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Give your graphic design skills a big boost [Deals]

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The Professional Graphic Designer Bundle
Take a deep dive into Photoshop and other fundamental graphic design tools.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We live in a visual age, so graphic design chops are more valuable than ever. That makes this massively discounted bundle of lessons a real value. Covering key Adobe platforms and coding languages, they’re a shot in the arm to any graphic design skill set.

Apple kills plan to turn iPhones into walkie-talkies

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Ham radio
An iPhone that can act like a ham radio was actually considered.
Photo: Pexels

An odd-ball scheme to let iPhone users talk to each other directly, device-to-device has reportedly been shelved.

This walkie-talkie feature would have required special hardware, and been used when cellular-networks aren‘t available.

These Mac Mail rules clean up your inbox so you won’t have to

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mac mail rules

Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s Mail app — the Mac one, not the iOS one — has a secret weapon for automatically cleaning up your inbox. It’s called Rules, and you can use it to process all arriving emails, so you don’t have to.

Mail rules can be used to get custom alerts, to automatically file invoices, to save newsletters out of the inbox, to block senders, and lots more. Today we’re going to check out a few of the most interesting Mac Mail rules so you can get started cleaning up your inbox.

Chip-maker’s lawsuit could block iPhone imports to the US

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TSMC 7nm processor
TSMC microprocessors like these are the subject of a massive lawsuit brought by a US chipmaker.
Photo: TSMC

US-based Globalfoundries filed multiple patent-infringement lawsuits against TSMC, the Taiwanese company that manufactures the processors used in all iPhone and iPad models. It also sued Apple, Google and others that make products with TSMC chips.

The lawsuits seek the block the import into the US and Germany of all semiconductors made with what Globalfoundries claims is its intellectual property.

iOS 12.4.1 locks out iPhone jailbreakers

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iOS 12 jailbreak
iOS 12.4 really can be jailbroken, but Apple apparently just removed the necessary security hole.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple just introduced an update to iOS 12.4 that likely fixes a security flaw that allowed a jailbreak to be created for this version — the first in years.

There don’t appear to be any other changes in iOS 12.4.1.

How to search podcast transcripts in iOS 13

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Podcast transcripts search
Podcast searches are set to get way better in iOS 13.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple added full transcript search to its podcast directory in iOS 13. Even though you can’t actually read the podcast transcripts, this is still huge. You can search across the content of podcast episodes the way you can search websites with DuckDuckGo (or other search engines) today.

New clues about iPhone 11 [Cult of Mac Magazine 311]

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Get the week's best Apple product leaks and rumors in this week's issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.
Get the week's best Apple product leaks and rumors in this week's free issue.

Even more leaked details give us our best picture yet of all the new features coming to iPhone 11 this fall. Plus, we might get a smaller Apple Pencil this year, and new HomePods and AirPods in 2020.

Get the latest on Apple’s upcoming smartphone (and other big products in the pipeline) in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

We’re also serving up tips and how-tos — including one on accessing super-secret Mac settings — as well as new gear reviews and recommendations. Prefer to read in your browser? Get all the week’s best links below.

iOS 13 makes the Reminders app a great task manager [Video]

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Reminders app on iOS 13 On iPhone X
The Reminders app finally looks and acts like a grownup task manager.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

As we draw nearer to the official release of iOS 13, things are starting to take their final form – as rocky as that may seem at times. One of the more stable, and more useful updates is to the Reminders app on iPhone and iPad.

Reminders was introduced back in iOS 5, and aside from losing some texture in iOS 7,the app has mostly been unchanged. In iOS 13, Apple is finally modernizing and improving on their task and to-do app to make it more functional and more competitive against many third party task managers.

Why Face ID for MacBooks is long overdue [Opinion]

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Face ID on MacBook
Face ID on a MacBook is an even better fit than with iPhone or iPad.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s facial-recognition system debuted on the iPhone and later expanded to the iPad. It’s high time Apple brought Face ID to the MacBook line, too.

There are people who aren‘t fans of Face ID because they’ve only used it on on iPhone. Don’t fall into that trap. It’s genuinely a better fit for the iPad and even more suited for a MacBook.

Today in Apple history: Unique Apple-1 computer sells for big money

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Steve Wozniak shows off a
Steve Wozniak shows off a "Celebration" model Apple-1, the rarest version of Apple's rarest computer.
Photo: Charitybuzz

August 25: Today in Apple history: Rare Celebration Apple-1 computer sells for big money August 25, 2016: An ultra-rare Apple-1 computer raises $815,000 in a charity auction, one of the highest prices ever paid for one of the machines. Bidding actually reaches $1.2 million in the auction’s final minutes. However, that bid gets pulled seconds before a winner is announced.

The reason for the super-high price? This “Celebration” Apple-1 boasts a feature that did not appear on any production models of the computer.

