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The best iPhone X cases you can buy right now

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cracked-iphone
Don't let this happen to you.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is almost here. Preorders have been taken, so now it’s time to spend the rest of the week until delivery choosing accessories for your new iPhone X.

Unlike the iPhone 8, which fits perfectly into (most) existing iPhone 7 cases, the iPhone X needs new clothes. Here are the best and/or most interesting iPhone 8 cases so far.

iPhone X line sitters get dose of disappointment

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iPhone X space gray
The iPhone X isn't easy to find.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X launch has caused massive lines of to form up outside of Apple stores across the globe, but due to limited supply, many are walking away empty handed.

Apple saw unprecedented demand for the iPhone X when it opened pre-orders last week. Shipping times quickly slipped to five to six weeks, causing fans who didn’t pre-order to line up early in hopes of getting the iPhone X.

What’s this mystery chip inside iPhone X?

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Right to Repair
Apple's first 5nm chips are expected to ship in iPhone and iPad this year.
Photo: iFixit

Two battery cells and a “mystery chip” are some of the surprises under the hood of the iPhone X.

iFixit added the new Apple flagship handset to its teardown database and disassembled one to give users a glimpse of the X’s inner magic.

How to use Apple Pay on iPhone X

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Apple pay iPhone X
This is the Apple Pay screen on iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

Using Apple Pay on the iPhone X is a little different than using it on the iPhone 8 and earlier. That’s because Apple Pay on older iPhones uses both the home button, and Touch ID, neither of which feature on the iPhone X. So how do you make an Apple Pay purchase with your new iPhone? It’s easy. Here’s how.

Siblings claim they fooled Face ID on iPhone X

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pic
Spot the difference.
Photo: Rinat Khanov

With the iPhone X making its way into customers’ sweaty hands, users can finally start putting the new handset through its paces. First priority? Coming up with a way to beat Face ID, apparently.

One developer claims to have already done it. But don’t get too concerned about any “Face-gate” just yet!

How to see the battery percentage on iPhone X

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iPhone x battery percentage
The notch has crowded out the battery percentage, and the carrier name.
Photo: Apple

Thanks to the notch eating up a big chunk out of the top of the iPhone X screen, there’s not as much space up there for useful menubar widgets. The clock now sits alone at the top left, displaced by the notch. The cellular, Wi-Fi, and battery icons sit squashed together on the right side. But what about the carrier name? What about the battery percentage? Can they be displayed permanently in the menu bar?

No. But it doesn’t take much to reveal them.

Name your price for complete Adobe training [Deals]

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Get the skills you need with Adobe's creative apps for whatever you want to pay.
Get the skills you need with Adobe's creative apps for whatever you want to pay.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As time goes on, the digital is becoming more and more synonymous with the visual. If you want to work in the digital space at all, it really pays to learn some graphic design or photo editing skills. So that means getting familiar with Adobe’s software.

Wrap your Apple Watch in woven stainless steel [Watch Store]

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casetify
Casetify's Stainless Steel Mesh Bands rival Apple's Milanese Loop Bands in quality and cost nearly half the price.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Stainless steel meticulously weaves its way through the Mesh Band for Apple Watch — Casetify’s answer to the significantly more expensive Milanese Loop by Apple. And, Casetify’s version is just as stylish and functional as the behemoth brand’s band.

For penny-counters, you’ll save from $67 to $117 on Casetify’s silver and black stainless steel mesh bands, respectively, and gain an additional color not offered by Apple: rose gold. I’ve been wearing mine all week and am loving the quality and fit of this sleek metal band.

Casetify designs all its products to be super stylish and functional, and its latest collection of Stainless Steel Bands for Apple Watch is no exception. Check out these new bands in our Watch Store, and read on to learn more.

First iPhone X owners just can’t stop smiling

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tokyo 2
An iPhone X customer celebrates in Tokyo.
Photo: Apple

If you weren’t already excited about today’s iPhone X launch, maybe a bunch of pictures of grinning Apple fans will get you psyched for Apple’s smartphone of the future.

All over the world, the iPhone X party is raging as people pop into Apple stores to pick up their purchases. Check out a selection of the photos below.

With iPhone X, Apple reinvents the camera. Again.

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iPhone camera
Sure you can take pictures with it. But the iPhone X shows the future of the camera will have little to do with the photographic image.
Photo: Apple

Each generation of iPhone has brought with it a camera more amazing than the last. As users ogled over higher resolution, bigger sensors and new computational features, few saw the device’s evolution as more than just the making of a better camera.

But the iPhone X gives the camera a new job description — it’s not just a photography specialist anymore. How iPhone cameras function in the future will have little to do with the photographic image. And the iPhone X previews the innovations to come.

Qualcomm sues Apple again, accuses it of helping rival Intel

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Qualcomm patents
It looks like the battle between Apple and Qualcomm isn't close to over.
Photo: Qualcomm

In the latest twist in the Apple versus Qualcomm battle, Qualcomm has sued Apple yet again — this time claiming that it has taken advantage of its access to Qualcomm code to help rival Intel by giving it information about Qualcomm’s technology.

