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Forensics firm claims it can break into every iPhone

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
Don’t expect locking your iPhone to keep police from accessing it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A company staffed with white-hat hackers apparently made a breakthrough in unlocking iPhones and iPads. Cellebrite says it is offering law enforcement agencies access to every bit of data on any iOS device.

Twitter for Mac will be way better than just an iPad port

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Twitter for Mac
Twitter for Mac will have features not in the iPad version.
Photo: Twitter/Cult of Mac

Twitter recently promised to bring its iPad application to macOS, and the now the company says this will have Mac-specific features, like support for multiple, resizable windows

The re-release of this social-networking software one of the fruits of Project Catalyst, which enables iPad applications to be ported to Mac with relative ease.

Mind games: How Apple sells us on high prices [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 301]

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Did you fall for Apple's psychological trick?
Did you fall for it?
Photo: meo/Pexels CC; Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

If the sky-high price of Apple’s new Pro Display XDR didn’t slap you silly, you probably fell for a clever psychological trick Cupertino often uses. (Either that or you know the actual cost of high-end reference monitors.)

Get the lowdown on Apple’s pricing mind game in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS. Or read on to get the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser. We’re serving up a heaping helping of iOS 13 insight along with some fresh product reviews.

Get a certified refurbished iMac for $800 off the MSRP [Deals]

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Don't break the bank with this 21.5-inch refurb Apple iMac.
This 21.5-inch refurb iMac won't break the bank.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Macs are remarkably future-proof. After years of use, assuming they’ve been well cared for, they can still hang with the latest in the line. And if you refurbish them, there’s no telling how long their useful life can be, so getting a refurb is a great way to score a solid machine at a crazy-low price.

Take this certified refurbished 2011 iMac, right now, you can get one for just $379.

Activ5 pocket-size gym muscles into the Apple store

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Activebody’s Activ5
Activ5 and your iPhone can help build strength through isometric exercises.
Photo: Activebody

Activebody’s Activ5 is a palm-size accessory for isometric-based workouts. Along with companion iPhone and Apple Watch apps, it lets users exercise anywhere.

Apple approves of this workout gear enough to put Activ5 in its stores.

Apple stores will now teach you how to remix Madonna

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Madonna
Madonna is back with a new album and a Today at Apple session.
Photo: Apple

Apple is joining forces with Madonna to help teach people how to make music.

The partnership is for a new Today at Apple Music Lab available at local Apple stores. Attendees will get a hands-on look at how Madonna’s newest track Crave was made and then be taught how to remix it.

AirPods 2 launch was kind of a dud

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airpods
Deals on first-generation AirPods cut into sales of the new version.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

The debut of Apple’s second-generation AirPods didn’t trigger a huge surge in first-day sales, according to new data from a market-research company.

Still, the whole Q1 hearables market grew 40 percent over the previous quarter.

Apple.com celebrates Toronto Raptors’ NBA victory in Canada

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Apple-Toronto-Raptors-animation
Visit Apple.com/ca to see it.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Apple is celebrating the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship victory with a rare Easter egg on its homepage.

You’ll see it if you visit the company’s Canadian website at www.apple.com/ca. You can’t miss it because it fills most of your browser window with animated emoji that fly around your screen.

How Apple tricks our brains into accepting high prices

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This genius psychological tactic makes Apple's high prices seem totally reasonable.
This genius psychological tactic makes Apple's high prices seem totally reasonable.
Photo: meo/Pexels CC

During the WWDC 2019 keynote, most of Apple’s latest creations drew enthusiastic applause, with one notable exception. The price of Apple’s new Pro Display XDR elicited a somewhat cooler response. But considering just how expensive the monitor is, the fact that it got any applause at all was pretty remarkable.

This is not the first time Apple has had to convince us to pony up for an eye-watering sticker price. Cupertino pulls from a well-established playbook for its keynotes, often employing behavioral science techniques to help soften the blow. (To our brains at least, if not to our wallets).

End to China trade war could bring back Apple’s $1 trillion valuation

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China Mobile dual-SIM iPhone
Impending trade war with China has hurt Apple.
Photo: China Mobile

Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives thinks that a resolution to the burgeoning trade war between China and the U.S. would bump Apple back up to $1 trillion in value.

Apple is currently trading at $191.33. Another $28 a share would take Apple back to the 13 figure milestone it managed last year.

Hot Wheels’ smartest, fastest toys are an Apple exclusive

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Hot-Wheels-Smart-Track
Get yours from Apple today.
Photo: Mattel

Hot Wheels cars are smarter than ever with the launch of Mattel’s new Smart Track Kit, Race Portal, and “id” vehicles. And you can buy them all exclusively from the Apple Store starting today.

The awesome new toys work alongside an iPhone or iPad to track speed, count laps, and more. And they’re Mattel’s fastest Hot Wheels cars to date.

