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Apple Watch may get microLED display, better battery life in 2020

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new Apple customers
Apple Watch could be better than ever next year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is expected to come with brand new display technology as soon as next year, according to a new report.

Apple is said to be in advanced talks with display makers over bringing microLED screens to its popular wearable. One advantage of the switch will be longer battery life in between charges.

2020 iPhone could get blazing-fast display upgrade

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iPhone XS gaming
The first iPhone with ProMotion?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The 2020 iPhone lineup could bring a huge display upgrade that will put it on par with iPad Pro in terms of refresh rate.

One leaker says Apple is “considering” 120Hz panels for next year’s handsets. It would be the first time its ProMotion technology has graced an OLED screen since its debut in 2017.

CarPlay in iOS 13, the perfect road trip companion [Video]

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CarPlay Dashboard in iOS 13
The new CarPlay Dashboard puts everything you need on your... dashboard.
Photo: Apple

We’ve already extolled our excitement over CarPlay changes coming in iOS 13. But now that the beta season is well underway, we’ve had the chance to go fully hands on.

After taking it on a road trip, using it while commuting, and exploring the new features, this is our hands-on look at CarPlay in iOS 13.

Save up to 98% on Mac apps, backup tools and more [Deals]

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Best Deals of the Week
The best deals of this week include massive bundles of Mac Apps, digital marketing lessons, terabytes of backup, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week, the Cult of Mac Store got some massive new deals on useful apps, instruction and digital tools. Below you’ll find a bundle of 10 Mac apps, to a tool for converting websites to searchable text, 10 terabytes of backup storage, and more. Deals range from 50% to 98% off, so read on for more details:

TSMC preps to make super-speedy CPUs for 2020 iPhone

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Apple A14 processor
Expect great things from the Apple A14 processor.
CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company will begin volume production of 5nm chips in the first half of 2020, according to the company’s chief financial officer.

The Taiwanese foundry manufactures all Apple’s processors. TSMC’s move to 5nm comes right on time to employ this cutting-edge process in the A14 CPUs for next year’s iPhone and iPad models.

To the moon! iPhone vs. Apollo Guidance Computer [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 306]

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A single iPhone dwarfs the Apollo Guidance Computer's processing power.
A single iPhone dwarfs the Apollo Guidance Computer's processing power.
Photo: NASA. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Fifty years after the Apollo moon mission, the leaps in mankind’s computing power continue to amaze. For instance, did you know an iPhone could manage 120 million moon missions at once?

Get the story behind that astonishing stat, plus the latest on CarPlay, FaceApp and the likely design of this year’s new iPhones, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s jam-packed with all the Apple news, reviews and how-tos you can fit into your weekend. (Prefer to read in your browser? Get the headlines below.)

Our best deals on awesome Apple Watch accessories

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Watch-Store-deals
Savings you won’t want to miss!
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Treat yourself to some new Apple Watch bands and accessories and enjoy some big discounts on the Cult of Mac Watch Store.

We have gorgeous aluminum link bracelets, premium charging stands that work with Apple Watch and iPhone, and speedy wireless charging pads all on sale for a limited time.

Check them out right here and see how much you can save.

Apple Card might come to Canada soon

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Apple Card
Perhaps Canada will be the second country to get Apple Card.
Photo: Apple

Canadians should start polishing up their credit ratings, as they soon may be able to apply for a shiny new Apple Card.

The US launch of this credit card will happen in the coming weeks. Canada might not be far behind.

The dangerous reason you still can’t make in-flight phone calls

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Boeing 777
A known hazard from using a cell phone on a flight will — at long last — be removed by the end of 2019.
Photo: Boeing

Dozens of airplanes still have equipment subject to cellular phone interference. This is one of the reasons why iPhones and Androids have to be in airplane mode during flight. Fortunately, this danger will soon go away. The best-known cockpit system to have problems with cellular radios has to be replaced before the end of 2019.

Does that mean in-flight phone calls will become part of travel?

How to save all open tabs to a folder in iOS 13 Safari

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Safari's new download manager in iOS 13.
Safari is full of new tricks in iPadOS.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you currently use a third-party bookmark manager, you might be able to ditch it when you upgrade your iPhone or iPad to iOS 13. The main new feature is that you can now save all your open tabs into a bookmark folder, then reopen all the links in that folder with one tap. But that’s not all. Thanks to iPadOS’ new contextual menus, the built-in bookmarks got way easier to use.

