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iPhone 11 Pro Max: The best gets even better [Review]

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How gorgeous is the iPhone 11 Max Pro?
How gorgeous is the iPhone 11 Max Pro?
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

This thing is a beauty. The first thing you notice is the glass back. The frosted matte finish makes it semi-translucent, giving it a weirdly illusory depth. It looks great. Not even the controversial, compound-eye camera bump can spoil its good looks. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the best-looking iPhone to date, and I love it.

But don’t be fooled by the familiar design. This year’s refresh makes almost everything about Apple’s most expensive handset better than ever.

It’s faster, stronger and more water-resistant. It packs the best display you’ll find in a phone, and the best camera you’ve ever used. The battery lasts forever. Is it worth its hefty price tag? Absolutely.

Find out more in our full iPhone 11 Pro Max review.

Some Mario Kart Tour unlocks are incredibly rare

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Mario Kart Tour has the second best debut month ever on mobile
Mario Kart Tour has the second best debut month ever on mobile
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour comes with a bunch of hidden karts and characters that you’ll need to unlock as you play. But your chances of bagging the ones you really want are incredibly slim.

Nintendo has revealed the drop rates for a whole bunch of potential new items. And you’ll be sad to hear the majority have a 1% or lower appearance rate.

Facebook is the latest tech giant to face antitrust probe

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
Google was targeted earlier this month as well.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly preparing an antitrust investigation into Facebook. This comes the same month that U.S. attorneys general revealed plans to probe Google for antitrust violations.

No Facebook investigation has been announced yet. But a “person familiar with the matter” says that is going to happen. This would be the fourth recent antitrust probe of Facebook — and the latest example of the growing pushback against tech giants.

Apple is helping to restore grasslands in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills

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Apple has partnered with Conservation International to fund restoration in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills.
Apple has partnered with Conservation International to fund conservation.
Photo: Ninara/Flickr CC

As part of its environmental efforts, Apple recently made a donation to nonprofit Conservation International. Apple’s money will help restore degraded grasslands in the Chyulu Hills of Kenya.

“By restoring tens of thousands of hectares in the Chyulu Hills, we can remove carbon from the air, protect a critical wildlife corridor for elephants, and support the livelihoods of the Maasai people,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environmental, social, and policy initiatives.

4 reasons I’m disappointed with the iPhone 11 [Opinion]

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iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are excellent, but there’s still room for improvement.
Photo: Apple

There’s a lot to like in the new iPhone 11 series, but there are reasons to be disappointed, too. Some features that should be a part of any handset released in 2019 are missing, and a few rumored improvements didn’t appear.

Here are four ways the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models fell short of the mark.

iPhone 11 warns you if repair shops install fake Apple display

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iPhonedisplaywarning
Seeing this warning could be bad news.
Photo: Apple

Apple added a new feature in iOS 13.1 that alerts iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max owners when a repair shop has installed a non-genuine display on their device.

In a support document detailing the new warning feature, Apple explains why you should only seek support from technicians who have completed training from Apple and use genuine Apple parts. Of course, Apple parts can be more expensive than knock-off displays, but using the cheap stuff could cause issues with multi-touch, display brightness and colors.

Soundcore takes 6 shots at AirPods with new earbuds lineup

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The Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro brings high-end audio, thanks to a coaxial driver setup.
The Liberty 2 Pro brings high-end audio, thanks to a coaxial driver setup.
Photo: Soundcore

Soundcore wants to “democratize premium audio” with its new Bluetooth earbuds. The new wireless headphones continue the company’s pursuit of delivering quality products at affordable price points.

“It’s a value proposition for us,” said Soundcore rep Adam Weissman in a demo at the Cult of Mac offices in San Francisco. He showed off two lines of headphones — one for regular audio fans and one for fitness fiends. All the new models deliver features similar to AirPods, but at price points far below Apple’s smash-hit product.

Amazon aims for Apple with 15 surprising new products

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EchoStudio
Amazon fired shots at the HomePod, AirPods, CarPlay and more today.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon is ready to push Alexa into every single corner of your life with a new wave of Echo products unveiled this morning.

Armed with 15 new products, Amazon is ready to challenge Apple like never before. The company even introduced some bold new products, like new smart glasses and a smart ring — wearables that give you 24/7 access to Alexa wherever you go. While Apple’s iPhone 11 keynote featured zero mentions of Siri, Amazon’s yearly product keynote put Alexa’s might on full display.

How to drag and drop bookmarklets to the iPad’s bookmarks bar

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Bookmarklets IRL.
Bookmarklets IRL.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Every time I’ve written about bookmarklets, I’ve had to add a section on how to add them to Safari in iOS. On the Mac, you just drag them up to the bookmark bar, and you’re done. On iOS, the situation was so complex that I wrote a whole how-to just so I could link to that, instead of writing several paragraphs every time. But there is a way to drag and drop bookmarklets on iOS.

I’ve tested it on iOS 12 and iOS 13, and it’s amazing.

