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Master your iPhone X with these tips, tricks and how-tos

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iPhone x unboxing
Fresh out of the box.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is Apple’s most exciting iPhone in years. It packs an incredible portrait camera, ditches the home button so it can squeeze and iPhone Plus-sized screen into a regular-sized body, and adds Face ID.

If you want to read all about your new iPhone X, or to see what the fuss is before you purchase one, check out this roundup of all Cult of Mac’s iPhone X coverage.

Sky Gamblers: Infinite Jets, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
Have an 'appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A fun dogfighting flight sim that sees you shoot down enemy jets and gunships in scintillating styles is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a superb grammar-oriented third party keyboard, a brilliant augmented reality update to a big retail app, and a fun RPG that’ll keep you busy for days.

Check out our picks below.

This HDR app gives photos a power polish [Deals]

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This app turns regular digital photos into gorgeous, feature rich HDR images.
This app turns regular digital photos into gorgeous, feature rich HDR images.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days, our phones ship with amazing cameras built in. But once the photo is taken, most people are more likely to edit it in Instagram than in Photoshop, if they edit it at all. And that’s no way to make the most of your mobile photos.

iPhone X first impressions: Apple’s best by far

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iPhone X in box
Your old iPhone could be worth a small fortune.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

We finally have our hands on iPhone X and we couldn’t be more excited. I haven’t put mine down since it arrived at my door this morning, and while it’s too early to give you our full review, we are offering our first impressions.

Here’s what we think of the smartphone of the future so far, along with our iPhone X unboxing video.

Add protection and extra connections to MacBook [Week’s best deals]

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Instantly improve your Macbook's connectivity, security, and more.
Instantly improve your Macbook's connectivity, security, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Winter isn’t coming, it’s already here. If you’re looking for some cheer as the chill sets in, may we recommend checking out these fresh deals at the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got a software tool for guarding your camera, a connection expansion for the new Macbook, a super useful color sensor, and more. Everything is massively discounted, read on for more details:

iPhone X: The good, the bad, the ugly, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 308
While many agree that the X is pretty terrific, it's not perfect.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: The reviews are in! We’ll tell you what people love and don’t about Apple’s very hot, very new iPhone X. Plus: How to speed up Face ID; and we’ll tell you about the clever new strategy Apple used to build massive hype for the iPhone X launch, and why it really pissed a lot of folks off. And stick around for another episode of What We’re Into, where we reveal the weird and wacky stuff we’ve been doing that you should try too.

Cult of Mac Magazine: How to master iPhone X, and more!

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cover
If you want to read all about your new iPhone X, or to see what the fuss is before you purchase one, check out this roundup of all Cult of Mac’s iPhone X coverage.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We finally have our hands on iPhone X and we couldn’t be more excited! It packs an incredible portrait camera, ditches the home button so it can squeeze and iPhone Plus-sized screen into a regular-sized body, and adds Face ID. Check out our roundup of all Cult of Mac’s iPhone X coverage including tips, tricks and how-tos.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Find out how Apple upended the typical review cycle by giving popular YouTubers early access to the iPhone X. Learn all the new gestures for iPhone X, and check out our roundup of the best wireless charging pads to juice it up. Check out Casetify’s new Stainless Steel Mesh Band for Apple Watch, and find out why it rivals Apple’s overpriced Milanese Loop. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Let Apple take you on an iPhone X guided tour

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Guided tour of iPhone X on YouTube
Are you ready for a guided tour of iPhone X?
Photo: Apple

Upgrading to iPhone X means facing a learning curve. Since Apple’s futuristic phone forgoes the familiar home button, iPhone X owners must learn a bunch of gestures.

Apple wants to make the transition as smooth as possible, so the company just uploaded a video to ease the pain of any iPhone X owner shellshocked by all that bright, shiny newness.

Shocker! Some Apple stores still have iPhone X on hand

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iPhone launch line at San Francisco store
The iPhone X hasn't yet sold out at San Francisco's flagship store.
Photo: Traci Dauphin/Cult of Mac

Availability of the iPhone X seems to be better than expected. While the phone was predicted to sell out almost instantly, there seems to be a good supply at some Apple stores.

The big flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square appears to have plenty of phones still in stock, according to Traci Dauphin, my wife, who just left the store.

iPhone X keeps your notifications secret from people who aren’t you

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iPhone x notifications face id
iPhone X hides notification previews until you look at them.
Photo: Apple

Thanks to Face ID, the iPhone X knows when its owner is looking at it, and can hide the content of your notifications until you do so. Now, if somebody else picks up your iPhone X and takes a peek at your incoming alerts, it will only see a list of the apps that have notifications for you. The content of the alerts remains hidden until you look at the screen, and Face ID expands the boxes to show you your messages.

The twist is that you can already do something very similar with Touch ID, just by changing one setting.

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: