Apple assembling iPhone 16 Pro in India will lead to lower prices

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iPhone 16 Pro rendered image
iPhone 16 Pro could carry the "Made in India" tag and a lower price tag.
Graphic: Rajesh

Apple will reportedly manufacture the iPhone 16 Pro within weeks of its global launch at its manufacturing facilities in India. This will give the company’s manufacturing efforts a major push in the country.

So far, the Cupertino giant has only manufactured non-Pro iPhones in India.

Update your Apple Watch and Apple TV with these bug fixes today

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Apple Watch and Apple TV
Apple Watch and Apple TV users have software patches to install.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple released watchOS 10.6.1 and tvOS 17.6.1 on Monday, a pair of “bug fix” patches for Apple Watch and Apple TV that offer no new features.

New versions of iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1 from two weeks ago went out at the same time, but don’t appear to be available for most models.

Now anyone can experience Apple Podcasts on the web

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Apple Podcasts on the web
Now even PC users can experience Apple Podcasts a lot like someone who uses the app for macOS.
Image: Apple

As an alternative to using the Apple Podcasts app, as of Monday anyone can browse, hear, sync and share Apple Podcasts in 170 countries on all major web browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

So now Apple Podcasts joins the likes of Podbay and Podurama in offering its own online player for anyone on any platform.

Buy Apple gear to donate to U.S. national parks

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U.S. National Parks
Apple makes it easy to support national parks this week.
Photo: Jude Allen (Shot on iPhone 14 Pro)

To celebrate the U.S. National Park Service hitting its 108th birthday, Apple will donate $10 for purchases made in its retail stores or online store this week to the National Park Foundation.

This has become an annual tradition for the iPhone-maker.

Bad Sisters trust no one in season 2 of Sharon Horgan’s dark comedy

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Bad Sisters season 2
The Garvey women of “Bad Sisters" -- from left, Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff and Eve Hewson -- return for season two November 13 on Apple TV+. They look determined and unified.
Photo: Apple TV+

To the delight of their many fans like me, the Garvey women of Ireland will return soon in Bad Sisters season two, Apple TV+ said Monday. The streamer offered a “first look” photograph along with scant plot details. The darkly comedic drama’s creator and star, Sharon Horgan, returns with her close-knit fictional siblings on November 13.

But with one abusive husband down in season one of Bad Sisters, what new nemesis will emerge in the sophomore season? From the sound of it, two years after they took care of that problem in white-knuckle fashion, it could be them against everybody. Because they’re not in the clear yet.

Why Apple should kill the Ultra Wide iPhone camera

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Why Apple should kill the Ultra Wide iPhone camera
The iPhone Ultra Wide iPhone camera should just go.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The dual-camera system in the two basic iPhone models is an unnecessary complication. The iPhone’s secondary Ultra Wide camera simply doesn’t get used enough to justify building it into a handset.

Apple should focus entirely on the primary camera — the only one most people ever use. The iPhone’s Ultra Wide camera just adds unnecessary bulk and expense.

Apple Sports app suits up for pro and college football

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Apple Sports app adds pro and college football
NFL and college football score and stats are now at your fingertips.
Photo: Apple

As the seasonal ads on TVs everywhere ask, are you ready for some football? The Apple Sports app certainly is, having launched full support Monday for real-time scores and stats for the onrushing NFL and college football seasons. They kick off with pro preseason play now underway and the first college games starting August 24.

Would you dare try this radically split keyboard? [Setups]

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split keyboard setup
Just imagine typing on that split keyboard.
Photo: [email protected]

Classic keyboard designs continue to reign supreme in computer setups, but a split keyboard makes for a more ergonomically healthy choice. Some split keebs look just a little different than a regular keyboard. But some, like the one in today’s M2 Mac mini setup, look almost alien. This one has two completely separate halves that the user places on either side of a Magic Trackpad 2.

