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Citigroup reportedly pulled out on Apple Card deal

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Apple Card
Apple Card might be the most consumer-friendly credit card ever.
Photo: Apple

One of Goldman Sachs’ biggest rivals pulled out on a deal that would have made it the bank backing Apple Card.

Citigroup reportedly was in advanced negotiations with Apple but pulled out of the Apple Card deal due to doubts that it will be profitable.

How to make your iPhone read any text out loud

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Speaker grille read text
This speaker symbolizes every word spoken by your iPhone.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Today we have another great tip ripped form the iPhone’s accessibility settings. The screen reader lets you use a quick two-finger gesture to read anything on the screen. This is obviously designed for folks who have trouble reading the screen, but it is also very handy for everyone else.

You can listen to a long magazine article while you do the dishes for example, and much more.

iOS 12.4 beta 3 is out now for developers

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Apple Card
Apple Card’s official launch date still hasn’t been revealed.
Photo: Apple

12.4Apple is speeding through the beta process of iOS 12.4 with yet another beta build that’s ready for developers.

iOS 12.4 beta 3 comes just eight days after Apple seeded the second beta to developers and the public at the same time. The update prepares iPhones for the launch of Apple Card later this summer, along with packing a bunch of bug fixes and performance improvements.

Everything we think we know about iOS 13 for iPhone

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We hope iOS 13 looks a lot like this.
We hope iOS 13 looks a lot like this.
Photo: Alvaro Pabesio

The big iOS 13 news is all about the iPad. Or at least, we expect it to be based on rumors and leaks. But what about the iPhone? How will iOS 13 shape up on the most popular of iOS devices? Will it be a dead year, while the iPad gets all the (somewhat overdue) attention? Or will it be just as exciting for iPhone owners?

The good news is, the iOS update will probably be huge overall. In recent years, Apple has managed to lock down the secrecy around software, but this year the rumors — based on purported leaks — abound. That might mean the iOS 13 is bursting with new stuff.

So, let’s take a look.

Top iPhone lens maker now has bags for your gear

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Moment bag for mobile phtographers

Photo: Moment

Moment, a go-to brand for quality iPhone lens attachments, will now help you carry your gear with new bags to support the mobile photographer.

The company’s roomiest offering is an expandable fanny sling pack with adjustable microfiber-lined pockets for your lenses and other accessories.

For a more tightly edited carry, Moment also introduced a crossbody wallet functional enough for your shoots and stylish enough to carry in any situation.

Steve Jobs didn’t want the ‘Get a Mac’ ads to be too funny

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Justin Long
Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign got laughs at Microsoft's expense from 2006 to 2009.
Photo: Apple

Justin Long, the “Mac” to John Hodgman’s “PC” in the now-famous ads from Apple, said the funnier commercials were kept off the air by company founder Steve Jobs.

It’s not because Jobs lacked a sense of humor as Long revealed over the weekend to host Lola Ogunnaike on PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing.

Teen who hacked Apple thought it would earn him a job

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hacking pic
This was the second teenager in Australia to hack Apple's secure servers.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A second Australian teenager who hacked into Apple’s computer systems has said that he did it because he thought it would help earn him a job at Apple.

The unnamed teen was 13 when he hacked into Apple’s mainframe. Now 17 years old, he recently plead guilty to multiple computing hacking charges in an Adelaide Youth Court.

Craig Federighi won’t accept Google’s luxury Apple dig

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Google
Google CEO recently took a shot at Apple's privacy stance.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, has addressed Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s shots at Apple’s stance on privacy.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Pichai dismissed unnamed (but clearly Apple) tech giants who sell privacy as a “luxury good.” Unsurprisingly, Federighi doesn’t agree.

Huawei founder doesn’t want iPhones banned in China

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is a self-admitted Apple fan.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

Huawei may be competing with Apple in the smartphone industry, but Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has said that he would be “the first to protest” if China was to consider banning the iPhone in the country.

This comes after the U.S. placed a ban on Huawei products. This prompted concerns that China could retaliate and ban an American tech giant, such as Apple.

Apple’s new iPod touch is the fastest yet — and all too familiar

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iPod-touch-2019
The new iPod touch looks just like the old one.
Photo: Apple

Apple just surprised us with a new iPod touch that promises to be its fastest yet.

