Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad is more affordable than ever

http://www.cultofmac.com/472635/apples-9-7-inch-ipad-is-now-more-affordable/

• Apple has announced the upcoming launch of a new app designed to make it fun and easy for people to create and share “expressive videos” on their iPhone and iPads.
• Called Clips, the social app will work by combining video clips, photos and music into videos that can be shared with friends through the Messages app, or using Instagram, Facebook and other popular social networks.
• Live titles are text captions created by what you say in the video timed to when you say the words
• You can splice in soundtracks
• Video is cropped to square
• App recognize faces of people if they’re tagged in your Photos app
• Also names spoken in your video if they’re in your contacts, and will suggest you share videos with those friends.

This week: Apple’s about to overhaul the iPad, and it’s long overdue!  Plus: why Steve Jobs was cool with your kids using an iPad, but not his own; how the technology we love might be making us all stupid;  and we wrap up with an all new CultCast Choices, the game of great gifts with strange side effects...

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@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• Apple will announce its next-generation iPad lineup next month during its very first event at Apple Park, according to a new report.
• Sources say that production of the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro has been brought forward for the launch. The device is expected to be accompanied by an updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a more affordable 9.7-inch iPad.
• Apple “is expected to unveil the new iPad at a product event to be held in early April to mark the inauguration of Apple’s new headquarters in California,”
• The new 10.5″ iPad would have the exact same resolution as the 12.9″ iPad Pro (2732 x 2048), but the same pixel density of the iPad mini (326 ppi instead of 264 ppi). Crunch the numbers, do a little Pythagorean Theorem, and you end up with a screen 10.5″ diagonal

• Device logs obtained by mobile marketing firm Fiksu appear to show that four different iPad models are currently being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Just because four model numbers have been discovered doesn’t mean Apple will release four different iPads this month.
• Last year, Fiksu saw new device model names pop up in its logs about a month before the new iPads were announced.

When Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. I was on the receiving end of a few of those calls. But nothing shocked me more than something Mr. Jobs said to me in late 2010 after he had finished chewing me out for something I had written about an iPad shortcoming.

• New York Times reporter Nick Bilton said he once assumingly asked Jobs, “So your kids must love the iPad?”
• “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”
• “Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things,”
• Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends.
• Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium, and his wife, Sara Williams, said that in lieu of iPads, their two young boys have hundreds of books (yes, physical ones) that they can pick up and read anytime.
• Ali Partovi, a founder of iLike and adviser to Facebook, Dropbox and Zappos, said " I wouldn’t dream of limiting how much time a kid can spend with her paintbrushes, or playing her piano, or writing, I think it’s absurd to limit her time spent creating computer art, editing video, or computer programming,”

• The CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal!
• Computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.
• Why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped.
• Our favorite routers to replace your Apple Airport.
• The non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over! It’s all-new, overdue, What We’re Into 💪🏼

This episode supported by 

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WikiLeaks: CIA lost control of its iPhone hacking arsenal

• The Central Intelligence Agency has been using malware to spy on iPhone and Android users, according to the largest-ever publication of confidential documents from WikiLeaks — and the spy tools are now in the hands of others.
• “This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA.”
• As part of a covert hacking program, the CIA created a “malware arsenal” and dozens of “zero day exploits” to infiltrate smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs to extract data and turn them into covert microphones.
• But the agency recently lost controls of these tools. Those who have obtained them now have “the entire hacking capacity of the CIA” at their disposal, according to WikiLeaks.
• At the end of 2016, the CIA’s hacking division was made up of more than 5,000 “registered users” who had produced over a thousand tools to infiltrate target devices throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.
• iOS devices were also a major target. The CIA created and obtained tools from GCHQ, NSA, FBI and contractors like Baitshop that allowed them to bypass the encryption used by apps like WhatsApp and Telegram and collect audio and text message data.

• Although Google’s Android dominates the worldwide smartphone market, the CIA concentrated on Apple’s iOS because of its popularity among global elites, WikiLeaks reports.
• Despite iPhone’s minority share (14.5%) of the global smart phone market in 2016, a specialized unit in the CIA’s Mobile Development Branch produces malware to infest, control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS, such as iPads.
• The disproportionate focus on iOS may be explained by the popularity of the iPhone among social, political, diplomatic and business elites.

Curved OLED displays will be exclusive to premium iPhone 8

http://www.cultofmac.com/470593/youll-pay-5-8-inch-oled-iphone-8/

• http://www.cultofmac.com/471109/2017s-iphone-edition-launch-late-oled-display-not-sure-thing/
• We’ve all been calling it the iPhone 8 for months, but according to a new report out of Japan, Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone will be named “iPhone Edition.”
• Apple is expected to deliver improved versions of its 4.7- and 5.5-inch devices, plus a more premium model with a 5.8-inch OLED display. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, which has been accurate in the past, this handset will be named iPhone Edition.
• Although it will almost certainly be unveiled in September alongside its siblings, it is believed the iPhone Edition won’t go on sale until later in the year. Apple is said to be experimenting with various prototypes of the device, each with a different display setup.
• The report suggests that Apple is still a long way away from deciding on a final design for the iPhone Edition, though it has nailed down a few features — including wireless charging and a dual camera setup similar to that of iPhone 7 Plus.That's all the CultCast we've got for you this week

This week: 

• Tim Cook promises to make Apple “Pro" again!  We discuss.
• iPhone ditching Lightning for USB C
• Spotify about to go Hi-Fi
• Why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints
• Leander pitches a new favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones
• The best iPhone bumper case in the land!

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@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• iPhones may boast USB-C connectors, claims a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
• What’s not clear from the report is whether this would mean abandoning Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C or simply switching out the USB-A plug at the end of the cable for USB-C.
• Apple adopter the Lightning connector with 2012’s iPhone 5
• The WSJ report also adds another voice to the growing number of stories claiming that Apple will release three different iPhones in 2017: two LCD “s” cycle iPhones, and an extra-high-end iPhone 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.