The lawsuit lends credibility to a previous story suggesting that Apple may be planning to drop Qualcomm chips for new iPhones and iPads which will ship in 2018, and replace them chips made by Intel and MediaTek.

AAPL passes another milestone on its way to $1 trillion market cap

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
Apple is a $900 billion company and counting.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s spectacular quarterly earnings, which had previously seemed like they’d be the calm before the iPhone X storm, have pushed Apple over the $900 billion valuation in pre-market trading, making it the first company in history to do so.

AAPL shares were marked 3.2 percent higher in after-hours trading, indicating a record high opening price of $173.49 for Friday.

7 biggest takeaways from Apple’s record Q4 earnings

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Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2?
AAPL shares are on the rise.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple surprised investors with its best Q4 earnings report ever today. The outrageous numbers dispelled doubts about the iPhone-maker’s strategy — and pushed Apple closer to becoming the world’s first trillion-dollar company.

With the launch of the iPhone X just hours away, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a lot to be happy about during the earnings call with investors. Analysts quizzed Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri on everything from iPhone 8 sales to how Apple plans to monetize its augmented reality efforts.

Here’s what we found out:

Learn all the new gestures for iPhone X

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gestures iPhone x
Your thumb will get a workout now that the home button is no longer around to do all the work.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone X has no home button. We already know that, but what does it mean when you’re actually using the phone? The home button is the most important button on the iPhone. It wakes it up, gets you to the home screen, activates Apple Pay, invokes Siri, takes a screenshot, and helps you force the phone to reset if everything goes wrong. And that’s just the beginning. The iPhone X replaces the home button with a combination of gestures, and by using other buttons. Some of them you may already use. Others take existing gestures and move them. Let’s take a look at all the new gestures on the iPhone X.

Apple beats expectations in historic Q4 earnings

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Apple earnings
Apple crushed its Q4 earnings.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The last Apple earnings report of 2017 is finally here and the results are even better than Wall Street anticipated.

Aided by strong iPhone sales thanks to the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple was able to bring in slightly higher than expected revenues and the company is expecting big things next quarter too.

Apple earnings call live blog: How high can AAPL fly?

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Apple earnings
Apple's Q2 earnings are expected to be a bit of a downer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to unveil its last earnings report of 2017, and it’s expected to be one of the company’s biggest Q4 results ever.

Wall Street analysts are eager to see how many iPhones Apple sold during the quarter, which included a few days of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales at the end. Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will be hopping on the call with investors at 2 p.m. Pacific today. Naturally, we’ll be here live-blogging all the action.

Come join the fun:

Massive iPhone X lines form at Apple Stores worldwide

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iPhone X line
Outside the Singapore Apple Store.
Photo: @R_Kami

Fans have begun lining up outside Apple Stores around the world to get their hands on iPhone X. The device makes its official debut tomorrow, and Apple has promised that units will be available for walk-in customers. However, they’re expected to disappear quickly (just like preorders did).

Some lines have already turned chaotic, while latecomers are offering money for precious spots near the front.

Apple may keep face data locked down, but devs can still get it

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Michael Cohen Face ID
There's a (sort of) loophole in Apple's privacy stance.
Photo: Apple

Apple might have been praised for ensuring that Face ID data stays securely on the iPhone X, but privacy experts are concerned that the same thing isn’t true for the apps which use iPhone face data,

According to a new report, apps which use facial data for their services — such as offering fun masks for selfies or having animjoi-style video game characters who mirror the expression of gamers — are not subject to the same privacy terms and conditions. In fact, so long as they ask customer permission and don’t sell the data, they are free to take it off the phones and store it on their own networks.

This first-person drone fits in your hand [Deals]

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This teensy drone manages to send real-time, HD video straight to your phone.
This teensy drone manages to send real-time, HD video straight to your phone.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The technology that allows for awesome experiences just keeps getting smaller and more affordable. Drones are no exception. Now it’s possible to get the feeling of flight from a device that you can hold in the palm of your hand.

Apple joins other tech giants in opposing plans to end DACA

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Apple is clashing with President Trump over calls to end the DACA program.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple has added its name to a letter of support for a legal challenge to President Trump’s attempts to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program which protects undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. when they were minors.

Other tech companies to sign the brief include IBM, Google, Lyft, Microsoft, Twitter, and others.

Tim Cook: Russian ads aren’t to blame for U.S. election results

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Tim Cook
Cook thinks there are bigger issues to deal with.
Photo: NBC

The tech and political worlds may be buzzing over claims that Russian ads helped influence the U.S. presidential election, but one person who’s not so quick to jump on board with the theory is Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, which aired Wednesday night, Cook poured cold water on the suggestion by arguing that such ads make up an absolutely tiny part of the larger issue as to why people in the U.S. are so divided in their politics.