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Score a sweet set of Bluetooth headphones for about $20 [Deals]

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This set of Bluetooth headphones comes delivers great audio, long range, and a 6-hour battery life.
This set of Bluetooth headphones comes delivers great audio, long range, and a 6-hour battery life.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When it comes to convenient, portable audio, Bluetooth earphones is the way to go. Unfortunately though, you usually have to weigh comfort and audio quality against price. Not so with this set of long-lasting, high quality, massively discounted over-ear headphones.

This dual iPhone and Apple Watch charger is a great AirPower alternative [Watch Store]

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ZENS Dual Watch Aluminum Wireless Charger for iPhone Xr iPhone Xs
Dual+Watch tops up iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods in one.
Photo: Zens

Now that Apple’s AirPower charging mat has been cancelled, this dual iPhone and Apple Watch charger is perhaps the best alternative.

Like the AirPower, the Dual+Watch Aluminium Wireless Charger can charge three devices simultaneously, including the new wireless AirPods.

What went wrong with Apple’s doomed AirPower charging mat?

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AirPower
Sadly, AirPower now resides in a shallow grave.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPower is officially dead.

It’s been about 1.5 years since Apple titillated fans by revealing a wireless charging mat that supposedly would charge not one, not two, but three Apple devices at the same time.

Frankly, it looked too good to be true at the time. And after a year of avoiding the subject, Apple confirmed today that AirPower will never caress the backside of your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time.

This is an unofficial guide to why AirPower failed.

People can’t wait to get their hands on Apple Card

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Apple Card
So far, Apple Card seems to be generating more excitement than this company’s TV service.
Photo: Apple

Apple unveiled four new services last week, including its much-anticipated lineup of TV shows, but the Apple credit card apparently stole the show.

A survey found that a whopping 85 percent of iPhone users are at least somewhat interested in this card, which is an adjunct to Apple Pay.

Best wireless iPhone chargers now that AirPower is dead

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Wireless chargers
Wireless chargers are easy to use and look stylish in any room.
Photo: Mophie

Owners of late-model iPhones (starting with iPhone 8) can stash all their old Lightning cables in a desk drawer and start charging their phone more easily with a wireless charger. Instead of sticking a wire into your phone and attaching it to a power adapter, you just place the phone on a small charger pad — or on a stand-up charging pad — and you’re good to go.

Now that Apple officially killed off its AirPower charging mat, it’s time to take the plunge and get yourself a third-party wireless charger. And if you’ve got one of those newfangled AirPods wireless charging cases, a charging pad is even more essential to your setup.

Here are our recommendations for best wireless chargers.

This cool Apple Card feature keeps your number super-safe

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Apple Card
Of course Apple made the most beautiful credit card ever.
Photo: Apple

The days of worrying about someone stealing your credit card number during a transaction are about to be long-gone once Apple Card launches.

New details about Apple Card and its features were revealed today and one of the most surprising tidbits is that the credit card number can be regenerated with a push of a button to protect you from fraud.

How to record digital audio from your iPhone to your Mac with iDAM

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Audio and USB, together again.
Audio and USB, together again.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you know that you can send the audio from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac via the Lightning cable? That audio stays in pristine digital ones and zeros, and can be recorded (or otherwise used) anywhere you can edit audio on your Mac.

For musicians, this turns your iPad and all its music apps into a plugin for your Mac. And for anyone else, it could just be a neat way to route audio into your Mac’s speakers. The feature is called iDAM, and it’s built into your Apple devices. Oh, and it works with MIDI too.

AirPower is officially dead

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AirPower image Australia
AirPower will forever remain a pipe dream.
Photo: Apple

RIP AirPower.

iPhone lovers have been waiting more than a year for Apple’s wireless charging mat to finally launch, but the company announced today that it has officially canceled its AirPower project because it’s simply too dang hard to make it.

$80 off Apple Watch and bargain accessories [Deals & Steals]

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watchOS 5 Face
Apple Watch Series 3 has never been cheaper.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Best Buy has again slashed the price of Apple Watch Series 3 to just $199, matching the best discount we’ve seen on this model so far. That price applies to the 38mm version with GPS, which usually costs $279. And it’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup.

We also have some massive discounts on great computer peripherals from Logitech, and 63 percent off the SanDisk iXpand flash drive for iPhone and iPad. Plus, you can pick up a 9-in-1 lens kit that will help you step up your smartphone photography for under $16.

Apple will close Texture in May after arrival of News+

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Goodbye Texture
'Texture is ending.'
Photo: Apple

Apple will close down Texture in May following the recent launch of Apple News+.