This low-key powerful portable battery charger packs 8,000mAh [Deals]

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QiStone

Now that iPhones are firmly on board the wireless charging train, it’s easier than ever to have full recharging capabilities at all times, all without carrying an octopus’ nest of wires, connectors and adapters. At first glance, the QiStone2 Wireless Portable Charger actually does look like a stone. However, it’s a stone packing 8,000 mAh of power, capable of two to three full wireless recharges of your typical smartphone while you’re out in the world.

Apple shows Google how to do Street View with style

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Head to head
Apple's new Look Around feature will launch with iOS 13.
Photo: Reüel van der Steege

Apple’s a few years behind Google with its Street View-style feature called Look Around, announced at WWDC 2019. It may have been worth waiting for, however — at least, based on a new side-by-side comparison.

Assembled by Reüel van der Steege, the demo showcases the impressively smooth Look Around, next to Google’s jerkier alternative. Both parts of the side-by-side demo depict the same road in Hawaii.

Uh-oh! Huawei delays its first foldable smartphone

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Huawei’s Mate X isn’t exactly svelte.
You’ll have to wait until September for the Mate X.
Photo: Huawei

If you’re itching to get your hands on a foldable phone and you thought choosing Huawei over Samsung would be a good idea following the Galaxy Fold’s delay, think again.

Huawei has confirmed that it, too, is delaying its first foldable handset. The Mate X is now pegged for a September debut so that extra tests can be carried out to avoid another Galaxy Fold fiasco.

Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ memoir is out in paperback

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Small Fry
Lisa had a challenging relationship with her famous father, Steve.
Photo: Grove Press

Small Fry, the memoir written by Steve Jobs’ oldest daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs, is out in paperback this week. It launched in hardcover in September 2018.

The book describes the difficult relationship Lisa had with her father, who famously denied his daughter’s paternity. The pair eventually forged a relationship, although it was often a challenging one.

Call of Duty: Mobile quietly hits the App Store in Australia

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Call of Duty: Mobile
It should be arriving in other markets very soon.
Photo: Activision

The wait for Call of Duty: Mobile on iOS is almost over.

Activision’s newest title has quietly launched in Australia, where iPhone and iPad users can now get their hands on it for free. It shouldn’t be too long before the first true Call of Duty game for mobile goes global.

It will soon be easier for diabetics to track glucose on Apple Watch

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Want a more defined core? Your Apple Watch can help.
The Apple Watch is fast becoming a 'must have' for medical reasons.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The CEO of Dexcom, a company which sells a distinctly Apple-looking FDA-approved blood glucose monitoring kit, has teased a collaboration with Apple.

Speaking on CNBC, Kevin Sayer discussed a partnership between the two companies that will let diabetes patients track glucose on their Apple Watch.

Analysts think this year’s iPhones are going to be boring

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The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
Don't get your hopes up. Apparently.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Are you excited about the 2019 iPhones? Fun-squashing analysts at Mizuho Securities think you’re getting your hopes up a bit too much.

According to the firm, this year’s iPhone refresh will “lack novelty.” Apart from more sophisticated cameras, they’re not expecting much in the way of improvements. And even the cameras are something we’ve already seen from Apple rivals.

iPhone 11 launch date leaks from Verizon

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The 2019 iPhone could have a much larger camera bump than any predecessor.
We’re likely just 3 months away from the replacement for the iPhone XS.
Render: OnLeaks/Digit.in

Information reportedly leaking from the largest US wireless carrier reveals when Apple’s next handset is going to launch. However, the timing is not a surprise so it’s not clear if Verizon has inside information or if the company is just guessing based on previous iPhone launch dates.

The next iPhone will launch in the latter part of September, according to a Tweet from frequent leaker Evan Blass. A graphic shows the date being approximately Sept. 20.

Update: Apple just took the wraps off the the iPhone 11, as well as the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. All these models can be pre-ordered starting Friday, September 13 and will debut one week later, on September 20.

Trump and Tim Cook go face-to-face to talk US trade policy

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Apple shares suffer biggest decline since August
Tim Cook and Donald Trump at one of their earlier meetings.
Photo: White House

Apple’s CEO quietly made a visit to the White House today, where Tim Cook met with Pres. Trump to discuss trade and other matters.

The tax Trump is threatening to put on all Apple’s imports from China as part of his ongoing trade war has to have been prominent.

Apple strong-armed cable companies into selling more iPads and Apple TVs

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Apple TV 4K sale. Get yourself a good deal on the latest Apple TV 4K.
The world’s largest tech company used it’s power to make people sell its other products.
Photo: Apple

Comcast and Charter made some potentially high risk deals with Apple in order to secure rights to sell the iPhone on their struggling networks.

Even though they are the two largest cable companies in the US, Apple was able to strong-arm Comcast and Charter into selling large numbers of other Apple products. In some cases they had to agree to sell them at a discount and eat the subsidized cost.

Adonit Note is the affordable stylus your iPad needs [Review]

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Adonit Note review
Adonit Note costs half and much, looks twice as good as Apple Pencil.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

More than artists want to draw on their iPad, and Adonit has just introduced a stylus for the rest of us. This lightweight accessory offers most of the features of the Apple Pencil, while costing far, far less.

We fully tested the Adonit Note iPad stylus, so be sure to read our review.