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This iPod-inspired watch stand is music to your eyes

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Apple Watch stand looks like an iPod
Charge you Apple Watch and your memory for sweet play lists.
Photo: elago

The Apple Watch is a modern timepiece that one company keeps turning into a time machine.

To elago, the watch display is the perfect inspiration for a series of charging stands made to look like vintage Apple products. It’s latest looks like the Classic iPod, complete with that iconic click wheel.

Tim Cook doesn’t censor Apple TV+ shows

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple CEO Tim Cook isn’t telling the people creating Apple TV+ shows how to do their jobs.
Photo: Apple

Eddy Cue, Apple’s point man on music, video and other service offerings, denies reports that he and Tim Cook are forcing the producers of Apple TV+ shows make them all squeaky clean and family friendly.

Instead, he says the intent is to create a broad array of offerings for its upcoming streaming video service, including ones for “mature adults.”

Dramatic burn photos show why Apple recalled faulty MacBooks

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overheated battery on MacBook Pro
This 15-inch MacBook Pro caught fire while in Sleep mode.
Photo: Steve Gagne/Facebook

Designer Steve Gagne awoke to strange sounds and the smell of burning chemicals. Of all the tasks completed with his 15-inch MacBook Pro, nearly burning down his house was its final act.

The battery on Gagne’s MacBook Pro exploded three days before Apple announced a recall on mid-2015 Retina MacBook Pros of certain serial numbers housing batteries vulnerable to overheating.

iPhone fireworks photography is a blast with Pro Camera app

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shooting fireworks with iPhone
With some preparation and the Pro Camera app, you can capture great fireworks displays.
Photo: Midori/Wikimedia CC

With Fourth of July fireworks in the skies this weekend, mobile photography brand Moment picked a good moment to update its Pro Camera app with a new Slow Shutter mode.

The feature, added today, brings a surefire way for iPhone photographers to capture dramatic fireworks shots.

iOS 13 uses ARKit to solve one of the biggest FaceTime complaints

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2018 iPad Pro Animoji
The eye-line problem is finally fixed. If you own an iPhone XS or XS Max, that is!
Photo: Apple

There’s something weirdly off-putting about the eye-contact problem with video calling services like FaceTime and Skype.

It happens because users must choose either to look directly at the camera lens, and miss what’s happening on screen, or look at the screen and appear to be staring at the listener’s neck.

That’s not ideal for a tool that’s meant to make it seem like you’re having a face-to-face conversation. Fortunately, Apple fixes this shortcoming in iOS 13.

Laurene Powell Jobs battles climate change with Leonardo DiCaprio

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Laurene Powell Jobs (center) at the Female Founders Conference 2016 in San Francisco.
Laurene Powell Jobs (center) at the Female Founders Conference 2016 in San Francisco.
Photo: Y Combinator/Flickr CC

Philanthropist Laurene Powell Job, the widow of Steve Jobs, has teamed up with Leonardo DiCaprio to help save the planet.

Their new non-profit environmental organization is called the Earth Alliance. It will “work globally to protect ecosystems and wildlife, ensure climate justice, support renewable energy and secure indigenous rights to the benefit of all life on Earth.”

Latest watchOS 6 beta lets you delete some Apple apps

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 4
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest watchOS 6 beta, released to registered developers on Tuesday, lets you delete stock Apple Watch apps for the first time.

Alarms, Breathe, Timer, Stopwatch, and Walkie-Talkie are just a few of the many that can now be removed. Any deleted titles can later be re-downloaded from the Watch App Store.

Protect your online privacy with one of these VPNs on sale [Deals]

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VPN Roundup Main
We've rounded up some massive deals on four premium VPN subscriptions, up to 98% off.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you use the internet, you’re exposing your information all kinds of threats. From identity theft, to tracking malware, to annoying location based content restrictions, the threats to privacy and security are endless, and so are the reasons for using a VPN. There are tons of providers out there, so we’ve rounded up four top tier VPN subscriptions. at discounts that go as high as 98%. Read on for more details:

iOS 13 could make upgrading from an old iPhone much faster

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iOS-13-wired-data-transfer
Yes, that’s two iPhones connected via a cable.
Photo: Apple

You may soon be able to transfer photos, videos, contacts, and more from an old iPhone to a new one using a cable.

The latest iOS 13 beta hints at the ability to connect two iOS devices for wired data transfer. The move could significantly speed up the upgrade process, which currently relies on wireless connectivity.

But it’s not exactly clear how you’ll be able to marry two iPhones with a cable.

Fortnite fans prepare for Upside Down as Stranger Things takes over

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Fortnite-Stranger-Things-portal
One of several portals now found in Mega Mall.
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Fortnite players could soon find themselves transported to the Upside Down as Stranger Things begins its in-game takeover.

Gateways to the parallel universe, complete with floating spores, have started appearing in the Mega Mall area of Battle Royale. They won’t take you far for now — but that could soon change.

‘Close Your Rings’ videos show how Apple Watch users get their exercise

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Close Rings
Here's how Apple Watch users close their rings.
Photo: Apple

Apple has updated its “Close Your Rings” Apple Watch website with short videos and stories detailing how different Apple Watch wearers complete their fitness goals each day.

“Close Your Rings” is Apple’s slogan describing an Apple Watch UI element. It pushes users to move, exercise and stand up by presenting this data as a series of rings to be closed each day.

Samsung completes its Galaxy Fold redesign

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Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
We still don't know the release date, though.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung has reportedly completed a two-month redesign of its folding Galaxy Fold handset, after screen defects caused the company to delay its release.

While undoubtedly embarrassing, this will at least allow Samsung to get its next-gen smartphone on the market before the holiday season.

Four ways to instantly enhance your iPhone camera [Deals]

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iPhone Photography Roundup
We've rounded up four incredible add-ons to make your iPhone an even better photo powerhouse.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We get iPhones as much for the camera as for any of the other features. But as great as mobile photography has become, it’s still up against the limitations that come with being, you know, a phone. So if you’re looking to take your iPhone photos to the next level, these four upgrades are for you, from wireless charging gimbals to DSLR-style grips, 360 camera extensions and more. Read on for more details:

myCharge battery sports built-in Lightning and USB-C cables [Review]

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myCharge HubMax Universal with iPhone and iPad Pro
iPhone, iPad Pro, and myCharge HubMax Universal: you’re ready to go.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Hands up if this ever happens to you: you remembered your iPhone or iPad and an external battery but forgot the charging cable. That frustration isn’t possible with the myCharge HubMax Universal as it has both a Lightning and a USB-C cable built in. Even better, this 10050 mAh battery has a pair of wall prongs so it can plug straight into a socket.

Go on the road with me as I put the HubMax Universal through its paces.

Apple asks Supreme Court to support LGBTQ workers

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Apple employees in Pride parade
Apple is asking the Supreme Court to protect LGTBQ people from workplace discrimination.
Photo: Apple

Apple is among more than 200 companies asking the Supreme Court to protect LGBTQ workers with current job non-discrimination laws.

The companies signed onto a “Friend of the Court” brief for three cases the high court is scheduled to hear this fall.

CarPlay is better than ever in iOS 13 — here’s what’s new

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CarPlay-dashboard-iOS-13
My cheap Kia came with CarPlay as standard.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 doesn’t just mean big improvements for your iPhone. Apple is making some pretty significant enhancements to CarPlay, too, including a brand-new dashboard and better apps.

Some of these great new CarPlay features are long overdue. Here’s everything you can expect from Apple’s in-car platform in iOS 13.

Pock puts your Mac’s Dock in the Touch Bar

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Pock dock and settings
In deep with Pock.
Photo: Pock

Pock is a very neat little utility for folks with Touch Bar MacBook Pros. All it does is replace the Touch Bar’s tools with swap-in “widgets,” or sets of tools. One of these puts the Mac’s own Dock into the Touch Bar, which is an amazing idea. But there are several other widgets available, with more to come.

Phantom MacBook appears briefly in FCC database

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2019 MacBook Pro
The FCC just accidentally leaked some info on an upcoming Apple laptop.
Photo: Apple

5The FCC just signed off on an Apple laptop that hasn’t been announced yet. This could be the 16-inch MacBook Pro that’s been the subject of recent rumors. Or it might be just a speed-bumbled version of an earlier model.

Turn your favorite iPhone photos into museum-quality canvas prints

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Print your iPhone photos on canvas with CanvasChamp.
Print your iPhone photos on canvas for a museum-quality look.
Photo: CanvasChamp

This post is presented by CanvasChamp.

iPhones take such great pictures, it seems a shame to limit them to viewing on a screen. For a variety of reasons, the photos of friends and family that we take these days rarely end up decorating our homes the way they used to. But that’s not because it’s hard to do, or even expensive.

Xiaomi digital avatars totally rip off Apple’s Memoji

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Xiaomi Mimoji vs. Apple Memoji
One of these is an Apple Memoji and the other a Xiaomi Mimoji. Can you tell which is which?
Photo: Xiaomi/Memoji

There’s something slightly familiar about Xiaomi’s new Mimoji 3D avatars. And by “slightly familiar” we mean this feature debuting in the Chinese company’s latest phone is a complete knockoff of Memoji, the animated avatars Apple introduced last year.

Third betas for iOS 13 and iPadOS arrive for devs

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ios13
Users can't wait to get their hands on iOS 13.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded the third beta build of iOS 13 and iPadOS to developers this morning, bringing a host of new tweaks and bug fixes to test devices just before the 4th of July break.

iOS 13 beta 3 arrives just over two weeks after Apple dropped the last developer beta. The first iOS 13 public beta came out a week ago. Apple also released the third betas of tvOS 13, watchOS 6 and macOS Catalina today.

How to use the OP-Z’s new sampler with your iPhone

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This is all you need to make a hit record. Well, maybe a few dongles, too…
This is all you need to make a hit record. Well, maybe a few dongles, too…
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Teenage Engineering’s awesome, pocket-size OP-Z synth can now record and use samples. Thanks to a massive software update, it can now sample live audio in through its mic, or via its USB-C port. And yes, if you hook it up to an iPhone or iPad via USB, it shows up as a standard audio interface: You can record from, and send audio to, the OP-Z in lossless digital quality.

Today we’re going to check out these new features. A few limitations prove annoying, but Apple users should feel accustomed to that by now.