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Files app makes iPad more Mac-like in iOS 13 [Video]

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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 slowly been turning up the dial on what iOS can do, trying to make it more and more “computer” like. With iOS 13, one of the points of frustration with computing on iOS – and especially on iPad – is finally being addressed thanks to changes in the Files app.

With iOS 13, the Files app is taking a huge leap toward the Mac model of file management. There’s a whole bunch of smaller changes, as well as some big upgrades that make it really compelling.

Gmail for iOS can now prevent remote image tracking

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Gmail iOS iPhone X
Get the latest update today.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The official Gmail app on iOS can now prevent tracking via external images.

A new update to the app brings the ability to disable automatic image loading. This makes it harder for message senders to establish whether you actually opened an email.

US attorneys general prep antitrust investigation into Google

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Google
Will Google be the first of the tech giants to face an investigation?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

More than half of U.S. state attorneys general are preparing an antitrust investigation into Google.

This will mark a major ramp-up in the battle between U.S. regulators and Silicon Valley tech giants. The investigation is likely to be announced Monday. Other tech giants also may face antitrust scrutiny.

Small increase in iPhone’s tiny Indian market share could bring in billions

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iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
A small increase in a market of 1.3 billion people sure adds up.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s current share of the smartphone market in India is just 1%. But if Apple could somehow raise that to 4% it would bring in approximately $4.6 billion in extra revenue — alongside earnings upside of 65 cents per share.

That’s according to Evercore IMI analyst Amit Daryanani. And Daryanani thinks Apple may be able to do it, too.

Sketchy Apple support document spills details on iPhone 11 [Update: It’s fake]

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Apple Software Development Resource 1
But is it legit?
Photo: AppleBeta2019

Update: The Twitter account that posted the alleged Apple leak now calls the document a fake.

A supposedly “leaked” Apple employee support document contains alleged details of Apple’s upcoming releases.

The “Apple Software Development Resources” features information about Apple’s three new iPhones, four new Apple Watches, and new iPads. But it may not be entirely (or at all) genuine.

With new MX Master 3 and MX Keys, Logitech doubles down on productivity

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Meet MX Keys and MX Master 3, Logitech's new dynamic desktop duo.
Meet MX Keys and MX Master 3, Logitech's new dynamic desktop duo.
Photo: Logitech

A great mouse just got even better (and it brought a friend). Logitech’s new MX Master 3 mouse raises the bar on speed, thanks to a new electromagnetic scroll wheel that the company says can breeze through 1,000 lines in a second.

Meanwhile, the high-end mouse maintains the precision tracking, aggressively comfortable design and endless customization options that make it ideal for power users. And, it gains a new desktop productivity partner — MX Keys, a deluxe keyboard with sweet backlighting and other advanced options.

Apple cancels Richard Gere TV show

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Gere 1
Richard Gere won't be joining Apple's roster of TV shows.
Photo: Francesco/Flickr CC

Richard Gere’s TV show based on Israeli series Nevelot has been canceled by Apple.

The series got the green light from Apple at the end of last year and was supposed to star Gere in the lead role, with Howard Gordon and Warren Leight set to serve as showrunners. Now the duo will have to find another company to produce it.

iCloud folder sharing disappears from iOS 13

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This is how iCloud Drive works.
This is how iCloud Drive works.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

One of the handiest features in iOS 13 appears to have been pushed back to at least iOS 13.2. iCloud Folder Sharing, which would have let many people ditch Dropbox entirely, has disappeared from the current iOS 13 betas. And that’s not all. Also gone is the ability to pin a file to save it offline. What’s going on?

Make the most of mouse buttons in iOS 13

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iPad mouse mappings
The iPad is fantastic with a multi-button mouse.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

For some of you, one of the main reasons to jump on iOS 13 right away is mouse support. You can connect any Bluetooth or USB mouse to your iPad, and use it pretty much like you’d use a mouse on the Mac.

You can even use a multi-button mouse. And guess what? You can assign all of those buttons to mouse functions. I’ve been using a mouse with my iPad on and off throughout the beta period. During that time, I’ve come up with a shortlist of the most useful mouse button features in iPadOS 13.

Brand new Lego Star Wars Battles hits iOS next year

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Lego-Star-Wars-Battles
Unlike any other Lego Star Wars game.
Photo: Warner Bros.

In a galaxy not so far away (our galaxy, actually) a brand new Star Wars game is on its way to iOS.

Lego Star Wars Battles is a brand new deck-building strategy game that will feature content from all nine of the Star Wars movies — including all your favorite characters and locations.

Samsung allegedly plans to launch folding clamshell phone next year

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Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
Photo: Samsung

Samsung plans to reinvent the flip phone next year with yet another folding display smartphone, only unlike the Galaxy Fold, this one will come with an old-school design.

The new Samsung folding phone will reportedly launch next year and instead of folding out into a tablet, the new design folds inward to make the phone more pocketable.

