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2021’s LCD iPhone might feature capacitive power button with Touch ID

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iPhone-Touch-ID-power
Touch ID isn't dead yet.
Mockup: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is far from done with Touch ID. The latest research note from reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates the technology will return with at least one iPhone coming in 2021 — and it will have a new home.

Apple is expected to integrate a fingerprint scanner into a new capacitive power button on the side of its more affordable LCD device.

Keep your PopGrip on with this wireless charger

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PopPower
PopPower Home Charger in Cosmic Cloud
Photo: PopSockets

CES 2020PopSockets was a wildly successful brand that was in danger of losing its grip.

Wireless charging is becoming a standard feature in smartphones and the stick-on PopGrip it created for reducing drops suddenly looked like an unintended battery barrier.

But the company finally figured out a way forward in the emerging wireless world with a round wireless charging pad with a hole in the middle.

Early Mac Pro benchmarks won’t blow you away

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Mac Pro cheese grater
You might be better off with iMac Pro instead.
Photo: Apple

Early benchmarks for the 2019 Mac Pro have now started surfacing online — and they might be a disappointment for some.

The scores achieved by entry-level and mid-tier machines are similar to those you will get from a 2017 iMac Pro. In fact, iMac Pro and even the budget Mac mini achieve significantly higher scores in some tests.

Apple shows you how to properly upgrade your new Mac Pro

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2019-Mac-Pro-upgrade
Don't pull yours apart without watching Apple's videos first.
Photo: Apple

The 2019 Mac Pro is the most customizable Apple computer we’ve seen in years. You can swap and upgrade almost every component — including its GPUs, memory, and more.

But you must do it properly. Apple’s new how-to videos take you through the upgrade process step-by-step to help ensure nothing goes wrong. And they make it look so simple.

Hacker revives dead devices with iPhone and Apple Watch

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Mac keyboard and mouse running an iPhone
Tap through your iPhone, 1980s-style, with a vintage Mac keyboard.
Photo: Niles Mitchell/YouTube

The living can communicate with the dead — and Niles Mitchell regularly holds seances on YouTube to prove it.

Mitchell is a true medium, putting contemporary technology like the iPhone or Apple Watch in touch with obsolete hardware. He connects the two worlds and gets devices, old and new, to work together in ways likely never imagined by their creators.

Retro app concept transforms iPhone into an iPod Classic

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Retro app concept transforms iPhone into an iPod Classic
Remember when you could only hold 1,000 songs in your pocket?
Screenshot: Elvin Hu

The iPod’s click wheel was once one of the most iconic UI elements in consumer electronics. Today, it’s gone to the great user interface retirement home in the sky. Or has it? A new app suggests maybe not.

An iOS developer has unveiled a nifty app concept which aims to transform your iPhone into an iPod Classic by incorporating a virtual click wheel. Check it out.

The impressive power of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, plus Apple’s December event, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 415
Surprise! Apple's got another event scheduled for December 2nd.

This week on The CultCast: Everything you need to know about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro! Plus our first impressions of this hot new machine. And we discuss Disney+, and why it may beat Netflix and Amazon as the best streaming service available.

Our thanks to NETGEAR for supporting this episode. The Orbi WiFi 6 router gives you ultra-fast speeds and wider coverage throughout your home — it’s the biggest revolution in Wi-Fi ever. Check it out today at your local Best Buy and at Netgear.com/bestwifi6.

Why the new MacBook Pro will be my first new Mac in 6 years

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macbookpro
To be honest, I’d buy any MacBook as long as it didn’t have that broken butterfly keyboard.
Photo: Apple

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro launched yesterday, and by all accounts, it’s fantastic. But it arrives at a time when the MacBook (Pro or otherwise) is no longer the default choice for a portable Apple computer. Regular readers will know that several Cult of Mac writers use an iPad Pro as their main machine. Killian, Ed, Ian and I all ditched the Mac awhile ago in favor of iOS.

And I haven’t bought a Mac since 2013. It was a MacBook Air that has since moved on. The only Mac I still own is a 2010 iMac. And yet I have already ordered the new MacBook Pro. Why? What changed?

Apple II screenshots required a whole lot of extra hardware

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Running Apple II programs on a Mac with an Apple IIe Card was pretty darn awesome.
Kids today don't know how lucky they are.
Photo: Microwavemont/YouTube

Taking a full-screen screenshot on a modern Mac or iPhone is just a matter of tapping a couple of buttons. But things used to be a whole lot more challenging, as longstanding Apple employee Chris Espinosa recently shared on Twitter.

Kids (and “how to” article writers) today don’t know how good they’ve got it!

Here is what’s on Apple TV+ right now

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Apple spent more than $20 million advertising Apple TV+ last month
It's finally here.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ launched this morning. Costing $4.99 per month (or free to anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac), the subscription service brings Apple’s eagerly anticipated original TV shows to anyone who wants to watch them.

