| Cult of Mac

All Apple’s app stores are partially down [Updated]

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Coronavirus could have a surprisingly positive impact on App Store revenue
An ongoing problem mans you might not be able to complete your purchase on any of Apple’s software stores.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The official System Status page for all Apple’s services  shows that three of the most important ones are having problems The iOS App Store, the Mac App Store and the iTunes Store are all affected.

Update: Full service has been restored.

MacBook Pro ‘stage light’ flaw could hit you with a $600 repair

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These cables can wear out and cause your MacBook Pro’s display to fail.
These cables can wear out and cause your MacBook Pro’s display to fail.
Photo: iFixit

Every MacBook Pro since 2016 harbors a hidden design flaw that inevitably will require an expensive repair, according to DIY repair website iFixit.

The problem supposedly lies in “delicate” ribbon cables that connect the screen with the display controller inside the main body of the laptop. Opening and closing the clamshell case eventually causes these to wear out and begin to tear, iFixit says.

Horrible iPhone 4S Battery Life Is Caused By Software Not Hardware, Here’s The Proof

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Photo: Apple

The iPhone 4S has some bodacious battery life problems and no one seems to know what’s going on. Apple themselves have released an iOS update, iOS 5.0.1, to fix the problems, to no avail. Meanwhile, some iPhone 4S owners find their batteries draining at a rate of 10% every ten minutes, while luckier customers can only report the same excellent battery life the iPhone 4 was known for.

What the heck is going on? Are some iPhone 4Ses just defective? Will Apple have to initiate a recall?

Thankfully, no. Although no one knows what the problem exactly is, it has at least been proven to be a software problem… not a hardware problem.

Wi-Fi & 3G Data Connection Problems Surface After iOS 4.3.3 Update

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A number of users are reporting problems with Wi-Fi or 3G data connections after upgrading their iPhones to iOS 4.3.3. I’ve encountered the problem myself on 3G and a friend called me the other day to complain to me about the problem on both Wi-Fi and 3G. He was pretty frustrated about it and I cannot blame him since it seemed to come and go for him.

You’ll notice the problem manifest itself whenever you try to access a network resource and the busy indicator to the right of the carrier signal label seems to get stuck and nothing happens – mail isn’t downloaded, a web page doesn’t load, etc. I haven’t noticed the problem on my iPad 2 nor have I seen people complain about it happening on their iPads.

Apple Acknowledges Issues With 3G iPad 2 on Verizon

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Last week we reported on an issue plaguing owners of the 3G iPad 2 hooked up to the Verizon network. A growing number of users have reported a problem with their device that means they have to reboot their iPad to reactivate their 3G data connection. On Friday, Apple issued an official statement to All Things Digital, acknowledging the problem and reassuring users that they are investigating the issue:

We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it.

A thread on the Apple Support Discussions forum now spans 9 pages long and is full of reports from disgruntled Verizon customers who are having problems with their iPad 2. The issues begins when 3G is turned off from within the settings app. When it’s turned back on, the data connection does not restore, simply displaying a “Searching…” message where the carrier’s name should be.

The only fix at the moment is to reboot the device while 3G is set to ‘on’ – this restores the data connection upon reboot. It’s likely a fix for this problem will come in a minor iOS software update shortly.

[via InfoWorld]

AppleCare Gives Up As MacBook Air Video Problems Persist

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I’ve had my 13-inch MacBook Air since they were first released and although I encountered video problems initially after the plethora of updates that Apple has released the video problems haven’t returned.

The updates included an EFI firmware update, a specific software update for the MacBook Air 2010 model, and the Mac OS X 10.6.5 software update. I even offered not one, but two suggested solutions to try.

These updates and suggested fixes worked for some, but unfortunately they didn’t work for everyone. People are still complaining on Apple Discussion Forums about problems they are encountering when connecting their MacBook Airs to external displays.

Apple Internal Only Info About MacBook Air Display Issues Leaked

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The super slim runway model MacBook Air is the best MacBook I’ve had so far. It’s thin, light, and zippy fast for the work I need to do – like this blog post and everything I need to do while mobile so far. Unfortunately it managed to slip out of manufacturing and into our hands with a few issues.

Now there is definite proof that at least some of the video issues are related to sleep/wake and that Apple, who has been completely quiet about it – knows that the problem exists, but isn’t publicly acknowledging it.

Video Problems & Kernel Panics Reported By Early MacBook Air Adopters

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Some early Macbook Air adopters have reported seeing video anomalies and kernel panics on the new 11-inch and 13-inch models of the Macbook Air which may be related to sleep/wake issues.

Additional reports about the video problem have been posted to Apple’s discussion forums and for the people reporting it the symptoms can vary. I’ve even encountered the problem myself on my 13-inch MacBook Air.

The problem with kernel panics has been experienced by Cult of Mac staff that purchased 11-inch or 13-inch models. Users on Apple forums haven’t complained about this specifically yet, but they have been complaining about their new MacBook Airs crashing.