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Galaxy Fold looks uncertain as Best Buy cancels all preorders

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Galaxy Fold
Samsung still hasn’t provided a new launch date.
Photo: Samsung

The future of Samsung’s first foldable phone looks uncertain again after Best Buy canceled all existing preorders.

The retailer says it wants to put customers first and “ensure they are taken care of in the best possible manner.” It doesn’t want people hanging on for a phone that still has no release date.

Apple’s second store in Taiwan confirmed

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Taipei apple store
A glimpse at Apple's new store.
Photo: Mobile 01/Apple

A new image posted online shows that Apple is gearing up to open its second Apple Store in Taiwan. The photo shows that Apple has erected its customary white construction barriers around the new store, complete with Apple branding.

The new retail outlet is located at the bottom of the Xinyi A13 shopping mall in Taipei’s commercial hub District. From the look of things, the store has a roof design reminiscent of its Chicago flagship store.

Apple Music’s summer playlists show what top celebs are listening to

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
Apple Music now shares celeb playlists by Chris Hemsworth, Lizzo, and more.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s got no shortage of celebrity friends — and a few of them just shared their summer playlists to Apple Music.

Apple’s “Summertime Sounds” curated playlist collection contains the tracks hand-picked (well, presumably) by names including Chris Hemsworth, Lizzo, Shawn Mendes, J Balvin, and more. Want to know what Thor is bumping as he heads on the latest Avengers press tour? This might be your best hope of answering that question.

First ever Lego RPG is coming to mobile this fall

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Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed looks like a lot of fun.
Photo: Gameloft

Gameloft has confirmed it is working on a brand new role-playing game for mobile that’s set in the Lego universe.

Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed will make its debut this fall. It’s the first Lego game in the RPG genre, and it promises to be a lot of fun for fans of the Lego franchise and RPG games.

Check out the first teaser trailer right here.

How to use a GIF for your iPhone wallpaper

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Look at this wallpaper. Just look at it.Look at this wallpaper. Just look at it.
Look at this wallpaper. Just look at it.
Photo: Jake Cvnningham/Flickr CC

Wouldn’t it be great if you could take that awesome (and hilarious!) GIF, and use it as an animated wallpaper for your iPhone? You could wake your iPhone, press on the screen, and watch the action unfold. Over and over. And over.

Sadly, GIF wallpapers are impossible. Or are they? Well, you can’t set an actual GIF to run as your lock-screen wallpaper, but you can convert any GIF into a Live Photo, and use that to animate your iPhone’s lock screen.

Here’s how.

No more downgrades from iOS 12.3 allowed

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Don’t install iOS 12.2 unless you plan to stick with it. The only way through is forward.
You should install iOS 12.3, but be aware that if you do so you can’t go back to the previous version.
Photo: Pexels

All who’ve upgraded their phone or tablet to iOS 12.3 can no longer backtrack to the previous version. This is because Apple has stopped signing iOS 12.2.

It’s not a reflection on that older version, but a standard action for the company to take. It always ends the installation of obsolescent versions shortly after a new one is introduced.

Stylish folio sleeve protects both iPad Pro and Apple’s Smart Keyboard [Review]

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Dodocase Keyboard Folio Sleeve review
Apple’s clip-on keyboard isn’t very protective. Dodocase makes a folio sleeve that fits around it for extra shielding.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Apple Smart Keyboard Folio turns an iPad Pro into an ultralight laptop, but it’s so slim it doesn’t do much to shield the tablet inside. We tested a sleeve from Dodocase that goes around Apple’s keyboard to protect both it and the iPad. It also improves the look of the keyboard case.

Be sure to read our hands-on review of the handy Keyboard Folio Sleeve.

Clicker soups up your Netflix experience on your Mac for only $4 [Deals]

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Clicker Netflix for Mac
Clicker for Mac makes it that much easier to watch your favorite Netflix shows and movies.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Now that Netflix is the 800-lb gorilla of content providers everywhere, accessing and streaming their vast library has improved from its modest beginnings. Yet even despite the enhancements to their service, it can still be a pain to have to open a browser and enter your password to get to your queue.

Latest MacBook Pro blows away its predecessors

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2019 MacBook Pro
The 2019 MacBook Pro is the first with an 8-core processor, giving it better performance running complex software.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s marketing for the recently-announced 2019 MacBook Pro emphasizes how much faster it than last year’s model, and now a benchmark score may confirm that this macOS laptop is almost 30 percent speedier.

How to add your own music to your iPhone without iTunes

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Add your own music to your iPhone without iTunes.
Add your own music to your iPhone without iTunes.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Maybe in iOS 13 we’ll be able to add songs to our music iPhone libraries without having to wake up a Mac or PC running iTunes. Until then, there’s no way to listen to songs downloaded from Bandcamp, or exported from GarageBand, alongside the rest of your music collection.

But there’s a workaround. Vox is a slightly confusing music app that combines your built-in Apple Music library with your Soundcloud, Spotify, and other services. And it will also let you import any audio file, and then add it to playlists and so on. Let’s know more about how to achieve this.

10.8% in ’94. Plus, Apple’s software sales were growing more slowly than those of rival companies. Curious about what is an Apple Fellow? This article provides more insights.

Steve Jobs’ doodles reveal preoccupation with IBM

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Steve Jobs and IBM
Steve Jobs sends a message to the competition
Photo: Andy Hertzfield

A new book compiling the doodles and jotted notes of famous figures includes two from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, each with a cryptic reference to the bane of his existence, IBM.

