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This is how the iPhone X’s Face ID views your face

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face mesh
What kind of face is Killian trying to pull here?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Did you ever wonder how Face ID sees you? After all, it has an incredibly complex set of eyes that project invisible dots onto your face, and then turns the results into a 3D representation of your head. If you want to know what that representation might look like, then check out the new Face Mesh tool in the latest update to MeasureKit, the AR measuring app.

Wireless MacBook chargers, smart routers, and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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AmpliFi
AmpliFi lets you access your home network from anywhere.
Photo: AmpliFi

Crowdfund Roundup bugIf you need to access your home network from anywhere in the world, you need the incredible AmpliFi Kit. It provides fast and stable Wi-Fi all around your home, and provides an encrypted gateway to your network from anywhere.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have a wireless charger for MacBook and MacBook Pro, a high-quality speaker that’s small enough to fit in your pocket, and the ultimate Apple Watch companion.

Easily edit PDFs right from your iPhone

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Make quick work of PDFs with PDFfiller on your iPhone.
Make quick work of PDFs with PDFfiller on your iPhone.
Image: PDFfiller

This post is presented by PDFfiller.

PDFs might be the most common document format to cross any digital desktop. They’re a universally recognized, great-looking way to share all kinds of readable content. But they’re also famously unfriendly to last-minute edits. Spot a typo on that resume or a confidential detail on that memo? Better hope you have the original document handy.

That’s least likely if you’re spotting a change that needs making from your mobile device. These are situations that PDFfiller for iPhone aims to solve.

Check out GarageBand’s amazing new features on iOS

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GarageBand, Apple's flagship iOS music-creation software, just got even better.
GarageBand's new Beat Sequencer would shine anywhere, not just on iPad.
Photo: StockSnap/Pixabay CC

GarageBand for iOS often gets dismissed as a toy by more experienced musicians. That’s partly because it’s free, and partly because it looks so simple when you first fire it up. And it is dead easy to use — making some great music is simple even for a first timer. But if you take a while to dig in, you might be surprised at just how music power GarageBand for iOS now packs. And the latest 2.3 update adds enough amazing new features that it really could be called 3.0. Lets take a look.

Apple Pay Cash finally arrives in iOS 11.2 public beta 2

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Apple Pay
You can now send friends money via iMessage.
Photo: Apple

The future of digital payments has finally arrived on the iPhone. Sort of.

Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments system called Apple Pay Cash is finally rolling out to public beta testers today with the release of the public beta for iOS 11.2 beta 2 and watchOS 4.2 beta 2, giving iPhone and iPad users the ability to send money to each other electronically.

Apple supplier eyes AR glasses

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Face Id
Are Apple Glasses coming soon?
Photo: Apple

One of the key suppliers for the iPhone X is fueling speculation that Apple is working on a standalone augmented reality product.

Catcher Tech, which makes metal casings for Apple products like the iPhone, iPad and MacBooks says that it is planning to start making metal components for AR products.

Last chance for 5 everyday utility Mac apps [Deals]

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Name your price to instantly improve the productivity and performance of your Mac.
Name your price to instantly improve the productivity and performance of your Mac.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac comes out of the box with a lot of power, but also a lot of potential. With the right apps, you can instantly up the performance and productivity of your Mac. So listen up: now is your last chance to get a bundle of 5 game-changing apps for whatever you want to pay.

Walmart Pay inches closer to beating out Apple Pay

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WP
Walmart launched its mobile payment service one year after Apple.
Photo: Walmart

Walmart Pay, the mobile payment system launched by the retailer in late 2015, may be on the verge of overtaking Apple Pay usage in the United States, a new report claims.

The service is available for both iOS and Android, across 4,774 Walmart stores, and is currently enrolling “tens of thousands of new users” per day. Two-thirds of them utilize the service for a second time within 21 days, Walmart claims — thereby giving it impressive repeat business.

Wistron looks to scale up iPhone manufacturing in India

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
iPhone manufacturing in India is apparently going well.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturer Wistron reportedly wants to expand its iPhone SE manufacturing in India. The company is currently scouting for 100 acres of land to help it do so.

Wistron has quietly shortlisted several possible locations in Bangalore for its new facility, including one close to the nearby airport. In addition to Apple, the new facility may also be used to supply other brands.

Apple responds to Paradise Papers: We’re world’s largest taxpayer

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple says that it pays all the tax that it owes.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has denied that it moved some of its operations from Ireland to Jersey, one of the largest of the Channel Islands, as an offshore tax haven so as to keep hold of its low tax rate.

The company issued a statement in the wake of the “Paradise Papers” reveal, showing details about how wealthy individuals and companies move large quantities of money overseas to bypass taxes. However, Apple says that no actual operations or investments were moved from Ireland.

