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Review: Dough Spectrum One with edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass – is it a true Studio Display competitor? [Video]

I first learned about the newest version of the Dough Spectrum One from an email sent to me by the company’s CEO, Konstantinos Karatsevidis. The email contained the subject line: Is This the Studio Display Killer for Gamers and Mac Users Alike?

I was intrigued and took the company up on the offer. A few weeks later, the newest Dough Spectrum One and its corresponding stand arrived in my mailbox, but not before being ravenously opened and inspected by customs agents. So, while my unboxing experience was less than ideal, thankfully, the Gorilla Glass-covered display arrived without a scratch.

But is this, as Dough conjectures, a Studio Display killer, or is it altogether something else? Watch the hands-on video walkthrough, and subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.

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How-To: Drive a 4K display at 60 Hz with the 2016 MacBook

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4K 60Hz MacBook

The 2016 MacBook is capable of driving a 4K display at 60 Hz via a single USB-C cable. Such a feat is achievable via an easy-to-apply IOKit patch.

One of the great things about the new Intel hardware inside of the 2016 MacBook is that it’s capable of supporting 4K resolution at 60 Hz. The jump in refresh is a big deal, as anyone who’s tried to put up with running a 30 Hz refresh rate can attest to.

Operating at 30 Hz results in jerky and choppy cursor movement, and in some cases can induce headaches after prolonged use.

Sadly, the MacBook only supports 30 Hz out of the box for 4K resolution. It’s not immediately clear as to why this is, but on its support page, Apple makes it known that 4K resolution is limited to 30 Hz.

The good news is that it is possible to enable 60 Hz at native 4K resolution and 1080p (HiDPI/Retina) resolution on a 2016 MacBook. In fact, I just did so on the LG 27UD88 4K USB-C monitor that I recently reviewed. Watch the step-by-step process in our video tutorial for the details.
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Opinion: MacBook Pro owners, it’s time to consider a 4K display

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If you own a MacBook Pro with Retina Display and desire extra screen real estate, then a 4K monitor can be a good investment, especially as the price of such monitors continue to dwindle.

Why should you consider a 4K display instead of a cheaper monitor with lesser resolution? It all boils down to clarity.
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iPhone 6s vs iPhone SE iSight quick camera comparison

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iPhone SE vs 6s 4k

In theory, photos taken with an iPhone SE or an iPhone 6s should generally look the same, but we wanted to briefly pit both devices head-to-head just to make sure. Both phones sport the exact same iSight camera specs, although the iPhone 6s does have a camera bump where the iPhone SE does not. In this post we showcase several photos and a couple of videos from both the iPhone 6s and the iPhone SE.
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This week’s top stories: Apple’s Mar. 21 event, new iPhone SE & 9.7-inch iPad Pro details, iOS 9.3 beta 7, more

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With Apple’s iPhone SE press event scheduled for this upcoming Monday, March 21st, it’s no surprise that our reports surrounding what to expect at the event make up most of our top stories this week.

We detailed new info about the much anticipated 4-inch iPhone SE’s design and camera specs, pricing for a 9.7-inch iPad Pro to be unveiled at the event, and also gave you the rundown on the new Apple Watch models that Apple is planning to show off.


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Opinion: With iPhones offering 4K video recording, it’s crunch time for Apple’s storage tiers

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It was estimated last year that Apple takes home a stunning 94% of all profits made by all players across the entire smartphone industry. Its gross margin across all products hovers around the 40% mark. Apple knows how to make money from its products.

One way it does this is to sell its iPhones with a base level of flash storage that is just barely usable, and charge a hefty markup for higher storage tiers. Sure, you can buy a shiny new iPhone 6s for $649, but that gets you a measly 16GB. It’ll cost you another hundred bucks to get a more reasonable 64GB and another $100 again if you want to max out at 128GB.

I’ve touched on this topic before as part of a more general piece about whether Apple was getting a little too greedy, but it seems to me that when the company is supplying iPhones with 4K camcorders built into them, this is the point at which a 16GB tier becomes completely indefensible …


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Vimeo for iOS gains picture-in-picture video playback, new discovery features, more

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Vimeo is out with a new version of its iOS app today that adds support for iOS 9 features, improves content discovery, makes video sharing faster, and more. iPad users will be happy to learn that Vimeo now supports iOS 9’s picture-in-picture feature for video playback when using other apps. The video service has also tuned up video discovery features and recommendations in the latest version of their iOS app.


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How-To: Take better videos with your iPhone using FiLMiC Pro [Video]

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FiLMiC Hero

The stock Camera app found in iOS is decent enough. It’s great for the casual shooting of photos and videos, and more importantly, it’s easy to use and almost always works.

But just like there are dedicated photo apps for improving the quality of your photography, the same thing is true for videographers. If you’re looking to improve your iPhone or iPad videography skills, then look no further than FiLMiC Pro, a $9.99 universal app.

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Apple TV Brawl results: Apple solidly wins the 4K debate for now – and here’s why

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Yesterday, we gave you the chance to speak your mind on Apple’s choice to omit 4K video support from the latest Apple TV — did Apple blow it, or does 4K support not yet matter?