New York subway commuters just keep losing AirPods

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AirPods Review
The commute can be brutal on AirPods.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

New York City commuters are losing AirPods left and right, causing delays so workers can retrieve the fallen wireless earbuds from subway tracks.

The problem is so persistent, the Metro Transit Authority is considering pubic service announcements to urge commuters to not insert them or taking them off while exiting or boarding subway cars.

Fortnite’s floating island returns with new Zapper Trap

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Fortnite-floating-island
Revisit the floating island today.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s floating island has returned to Battle Royale — and this time the Motel is right on top of it.

This week’s content update also brings the brand new Zapper Trap. The throwable consumable shocks opponents on either side of a wall, making it an ideal counter to turtling.

Just how titanium is the titanium Apple Card?

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Apple Card’s ‘elite card’ status is hitting retailers in the wallet
This is why we can't have nice things.
Photo: Apple

Do you want to be the kind of know-it-all who takes the wind out of fanboys’ sails by telling them their fancy new titanium Apple Card isn’t actually 100% titanium?

No? Then you should probably ignore a new article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The publication used a scanning electron microscope to work out the Apple Card’s composition because the internet’s run out of things to do.

Apple does not expect an iPhone ‘super-cycle’ this year

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The camera bump is about to get bumpier in the iPhone XI.
iPhone orders likely to remain flat this year.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The days of massive year-on-year growth in iPhone sales are over for now, at least according to one analyst forecasting Apple’s iPhone 11 orders.

According to analysts at Cowen, Apple’s iPhone 11 orders are roughly in line with those for last year’s iPhone refresh. Cowen thinks that Apple will build 65 million iPhones for Q4, representing “flat” growth. That means the “super-cycle” mass upgrade will likely have to wait until 2020.

Apple store thieves rob $200,000 worth of iPhones

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Apple Store Perth robbery
Two Apple Stores were broken into early Tuesday morning.
Photo: WA Police

Thieves reportedly stole more than $200,000 worth of iPhones from an Australian Apple store in an early morning raid Tuesday.

According to police, a gang smashed its way into a store in Perth at 2:15 a.m. After being disturbed and fleeing empty-handed, they headed to another store. They broke into this second Apple store in Garden City in Booragoon at 3 a.m., and made off with the handset haul after threatening a security guard.

Apple has no plans to scrap iMessage apps and games

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iMessage-App-Store
Don't freak out.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has no intention of scrapping iMessage games — despite some of the rumors you might be reading online this week.

Stories surrounding the supposed move started trending on Twitter, causing some fans to freak about the feature’s removal. But at no point has Apple stated that it will close the iMessage App Store.

Don’t expect huge speed boost from iPhone XR upgrade

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iPhone 11R and 11Max on wooden railing 2
Coming soon to an Apple Store near you.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Ahead of next week’s Apple media event, a Geekbench profile supposedly reveals some of the tech specs of the iPhone 11.

The report refers to the successor to the iPhone XR, one of the three iPhones Apple will release this year. It shows a single-core task speed increase of around 12%, but an unchanged multi-core result. Provided it’s real, this would be the smallest ever leap in iPhone CPU performance from one year to the next.

Form AR swim goggles add Polar heart rate sensor support

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Now you can check your heart rate while you are swimming
Now you can check your heart rate while you are swimming
Photo: Form Athletica Inc.

Augmented reality swim goggles made by Form soon will add support for select Polar heart rate monitors.

With Apple Watch, you must stop swimming and raise your wrist in order to check your heart rate. But thanks to Form Swim Goggles’ built-in AR display, wearers of a Polar monitor will be able to view their heart rate in real time while swimming.

Catch the best of our Labor Day gear and gadgets [Deals]

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Labor Day Site Main
Score massively discounted wireless chargers, cloud storage, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One way to make your extra long Labor Day weekend even better is to bring some great new tools and toys into your life. We’ve got massive deals on sleek wireless charging, terabytes of cloud storage, Excel education and more. Each is discounted by well over half off, and if you use the coupon code SAVE15TODAY at checkout you save an extra 15%.

Two brilliant Mac features that will never come to iPad

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Mac desktop
A nice big desktop makes everything easier.
Photo: Michael Soledad on Unsplash

Recently, I’ve been using my old Mac more and more, even thought I’ve long preferred using an iPad for both work (writing) and play (making music, and all the other dumb stuff you do on a computer when you’re goofing off).

And It’s gotten me thinking. Why do I prefer the Mac for some tasks? And I mean, strongly prefer. I’m so used to using both iOS and macOS that it’s not a questions of familiarity. Nor is it that I’m trying to squeeze the Mac way of doing things into the iPad, and vice versa — a common problem for new switchers.

No, my preference comes down to two small yet fundamental differences between the iPad and the Mac. These two features are present on the Mac, and will probably never make it to the iPad. What are they?