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Top stories - page 623

Design drawings bring iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to life

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Yes, it's exactly what you expected.
Photo: Weixin

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have been brought to life in new design drawings ahead of their official unveiling this fall. The images reveal the larger camera sensor that’s expected to come to the smaller 4.7-inch model, and the all-new dual-lens system coming to the 5.5-inch model.

All the changes Apple made in iOS 10 beta 2

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apple music app
There's a lot to love in the new iOS 10 beta.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s second beta for iOS 10 is jam-packed with new features and changes to go along with the big batch of bug fixes.

More than 50 changes have been discovered by developers, affecting everything from Apple Music to widgets. A lot of the changes are very minor UI tweaks that would probably go unnoticed by many users, but Apple has also added some huge additions to the Home button, Messages, Notification Center and more.

Here’s what’s new in iOS 10 beta 2:

Quit wasting valuable time repeating yourself as you type [Deals]

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TextExpander
TextExpander takes (some) of the pain out of repetitive typing.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you spend any amount of time at the keyboard, you’re wasting a surprising amount of it. Whether signing off on emails, filling out data fields, or writing a line of code, there’s a long list of phrases we needlessly write out repeatedly.

TextExpander is a tool for bypassing your most commonly used lines and phrases, making your writing more efficient to save valuable minutes and even hours. Right now at Cult of Mac Deals, you can get a year of TextExpander for just $19.98.

Today in Apple history: Apple loses exclusive rights to ‘app store’ name

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App Store icon
The App Store name used to be exclusive to Apple.
Photo: PhotoAtelier/Flickr

July 6July 6, 2011: Amazon wins a landmark verdict against Apple over its proprietary use of the term “App Store” — opening up the possibility of other rival services calling their own app stores by the phrase Apple had helped popularize.

The case highlights just how central the concept of downloadable apps had become to the mobile experience, only three years after Apple launched its iOS App Store.

watchOS 3, macOS Sierra and tvOS 10 get second beta builds

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macOS Sierra is here!
A beautiful new beta is here.
Photo: Apple

Apple is serving up a fresh batch of beta updates for developers today with the release of new versions of tvOS 10, watchOS 3 and macOS Sierra.

The second beta builds of the new operating systems, which were unveiled by Apple at WWDC last month, are now available in Apple’s Developer Center (along with a new iOS 10 beta that brings minor changes to the big software update).

Apple drops iOS 10 beta 2 for developers

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iOS 10 lockscreen

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first big beta update for iOS 10 has finally arrived, nearly a month after Apple unveiled its upcoming mobile operating system to developers at WWDC.

Apple seeded iOS 10 beta 2 to developers this morning, allowing testers to get a new look at all the bug fixes and UI tweaks that have been added.

You don’t have to be a hacker to run Windows on your Mac [Deals]

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Parallels Mac software
Parallels puts you in the driver's seat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For those of us with Macs who were once Windows users, it’s easy to miss the old applications, games and, yes, even the interface. Rather than use special software, building a virtual machine or buying a new PC just to open up a Windows session again, you can use Parallels to seamlessly run a Windows or Linux desktop on your Mac.

There are no special tricks, no partitioning, no rebooting — and no reason not to try it: Right now at Cult of Mac Deals you can get Parallels for half off for $39.99. See below for more details.

Declare your independence from creepy phone calls and texts [Deals]

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Add an anonymous second phone line for business, dating, buying or selling online, and more.
Add an anonymous second phone line for business, dating, buying or selling online, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You live in a free country, why should you feel trapped by a bad date or a creepy Craigslist seller who has your phone number? Give yourself a second, anonymous number for making calling or texting with people you’d prefer to keep at arm’s length. Right now you can protect your privacy with lifetime access to a second number through Hushed, for just $25 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Rodeo Stampede, Prisma, 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: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Somehow the weekend is already half-way gone, but to help you celebrate your remaining hours of freedom we’ve combed through the week’s best apps to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Whether it’s a fantastic LEGO Star Wars game or a fantastic calendar app, we’re confident we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Check out our list below.

LED flash for iPhone is just one of the newest deals at Cult of Mac [Deals]

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iBlazr

Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Tired of swiping through filters to make your iPhone pictures interesting? Or wasting time trying to stay organized behind the keyboard? Maybe you should take a look at these deals fresh off the deals boat. Below you’ll find a wireless, LED flash for any camera, two apps for improving your writing process, and a bundle of assets for designing apps. Take a look:

3rd-party Apple Watch faces, and how the iPhone was really invented, this week on The CultCast

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cult cast
Catch our unfiltered reactions to Apple's newest products.
Photo: Apple/Erfon Elijah

This week on The CultCast: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — wait till you hear the latest lawsuit aimed right at Apple’s biggest products. Plus: Leaked photos of EarPods with a Lightning connector look better than expected; why we may never get third-party Apple Watch faces; Netflix is adding a feature it swore would never happen; and a man builds a vibrant photography career in the world of sports with nothing but his iPhone. Oh, and Val Kilmer dances with a carrot in his derriere. Just hit play already.

Our thanks to Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

Best deals of the week: VR for your iPhone, aluminum earbuds and more [Deals]

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This sleek box turns your smartphone into a full-fledged VR headset.
This sleek box turns your smartphone into a full-fledged VR headset.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week’s we saw some great deals on top-shelf gear and gadgets. First up, there’s a box that turns your smartphone into a VR headset. And you can grab a four-port USB charger for the car, a sleek aluminum Bluetooth earbuds, and comprehensive photography lessons.

Whether you like to consume content or create it, don’t miss out on these massive deals.

Fitness apps obsess over running, but is it really good for you?

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x
To run, or not to run? That is the question.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Millions of people go running with their iPhone or Apple Watch every day. Logging runs is one of the main features of just about every fitness gadget on the market.

