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Get some tax relief with 10% off select products [Watch Store]

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The Strapa Crocodilus leather Apple Watch band gives you that alligator look.
Taxes got you down? Time to save some quick cash on Apple accessories.
Photo: Strapa

Today is the dreaded deadline for filing U.S. income tax returns, and we know how much of a drag that is. So the Cult of Mac Watch Store is bringing you some tax relief with discounts on select watch bands, chargers, stands and cases.

We’ve rounded up offerings from these great companies: Ottm, Strapa, Twelve South and Wiplabs. Save 10% on these products at the Cult of Mac Watch Store this week!

iOS 13 details leak in juicy new report

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Logitech Slim Folio Pro review
Apple's market share climbed 4% last quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 will bring big improvements and a whole bunch of new features to iPhone and iPad users this fall.

Many of the changes have been spilled in a new report that cites people familiar with the update. You can look forward to a real dark mode, better multitasking, a font manager, and more.

Apple Watch helps save 80-year-old woman in Germany

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fall detection
Fall detection was one of the big features introduced with the Apple Watch Series 4.
Photo: Apple

The ECG feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 gets the lion’s share of headlines about potentially life-saving incidents. However, it’s the wearable’s fall-detecting ability which is the hero of the latest story of this kind.

In Munich, Germany, an 80-year-old woman fell in her apartment. Fortunately, her Apple Watch recognized what had happened and called emergency services.

Construction halts on Apple data center in Denmark

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Irishcenter
A mock up of Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

Construction has been abandoned on Apple’s new data center in Denmark, according to local reports.

“There is no life” at the site after hundreds of workers for main contractor Exyte were sent home. It is believed Apple has terminated its agreement with the company following a dispute.

Apple vs. Qualcomm court case could be worth up to $30 billion

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Qualcomm patents
This could be the most expensive case of its kind.
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple’s battle with Qualcomm is a meeting of two tech titans — and the monetary amounts involved reflect that.

According to a new report from the Financial Times, the amount of money at sake dwarfs any previous IP or antitrust case. Apple and four companies in its supply chain are seeking $30 billion in damages from Qualcomm. Since Qualcomm generated “just” $5.7 billion in 2016, the fallout could be absolutely enormous.

A13 chips for 2019 iPhone move toward mass-production

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Right to Repair
Apple's first 5nm chips are expected to ship in iPhone and iPad this year.
Photo: iFixit

Apple chip-maker TSMC is almost ready to start mass-producing next-generation A13 chips for this year’s new iPhone lineup.

The A13 will employ an “enhanced version” of TSMC’s N7+ fabrication process, according to a new report. It is likely to be Apple’s last 7-nanometer chip following the launch of TSMC’s new 5nm foundry at the Southern Taiwan Science Park.

Spotted: Tim Cook parties at Coachella

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Cook 1
Tim Cook was photographed at Coachella this weekend!
Photo: Diplo/Instagram

This weekend was Coachella — and one person who apparently needed no reminding of this fact was Tim Cook.

Apple’s CEO was snapped at the event, posing for a picture with DJ and music producer Diplo. “Some random guy came up to me and asked for a picture but I look good so here it is,” Diplo humorously captioned the photo.

Apple could invest $500 million in Apple Arcade

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Apple Arcade is something of a loot box for Apple.
Apple Arcade is something of an expensive loot box for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s upcoming game service could be getting some major seed money. A new report indicates the iPhone maker might be spending over $500 million to build its stable of games.

And analysts from HSBC predict Apple Arcade will bring in more revenue than Apple TV+, this company’s streaming video service.

Inside Apple’s megafactories [Cult of Mac Magazine 292]

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Exclusive outtakes from Leander's new book on Tim Cook take you inside Apple's innovative manufacturing process.
Exclusive outtakes from Leander's new book on Tim Cook take you inside Apple's innovative manufacturing process.
Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac

In case you haven’t heard, our fearless leader (Cult of Mac founder and publisher Leander Kahney) has a new book coming soon. It’s called Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, and it offers an eye-opening look at the Apple CEO.

Unfortunately, Leander couldn’t squeeze all the info he gathered into a single book. So we’re publishing a series of outtakes dealing with Apple’s innovative approach to manufacturing the world’s greatest computers.

Catch up on all the outtakes so far — starting with a peek inside Apple’s megafactories — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Or use the links below to stay in your browser. Either way, you’ll get all the outtakes from the Cook book, plus the week’s best Apple news, how-tos and reviews.

Apple and Foxconn, a history [Cook book outtakes]

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Foxconn workers spell company's name
Workers spell out the company's name at one of Foxconn's giant plants.
Photo: Foxconn

Tim Cook book outtakes: How Apple's Operations department works This post was going to be part of my new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, but was cut for length or continuity. Over the next week or so, we will be publishing several more sections that were cut, focusing mostly on geeky details of Apple’s manufacturing operations.

