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Bus-ted! Coach driver fired for using iPad at 60 mph

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Don't be distracted by your iPad while driving a bus.
Photo: 20th Century Fox/Cult of Mac

Talk all you want about the declining market share of the iPad, but some people are still willing to risk their life over Apple’s breakthrough tablet device.

One such person is Irish coach driver Sean Purcell, who recently lost his job after CCTV showed him driving his coach with his elbows at more than 60 miles per hour so that he could operate his iPad.

Now that’s a true Apple fan. Wait, what?

How to fix weak taptic feedback on Apple Watch

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Apple Watch how-to taptic feedback
Here's how to put the tap back into "taptic."
Photo: Apple

Taptic feedback on the Apple Watch felt a little weird at first, but we’ve come to love its gentle nudges to let us know something is going on. But some Cult of Mac staffers have noticed that after time, the taptic feedback has started to feel not so … tappy anymore.

If you’re having this problem, here are a couple quick and easy ways you can try to put the pep back on your wrist.

Apple brings award-winning synth back from the dead

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logic-pro-x
The new Alchemy synthesizer is center-stage in today's updates to Logic Pro X and MainStage 3.
Photo: Apple

Apple released updates today for Logic Pro X and MainStage 3, adding a famous synthesizer and other fun goodies. This synthesizer, called Alchemy, for the most part isn’t an Apple original – it was previously an award-winning piece of software from Camel Audio, which Apple acquired at the beginning of the year. Now it has officially resurfaced in Apple’s professional audio apps.

The quickest way to find images with iOS 9

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ios 9 photos scrubber

Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

In previous versions of iOS, finding your photos was a bit tricky, especially as you started to amass them in the thousands, what with having a high-quality camera in your pocket at all times.

In iOS 9, currently in public beta, the Photos app has gotten a new way to find the photo you’re looking for amidst the haystack of your Photo Roll. Here’s how to use this new feature.

HTC ditches its own design language to copy the iPhone

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Cover up the logos and you can hardly tell them apart.
Photo: Steve Hemmerstoffer
Cover up the logos and you can hardly tell them apart. Photo: Steve Hemmerstoffer
Cover up the logos and you can hardly tell them apart. Photo: Steve Hemmerstoffer

HTC appears to have given up on its own design language in an effort to make its next flagship smartphone an iPhone clone. Leaked images of the so-called HTC Aero look almost identical to an iPhone 6, with the same flat form factor and protruding camera.

Pixeljam snubs Kickstarter, rolls out own crowdfunding platform

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Dino Run is part of Pixeljam's crowdfunding experiment.
Game developer Pixeljam is changing crowdfunding for the better.
Photo: Pixeljam

Pixeljam is no stranger to making iPhone and Mac games, but now the studio is taking on another challenge: transforming the way crowdfunding works to make it better for game developers and other creative types.

Company co-founder Miles Tillman describes the crowdfunding project as an “experiment” that’s an alternative to popular services like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Pixeljam’s new platform lets backers donate money just like the others, but prioritizes transparent communication, instant gratification and actually making the game ahead of crowdfunding staples like producing slick videos and stressing out over fundraising goals and deadlines.

Start saving now for your 24-karat gold iPhone 6s

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Want to make the other iPhone 6s owners jealous?
Photo: Goldgenie

The iPhone 6s isn’t even out yet, and already luxury goods companies are preparing to give folks with way too much money the chance to preorder their next-generation Apple handset in 24-karat gold.

Hot off the mark is Goldgenie, which is currently letting customers register their interest in an exclusive luxury box set containing both a gold-plated iPhone 6s and a gold Apple Watch.

Apple may introduce iPhone 6s at the same venue it unveiled the Apple II

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billgraham
Apple's iPhone 6s venue may have historical significance for the company.
Photo: Hoodline

Apple still hasn’t made an announcement as to where next month’s iPhone 6s event will take place. However, according to a new report it may be set to rock San Francisco’s 7,000-seat Bill Graham Civic Auditorium — the same venue where Steve Jobs and Wozniak first unveiled the Apple II.

Shelf-size stereo delivers massive sound from a tiny footprint

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So much sound in such a small package.
So much sound in such a small package.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Now that we’re in the era of the portable Bluetooth speaker, it’s hard to justify spending money on a stereo that just sits on a shelf at home.

That perception is exactly what this tiny stereo system from German audio giant Thonet and Vander aims to fight, though. The Rätsel brings old-school stereo sensibility to the modern age, with an absolutely room-filling sound in a tiny, tiny package. Why not have something that sounds this great right there on your shelf?

SmartPlug turns your home into a modern-day Clapper

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iHome SmartPlug HomeKit
You may not get a whole lot of use out of a single SmartPlug.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Home automation, specifically Apple’s HomeKit framework and its compatible accessories, is the latest Thing We’re Supposed to Get Excited About™. And it has a lot of promise for convenience, time-saving, and just generally feeling like you live in the future.

The first HomeKit-compatible smartplug is upon us, courtesy of iHome. The ISP5 SmartPlug is a $40 device that plugs into your wall outlet and lets you run whatever you plug into it from your iPhone, using either Siri or the companion app.

It does everything it says it will: You can set up rooms and zones, and control individual appliances or whole groups of them with a tap or quick voice command. It also lets you build “rules” to make your stuff turn on and off without your input. All of this is cool, but when you actually have one, you might struggle to think of useful ways to use it.