So should you join the sweaty masses and start using a running app? Not so fast. Not everyone is suited to running, and it won’t develop all aspects of your fitness. Plus, there are loads of other kinds of exercise you could be doing instead. What makes running so special?

Apple’s new file system, Kahney’s Korner, iPhone photographers and more

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Cover

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s packed-to-the-gills Cult of Mac Magazine, we give you the rundown on Apple’s new file system (APFS) — which has remained unchanged for 30 years. Discover all the reasons why switching to the new APFS makes sense for you!

Listen in to Kahney’s Korner podcast where our guest, Gumdrop Cases CEO Tim Hickman, talks about the race to be first to market with new iPhone cases, and the killing companies can make in the days following an Apple launch.

Learn about the growing number of professional photographers and filmmakers who are foregoing traditional equipment to embrace the iPhone for their creative pursuits.

All this, and much much more, in Cult of Mac Magazine, free for you right now.

Here are this week’s top stories.

Why Apple should buy Tidal (and why it shouldn’t) [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Tidal could be Apple Music's biggest rival later.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When you have the kind of cash Apple has, the easiest way to take down the competition is to just buy it. That’s exactly what the Cupertino company is planning to do with Apple Music rival Tidal, according to a recent report.

FNF-bugBut would a Tidal takeover be a good move? Would Apple be using its money solely to wipe out a rival, or will Tidal’s talent and connections to the music industry be great for Apple Music?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the latest Apple acquisition rumor!

Apple hits back at Spotify’s ‘public attacks’

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Spotify
Apple isn't happy with Spotify's claims.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s legal team has issued a scathing response to Spotify following its “public attacks” earlier this week.

The music streaming service accused Apple of “causing grave harm to Spotify and its customers” after its App Store review team rejected a recent Spotify update for iOS.

iOS 10 jailbreak team makes key breakthrough

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Cydia-iOS-10
Squint hard enough and you'll see the Cydia icon.
Photo: Mosecon

With every iOS update, Apple makes it harder for hackers to jailbreak its software — but it seems there’s still plenty of work to be done.

At the Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) in Shanghai today, Chinese jailbreak team Pangu revealed it already has Cydia running under iOS 10.

Big, comfy headphones make Mac gaming even better [Reviews]

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Mac accessories 2016
The Siberia 350 heads phones are light and comfortable.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Massive over-ear headphones are the best way to immerse yourself in a video game, whether you’re managing the minutiae of Civilization V, hiding from the xenomorph in Alien Isolation, or blasting your way across multiplayer maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Huge sound is a big part of gaming on your Mac, PC or PS4, and these fantastic-sounding and incredibly comfortable Siberia 350 headphones from SteelSeries are the best way to get your game on without sacrificing on comfort.

Last chance to save on top Mac apps, decoy phone lines and more [Deals]

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Now's your last chance to save on these top-notch Mac creativity and productivity apps.
Now's your last chance to save on these top-notch Mac creativity and productivity apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Summer’s here and last season’s deals are heading out the door. Don’t let these deals expire before you’ve had your chance to get in on them: top notch data recovery software, Dragon’s industry-leading transcription software, comprehensive digital design lessons, and a private phone line. Take a look:

Today in Apple history: Apple’s first ever computer goes on sale

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apple-1-dec-2014-auction
One of today's surviving Apple 1 computers.
Photo: Christie's

Friday 1 July 1, 1976: The Apple 1 goes on sale, becoming the first computer ever sold by the Apple Computer Company.

Arriving the same month Jimmy Carter was nominated for U.S. president, Family Feud debuted on TV, and the United States celebrated the 200th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the Apple 1 is only produced in small numbers, and sells for the unusual price of $666.66.

A growing number of filmmakers say, ‘Lights, iPhone, action!’

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The set of Time to Pay Off Debts, a film short made with the iPhone 6s.
The set of Time to Pay Off Debts, a film short made with the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Conrad Mess

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple guaranteed the iPhone would reinvent the phone. But filmmaking?

Writer and director Conrad Mess said the iPhone’s red record button turned him into a filmmaker. It helped another cash-strapped director win praise and wide distribution for a feature film he shot on the iPhone 5s that was the buzz of last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The iPhone also is reshaping video journalism, especially across Europe, where news organizations are using the iPhone video camera for an increasing number of stories — and live stand-ups, selfie stick in hand — because the mobile journalist can shoot, edit and share on one device.

Reading this without using a VPN? That’s risky, but there’s a fix [Deals]

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vpn
Get two years of VPN protection to keep all your data and browsing activity private.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you go online (and now is not the time to pretend you don’t), you’re vulnerable to data violations of all sorts: identity theft, activity monitoring, geo-restrictions.

A great way to secure yourself against these problems is to connect to the internet via a virtual private network, or VPN, that carefully channels and anonymizes your traffic. And right now we’ve got a great VPN, with a great name, at a great price: two years of Hide My Ass! VPN for $69.99.

Today in Apple history: IBM and Apple team up for the first time

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Steve Jobs wasn't at Apple in 1993, but this pic sums up Cupertino's classic attitude to IBM.
Photo: Andy Hertzfeld

Thursday 30 Given its position as the company’s earliest arch-nemesis, Apple’s partnership with IBM was massive news when it was announced a couple of years ago. But it wasn’t the first time the two companies had agreed to help one another.

On 30 June 1993, Apple and IBM shipped their first collaborative product: the catchily-named “SNA.ps 5250” emulation software package, which for the first time let Mac users run software available previously only for IBM PCs. It was the first step in allowing Macs and PCs to talk to each other in a way that didn’t trap their respective users in proprietary ecosystem hell.