a full file system extraction.

Apple employs a team of people to transcribe lyrics for Apple Music

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
This is one anecdote from a new Wired article about Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple employs a team of people “listening to music and transcribing the lyrics,” says Oliver Schusser, head of Apple Music.

“We don’t get [lyrics] from the usual sites,” Schusser says, explaining that Apple doesn’t trust crowdsourcing to give it the right answers for its new synced lyrics feature.

iPhone 11 will help Apple overtake Huawei in Q4 shipments

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iPhone-11-vs-XS
Coronavirus is starting to have a big impact on Apple.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Strong demand for the iPhone 11 lineup could help Apple overtake Huawei in smartphone shipments during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Huawei has been clinging onto second place in global smartphone shipments since it leapfrogged Apple in early 2018. But iPhone 11 is selling so well that Apple just had to increase orders by 10%.

Apple delays iCloud Drive file sharing until next spring

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Files app on iPad in iOS 13
File sharing was pulled from iCloud Drive during beta testing.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple has quietly delayed the release of a new file sharing feature for iCloud Drive.

File sharing was initially scheduled to release later this fall following the release of macOS Catalina on Monday. Apple is now saying we won’t get our hands on it until next spring.

New Tile Sticker will help you find anything [Review]

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Tile Pro, Tile Sticker, Tile Mate and Tile Slim
The round Tile Sticker is the new model, but there are also updates to Tile Pro, Tile Mate and Tile Slim.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anyone who’s ever spent a half hour searching for the TV remote can understand the appeal of the Tile Sticker. Glue it to anything relatively flat and you’ll never misplace that item again, as your iPhone can have this tiny tag play a loud alarm. Or put one on the headphones you can never find, or maybe the back of your ID badge.

There are also improved versions of the Tile Pro, Tile Mate and Tile Slim out today to help with finding your keys or wallet. Just don’t get lost in our reviews of all four new item trackers.

Private health plan offers seniors $150 off the price of Apple Watch

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Next Apple Watch Activity challenge will take place on Veterans Day
Devoted Health is the first of its kind.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Seniors-focused health insurance startup Devoted Health is offering members valuable cash off the price of an Apple Watch. Devoted claims to be the first Medicare Advantage plan to do so.

The firm will help users buy the devices buy the device by contributing up to $150. Apple is also reportedly in talks with “a number” of other health insurers to carry Apple Watch.

First Apple TV+ movie trailer will give you all the feels

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Theelephantqueen
Kids and adults will dig Apple TV+'s first movie.
Photo: Apple

Apple finally gave fans a glimpse of one of the first movies that will debut on Apple TV+ when the service launches next month.

Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor (that guy from 12 Years a Slave and Doctor Strange), The Elephant Queen follows a family of elephants on their year-long journey across Africa as they face threats from poachers and drought. The film earned positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. Based on the first trailer, it looks like it’s stuffed with the type of positive vibes Apple is gunning for.

Take a look:

Ikea’s dirt-cheap wireless charger is elusive for a reason [Review]

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The Livboj is under there somewhere.
The Livboj is under there somewhere.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This is the Livboj, an inexpensive but hard-to-find Qi charging pad from Ikea. Last week, I visited my local Ikea to stock up on frozen cinnamon buns. I got lost, and found a stack of these amazing devices instead.

Despite its dirt-cheap price tag of 5 euros ($5.50), the Livboj is pretty great. So far I’ve experienced none of the problems other people report from far-more-expensive Qi pads. You should snap up one of these elusive chargers — if you’re lucky enough to spot one next time you’re at Ikea.

Apple Prime? Giant bundle of entertainment services under consideration

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Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+
Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+ could all be part of “Apple Prime.”
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly mulling offering all its entertainment services in one giant bundle as a sort of “Apple Prime.” If true, then a single subscription would include the company’s music, video, and gaming services

This news is apparently leaking from music-industry executive who aren’t thrilled with the idea.

How to use the Apple Watch to snap remote selfies

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Apple Watch camera remote
Apple Watch camera remote inception.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is an amazing fitness tracker, and a pretty good notification device. But it has other tricks — tricks that you maybe didn’t know about, or didn’t realize would be quite as useful as they are. One is the Camera app. The Apple Watch doesn’t have its own camera, but it does give you remote control of your iPhone’s camera.

This lets you trigger the camera’s shutter, or record a video, from anywhere in range of your iPhone’s Bluetooth radio. Why? Group self-portraits, without having to set the timer and run back to your friends in time to smile. Videos: I used the video camera function just this week to record my progress for my guitar teacher. Like I said, it might be more useful than you’d expect.

Here’s how to use the Apple Watch camera remote.

macOS Catalina is out with new apps, Apple Arcade, Sidecar and more

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s big update for Macs, macOS Catalina, is finally out today bringing with it a host of new features, apps, privacy improvements, and much more.

Developers just received the gold master version of macOS Catalina last week, but today’s launch was a bit of a surprise. Anyone that has a compatible Mac can grab the new update from the Mac App Store for free.