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Best docks to cradle your iPhone 8 or iPhone X

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8_Roundup_Docks
Your new iPhone deserves a dock that's equally as beautiful.
Photo: Grovemade/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new iPhones are its most beautiful yet. And as such, they deserve to be docked in nothing but the finest cradles ever crafted.

Find the perfect dock can be a bit of challenge considering there are a dizzying array of options to choose from. Not all docks are created equal though, so we’ve rounded up the best options for users of all budgets.

These are the docks you should buy:

iPhone 8 takes a beating in first torture test videos

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iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 still looks great.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iPhone 8 isn’t just the most beautiful phone Apple has ever made. It’s also one of the toughest ever.

iPhone 8 buyers have already put the new device through a number of torture tests after it went on sale across the globe this morning. Even though the new design sports glass in the front back, early stress tests have shown its more durable than the iPhone 7 in bend test.

Check it out:

Best iPhone 8 battery cases and backup batteries

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battery cases

Even the giant plus-sized iPhones run out of juice eventually, and that goes for the new iPhone 8 as much as any iPhone before it. You could carry a charger with you and spend the day hunting for available wall-sockets, but these days that’s as lame as using dodgy free Wi-Fi instead of reliable and fast LTE. Instead, you should take some backup power with you. There are two options: battery cases, great for really heavy phone users who always run out of power before lunch, and a spare battery with a USB cable that can charge your iPhone, or any device, but stays in the bottom of your bag until it’s needed.

Let’s take a look at the options. There’s also one very cool surprise feature in one of our picks that “wireless” charging fans are going to love.

iPhone 8 gets lukewarm reception around the world

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iPhone
The iPhone 8 queues in Australia weren't what they've been in previous years.
Photo: S Marshall-McCormack/Twitter

Fans queuing for the latest iPhone is something customary for new launches, but according to reports from across the globe, demand isn’t what it has been in previous years.

Interest in the new handset seems to be muted, with Apple stores seeing a fraction of the lines that have greeted previous iPhone launches. At Apple stores in New York City, where typically hundreds of fans are queued up for hours to buy the iPhone, the entire line was gone within the first hour of the store opening.

‘Best-ever’ smartphone camera is the iPhone 8 Plus

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iPhone 8
The camera on the iPhone 8 Plus gets a "best-ever" grade from DxOMark Labs.
Photo: Apple

The cameras onboard the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the “best-performing” smartphone cameras ever tested, according to a report by DxOMark Labs.

Both iPhones surpassed what DxO once declared the best, the Google Pixel. The 8 Plus scored a 94, two points higher than its single-camera sibling. The Pixel and the HTC U11 both rated a 90 while the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 scored an 88 and 85 respectively.

Learn to become a Microsoft Excel master [Deals]

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Master one of the most-used professional software suites, MS Office, with this comprehensive course bundle.
Share the workload with collaborative working in Microsoft Office.
Photo: Cult of Mac

No matter what kind of office you work in, chances are it’s running on Microsoft Office. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and beyond. These are the apps that any job that involves a keyboard or screen will have to learn. So it’s one of the most useful software to master.

Best iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus cases so far

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Which iPhone case have you picked?
Photo: Mujjo

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus may cost as much as the top-end iPhone X, but that certainly doesn’t mean you don’t want to protect your new iPhone.

You’ll find a range of cases on the market. Ultra-thin “skins” will to protect your iPhone 8 from scratches without changing its appearance much. Heavy-duty armor will save it from concrete smashes. And wallet-style cases let get organized. Here are our top picks for the iPhone 8/8 Plus cases you need to know about.

iPhone 8 teardown reveals smaller battery, 2GB of RAM, more

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iFixit iPhone 8
If your iPhone 8 looks like this when it arrives, you're probably not going to be too happy!
Photo: iFixit

Most people haven’t even laid their hands on one yet, but the good folks at iFixit have already gotten hold of a new iPhone device and cracked it open to see what its insides look like.

While the new handset is very similar to the existing iPhone 7, it does include a few notable differences, which can be described as follows:

How to manually offload and reinstall apps in iOS 11

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iphone
iOS 11 introduces 'offloading,' a way to delete an app without deleting its data. Here's how to manually offload and reinstall any app on your iPhone or iPad
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 11 can automatically delete apps when space gets tight on your iPhone or iPad. It’s called offloading, and only the app itself gets removed.

All the app’s data is saved. That way, if you reinstall the app in the future, it will be like you never deleted it. Wouldn’t it be great if you could choose to offload apps yourself, instead of deleting them? Well, good news, because you can totally do that. Here’s how.

How to rearrange photos in iOS 11

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In iOS 10 and earlier, if you don’t like the order of your photos in an album, then tough luck. In iOS 11, though, you can rearrange photos as easily as dragging them into a new spot. It’s just like rearranging pictures in a real photo album, only without all that futzing with sticky cellophane corners.

Apple donates $1 million to Mexico earthquake relief

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Mexico City
Search and rescue teams are still looking for people trapped under collapsed buildings.
Photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Flickr

Apple’s generous spirit and its bank account continue to keep on giving in light of another major disaster, this time in Mexico.

The company already donated millions of dollars to relief efforts for hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Now Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that the company is sending money to Mexico to help clean up the damage done by the recent earthquake.

How to scan QR codes with iOS 11’s Camera app

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QR codes
Beware sketchy QR codes if you’re using iOS 11.
Photo: Thomas Leuthard/Flickr

QR codes are set to take off in a big way, thanks to a new feature included in iOS 11 that makes scanning the quirky-looking blocks easier than ever before.

Apple didn’t announce the feature during its WWDC 2017 keynote, but the new QR-scanning capability is among the many minor iOS 11 features that may prove to be a big deal. Even though QR codes have been around for nearly two decades, they haven’t been super-useful to regular consumers.

That’s about to change.

Bose takes on AirPods and Beats by baking in Google

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Bose
Bose's Quietcomfort 35 II wireless headphones are the start of a partnership with Google.
Photo: Bose

Apple’s AirPods and Beats headphones are getting some fresh competition from one of the biggest audio companies in the game. And they’re getting a little help from Apple’s rival, Google.

Bose unveiled two new products today. One is its first ever foray into the world of truly wireless earbuds. The other is a pair of brand new noise-canceling headphones that are also designed to work with Google Assistant.

How to record your iPhone screen in iOS 11

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control center iOS 11
You can now record iPhone screen easily using the Control Center toggle.
Photo: Apple

Recording your iPhone screen used to be a hassle. If you wanted to capture iOS gameplay, or make a funny or informative GIF of on-screen action, you needed to download a third-party app or connect your device to a computer.

Those days are over: With iOS 11, Apple baked in sweet functionality that lets you record your iPhone screen effortlessly. Here’s how to do it.

Notes app gets new turbocharged text tools in iOS 11

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iOS 11 notes
Notes app behaves more like a piece of paper than ever in iOS 11.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Up until now, if you wanted to do fancy formatting with the iOS Notes app, you had to dust off your Mac to do it. Now, with the iOS 11 Notes update, you no longer need to boot up a desktop computer just to switch a note to a monospaced font, or add a table. You can do it all on your iPhone or iPad. And this is in addition to the great new in-line sketch features and document scanner that headline this update.

Safari 11 privacy feature gets advertisers fuming

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specify settings on a per-site basis
Enable settings on a per-site basis.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is out to “sabotage the economic model of the internet” as it protects users from shady tracking while browsing the internet, according to several organizations representing digital advertisers.

