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New all-in-one Apple gift card is ‘for everything and everyone’

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Buy hardware or software with the new Apple gift card.
No more iTunes gift cards and Apple Store gift cards. There’s just Apple gift cards.
Photo: Apple

Apple now offers a gift card that can be used at the Apple Store to buy hardware and also at the App Store to buy software. And iTunes is included as well.

Previously, the company sold separate cards, one for iTunes/App Store and another for the Apple Store.

Simplify electronic signing on any device with this handy app

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DottedSign
Trusted by major companies, simplify your electronic signing process, sign documents and get signatures on any device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

More than ever, business is conducted in the digital realm. That includes things as fundamental as signing documents, which can prove surprisingly tricky. Luckily, this handy app makes that often legally binding process as secure and simple as possible.

Bag a 2019 MacBook Pro for as little as $899.99 today only

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Apple_macbook_pro-13-inch-with-retina-display_screen_05042020
Don't miss out.
Photo: Apple

Woot is hosting another big blowout on 2019 MacBook Pro units. You can pick up a 13-inch model, refurbished by Apple, for as little as $899.99. The sale is good for today only, so if you’re interested, make your move before it’s too late.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

How Apple made money in the middle of a crushing pandemic

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Apple reports another quarter of record revenue for Q3 2020. Can nothing stop the Cupertino juggernaut?
Can nothing stop the Cupertino juggernaut?
Photo: Bill Oxford/Unsplash CC

People around the world turned to Apple products at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. And the result was an 11% increase in Apple revenue during the June quarter. Some products contributed to that growth more than others.

The pandemic sent people buying Mac and iPad in huge numbers. But it hurt handset sales, despite a relatively strong launch for the iPhone SE. And Apple services experienced something of an off quarter, too.

How to fix ‘805’ error codes in Mario Kart Tour for iOS

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Fix '805' errors in Mario Kart Tour
There are some simple fixes that should get you back in the game.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Many Mario Kart Tour players continue to experience mysterious “805” error codes almost a year after the game’s release. They typically appear when attempting to download new game data.

If you’re experiencing one of these yourself, you’ll be pleased to know you’re not alone — and that there are some simple workarounds that should allow you to jump back into the action in no time at all.

Try these fixes first.

Even COVID-19 can’t slow Apple’s moneymaking machine

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Apple made it through its financial Apple Q3 2020 with flying colors.
Apple brought in far more money than expected recent during the April-to-June quarter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple took in $59.7 billion in revenue last quarter, an annual increase of 11%. That solidly beats the estimates of analysts, who predicted a drop in revenue as the iPhone-maker, and the rest of the world, grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Very strong increases in revenue from Mac and iPad significantly pushed up the total.

Multitip cords, power hubs and more of the very best home charging solutions [Deals]

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Home Charging Solution Main (1)
From multi-cords to mushroom hubs, we've rounded up some of the very best charging solutions.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Staying charged is essential to staying connected, so we rounded up some of our favorite charging solutions. From multitip power cords to wireless charging stands, these handy accessories will keep your gear topped up in style.

Eddy Cue emails confirm Apple’s deal to cut Amazon’s App Store fees

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Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue met with Jeff Bezos to talk about the deal.
Photo: CNBC

Apple agreed to halve its App Store fee for Amazon so the company would bring its Prime Video app to iOS and Apple TV, emails reveal (.pdf).

Apple exec Eddy Cue and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos personally negotiated the deal in 2016, it was revealed during Wednesday’s antitrust hearing looking into tech giants’ business practices. They agreed that Apple would get a 15% revenue cut from day one for customers who signed up through the app. Apple normally gets a 30% cut for the first year of an app’s subscription. It then claims a 15% commission for subsequent years.

Plugable’s very affordable HDMI adapter connects your Mac and TV [Review]

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Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter review
Using an external display with a MacBook is a breeze with the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

MacBooks don’t have HDMI ports, but the Plugable USB-C to HDMI Adapter makes it easy to connect your laptop to an external monitor. Even better, this accessory is inexpensive and very portable.

I tested the adapter for work, watching video, and playing games. Here’s how it held up.

Tim Cook mostly avoids grilling during historic congressional antitrust hearing

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Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices.
Things didn't get too hot during Tim Cook's virtual visit to Capitol Hill.
Photo: C-SPAN

Apple CEO Tim Cook mostly avoided questioning during Wednesday’s historic congressional antitrust hearing on the business practices of Big Tech.

Cook took only a handful of questions from the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. Lawmakers directed most of their questioning — which capped a year-long investigation into antitrust issues — at Cook’s fellow CEOs from Facebook, Google and Amazon.

What to expect from Apple’s pandemic-afflicted earnings report

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Apple Q3 2020 earning results come out July 30.
Apple Q3 2020 earnings were almost certainly pushed up by the iPhone SE and weighed down by COVID-19.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

When Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter earnings Thursday, the world will learn how the company is doing in the middle of a global pandemic.