After over 6,500 votes, and more than 125 comments, we have a clear answer: roughly 2/3 of readers said Apple made the right call leaving 4K support out of the Apple TV, as they didn’t care (yet) about the feature. That’s a decisive majority. But a solid 35% of readers opined — often strongly — that neglecting 4K support had cost Apple their business, given that 4K Ultra HD TVs are becoming affordable and more popular.

I hoped we’d see some intelligent discussion, and was thrilled that so many comments actually delivered, including insights on why Apple’s approach was practical — for now. Here are some of the best comments readers posted on each side of the debate…


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Reader Brawl: Did Apple blow Apple TV 4 by leaving out 4K Ultra HD?

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Every time we post an Apple TV-related opinion piece, the comments show that some people are still really upset that Apple left 4K Ultra HD support out of the fourth-generation model when new Roku and Amazon boxes included it. It seems like merely mentioning the new Apple TV is enough to start fights, which commenters have spread from article to article without resolution. So we wanted to give everyone with opinions (strong or otherwise) a place to share their thoughts on this subject — hopefully to spark an intelligent, well-reasoned discussion.

Does 4K support matter at this point, given how many/few 4K TV sets are in use today? It’s been suggested by some that it really should have been included in the new Apple TV, given that 4K video recording was a major new feature for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. But there are also a few reasons 4K support might have made the set top box impractical to release this year…


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“One port to do it all” – the new integrated USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port makes it into the first laptop

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Apple’s decision to equip the 12-inch MacBook with just a single port was a controversial one, but the USB-C port Apple chose just got a whole lot more powerful. Intel announced back in June that it was integrating USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 to create “one compact port that does it all” – and that port just hit the market in the form of the revamped Dell XPS range.

That means that a single port combines superspeed USB, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, PCI Express and power. The DisplayPort channel can simultaneously handle two 4K monitors.

Dell has opted to include two of the new ports, and this is an approach I think we can expect Apple to take with the new MacBook Air models (whatever they are actually called) and, in time, the MacBook Pro … 
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Opinion: Is the iPad Pro really ready for 4K video editing?

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Even though the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus support 4K video recording, the 4K format is still gathering steam. TVs with 4K Ultra HD only became affordable in the past year (with major holiday discounts), but the lack of 4K content — and devices to even play 4K videos — have been sticking points. Apple’s just-released fourth-generation Apple TV doesn’t support 4K, and the only Apple devices that can play back 4K videos at full resolution without a separate 4K monitor are the 21″ Retina 4K iMac and 27″ Retina 5K iMac.

Even though they can’t actually display 4K videos, either through their own screens or accessories, Apple has enabled certain iOS devices to edit in 4K using the latest version of iMovie. So armed with an iPhone 6s Plus and two accessories, I decided to see whether the brand new iPad Pro was actually up to the task of editing and sharing 4K videos. The results were surprising, so if you’re wondering how 4K video editing actually works with Apple’s “Pro” tablet, read on…


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PSA: While Apple limits the new 27-inch iMac RAM to 32GB, you can double it to 64GB

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With most Macs these days, soldered memory chips mean that whatever RAM you want, you have to buy it from Apple when you order the machine. But the new 27-inch iMac still uses plug-in RAM, so you’re free to add your own RAM after purchase. And while Apple limits you to a maximum of 32GB, OWC (just like in years past) has just announced that it will shortly offer upgrade kits for 48GB and 64GB RAM … 
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Alongside new 4K iMac, Apple updating iMovie on Mac to support 4K video

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With the iPhone 6s/Plus offering the ability to shoot 4K video, and the new 4K 21.5-inch iMac out today, Apple is bringing iMovie for Mac up-to-date with support for 4K footage.

With the latest update to iMovie, support for 4K editing lets you make and share movies that are sharper and more beautiful than ever. iMovie also supports 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second for smoother, more true-to-life action. And now you can begin editing on your iPhone or iPad, then finish editing on your Mac to take advantage of powerful features including color correction, green-screen effects, and animated maps …


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Apple planning to launch new 4K 21.5-inch iMac next week, iPad Pro in early November

With September’s iPhone release in the rearview and the iPad Pro set for an early November launch, Apple is ready to add some new Mac hardware into its fall product line. Apple is currently planning to announce new 21.5-inch iMacs with 4K screens next week, according to multiple reliable sources. While the new computers are likely ready to begin showing up in stores as soon as Tuesday, October 13th, Apple will ramp up larger quantities for November, according to the sources, so finding one early on may be a slight challenge.


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iPhone 6s camera compared to every previous generation iPhone (Gallery)

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There has been a lot of opinions floating around about the new iPhone 6s camera, its upgraded 12 megapixel sensor, 4K video capability, and the other software side improvements with iOS 9. Our own photographer Ben Lovejoy put the device to the test in his ongoing diary series. But this latest photo gallery from the people behind the Camera+ app gives us a look at how the camera has improved not just over last generation, but also over all other previous generations of iPhones in a side by side comparison.
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