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Apple Pencil 2 requires a $1,000 charger

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An iPad Pro case can prevent your Apple Pencil from charging.
Be sure to store the Apple Pencil on the side of the iPad Pro.
Photo: Apple

The second-generation Apple Pencil has to recharge from a 2018 iPad Pro. No other method is possible. This meands people will have to depend on magnets securely holding this $129 stylus to the side of their tablet because there isn’t any other option.

People criticized the original Pencil’s method of recharging, but it turns out its replacement isn’t perfect either.

AirPods are still selling like crazy

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AirPods wall display is on show in New York.
Best Buy sold more AirPods last month than any other product.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Sales of AirPods don’t seem to be slowing, even though they’ve been on the market for years. And the controversial iPhone headphone adapter still sells very well, too.

These are just a couple of the  Apple-related products that are top sellers at retailer Best Buy.

First iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini preorders are arriving

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2018 iPad Pro unboxing
Have you got yours yet?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

It’s wet and miserable outside here in the United Kingdom, but for Apple fans who have preordered one of the company’s brand new devices, it’s going to be a wonderful day.

The first iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini preorders have started reaching customers around the world. Those in Australia and New Zealand were the first to get their hands on them, but as the sun rose in other countries, more and more packages arrived.

Do you have yours yet?

Fitbit finally becomes serious Apple Watch competitor

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Fitbit Versa
The Versa helped Fitbit's smartwatch shipments grow 348 percent.
Photo: Fitbit

Fitbit smartwatch shipments more than tripled last quarter. That pushed this company up to where it can actually begin to rival Apple Watch.

Apple still enjoys a commanding lead, but Fitbit managed to take a chunk out of its rival’s global market share.

Earn discounts off Apple products with Chase credit card rewards

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iPhone XS Max
You could get a discount on your next iPhone with credit card rewards points.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Chase credit card holders can now redeem reward points to cover some or all the cost of Apple products.

Spending money to save money — which is how credit card rewards programs work — isn’t always the best way to pay for expensive gadgets. Still, those who are already Chase card members shouldn’t waste their points.

The first folding smartphone is already here

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smartphone
Royale's new FlexPai folding tablet.
Photo: Royale

The future’s promise to give us folding smartphone-tablet hybrids like the ones found on Westworld has already arrived.

Apple fans will have to wait until 2020 at the earliest for a folding iPhone, but an Android manufacturer called Royole just debuted its folding smartphone and while it doesn’t look that incredible, it’s an amazing sign that the sci-fi tech might finally be ready for mass-market devices.

Take a look:

iPhone XS Max giveaway and Casetify Impact drop test!

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iPhone XS Max Drop Test
Drops like this aren't a worry with the Casetify Impact case.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iPhone XS and XS Max are relatively tough phones. But even with the “world’s strongest glass,” these pricey iPhones remain subject to smashing. Casetify’s new Impact cases for iPhone XS and XS Max can help. These slim, military-grade cases can protecting the iPhones from drops of up to 6.6 feet.

In today’s video, we’re putting them to the test in some real-world scenarios. And, thanks to Casetify, we’re also giving you the chance to win a brand new 64GB iPhone XS Max in gold. Check out the video below to see the cases in action (and find out how to enter to win an iPhone XS Max).

When to expect big price drops on new iPad models

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Expect iPad sales to start soon
How to save on the 12.9- and 11-inch iPad Pro, and the 9.7-inch iPad too.
Photo: Apple

The 2018 iPad Pro is a huge improvement over its predecessors. It also costs a heap of money. But there is a sneaky way to save a bit.

Or consider the the 9.7-inch iPad unveiled last spring. It already has a low price, which doesn’t mean its not about to go on sale for even less.

If you’re interested in snagging any 2018 Apple tablet, read on to see when we expect the biggest iPad discounts to show up.

Foxconn denies US plant will be staffed with Chinese engineers

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn is moving to the U.S.
Photo: Foxconn

Apple’s top manufacturing partner Foxconn is denying a recent report from the Wall Street Journal that the company is looking to staff its new Wisconsin plant with employees from China.

Foxconn allegedly plans to bring engineers to fill a gap in prospective talent due to a tight labor market, the Journal claims. The plant has already been scaled back in size. Adding Chinese laborers instead of creating American jobs would certainly cause even more controversy.

Shark Tank investor bites into Apple over lack of transparency

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Kevin O'Leary
It will take a lot for "Mr. Wonderful" to buy Apple stock again.
Screen shot: CNBC

Entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary said it “took seconds” to sell off his Apple stock after hearing company executives announce the tech company would no longer disclose units sold.

The self-named “Mr. Wonderful” said he was listening in on Apple’s Q4 earnings call on Nov. 1 and was shocked as CEO Tim Cook described unit sales like a shopping cart. The items in the cart aren’t as important as the total bill of sale, Cook said.

iPad Pro cases make charging new Apple Pencil a pain

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An iPad Pro case can prevent your Apple Pencil from charging.
They won't last long at this price!
Photo: Apple

The redesigned Apple Pencil magnetically clips to the side of the 2018 iPad Pro, and even wireless charges when its held there. This is a feature many people have been hoping for, but it comes with a significant drawback. This new pressure-sensitive stylus won’t be able to charge through some protective cases.

