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iPhone XS video impresses, but it’s no match for a cinema cam

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iPhone XS video
Is there a major difference? Depends on the size of the screen on which each is viewed.
Photo: Ed Gregory/Pictures In Color

Director Steven Soderbergh called the iPhone the future of cinematography. Filmmaker and photographer Ed Gregory isn’t quite ready to put down his cinema camera.

Still, Gregory came away pretty impressed with the video capabilities of the iPhone XS Max when he tested it recently against his Canon C200.

How to customize and use your Instagram Nametag

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What should you never do to the Hoff?
This is what The Hoff's instagram tag could look like.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Instagram just added Nametags to its app, to make it easier to share your account with other people. Instead of forcing them to try to remember your Instagram username, you can just show them your Instagram Nametag, and they scan it from their own Instagram app.

It’s a neat feature, already in use on Snapchat. And — of course — you can customize your Nametag. Lets check it out.

No Apple Watch ECG app in watchOS 5.1 beta 3

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Apple Watch ECG
watchOS 5.1 shows no sign of getting the Apple Watch ECG application so many people are waiting for.
Photo: Apple

There’s bad news for Apple Watch Series 4 users: the third beta of watchOS 5.1 is out and it still lacks an ECG application. The hardware to take an electrocardiogram is built into Apple’s latest wearable but the software is still MIA.

There’s also a new beta of tvOS 12.1 today, along with iOS 12.1 beta 3. The latest macOS 10.14.1 pre-release version came out yesterday.

iOS 12 opens new password management possibilities

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A big change in iOS 12 makes password managers like Dashlane even easier to use.
A big change in iOS 12 makes password managers even easier to use.
Photo: Bruno Cervera/Pexels CC

This post is presented by Dashlane.

One of iOS 12’s most powerful features — a newfound compatibility with password management apps — kind of flew under the radar. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal. In fact, this is a huge step forward for password managers like Dashlane, because it makes them far easier to use on iPhones and iPads.

With the recent Facebook hack compromising the personal data of 50 million users, there’s never been a better time to change all your passwords. And if you’re going to use strong, unique and extremely hard-to-remember passwords for every site you visit or web service you use, you’re going to need industrial-strength password management.

Inside Apple’s billion-dollar war on repair fraud

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Cult of Mac's buyback program pays good money for your gear, even broken ones.
Chinese iPhone fraud involved removing components from devices then deliberately breaking them so Apple would replace the handset.
Photo: Warren R.M. Stuart/Flickr CC

Fraudulent iPhone repair claims are big business in China. To the point where about 60 percent of the handsets being repaired under warranty in that country were part of scams.

Apple has had to make draconian efforts to even slow the rate at which Chinese criminal gangs are stealing from it.

Pixel 3 camera taps into Google’s AI to top iPhone

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Pixel 3 camera
The Pixel 3 camera has an eye on the competition.
Photo: Google

Google called its new Pixel 3 “the best end-to-end photography experience” Tuesday and has adopted features and marketing strategies that made the iPhone a global success and camera industry game-changer.

But marketing and megapixels will not be where these two smartphone cameras do battle. The competition shifts to artificial intelligence and how it makes each phone camera perform.

Carpool Karaoke season 2 gets official release date

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Carpool Karaoke
Miss Piggy rides shotgun with Jason Sudeikis in the second season of Carpool Karaoke.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Carpool Karaoke TV series is already back with a new season and based on the new preview Apple posted, the pairings are going to be even crazier than last season’s.

Matthew McConaughey and Snoop Dogg are spotted rolling down the street together in the teaser Apple posted this morning. That’s just the start of the wildness though. The Muppets, Weird Al and the Lonely Island crew also make an appearance.

Check out some of the funny new pairings:

Apple seeds iOS 12.1 beta 3 to developers

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Group FaceTime
iOS 12.1 brings back group FaceTime.
Photo: Apple

Developers received a brand new beta for iOS 12.1 this morning, bringing a host of new tweaks and performance improvements to the iPhone and iPad.

iOS 12.1 beta 3 comes one week after Apple seeded the last beta build to developers. The company also released the third beta builds of watchOS 5.1 and tvOS 12.1 to developers today.

Google takes on Apple with Pixel 3, Pixel Slate and Home Hub

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The new Made by Google products.
The new Made by Google products.
Photo: Google

Google unleashed its latest wave of hardware designed to take on Apple and Amazon by combining its powerful software with custom-designed hardware. And it actually looks pretty good.

Three new products were unveiled at Google’s event in New York City this morning: the Pixel 3, Pixel Slate and Google Home Hub. All three pack some interesting new features that some of Apple’s own products can’t match. But there are also glaring weaknesses in the new Google products. Like the horrifically huge notch on the Pixel 3 to start with.

Take a closer look at all the new products:

Tim Cook pays a visit to Shanghai

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
Tim Cook is visiting China at a time when there are lots of questions in the air.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Tim Cook is in China, visiting Shanghai to promote Apple Watch, pay a trip to one of one of the local Apple Stores, and meet with developers and Apple users.

Cook marked the trip by posting on his official Weibo account, the microblogging account that acts as China’s version of Twitter. While he is upbeat about meeting with Chinese fans, however, the visit comes at a tough time — with a burgeoning trade war with the U.S. and questionable claims about Chinese spy chips allegedly used by Apple.

Minecraft for Apple TV is dead because no one plays it

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Minecraft
You'll have to get your Minecraft fix elsewhere.
Image: Mojang

Minecraft for Apple TV has been scrapped. Users can no longer download the game from the tvOS App Store, while existing players have been informed that the title will no longer receive updates or support.

The game’s removal is being blamed on a lack of players. Developer Mojang explains that it needs to “reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most.”

Apple hires replacement actor for Are You Sleeping? series

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apple tv
Apple now has more than 20 shows in production.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Actress Katherine LaNasa from the TV series Imposters and Satisfaction has joined the cast of Apple thriller series Are You Sleeping?, about a Serial-style crime podcast which reopens a murder case.

Interestingly, she will play a new character to replace the one originally played by actress Moon Bloodgood, who left the show after filming four out of the eight season one episodes. According to trade publication Deadline, the character’s role in the show is being completely rewritten.

Big 2018 iPad Pro details spilled in new leak

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2018 iPad Pro concept art
Here's what to expect from the 2018 iPad Pro.
Photo: Álvaro Pabesio

It is looking increasingly likely that Apple will deliver a new iPad Pro lineup before the end of 2018. A new report, citing a number of sources familiar with the company’s plans, reveals some things we can look forward to.

Here’s what to expect from the next-generation iPad Pro’s display, Face ID, Apple Pencil, and more.

TrueDepth camera will reveal who to trust in new Game of Thrones game

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Reigns- Game of Thrones 2
Coming soon to an iPhone near you.
Photo: Nerial/Devolver Digital

One of the cool things about iOS gaming has been seeing how developers incorporate Apple’s new technologies into the games that they offer. At first, it was features like the accelerometer and now, thanks to the TrueDepth sensors used for Face ID, Apple’s face tracking tech is set to be incorporated into next-gen titles.

One of the first out of the gate is the upcoming Reigns: Game of Thrones. According to a new report, the title will use facial tracking technology in an innovative way: by asking you to carry out stare-downs with the various characters.

Security researcher named in China spy chip story voices doubts

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
The alleged incident would be a seismic security breach.
Photo: Pexels

One of the sources named in Bloomberg‘s recent report on alleged Chinese spy chips in motherboards used by Apple and other companies has cast doubts on the story.

Speaking on a podcast published this week, security researcher Joe Fitzpatrick said that the hardware implant approach described “doesn’t make sense.”

iOS 12 users can’t downgrade to version 11

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Once you go iOS 12 you'll never go back.
No backsies. Once you go iOS 12 you'll never go back.
Photo: Wendelin Jacober/Pexels

Be warned: anyone who upgrades their iPhone or iPad to iOS 12 no longer has the option to downgrade. It’s not possible to go back to any version of iOS 11. Not that there’s much reason to want to.

This isn’t an unusual move. With today’s release of iOS 12.0.1, going to iOS 11 would be two jumps back, and it’s very rare for Apple to allow that.

Google+ gets the ax after exposing users’ private info

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You get extra points if you remembered that Google+ was still a thing.
You get extra points if you remembered that Google+ was still a thing.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google took a one-two punch to the chin today by having to admit its once-ballyhooed Facebook competitor is a dud. There’s so little interest in Google+ that it’s being killed off.

That would normally be bad enough, but the shutdown isn’t just because of lack of interest. A bug in Google+ exposed the personal information of users, something Google didn’t mention for a half a year.

Dieter Rams has a new challenge for Apple

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Dieter Rams
Legendary designer Dieter Rams. Photo:
Photo: Vitsoe/Wikimedia Commons

Dieter Rams, a god-like figure to industrial designers around the world, usually speaks very glowingly about the design of Apple products.

But in a new documentary with the aptly minimalist title Rams, he expresses a growing sadness and frustration over the disposable excess that Apple and other Silicon Valley tech companies produce.

Say good-bye to the Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter

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The next iPhone's dock will be only a fraction of the current size.
The switch from Apple's 30-pin connector to Lightning was expensive for a lot of people.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Back in the distant mists of 2012, everyone needed an adapter to plug their collection of 30-pin charging cables into Apple’s new Lightning port. Fast forward to today and this once crucial accessory is no longer necessary. To the point where it’s been dropped from the online Apple Store.

iOS 12.0.1 fixes serious Wi-Fi and charging bugs

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iOS 12
iOS 12.0.1 is here to squash a couple of bugs in Apple's latest.
Photo: Apple

Anyone with iOS 12 — and we know that’s most of you — should download a small update that fixes bugs that have affected some users. A Wi-Fi slowdown problem was only bothering iPhone XS users, but a charging issue plagued a much wider swath of people.

iOS 12.0.1 deals with both, and makes a couple of other small tweaks too.