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Apple may be softening its stance on repair laws

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Right to Repair
This shouldn't hurt.
Photo: iFixit

Apple has been publicly opposed to a rapidly growing movement known as “Right to Repair”

But internally, the tech giant is slowly loosening its grip on parts for repair as 20 states consider legislation that would make it easier for consumers to repair their electronic devices, such as iPhones and MacBook computers.

Killer underwater photos could be iPhone’s next big camera upgrade

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underwater iPhone photography
Future iPhones could encourage users to dive into underwater photography.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

The iPhone makes a pretty nice picture underwater. Whether it’s with a 6s in a waterproof case or the latest submersible iPhone XS, you can record an image that rivals any picture produced with a dedicated underwater camera.

But only in a limited range of conditions and with a little luck.

Now, Apple believes it can improve future iPhone cameras to automatically sense when a picture is being made underwater and adjust according to light, depth and the degree of murkiness.

Xiaomi puts a different spin on folding phones

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Xiaomi
This might be the best looking folding phone yet.
Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi is the latest smartphone maker to tease its upcoming folding smartphone with a short new video that shows its double folding display in action.

While Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X each have one folding section, the Xiaomi’s Mi Fold goes from tablet to phone mode by folding down two sides of the screen. This leaves you with a nearly edgeless phone display that’s a bit wider.

Watch it in action:

Washington Nationals fans can use Apple Pay to purchase snacks

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MLB
They can also order more substantial food from their seats.
Photo: Andrei Niemimäki/Flickr CC

For whatever reason, the worlds of pro baseball and Apple Pay seem to go hand in hand. First it was just using the iPhone’s NFC scanning tech for ticketing.

Now, fans attending Washington Nationals baseball games in the 2019 season can enjoy another perk. By using Apple Pay contactless payments, they can pay for food using a roving payments terminal operated by concessions hawkers. Along with paying for snacks, they can also use an app to place orders for more substantial hot food from their seats.

Apple takes on Lighthouse team after acquiring security patents

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Lighthouse
Is Apple planning to make cameras of its own?
Photo: Lighthouse

Around 20 members of the Lighthouse team are now working at Apple, according to a new report.

The hires, which include two company co-founders, come after Apple acquired a bunch of Lighthouse’s home security patents earlier this month. An email sent to customers this week requested permission to transfer security camera data with Apple.

Activating your Apple Card will be insanely simple

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Apple Card activation 2
Apple Card is going to be a beautifully simple user experience.
Photo: 9to5Mac

One thing I’ve long loved about Apple products is how easy they are to setup. There’s no scouring incomprehensible user manuals. Simply turn a new device on and you’ll be using it within minutes.

That same philosophy sounds like it’ll be carried over to Apple Card, the company’s first (well, second) ever credit card.

Apple News+ accused of violating App Store guidelines

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Apple News+ trial
Some aren't happy with Apple's tactics.
Photo: Apple

Apple has been accused of violating its own App Store guidelines within the new Apple News app.

The Apple News+ signup page is missing a number of important elements that would lead the app to be rejected if it was made by a third-party developer. A former Apple developer says he is surprised the company hasn’t been hit with an “an extremely public lawsuit” for its double standards.

Promo video showcases Apple Card’s gorgeous design

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Apple Card
The Apple Card is a thing of beauty.
Photo: Apple

Against all odds, Apple Card was the most exciting thing coming out of Monday’s keynote event. The credit card itself won’t be available until later in the year. However, in the meantime an Apple promo video lets us salivate at the prospect of the gorgeous titanium wallet pleaser.

Check out the newly uploaded video, originally shown off during Monday’s “Show Time” event, below.

How Steve Jobs gaslighted journalist about Apple’s TV ambitions

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Why Salesforce chief gave up AppStore.com for Apple
Did Jobs second guess himself on Apple's TV potential?
Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

Apple has been working towards its TV ambitions for more than a decade now, ever since it launched the original Apple TV in 2007. However, a new anecdote from technology journalist Nick Bilton makes clear just how unsure the company has been in the past about its goals with television.

Bilton recalls a meeting with Steve Jobs in 2010. During the encounter, Jobs backtracked on his previous claim that TV was going to be a core business for Apple. Things have certainly changed!

Spotify trials new Premium Duo plan for two

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Spotify Premium Duo
Sign up to Premium Duo today.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify has started testing a new Premium Duo plan for two.

