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Take a look at the largest collection of Apple prototypes anywhere

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Apple prototypes
A clear Macintosh SE is among Hap Plains' collection of Apple prototypes.
Photo: CNBC

Just about all of us have a few classic Apple devices we just can’t bear to get rid of.  But Hap Plain takes it to the next level. And beyond. He collects and sells Apple prototypes for top dollar.

He has about 258. And his collection is a more than just a history of the company. It’s a testament all the effort needed to create the great Apple desktops, PDAs, and phones of the past.

iPhone X is the best selling smartphone in the world?

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iphone
According to a market research company, 5.1 percent of all smartphones sold globally in February were the iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

There’s been a lot of pessimism about the iPhone X lately, but a market research firm says that this device was the top selling smartphone in the world by a wide margin in February.

The company also says Apple had all four of the best selling smartphones globally that month. 

DAW Cassette, 1Blocker X, Bands in Town, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This week you can block all kinds of evil internet content with, make your music sound like it was recorded onto a crappy old cassette tape, translate any web-page right inside mobile Safari, and listen to the songs of bands that are playing live in your town. Yes, its time for your favorite Sunday read, the cult of Mac Apps of the Week roundup.

iOS 11.3 jailbreak might never go public

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iOS 11.3 jailbreak
An iOS 11.3 jailbreak was created, but probably won't be made public.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The good news is that someone managed to create an iOS 11.3 jailbreak. The bad news is that the person who managed the trick probably won’t turn it into anything the general public can use.

While this once would have left a significant percentage of the iPhone community tearing its hair out, these days jailbreaking is almost dead.

We talk iPhone SE leaks, Steve Jobs saving Pixar, and the brightest flashlight on earth on The CultCast

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MacBook Pro
Another episode of The CultCast, packed with this week's best Apple stories.
Photo: The CultCast

This week on a very feisty episode of The CultCast: New iPhone SE will steal one of iPhone X’s best features; how Steve Jobs saved Pixar, then stole all their stock; MoviePass ends its unlimited movie option; Gal Gadot promotes Huawei on Twitter … from an iPhone; and we wrap with the best iPhone camera lenses, wireless security system, and the most powerful flashlight on Earth in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Udemy for support thing episode. Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just sharpen your skills, Udemy has over 65,000 courses starting at just 11.99.
Visit Ude.my/CULTCAST or download the Udemy app to learn anytime, anywhere.

Apple VR headset might sport two 8K displays

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VR
Will Apple be the company that finally makes VR cool?
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s next big thing could be a virtual reality headset.

According to a new report, the iPhone-maker is planning to launch its own headset in 2020 that can handle both AR and VR technology. And in true Apple fashion, it’ll pack some innovations that could finally bring VR into the mainstream.

Microsoft previews best features of Office 2019

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Office 2019
Excel in Office 2019 will get funnel charts and 2D maps.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft released Office 2019 Preview today, with the full release expected later this year. This early version is only for Windows, though a macOS edition will be out “in the coming months,” according to the company.

This version of the giant productivity suite is for those who don’t want to pay a monthly fee for Office 365. 

How to switch on the awesome new Gmail interface

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gmail redesign
Gmail's new super-clean interface is ready for duty.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Gmail’s sweet new interface is rolling out to users. It offers the familiar simple text-based interface from the Gmail you all know and “love,” but it manages to be both less messy, and more useful. If you want to take it for a spin, then switching it on is easy.

Transit app makes public transportation a breeze [50 Essential iOS Apps #6]

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Transit for iPhone shows upcoming times
Transit shows nearby transportation options and upcoming arrival times.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Transit Public transportation can be a nightmare. Traveling in an unfamiliar city or relying on trains and buses to get around can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

Transit for iPhone makes finding train bus, and subway schedules simple. With support for more than 80 U.S. cities and dozens more around the world, it is one of the most useful apps for making the right choice of transportation.

Tim Cook vs. Steve Jobs: Who is Apple’s best CEO ever?

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And the winner for best Apple CEO is ...
Both great leaders, but who managed Apple better?
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Steve Jobs was a mercurial genius with a singular knack for turning bright ideas into shiny new products. Tim Cook is an operations wizard who hammered Apple’s supply chain into a manufacturing powerhouse.

If you’re an Apple fan, you know the widely accepted narrative. You’ve heard the stories about these powerful CEOs and their various strengths and weaknesses. But who helmed Apple most successfully?

We put Cupertino’s most capable execs head-to-head to determine which Apple era was really the best. Get ready to settle things once and for all!

Google Inbox will get iPhone X support ‘soon’

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Google Inbox iPhone
We don't need two Gmail clients anymore.
Photo: Google

Google Inbox will finally be optimized for iPhone X “soon,” according to a new report.

