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Original iPhone design team reunites for 10th anniversary

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Original iPhone design team
The design team behind iPhone OS.
Photo: Imran Chaudhri

The design team behind the original iPhone’s software reunited to celebrate its 10th anniversary this week.

Imran Chaudhri, who still works at Apple, posted the photo above on Instagram. He’s pictured alongside Freddy Anzures, Bas Ording, Marcel Van Os, Steve Lemay and Mike Matas.

Raise shields when you go online with this powerful VPN [Deals]

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This high speed VPN can protect your internet connections on up to five devices at once.
This high speed VPN can protect your internet connections on up to five devices at once.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Setting out into the wilds of the internet means being vulnerable to all sorts of hazards and headaches. From identity thieves to data snoops and location restrictions, PureVPN offers a way to deflect these threats and keep your personal data and online activity safe and anonymous. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to PureVPN for just $69 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Apple could offer original scripted TV content by end of 2017

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4118bc185081d7b9ff5160dc6e5304cbaab081a7
Could Apple challenge shows like Netflix's Stranger Things
Photo: Netflix

Move over The Crown and Stranger Things! Apple is planning to enter the original TV shows and movies market, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal claims Apple has been in talks with “veteran producers” over the past few months about buying the rights to existing shows, and has also told them that it has plans to create its own programming — although those efforts are still in the early stages.

iOS revenue to surpass $1 trillion this year

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iPhone 7
iOS sales are about to hit a major milestone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s revenues generated from the iOS ecosystem will surpass $1 trillion sometime this year, according to one analyst.

By mid-2017, the company is forecast to have sold a whopping 1.2 billion iPhones, while collective sales of all iOS devices will surpass 1.75 billion units.

The real reason iPhone didn’t inherit iPod’s click-wheel UI

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iPhonealternate
Yep, this is how the iPhone could have looked -- had project P1 taken off.
Photo: Apple

Former Apple VP Tony Fadell has dispelled the popular rumor that Apple had two rival teams working on different user interfaces for the first prototype iPhone.

Video of two prototype operating system builds for the original iPhone surfaced this week as Apple celebrated the iPhone’s 10th anniversary. One of the UIs proposed adopted the iPod’s click wheel interface and, according to Fadell, it actually worked really well.

There was just one problem: It sucked at making calls.

Enter to win an iPhone 7 Plus [Giveaway]

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Now's your chance to win a brand spanking new iPhone 7 Plus.
Now's your chance to win a brand spanking new iPhone 7 Plus.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For some of us, “new iPhone” is another way of saying “cool thing I definitely can’t afford.” Instead of sitting on the sidelines staring sadly at your wheezing old mobile and waiting for the contract to turn over, you can jump at the chance to get a shiny new iPhone 7 Plus in this amazing giveaway.

This is not a drill, folks. Now’s your chance to win the latest and greatest mobile device around.

Adobe wants you to edit photos by voice with Siri-style assistant

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Instead of using your fingers to adjust the crop guides, use your voice to ask for a square crop.
Instead of using your fingers to adjust the crop guides, use your voice to ask for a square crop.
Photo: Adobe Research/YouTube

Great photographers often employee great assistants. Ansel Adams hired master darkroom technicians who printed to his exact specifications, and the lush lighting in an Annie Leibovitz portrait is typically achieved by trusted assistants who understand her vision.

Adobe is working to bring photographers of all levels a valued assistant — and the voice of that assistant may sound familiar.

A video produced by Adobe Research shows a man giving voice commands to an iPad to crop a photo and prepare it to post on Facebook. The voice coming from the iPad sounds like Siri as it repeats the photographer’s commands.

Astropad Studio makes iPad Pro the ultimate art tool

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Astropad Studio is for professional artists who use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Astropad Studio is for professional artists who use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Photo: Astropad

A couple of ex-Apple engineers released an app that turned the iPad into a drawing tablet and the reviews, especially from artists, were positive. One even said “life-changing” while others saw only a couple of limitations that could easily be worked around.

The creators of Astropad were concerned that there was even one limitation. On Wednesday, it launched what it hopes is a tool with no limits, Astropad Studio, a subscription-based version of the app for professional creatives who use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil as their go-to tools.

New video shows iPhone prototypes going head-to-head

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early-iPhone-prototype-UIs
Apple's earliest iOS prototypes.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Apple calls iOS “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” but it was almost the world’s worst.

Before deciding on the icon-based user interface we know and love today, Apple designed an awful prototype UI that was based on the iPod’s software and controlled with a virtual click-wheel. Check it out in the video below.

Pokémon GO too dangerous for China

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Pokémon Go
China says no to Pokémon GO.
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon fans in China may have to go without hit mobile game Pokémon GO after it was deemed too dangerous for approval.

The government is working to evaluate potential security risks, but it looks like the world’s biggest smartphone gaming market will miss out on one of the world’s biggest smartphone games.

iPhone triumphs in U.S., while Android continues to decline

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iPhone 7
iPhone 7, 7 Plus and 6s were big winners over the holiday season.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Sorry Android, it seems that iOS got the better gifts this Christmas!

According to the latest Kantar Worldpanel ComTech sales figures, iOS gained market share at Android’s expense in the United States, United Kingdom, France and elsewhere.

In the U.S., this marked the sixth consecutive quarterly decline for Android, while Apple grew 6.4 percent year-on-year.

This smartphone tripod folds down to credit card size [Deals]

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This tripod is solid, versatile, and folds up to the size of a credit card.
This tripod is solid, versatile, and folds up to the size of a credit card.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

To take great pictures, even with your smartphone, you need a tripod. Here’s a tripod for your smartphone fits in your wallet. Pocket Tripod PRO is a cleverly engineered, versatile platform for your mobile that folds into the size of a credit card. It’ll make for a huge leap in your phonetography that won’t put a dent in your pocketbook. Right now you can pre-order a Pocket Tripod PRO for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Breakout Ninja fights to be the best one-button runner

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LukeiPhone
It's got some gorgeous graphics too!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Anyone who remembers the glory days of Shinobi or Ninja Gaiden may want to check out the recently-released Breakout Ninja.