The bundle offers two Premium subscriptions at a significantly discounted rate. It makes Spotify the only music streaming service to offer a couple’s plan — but it does come with some caveats.

AT&T boss suggests Apple will share TV viewer data

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apple tv
How much data will TV channels receive from Apple?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

One of the big threads running through Apple’s Monday keynote was the company’s insistence on user privacy. Apple would not, it suggests, share data with companies for Apple Card or Apple News+.

The new Apple TV channels, however, could be a little different. At least, according to an interview with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Speaking at the Fintech Ideas Festival, Stephenson included Apple when talking about customer data analytics in HBO’s digital distribution deals. HBO is a division of AT&T’s WarnerMedia.

AirPods 2 make great a little greater [Review – updated]

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AirPods 2 with box on desk
AirPods Pro could be more affordable thank you think.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Back in December 2016, I was ecstatic to receive my AirPods. In the first few days after they arrived, I had them in my ears almost every moment I wasn’t sleeping or in conversations with others.

Since then, I’ve worn my AirPods, on average, something like four hours every day. When they aren’t in my ears, they are in their case, in my front left pocket. They are as much a part of me as the iPhone they’re typically paired to.

With the second-generation AirPods (can we agree to call them AirPods 2?), Apple took the product I’ve loved dearly for the last 800-plus days, and made it just a little better.

Apple Watch ECG finally makes it to the heart of Europe

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The ECG feature of the Apple Watch Series 4 isn’t just for Americans any more.
The ECG feature of the Apple Watch Series 4 isn’t just for Americans any more.
Photo: Apple

After debuting in the United States last fall, the Apple Watch Series 4 electrocardiogram (ECG) feature is available to Europeans, at last.

The ability to monitor the electrical activity of the wearer’s heart just debuted in 20 additional countries, and only requires upgrading to watchOS 5.2.

Watch an army of robots try to destroy Samsung Galaxy Fold

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Galaxy Fold
Galaxy Fold looks so futuristic.
Photo: Samsung

Ready to prove the haters wrong, Samsung published a new video today showing off the folding capabilities of its new folding phone, the Galaxy Fold.

Samsung created some small robots that fold the Fold open and closed thousands of times in a day to see how durable its flexible display truly is. The displays still haven’t been fondled by members of the press yet, so this is the closest thing we’ve seen to a durability test on the futuristic phone.

Watch the Fold bend over backwards again and again and again:

Latest iMac blows away its predecessors

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New iMacs should get people revved up.
iMacs with new Intel processors provide plenty of performance.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled improved iMac versions last week, and what’s apparently an early benchmark score indicates that a top-tier model will be up to 75 percent faster than its predecessor in everyday use.

That’s not surprising, given the newer Intel processor.

Foldout wireless charger can juice three Apple devices

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Unravel wireless charger
Unravel will keep tight rein on charging devices.
Photo: Ampere

Charging solutions are the foot soldiers in our growing army of devices. They’re just expected to work and don’t get full-throated praise we lavish on the iPhone or Apple Watch.

But that could change with a wireless charger called Unravel, a misleading name for a versatile gadget that cooly and simultaneously charges an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.

How to see if your original AirPods updated themselves

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
Your old Airpods aren’t dead yet.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’ve updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 12.2, and you own a pair of first-gen AirPods, the wireless earbuds probably got an automatic firmware update already. Today we’ll see how to check your AirPods firmware version, and learn what’s new in the update.

Spoiler: Some owners even report better battery life in their original AirPods.

Apple Pay Cash can’t come from credit cards [Updated]

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Pay for your doughnut dash with help from Apple Pay.
You can still send money to friends and family with Apple Pay Cash. You just can’t get the cash from a credit card.
Screenshot: Apple

It is no longer possible to transfer money into an Apple Pay Cash account from a credit card. Transferring funds in via a debit card from another bank is allowed, however.

The service still enables users to make person-to-person payments, but the money cannot come from a credit card.

Huawei smartphone cameras beating iPhone at its game

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Huawei Pro30 Pro
That's some good bokeh.
Screenshot: Huawei/YouTube

The devoted iPhone photographer mostly shrugs at the camera tests of DxOMark, but the growing number of smartphones ranking above the best iPhone is hard to ignore.

With the recent release of the Huawei P30 Pro, there are now five smartphone cameras that best the iPhone XS Max in the independent lab’s gauntlet of tests. The top three spots belong to Huawei.