Case-maker Speck has confirmed that its first offering for the latest iPad will interfere with charging the Pencil, and says many of its rivals will as well.

Fortnite 6.22 adds Heavy AR and Team Terror LTM

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Fortnite Heavy AR
Get your hands on Fortnite's new Heavy AR today.
Photo: Epic Games

Fortnite’s weekly update has arrived with the long-awaited Heavy Assault Rifle. It deals more damage that any other AR but has a smaller magazine size so you’ll have to keep an eye on your ammo.

The version 6.22 patch also brings the Team Terror and Blitz limited-time game modes and a number of tweaks and improvements.

Apple Watch gets 7 new complications in watchOS 5.1.1

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Apple Watch Series 4 Infogram Watch Face
Don't get too excited just yet!
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple rolled out a watchOS 5.1.1 update this week to address an issue that caused some Series 4 devices to enter a boot loop when upgrading to watchOS 5.1. And that’s not all the update delivered; there are also seven new complications to enjoy.

But there is a catch that a lot of Apple Watch owners won’t be happy with.

Not so fast: Maybe new AirPods are coming soon!

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AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
We're dying for updated AirPods.
Photo: Ste Smith/CultofMac

There’s still a slight chance Apple could release updated AirPods before the end of the 2018 holiday season.

A newly granted Bluetooth SIG certification indicates that new wireless earpods are in the pipeline. Tim Cook recently bragged that Apple has the best product lineup ever going into the holidays, but there may not be enough time to add AirPods 2.0 to the roster.

olloclip’s new Pro lenses make iPhone cameras even better

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olloclip lenses
Going wide with the new Super-Wide Pro lens from olloclip.
Photo: olloclip

olloclip, one of the best brands in smartphone lens attachments, today rolled out a new line of Pro and intro lenses that will expand the view of the iPhone’s native camera.

The new lenses, which include super-wide and telephoto pro lenses, are part of olloclip’s expanding Connect X line, a mount-lens system developed for the iPhone X.

Here’s what the 2018 iPad Pro still can’t do [Opinion]

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If you buy the 64GB iPad Pro, you're getting ripped off.
The iPad Pro could be even better than a Mac — with just a few fixes.
Photo: Apple

The new iPad Pro is amazing. It’s lighter, faster, better looking, and all-around cooler than its dorky older brother. While the old 12.9-inch iPad Pro is ironing faux leather patches onto the elbows of its corduroy jacket, the new one is ripping holes into the knees of its vintage jeans.

But there are still some things that the 2018 iPad Pro can’t do. And these shortcomings aren’t down to hardware. They’re all down to software, and the limitations still built in to iOS 12. Let’s take a look.

watchOS 5.1.1 is out with crucial fix for Apple Watch

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Man’s brand new Apple Watch turns out to be toilet plunger
A new fix is out for Apple Watch.
Photo: Ste Smith/CultofMac

Apple Watch owners can finally take advantage of the 70 new emoji Apple already added to iPhone, iPad and Mac last week.

After pulling watchOS 5.1 last week because it bricked some watches, Apple has come out with a new watchOS 5.1.1 update that contains all of the goodies from watchOS 5.1, plus a crucial fix for the bug that made some watches inoperable.

Grab Apple’s artsy 2018 iPad Pro wallpapers

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The 2018 iPad Pro wallperars are paintings, not the usual photos.
The 2018 iPad Pro wallperars are paintings, not the usual photos.
Photo: Apple

With every new Apple device comes a fresh collection of wallpapers. The recently-announced iPad Pro models are no exception. And you don’t have to buy a new tablet to get these images for your device because they’ve been posted online.

Some of them look a bit like spin art — paintings created by dripping paint onto a rapidly spinning surface.

Fortnite is getting real NFL jerseys and new emotes

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Fortnite-NFL
Represent your favorite team on the battlefield.
Photo: Epic Games

Football fans will soon be able to fight for victory wearing their favorite NFL jersey in Fortnite Battle Royale. Starting Friday, November 9, you’ll be able to purchase team outfits from the in-game item shop and add your own squad number.

Epic Games is also adding new gliders, emotes, and pickaxes with an NFL theme. Take a sneak peek at what’s coming in the teaser trailer below.

iPhone XS cellular is twice as fast as iPhone XR

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
iPhone XS and XS Max offer much faster downloads than iPhoen XR.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR costs 25 percent less than the iPhone XS, but in many ways is just as good. However, there’s a notable exception: The pricier model offers a cellular data connection that’s nearly twice as fast.

That’s not too surprising. The additional cost of the iPhone XS series buys better networking equipment.

iPhone XR production could be slowing amidst weak demand

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iPhone XR battery life is the best of any iPhone on the market.
iPhone XR might not be selling as well as Apple hoped.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

The three Asian companies that assemble the iPhone XR have reportedly reduced production. Apple is ordering fewer units because sales of this smartphone haven’t lived up to expectations.

However, the source for this information isn’t the most reliable.