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How to ditch your Mac for an all-iPad lifestyle

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Your new iPad pro has some neat tricks up its sleeves.
Your new iPad pro has some neat tricks up its sleeves.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Are you thinking of switching from the Mac to the iPad? Maybe you’re sick of your MacBook’s glitchy keyboard, or you would prefer to be able to remove the keyboard altogether when you don’t want it, and use touch instead?

Or perhaps you’re tempted by the cheaper pro apps on iOS, or the portability, or you just can’t see the point of a 27-inch iMac on your desk when all you do is read and write.

Whatever your excuse, switching from macOS to iOS is easier than ever. Thanks to iCloud, and a host of great apps and accessories, switching can be almost seamless. Let’s see what you need.

Google’s creepy Duplex callbot arrives on iPhone

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Google Duplex uses an AI to make very realistic phone calls on your behalf.
Google Duplex uses an AI to make very realistic phone calls on your behalf.
Photo: Google

People find Google Duplex both amazing and slightly creepy. And this service, which can make restaurant and hotel reservations via synthesized voice calls, is now available for iPhone or iPad.

Duplex can be unnerving because it works so hard at mimicking human voice habits.

iOS updates might drain your battery faster

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iOS 10 wins in a battery life comparison with iOS 11 and iOS 12.
iOS 10 wins in a battery life comparison with iOS 11 and iOS 12.
Photo: iAppleBytes

A side-by-side test of four iPhones running current and older iOS versions found that the more recent ones drain batteries more quickly.

This result is likely to feed the concerns of people who refuse to upgrade their iPhone’s operating system for fear that doing so will render the device useless.

Sketchy report claims Apple will resurrect iPhone SE this fall

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iPhone SE 2 with edge-to-edge display and notch
Is a dream iPhone SE upgrade on the way?
Photo: Olixar

Apple is preparing an entry-level “iPhone XE” that will be introduced this fall, according to a sketchy new report.

The device is claimed to be an iPhone SE successor with huge improvements, including an edge-to-edge display and Face ID. It could also pack Apple’s latest A12 Bionic processor.

Stark is a new kind of guitar amp for iPad

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Stark looks as good as it sounds.
Stark looks as good as it sounds.
Photo: Klevgrand

A new music app release from Klevgrand is always something to get excited about. And a new guitar amp simulation app? Almost as rare as an in-the-wild sighting of an AirPower mat. Combine both, at an introductory price of just $10, and you have a pretty special day. The app is called Stark, and it’s also the first Audio Unit amp sim for iOS.

Powerbeats Pro earbuds look like AirPods for athletes

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Powerbeats Pro
When will yours turn up?
Photo: Beats

The first truly wireless Beats earbuds have finally arrived.

Beats unveiled its new Powerbeats Pro earbuds today which are a successor to the Powerbeats 3 buds that feature an over-the-ear support system. The new Powerbeats Pro feature some of the same features you’ll find on the new AirPods, only in a sporty, sweat-resistant package with more color options and a larger price tag.

Check out the teaser:

Verizon 5G goes live in Chicago and Minneapolis

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5G
The Galaxy S10 5G is one of the only 5G-ready phones announced.
Photo: Samsung

Verizon’s rollout of 5G mobile data service is finally underway in the U.S. after nearly a year of hype about the technology.

Certain parts of Chicago and Minneapolis are the first two places Verizon customers will find 5G coverage, though it is fairly limited. At least 30 cities are expected to get Verizon 5G by the end of the year, but getting on the network isn’t so simple.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the new iPad Air

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iPad Air 3 teardown
The new iPad Air, torn apart.
Photo: iFixit

The new iPad Air has suffered a customary teardown after finding its way into the hands of iFixit.

As expected the device shares a lot in common with the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. But if you look closely, you’ll find Apple has made a whole bunch of big changes that make this more of a mid-range iPad than a smaller flagship.

Here’s what was found under its hood.

We may be waiting until 2021 to get our super-fast 5G iPhone

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
We can't wait for the super-fast 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Some reports have suggested that a 5G iPhone may arrive this year (not likely) or next (a lot more likely). However, UBS analyst Tim Arcuri thinks both of these are too optimistic as forecasts.

In a new note to clients, Arcuri suggests that the chance of a 5G-capable iPhone for 2020 are “not good.”

Fortnite addiction is real, health professionals warn

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Fortnite 2
Fortnite has taken the gaming world by storm.
Photo: Epic

Think Fortnite is all good fun? Not according to doctors it’s not. Some health professionals are likening the hit game’s addictive effects to hard drugs.

“[Players] are not sleeping. They are not going to school. They are dropping out of social activities. A lot of kids have stopped playing sports so they can do this,” Michael Rich, director of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital, said.

Rare Steve Jobs signed plaque goes up for auction

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Plaque Steve Jobs
Would you want this hanging on your wall?
Photo: RR Auction

A 10-year Apple employment plaque signed by Steve Jobs is up for auction. The 6 x 12-inch framed plaque was given to Apple employee Suzanne Lindbergh in 2000. It is signed in black felt tip by Apple’s former CEO and co-founder, whose autograph is considered one of the most sought-after from collectors.

