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Apple TV+ might make over $1 billion in its first year

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Apple TV
Jason Momoa‘s “See” is expected to draw subscribers to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ could lure a whopping 12 million subscribers in its first year, an analyst predicts.

The streaming video service, which Apple plans to launch this fall after spending more than $1 billion on original shows, will be be playing serious catchup with rivals like Netflix. But Cupertino wields some key advantages.

How to remove the background from your Portrait photos

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Geese with transparent background
Honk honk! Goodbye pesky background.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iPhone’s incredible Portrait mode does a great job of blurring the backgrounds of photos, making the subject stand out from busy backdrops. (Apple also uses this depth information for its truly awful Portrait Lighting effects — has anyone ever gotten a good result from the Stage Light filter? — but that’s another story.)

What if you could use the depth information inside Portrait photos to get rid of the background entirely? Wouldn’t that be something? Well, yes it would. And if you have the right app, it’s really easy to remove photo backgrounds.

Last chance! Save $10 on this gorgeous Apple Watch stand by Twelve South

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Twelve-South-Forte
Get your stunning Forté stand at a sweet discount.
Photo: Twelve South

Give your beloved Apple Watch one of the prettiest charging stands money can buy and get $10 off for a limited time.

Inspired by the best Apple products, the Twelve South Forté fuses shiny chrome and luxury leather for a positively premium look. And it works with any Apple Watch and any band.

Waze embraces YouTube Music for a happier commute

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YouTube Music and Waze
YouTube Music and Waze are now friends.
Photo: Google

The latest move by the Waze navigation app to make driving a little more fun involves built-in controls for YouTube Music. This allows drivers to make changes to the music streaming through their iPhone or Android without leaving the Waze app.

iOS 13 beta 8 brings Apple’s big update closer to launch

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iOS 13 on an iPhone X
Have you upgraded yet?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is picking up the pace on its iOS 13 development by seeding the eighth beta build of the upcoming software release to developers today.

iOS 13 beta 8 and iPadOS 13 beta 8 arrive less than one week after Apple released the last beta build to developers. It’s a clear sign that the last of the bugs are getting squashed in order to ready the big update for the public launch next month.

How to opt out of Apple Card arbitration (and why you should)

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Opting out of Apple Card Arbitration is easy.
Opting out of Apple Card arbitration is easy.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Card is now potentially available to anyone in the U.S., so you’ll soon be able to use your (tough titanium) credit card to defeat locks, scrape paint, and open beer bottles. But it’s not all good news. Your Apple Card contract includes something called arbitration, and that’s a very bad thing. The silver lining is that you can easily opt out. Here’s how to opt out of Apple Card arbitration, and why you definitely should.

Why massive Apple TV+ budget is a genius strategy

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CEO Tim Cook before a picture of actors, directors, and producers of Apple TV+ original shows.
Spending big on star power for Apple TV+ is really smart.
Photo: Apple

On the surface, Cupertino’s decision to spend massive piles of money on its upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service seems crazy.

Is this a company with too much money being suckered? Is it a huge display of hubris (as some say of Apple Park)? Or is it, just possibly, a clever strategy that could win Apple the streaming war?

Here’s why I think that third answer is the correct one. Dig a little deeper, and Apple’s spending spree looks nothing short of brilliant.

Database exposes loads of incoming Apple products

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While not a literal crystal ball for seeing the future, the EEC database gets close when it comes to Apple products.
While not a literal crystal ball for seeing the future, the EEC database gets close when it comes to Apple products.
Photo: Jennifer Hubacher/Pexels CC

Multiple new MacBook, Apple Watch, iPod touch and iPhone models are coming this fall, according to a database that’s so far been very accurate about upcoming products. It belongs to the Eurasian Economic Commission, which become a gold mine for information on Apple computers that are right around the corner.

Famous American Psycho scene gets Apple Card upgrade

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scene from
Is that titanium? "Nice!"
Photo: Universal Studios/YouTube

The Apple Card is the newest status totem and that gave one YouTuber and fan of the 2000 film American Psycho an idea for the re-editing of one scene.

The scene shows cocksure investment banker Patrick Bateman and his yuppie, Italian-suited colleagues vainly comparing the designs of their business cards, each whipping their’s out so to speak.

