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YouTube feeds addiction for tech unboxing obsession

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Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Photo: Lamarr Wilson/YouTube

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugMaybe Christmas morning doesn’t come often enough. How else do you explain the full-blown obsession of millions of people who turn to YouTube to watch videos of someone opening boxes containing new products?

Tech companies, especially Apple, know that packaging and how it opens to present you that shiny new gadget is a critical first step towards a love connection. Companies are even conscious of how a sparkling YouTube personality with a child-like excitement for what’s inside the box can help drive sales.

Apple says its gender pay gap has been fixed

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Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Divya Nag helped Apple engineers create ResearchKit and CareKit.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s workforce became a little bit more diverse in 2016 according to the company’s annual Inclusion and Diversity report that was published today, revealing that minorities made up 54 percent of new U.S. hires.

The company is also hiring more women than ever and says it is finally paying women equal wages, and will continue to analyze the salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants of all employees worldwide to solve the gender pay gap once and for all.

Latest iPhone 7 Plus mockup reveals beautiful blue finish

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iPhone-7-Plus-mockup-blue
iPhone 7 Plus looks beautiful in blue.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Yet another iPhone 7 Plus mockup has been captured on video ahead of Apple’s official unveiling this fall, but this one’s a little more exciting than most.

Not only is it thought to be the most accurate representation of the iPhone 7 Plus we’ve seen so far, but it also comes in a new blue finish that could replace the space gray option in Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup.

2 extra-long Lightning cables for the price of 1 [Deals]

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lightning cable
Get two, 10-foot long, MFi-Certified Lightning cables for the price of a single standard 3-foot one.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Considering they’re the lifelines for the most important devices in our lives, Lightning cables sure are fragile and, at just 3 feet, short. Odds are your own cable’s already frayed or nicked if you’ve had it for more than a couple months, time for a replacement. Lucky for you, there’s a chance to add length and life to the cable you use to charge and transfer data between your devices, twice. You can get two 10-foot long, MFi-Certified Lightning cables for just $14.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Today in Apple history: World’s first Apple killer goes on sale

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Photo of Tandy TRS-80 computer
The TRS-80 was Apple's first big rival in the marketplace.
Photo: Rama & Musée Bolo/Wikipedia CC

Aug 3August 3, 1977: The Tandy TRS-80 personal computer makes its debut. The first affordable, mass-market computer gives the Apple 1 some serious competition.

Although the TRS-80 arrived the year after the Apple 1 and a few months after the Apple II, it proved to be the first “Apple killer” on the market, predating later rivals like the IBM Personal Computer as Apple’s first big tech industry opponent. And, for the longest time, Tandy’s computer seemed to be on course to win.

How to watch the Olympics on Apple TV

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x
Get ready to binge on the Summer Olympic games.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are set to be the most streamed event in sporting history thanks to NBC’s plan to live-stream all 34 sports. Apple TV users can get in on the 4,500 hours of coverage that starts on August 5th even if you don’t have a cable subscription.

Here’s how to watch all the action using Apple TV:

Venmo flaw allowed attackers to use Siri to drain accounts

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money
You might wanna check your account.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A critical flaw with PayPal-owned Venmo left iPhone users’ accounts exposed to a lethal account that could have allowed attackers to steal $2,999.99 in just two minutes.

The Venmo security flaw was discovered by Salesforce security engineer Martin Vigo who found that Siri can be used on locked iPhones to drain an account just by sending a few text messages.

Check out the hack in action:

Bulletproof iPhone case!? Pitaka Aramid iPhone case [Reviews]

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Cult of Mac
A light-weight, bulletproof iPhone case?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s not often an iPhone case catches my eye. There has to be a standout feature to get me excited about seeing what it has to offer. Whether that’s amazing craftsmanship or a sneaky charging feature, it can’t be ordinary.

At first glance, the Pitaka Aramid case for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus seems just that; ordinary. But the more I read up about what Aramid was, the more I was interested. Check out my full video review below.

Instagram’s new feature is a ripoff of Snapchat Stories

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Stories is already seeing more users than Snapchat.
Stories is already seeing more users than Snapchat.
Photo: Instagram

Instagram is rolling out a new feature that lets you post more privately and without the kind of permanence that can get you in trouble.

Sound familiar, Snapchat users?

On its blog Tuesday morning, the company introduced Instagram Stories, which lets you share multiple photos and videos in a single slideshow. It can be shared with select followers without showing up on your more public profile. It then disappears 24 hours later.