Online bidding is currently at $4,189. The item is expected to sell for upward of $15,000 when biding closes on April 10.

Judge rules that Apple does, in fact, own iPad name

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iPad
Wait a second, that doesn't look like Apple branding!
Photo: ipadtoday

Apple has emerged triumphant in a seven-year legal battle with the company RXD Media over who owns the name “iPad.”

RXD had claimed that it owned the rights to the name based on its ipad.mobi platform, which launched two years before Apple debuted the iPad. The resolution to the case, which backs up a 2018 trademark hearing, finally brings an end to the saga.

Samsung will give you $200 for any old iPhone

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iPhone SE
It’s time to dig out your old iPhone.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Samsung will give you a minimum of $200 for any old iPhone — no matter what condition it’s in.

As long as your device turns on, has been restored, and is not blacklisted, you’ll qualify for the offer. But there is a catch: Your credit can only be spent on a new Samsung phone.

Apple secures new supplier for Apple Watch Series 5 screens

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new Apple customers
Apple Watch could be better than ever next year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Japan Display will supply OLED screens for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 5, according to a new report.

This will be the Japan Display’s first foray into OLED screens. The deal is said to be a “breakthrough” for the company, which has been suffering as a result of Apple’s move from LCD to OLED displays for the iPhone.

ACLU says Apple employee was illegally harassed by U.S. Customs

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Silk Labs
Andreas Gal is the founder of AI startup Silk Labs, acquired by Apple.
Photo: Silk Labs

An Apple employee was allegedly illegally harassed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while passing through Customs. Andreas Gal, founder of Silk Labs, an AI startup acquired by Apple, says he was asked for the passwords to his Apple-issued phone and computer.

When he asked to speak with a lawyer, due to the contents being covered by a nondisclosure agreement, CBP officials reportedly refused. Instead, Gal was threatened with prosecution.

Apple Watch ECG already helped save a life in Germany

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Apple Watch ECG debuted in Germany last week.
Apple Watch ECG debuted in Germany last week.
Photo: Apple

The electrocardiogram (ECG) feature of the Apple Watch was only turned on last week in Europe there’s already a report of it discovering a serious heart condition in a German man.

This is exactly what it’s intended to do: find heart problems for which there are no obvious symptoms.

Pizza boxes are the new innovative frontier in funny Apple ad

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Apple ad
See what Apple can do for you..
Photo: Apple

Apple’s entire line of products are on full display in the company’s brilliant new ad that also features a patented Apple pizza box.

The new video, which clocks in at just over three minutes long, shows a team of low-level corporate workers using Macs, iPads, iPhones and Apple Watch to execute a moonshot idea that could get them the promotions they’ve been dreaming off. Apple’s software shines just as bright as the hardware while the team races to finish their project ahead of schedule.

Watch the team pull off the impossible!

How to get Apple News outside the U.S.

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Who doesn’t want to read all the most important news of the day?
Who doesn’t want to read all the most important news of the day?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This post could more correctly be titled “How to get Apple News outside Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.” Those are still the only places that Apple News is available, almost four years after the service’s launch in September 2015.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to get the app even if you don’t live in one of those countries. Here’s how.

iPhone app helps fight foul smells in cities

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Smell MyCity
Don't just hold your nose. The Smell MyCity app could help clear the air.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Smartphone apps are powerful tools — especially one that eliminates foul smells in your city.

OK, the Smell MyCity app is not that powerful. But it does give users a reliable way to report offensive stank. And in some cases, their complaints go directly to air-quality authorities.

Gorgeous iPhone XI concept kills the notch… sort of

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This is what the iPhone XI might look like if it had a “hole-punch” instead of a notch.
This is what the iPhone XI might look like if it had a “hole-punch” instead of a notch.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The notch at the top of the iPhone display has become a familiar part of recent models, but one designer considered another option. He created an iPhone XI mockup with a small hole in the screen instead.

Watch the video he created to demonstrate the idea now:

Now your old MagSafe chargers can power any USB-C device

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Put your old MacBook charger to good use with AnyWatt MS power adapter.
Put your old MacBook charger to good use with an AnyWatt MS power adapter.
Photo: Elecjet

This post is presented by Elecjet.

What did you do with the MagSafe power adapter for your old MacBook?

When the peripherals for our devices become obsolete, we face a grim choice. Throw them into the trash, and contribute to the massive problem of e-waste, or toss them into the drawer, graveyard for forgotten accessories.

OWC can double or quadruple the RAM in 27-inch iMac 5K

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Apple iMac 2019
You can now take the 2019 iMac 5K to 128GB of RAM.
Photo: Apple

OWC just introduced a kit to upgrade the new 27-inch iMac 5K to 128GB of RAM. That’s up to four times the maximum available from Apple, depending on the configuration of the computer.

But these upgrades don’t come cheap. And they are only for this version of the iMac, not the iMac Pro.