But what exactly does the service feature so far? And what’s the timeline for the release of Apple’s other shows? Check out our rundown.

Future smartphone case is designed to look (and act) just like human skin

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Future smartphone case is designed to look (and act) just like human skin
Get ready for some strange looks when you answer your phone in public.
Photo: Marc Teyssier

Had enough of your regular smartphone protective case? Soon, you might be able to go full David Cronenberg body horror and get your hands on one that looks like it’s fashioned out of human skin.

Okay, so that gross description of the work of researchers at Telecom Paris is only partially accurate. Yes, it’s a design that is going to freak out a few people. However, there’s also some pretty nifty tech involved. Here’s what it can do.

Beats Solo Pro headphones drop with active noise cancellation

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Beats Solo Pro
Beats Solo Pro come with “Hey Siri” support, Active Noise Cancellation, and a carrying case.
Photo: Apple

An Apple subsidiary has stolen a march on the AirPods line by launching Beats Solo Pro, headphones with active noise cancellation.

But this isn’t a set of tiny eabuds, though. It’s for people who want larger, on-ear headphones.

Faster Apple TV hardware might turbocharge Apple Arcade

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apple tv upgrade
Apple TV does more than just stream video. It will also be tied into Apple Arcade.
Photo: Apple

The first new Apple TV set-top box in two years is reportedly coming soon. The updated tvOS player supposedly will be powered by the same chip that’s in the iPhone XS series, potentially making it a better way to play Apple Arcade games than its predecessors.

iPhone photo contest winner dishes on Apple in new podcast

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Shot on iPhone
Judge's comment: "What I find most interesting is the background pattern, uniquely magnified and distorted in every one of the water droplets. I’m drawn to studying and trying to elucidate what that pattern is."
Photo: Andrew Griswold

Each finished work of art has a backstory and Andrew Griswold’s podcast Just Outside the Artboard focuses on what happens between idea and creation.

His first episode, launched Aug. 23, gave him plenty to talk about as one of the 10 winners of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” challenge.

Why sports apparel brands are giving up on fitness apps [Opinion]

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Whatever happened to Nike+?
What ever happened to Nike+?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Remember when every sports apparel brand needed an app to be cool? Ten years ago, the Nike+Apple partnership was in its ascendency, while Under Armour and Adidas were splurging millions acquiring fitness apps like MyFitnessPal and Runtastic.

Back then, brand owners hoped that by mining our workout data from these apps, they could target us with personalized offers. The big idea was that if you knew how often someone went running, you could tell when they needed new running shoes.

Today, things look very different. Nike removed workout tracking from its website. And Under Armour still can’t figure out how to unlock the potential of its apps. So what went wrong? What happened to the digital fitness revolution?

Samsung deletes ad mocking Apple after copying Apple

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Samsung ad
"Apple sure was lame getting rid of the headphone jack. And -- wait, we're copying them?"
Photo: Samsung

Samsung attempted to quietly delete one of its old ads mocking Apple for ditching the headphone jack in the iPhone 7.

Why? Because, as it turns out, Apple might have been right with its controversial move. Samsung followed Apple’s lead by leaving the 3.5mm jack out of its new Galaxy Note 10. Oh, Samsung, will you never learn?

AirDrop flaw makes it possible to gather strangers’ phone numbers

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That's not a great look for AirDrop!
That's not a great look for AirDrop!
Image: Hexway

A Bluetooth LE security flaw could let malicious actors discover people’s iPhone numbers using Apple’s file-sharing AirDrop feature.

An attacker would need to create a phone number database for a specific region. Using a special script, they then could collect information on users who tried to AirDrop a file.

4 reasons iPhone 11 might cost less than iPhone XS [Opinion]

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The camera bump is about to get bumpier in the iPhone XI.
A lower launch price for the iPhone 11 and 11 Max is possible.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Updated Sept. 10: Apple has taken the wraps off the 2019 iPhone models. As hoped, the replacement for the iPhone XR costs $50 less. However, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are priced the same as last year’s models.


There are solid reasons to be optimistic that Apple will actually drop the price of the flagship 2019 iPhone models. Recent moves by the company signal a willingness to lower the cost of its other computers, and information leaking out about the replacement for the iPhone XS series indicates that it will be cheaper to make.

Most importantly, the company needs to respond to the plethora of evidence that it charges more than most people are willing to pay for even high-end handsets.

Hackintosh will challenge the might of Apple’s new Mac Pro

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Break out the tools everyone! It's time to build a Mac Pro hackintosh.
Break out the tools everyone!
Photo: Linus Tech Tips

Apple’s upcoming “cheese grater” Mac Pro promises to max out at 28 CPU cores. However, all that power comes at a jaw-dropping price, especially at the top end.

For that reason, the folks at YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips set about trying to build a “hackintosh” that can achieve the same specs — before Apple releases the Mac Pro.

Check out their video below.