A super-simple ninja game with one-tap control mechanics, it’s incredibly addictive, and could well turn out to be one 2017’s early breakout (no pun intended) hits.

Oh, and did we mention that it’s the work of just one man?

Apple fan uses two first-gen iPhones: One for calls, one for trippy pics

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Joe Cunningham
We don't remember the original iPhone camera taking photos like this!
Photo: Joe Cunningham

Joe Cunningham loves the original iPhone so much that he carries two of them — one for calls and texts, and one for taking trippy photos enhanced by a mysterious glitch in the decade-old device.

Like the kind of haunted handset you’d find in a Stephen King novel, the second iPhone exhibits a strange quality: It takes pictures that look like they’re the result of a bad acid trip.

“The psychedelic iPhone only gets used as a camera because I want to extend its life as long as possible,” Cunningham told Cult of Mac.

Mysterious MacBook coins might have simple explanation

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Some MacBook users have reported finding coins when taking apart their machines.
Some MacBook users have reported finding coins when taking apart their machines.
Photo: Greg Kilpatrick/YouTube

You love your MacBook Pro and think it can do just about anything, even make change.

That is literally true for some MacBook users, who have been reporting on tech forums of the odd placement of a random quarter or penny in their machine’s SuperDrive, discovered when the bottom plate was removed.

Why Consumer Reports’ MacBook Pro battery tests were wrong

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MacBook
The new MacBook Pro has great battery life.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new MacBook Pro is set to receive a “recommended” rating from Consumer Reports after working with Apple to discover why tests showed the laptops suffered from unreliable battery performance.

The culprits? A hidden Safari setting and “an obscure and intermittent” bug.

Cloud storage, mind maps and other productivity tools [New Year Deals]

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Get a full terabyte for cloud storage for life.
Get a full terabyte for cloud storage for life.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With the new year come countless resolutions to do more and better work. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best deals on productivity services in the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve got a lifetime of cloud storage, a time-saving virtual assistant, a Gmail-powered task manager, and a tool for mapping your thoughts and ideas. They’ll all bring your day-to-day workflow to a new level. Read on for more details:

How to use Apple Pay on your Mac with macOS Sierra

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Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
Get ready to start spending on your Mac! (Even more, we mean.)
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With macOS Sierra, Apple Pay finally comes to Macs so you can use the mobile payment service to buy stuff online. The feature works best on the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, but don’t worry Pad if you own an older Apple computer: You can still use Apple Pay if you’ve got a 2012 or newer Mac, as long as you have the latest software and an iPhone or Apple Watch with Apple Pay enabled.

To get started, just follow our handy guide on how to use Apple Pay on Mac. You’ll be spending money online in no time!

You can finally use your Samsung Gear watches with iPhone

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samsungs-gear-manager-app-for-iphone-leaks-out-early-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Gear-S2-with-iPhone-jpg
Samsung's Gear apps are now available on iOS.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Samsung confirmed last January that it was making its latest Gear smartwatches compatible with iPhone. Just over a year later, it has finally delivered on that promise.

Download Samsung’s new Gear app for iOS today to connect your Gear S2, Gear S3, or Gear Fit2 to your iPhone.

Promising 2017 makes Apple ‘top pick’ for investors

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iPhone 8 concept
iPhone 8 is expected to be a huge success for Apple this year.
Photo: iDropNews

Analysts have labeled Apple a “top pick” for investors in 2017.

Morgan Stanley predicts Apple will have a successful year due to a variety of factors, including the much-anticipated iPhone 8, a potential 11-point deduction in tax rate, and consumer loyalty in China where iPhone sales are expected to grow 20 percent.

This pocket-size power plant can charge your phone 9 times [Deals]

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The Zendure A8 carries enough juice to refill your phone up to 9 times, and will hold a charge for 6 months.
The Zendure A8 carries enough juice to refill your phone up to 9 times, and will hold a charge for 6 months.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days it’s more than just our cell phones that run out of charge at the wrong moment. Forget portable batteries, this high-capacity power bank is like carrying around a wall outlet in your bag, perfect for any device. The Zendure A8 is one of the fastest charging power sources you can buy, easily able to charge your phone between 7 and 9 times on a single charge, or up to four devices simultaneously. And right now you can get a Zendure A8 for just $64.95 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Apple to deliver 3 new iPads this spring, but no new mini

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iPad Pro
The iPad lineup could look a lot different this spring.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to unveil three new iPad devices this spring, but none of them will cater to fans of the iPad mini.

According to one reliable analyst, the company is focusing its efforts on updating the 9.7-inch iPad and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and on introducing a new model with a 10- to 10.5-inch display.

Milkmaid of the Milky Way, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend all!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Las Vegas’ massive CES expo monopolized the tech world’s attentions this week, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some great things happening in the App Store, too.

Coming off a record holiday season for iOS apps, here are the picks we found ourselves tapping away on over the past seven days.

Make this the year you master UX design [Deals]

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Get the full picture on UI/UX design with this bundle of six comprehensive lessons.
Get the full picture on UI/UX design with this bundle of six comprehensive lessons.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

2016 is over, mercifully. But don’t let 2017 come to a close without developing some new skills. If you work in or develop apps, one of the most valuable things to understand is user interface and interaction design. Clocking in at over 39 hours of lesson materials, this bundle of six courses is a great way to learn. And right now you can sign up now for UI/UX Bootcamp for just $39 at Cult of Mac Deals.