Foxconn was founded around the same time as Apple, although 6,000 miles away on the other side of the world. In 1974, when 19-year-old Steve Jobs was working at Atari, 24-year-old Terry Gou borrowed $7,500 ($37,000 in today’s money) from his mother to start up a business.

How to mod your AirPods to fit tight in your ears

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WTF is going on here?
WTF is going on here?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I love my AirPods, but I hate that they don’t fit right in my ears. They’re not designed to seal the ear canal, and therefore block external noise, but they often sit so loose in my ears that a) I can’t hear them without setting the volume way too high, and b) they feel like they’re about to fall out.

Today we’ll see how to add grippy dots to your AirPods. These dots will make the AirPods fit snugly in your ears, but — crucially — they will still fit in their charging case.

Republican lawmakers flame Apple for censorship in China

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China’s population of 1.4 billion makes it a huge potential market for Apple.
China’s population of 1.4 billion makes it a huge potential market for Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A pair of GOP congresspeople have strongly criticized the decision to remove songs from artists critical of the Chinese Communist Party from Apple’s streaming music service in that country.

The move highlights the compromises the iPhone maker has to make in order to offer its products in a very lucrative market.

Facebook could bring Messenger back to its main app

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Facebook Messenger unsend
It’s about time!
Photo: Facebook

Facebook could bring Messenger back to its main app as part of its strategy to merge all of its chat services into one.

Evidence of the change has been discovered in recent code. Facebook is yet to confirm the move, but it certainly looks like it is already making preparations.

Beautiful iPhone XII concept kills the notch and buttons

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Check out a proposed iPhone XII with a screen that curves around all four edges.
Check out a proposed iPhone XII with a screen that curves around all four edges.
Photo: Kevin Noki/ConceptsiPhone

One way to make the iPhone’s screen larger without increasing the size of the device itself is wrap it around all four edges. An artist‘s video imagines how such an iOS handset would look, with no physical buttons and an under-screen camera.

Watch his concept video now:

Camera comparison proves iPhone is still one of the best

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camera sales
iPhone photography is still incredibly good.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Android enthusiasts are keen to highlight how the iPhone has dropped in the smartphone camera ranks in recent years. But a new camera comparison reveals that may not be the case.

Although there are some better options out there for low-light photography, Apple’s smartphone is still up there with the best when it comes to daytime shooting.

Buy an iPhone case and build a library in Peru

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iPhone cases Peru
One of six in the Living Heart Case Collection.
Photo: IllusionPhotograph.com

You get varying degrees of style and durability in every iPhone case. But purchase a case from IllusionPhotograph and you could help build a library in Peru.

The kids who will benefit from that library, along with medical supplies and educational tools, are doing their part by making artwork for a line of iPhone cases called the Living Heart Case Collection.

Power multiple devices in sight with dual charge nightstand mode

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HiRise Duet is the first dual charging stand that powers up Apple Watch in Nightstand mode.
Don't miss these sweet savings!
Photo: Twelve South

AirPower is dead and gone, but in the midst of the scramble for the next best thing, its alternatives have been selling out fast. So, what now? The HiRise Duet stand may be the perfect solution, and we’ve got it in the Cult of Mac Watch Store.

This luxe charging stand powers your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, in the same place. With 15-watts of Lightning Power, HiRise Duet charges your iPhone 40 percent faster than standard USB, and almost twice as fast as wireless.

Best part? Unlike flat charging pads, Duet holds your iPhone and Apple Watch upright so you can see and interact with your devices while charging. Check it out:

Despite rival streaming services, Disney CEO will stay on Apple board

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Iger CEO 1
Iger has a long history with Apple.
Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr CC

Apple and Disney are going to be rivals with their new streaming services, but Disney CEO Bob Iger doesn’t expect it’ll have any impact on his position as an Apple board member.

Iger said that he had recused himself at Apple board meetings when the topic of Apple TV+ came up. However, he noted that it “has not been discussed all that much” by the board, since it’s still early days.

Build a boss website with zero coding experience [Deals]

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Easily create beautiful, responsive, SEO-friendly websites, no coding knowledge required.
Easily create beautiful, responsive, SEO-friendly websites, no coding knowledge required.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s no shortage of reasons to build a website, whether you’re trying to sell stuff, build a brand, or just get your ideas out there. But there’s one reason most people never get around to building their site: lack of coding knowledge. Luckily, no experience is no problem.

Foxconn will start building iPhones in India in July

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Foxconn is looking to India as a location to build iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Foxconn will reportedly start building iPhone X-series handsets in India in July, a new report claims. Other newer handsets could also follow in the future.

The handsets will be built at the company’s 160-acre factory in Chennai. “The plans are to step up production capacity and diversify to even higher models going forward,” a source with knowledge of Foxconn’s plans is quoted as saying.