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Top stories - page 382

The best music, notes and knob-twisting apps this week

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app roundup
Bears, knobs, and failure. What a week.
Photo: Cult of Mac

This week we listen to Apple Music in the browser, live on the edge with The Most Dangerous Writing App, lock up our notes in Bear, and schedule our messages to send later in Telegram. And more, etc.

Get the scoop on this week’s best new (or freshly updated) apps for iOS and Mac.

Enhance your content with unlimited royalty-free photos [Deals]

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Scopio
Add gorgeous, royalty-free photos from all over the world to any project.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Few things can make your content pop like a good photo. That’s true whether you’re building a website or a slide presentation, or writing an article or an ad.

Unfortunately, photo rights can be expensive, so this massive photo library subscription is a can’t-miss opportunity. Even better, you can get it at a massive discount.

How Apple will spark an AR boom [Cult of Mac Magazine 313]

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Apple's deep investment in augmented reality looks set to pay off.
Apple's deep investment in augmented reality looks set to pay off.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s long bet on augmented reality is about to pay off. Thanks to new tools for developers, and hardware that can handle the advanced apps they create, an AR revolution is in the offing.

Find out how Apple will spark the AR boom in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now for iOS, or see the top stories below in your browser.

Get the skills you need to be a pro web and mobile developer [Deals]

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The Complete Web & Mobile Developer Bundle Ft. Rob Percival
Learn from the best with the Complete Web and Mobile Developer Bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you want to catch the eye of potential employers, adding “web and mobile app development” to your resume is one of the best ways to do so.

With the wildly discounted Complete Web and Mobile Developer Bundle — featuring lessons from a rock-star coder — you can make it happen.

iPhone will finally get all-new design in 2020

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The camera bump is about to get bumpier in the iPhone XI.
Want an all-new iPhone? You'll have to wait one more year.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is just days away from unveiling the iPhone 11 lineup, but the rumor mill is already turning its attention to the 2020 iPhone.

In his latest research note to investors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the 2020 iPhone will feature an all-new design — the first in three years.

Apple claps back at Google’s claims of iPhone vulnerabilities

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security lock safe
Surprise, surprise, your iPhone isn’t as vulnerable to being hacked as Apple’s chief rival says it is.
Photo: Pexels

The accusations Google recently made about iOS security flaws were greatly overstated, deliberately “stoking fear” in iPhone users, according to Apple. The iPhone maker points out that the issues were much more narrow than its rival indicated, and were online for only a brief time.

Apple tracking tags might be far easier to find than Tile

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Tile will speak out against Apple in Congress antitrust hearing
Tile makes the best items trackers available today, but that might change soon.
Photo: Tile

The item-tracking tags Apple is expected to unveil next week will have ultra-wideband radio technology, according to a reliable analyst. This will make them much more accurate than rival trackers like Tile that depend on Bluetooth to measure distance.

US orders Apple to identify users of rifle scope app

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random riflescope
Justice officials have their sights set on a lot of private data.
Photo: Captaindan/Wikimedia CC

The Department of Justice has ordered Apple and Google to turn over names, phone numbers and IP addresses for users of a gun scope app that allows gun owners to calibrate scopes and capture video.

Data privacy activists say the government’s ask would set a “dangerous precedent,” giving officials access to data on thousands of innocent people.

Apple’s self-driving car sports sleek new sensor array

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Apple car
Apple's self-driving car looks really good.
Photo: The Last Driver License Holder.

Apple made a big update to the design of the sensor array that powers the autonomous functions on its self-driving fleet of cars.

Some eagle-eyed observers in the Cupertino area spotted the new array a couple of times over the last month or so. Instead of having LiDAR and camera sensors mounted on a rack around the car, Apple’s gearheads created a system that’s entirely enclosed. And it looks like they’ve ditched LiDAR in the process.

Watch Apple’s whip drive down the streets of Cupertino.

This is the start of a whole new era for Apple augmented reality

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Apple Park ARKit
Apple's augmented reality journey is just getting started.
Photo: Nobuyuki Hiyashi

When Apple introduced ARKit in 2017, the augmented reality platform was hailed as a game-changer. Two years later, Apple’s AR push looks ready to deliver the type of experience that gets CEO Tim Cook so excited he wants to scream.