TV drama will show how Spotify ‘beat Apple’

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
The battle for our ears. And listening dollars.
Photo: Spotify

Streaming giant Spotify’s history shows a company that rose from nothing to take on Apple — and won. Well, kind of. At least, that’s the story that may be told in a new screen adaptation of Spotify’s rise to prominence.

While it’s not yet in production, the UK division of Swedish film and TV company Yellow Bird (the company behind the Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) just acquired the adaptation rights to the recent book Spotify Untold.

Think of it as The Social Network, only about the world of streaming music.

Apple takes steps to crack down on Kazakh government eavesdropping

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pin safari tabs
Kazakh government wanted to create a method to monitor what users were typing.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple, Google and Mozilla have joined forces to stop the Kazakh government from creating an internet surveillance system that uses their respective web browsers.

Safari, Chrome and Firefox will all block a government encryption certificate. This certificate would make it possible for the Kazakh government to read anything typed inside a browser, including passwords.

This year’s iPhone could come with a USB-C charger

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iPad 2018 USB-C charger cable
Apple introduced the USB-C charger with last year's iPad Pro.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple will drop the 5W charger that comes with the iPhone and instead ship the iPhone 11 with a USB-C charger.

That’s according to a tweet from ChargerLAB, which claims to have an inside line on Apple’s plans, via the supply chain.

Apple Newton fans need to be in Seattle on September 28

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Love Notes to Newton traces the history of a device ahead of its time.
Newton documentary will be accompanied by a Q&A from original MessagePad team.
Photo: Love Notes to Newton

Love Notes to Newton, a documentary about Apple’s ill-fated but influential Newton MessagePad, is getting a big screen showing. The documentary will be shown at the Living Computers Museum + Labs in Seattle, Washington on September 28.

It’s accompanied by a Q&A session with several members of the original Newton team who worked at Apple. If you’re an old-school Apple fan, this is a great opportunity to get the inside story.

Apple tests out new OLED suppliers for future iPhone refresh

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iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
BOE Technology could join Apple's supply chain next year.
Photo: Apple

Apple is said to be “aggressively testing” OLED screens from other suppliers ahead of a 2020 iPhone refresh.

Cupertino reportedly wants to diversify its supply chain next year. It currently relies heavily on Samsung for OLED panels, with LG Display making only small contributions for the iPhone XS lineup.

Apple delays rule change barring kids’ apps from using analytics

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App-Store-Today
Changes have been criticized by some developers.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is delaying a change in rules for kids apps, banning them from using external analytics software and their ability to sell ads.

While Apple still believes the decision is the right one, it is pushing back its implementation. That’s to give time to developers to make the necessary changes.

Apple TV+ may allow episodes to be downloaded and watched offline

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple TV+ might allow subscribers to take a few shows with them offline.
Photo: Apple

When it debuts this fall, Apple’s streaming video service will reportedly let viewers download episodes of shows to be watched without taking up their mobile data. Or even viewed when completely offline.

It’s not surprising — many rival services offer this capability. Today’s unconfirmed report is just evidence that Apple TV+ will have this feature too.

Apple’s The Morning Show costs more than Game of Thrones

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stars of the Morning Show
Apple is paying for top talent, like Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell, to make The Morning Show a hit.
Photo: Pikachu/Mega

Apple’s original series The Morning Show has yet to air a single episode and already, the show has made television history.

Apple TV+, the upcoming streaming service, is reportedly spending more money to produce a single episode of the morning news drama than HBO did for episodes during the epic final season of Game of Thrones.

That’s more than $15 million per episode.

Apple buys $290 million worth of more office space in Cupertino

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Applecampus
The new Apple campus in Cupertino.
Photo: Google Maps

It seems like Apple just completed its move into Apple Park just recently but apparently, the iPhone-maker is growing so quickly it already needs a major office space expansion.

Local news outlets in the Bay Area recently reported that Apple just gobbled up another two giant office complexes in Cupertino, giving the company over 200,000 square-feet within throwing-distance of the new Apple HQ and the old Infinite Loop campus it still uses.

Apple Card’s ‘enhanced security’ takes aim at fraud

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Apple Card in POS
Stealing someone’s Apple Card number is designed to be very hard.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The new Apple Card offers some unusual security features, all designed to prevent this credit card’s number from being used without authorization, either in a store or online.

The fact that the card number isn’t printed on it anywhere is just the start. “The real key to the enhanced security here is happening behind the scenes,” said Craig Vosburg, President of Mastercard North America.