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Iron Marines, Faviconographer, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend, everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The closest thing you’re likely to get to a fully-realized StarCraft experience on iOS is just one of the apps we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also got a nifty tool for adding icons to your Safari browser tabs, a way of sending Spotify songs using iMessage, and a fun one-button puzzle game that puts you in charge of a friendly planet in search of his friends. Check out our picks below.

One USB cable to charge them all [Deals]

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This single cable contains plugs for USB-C, MicroUSB, and Lightning connected devices.
This single cable contains plugs for USB-C, MicroUSB, and Lightning connected devices.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve owned more than one mobile device, you’ve had to deal with juggling different chargers. USB, USB-C, Lightning, MicroUSB. It can be tough to keep up with all the cables you need to keep our devices running.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Everything Apple unveiled this week, and more!

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cover
There was a lot to unpack in Apple’s two-hour long keynote, so we’ve broken down the highlights on all the new products.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s first ever keynote at the Steve Jobs Theater last Tuesday was one for the ages as the company took the wraps off some of its most innovative products ever. There was a lot to unpack in Apple’s two-hour long keynote, so we’ve broken down the highlights on all the new products.

In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find those stories and more. Get the latest on the new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3. And discover how to buy iPhone X without breaking the bank. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Streamline how you type, build websites, and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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This week's best deals include a keystroke-saving tool, a sleek charging hub, and lots more.
This week's best deals include a keystroke-saving tool, a sleek charging hub, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another week, another raft of great new deals at the Cult of Mac Store. This go around, we’ve got a typing assistant that can save you serious time at the keyboard. There’s also a code-free tool for building websites, a sleek set of Bluetooth headphones, and a desktop USB hub. Additionally, everything is discounted by 30 percent or more. Read on for more details:

Historical first? New iPhones fail to sell out

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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

Note: This post, originally published at 2:44 a.m. Pacific, has been updated.

For the first time since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, the company’s latest models failed to immediately sell out.

More than 12 hours after pre-orders opened this morning, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus remain generally available for pickup at Apple stores next Friday, the first day they go on sale to the public.

Typically, new iPhones sell out within minutes because demand far outstrips Apple’s ability to produce its latest devices in massive quantities. Is iPhone 8’s surprising availability a total Apple fail that shows nobody wants one? Or is it a sign of Cupertino’s mastery of the supply chain and production?

Tiny drone brings thrill-inducing racing to the masses

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Mambo FPV
Mambo can be flown indoors or outside.
Photo: Parrot

FPV drone racing has been an arena reserved for uber-nerds that build their own racers the past few years, but that could soon change thanks to Parrot’s newest mini-drone.

The company unveiled its tiny creation, the Mambo FPV, this week which makes flying a breeze whether you’re a total beginner or have been slicing through the skies for years.

Apple’s new ad shows the power of having 40 million songs on your wrist

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Apple Watch
Feel the liberating power of 40 million songs on your Apple Watch Series 3
Photo: Apple

Apple Music and Apple Watch are a match made in tech heaven, based on the latest ad from Apple.

The company published a new one-minute ad on its YouTube channel today that highlights the new cellular capabilities of Apple Watch Series 3. Apple’s captivating commercial features skateboarder Killian Martin performing a dazzling array of tricks indoors while jamming to music on Apple Watch.

Check it out:

This iPad synthesizer lets you play almost any sound

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SyndtSphere iPad synth
SyndtSphere lets you dial in sounds, and the sounds between sounds.
Photo: Cult of Mac

SyndtSphere may be just about the most flexible music instrument ever. It is also an iPad app. Klevgränd’s SyndtSphere can be a piano, a violin, a flute, a bass, but it can also be anything in-between. If you ever struggled to find the exact sound you wanted out of a synthesizer, then should try SyndtSphere, because you’ll probably find it there.

Apple reveals epic 3-year drive to perfect A11 Bionic chip

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A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
A11 Bionic chip is Apple's most powerful smartphone processor ever.
Photo: Apple

The new A11 Bionic processor that powers the iPhone 8 and iPhone X is the most powerful smartphone chip Apple ever created. But making a processor that’s perfect for AI tasks took some big bets by Apple.

In a new interview with the company’s SVP of hardware tech, Johny Srouji, and marketing boss Phil Schiller, Apple reveals how it took three years to come up with the perfect solution.

How to take screenshots and disable Face ID on iPhone X

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Face ID
Face ID on iPhone X.
Photo: Apple

Pick up any iPhone (or iPad), press the sleep/wake button and the home button together, and you’ll snap a screenshot. That screenshot will be saved to your camera roll. That’s not possible with the iPhone X, because it has no home button. Fear not, though, because there is an alternative. Better still, Apple has added yet another button-finagling shortcut to the iPhone X — one to disable Face ID.

iPhone X supply won’t balance with demand until next year

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iPhone X
That's nowhere near enough to meet early demand.
Photo: Apple

Getting your fingers all over the iPhone X’s edge-to-edge super Retina display won’t be easy during 2017.