Powered by a speedy A10 Fusion processor, it’s built for gaming and immersive augmented reality experiences on the go. It’s also affordable, with prices starting at just $199.

The only problem is it looks just like the old iPod touch.

iPhone chip manufacturing on its way to Indonesia

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iPhone 6s teardown
Pegatron will team up with an Indonesian manufacturer..
Photo: iFixit

Apple manufacturing partner Pegatron plans to invest up to $1 billion in a new iPhone chip plant in Indonesia.

The Taiwanese company outlined its plans in a letter of intent to the Indonesian government, according to a new report. Pegatron plans to work alongside local company PT San Nusapersada.

Apple expected to ‘eliminate’ 3D Touch from 2019 iPhones

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3D Touch app switching
Farewell, 3D Touch.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to eliminate 3D Touch this year, favoring Haptic Touch instead for the 2019 iPhone lineup.

The pressure-sensitive technology was introduced just under four years ago with the iPhone 6s. But the iPhone XR has since proven that it isn’t completely necessary to enjoy 3D Touch features.

Apple acquires startup that helps parents monitor their kids’ asthma

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Health
Acquisition is just the latest in a series of Apple health initiatives.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly snapped up Tueo Health, a startup which was developing tools to help parents monitor their sleeping kids’ asthma symptoms. Tueo Health’s work involved a smartphone app that analyzes data from commercial breathing sensors.

It’s not clear exactly when the deal went down, but it appears to have stealthily happened late last year. Apple hasn’t revealed how much it paid.

Ulysses’ new iPad split-screen view is better than Apple’s

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Ulysses split view
View two documents, or one document and its preview, at the same time.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ulysses, the best long-form writing app on iOS and Mac in my opinion, just got a sweet update. It adds support for publishing to Ghost blogs, but even better for almost everyone is the addition of split-screen editing. This lets you view two Ulysses documents side by side, on the same screen. It might not sound like much, but it’s surprisingly powerful.

How to build muscle with Apple Watch

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Are you correctly fuelling your muscle growth?
That's actually not how you wear an Apple Watch
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you diligently close your Apple Watch’s Activity rings every day in the hope of getting ripped like The Rock, you are going about it all the wrong way. Apple’s Activity app focuses on cardio conditioning and burning calories. That’s great for losing weight, but irrelevant if you want to build muscle. In this post, we’ll look at what really makes muscles grow — and how to build muscle with your Apple Watch and iPhone using specialized apps.

Concept shows iPhone 11 without the massive camera bump

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The 2019 iPhone could have a much larger camera bump than any predecessor.
This is the iPhone 11 with megabump. What if it didn’t have one?
Render: OnLeaks/Digit.in

For months, reports have indicated that this fall’s iPhone models will have three camera lenses in a single large hump, a design that’s drawn criticism. An artist created a concept design of what the device would look like without the hump.

Check it out:

Score creative apps, Photoshop lessons and more this Memorial Day weekend [Deals]

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CoM - Memorial Day Savings
This Memorial Day weekend, we've got deals on Corel apps, Photoshop lessons, and a handy vacuum droid.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With the extra day off this holiday weekend, why not take the opportunity to sharpen your skills and tidy your home? In part two of our Memorial Day Weekend, we’ve got Corel creative apps, Photoshop lessons, and a robot vacuum assistant. Everything is discounted by more than half, some as much as 97%. Read on for more details:

Apple unleashes its fastest MacBook Pro [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 298]

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Cult of Mac Magazine Cover No. 298
Apple's newest MacBook Pro is the fastest ever.
Photo:

Apple just brought Intel’s latest eighth- and ninth-generation chips to the MacBook Pro, making it the company’s fastest-ever laptop.

The newest 8-core models deliver up to twice the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro, and up to 40 percent more than a 6-core model. They also promise powerful graphics, a T2 Security Chip, super-fast SSDs and “all-day” battery life.

Find out what’s going on 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.

Score gear, tools and training this Memorial Day weekend [Deals]

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Featured memorial day weekend deals 1
For Memorial Day Weekend, we've got deals on VPNs, 5G wireless storage and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This Memorial Day, hopefully you’ll be taking an extra day to relax, reflect and recharge. Something else you can do is take advantage of some great deals on gear, tools, and training. We’ve got discounts as high as 96% on things like VPNs, Excel training, and more. Read on for more details: