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SliQ wireless AirPods charging case will save you money, drive you mad [Review]

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You can have wireless AirPods charging right now, if you must, with SliQ silicone AirPods case.
You can have wireless AirPods charging right now, if you must.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Dying to charge your AirPods wirelessly but hesitant to plunk down $79 for Apple’s new wireless charging case? If so, you might consider dropping $25 on a SliQ silicone cover for your AirPods case.

It’s a relatively inexpensive way to add Qi wireless charging capability to your AirPods right now. But a variety of drawbacks should make you think twice.

Old image of MIA AirPower disappears from Apple website [Updated]

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Why was this crusty old mage of AirPower removed from Apple’s website?
Why was this crusty old mage of AirPower removed from Apple’s website?
Photo: Apple

Evidence is mounting that the long-delayed AirPower charging mat is finally about to be released. Oddly enough, part of this evidence is the fact that an older image of the product has been removed from Apple’s web site.

Apple has unveiled new products every day this week so it’s possible AirPower‘s launch will come before the weekend.

Update: A new report on the Wall Street Journal indicates that production of this accessory began earlier this year.

Fortnite 8.11 brings insanely powerful Flint-Knock pistol

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Fortnite Flint-Knock pistol
It's got one hell of a kick to it.
Photo: Epic Games

This week’s Fortnite update brings yet another new weapon to Battle Royale. The Flint-Knock pistol is a powerful sidearm that uses heavy ammo and can deal up to 90 base damage in a single shot.

The version 8.11 release also brings back the impulse grenade, makes the scoped assault rifle more powerful, and more.

iPads pulled from classroom after kids use them to watch porn

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2018 iPad Pro unboxing
iPads are being removed from classrooms after a parent sounded the alarm.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Students in California’s Sonoma Valley school district have had iPads pulled from their classrooms. This follows several second-graders reportedly using the tablets to access porn.

According to a report, searches for the word “kissing” on YouTube prompted suggestions of other videos, which included sexually explicit content. These videos had been viewed by kids as young as 8.

Disney completes massive $71 billion Fox takeover

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Mickey Mouse Disney Apple Watch Series 4
Disney and Apple could be a clash for the ages.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Disney has officially completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, one of the biggest entertainment deals in history.

The $71 billion deal puts Disney in control of Fox’s movie and TV studios, the FX networks, National Geographic, and India’s Star India station. It also puts Disney is its strongest position yet to challenge the might of Netflix — along with whatever streaming service Apple comes up with.

New AirPods deliver hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ and better battery life

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2019 AirPods
The new Wireless Charging Case is also available.
Photo: Apple

The wait for new AirPods is finally over.

Apple’s newest wireless buds are here with a brand new H1 chip that allows for hands-free “Hey Siri.” They also promise better battery life in between charges, and even faster connectivity.

An optional Wireless Charging Case is also available, but it’s not cheap.

Kaspersky Labs latest to take stab at Apple’s ‘monopoly’

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Woman in China temporarily goes blind in one eye after smartphone overuse
Apple debuted its Screen Time feature last year.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has filed a complaint against Apple, alleging monopolistic behavior in the way it runs the App Store.

“Despite a long history of working successfully with Apple, we believe that this is a necessary step,” the company claims. The complaint comes shortly after Spotify also alleged that Apple was abusing its position.

Why the latest iPads don’t support Apple Pencil 2

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The newest iPad mini supports the first-gen Apple Pencil, not the newer version of this stylus.
A must-have for iPad owners.
Photo: Apple

The number of tablets that can use the Apple Pencil expanded with the debut of the iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 5. Curiously, these support the original version of this pressure-sensitive stylus, not the newer one that launched in the fall.

But it turns out there are several good reasons for this move.

How to email huge attachments with MailDrop

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Imagine stuffing a packaged sofa and armchairs in here. That’s MailDrop.
Imagine stuffing a packaged sofa and armchairs in here. That’s MailDrop.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Problem: You want to send a bunch of photos, or maybe a couple of big PDFs, to a client/friend/family member. The trouble is that the files are too big. Say your photos total 50MB. That’s way too much for email.

The old solutions: Split the photos up and send smaller emails. That’s a real pain for you and for the recipient. What about Dropbox? Sure, but then you have to copy the files to Dropbox, and get a link. Do you even have the Dropbox app on your iPhone?

What about WeTransfer? Sure. Just try to enjoy waiting for the upload.

The fix: MailDrop. Just compose your too-big email as usual, and let MailDrop take care of it.