Today in Apple history: Apple frenemy Google goes public

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Google Apple
Relations between Apple and Google started strong, but quickly deteriorated.
Photo: Apple/Google logos

August 19: Today in Apple history: With Google IPO, an Apple frenemy goes public August 19, 2004: Google floats its initial public offering on the stock market. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin turn into instant billionaires as the Google IPO cements the company’s status as a tech giant.

Relations between Google and Apple are good at the time, with Steve Jobs serving as a mentor to the search company’s two young founders. Google’s Eric Schmidt soon will join Apple’s board of directors. However, the peace won’t last long.

New Apple Card users get up to $300 bonus Daily Cash

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Apple Card Family extends credit card access to teens
Sign up for Apple Card and get up to $300 Bonus Daily Cash.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest promo will get new Apple Card users up to $300 in bonus Daily Cash. The company never before gave new Apple Card users such a high welcome bonus.

Apple is running this offer for select U.S. customers. To be eligible for the cashback, you must sign up for the card through the promo link.

Today in Apple history: iJustine’s 300-page iPhone bill shocks the internet

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iJustine's reaction to her massive 300-page iPhone bill fueled one of the first iPhone
iJustine's reaction to her massive 300-page iPhone bill fueled one of the first iPhone "scandals."
Photo: iJustine

Aug 18: Today in Apple history: Apple's Christmas-themed 'Misunderstood' iPhone ad wins Emmy August 18, 2007: A video goes viral on YouTube when 23-year-old internet personality Justine Ezarik, aka iJustine, posts a 300-page iPhone bill mailed to her in a box by AT&T.

The bill — which lists every single action that consumed cellular data on Ezarik’s brand-new iPhone — is quickly viewed by 3 million people and receives extensive media coverage. (You can watch it below.)

Thrashing through a wild week of Apple rumors! [The CultCast]

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Discussing Apple rumors, including an iPad on a robot arm, on The CultCast episode 660.
Who wants an iPad on a stick?!?
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Who cranked up production in the Apple rumor mill? We talk through the latest ones on this week’s show, and some of them sound pretty wild. Fresh details about the iPhone 16 Pro’s new camera button make it sound very cool. A rumored bigger iMac sounds very exciting. And an Apple skunkworks project — a $1,000-plus device that puts an iPad on a rotating robotic arm — sounds absolutely bizarre.

Also on The CultCast:

  • What’s new in the latest iOS 18 beta.
  • What to expect from upcoming iPads.
  • Apple gets greedy with Patreon, and creators aren’t happy.
  • And Erfon gives us a surprising update on his inexplicably water-damaged iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The Instigators arrives as the most popular film on streaming

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The Instigators trailer on Apple TV+
"The Instigators" pulls in a big audience its first week on streaming.
Photo: Apple TV+

A new buddy action comedy starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck is more popular than any film on streaming, according to a rating analysis firm. And The Instigators is more popular than any streaming series, too.

Meanwhile, three Apple TV+ series pull in plenty of viewers too, including the newly launched Bad Monkey.

Get this good gaming monitor cheap, now just $89.99

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Don't sleep on this gaming monitor deal, now just $89.99
Don't sleep on this gaming monitor deal, now just $89.99
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Yes, you can get a good gaming monitor cheap.  Some gaming monitors will set you back, but you can get this great Dell SE2417HGX 24-inch Gaming Monitor on sale for just $89.99.

This monitor has a ton of great features: A high-res, anti-glare screen with a high refresh rate, anti-flicker technology and a matte finish. Why so cheap? It’s open box.

Find the right color every time with this tiny sensor for iPhone

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Get the right color every time with this color-matching tool for iPhone. Works with a free paint-matching app.
Upgrade your art or remodeling game with the Nix Mini 2 color sensor.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Nix Mini 2 color-matching tool gives artists, designers, contractors and remodelers a quick and easy way to match any hue exactly. The tiny color sensor connects to an iPhone and reveals the precise shade of real-world objects. It even works with a special paint-matching app that can hook you up with products from major vendors.