Neat Animoji hack doubles the length of your videos

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animoji2
Apple debuted Animojis at its recent iPhone X event.
Photo: Apple

Users have only been able to play around with the iPhone X’s surprisingly compelling Animojis feature for a few days, but already one developer has broken its out from its iMessages ghetto and made it its own app.

He’s even made it so it doubles the length of your cute animated creations!

iPhone X setup shows Apple’s core brilliance

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automatic setup
In iOS 11, you won't need to remember anything when you get a new iPhone.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

I used to think setting up a new iPhone was easy, but the iPhone X takes it to the next level.

On Friday, I got the new iPhone X and have been using it all weekend. The setup process was the easiest ever, and speaks to Apple’s constant drive to make things better.

How to squeeze more battery life out of iPhone X

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grayscale oled iPhone x
This is how the iPhone X would have looked in the 1950s.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Usually guides to increasing the battery life of phones and tablets involve impractical advice like disabling Wi-Fi, turning off all background activity, killing notifications, and other “tricks” that make using the device pointless. After all, you could gain almost infinite battery life simply by never switching your iPhone on.

This piece of advice is just like those. It involves turning off the color on the iPhone X’s OLED screen to save juice. However, this tip actually turns out to be pretty useful, and makes the iPhone look totally badass, too.

Leaked documents reveal Apple’s newest tax haven

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Apple is made of money.
Apple's tax practices save it billions of dollars.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac


Dodging taxes is still one of Apple’s top priorities.

The iPhone-maker has come under serious fire in both the U.S. and internationally for its tax practices, but according to a new batch of leaked documents, the company is still doing everything it can to avoid paying the full amount.

This stainless steel Apple Watch band is super-shiny

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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. Casetify’s version is just as stylish and functional as the behemoth brand’s band, and now comes in two brand-new finishes: Iridescent and Gold (that matches the Series 3).

For penny-counters, you’ll save from $67 to $117 on Casetify’s silver and black stainless steel mesh bands, respectively, and gain three additional colors not offered by Apple: gold, rose gold and iridescent.

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. The Stainless Steel Mesh Bands are for both men and women. Check out the latest colors in our Watch Store, and read on to learn more.

How to use Animojis on iPhone X

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iPhone X Animoji
No battery case required.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Forget Face ID, the edge-to-edge OLED screen, and the amazing portrait lighting. The real killer feature in the iPhone X is Animoji, a gimmick that uses the most advanced camera ever seen on a consumer device to map cute animal faces over your real expressions. Here’s how to use it.

Apple seeds iOS 11.2 beta 2 to developers

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Image uploaded from iOS (1)
A new iOS beta has arrived.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh of beta updates from Apple today, including the second build of iOS 11.2.

The new beta build comes just one week after Apple dropped the last version of iOS 11.2. Apple also just released the second beta builds for tvOS 11.2, watchOS 4.2 and macOS 10.13.2.

iPhone X boasts best smartphone display ever

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iPhone X
iPhone X wasn't the first, but it certainly boosted the trend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone X has blown away the professional display testers at DisplayMate, leading the company to call it the most innovative display they’ve ever tested.

Even though Apple doesn’t make the actual OLED display on the iPhone X, DisplayMate’s experts point to the Precision Display Calibration created by Apple that transforms the hardware into “a superbly accurate, high performance, and gorgeous display.”

iPhone X review: Apple’s finest smartphone ever

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Photo of iPhone X in a person's hand, used to illustrate iPhone X review
Don't worry about burn-in on your iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Smartphones are changing, and every manufacturer possesses its own take on what the future should look like. Apple’s vision is the iPhone X, which arrives 10 years after the original with big changes and an even bigger price tag. In this iPhone X review, we’ll take a look at everything that makes this groundbreaking device Apple’s finest smartphone ever.

For iPhone X, Apple did away with aluminum unibodies, chunky bezels, Touch ID and the beloved Home button. In their place, iPhone X sports polished stainless steel and smooth glass, an edge-to-edge Super Retina HD display, and Face ID.

The result proves stunning. Apple just made the iPhone exciting again. But is iPhone X worth $999?

2018 iPhone may get complex metal frame for better reception

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iPhone X
The iPhone X design is coming to more devices in 2018.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is planning to make big improvements to the next iPhone’s cellular reception, according to a new rumor out of Asia.

Now that the iPhone X is on sale, the Apple rumor mill is starting to turn its attention to next year’s model, and one of the most reliable analysts in the game is already starting to chime in with new clues on the 2018 lineup.

Apple is turning to India to recruit its next AI whiz kids

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Latest AI acquisition shows Apple isn’t sacrificing privacy for machine smarts
Gain great A.I. graduates and grow your market in India? That's what's called a win-win.
Photo: Universal

To help with its machine learning and artificial intelligence research, Apple is reportedly scouting for possible new employees straight out of an engineering college in India.

It’s a move which not only helps further Apple’s A.I. ambitions, but also shows its continued focus on India, a market which Apple is desperate to expand into.