Google’s cloud gaming service doesn’t overlook Mac, iPhone and iPad

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Google’s Stadia will run on MacBooks and iPads, not just Android devices.
Google’s Stadia will run on macOS and iOS, not just Android devices.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Stadia will run top-tier games on Google servers and stream the video to users’ computers. This means that any device that can run the Chrome browser will have access to some of the best titles available. 

iOS and macOS devices will be able to take advantage of Stadia. Chrome OS, Windows, and the Chromecast dongle will be supported as well.

Apple starts initiative to help fight fake news

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fake news
Apple’s new initiative supports efforts to empower young people to be better informed citizens.
Photo: Apple

Apple is joining the fight against fake news with an initiative that encourages critical thinking and empowers students to be better informed.

The company is teaming up with three organizations in the United States and Italy that offer nonpartisan, independent, media-literacy programs.

Apple drops prices on some high-end MacBook Pros

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MacBook Pro refurbs
It’s now cheaper to buy a MacBook Pro with lots of storage.
Photo: Apple

There’s good news for MacBook Pro buyers looking for a lot of storage: Apple has lowered the costs of its most-expensive SSD options. This can save shoppers up to $400 on these powerful laptops.

This is apparently a permanent price reductions, not a sale.

Apple’s ‘Sports Ball’ team could change the way you watch games

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Eddy Cue had the best seats in the house to watch the Warrior's comeback.
Eddy Cue is one of the biggest sports fans at Apple.
Photo: SF Chronicle/Twitter

Apple appears to be planning to become a bigger influence in the world of watching sports as it prepares to announce its TV streaming service next week.

The iPhone-maker invited Sports Illustrated inside its geeky “Sports Ball Room” where a team of employees track pretty much every major and minor sports game in progress. While competitors like Facebook and Amazon are pursuing exclusive rights to air certain games, Apple is taking a different approach. It wants to curate all the must-see moments and alert subscribers when they’re happening.

The new iPad Air is Pro enough for most people [Opinion]

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In some ways, the iPad Air is better than the Pro.
In some ways, the iPad Air is better than the Pro.
Photo: Apple

The new iPad Air is a monster. It’s practically as powerful as the top-of-the-range iPad Pro, but costs around $300 less. You lose a few features — the magnetic Apple Pencil 2, ProMotion, etc. — but for most people that probably doesn’t matter.

In fact, the new iPad Air is so good that it’s probably good enough for most people. And for some folks — professional musicians, for example, or people who hate headphone dongles — it’s even better.

FBI got warrant to force Face ID unlock on Cohen’s devices

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Michael Cohen Face ID
Michael Cohen was forced by a court warrant to open his iPhone with Face ID.
Photo: Apple

Michael Cohen’s Apple devices were treated as evidence by federal investigators, who obtained warrants to compel President’s Trump one-time fixer to use Touch ID and Face ID to unlock them.

The warrants were used during an FBI raid on Cohen’s home and office last year. Court documents with warrant details were made public this week.

Ads might not taint Apple’s TV service

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Apple TV Close
Expect to binge watch Apple TV shows without commercial interruption.
Photo: Cult of Mac

TV shows and movies on Apple’s soon-to-be-announced streaming service might not be broken up by irritating commercial breaks. A new report indicates content will be either free or paid for entirely by subscription fees.

So you can expect to watch the upcoming shows staring Reese Witherspoon, Jason Momoa or many others without interruption.

Apple subscription news service might lack two key players

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Apple News
Don't expect the service to be a comprehensive one on day one.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Major newspapers including The New York Times and Washington Post are yet to sign up to Apple’s news subscription service, a new report claims.

With less than one week to go, Apple will be working overtime to hammer down partners for its Apple Music-of-publishing service. However, while there are some big names on board, others could be absent.

Google Inbox will be wiped out next month

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Google Inbox iPhone
We don't need two Gmail clients anymore.
Photo: Google

It’s nearly the end of the road for Google Inbox.

A new popup that has started appearing inside the Inbox app confirms it will be closed down on April 2. Fans of the email client have just two weeks to find an alternative, but Google recommends another of its own.

Please, Apple, sort out your product naming nightmare [Opinion]

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Jumbled letters
Apple's new iPads underline its problem with product naming.
Photo: Lucille Pine/Flickr CC

As thrilling as new Apple devices are, this week’s surprise hardware updates really screwed the pooch on one important front: product naming.

The “new” iPad Air and iPad mini join a lineup of tablets with a variety of features and price points that will boggle the minds of even the most ardent Apple fanatics.

How did Apple’s naming strategy go so far off the rails? For the sake of the average customer, Cupertino’s once-brilliant branding needs to kick into gear. Because right now, the toxic hellstew of Apple product names is utterly confusing.