Google has been working hard to update its most important iOS apps for Apple’s flagship smartphone since it made its debut last November — but Inbox, its nicest Gmail client, has somehow been neglected. Now that Gmail’s big redesign is out of the way, that’s set to change.

Get cutting-edge gear at great prices [Deals]

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We've rounded up next generation personal audio, touch-free smart controllers, and more ultra-modern gear.
We've rounded up next generation personal audio, touch-free smart controllers, and more ultra-modern gear.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With all the technological wonders we take for granted today, it’s easy to lose track of the cutting edge in consumer tech. So to keep that sense of wonder alive, we’ve rounded up some of the most innovative new personal gear and gadgets you can find.

Below you’ll find a solar-powered, antitheft backpack, a Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a wireless charger, a touch-free controller for IoT devices, and more. Even better, each item is massively discounted, some by more than half. Read on for more details.

Amazon could soon be worth even more than Apple

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Amazon
Amazon has had one heck of a 2018 so far!
Photo: Mike Seyfang/Flickr CC

Apple has pretty much clung onto its title of world’s most valuable company since early in Tim Cook’s reign at the top. However, it may not hold that claim for too much longer if Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has much to say about it!

Amazon shares rose 7.1 percent for a record high in premarket trading today, following the company’s massive Q1 earnings. That narrows Apple’s market cap lead to less than $50 billion.

Apple may have wildly misjudged iPhone X demand

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iphone x
Apple has pared iPhone X production way back.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is usually pretty great at gauging demand for its products. Something seems to have gone wildly wrong for the iPhone X, however, since the company is now reportedly trying to “burn off” its excess supply of the devices after disappointing adoption rates.

According to a source speaking with Fast Company, Apple ordered the production of way too many iPhone X units in the last calendar quarter of 2017, and is now dealing with excess supply.

iTunes arrives in the Microsoft Store after lengthy delay

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iTunes Microsoft Store
Windows 10 S users can now enjoy iTunes, too.
Photo: Microsoft

iTunes is finally available to download from the Microsoft Store for the first time.

The release makes it possible for Windows 10 S users, who cannot install applications obtained from third-party sources, to get their hands on Apple’s popular entertainment platform. This version of iTunes is exactly the same as the one available through Apple’s website.

Tim Cook was ‘very helpful’ in Trump meeting at the White House

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Tim Cook met with President Trump earlier this week.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple CEO Tim Cook was reportedly “most helpful” during his White House meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this week. Cook was enthusiastic about the Trump administration’s recent tax cuts, and also had some advice about business dealings in China.

“I really enjoyed the meeting,” Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC’s Squawk on the Street. “I spent a good amount of time with [Cook], and then we came back and we visited the POTUS.”

iPhone shipments up significantly in China

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Shipments of iPhone in China increased 32 percent in the first quarter of this year. This was during a period when the overall Chinese handset market declined. 

Many Chinese see Apple devices as status symbols and pick them over local brands that cost significantly less.

Apple’s AirPort router lineup is officially dead

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AirPort Express
Apple is getting out of the router business.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The biggest tech company in the world is getting out of WiFi. Kind of…

Apple decided to finally put the nail in the coffin for its lineup of AirPort routers that haven’t been updated in years. We’ve known this day has been coming for nearly two years, but Apple just officially gave us the bad news.

Here’s the official statement:

Death of 3D Touch starts with 2018 iPhone

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3D Touch
The handy but not vital tricks that come with 3D Touch are reportedly going away.
Photo: Apple

Say goodbye to 3D Touch. A very reliable analyst predicts one of the iPhones coming in autumn won’t have this pressure-sensitive technology, and none of the 2019 devices will.

Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s all because Apple is changing the components of its displays to make them lighter and less likely to break.

How to stop sites tracking you, and speed up your internet with 1Blocker X

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Steve Jobs’ brief for iPad: A piece of glass for emailing on the toilet
Steve Jobs’ brief for iPad: A piece of glass for emailing on the toilet
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Ever since iOS 9, you’ve been able to block ads, trackers, and other content in Mobile Safari. But as websites fought back, and the content-blocker apps added yet more rules in return, the war escalated. Blocker apps started to hit Apple’s hard limit of 50,000 rules.

Probably the most popular and comprehensive blocker is 1Blocker, which just got superseded by 1Blocker X. The new app splits off itself into seven “extensions,” each of which have 50,000 rules, bringing the total to 350,000 rules.

This doesn’t just allow 1Blocker X to boast in the app store. It also allows whole new categories of content blocking. The new setup works slightly differently, so let’s see how to get things started.