According to one of the most accurate Apple analysts in the game, the new tech inside the iPhone X will cause the supply of units to be severely constrained. Even though the new device doesn’t go on sale until November, Apple’s going to be facing production shortages for quite some time.

Don’t even think about making Face ID apps for kids

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iPhone camera
Face ID is strictly for people 13 and over.
Photo: Apple

Thinking of producing an app aimed at users under the age of 13? Don’t think about getting them to authenticate their identity using Face ID, says Apple.

That’s according to the company’s newly updated App Review Guidelines for September 2017, which include new provisions designed to reflect the technologies Apple officially unveiled this week.

Series 3 vs. Series 1: Which Apple Watch is right for you?

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Apple Watch Series 3
Series 3 has landed, but is it the best model for you?
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 is now on sale, with prices starting at $329. If you want LTE connectivity — and you will — you’ll be coughing up at least $399.

That’s not cheap. But is it worth it? And should you even consider last year’s Series 1 model, which remains on sale as a more affordable alternative?

Find out right here in our 2017 Apple Watch comparison, which will help you decide which option is the best for you.

6 reasons why you should order an Apple Watch with LTE today

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Apple Watch Series 3
Get yours for as little as $259.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 is now available to pre-order ahead of its sales debut on September 22. If you move fast, you may still be able to claim one for launch day delivery.

But do you really need one? Maybe you already have a previous Apple Watch that’s still serving you well. Maybe you’ve never really seen the need for a smartwatch at all. Well, forget all that.

Here are 6 reasons why you should buy an Apple Watch with LTE today.

Face ID will recognize you even when you’re wearing (most) sunglasses

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sunglasses
These shouldn't prove a problem for Face ID.
Photo: Thomas Favre-Bulle/Flickr CC

Apple’s cutting edge Face ID facial recognition will even recognize users when they are wearing sunglasses (most of the time), Apple software engineering SVP Craig Federighi has revealed.

In an email to a developer, Federighi noted that the technology will work with “most, but not all” sunglasses — observing that the majority of sunglasses on the market with let through enough infrared light that Face ID can see through them to a person’s eyes.

iPhone X excitement makes people nostalgic for an 8-year-old phone

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Palm Pre iPhone X
It may look different to the iPhone X, but this is the one many people are reminded of.
Photo: Abul Hussain/Flickr CC

The iPhone X’s futuristic features have some folks thinking Back to the Future. Almost immediately after Apple’s big event this week, some were waxing nostalgic about an eight-year-old device that in some respects, resembles Apple’s latest handset.

iTunes now has 4K content for your new Apple TV

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4K
4K content is here!
Photo: Apple

Apple has started rolling out 4K content to iTunes users, just as it promised it would do at this week’s Apple media event.

Although the fifth generation Apple TV 4K won’t actually arrive with customers until next week, the new 4K content — including both movies and TV shows — is viewable in all its glory on the newer 4K and 5K iMacs.

Don’t forget, pre-orders for iPhone 8, Apple Watch and Apple TV 4K start tonight

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iphone 8
The iPhone 8 is nearly here!
Photo: Apple

Pre-orders of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple TV 4K and Apple Watch Series 3 are all set to open tonight at 12:01 a.m. Pacific.

Apple’s made a ton of improvements to the pre-order process over the years, but the past few years have taught these things can sell out quickly. Taking an extra few minutes to get your pre-order in could cause your shipment to be delayed.

Demand for the new iPhone 8 may not be as huge as in year’s past, but we’ve compiled a quick guide to help you get the iPhone you want and get back to sleep before Apple’s servers get crushed.

Here’s what to do:

This magical car mount wirelessly charges iPhone X

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Scoshe
The Scoshe MagicMount Charge works with iPhone X and Android.
Photo: Scoshe

The wireless future Apple is embracing is starting to look absolutely magical. And very convenient.

iPhone X and iPhone 8 owners that want to mount their device on the dashboard of their car won’t have to deal with a mess of wires and dongles to charge and listen to music at the same time, thanks to a brilliant new mount from Scosche.

This neat app finally brings site icons to Safari tabs

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Faviconographer in action
Favicons make your tabs easier to spot.
Photo: Cult of Mac

One of Google Chrome’s best features is its use of favicons in tabs. Take a look at a crowded Chrome window and you’ll see each tiny tab has a colorful, easy-to-identify icon in it. Look at the same window in Safari and you get a mess of tabs with a few letters of the page title peeking out at you. It’s almost impossible to tell one site from another. That’s where Daniel Alm’s Faviconographer comes in. It’s an app with one purpose: to draw favicon onto Safari tabs.