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Nearly 1 in 4 young adults in U.S. now own a smartwatch

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Apple
The Apple Watch is the 'clear market leader,' too.
Photo: Apple

Among the all-important 18-34 year old age demographic, almost one quarter of U.S. adults reportedly own a smartwatch. And the Apple Watch is likely to be the device they own.

According to The NPD Group, U.S. smartwatch unit sales increased 61 percent during the 12-month period concluding in November 2018. The amount of money raked in was also, unsurprisingly, up — by almost $5 billion.

Apple soaks Google to sit in Safari’s sweet spot

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Google
Google pays a hefty sum to stay the default Safari search engine, making a real contribution to Apple’s bottom line.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

With sales of iPhones plateauing, money from its Services sector is playing an increasing role in Apple’s bottom line. There’s a significant source of this type of revenue many might not expect: arch-rival Google.

As part of its advertising business, Google pays Apple a huge sum every year to stay the default search engine in the Safari web browser. And it’s expected to grow.

This cheap Lightning-to-USB-C cable is better than Apple’s [Review]

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Anker PowerLine II USB-C Cable with Lightning Connector
There’s no reason to get Apple’s Lightning-to-USB-C cable when Anker’s is at least as good for less money.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anker is taking pre-orders for a Lightning-to-USB-C cable that costs much less than Apple’s version. We tested this new accessory to see how quickly it can charge an iPhone to be sure it’s a reasonable copy and not just a cheap knockoff.

Read on to see how well the Anker Powerline II USB-C cable stood up to our tests.

Apple’s greedy terms for new service reportedly spook publishers

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Apple News
Apple wants a giant piece of publishers’ action
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly taking a hard line with publishers during its negotiations for a proposed news subscription service.

Aiming to become the “Netflix of news,” Apple’s as-yet-unannounced service would give customers unlimited access to articles from popular publishers for just $10 per month. However, news organizations are reportedly balking at Apple’s proposed revenue split, which sounds downright greedy.

How to delete unwanted music downloads on iPhone

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Enjoy this music-related image.
Enjoy this music-related image.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Problem: Your iPhone is full of downloaded music. There’s probably a lot of it that you don’t need taking up space on there, but deleting it is a pain. The solution? As ever, it’s hidden inside the Settings app. There’s a dedicated page just to solve this exact problem, listing your downloaded music and making it easy to delete. Let’s check it out.

Apple takes heat over Saudi app that tracks women

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Saudi government app
A Saudi man can use a government app to restrict the travel of his wife or daughter.
Screenshot: iTunes

A U.S. senator is asking Apple and Google to pull an app in Saudi Arabia that men use to track and restrict the movements of women.

Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google boss Sundar Pichai asking them to “immediately remove” the app Absher, from their app stores.

Porn, gambling apps abuse Apple’s developer program to sneak onto iPhones

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Apple Developer Enterprise Program
Apple’s Developer Enterprise Program can be misused to distribute iPhone software that violates the company’s community guidelines.
Photo: Apple

It turns out Facebook and Google aren‘t the only companies misusing the system Apple created to allow companies to share internal iOS apps with their workers. Software with hardcore pornography and  gambling have been distributed to the public via the Developer Enterprise Program.

Epic confirms massive changes for Fortnite 7.40

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Fortnite hand cannon
Epic won't tolerate Fortnite hacks.
Photo: Epic Games

Epic Games will make big changes to Fortnite’s planes, zip lines, rocket launcher, and more in its upcoming 7.40 update.

The balance tweaks to some of the game’s more controversial weapons and items come amid growing complaints from the community about the current state of Fortnite. And Epic says these are just some of the changes on the way.

WWDC 2019 is probably set for June 3-7

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WWDC 2019
Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage for WWDC 2018.
Photo: Apple

Apple has likely booked the San Jose McEnery Convention Center to host WWDC 2019 from June 3 to June 7.

The tech giant typically waits until March to announce the dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. However, a city events calendar lists June 6 for the conference’s big party for attendees, the WWDC Bash.

Apple throws in the towel on plans for flagship store in Stockholm

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Stockholm
The Apple Store that will never be.
Photo: Feber

Apple has reportedly ditched ideas to develop an Apple store in Stockholm, Sweden. This came after the Stockholm City Council vetoed plans for a proposed flagship retail store in the area.

According to a member Stockholm Urban Development Committee, Apple representatives were extremely upset after their proposal was rejected. The company had already made revisions to its proposal in order to fit the proposed historic location better. Apple also turned down officials who said they would help find a new location for the Apple Store.

Qualcomm fined for offering illegal kickbacks to phone-makers

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Qualcomm patents
Qualcomm lost its battle with South Korea's FTC.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm has suffered a blow by losing a lawsuit to South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission. Korea’s FTC alleged unfair business practices that allowed Qualcomm to hold onto its monopoly position as a mobile chip maker.