Apple Watch prompts 48-year-old man to get lifesaving heart surgery

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Apple Watch alerts user of irregular heart rhythms in sleep
The Apple Watch is turning out to be a life-saver!
Photo: Apple

Someone needs to get the Apple Watch its own comic book series, because right now it’s saving more lives than most DC and Marvel superheroes put together.

The latest case involves a 48-year-old U.K. man who underwent lifesaving heart surgery after a series of Apple Watch alerts about his low heart rate.

Tim Cook tweets condolences to Japanese animation studio

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Kyoto Animation image
KyoAni was attacked in an arson attack this week.
Image: Kyoto Animation

Tim Cook has sent his condolences to the Japanese animation studio targeted in a suspected arson attack. The attack resulted in the deaths of 33 people. It is Japan’s worst mass killing in 20 years.

“Kyoto Animation is home to some of the world’s most talented animators and dreamers,” Cook tweeted. “The devastating attack today is a tragedy felt far beyond Japan.”

New malware steals data from your device and cloud accounts

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Proposed bill could hold tech giants more accountable for child exploitation
Pegasus could be used by governments to spy on individuals.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A new spyware tool reportedly can harvest data from iOS devices and their connected cloud accounts.

The tool, called Pegasus, also works with Android devices. The data it is able to gather even reportedly includes encrypted messages from third-party apps. It does this by fraudulently posing as the user to download their private content.

What you need to know about that viral face-aging app you’ve been using, this week on The Cultcast

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CultCast 397
Whoa there, buddy! We need to chat about that face-aging app...

This week on The CultCast: Why some say FaceApp, the mega-viral app that ages your face, might also be stealing your data. Plus, why your next iPhone or Mac may feature Apple’s rainbow logo; Apple might soon make a big move into original podcasts; and we’ll tell you about the wild lengths some Apple factory works go through to smuggle out top-secret tech.

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 Music rebrands one of its most popular playlists

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Apple Music's focus on hip-hop continues.
Apple Music's focus on hip-hop continues.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple Music has switched the names of one of its most popular playlists. “A-List: Hip-Hop” is now branded as “Rap Life,” and comes with a new show on Beats 1 radio.

The change was orchestrated by Ebro Darden, global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B at Apple Music. “Rap Life” will be promoted as a segment during Darden’s daily show on Beats 1. Apple is also launching a self-contained “Rap Life” show on Beats 1 every week.

Fortnite players on iOS must reinstall after game-breaking bug

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Fortnite iOS 14
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Epic Games has told Fortnite players on iOS that they will need to delete and reinstall the game to keep on playing.

Disgruntled iPhone and iPad users quickly discovered they were unable to load into Battle Royale after a game-breaking bug was introduced in the most recent 9.40.1 patch.

Epic’s unusual “fix” has understandably upset a lot of fans, who now have to download gigabytes of data all over again.

5G could make Apple a $1 trillion business again

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money
Judging from this reaction, the 5G iPhone will be a big one.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple won’t get 5G iPhones until next year, but already it’s causing investment analysts to geek out on the hype.

In a new note to clients, an analyst for investment banking firm Raymond James raises the firm’s price estimate on Apple due to the next-gen connectivity technology. That’s despite the fact that he thinks this year’s iPhone refresh will be a disappointment.

Most Americans are excited about 5G

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
There’s pent-up demand for a 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A large percentage of Americans are happy that 4G wireless networks are being supplanted by faster 5G ones, according to a recent survey by a respected market-research firm. And a majority of US consumers are very interested in getting a phone that supports these speedier networks.

Apple’s new Vancouver office looks absolutely spectacular

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Merrick
New office looks like a Hollywood special effect!
Photo: Merrick Achitecture

Whether it’s taking space in iconic buildings or creating one of Earth’s most valuable offices, Apple sure has an eye for architecture.

Its next move? Occupying two floors in a spectacular, still-under-construction development in Vancouver, BC. The 400 West Georgia building is set to open in 2020.