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iMessage flaws leave iPhone open to hijacking

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Messages iOS 10
That doesn't mean you should stop using it.
Photo: Apple

Security researchers have uncovered new flaws in iMessage that could give hackers control of your iPhone or iPad.

Apple has already patched five similar bugs, but several are still present in recent versions of iOS. What makes these particularly concerning is that a potential attack requires no input from the user.

5 great Sennheiser headphones to thrill any audio shopper [Deals]

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Each of these Sennheiser headphones will keep the music in and the noise out.
Each of these Sennheiser headphones will keep the music in and the noise out.
Photos: Sennheiser

Can you name the top five companies in the wireless headphone market?  Actually, you could probably get pretty close.

Three are monster tech giants (Apple, Sony and Samsung), while one is America’s premier name in sound equipment (Bose). The last major player in the game may not be quite as familiar to U.S. buyers, although they’ve been Germany’s answer to Bose since … well, before there was a Bose.

88% of iOS devices are running iOS 12

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iOS 12
This is probably the last time Apple will release iOS 12 adoption figures.
Photo: Apple

Weeks before the official public debut of iOS 13, Apple says that 88% of users are currently running iOS 12.

Those figures are impressive in their own right. They get even more impressive when considering only devices released in the past four years — of which 90% are upgraded to iOS 12.

Apple faces unfair competition investigation in Russia

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Apple in Russia
Investigators will look at whether Apple abused its position as controller of the App Store.
Photo: Caviar

Apple is being investigated for suspected unfair competition in Russia, following a complaint from a Moscow cybersecurity company.

Kaspersky Lab says that Apple declined one of its parental control apps, prior to releasing its own Screen Time service. Russia’s anti-monopoly watchdog has now announced that it will look into Apple’s behavior.

Apple wants iPhone users to shun third-party battery replacements

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iPhone XR battery life is the best of any iPhone on the market.
You'll need to get your iPhone battery replacement carried out by one of Apple's chosen repairers.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Apple has long been trying to push users to shun third-party repairers and go through Apple for device repairs. Now it’s activated a previously dormant software lock on iPhone to try and crack down on battery replacements by third-party repairers.

That’s even the case if they’re replacing your battery with an official Apple battery.

iPhone could someday check your blood pressure in a snap

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Blood pressure testing
Your iPhone could soon make this hassle unnecessary.
Photo: Pexels

Researchers built a smartphone app that can check blood pressure by simply recording a short video of someone’s face, then analyzing the blood flow under the skin.

High blood pressure can lead to heart attack or stroke so making an easy at-home test for it could save huge numbers of lives.

7 new Samsung features Apple should steal

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Note10
The Note 10 packs a ton of new features. Not all of them are great.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s new lineup of smartphones, tablets and notebooks were on full display today during the company’s Unpacked event for the Galaxy Note 10 in Brooklyn. Instead of waiting for Apple to introduce new iPhones and MacBooks in September, Samsung decided to get a head start on the competition.

Like pretty much all Samsung keynotes, the event included a shotgun blast of new features. Some of them are absolutely ridiculous and will be dead in the water at launch. However, Samsung’s team also uncorked a couple of great ideas that have us green with envy.

Hopefully, Apple execs are taking note of the good and bad things Samsung just revealed.

iPhones could spot early signs of dementia

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Couple with iPad
A decline in how someone uses an iPhone or iPad could be an early indication of mild cognitive impairment.
Photo: Pexels

Researchers from Apple and Eli Lilly looked into whether the ways people use their iPhone and Apple Watch can warn of mild cognitive impairment, a condition that’s difficult to diagnose.

Their pilot program had some early success.

Want a Galaxy Note 10? Sell your old iPhone for upgrade cash

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GalaxyNote10_Right30_Pen_AuraRed
We wouldn't blame you for switching.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s fancy new Galaxy Note 10fancy new Galaxy Note 10 is perhaps the most impressive smartphone we’ve seen so far this year. And we wouldn’t blame you if you decided it’s time to switch from iPhone.

But before you go jumping ship, raise some quick and easy upgrade cash that’ll make paying for your pricey Note a little easier. Here’s how.

Samsung unleashes Galaxy Note 10 to take on iPhone

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Note10
The Note 10 comes in two sizes.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung unveiled its latest answer to the iPhone today during an event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The new Galaxy Note 10 is undoubtedly one of the prettiest smartphones Samsung has ever come out with, thanks to its giant display with a pinhole cutout for the camera. This year’s Note 10 lineup comes in two different varieties. The Note 10 comes with a 6.3-inch display, while the monstrous Note 10 Plus packs a 6.8-inch display. But screen sizes aren’t the only thing that sets them apart.