Six different digital ad and marketing trade associations recently signed and sent an open letter to Apple opposing a pending Safari update aimed at protecting how your browsing data is used.

iOS 11 makes Spotlight search super-powerful

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spotlight search in iOS 11
Spotlight in iOS 11 is a power-users dream, letting you find anything -- whether on the web on on your device -- fast.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Spotlight search gets a big overhaul in iOS 11. The Spotlight updates in iOS 11 don’t seem quite as spectacular as the iPad’s new Dock, or drag-and-drop, but the small tweaks make the search tool a lot more useful.

Now you can search both your iPad and the web, similar to how you conduct a search in Safari. If you ever used Launchbar, Alfred or Quicksilver on the Mac, the new iOS 11 Spotlight will feel familiar.

Angela Ahrendts named one of world’s most powerful women

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Angela Ahrendts.
Angela Ahrendts at the iPhone X keynote.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s boss of retail is finally getting some recognition for her large role at the world’s most powerful tech company.

In its latest rankings of the most powerful women in business, Fortune has placed Angela Ahrendts in the top 20 of influencers, raising her up one spot from last year and putting her ahead of executives at companies like Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, and Boeing.

Everything you need to know about iOS 11

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
The new Control Center is just one of many great new iOS 11 features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Over the past two months, Cult of Mac scoured the iOS 11 betas to collect tips and tricks for Apple’s latest mobile operating system. We’ve covered everything, from the iPad’s amazing new Dock and Drag-and-Drop to the iPhone’s new lifesaving Do Not Disturb While Driving.

We’ve created this iOS 11 guide, which we will update going forward, so you can easily find links to our best iOS 11 tips and how-tos. Read on for more on the radically improved Notes app, iOS 11’s powerful new camera features and more.

Turn your iPhone into a mobile microscope [Deals]

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These simple stick-on macro lenses turn your iPhone into a mobile microscope.
These simple stick-on macro lenses turn your iPhone into a mobile microscope.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s a great big old world out there, but let’s face it there are enough photos of the Eiffel Tower. Meanwhile, there’s an entire universe in every park, garden, or living room at the small scale. Unfortunately, your iPhone isn’t really equipped to photograph it.

iPhone 8, Apple Watch 3, Apple TV 4K pre-orders have shipped

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latest iPhones
More iPhone buyers selected a newer phone, like the iPhone 8, than when the iPhone 7 line was new.
Photo: Apple

Apple has begun shipping early orders for iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K.

All three devices make their official debut tomorrow, September 22 — one week after they were made available to pre-order. If you haven’t already claimed yours, you’ll now have to wait at least three weeks for it to ship from the Apple online store.

3 big problems with Apple Watch Series 3

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There's still work to be done to perfect Apple Watch Series 3.
There's still work to be done to perfect Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch has come a long way from the first model. With each update, Apple adds important missing ingredients, like GPS, a faster processor, cellular and an altimeter.

So has Apple Watch finally reached its true potential? Cupertino certainly thinks so. Apple COO Jeff Williams described Series 3 with cellular as “the ultimate expression of Apple Watch” at last week’s special event.

But three big problems still remain (not including the cellular connectivity glitch Apple is scrambling to fix ahead of this Friday’s ship date).

You can now download bigger iOS apps over cellular

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iOS 11 iPad Pro
Look out for the changes next month.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has finally increased the cellular download limit for iOS apps.

Following the release of iOS 11, you can now download titles up to 150 MB in size without a Wi-Fi connection. That’s still not enough for many apps and games, but it is a step in the right direction.

Apple promises Dolby Atmos is coming to Apple TV 4K

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Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K may look amazing, but its sound doesn't quite match. Yet.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new Apple TV 4K set-top box doesn’t currently support Dolby Atmos surround sound, an early review reveals. However, this is something Apple plans to add in a future update.

Atmos, along with competitor DTS:X, are next generation surround sound formats, referred to in the industry as “object-based surround.” In contrast to regular surround sound, which sends specific audio tracks to different speakers, Atmos lets sound engineers place their sound “objects” in 3D space, and then makes your sound system work out how to replicate this.