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This alligator skin iPhone X will destroy your bank account

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Hadoro iPhone
3D carbon fiber, aligator skin and gold were used in Hadoro's iPhones.
Photo: Hadoro

The French luxury designer brand Hadoro has just taken the crown for the most expensive iPhone X ever created.

We’ve seen gold iPhones that pay tribute to Putin and Harry and Meghan. We’ve even seen an iPhone X with solar panels in the back. All of those were ridiculously expensive. But none of them compare to Hadoro’s lineup of 20 custom designed iPhones that cost between $5200 – $10,399.

Take a look at the two most expensive models:

Eccentric CEO bashes Apple to shill smartphones

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Chinese smartphone CEO who made his name dissing Apple declared a 'deadbeat'
Chinese smartphone CEO who made his name dissing Apple declared a 'deadbeat'
Photo: Handout/The South China Morning Post

Entrepreneur Luo Yonghao has a smartphone company in China that is losing money and has yet to capture even 1 percent of the market share.

So the CEO of Smartisan is making a lot of noise — including firing potshots at Apple — to raise his brand’s profile.

Apple may owe you $50 for iPhone battery replacement

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These are the 4 main parts you need.
You may be eligible for a $50 Apple credit.
Photo: Strange Parts

iPhone customers who paid for an out-of-warranty battery replacement last year are getting hooked up with a refund from Apple.

The company revealed today that it will start offering a $50 credit to all customers who purchased a battery replacement for the iPhone 6 and later.

iPhone 7 Plus tops customer satisfaction survey

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iPhone 7 Plus lineup
The iPhone X didn't get the best score on the latest ACSI survey, it was the iPhone 7 Plus instead.
Image: Apple

The iPhone X is the world’s best-selling smartphone, but it’s an older Apple model that scored highest on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

The iPhone 7 Plus beat out all of the newer iOS models, and solidly outscored the iPhone X. Naturally, it also trounced every Android device.

Facebook can help you find the perfect plumber

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Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace has a useful new feature.
Photo: Facebook

Whether you’re looking to hire a cleaner or a plumber, Mark Zuckerberg is your hookup! No, Facebook’s CEO isn’t moonlighting as a tradesperson, but his Facebook Marketplace service is branching out in a potentially handy new direction.

From today, users in the U.S. can use Marketplace to find the right professional for the job, starting with home services. Facebook has partnered with Handy, HomeAdvisor, and Porch for the new feature, which offers thousands of available professionals right now.

WhatsApp bug lets blocked contacts send messages

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Facebook messaging apps
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

A new WhatsApp bug allows blocked contacts to continue sending messages, view online status, and see profile pictures. The problem appears to be on the server side, but WhatsApp is yet to confirm a fix or even acknowledge its existence.

WWDC livestream will support Chrome and Firefox this year

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At WWDC 2018, Apple will show us the future of iOS and its other platforms.
You're no longer limited to Safari or *shudder* Microsoft Edge.
Photo: Apple

There’s something a bit different about this year’s WWDC livestream. As always, you’ll be able to watch it using Apple’s Safari browser, the WWDC app or Apple TV. However, for the first time Apple is also supporting Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

In previous years, neither has been available to users, meaning that viewers were limited to either one of Apple’s proprietary options or, if they were using a Windows 10 PC, Microsoft Edge.

Apple promises APFS support for Fusion Drives soon

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APFS
Maybe look for it at WWDC.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will share news regarding APFS for Mac Fusion Drives “very soon,” claims Apple’s software engineering VP, Craig Federighi.

Short for Apple File System, APFS was introduced with the arrival of macOS High Sierra. It’s optimized for modern Apple devices that increasingly rely on flash storage, but Apple’s Mac Fusion Drives — which combine regular hard disks with a small amount of flash storage — weren’t supported beyond the first few beta versions.

Windows 10 code suggests Microsoft isn’t done battling iPhone

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Windows 10 Mobile
Windows phones could be about to make a comeback.
Photo: Microsoft

New code discovered in Windows 10 suggests Microsoft isn’t ready to give up its fight against the iPhone just yet.

Microsoft’s mobile platform as we know it is all but dead, but it looks like the company is hard at work on yet another operating system that could power its long-awaited Surface Phone.

Here’s what Foxconn will manufacture at new Wisconsin facility

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Foxconn's U.S. facility will open in 2020.
Photo: CBS

The percentage of each iPhone made in the U.S. may increase, claims a new report, suggesting that manufacturer Foxconn’s proposed Wisconsin factory will be used for producing small and medium-sized LCD — and possibly eventually OLED — smartphone displays.

That’s a change in strategy from the original plan, which reportedly focused on large-sized displays for televisions and monitors. Foxconn allegedly made the decision due to cost considerations.

Apple now lets you download a copy of all the data it has on you

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Apple data privacy
Apple’s Data and Privacy website launched last year
Photo: Apple

Apple is now giving users the opportunity to download a copy of all the data the company has collected from them. This includes App Store and iTunes activity, Apple ID account and device information, online and retail store activity, AppleCare support history, and more.

The tool is part of Apple’s new Data and Privacy website, which also allows users to correct any information Apple holds about them, and deactivate their account completely.

Disgruntled users are suing Apple over its ‘defective’ MacBook keyboard

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
The butterfly switch made MacBook keyboards thinner. It also reportedly broke them.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s MacBook butterfly switch keyboards are landing its makers in court, thanks to a new class action lawsuit which was filed in California court this Tuesday.

The class action suit alleges that Apple is selling a product that is known to be defective. In particular, it claims that the keyboard stops working as it should when dust and other particles begin to build up under the keys. As a result, customers can be made to pay out hundreds of dollars in repairs in cases where the laptop is no longer under Apple warranty.

FBI admits it has far fewer unlockable iPhones than claimed

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FBI director says Feds still can't unlock iPhone in Pensacola shooting case
The FBI's argument why it needs an iPhone 'backdoor' just got a lot weaker.
Photo: Dave Newman/Flickr CC

FBI director Christopher Wray has said multiple times that his agency has 7,775 locked phones involved in investigations that it can’t access. Now, the law enforcement agency admits the number is far smaller.

Previously, Wray argued that the large number of unlockable devices is why Apple needs to build a ‘backdoor’ into iOS for police.

Major 2018 iPhone component already in production

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Apple A12 replaces A11 Bionic
The A11 Bionic is a fine processor, but the Apple A12 is expected to be even better.
Photo: iFixit

The Apple A12 processor, the heart of the 2018 iPhone, is reportedly already being manufactured. It’s being produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has made Apple’s chips for years.

Even though the next iPhone isn’t expected until fall, TSMC isn’t getting a head start. It takes about three months to convert silicon into a microprocessor.

Gemini Photos saves your iPhone storage from unwanted photos

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Gemini Photo
Gemini Photos makes cleaning your library a breeze.
Photo: MacPaw

Ever take 50 photos just to get that one perfect shot? Snapping the perfect frame isn’t easy, but cleaning up the extra photos is even worse.

The folks at MacPaw have come out with a new app that makes deleting all your unwanted photos a breeze and even helps you find your best shots.

T-Mobile isn’t America’s ‘Best Unlimited Network’

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T-Mobile isn't America's Best Unlimited Network.
A regulatory arm of the Better Business Bureau told T-Mobile to stop claiming it's the ‘Best Unlimited Network.’
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile uses the self-bestowed accolade ‘Best Unlimited Network’ in its ads. But now an advertising regulatory body told the carrier to knock it off.

To be clear, this recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) isn’t binding. But it’s significant enough that T-Mobile is appealing the decision.

Recharge your Apple Watch with this bendy, on-the-go dock

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bobine
We rounded up our favorite stands and docks for Apple Watch Series 3 from some of the best brands on the market. Perfect for dads and future graduates!
Photo: Bobine

If you are an Apple Watch wearer then you already know that there’s about a million and a half individual accessories that you can buy for it. But why pay a lot to get a bunch of accessories when you can get Bobine Watch — a flexible, on-the-go Apple Watch dock.

You can charge Apple Watch within view on a nightstand, desk, or even while driving. Bobine Watch is a great gift for gadget-loving dads and upcoming grads, and is super versatile. It’s also available now in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store.

Apple ropes in new showrunners for Amazing Stories reboot

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Amazing Stories
Expect the unexpected.
Photo: Ace Books

Apple has finally found a replacement to guide the development of its new TV show Amazing Stories.

“Once Upon a Time” co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have signed a deal with Apple to be the new showrunners for Amazing Stories, a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s anthology TV show from the 1980’s.

Here’s why bartenders wear Apple Watch

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Apple Watch buyers
Apple Watch is convenient among service workers who aren't allowed to check their phones on the job.
Photo: Christopher Lavan/Nyloon

If you’re not convinced you need an Apple Watch, you might be able to justify one if your job forbids you from checking your phone.

This makes the wearable particularly popular within the service industry, according to an informal survey of airline attendants, bartenders, waiters, baristas and TSA employees published Monday.

Reports of looming Siri makeover are not fake news, just a little old

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HomePod
Maybe we're not getting a new, Siri-powered HomePod this year after all.
Photo:

It looks like Siri suffered a bit of a hangover from WWDC 2017. Monday’s reports of a Siri makeover to be unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference look like nothing but old news.

The cheeky nuggets, which came straight from Siri when asked about the upcoming event, appear to be leftover responses designed to create buzz about last year’s WWDC.

1Password 7 for Mac warns if you’ve been pwned

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1Password 7 for Mac
There's a new Watchtower feature in 1Password 7 for Mac, and an improved 1Password mini.
Photo: AgileBits

1Password 7 for Mac notifes users of breaches, warn of bad habits, and highlights vulnerable passwords. 1Password mini has a new look, and there’s a new sidebar with a dark theme.

It’s the first really significant update in over two years.

Side Winder reels in MacBook’s charger cables

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No more tangles with the Side Winder cable tidy
No more tangles with the Side Winder cable tidy.
Photo: Fuse Reels

This is the Side Winder, a spinning reel for your MacBook’s power brick that coils and spools out both the mains and the DC cables from the brick in seconds. It adds a little bulk to the charger, and in return it promises to free you from tangles and knots, forever.

Apple issues invites for big WWDC keynote

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WWDC 2019
Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage for WWDC 2018.
Photo: Apple

Apple has started issuing press invites for its big WWDC keynote on June 4.

Attendees will be treated to a preview of iOS 12 and the next major updates to macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Apple could also surprise us with some new hardware.