Analysts predict a drop in revenue. But Apple itself previously said it’s seeing an increase in Mac and iPad sales. And investors have pushed the stock up almost 30% this year.

How to disable automatic picture-in-picture on iPhone and iPad

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How to watch YouTube in picture-in-picture
Enjoy complete control of PiP yourself.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Picture-in-picture (PiP) makes it easier to watch videos while you do other things on iPhone (with iOS 14) and iPad. But it can begin to get annoying when every video you close ends up in a PiP window.

Here’s how to disable automatic picture-in-picture so that you have complete control over when it’s used.

How to fix Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference on a Mac

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Fix Wi-Fi interference on a Mac
Don't settle for a slow and unstable connection.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If your Mac is struggling to maintain a stable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection, it could be because of wireless interference. The good thing is that there are many different things you can do to eliminate this problem.

In this guide, we’ll detail how you can identify wireless interference, and some of steps you can take to prevent it from causing problems in the future. The tips also can prove useful for iOS devices.

Tim Cook says Apple treats devs fairly in ‘street fight for market share’

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Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices during the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee hearing.
Tim Cook answers questions about App Store business practices.
Photo: C-SPAN

Apple CEO Tim Cook defended App Store business practices and said his company treats all software developers equally as he faced questioning Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee.

Cook said it’s in Apple’s best interest to treat devs fairly. The company wants the best and brightest to write iOS apps, he said, because killer software proves essential for a company engaged in a “street fight for market share in the smartphone business.”

Play classic 1990s games with a fully functional Mac OS 8 emulator

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Mac OS 8 emulator
Return to the thrilling days of yesteryear with a Mac OS 8 emulator loaded with games from the 1990s.
Photo: Felix Rieseberg

Anyone wanting a serious dose of nostalgia should install a just-released emulator of a classic Apple desktop computer running Mac OS 8, first released in 1997. There’s even a bunch of games and productivity applications from the same era.

Achieve total command of your business spending and revenue with this QuickBooks sale [Deals]

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Quickbooks
Score powerful tools for your small business to track bill status, record payments, and other accounting tasks, all in one app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Running a small business comes with tons of stress and complexity. So why spend more time and energy than you need to on bills, payments and other accounting headaches? With QuickBooks, you don’t have to.

Read Tim Cook’s opening remarks for his antitrust testimony Wednesday

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Tim Cook
Far from gatekeepers, Tim Cook will argue that Apple is opening doors.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook will argue that his company does not dominate any market in which it does business when he appears before the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee Wednesday, according to his opening statement released ahead of time (.pdf).

While Cook will say that “scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate,” he will assert that Apple refuses to make “concession on the facts” by agreeing that it is a monopoly. If anything, Cook will argue that Apple is no gatekeeper, but, through the App Store, has actually opened the gate to developers.

Congress, keep your mitts off the App Store. It’s fine. [Opinion]

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Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Apple exec Phil Schiller calls the App Store a good deal for devs. That's just one of the reasons Apple deserves a fair commission for powering the App Store.
Photo: Globovisión/Flickr CC

When Apple CEO Tim Cook takes questions from Congress on Wednesday, he’ll surely get an earful of software developers’ complaints about how the App Store operates. Chief among the criticisms will likely be the fact that Apple charges a percentage of revenue earned from in-app sales.

There’s not a bit of justification for any of these highly publicized complaints. They come from companies that want to have their cake and eat it, too.

The Morning Show leads Apple TV+ to 19 Emmy nominations

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New video take viewers behind-the-scenes of The Morning Show
Both Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell received Emmy nominations for their work on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ earned 19 Emmy Awards nominations, including several for The Morning Show, a star-studded drama that was a highlight of the streaming service’s launch last autumn.

That’s not bad for the first year of eligibility for Apple TV+. However, Netflix totally dominated the 72nd annual Emmy Awards nominations, which were revealed Tuesday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The world’s biggest streamer took home an astonishing 160 Emmy noms. HBO limited series Watchmen scored the most nominations of any single series with 26.

7 stellar Apple Watch charging stands for under $30

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AW-charging-stands
Give your Apple Watch a great place to rest.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Your beloved Apple Watch deserves more than to be slapped on top of its included charging cable every night. Treat yours to an actual charging stand without breaking the bank and give it a better place to rest.

Here are seven stellar options, handpicked by Cult of Mac, for $30 or less.

Airbnb and ClassPass join chorus of complaints about Apple’s 30% sales fee

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Money on Unsplash
Apple is demanding its usual fee for in-app sales.
Photo: Pepi Stojanovski/Unsplash

Airbnb and ClassPass are the two latest companies to clash with Apple over the tech giant’s demands for a percentage of in-app sales.

According to the The New York Times, the two companies — reeling from the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses — are upset that Apple demands a 30% cut of sales for their sale of online experiences.