Texture, another magazine subscription service, was acquired by Apple for an undisclosed sum last spring. Cupertino encourages existing subscribers to migrate to its new platform. But those who don’t use Mac or iOS will have to find their magazines elsewhere.

Don’t even think about repairing the AirPods 2

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AirPods 2
If your AirPods look like this, your music-listening days are over.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s second-generation AirPods may be better than ever, but they’re certainly not any more repairable. A new teardown reveals that the next-gen wireless earphones aren’t “designed to be serviced” in any meaningful capacity.

The challenge of repairing them doesn’t necessarily guarantee a short lifespan. However, it does suggest that these probably won’t be hanging around long-term.

Mac users in China can no longer use Taiwan flag emoji

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Taiwan
Not China's favorite emoji symbol.
Photo: Maya-Anaïs Yataghène/Flickr CC

As countries, it’s fair to say that China and Taiwan aren’t exactly BFFs. For evidence of this, look no further than the recently released macOS 10.14.4. Eagle-eyed users in China have noticed that their Mac devices can no longer display the Taiwan flag emoji.

The flag ban can’t even be circumvented by changing the region in your Mac’s System Preferences.

AirPods absolutely dominate the wireless headphones market

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AirPods wall display is on show in New York.
They may be small, but AirPods are a big hit.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPods aren’t just a massive hit for Apple, they’re a giant in the overall “wireless hearables” market. According to new research from Counterpoint, AirPods made up a massive 60 percent of the overall market in Q4 2018.

It would have been even bigger, too, if customers hadn’t been waiting on Apple’s updated AirPods 2 at the time!

 TV+,  Card,  Arcade,  News+, we react to it all, on The CultCast

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CultCast 381 Lisa
Apple's got four new services for you to choose from.
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast:  News+,  TV+,  Arcade,  Card … we react to it all. We’ll fill in the details on Apple’s new services. And, just when you thought it was safe to type, Apple apologizes for yet more MacBook Air and MacBook Pro keyboard issues.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Tim Cook is ready to testify in Qualcomm trial

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Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
We doubt that Tim Cook will look quite so happy on the day.
Safari: Apple

Tim Cook will offer testimony as part of Apple’s legal battle with Qualcomm. Cook will discuss Apple’s business practices, strategy, agreements with cellular network carriers, and more.

He’s not the only senior Apple executive ready to talk, either. Former hardware boss Bob Mansfield, current COO Jeff Williams, SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller and others will chime in as part of the case.

Leaked ‘iPhone 11’ schematics show a major camera upgrade

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iPhone 11 schematics
Is this our first proper look at the iPhone 11?
Photo: Weibo

Newly leaked schematics might provide our first look at Apple’s next-generation “iPhone 11.”

The technical drawing lends credence to rumors of a major camera upgrade for the upcoming device. However, if the iPhone 11 schematics prove legit, fans might not be happy with the placement of the smartphone’s camera lenses.

App Store revenue could more than double by 2023

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
The App Store continues to go from strength to strength.
Photo: App Store

Apple may be launching a plethora of new Services, but its established App Store business also continues to boom.

According to new figures released by analytics platform Sensor Tower, the App Store will more than double its revenue by 2023. That would mean bringing in a global revenue of $96 billion, a 104 percent increase over last year’s $47 billion.

Apple’s free iWork suite adds useful features

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iPad Pro, Apple Keynote, Apple Pencil
The Apple Pencil just got more useful for iWork users.
Photo: Apple

An update to Apple’s free iOS alternative to Powerpoint allows iPad users with an Apple Pencil to easily draw an animation path for any object in Keynote.

At the same time, quite a few features were added to this software and the other iWork applications, Pages and Numbers.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades slashes into public beta testing

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The Elder Scrolls: Blades promises top-tier gaming on iOS.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades promises top-tier gaming on iOS.
Photo: Bethesda Softworks

Everyone who signed up for early access to the hotly-anticipated iOS game The Elder Scrolls: Blades should start compulsively checking their email for an invitation: the company started a public beta test.

Bethesda Softworks’ free-to-play RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe promises console-quality graphics on an iPhone or iPad.

Microsoft puts a stop to April Fools’ Day pranks

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MS-DOS mobile
A previous Microsoft prank resurrected MS-DOS on mobile.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft has banned employees from participating in April Fools’ Day pranks.

The stunts “have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles,” an internal memo explains. This comes just days after Microsoft resurrected Clippy, the famous Office assistant, only to remove it a day later.