Thanks to a trio of new augmented reality tools for iOS 13, and the very real possibility of an Apple AR headset on the horizon, 2019 promises to be the start of something truly special for Apple’s augmented reality efforts.

iPhone 11 Pro and … one more thing? We talk Apple event leaks on The CultCast

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CultCast 404
According to a noted Apple leaker, a One More Thing is coming our way.
Image: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: A noted leaker says the September 10 Apple event will include a mythical “one more thing.” Plus: More leaks shine a light on next week’s iPhone announcements; a new turbocharged Apple TV is on the way; and Apple Watch will finally get a long-awaited feature.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Anker’s ultra-slim charger is just right for your iPad [Review]

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Anker PowerPort Atom III
The Anker PowerPort Atom III is minuscule for a 30W charger.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Wall chargers made with gallium nitride (GaN) transistors can be considerably smaller than ones that use silicon instead. An outstanding case in point is the Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim, which is tiny but can still put out 30W to quickly power up an iPad Pro or even a MacBook.

We tested this svelte USB-C battery charger in the field. Read on to see how well it lives up to its promise.

This cute, rubberized keyboard packs proper piano-style keys

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Arturia MicroLab
Looks small, feels big.
Photo: Arturia

This is the new MicroLab from Arturia. It’s a USB MIDI keyboard you can hook up to your Mac, your iPad or your iPhone. It’s tiny — but how does it differ from the zillion other portable MIDI keyboards littering the pages of Amazon? Two ways.

One is that it has a bunch of clever design features that make it great for travel or small desktop setups. The other is that it has big, proper, velocity-sensitive keys, instead of the stupid junky keys on almost every similar MIDI keyboard.

iOS 13 is probably ready for you right now

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iOS 13.1 beta 1 adds Books reading goal, brings back almost every feature dropped in previous betas.
iOS 13.1 beta 1 brings back almost every cool feature dropped from previous betas.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

After the release of iOS 13.1 beta 2, iOS 13 is probably good enough for you to install and use. I’ve been running the new iPadOS on an old test iPad since the very first version, and it has been glitchy all the way. But as of the latest developer beta, almost all of the problems have been ironed out.

So, is the iOS 13 beta really stable enough to install?

Apple fans can’t wait to pay big bucks for a 5G iPhone

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
Some people are willing to pay a lot for a 5G iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s growing interest in a 5G iPhone, according to survey done by a market-analysis firm. Almost a quarter of current users of Apple handsets would be willing to pay more for an iPhone with a higher-speed wireless connection than the cost of the company’s top-tier device today.

iPhone 11’s gorgeous new color options spilled by case-maker

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iPhone-11-Pro-aura
The best one reminds us of another new smartphone.
Photo: Olixar/MobileFun

Stunning new color options for iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are today revealed in new images from case-maker Olixar.

One supposed finish — which mixes light pastel pink, green and yellow — is similar to the stunning Aura color options available for Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10.

2020’s iPhone SE upgrade won’t bring edge-to-edge display

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Watch a iPhone SE 2 TV ad
No, the new iPhone SE won't look like this.
Screencap: Creative Concepts

A reliable source today echos claims that Apple is developing an iPhone SE upgrade for early next year.

The new low-cost handset will feature Touch ID, just as expected — but it won’t be the new in-display Touch ID technology that Apple could bring to other handsets in 2020.

That means there’s no hope of an edge-to-edge display.

iPhone displays could offer built-in Touch ID by 2020

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Touch ID
But don't worry — Face ID isn't going anywhere.
Photo: Apple

Apple really is working to integrate Touch ID into future iPhone displays, according to a new report.

The company’s in-screen fingerprint-scanning technology could debut as early as 2020. It is expected work alongside Face ID on flagship handsets, giving users a choice between unlock options.

Apple TV+ is coming to Samsung Smart TVs

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Photo: Apple

You’ll need a subscription to enjoy to Apple TV+ when it lands later this year, but you may not need to purchase an Apple TV. The new video streaming service is also coming to Samsung Smart TVs.

Latest canceled Apple TV+ show might be bad omen [Opinion]

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Tim Cook reportedly wants to make Apple TV+ shows aspirational in tone.
Photo: Apple

Cupertino’s costly decision to cancel an Apple TV+ series starring Richard Gere due to the show’s darker tone is the latest bit of evidence that Apple wants only family-friendly fare for its upcoming streaming video service.

A diet of uplifting, positive messages is certainly laudable. But that sort of high-minded approach could pose a major challenge for Apple. Should fans be worried?

Apple seeds new iOS 13.1 beta, leaves iOS 13 out in the cold

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iOS 13
Apple has clearly shifted its focus from iOS 13 to version 13.1.
Screen capture: Apple

The beta process for iOS 13.1 continues, with the second developer-only beta just going out now.

But there hasn’t been a new iOS 13 beta in two weeks. Apple really seems to have finished work on it, even though it hasn’t been released and isn’t even expected until later this month.