It’s a powerful tool for matching paint or discovering the exact digital representation of a color. And for a limited time, you can snag one for less than $50 if you act quickly.

Concept artist says Apple’s lawyers are playing nice … so far

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Folding iPhone mockup by Antonio De Rosa
Designer Antonio De Rosa's concept for a folding iPhone Air may have attracted the ire of Apple's IP lawyers.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio

After receiving an ominous note from an Apple attorney, concept artist Antonio De Rosa is waiting to find out how, exactly, the company wants him to alter his photorealistic images that depict unreleased Apple products.

De Rosa said he wants to work with Apple to resolve the situation. But when asked what he thinks will happen if he doesn’t make changes to his Apple concept images, he sounded slightly intimidated by the powerful tech company.

“I don’t know,” De Rosa said in an email to Cult of Mac, “but honestly I don’t want to find out.”

The multiverse journey continues in Dark Matter season 2

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Dark Matter on Apple TV+
Get ready for more adventures in the Box.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ committed on Friday to Dark Matter season two so fans of the popular sci-fi series won’t be left wondering what will happen with Ryan and Amanda.

The show now heads into uncharted territory — season one followed the events of a bestselling novel, but there’s no sequel for the book.

Get AirTags for less than $20 each with this 4-pack deal

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Grab AirTag at its lowest price yet with these Black Friday AirTag deals
Don't lose your chance to get an AirTag back at the best price we've seen it.
Photo: Kehn Hermano/Pexels

A sale on a four-pack of AirTags brings the Apple tracker close to its lowest price ever. Each AirTag costs less than $20 after a 19% discount from Amazon or Best Buy. If you’d prefer a single tracker, you can get a solo AirTag for up to 14% off the usual price.

AirTags are a great way to keep you from leaving important items behind, or to help you find them if you misplace them.

Classic Harmon Kardon SoundSticks rock MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

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Harmon Kardon Soundsticks
Even after years, Harmon Kardon Soundsticks still look like no other speakers.
Photo: [email protected]

When we first saw a Harmon Karmon SoundSticks speaker system many years ago, we thought it looked weird, cool and futuristic. And all these years later, it still looks like nothing else on the market. The company is justifiably proud of the “inspiring industrial design,” and the Apple administrator who runs today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup is happy to have the speaker system filling his room with sound.

Today in Apple history: PowerBook 165 becomes Apple’s most affordable laptop

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PowerBook 165 was Apple's most affordable laptop.
A less-remembered PowerBook, but an important one.
Photo: Miguel Durán/Wikipedia CC

August 16: Today in Apple history: PowerBook 165 becomes Apple's most affordable laptop August 16, 1993: Apple ships the PowerBook 165, a lower-cost, grayscale version of the PowerBook 165c, which was the company’s first laptop to offer a color display.

The new model lacks the most attention-grabbing feature of the 165c, but it also brings its own claim to fame. The PowerBook 165 is Apple’s most affordable laptop yet.

Feast your eyes on iPhone 16 Pro in bronze titanium

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Bronze iPhone
A bronze iPhone could look something like this.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Among the casing color options for the two iPhone 16 Pro models will supposedly be bronze titanium. The first image apparently showing this colorway leaked Friday.

The picture reveals the other three upcoming color options, too.

Designer’s Apple product concepts may look a little ‘too real’ [Updated]

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Antonio De Rosa ADR iPhone Air concept
Here's a recent De Rosa concept for a folding iPhone Air.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio

From the “he must be doing something right” department: An Apple attorney sent a note and called designer Antonio De Rosa this week, asking him to adjust some of his design concepts for possible new Apple products because they look “too real,” according to De Rosa, CEO of ADR Studio.

“I received a call from an Apple attorney asking me to adjust some of my concepts because they were considered too realistic,” De Rosa wrote Wednesday on X. He told Cult of Mac it came as quite a shock.

Update: De Rosa responded to Cult of Mac‘s initial inquiries and we included them below.