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End in sight for damaging trade war with China

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Trump’s trade war with China is bad business for Apple.
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

The burgeoning trade war with China has caused Apple no end of headaches. But an end could be in sight, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Speaking with CNBC, Mnuchin said that the U.S. and China have a “path to complete this.” He notes that both parties were “90% of the way there” during previous talks, before discussions broke down.

Oppo reveals world’s first ‘Under-screen Camera’ for smartphones

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Oppo-Under-screen-camera
And it’s coming soon!
Photo: Oppo

Oppo’s efforts to eliminate the notch have led to the world’s first selfie camera that sits under your smartphone’s screen.

The new technology, which was showcased to the public at MWC Shanghai this week, will be making its way to commercial handsets “in the near future.” And it promises to be just as good as existing selfie cameras.

Intel is auctioning off its massive 5G modem tech portfolio

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intel
Could Apple snap it up?
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Having gotten out of the 5G smartphone modem game, Intel is auctioning off its IP related to cellular wireless technology. In total, a massive 8,500 assets will be up for auction.

Intel made the call to get out of 5G modems after Apple made up with Qualcomm. At the time, Intel noted that there was no profitable route forward.

Apple News will guide you through the first 2020 Democrat debate

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Democratic candidates
Apple News will shine a light on 2020 Democratic candidates.
Photo: Apple

Apple has launched a special guide section for Apple News, featuring coverage of 20 Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the 2020 U.S. Elections.

The section of the app curates content from a variety of news sources. It also includes basic information about the different candidates who will take place in the first debate. This includes their biography and current position on key issues.

Apple Pay arrives in Greece, Portugal, and other new countries

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Apple Pay
Apple Pay continues its international rollout.
Photo: Apple

Update: Apple Pay launched in a total of 13 markets today. The full list includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

Apple Pay has debuted in four new countries. The mobile payment service is now live in Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Portugal.

Apple has said that Apple Pay will be supported in 40 countries by the end of 2019. This marks yet another step toward that goal.

Apple hires top Drive.ai talent as self-driving startup shuts down

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Drive.ai self-driving car
Drive.ai is dead.
Photo: Drive.ai

Self-driving car startup Drive.ai is reportedly shutting down — and Apple is scooping up the talent.

Drive.ai, which made kits that turn regular cars into self-driving cars, notified the Employment Development Department of California that it was shutting down and laying off all 90 of its employees. Apple was reportedly looking into acquiring the company earlier this month. Instead, Cupertino decided to just hire some of its key employees.

OWC launches fastest USB-C SSD drive ever built

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OWC Envoy Pro Ex
The Envoy Pro Ex has a higher data-transfer speed than any other USB-C drive.
Photo: OWC

OWC makes an eye-opening claim about the Envoy Pro Ex: the company claims its latest solid-state drive is faster than any rival with a USB-C connection.

In addition, the portable drive can stand up to dust and even immersion in water.

Elevate your carry style with this roomy roll-top backpack [Review]

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backpack review
Rosen is ready to find room for himself in a well-packed Moshi Captus backpack.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Moshi passed a critical first test as I opened up the box containing a review unit of its new roll-top backpack the company calls Captus.

My wife liked the looks of it.

Over the years, she has seen me review backpacks and messenger bags and while I reach nuanced conclusions for each, her evaluations are consistently blunt – most bags skew masculine.

iWork apps for iOS and Mac get a massive update

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iWork
iWork could expose user data to U.S. authorities.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s suite of iWork productivity apps received a big batch of updates today for both the Mac and iOS versions.

Keynote, Numbers and Pages for the two platforms added a bunch of new features. The biggest addition is some new outline styles. There are also a couple of new customization options for Apple Pencil and a face detection feature that intelligently positions people in placeholders and objects.

Take a glimpse at the tech-obsessed mutants of the future

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tech-obsessed human in 2100
Behold, the human of 2100!
Photo: Maple Holistics

Some people were freaked out by the recent report that phone overuse causes spikes to grow on people’s skulls. Well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

A group of experts created a 3D model showing changes they see coming to humanity by 2100, including permanently hunched backs and claw hands. It seems each and every American will be ready to star in a horror flick.

New Pokémon Masters details will be revealed this week

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Pokémon Masters
It will feature every Trainer and Pokémon from every region.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

The Pokémon Company will reveal new information about upcoming mobile game Pokémon Masters this week.

Its first presentation since the game was confirmed ahead of E3 is just a couple of days away. We know very little about it so far, but we have been promised battles against Pokémon Trainers from the main RPG series.

These wireless chargers provide power wherever you go

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Mophie Powerstation Hub and Kenu BingeBank
Mophie Powerstation Hub and Kenu BingeBank are just-released external battles with wireless charging.
Photo: Mophie/Kenu

Two companies just unveiled portable batteries that include built-in wireless chargers.