Debuting last week, Scrawl: An A to Z of Famous Doodles is filled with the scribbles of more than 100 historically important people, from Queen Victoria and President Dwight Eisenhower to Clara Barton and Albert Einstein.

Turn your old Apple Watch into cash for a bargain upgrade

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Apple Watch tips
You'll be surprised how much your old Apple Watch is worth.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There’s never been a better time to upgrade your Apple Watch. Series 3 models are now available for under $200 — the lowest price yet — and smaller discounts on the Series 4 are popping up all the time.

Yours could be even more affordable if you turn your old Apple Watch into cash. Cult of Mac buys back your old Apple devices at excellent prices, and we won’t leave you waiting weeks for your cash.

Even Huawei’s CEO prefers iPhone

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
Apparently, the CEO of Huawei would rather have one of these iPhones than a handset made by his own company.
Photo: Apple

Rising trade tensions have brought calls in China to boycott Apple devices in favor of Huawei handsets, but the iPhone has an unlikely cheerleader: the CEO of Huawei admits he buys iPhones for his family.

“One can’t narrowly think love for Huawei should mean loving Huawei phones,” said CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei.

Korvpressor 2 massages your songs to perfection

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Korvpressor 2 inside GarageBand.
Korvpressor 2 inside GarageBand.
Photo: Klevgrand

Korvpressor 2 is an amazing update to what was already one of the best music production apps on iOS — as we’ll see in a moment. But the real reason I’m writing about it today is the beautiful interface. I mean, look at it. Just look at it. Oh, and it also comes on Mac.

Most college students prefer Mac, if they can afford one

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Swift
Students in higher education prefer Macs, but many of them can’t afford one.
Photo: Apple

A majority of today’s college students are Mac fans. A new study found that 71 percent those in higher education either use or would like to use macOS computers. But there’s an important caveat: many of these students actually use other types because they can’t afford Apple’s offerings.

Samsung screens could be packed into OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Pro

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MacBook-Pro-concept
What a future MacBook Pro might look like.
Photo: Viktor Kadar

Samsung will be at least one of the suppliers for future MacBook Pro and iPad Pro upgrades with OLED displays, according to a new report.

The South Korean company, which already supplies OLED screens for the iPhone, has reportedly provided Apple with sample panels ahead of big product refreshes — but there’s no word on when we’ll see them.

Wireless charger suggests AirPower’s problems are solvable

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wireless charging
Set it and forget it. Source changes smartphones without a search for a precise charging connection.
Photo: Spansive

We waited two years for AirPower and in the end, Apple could not deliver. Numerous engineering challenges forced Apple to do something it rarely does – give up.

But the hurdles facing the team producing Apple’s first multi-device wireless charger are not insurmountable.

Consider the Source – a wireless charger and first product by tech startup Spansive that goes on sale today for $189. Its multiple charging coils allow a person to simply set their phone on the surface without having to move it around until a precise charging point is engaged.

Pegatron moving iPad and MacBook manufacturing out of China

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The screen really is beautiful.
New iPads could be made in Indonesia.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturer Pegatron is reportedly set to start assembling MacBooks and iPads in Indonesia, starting next month.

The news comes at a time when more and more people are concerned about a burgeoning trade war between the U.S. and China. Because a large number of Apple’s products are manufactured in China, the possibility of new import tariffs could have a detrimental impact on the company.

Huawei OS could fight Android (and Windows) next year

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Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Huawei is developing its own operating system that will power its smartphones and other devices if it cannot rely on Android.

Richard Yu, head of the company’s consumer division, has now confirmed the software could be ready in early 2020. Android and Windows remain its top preference for now, however.

Ditch portable batteries for a mobile charging hub [Deals]

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This one power pack plugs straight into the wall, and can charge via microUSB, USB-C, Lightning, or Qi-wireless.
This one power pack plugs straight into the wall, and can charge via microUSB, USB-C, Lightning, or Qi-wireless.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Being able to charge mobile devices on the go is a must. But as technology improves, portable batteries are evolving into something a lot more than just an extra battery in your backpack. Nowadays, you can carry around a bona fide portable power hub.

Jay-Z’s Blueprint trilogy is finally available on Apple Music

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Jay-Z 2
Almost all of Jay-Z's back catalog is now available on Apple Music.
Photo: Mikamote/Wikipedia CC

Thanks to his rival Tidal streaming service, Jay-Z was somewhat M.I.A. from Apple Music for a while.

Somewhere along the line, the tide started to turn. Jay’s 4:44 album landed on Apple Music. As did Everything is Love, his collaboration with wife Beyonce. Now the Blueprint trilogy — home to what is probably Jay-Z’s greatest album — has arrived on Apple’s streaming service.

Ex-student pleads guilty to $895,000 fake iPhone scam

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iPhone X Product Red Wallpaper
The scam involved swapping out counterfeit iPhones for real ones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An ex-Oregon engineering student from China has pleaded guilty to a scam involving counterfeit iPhones.

Quan Jiang and another student, Yangyangg Zhou, were involved in a scheme featuring imported fake iPhones. They then swapped them out for legit devices under Apple’s warranty scheme. The scam cost Apple a massive $895,800.

WhatsApp will start showing you ads in 2020

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WhatsApp stickers
It's time to upgrade if you haven't already.
Photo: WhatsApp

Conversations with your friends won’t be the only thing that shows up inside your WhatsApp next year. Facebook has confirmed ads will also start appearing in 2020.

You’ll see them in WhatsApp Status, the messaging platform’s answer to Instagram Stories.