Apple picks up the pace of iOS 13 betas

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Buggy iOS 13 made Apple rethink how it develops software
After being unveiled in June, iOS 13 is headed for release perhaps as soon as next month.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple seeded iOS 13 Developer beta 6 this afternoon, slightly more than a week after the last pre-release update. Until now, the company has generally introduced new versions every two weeks, so it’s accelerating the rate.

Tablet users also got the sixth iPadOS 13 Developer beta today containing the same changes as the iPhone one. There are fresh betas for watchOS 5 beta 6 and tvOS 13 beta 6, too.

New Zealand looks dreamy in iPhone film shot with cinema lens

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iPhone film of New Zealand by Mathieu Stern
Shot on iPhone – with a big assist from an anamorphic lens.
Screenshot: Mathieu Stern/YouTube

In your pocket is a camera capable of making films that stretch across a silver screen. But to get that sweeping, horizontal field of view, you want to make room in an extra pocket for one important accessory – an anamorphic lens.

Rather than explain it, Parisian photographer and filmmaker Mathieu Stern shows off the wow factor an anamorphic lens delivers with a short film he made in New Zealand using an iPhone 8 Plus.

How to decline and mute calls with iPhone

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Sweet, sweet silence is just a couple button-taps away when you know how to decline iPhone calls.
Sweet, sweet silence.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Phone calls are so 20th century. Apart from a knock at the door, when else can another person decide to bug you, and then bug you right away, at their own convenience, without getting your permission first?

In the 21st century, we have a name for these people: entitled. Fortunately, it’s easy to bump their presumptuous invasions, and let them know who’s the boss1.

Here’s how to decline iPhone calls (or mute them if you’re feeling particularly passive-aggressive).

Apple Music showcases its massive high-def library

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Apple Music and Drake
Let's hear it for high-res Drake tracks.
Photo: Apple

Music producers will bring sweeter sounds to the discriminating Apple Music user thanks to a new digital masters initiative for Apple’s burgeoning streaming service.

As Apple phases out iTunes with the launch of a new macOS, it will fold in all Mastered for iTunes tracks and high-definition Apple Music songs into one catalog.

AirPods sales could shoot up 40% this year

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airpods
AirPods are tiny, but they’re big business.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s wireless earbuds are selling better than most people realize. The company is on track to sell 50 million pairs by the end of this year, according to an industry analyst.

That’s up from 35 million in 2018. The product only debuted in 2016.

Apple fans seem receptive to the concept of a foldable iPhone

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Folding iPhone 2
UBS thinks a foldable Apple device could launch in 2021.
Photo: Foldable News

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold ran into a bunch of problems, but it seems many iPhone owners remain interested in seeing what Apple could do with the foldable form factor.

According to a new UBS survey of customers, iPhone owners show a “generally higher” level of interest in foldable handsets than other groups.

An afterlife Steve Jobs appears in new driving awareness ad

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Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs as he appears in the new ad.
Photo: Transport Accident Commission

Whether it’s as the subject of a rap t-shirt or a manga comic book, the likeness of Steve Jobs pops up in some pretty unusual places.

The latest? As a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it “cameo” in an Australian ad aimed at reducing car accidents as a result of texting behind the wheel. The ad depicts Jobs, alongside the likes of John Lennon and Shakespeare, in a discussion set in the afterlife. Seriously.

Apple Watch continues to run roughshod over the competition

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Apple-Watch-4
Almost 1 out of every 2 smartwatches shipped last quarter was an Apple Watch.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch continues to dominate the fast-growing global smartwatch market, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics.

The firm notes that smartwatch shipments grew 44% in the second quarter of 2019. In total, 12 million smartwatches shipped — with Apple Watch making up almost one out of every two smartwatches sold.

Apple boot camp teaches Swift coding to educators

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Swift Crypto will help more developers than ever to build secure applications
Apple wants to teach the world to code. Well, so long as they code in Swift.
Photo: Apple

Part of getting Apple devices into classrooms involves educating teachers, as well as students. For that reason, Apple recently staged a week-long Teacher Coding Academy for educators in the Southwestern City Schools and Columbus City Schools district.

The boot camp set out to teach Apple’s coding language Swift to teachers. This is so that they can go on and pass on the knowledge to kids.

Disney reveals $13 bundle with ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+

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Disney+ is live and ready to download from the App Store
Disney+ launches in November.
Photo: Disney

Apple TV+ and Netflix are about to get some serious competition from Disney’s upcoming streaming bundle that will combine three services into one.

Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed to investors during the company’s third-quarter earnings call today that customers will be able to get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for $12.99, the same price as Netflix.