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Student loses 140 pounds in a year playing Pokémon Go

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After losing 140 pounds playing Pokémon Go, Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier.
Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier, thanks to Pokémon Go.
Photo: Niantic

The world views video gamers as couch potatoes who spend countless hours in front of the TV, and that may be true, for the most part. But there are some spectacular exceptions to the rule.

Tommy Monkhouse credits Pokémon Go for changing his life in a big way by helping him lose a whopping 140 pounds in just one year simply by walking.

Last chance! Save $15 on the brilliant AirFly adapter for AirPods

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AirFly-Classic-AirPods
Every AirPods owner should have AirFly.
Photo: Twelve South

Twelve South’s terrific AirFly Classic adapter lets you connect your beloved AirPods to almost anything. And you can bag yours today at 33% off the usual price through the Cult of Mac Store.

This sale ends Sunday, January 19, so enjoy it while you can!

This Mac plush will make screen time cuddly

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plush Mac by Philip Lee
Say "Hello" to this softy.
Photo: Philip Lee

Philip Lee makes toys that disrupt our logic boards with mushy feelings.

The Hong Kong designer, known for his cute Classicbots line inspired by classic Macs, will launch two new toys this year that should bring a twinkle to the Apple of your eye.

How to stop accidentally switching off noise cancellation in AirPods Pro

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you have a pair of AirPods Pro, then you know all about noise cancellation. That’s kind of the whole point of Apple’s top-tier AirPods, from the noise-sealing silicone tips to the software Ear Tip Fit Test. You probably also know that you can deactivate noise cancellation, and even quick-switch modes by squeezing the shaft of one of the earbuds.

But what if you never want to disable the excellent active noise cancellation on your AirPods Pro? Maybe you keep accidentally deactivating the feature (like I do). Today we’ll see how to switch off the shaft-squeezing shortcuts — and how to access them from your iPhone’s lock screen instead.

Kings of the Castle zooms onto Apple Arcade

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Kings of the Castle is the latest addition to Apple Arcade
Kings of the Castle is fun for the whole family.
Photo: Apple/Frosty Pop

A princess must be quick and clever to rescue a prince in Kings of the Castle, the latest addition to Apple Arcade. This game is all about speed, as players hastily collect gems and avoid traps.

The developer, Frosty Pop, is a big supporter of Apple’s new gaming service. This is its fifth contribution.

The Patriots are the Apple of football [Opinion]

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The Patriots aren't doomed, and neither is Apple.
The Patriots aren't doomed, and neither is Apple.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Imagine an organization that’s loved by its devoted, cultlike followers, but despised by haters. The close working relationship between its mercurial leader and one of the greatest talents in the field led to an unprecedented run of success. Even the occasional “-gate” style controversy failed to dent its success. But despite all this, analysts still question its long-term viability.

I’m referring, of course, to the New England Patriots. They may not be in the NFL playoffs this year, but people just can’t stop talking about the Pats. Kinda like the way everyone talked about Apple at CES last week, even though it barely attended.

Love them or hate them, the Patriots are the Apple of football.

This power bank is a full-blown retro gaming console [Deals]

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Gaming Console Power Bank
Relive over 400 classic video games while charging your phone with a 2-in-1 power bank and gaming console.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Video games have come a long way in the last 30 years, but nothing beats the classics. Unfortunately, there’s not much opportunity to play them anymore. But like all things these days, you can find them on your phone — if you get this incredible power bank that doubles as a retro gaming console.

How Apple’s going to make MacBook Pro even MORE Pro, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 423 MacBook Pro
Apple's about to make your MacBook Pro even Pro-er...
Photo: @YSR50

This week on The CultCast: Apple is working on a way to make your existing MacBook Pro far more powerful — we’ll tell you everything we know. Plus: Get your wallet ready … the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro you’ve been waiting for is (probably) right around the corner. And we’ll tell you why Apple might soon be forced to ditch Lightning in iPhones and iPads.

And stick around for our spoiler-free review of the full first season of See!

Out thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast, and use offer code CultCast at checkout for 10% off your first purchase.

Why the 5G iPhone might slow Apple’s sales next year

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iPhone 12 might mix iPhone 11 and iPad Pro designs
It might be years before you can use the signature feature in your 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ben Geskin

The 5G iPhone coming this fall is widely expected to be a huge windfall for Apple. But this handset might then turn around and hurt the company next year, according to a pair of market analysts.

And their prediction is equally bad news for those planning to upgrade to the 5G iPhone.

Siri’s been reading my messages and I love it

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Announce Messages with Siri
Getting Siri to read iMessages is AirPod Pro’s best feature.
Photo: Cult of Mac

As of iOS 13, you can have your iPhone read out incoming iMessages through your AirPods. And this — along with their awesome sound and noise-canceling abilities — is my favorite feature of the AirPods Pro. On paper, it’s a small feature in a long list. But in everyday use, Announce Messages with Siri makes a huge difference in how I use my iPhone.

The Banker movie hits Apple TV+ in March following delay

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The Banker is the first original movie from Apple TV+.
The Banker was originally scheduled to debut last year.
Photo: Apple

Apple original movie The Banker will hit theaters and Apple TV+ this March following a delay, the company confirmed to Cult of Mac.

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, the film tells the fascinating true story of Bernard Garrett Sr. and Joe Morris, two African Americans who built up a successful banking business in the 1950s and ’60s.

The Banker’s release was put on hold last November so that Apple could investigate allegations made against one of its producers.