This week: 

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• If you were hoping Apple had developed a spectacular new wireless charging system for iPhone 8, you’re going to be disappointed come September.
• A new rumor claims that Apple won’t be using range charging technology developed by Energous as previously expected, but instead one of the existing solutions already found in rival smartphones like those made by Samsung.
• Adding fuel to that fire, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has only recently approved a version of Energous technology that delivers very low power over just a few inches.
• The iPhone would require higher levels of power and a wider range. A solution that meets these requirements is yet to be approved by the FCC.

• According to a new report, the company currently has not one or two, but five different groups inside Apple currently working to develop wireless charging technology for future iPhones.

• Apple has used Sony’s camera sensors in a number of iPhones, including the new dual-lens cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus.
• Sony unveiled the new senor during a lecture at the 2017 International Solid-State Circuits Conference capable of shooting 19.3MP still images at a frame rate of 120 fps. It can shoot 960fps video in 1080p. The iPhone 7 only shoots 120fps video in 720p.

• Apple will host a March event to introduce a new iPad Pro lineup and other products, according to Japanese website Mac Otakara.
• In terms of the iPad Pro lineup, the report claims Apple will announce new 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch models. The 10.5-inch model may not ship until May, while the other sizes are said to ship in March.
• If the report is accurate, it could mean has Apple plans to refresh the iPad mini 4 with a new 7.9-inch iPad Pro version, update its existing 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, and introduce an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is has been rumored to feature an edge-to-edge display without a Home button.

• Apple’s enormous new spaceship campus finally has an official name: Apple Park.
• First conceived in 2011 by Steve Jobs, Apple Park has been under construction since 2013 and is rumored to have cost Apple upwards of $5 billion.
• The 175-acre plot will open for business in April, although work won’t officially be completed until late summer.
• campus’ 1,000-seat auditorium will be named the Steve Jobs Theater as a tribute to the company’s co-founder.
• “Opening later this year, the entrance to the 1,000-seat auditorium is a 20-foot-tall glass cylinder, 165 feet in diameter, supporting a metallic carbon-fiber roof,” Apple said in a press release.
• “The Steve Jobs Theater is situated atop a hill — one of the highest points within Apple Park — overlooking meadows and the main building” 
• The campus will house around 12,000 Apple employees,
• And includes a new $75 million gym.

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Apple Vowed to Revolutionize Television. An Inside Look at Why It Hasn’t

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-16/apple-vowed-to-revolutionize-television-an-inside-look-at-why-it-hasn-t

• The new Apple TV will be capable of streaming 4K content and more vivid colors.

 

AAPL shares close at new all-time high

http://www.cultofmac.com/467231/aapl-shares-close-new-time-high/

• Thanks to an improved rating from Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, Apple shares have been on the rise this week. Today shares were trading above the previous intra-day record high of $134.54 set on April 28, 2015.
• IPO December 12, 1980 at $22 a share.
• 100 shares would have cost you $2200
• Since the IPO, the stock has split four times, including three 2-for-1 splits and one 7-for-1 split
• Your 100 shares would have multiples to  5600 shares.
• You initial $2200 investment would now be worth 759,136.
• By comparison, a $2,200 investment in the S&P 500 in the same time would have netted you about $79,000
• If you had invested 10k, you’d now how have $3,446,477.44

 

Smaller iPhone set to get big battery upgrade in 2017

http://www.cultofmac.com/466699/smaller-iphones-set-to-get-big-battery-upgrade-in-2017/

• Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.

 

iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/15/2017-iphone-edge-to-edge-display-virtual-buttons/

• The 2017 iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch display OLED display panel with 5.15 inches of usable screen space according to new predictions shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo believes the iPhone 8 will use a, but that some space will be reserved for virtual buttons.
• The display will reportedly take up the entire front of the iPhone, eliminating the bezels.
• Kuo says the OLED iPhone will have measurements similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone.
• Apple expected to introduce a stacked logic board design to support bigger batteries, and will feature a battery capacity similar to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.
• Kuo expects the OLED iPhone to cost in excess of $1,000
• The OLED iPhone will be "the only bright spot" in the 2017 iPhone lineup, which may mean that the other phones will receive only minor improvements.
• Mac Otakara recently reported that the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models will retain an aluminum design like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with only internal changes

 

This week: 

• How to get significant discounts on Apple gadgets
• The INSANELY SPECIAL doorknobs at Apple’s Spaceship HQ
• The fat paychecks earned by Jony Ive’s industrial designers 
• iPhone 8 to come in a plus plus size
• Wireless charging is all but confirmed for all three iPhone 8 sizes
• Next iPhone could cost more than $1,000!
• How to get a massive discount on Final Cut and Logic Pro X
• We reveal our favorite new shows and movies in an all new, What We’re Into Yaaa’aaall 💪🏼

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

Students get a massive discount on Apple’s Pro Apps Bundle

• According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
• All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

Got suggestions or feedback for us?  Air your thoughts at TheCultCast.reddit.com.

• Apple launched the latest generation of its flagship product in September. Some critics saw the iPhone 7 series as not enough of an upgrade from the 6s line. Some, especially music lovers, initially hated the absence of a headphone jack.

This episode supported by 

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst.
• According to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a MacBook Pro refresh planned for later this year that will bring new Kaby Lake CPUs and up to 32GB of desktop-class RAM. It will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year,” Kuo says.
• Kuo doesn’t mention specific release dates for any of these machines, but he expects the MacBook with 32GB of RAM to arrive sometime during the second half of 2017 — at which point Apple could reduce the price of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar.