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AirPods shipments expected to double next year

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AirPods and case
But wireless charging could come sooner.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPods shipments are expected to double next year as demand for one of Apple’s best accessories remains incredibly strong. Shipping times have already been reduced to just 1-3 days thanks to an improved assembly process.

Apple may be ditching power chip partner as it looks to build its own

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chips
Apple is moving more and more of its chip development in-house.
Photo: Intel

Apple is apparently dropping Dialog Semiconductor, its U.K.-based power management chipmaker. If true, the move would lend increased credibility to rumors that Cupertino plans to design its own chips for future iPhones.

Dialog Semiconductor says that, for now, it continues to provide chips to Apple. But the company’s chief executive acknowledged that this arrangement could well change “in the next few years.”

Apple could ship a record-breaking 88.8 million iPhones this quarter

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iphone x
News flash: the iPhone X is selling really, really well.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to ship a massive 88.8 million iPhones this quarter, a new report claims. If correct, this would be the greatest number of iPhones ever shipped in one quarter.

That’s according to research firm IHS Markit, which reports that the iPhone X is selling phenomenally well, and is on track to give Apple a record-breaking year in 2018.

Tim Cook reaffirms Apple’s commitment to China

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook has said that China is Apple's future biggest market.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a keynote speech at China’s World Internet Conference on Sunday, reaffirming Apple’s commitment to China, which Cook has previously called Apple’s future biggest market.

Cook said the theme of the conference, which he described as a “developing a digital economy for openness and shared benefits,” is one that is shared by Apple.

Apple Heart Study, GRID Autosport, and other awesome apps of the week

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

An Apple Watch app that could actually save your life by watching for irregular heart rhythms is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a console-quality racing game, a new iOS web browser, and an app that will let you stream video to your Apple TV by simply dropping a video onto your Mac. Check out our picks below.

Swoop up Mac apps, drones and lots more [Cyber week top deals]

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This roundup of post-Thanksgiving deals has drones, Mac apps, and more.
This roundup of post-Thanksgiving deals has drones, Mac apps, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

So, you blacked out from too much turkey, slept right through Black Friday and maybe even Cyber Monday? Worry not, because now we live in the age of Cyber Week. And we’ve rounded up the best deals of the season at the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve got a massive bundle of Mac apps, a lifetime of powerful VPN protection, productivity-boosting coworking platform, and a decked out drone.

Apple Watch brings the gift of go in new Apple ads

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Apple Watch
Apple Watch 3 has never been more affordable.
Photo: Apple

The holidays are finally upon us and Apple has a really good suggestion on what you should buy your loved ones for Christmas present: The Apple Watch.

Apple published four new ads today that highlight how the Apple Watch is a great exercise companion, whether you take it running, swimming, snowboarding or to a soccer game. Each ad is only 15 seconds long and uses some trippy visuals to get you in the shopping mood.

Check it out:

Lofree keyboard feels like a typewriter, looks spectacular

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lofree keyboard
Who wouldn't want this beauty under their Mac?
Photo: Lofree

If you like mechanical keyboards, you love mechanical keyboards. Their clickety-clack action is way more positive than the soft, short travel of any MacBook or Magic Keyboard, and once you get used to them everything else seems squishy. It’s like driving a big American boat-like sedan after spending a week driving a hard-riding European sports car. The problem is, unlike a vintage Porsche or a Ferrari, the average mechanical keyboard has the looks of a corporate pool car. The Lofree keyboard, on the other hand, looks fantastic.

How to search in a page or website in Mobile Safari

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safari search
Mobile Safari's search is good, but hard to use.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Ever since iOS 9, iOS has had a dedicated share extension to search the current web page in Safari. You just hit the sharing arrow, then choose Find in Page on the bottom row of options, and then you can type in your query. It works, and it works well, but it’s a very clunky method for doing something that requires a single keystroke (Command-F) on the Mac.

Today we’ll look at some alternatives for finding text in a web page on iOS, along with a bonus tip for site-wide searches.

Apple’s giant glass triangle touches down in Brooklyn

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Apple store
The new Apple store in Brooklyn New York.
Photo: Neil Hughes/Twitter

New York City is getting a new Apple store this week, only instead of replicating the iconic Fifth Ave glass cube, this time Apple’s going with a giant triangle.

The new store will be Apple’s second retail location in Brooklyn after the company opened a store in Williamsburg last year. Apple’s glass-sided triangle store opens December 2 and is located down the street from the Atlantic Terminal and Barclays Center.

Take a closer look:

Why Face ID may never support multiple users

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VCSEL
The laser in the iPhone X's Face ID could one day transform the speed of broadband.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Face ID on iPhone X was designed to be operated by just one user, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

Apple’s Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, says there are no plans to add multi-user support.

iPhone X shipping times fall to just one week

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Face ID
Apple has done an outstanding job of getting the iPhone X into customers' hands.
Photo: Apple

Apple has done an outstanding job of meeting demand for the iPhone X. Less than one month after Apple’s eagerly anticipated tenth anniversary iPhone started shipping, Apple has already gotten U.S. shipping estimates down to one week.

That’s pretty astonishing considering that many folks were expecting iPhone X shortages to last well into next year!

The useful iPhone X gestures you haven’t heard about, on The CultCast

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The CultCast: The best 30-minute Apple podcast you'll hear anywhere.
Let us reveal to you the hidden gestures.
Image: YSR50/Twitter

This week’s CultCast is a hot one! We discuss: The useful iPhone X gestures you haven’t heard about; why you need to check out Apple’s new YouTube channel; why folks are mad as heck about Apple Watch 3’s data prices. Plus, it’s the end of an era: Jailbreaking is dead. (And stay tuned for our favorite movies of 2017.)

Steve Jobs’ ‘phone-phreaking’ blue box is going up for auction

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blue box 1
This is an ultra-rare piece of unofficial Apple history.
Photo: Bonhams

What was the first gadget Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak ever manufactured and sold? No, we’re not talking about the Apple-1, but rather the “blue box,” a device which allowed users to make free long-distance phone calls by reproducing specific dial tones.

One such device is up for auction this month, where it is expected to sell for upwards of $67,400. That’s roughly 67 brand new iPhone X handsets if you want to do the math!

Ireland reveals when Apple will finally pay its giant E.U. tax bill

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
That's one heckuva bank transfer!
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After dragging its feet over collecting its giant 13 billion euros ($15.5 billion) tax bill from Apple, Ireland’s Department of Finance has revealed that an agreement has been reached with Apple over when the sum will actually be paid.

The giant tax haul, which Apple was ordered to pay by the European Commission over a year ago, will be transferred to an escrow account, which will manage the funds until all of Apple’s appeals have been heard. But not until 2018!

Apple planning even cheaper iPad for 2018

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ipad
An iPad refresh could be right around the corner.
Photo: Apple

Apple is said to be developing a new inexpensive iPad for 2018.

Sources say it will be even cheaper than the 9.7-inch model currently on offer as the company looks to take on affordable rivals from the likes of Amazon, Samsung, and Huawei.

Qualcomm seeks import ban on iPhone X

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Photo of iPhone X in a person's hand, used to illustrate iPhone X review
iPhone X sales are booming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The battle between Apple and Qualcomm and Apple is turning downright nasty.

Hot on the heels of Apple’s counter-lawsuit, Qualcomm has filed three new patent infringement claims against the iPhone-maker. It is also seeking a ban on the import of all AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone X and iPhone 8 units in the US which could cause major headaches for Apple.