The case covers the 2000 to 2009 period, but Qualcomm has spent the past decade fighting it. Qualcomm must pay a total of $242 million in damages, although part of this will be reconsidered at a lower court.

Train yourself to type better and faster [Deals]

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Get your typing speed and accuracy up to snuff with dozens of games and exercises.
Get your typing speed and accuracy up to snuff with dozens of games and exercises.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Emails, articles, reports, social media, basically any task that involves typing can turn into a real time drain. So it makes sense to improve your speed and accuracy at the keyboard. In the modern workplace after all, typing is a basic skill worth keeping sharp.

Apple might make us wait until fall for brand-new AirPods

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AirPods and case
But wireless charging could come sooner.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We might be waiting a while to get our hands on Apple’s second-generation AirPods, according to a prominent tipster.

The new wireless earbuds — rumored to bring “Hey Siri” support and new color options — may not appear until this fall. In the meantime, Apple could launch a wireless AirPods charging case.

$723 million bailout could rescue struggling Apple supplier

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The iPhone XS Max is 25 percent larger than any previous iOS handset. So how is it as an iPad mini replacement?
Japan Display has struggled to catch up rivals in OLED displays.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Chinese and Taiwanese investors reportedly will throw a lifeline to Apple supplier Japan Display in the form of a $723 million bailout.

Taiwanese panel-maker TPK Holding, also an Apple manufacturer, and China’s state-backed Silk Road Fund would give the cash to the struggling Apple supplier in exchange for a 30 percent to 50 percent stake in the company.

Tim Cook talks cutting iPhone prices in China

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Cook opened up about Apple's iPhone pricing in China in a new interview.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Apple has cut iPhone prices in China to try and win back growth after falling demand for its smartphones. However, from the sound of things, the company isn’t totally sure this is going to be the guaranteed magic bullet it needs to turn things around.

In a new interview with NPR, Tim Cook strikes a note of caution when he says that, “We’ll see how that works out for us.”

AirPods are Apple’s second-fastest-selling new product of all time

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airpods
AirPods have been a massive smash hit for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

AirPods are Apple’s second-best-selling new product of all time, a new report by Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart suggests.

Cybart estimates that Apple is on track to sell 40 million pairs of AirPods in 2019. That represents almost 90 percent year-over-year growth. While impressive, this is nothing compared to the interest expressed through Google searches — which leaped up 500 percent last holiday season.

Apple names senior exec to promote its augmented reality initiatives

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There are plenty of AR apps but few people have heard of them. An Apple veteran has been tasked with changing that.
Frank Casanova is Apple's new AR boss.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s augmented reality efforts have a new spokesperson. Frank Casanova has been named head of marketing for Apple’s AR offerings.

Apple has been hard at work in this area for years, but its developer tools and the resulting AR apps haven’t attracted significant attention. Perhaps that’s why there’s a new senior director in charge of promoting them.

ThunderMag revives MagSafe for Thunderbolt 3 connections

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ThunderMag replaces MagSafe for USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections.
ThunderMag replaces MagSafe for USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections.
Photo: innerexile

MagSafe break-away cables were a great way to keep MacBooks from getting damaged but Apple stopped using them as part of the transition to USB-C.  ThunderMag is a new accessory that replicates this feature.

Its inventor claims there’s no data or charging slowdowns, as have plagued earlier attempts to replace MacSafe.

Enhance the capabilities of any Apple device with one do-it-all hub [Deals]

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Keep all your and your team's devices connected and charged with a single, massively useful hub.
Keep all your and your team's devices connected and charged with a single, massively useful hub.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter what Apple devices you use, there are probably some annoying gaps in its performance. Maybe its batteries run out quick, or its storage, or you find transferring data between devices a hassle. So any device that can address all these shortcomings and more is welcome indeed.

App Store spending hit all-time high in 2018

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Apple removes 17 malware apps which secretly clicked on ads
iPhone users spent much more in the App Store last year, on a wide variety of apps.
Photo: Apple

iPhone users in the US spent, on average, $79 last year on software. That’s up 36 percent from 2017, according to figures from a market analysts firm. Spending on premium apps and in-app purchases has more than doubled since 2015.

Of the 2018 total, $44 was spent just on games, a 22 percent increase year-over-year.

Amazon buys mesh Wi-Fi router maker Eero

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eero
Eero monitors things like network throughput and interference, adjusting itself automatically.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

Right when Apple has decided to get out of the router business, one of its biggest competitors is ready to jump in.

Amazon revealed today that it reached an agreement to acquire mesh Wi-Fi router maker Eero, giving the online retailer another powerful tool in its effort to dominate the smart home market.