Take wireless charging on the go with the Powerstation Hub [Review]

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Mophie Powerstation Hub review
The Mophie Powerstation Hub can charge a Mac, iPhone and iPad all at once.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Powerstation Hub is a powerbank with an extra trick: wireless charging. There’s no reason to leave the convenience of wireless power at home when you can take it with you anywhere. This accessory also sports USB-C and dual USB-A ports, plus there are built-in AC power prongs for easy recharging.

We kicked the tires on this mobile battery. Come see how it performed in our tests.

What to expect from next month’s iPhone 11 refresh

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what-to-expect-iPhone-11
Here are all the things we think Apple has up its sleeve.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The 2019 iPhone lineup is just weeks away from getting its grand unveiling. And according to recent rumors, it could be a lot more exciting than we first anticipated.

Faster chips and an extra camera sensor may not be the only reasons to upgrade this year. Two-way wireless charging, improved Face ID, and Apple Pencil support could also be on Apple’s list.

Here’s everything we expect from next month’s iPhone refresh.

Pick up a professional-level power bank [Deals]

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Omni Power Banks
We've got three top tier power banks from Omni, so you can pick the right one.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you travel for work, you can’t afford to be screwing around with dead batteries or unreliable tech. So we’ve rounded up three of the best power banks from Omni, one of the best companies out there. These run the gamut, flexible power for all your devices to essentially bringing a wall outlet in your bag. Read on for more details:

Bento Stack keeps your essentials neatly organized on the go

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bento
Bento Stack is a must-have for any traveler.
Photo: Wiplabs

Carrying essential accessories with you wherever you go can be a nightmare. Your wires can get tangled, your AirPods can get lost, and your Apple Pencil can end up in more than one piece. That’s why you need the Bento Stack.

This compact, multi-compartment storage solution keeps more than 10 must-have accessories neatly organized when you’re on the road. It’s a must-have if you’re a frequent traveler.

Apple will rake in cash from Disney+ too

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The Mandalorian on Disney+
Watching The Mandalorian on Disney+ will probably make Apple money.
Photo: Disney/Cult of Mac

Apple and Disney are launching streaming video services this fall. Despite these being rivals, Apple will make money off both. There will be Disney+ apps for iOS and Apple TV, and consumers will be able to subscribe with in-app purchases, which means Apple gets a hefty cut of the revenue.

Plus, Star Wars fans can be assured they’ll be able to watch The Mandalorian when it debuts Nov. 12 with their iPad or other Apple computer.

All your private data is being sold. Here’s how to opt out.

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simple opt out
If you don't worry about your data being sold, here's a nice spot of sand where you can bury your head.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you know that Home Depot shares your “name, address and transactional information … with third party companies”? Or that Marriott Hotels discloses “Personal Data and Other Data with select Strategic Business Partners”?

What about this snippet from The New York Times’ privacy policy: “If you are a U.S. print subscriber, we may exchange or rent your name and postal mailing address.”

The bad news is, pretty much anytime you share your data with a U.S. company, it will sell that data to somebody else. The good news is that you can opt out. And the even better news is that there’s one place to get all the information you need to do it.

Apple laying the groundwork for a 5G Apple Watch

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watchOS 5 Breath face
It’s only a matter of time before there’s an Apple Watch 5G.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first Apple Watch with 4G cellular-wireless networking came out years ago, and design work for a 5G version is already going on.

Such a wearable will offer faster data transfer speeds, as well as quicker connections.

Apparent Apple Watch Series 5 pops up on Instagram

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Apple-Watch-5-leak
Is this our first look at Apple's next-generation wearable?
Photo: Slashleaks

A photo of what might be Apple Watch Series 5 appeared on Instagram this week.

The device looks just like a current model at first glance. But the model number displayed on its screen suggests it is actually Apple’s next-generation wearable.

This charging cable is so tough it’s wearing chainmail [Review]

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Fuse Chicken Shield review
No hyperbole: the Fuse Chicken Shield is truly sheathed in chainmail.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Shield charging cable from Fuse Chicken is literally wearing stainless steel chainmail. It seems designed to survive battle with orcs, or at least the dangers it might run into on a job site. Amazingly enough, this company’s Titan cable is even more rugged, being wrapped in two layers of flexible steel.

There are Lighting and USB-C versions of both, and we took them into battle to test their mettle. Actually, we towed a car with one, and hit the other with a hammer. Read on to see how they survived.

How does iOS 13 measure up to previous iOS betas?

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iOS Days in Beta chart: Will Hains' excellent chart breaks down the iOS betas.
Will Hains' excellent chart breaks down the betas.
Photo: Will Hains

We’re up to the eighth beta of iOS 13, but that’s not nearly the record for iOS betas. That honor goes to iOS 11. It might seem like we’ve had a lot of betas this time around, but two years ago, Apple seeded 13 betas before hitting the Gold Master stage.

With just a few weeks left until the expected iPhone 11 launch, it seems unlikely that record will fall. In terms of sheer number of betas, iOS 13 is not even close. But what about total time spent in beta? Or the fewest betas? Let’s look at the chart.