The problem with Apple Arcade? It’s just not that special [Opinion]

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Apple-Arcade
Can Arcade ever become the service Apple promised?
Photo: Apple

Apple Arcade’s slate of more than 100 games for $4.99 a month looks like one of the best deals in gaming at first glance. But Apple’s new game subscription service fails to live up to the expectations of many iPhone and iPad owners.

That’s not because the games are bad. Or because there are hidden fees we weren’t expecting. It’s because Cupertino billed Apple Arcade as something special … and it just isn’t.

Apple Watch Series 5 teardown confirms it’s a tweaked Series 4

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Apple Watch Series 5 teardown
Opening up the newest Apple Watch Series 5 doesn’t find any surprises.
Photo: iFixit

Disassembling the latest Apple Watch doesn’t find very much that’s different from last year’s model. That doesn’t mean there aren’t improvements in the new Series 5; they’re just not visible in a teardown, even one done by the experts at iFixit.

Boost privacy of Apple Watch Series 5’s always-on face

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apple watch series 5 sleep
When dimmed, the Series 5 can be set to hide sensitive information.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The one huge new feature in the Apple Watch Series 5 is the always-on display. Day or night, the screen never shuts off. It dims as soon as you stop using it, and all animations stop, but the face stands ready for your curious glance at any time.

However, if you wear your Apple Watch in bed, or you don’t like the idea of the watch showing your info to anybody who cares to look at the device, then there are a few settings that can help. Let’s take a look.

Apple begins shipping first 10.2-inch iPad to customers

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Here’s the 10.2-inch iPad for 2019.
Anyone who pre-ordered the new iPad will receive it soon.
Photo: Apple

Apple today started shipping its latest budget iPad to those who pre-ordered this tablet after it was unveiled earlier this month. It will hit Apple Store shelves later this week; Apple isn’t saying exactly when, however.

This is the first 10.2-inch iPad, and it replaces the last 9.7-inch model in Apple’s lineup.

There’s a fun AirPods Easter egg at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store

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AirPods wall display is on show in New York.
AirPods are part of a fun nod to Apple's history.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An AirPods-based wall display at Apple’s recently re-opened Fifth Avenue Apple Store features a cool Easter egg for long-time fans.

The Easter egg features Apple’s ultra popular AirPods being used as notes in a piece of sheet music. The music represented is from Apple’s iconic “Here’s to the Crazy Ones” ad campaign, which ran shortly after Steve Jobs’ return in the late 1990s.

Fortnite 10.40 brings skill-based matchmaking, brand-new content

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Fortnite-Combine
Drop in today to enjoy skill-based matchmaking for the first time.
Photo: Epic Games

Skill-based matchmaking has finally arrived in Fortnite Battle Royale with today’s version 10.40 update.

The release also brings brand-new game modes and locations, big changes to controller settings, and bug fixes. But there’s one thing missing for players on iPhone and iPad.

Mario Kart Tour comes to mobile — and it’s kinda disappointing

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Mario Kart Tour was 2019's most downloaded iOS game
There's stuff to like. But some banana peels too.
Photo: Nintendo

It’s been a long time coming, but Mario Kart Tour has finally raced (well, maybe dawdled) into the App Store.

The free-to-play kart racing game is available to download now, although currently you can only play a New York City-based course. Other courses will roll out at a later date.

So what did we make of it? Read on for Cult of Mac’s first impressions.

Starbucks’ tax hearing in Europe gives hope for Apple’s own tax battle

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Apple Pay finally overtakes Starbucks in mobile payments
Starbucks case could offer a clue concerning Apple's own $14.4 billion tax battle.
Photo: Nicky Colman/Flickr

Apple has received a glimpse of hope in its giant $14.4 billion tax battle against the EU. On Tuesday, the European Commission’s similar tax case against Starbucks collapsed. The EC claimed that Starbucks had received an unfair sweetheart tax deal in the Netherlands. The European Commission’s General Court overturned this earlier 2015 decision.

But another case against Fiat Chrysler concluded with the European court saying that it had enjoyed preferential tax treatment in Luxembourg.

First iPad Pro keyboard case with trackpad hopes to launch this winter

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Sentis Libra iPad keyboard case with trackpad
An iPad keyboard case with trackpad wasn’t possible before iPadOS.
Photo: Sentis

Libra is angling to be the first-out-of-the-gate iPad Pro case that includes not only a keyboard but also a trackpad. This wasn’t possible before, but the just-released iPadOS adds support for mice and trackpads.

The designers are looking for backing on Kickstarter to defray the costs of developing an accessory that lets an iPad mimic a MacBook more closely than any before.

Play on! tvOS 13 brings Apple Arcade to Apple TV

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Oceanhorn 2 on Apple TV through Apple Arcade
Oceanhorn 2 is one of the Apple Arcade games available with tvOS 13.
Photo: Apple

After months of beta testing, the full version of tvOS 13 launched to the public today. Updates to the Apple TV operating system don’t often make headlines, but this one stands out because it brings support for the all-you-play Apple Arcade service.

tvOS 13 also allows some off-the-shelf game controllers to be used, as well as non-game improvements.