2021 may be the year iPhone finally loses its Lightning connector

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iPhone Lightning connector
New regulations could force Apple to ditch Lightning cables in Europe.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to deliver at least one iPhone model without a Lightning connector next year, according to a new Barclays report.

The device won’t make the switch to USB-C, as previous rumors have predicted. It is instead expected to rely solely on wireless connectivity options for both charging and data transfer.

Barclays analysts also believe that this year’s iPhone refresh will bring an improved TrueDepth camera system that could mean even better Face ID.

Pro Tip: Your Apple USB-C headphone adapter works anywhere

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USB-C headphone adapter
The dongle works pretty much anywhere.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions If you own a 2018 iPad Pro, you probably also bought Apple’s USB-C-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter, just so you can plug headphones into your $1,000-plus computer. But what if you want to do something totally crazy like, I don’t know, listen to music and charge the iPad at the same time? Or, given that this a pro machine, maybe you want to hook up a MIDI piano keyboard, or other gear, and use headphones at the same time?

Tough luck, right? No! If you have any old USB-C hub or dock, you can plug Apple’s cheap little dongle into the hub itself. Check it out.

Apple matching charity donations with employees tops $100 million

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Apple charity donations fund Saints of Steel, run by Jaz Limos
Apple charity donations fund Saints of Steel, a non-profit run by Apple employee Jaz Limos.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 1-for-1 donation matching program, and paying employees for time spent volunteering, resulted in $100 million going to charities last year, the company said.

And it’s not only developers helping kids learn to code. There’s also a barbershop for the homeless run by an Apple employee.

AirPods sales spike means total market domination

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AirPods-Pro-vs-AirPods
AirPods and AirPods Pro outsell all rivals by a wide margin.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple sold almost 60 million AirPods wireless headphones in 2019, according to a market-analysts firm. That’s a dramatic increase from the 35 million the company is estimated to have sold the year before.

And Apple took the lion’s share of 2019 sales of totally wireless (TWS) headsets.

FBI cracks iPhone Pro 11, raising doubts about demand for Apple backdoor

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Apple Store employee fired after stealing personal photo from customers' iPhone
Why is the FBI demanding Apple help to create a ‘backdoor’ to unlock iPhones when it has GrayKey? That's a good question.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Revelations that the FBI has access to a tool that can unlock data on secure iPhones are raising questions as to why the agency is demanding Apple help to create a “backdoor” to recover data on the iPhones of a Florida shooting suspect.

Get help dialing in your daily eating habits with this highly rated app [Deals]

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Eat This Much
This meal-planning platform makes it easy to eat well by organizing and planning your shopping and cooking.
Photo: Travis Yewell

Eating is easy, but eating right can be pretty hard. There’s temptation and misinformation everywhere, so it’s important to have a trusty guide that also can keep you honest and on track. That’s just what this daily diet assistant offers.

YouTube’s Luke Miani reveals lessons on buying old MacBooks by the dozen

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YouTuber Luke Miani and his pile of MacBooks video
Luke Miani doesn't think you should buy 12 used MacBook Pros. But he will to prove a point about buying used Apple computers on eBay.
Screenshot: Luke Miani/YouTube

Search YouTube for Apple-related content, and you will easily find hosts who unbox, hosts who hack, hosts who fawn, and, of course, plenty who throw snark and shade.

Then there’s Luke Miani, whose Apple-centric videos with a rising number of views fall under a different category: useful.

Save a ton on these awesome AirPods and Apple Watch accessories

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Elkson-Apple-Watch-Sport
Bag this brilliant Apple Watch band for under $11!
Photo: Elkson

Elkson makes some absolutely terrific accessories for AirPods and Apple Watch, then goes and sells them at amazingly low prices. And you can get yours even less today from the Cult of Mac Store.

We’ve slashed up to 40% off of a number of Elkson’s best products, including a protective AirPods case that adds wireless charging, an incredibly comfortable Apple Watch band, and more.

Apple hires drone, aviation specialist as DC lobbyist

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Apple lobbyist Lisa Ellman with the DJI Mavic Air Drone
Apple sells and uses drones, and so retained Lisa Ellman, an expert in unmanned aircraft law, to lobby in Washington on its behalf.
Photo: Apple/Hogan Lovells

Apple hired an expert on drones and aviation law as a lobbyist. But this doesn’t mean the company is about to introduce a line of unmanned aircraft.

Audient Evo ‘evolutionizes’ iOS audio recording

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Audient's new Evos look as good as they (probably) sound.
Audient's new Evos look as good as they (probably) sound.
Photo: Audient

Audient’s Evo is an excellent-looking new iOS-friendly USB audio interface. Like all other “sound cards,” the Evo lets you hook up speakers, headphones, and connect microphones, guitars, and so on. It then connects to a computer or iDevice via USB, so you can route all that audio in and out of your apps.

But the Evo brings a few clever extras. One is the Smartgain feature, which automatically sets your input levels. The other is something called loopback, which lets you record your iPhone’s own output. This is handy on the Mac and Windows, but essential on iOS, and very welcome.

Apple acquires Xnor.ai for faster, more private iPhone artificial intelligence

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Xnor.ai promises AI everywhere.
Xnor.ai’s artificial intelligence software for mobile devices is likely headed for iPhones.
Photo: Xnor.ai

Apple purchased Xnor.ai, a company that creates artificial intelligence software for mobile devices. The acquisition will apparently lead to AI applications running directly on iPhones, iPads, etc., not outsourced to the cloud. This should make these tasks more private and quicker.