It’s time to seize control of your digital media libraries with MacX [Deals]

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Convert and transfer media file types of all kinds to basically any device.
Convert and transfer media file types of all kinds to basically any device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you buy or download a digital video, it’s easy to imagine that you can get it to work on any screen you like, whether your Mac or PC, phone, tablet, etc. Unfortunately that’s just not how it works, with conflicting video and audio formats that might work in one context but not another. It’s an issue that this duo of MacX apps — MediaTrans and Video Converter Pro — solves offering conversion and transfer options for any audiovisual file type. And right now, you can get both for $29.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Everything that’s new in iOS 10 beta 4

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iOS 10 BETA 4
See the latest iOS 10 beta in action.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple dropped a slew of new developer beta updates earlier today. As usual, it’s mainly a bug fix affair, but there are a few tweaks and adjustments we’ve came across within the latest betas.

Check out what’s new in the latest iOS 10 beta in our video below.

Apple’s new ad shows why iPad Pro is a great computer

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Is the iPad Pro a true PC replacement?
Is the iPad Pro a true PC replacement?
Photo: Apple

What’s a computer?

That’s the latest brain buster Apple is asking fans in its latest iPad Pro ad that showcases how the giant tablet can replace a PC thanks to its keyboard, touchscreen and Apple Pencil. The short new ad covers iPad Pro’s multitasking capabilities, too, with shots of Slide Over and picture-in-picture that reimagine what you can do on an iPad.

Check it out:

How the Apple Car will make you money, and more fun about robot vehicles [Kahney’s Korner]

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Kahney's Korner podcast with robocar expert Paul Godsmark
Autonomous cars are going to change the world like nothing we've seen before. A fascinating interview with robocar expert Paul Godsmark.
Photo: Paul Godsmark/Stephen Smith

The old adage is that new cars depreciate the minute you buy them. However, the rumored Apple car might be the first vehicle to actually make you money after you drive it off the lot.

If Apple’s car is autonomous, it’ll earn its keep delivering people or goods when you’re not using it. So says Paul Godsmark, a robocar consultant and one of the leading experts on the upcoming autonomous vehicle revolution.

In this fascinating interview, Godsmark talks about the enormous changes that are coming up fast with self-driving vehicles, including Project Titan, the rumored Apple Car.

Buckle up! Everything is about to change dramatically — from the way we travel to the way we work.

New Remote app for Apple TV is now available to the public

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Remote app for Apple TV on iPhone
Say hello to the new Remote app.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Controlling the new Apple TV just got a lot easier today now that Apple has finally released a brand-new version of its Remote app for iOS.

The all new Remote app can completely replace the Siri Remote that comes with Apple TV, allowing watchers to take full control of their viewing experience, without having to put down their iPhone.

Sorry NY sex offenders, no Pokémon GO for you

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Pokémon Go
Pokémon GO isn't for everyone.
Photo: Niantic Labs

Sex offenders in New York who are addicted to Pokémon GO just got some bad news from Governor Andrew Cuomo who has asked the game’s developers to help ban players from the state’s sex offenders list.

The governor takes particular issue with the game’s “PokéStops” that can be equipped with lures to attract pokémon as well as other players to a certain spot. Cuomo believes that sexual predators will use these spots as a way to lure in children, so he’s demanding the makers add extra protections.

Lightning EarPods spotted blasting tunes in real life

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earpod
And no 3.5mm headphone jack in sight...
Photo: Weibo

A video has surfaced online, alleging to show Apple’s next-gen Lightning EarPods on an iPhone running iOS 9.

While we’ve heard rumors that the iPhone 7 may ditch the headphone jack, and have even seen blurry (and not-so-blurry) photos appearing to confirm the same thing, this is the first time a video has appeared to show off Apple’s forthcoming EarPods in all their 3.5mm jack-free glory. Check it out below.

Learn how to code for iOS 10 before it lands [Deals]

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code

With another public beta recently released, the September arrival of iOS 10 is getting more and more real for mobile developers all around the world. We already know that iOS 10 is going to be crammed with new features, including apps can extend to Messages, Siri, Phone, and Maps to provide more engaging functionality than ever, so this bundle of lessons arrives just in time to get prepared. It’s over 217 lectures, clocking in at 30 hours of content, and right now you can get 24/7 access for just $25 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Severed, Upthere Home and other awesome apps of the week

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Cult of Mac

Looking to get up to speed on the week’s hottest apps? We’ve got your back!

In a week in which Apple sold its billionth iPhone, and a strong showing from the App Store was partially credited as the reason behind Apple’s better-than-expected Q3 earnings, we’ve combed the latest apps to bring you the cream of the crop.

Whether you’re looking for a smart camera app which uses AI to improve your pictures, or a tremendous action-RPG game, we think you’ll find something to entertain you…