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Hulu reaches deal with CBS for upcoming streaming service

Hulu has struck a deal with CBS for its upcoming streaming service, reports The Wall Street Journal. The agreement includes live streaming and on-demand content from CBS Corp.'s various channels at a rumored rate of ~$3/month per subscriber.

Hulu Chief Executive Mike Hopkins announced the agreement at an investor conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, saying the live-streaming service will cost "under" $40 and include Hulu's current video-on-demand library that starts at $8/month.

Apple removes New York Times apps from Chinese App Store

Apple removed news apps created by The New York Times from the App Store in China late last month. The Times itself says that it spoke with the iPhone-maker, and it was told that the removal was in response to a request from Chinese authorities.

The Chinese government began blocking NYT websites in 2012, following a series of articles on the wealth amassed by the family of then-prime minister Wen Jiabao. This latest move limits access to one of its few remaining channels in the country.

Intel announces Kaby Lake processors for Macs and more

Intel on Tuesday officially announced its full 7th generation Intel Core processor line, known by many as Kaby Lake, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There are over 40 new performance-class processors in the family, which are based on Intel's 14nm+ process technology, that offer more speed, productivity and security than previous generations.

Report: new Apple Watch coming this fall with better battery, similar design

Apple plans to introduce a next-generation Apple Watch in the third quarter of this year, reports Economic Daily News. Citing market watchers, the Chinese outlet says the new wearable will feature better performance and longer battery life.

The Watch is expected to be manufactured by Quanta Computer, who was responsible for building the first and second-gen models, and their focus will be improving the battery. The hardware will not likely see much change, the report added.

Rumor: Apple seeding first iOS 10.3 beta on January 10 with new ‘Theatre’ mode

Apple is going to begin seeding iOS 10.3 betas next week, reports Sonny Dickson. The noted tipster tweeted out over the weekend that iOS 10.3 beta 1 is currently scheduled to be released to developers on January 10 with an all-new 'Theatre' mode.

Dickson doesn't go into detail on exactly what 'Theatre' mode is, but does say that it will feature a popcorn-shaped icon in Control Center. It's possible this is a stealth mode of sorts, with either a dimmed display or dark UI assets for less distraction.

Why Apple shouldn’t pass on the rumored Jet White iPhone 7

On Tuesday, Apple afficionados were treated to a new wave of white shell iPhone 7 mock-ups and purported leaks hitting the internet, advancing the notion that the Cupertino-based company could plan to release a white counterpart to their Jet Black coating some time around March 2017.

From an aesthetic standpoint, everyone is going to have their two cents on the necessity of it in the grand scheme of things. Simply by moving the discussion from the fashion sphere to the finance department though, the ambivalence in regard to whether or not this iPhone release is genuinely necessary quickly crumbles and clearly comes down on one side of the fence.

As we will learn in late January, Apple’s first quarter of the fiscal year 2017 is going to look after itself nicely, but in view of the Q2 figures and a long summer following, Jet White definitely needs to happen. Two key reasons must be paid attention to in order to understand the imperative of a Jet White iPhone for a healthier bottom line in the fiscal year of 2017.

Report offers insight into Apple’s internal Mac struggles

Following comments made by Tim Cook regarding the importance of the Mac, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today issued a far-reaching report that offers insight into Apple's internal struggle with its laptop and desktop lines.

In the scoop, Gurman says that employees he's interviewed feel like the Mac is getting far less attention these days. They also say it's lost clout with Jony Ive's design team, and lacks a clear direction from senior management.

Tim Cook: we have great desktops in our roadmap

Apple has "great desktops" in its roadmap, CEO Tim Cook said in a recent posting to an employee message board. TechCrunch has the transcript, where Cook fields a question regarding whether or not Mac desktops are still strategic for Apple.

The comments come after the company's MacBook Pro event this October, where iMacs and Minis were noticeably absent. It's been over 430 days since Apple updated the former, and nearly 800 days for the latter. The Mac Pro is 3+ years old.

Tim Cook explains why he met with President-elect Donald Trump

In a recent Q&A on Apple's internal info web service, Tim Cook explained to employees why he met with President-elect Donald Trump last week. Cook was one of many executives that participated in a high-profile roundtable with Trump to discuss a variety of tech-related issues.

The meeting inspired a lot of negative reactions from folks in and around Silicon Valley, who felt like it was hypocritical of the tech leaders to meet with Trump, given their public condemnations of his comments and actions. But Cook explains that open communication is important.

Apple gives employees t-shirt and credo print for the holidays

Apple this year is giving each of its retail employees a special edition t-shirt and credo printing gift for the holidays. MacRumors has photos of the presents, which show a gray t-shirt featuring a two-circle design made up of all of Apple's retail locations.

As for the credo, it's printed on what appears to be glossy, heavy paper and it even comes in a protective envelop. Apple introduced the 6-paragraph statement earlier this year, which starts off "we are here to enrich lives, to help dreamers become doers."

Apple will charge you $69 to replace a lost AirPod

Apple will charge you $69 to replace a lost or broken AirPod, according to the company's iPhone Service Pricing support page. The wireless earbuds went on sale online earlier this week, and will be available in Apple Stores starting Monday.

It doesn't look like Apple will be offering its extended AppleCare warranty on the AirPods, so it has laid out a simple pricing table for what repairs and replacements will cost. Battery service, for example is $49 in the 1-year warranty, $69 out.