The Mophie Powerstation Hub also includes built-in foldable AC power prongs. The Kenu BingeBank, on the other hand, sports a kickstand so it props up your iPhone while charging.

Apple is serious about strapping a camera to your wrist

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applewatch
The camera looks like its part of the loop band.
Photo: USPTO

It seems inevitable that a camera will eventually find its way onto the Apple Watch, the only question is ‘how’? The USPTO awarded a new patent this week that reveals one pretty novel idea Apple has come up with that would allow the Apple Watch camera to be reversible.

It doesn’t look very sleek, but it could be pretty useful:

macOS Catalina public beta doesn’t support multiple iTunes libraries

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Goodbye iTunes.
Just avoid Catalina for now.
Photo: Apple

We’ve explained why it’s really not a great idea to update to the iOS 13 and iPadOS public betas right now — and the same goes for macOS Catalina. Not only is it unstable in its current form, but some things don’t work properly.

One of those is multiple iTunes libraries. As things stand, you will have access to only one. And if it’s not the right one when you first install Catalina, there’s nothing you can do about it.

You could write Hollywood’s next blockbuster on your iPhone

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Wattpad: The social reading and writing app that’s transforming the entertainment industry
Wattpad: The app that's transforming the entertainment industry
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Ever dreamed of penning a Hollywood blockbuster? Turns out there’s an app for that: social reading and writing app Wattpad.

With more than 70 million monthly users (and growing fast), Wattpad is a low-key App Store hit. The app is like Instagram, but for sharing stories instead of photos. It’s a great way to find fantastic new stories — and it’s flipping the script on how Hollywood makes movies.

How to prepare your Mac for macOS Catalina public beta

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Catalina looks pretty good, but should you install the public beta already?
macOS Catalina is coming soon.
Photo: Apple

The macOS Catalina public beta is here, so if you’re feeling brave, you can go ahead and install it on your Mac. But should you bother? Is early access to Project Catalyst apps, Voice Control, the Photos app redesign, Sidecar and Screen Time worth the risks?

Probably not. Or not yet, at least. But if you want to go ahead and install macOS Catalina on your Mac, here are a few tips and warnings.

Matrix-like gadget lets you snap ‘bullet-time’ selfies

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bullet time selfie video gadget
Wingo Pro lets you shoot video with the bullet time effect on a budget.
Photo: Wingo Pro

Your vanity for selfies is limited only by your technology. Now it’s time to add 360-degree selfie videos, like the slow-motion variety made famous by the movie The Matrix.

But those scenes from the cult classic required a circular array of more than 100 cameras. A bizarre gadget on Kickstarter will help you get the effect with a single GoPro camera.

Apple won’t remove app criticized as a tool for Islamic radicalization

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Critics call the Euro Fatwa app a tool for Islamic radicalization.
App has been criticized as a tool for radicalization.
Photo: Fatwa and Research Council of Europe

Apple has declined to remove the Euro Fatwa app from the App Store, despite critics’ allegations that it contains hate speech and is a tool for Islamic radicalization.

Google removed the Euro Fatwa app from its store last month shortly after its launch. However, Euro Fatwa remains available in the App Store. Apple says the app does not fall afoul of its guidelines.

Apple Watch Series 4 was last year’s wearable ‘star performer’

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Apple
Apple Watch Series 4 was a big seller.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch is going from strength to strength, with shipments of the device growing 22% last year. That’s according to Counterpoint Research, which pins the cause on the excellent Apple Watch Series 4.

Analyst Satyajit Sinha notes that the Apple Watch Series 4 was the year’s “star performer.” Sinha says that it sold 11.5 million units in 2018, making it the year’s best-selling smartwatch.

PSA: Resist the urge to install iOS 13, iPadOS betas for now

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iPadOS gets a new home screen design.
They’re just not ready for everyone.
Photo: Apple

Apple just dropped its first public beta builds of iOS 13 and iPadOS, making it easy for anyone to try them out months ahead of their official launch. But you should really resist the urge to install them right now.

Don’t assume these betas are ready for everyone just because they’re available to the public now. If you upgrade your primary iPhone and iPad early, you’re almost certainly going to run into frustrating problems.

I’ve suffered all kinds of issues since upgrading — and I’m not the only one.

Apple lobbyist warns that phone and laptop prices set to soar

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iPhone XS Max
And you thought the iPhone XS was expensive!
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A lobbyist representing tech companies including Apple has warned that tariffs on Chinese products will have a catastrophic impact.

Sage Chandler, of the Consumer Technology Association, said that President Trump’s proposed import tariffs will cause the price of consumer products to rise significantly.

Amazon Prime Day 2019 runs for 48 hours, promises to be best yet

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Prime-Day-2018
More than 1 million products will be on sale.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon just confirmed the details of Prime Day 2019 — and it sounds like it’s going to be a corker.

This year’s event will run for a full 48 hours, making it the longest Prime Day so far. It also promises to be the best yet, with big discounts to be had on more than 1 million products across almost every category.