Apple ramped up its lobbying spend in 2017, shelling out $7 million to battle many of the regulations and proposed new laws issued by the Trump administration.

Under Tim Cook, amount spent by Apple on lobbying efforts has more than doubled. However, while last year’s figure was a personal record for the company, it is less than many other big tech giants spent. During the same period, Google spent $18 million on lobbying efforts, while Amazon spent $12.8 million, and Facebook spent $11.5 million.

The Apple Watch truly became a useful device with the release of the Series 3. LTE connectivity, more accurate heart rate monitoring, and faster hardware make the Apple Watch a joy to use.

With all the features and functions Apple advertises, there are still plenty of hidden tips and tricks for users to discover. Check out seven of my favorites in our latest video:

Apple today confirmed it will release its $349 HomePod on February 9.

Fans will be able to pre-order the smart speaker from the Apple online store this Friday, January 26 — but only in three regions.

Google’s excellent Gboard keyboard is now even better on iOS, thanks to a handy GIF creation tool. Users can make two kinds of animated images using their iPhone’s camera, then send their creations via their favorite messaging services.

Grid Autosport, the iOS “console-quality” AAA racing game, just got even better, courtesy of an update.

It adds additional control options, including better car handling for people playing the game with MFi controllers. It also lets you switch off haptic feedback, as well as fixing bugs and making a couple of additional tweaks.

Sources in Apple’s supply chain have spilled the beans on the company’s iPhone upgrade plans for 2018.

Corroborating claims from one reliable analyst, a new report reveals we will see three new iPhone models this year — each with a different display.

Despite seemingly dropping plans for a sapphire display for the iPhone, Apple continues to be haunted by its brief venture into manufacturing using the material.

In addition to Apple’s sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technologies going bankrupt several years back, this week Apple was handed a lawsuit by manufacturer Hebei Hengbo Fine Ceramic Material. The company claims to have fallen out with Apple over terms for a contract involving high purity alumina melt stock, a material used as part of the sapphire process.

Tim Cook sure racks up the air miles! This week, Apple’s CEO visited Canada, where he made a surprise appearance at a downtown Toronto Apple Store, and took in a Maple Leafs game for good measure.

Incredibly, this is Cook’s first ever visit to Canada since assuming the role of Apple CEO back in August 2011.

Getting around the 175 acres of Apple Park has been made a little bit easier for employees thanks to a fleet of new bicycles on the new Apple campus. And in true Apple fashion, the design of the bikes is very minimalist.

Video of the all-chrome bicycles surfaced online this week after someone visited Apple’s campus. Over 1,000 of the shiny bikes can be found on campus with 2,000 parking spots.

Here’s what the bikes look like.

Did you ever have something to say that’s too long for a tweet, but too short for a blog post? And what if you don’t have a blog anyway? Then you need txt.fyi, “the dumbest publishing platform on the web.”

This post is presented by Creatio Design, maker of Rmour Silver Corners.

An iPhone is a powerful tool, but it’s also a luxury item. When you spend $1,000 on an iPhone X, it’s not just for the powerful camera and fast processor. You’re investing in something that looks and feels fantastic.

Unfortunately, protecting that investment with a case typically obscures the iPhone X’s intrinsic beauty. The opposite occurs with Rmour Silver Corners for iPhone X, a new line of protective “iPhone jewelry” inspired by medieval suits of armor.

Apple is offering musicians an analytics dashboard through Apple Music for Artists. The new tool provides insight into the listening habits of fans, highlighting the number of track plays, song purchases, and more dating back to when Apple Music launched in June 2015.

Disney is bringing in an Apple veteran to help build its streaming service that will ultimately take on Netflix and maybe even Apple.

Kevin Swint, a former Apple employee that was in charge of the company’s worldwide iTunes movie business, was recently hired by Disney to help the company embrace streaming.

If you’re explaining something to another human in person, you’ll often reach for a pencil and paper to make it easier. Perhaps you’re drawing a map, or a quick diagram of that chest of drawers you think would look great in the guest room.

And that’s in person, where gestures and feedback from the listener help communication. Given the limits of email, then, wouldn’t a sketch, chart, or diagram be even more useful? The answer is a resounding “probably,” and the best news you’ll hear today is that it is dead easy to add a drawing to your emails, even without an Apple pencil, and even on an iPhone.

Have you ever had your regular (important) iMessages swamped by a flurry of notifications for that inane group conversations about matcha-flavored KitKats? Or maybe you want to keep your iPad’s notifications switched on, but you want to mute iMessages from your boss until Monday, because she has no concept of boundaries?

If so, you need iMessage’s handy conversation-muting feature. It’s so easy to use that you may have turned it on by mistake. If you’re no longer getting alerts for certain messages, you may want to check this, too.

Apple’s HomePod speaker has once again leaked new information about its self ahead of its launch, including how you’ll manage its settings once you finally get one.

Screenshots from HomePod testers in France have leaked out online showing the different settings options you’ll be able to choose from in the HomePod iOS app.

Your Apple Watch loves getting wet (provided you own a Series 2 or 3). But when you start a swimming workout, the waterproof mode kicks in automatically, which means the Apple Watch touchscreen stops working. So how are you supposed to use it?

Swimming with Apple Watch certainly takes a bit of getting used to. But if you check out our top 10 tips before you dive in, you’ll discover your smartwatch is almost as indispensable in the pool as your Speedo. Almost.

Another Wall Street analyst has downgraded Apple shares, based on fears that iPhone demand is getting weaker. Atlantic Equities has lowered its rating on Apple from “overweight” to “neutral” on account of their predictions that Apple will be reporting disappointing sales for the March quarter.

“[We see] signs that iPhone demand is starting to soften, limited visibility into the potential for future iPhone cycles and emerging challenges to the smartphone’s dominance at the centre of consumer technology,” the firm wrote in a note to clients.

If you have an iPhone 6 Plus in need of replacement, you could be in line for an upgrade to iPhone 6s Plus. An internal document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers gives permission for units to be upgraded until the end of March, though no reason is given.

Learning the development process for iOS is a great way to build up your resume. It’s also a great way to break into a space with massive creative and commercial potential.

Interest in Apple’s latest handsets is nearing an all-time low in the United States. A survey among customers with three of the largest carriers reveals the number of iPhone owners who plan to upgrade to a new iPhone is down more than seven percent.

New icons uncovered in the latest iOS 11.2.5 developer build confirm that, yes, HomePod owners will be able to disable the microphone on Apple’s smart speaker should so they wish to do so.

Given Apple’s privacy-conscious policies, and the fact that rival speakers made by Amazon and Google allow the same to be done, it’s no surprise that Apple would make that an option on HomePod. Still, it could help ease fears among customers concerned about the risk of housing an “always listening” speaker in their homes.

Apple has teamed up with Malala Fund to support girls’ education around the world. The iPhone-maker will become the fund’s first Laureate partner and will help double the number of grants awarded by the Gulmakai Network.

Tim Cook will give the commencement address for Duke University’s graduating class on May 13, 2018.

Cook is a 1988 MBA graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, as well as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. Cook has previously given successful, inspirational and funny commencement addresses at MIT, Auburn University (which he attended before Duke), and George Washington University.

Check out the Duke University announcement video, featuring a whole lot of animojis, below.

California’s historic Hearst cattle ranch is being used as a hybrid solar farm to provide power for Apple — partly thanks to Steve Jobs.

The Hearst ranch takes up 150,000 acres, split across two properties, on the border of San Luis Obispo County in central California. The land has been used for raising cattle since 1865, but are now also being used as the home of a 2,900-acre solar farm, which is providing energy to power the Apple Park campus.