Microsoft app turns iPhone into 3-D scanner

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Microsoft has developed an app that can turn the smartphone camera into a 3D scanner.
Microsoft has developed an app that can turn the smartphone camera into a 3D scanner.
Photo: Microsoft/YouTube

If you keep track of the ways the iPhone is a revolutionary tool, you can soon add 3-D printing the growing list.

A Microsoft research team has created an app that turns any smartphone camera into a 3-D scanner without the need for extra hardware.

How to skip those skimpy mobile versions of websites

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New Safari feature will come in handy.
New Safari feature will come in handy.
Screen: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Using the mobile web is an uneven affair in terms of what you’ll see once your little blue progress bar slides across the page to let you know your page has loaded.

Some sites give you a crippled version of the original, making sure you can’t find any information on them at all. Looking for a tiny link to load the desktop site can be an exercise in frustration.

iOS 9, currently in public beta, has an answer to this issue baked right into Safari. Here’s how to make it happen.

Save up to 97% on 5 certification bundles to give your skillset and resume a boost [Deals]

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Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As the job market gets tougher, your resumé had better be doing the same. To help give you the edge in getting an interview, we’ve collected five certification courses that’ll maximize your marketability, all going for a fraction of the usual price. From learning the ins and outs of servers, to the secrets of wall street trading and project management, upgrade your skills and knowledge to make the next career step that much more of a sure thing.

iPhone owners snap up all of Samsung’s test drive devices

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Samsung has already run out of test drive handsets.
Photo: Samsung
Try Samsung's latest smartphones for free. Photo: Samsung
Samsung has already run out of test drive handsets. Photo: Samsung

Samsung has been forced to postpone its Ultimate Test Drive promotion that gives iPhone owners the opportunity to try out its latest devices free for 30 days. The South Korean company says it ran out of test drive devices in just a few hours after “overwhelming demand.”

Photoflow, a beautiful Instagram client for the Mac

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This might be the best way to experience Instagram on your Mac.
This might be the best way to experience Instagram on your Mac.
Photo: Photoflow

Instagram is great on the iPhone. It kind of sucks on the iPad. And it’s nonexistent on the Mac. But Photoflow aims to change the latter.

It’s a beautiful new Instagram client, just for the Mac. And while Photoflow won’t ever replace Instagram on your iPhone, it does supplement a lot of the app’s features for power users.

How Apple responded to the release of Windows 95, 20 years ago today

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1995 wasn't really 20 years ago. Was it?
Photo: Microsoft

If you want to feel old, consider the fact that Windows 95 launched 20 years ago today.

Although the operating system was a major success for Microsoft, it also had an enormous impact on Apple — both good and bad. Here’s how Cupertino responded at the time.

How to fix battery life issues in iOS 8.4.1

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iPhone
Battery got you down? Try these tips.
Photo: Apple

iOS 8.4.1 might have fine-tuned Apple Music, but some users are complaining about about battery issues after updating to Apple’s latest mobile operating system.

If you’re afflicted, the good news is that iOS 9 is right around the corner. The bad news? That doesn’t help you now, and iOS 9 will likely have its own host of bugs that Apple needs to address. Here are some tips to help you eke out as much battery life in iOS 8.4.1 as possible.

iPad Pro is all but confirmed and the iPhone 6s gets bent on The CultCast

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The 6S gets bent and the results are surprising.
The 6S gets bent and the results are surprising.
Photo: Unboxtherapy

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Why we’re convinced we’ll see an iPad Pro come fall, and what we expect from Apple’s giant shield tablet of power. Plus: The iPhone 6s back gets a bend test, and the results are surprising; and Apple leases a secret facility to test its autonomous car.

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them. Learn why and save $50 off your order at casper.com/cultcast.

Click on for show notes!

Final Fantasy VII, Square Cash and other awesome apps of the week

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Ready for some great apps?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s the weekend, which means that it’s time to relax, kick off your shoes, and download some great apps. And, man, have we got some picks for you this week!

Check below for our list of the best of the apps of the past 7 days, which demand a place on your Apple device right this moment:

Apple’s grab for street cred could bite it in the ass

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Dre's finally apologizing for his misogyny.
Apple has its fair share of controversial characters.
Photo: Beats

Apple might be unfairly painted as an aging company run by middle-aged white dudes with “dad dancing” moves, but it’s certainly not shying away from controversial characters.

Cupertino’s roster today includes employees like Dr. Dre — a man who was the epitome of gangsta rap before becoming “hip-hop’s first billionaire” — and Trent Reznor, aka the singer who once made public his desire to, erm, sleep with you in an animalistic fashion.

It’s a safe bet that Apple wants to be down with the kids, but this controversy-seeking behavior comes with a fair share of risk. And it’s only going to be a matter of time before Apple is hit by it.

Are Apple fans irrationally loyal to their brand?

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How deep is your love for Apple?
How deep is your love for Apple?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple fans have good reason to love the Cupertino company, which continues to revolutionize new product categories and deliver hugely successful products year after year. But how far should that love go?

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Some might say there is a group of fans who are irrationally loyal to the Apple brand, devoted to buying its latest products just because they sport the Apple logo, and dismissing all competitors just because they don’t. But is there really a “Cult of Apple?”

Join us as we battle it out over that very question in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac.