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America’s favorite iPhone will surprise you

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iPhone SE
Two new iPhone SE models for 2020?
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Despite the demand for larger, sharper smartphone displays, iPhone SE has beaten out all other smartphones to top the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Just two of Apple’s devices placed in the top five, and with a score of 87 out of 100, iPhone SE took the number one spot ahead of iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S7 series.

Samsung’s OLED display orders reportedly double for iPhone 9

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iphone 8 display
Early rumor claims iPhone 9 will come in two sizes, both with OLED displays.
Photo: Martin Hajek

The iPhone 8 isn’t even out yet, and already Samsung Display has reportedly signed a deal with Apple to supply OLED panels for the 2018-era iPhone 9.

While Samsung is producing 80 million OLED displays for the iPhone 8, that number will allegedly more than double for the iPhone 9, for which Samsung will manufacture 180 million OLED screens.

India offers Apple a compromise on iPhone manufacturing incentives

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

To encourage manufacturing in India, Indian authorities have offered to let Apple import smartphone components for use in local manufacturing, tax free.

Apple previously asked for a 15-year tax holiday from paying tax on importing components it needed for Indian manufacturing. The request was denied by authorities, but it seems that a compromise may be reached, whereby Apple will gradually increase the local production of components in India.

CEO who once likened Apple to Hitler steps down

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Yep, they went there. Photo:
CEO Jia Yueting was forced to issue a groveling apology in the aftermath.
Photo: LeEco

The founder and CEO of Chinese tech company LeEco, which makes everything from smartphones to smart TVs, has stepped down from his position as chief executive.

Why would you know Jia Yueting? Because way back in 2015, he was the CEO forced to issue a groveling apology after LeEco issued an ad depicting Apple as Hitler — complete with a red armband showing the Apple logo instead of a swastika.

Apple and Nokia join forces after settling patent dispute

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Nokia
Keeping Nokia at bay isn't cheap.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple and Nokia have settled their ongoing patent dispute and entered a new licensing and business cooperation agreement.

Apple will resume selling Nokia digital health products, formerly sold under the Withings brand, while Nokia will provide Apple with network infrastructure products and services.

Apple’s self-driving car filmed cruising California highway

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lexus
The 2015 Lexus RX450h is Apple's vehicle of choice.
Photo: Lexus

The first video footage of Apple’s self-driving car has already surfaced on the internet, just over a month after the company first received permission to drive on public roads.

Apple’s self-driving car is actually a Lexus RX450h outfitted with sensors powered by Apple’s own autonomous driving software. Video of the car in action reveals Apple’s project is already highway-worthy as the company races to catch up to its competition.

Watch it cruise the road with ease:

Use Notes app to plan your vacation

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notes vacation plan
The notes app is a great way to share the planning of your next vacation.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Here’s the worst way to organize any task: email. You can’t put everything in one place, and even if you could, you could never find it. Apple’s built-in Notes app, on the other hand, is the perfect place to store all those snippets of info you accumulate when planning something like a vacation. You can collect web pages, add checklists and photos, and even sketch maps, or add other media like PDFs or apps. And then you can share that note with any number of people and all read and update it.

Let’s see how it all works.

Apple launches new ‘Switch to iPhone’ ads and website

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Android users can jump to iOS with ease.
Android users can jump to iOS with ease.
Photo: Apple

Apple is turning up the heat on Android with a fresh redesign of its website that teaches smartphone customers how to transition to iPhone.

The new site makes it super-easy for Android users to make the change to iOS by promoting one of Apple’s only Android apps: Move to iOS.

Trade-up to the iPhone 7 and capture all of your trips this summer in perfect clarity

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iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus cameras
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus helped Apple reverse a three-quarter sales decline.
Photo: Apple

Summer is finally upon us and staying up to date with the latest devices is essential for vacation season.  With long awaited trips rapidly approaching, having a great camera to document all your adventures is paramount. Do yourself a favor this summer, sell your old device, and upgrade to a new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus just in time for that beach trip!

New MacBook Pro gives Apple a Q1 sales bump

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MacBook
The new MacBook Pro has been great for Apple's bottom line.
Photo: Apple

Despite a slow global market, Apple’s notebook sales experienced year-over-year growth last quarter, according to a new report that reveals the new MacBook Pro provided the company with a considerable bump in sales.

Notebook shipments were up 6.1% worldwide for the first quarter of 2017 with total shipments hitting 37.81 million units. That’s great news for manufacturers, but TrendForces’ latest findings show that a cool down period could be on the way.

iPhone shipments are growing in all the right places

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iPhone 7 camera
Even more powerful iPhone cameras are coming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone sales might have fallen year-on-year during the first quarter of 2017, but shipments continue to grow in a number of key markets.

In fact, new data shows that shipments declined only in China and Japan during the first few months of the year.

Mac setups featuring a 3D printed Mac Pro, portable screens and more in this week’s iSetups

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mac setups
Want to see a super cool custom, 3D printed HDD case? Of course you do.
Photo: Alex Castro/Morten Bietilæ/Joakim Jidbacken

The great thing about Mac setups is that they can all be completely different. While one person may dream of a super minimalist science lab-type room, another may want an inspiring, comfortable haven. That’s what makes this week’s iSetups submissions so great.

iSetups is our new show that highlights the best Apple-centric setups submitted by our viewers. (You’ll also get plenty of tips and tricks for how you can improve your own setup.) Check them out for yourself in the video below, as well as full breakdowns and links to featured products.

Nike’s new Apple Watch bands mean no more mismatched wrist and shoes

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Nike_Vapormax_DTN_Direction2_Full_Set_16x9_native_1600.0
See what we mean?
Photo: Nike

Ever been socially ostracized for wearing an Apple Watch band that doesn’t match the color of your sneakers, or is way too bright for the time of day you’re rocking it?

Such nightmarish scenarios are set to come to an end this June, courtesy of Apple and Nike’s latest collaboration. Announced today, Nike is releasing four new chic Nike Sports Bands for Apple Watch, coming in colors matching the Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit “Day to Night” collection.

Drive Genius 5 unclogs and revives your Mac’s drive [Deals]

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Drive Genius 5- Standard License
Drive Genius offers a toolbox for keeping your Mac drive clean and running at top speeds.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your Mac is meant to work like magic. But we all know that beneath the sleek silver there’s a complicated machine, one that needs to be taken care of if it’s going to last. Drive Genius is a popular app designed to keep hard drives hygienic, and recover ones that have already gone kaput. Used by no less than the Apple Genius Bar itself, they offer a suite of tools that can help to speed up, clean up, protect, and even revive your Mac. It’s well worth looking into for any Mac owner, but right now you can get a standard license for Drive Genius 5 for just $39 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Retailers scrap Apple Pay transaction limit in U.K.

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Apple Pay Terminal
¡Es inminente!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

British retailers have begun accepting Apple Pay payments above £30, making the service an even more convenient payment option.

Apple has confirmed that over half of all contactless payment terminals in the U.K. can now process Apple Pay transactions of any value.

iPhone 8 sized up by new chassis molds

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Screen Shot 2017-05-22 at 13.24.15
The iPhone 8 is the one in the middle with the vertical camera configuration.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

New photos posted online apparently reveal molds of Apple’s upcoming 2017 iPhone refresh — including both the major iPhone 8 upgrade, and the smaller iPhone 7s and 7s Plus updates.

While it’s not confirmed that the molds are genuine, they do appear to back up a number of details about Apple’s next-gen (and not quite so next-gen) handsets. Check the other images out below.

Working Apple-1 disappoints at auction

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Apple-1
The Apple-1 went for a bargain $112,000.
Photo: Auction Team Breker

A rare functioning Apple-1 computer has sold for $112,000 at auction in Berlin — considerably less than the predicted $200,000-$334,000 auctioneers expected it to fetch.

Given that, in 2014, another Apple-1 computer sold at auction for an incredible $905,000, it’s proof positive that the spike in Apple-1 prices which followed Steve Jobs’ death is most likely over.

Old Man’s Journey, Google Assistant, and other awesome apps of the week

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

A gorgeously illustrated, story-driven game with an utterly unique gameplay mechanic is just one of the titles we’ve picked out for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also got Google’s AI assistant, a classic Capcom game finally landed in the App Store after almost 30 years, and a third party keyboard that’s gotten even better. Check out our picks below.

This app unlocks new possibilities for PDFs [Deals]

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CoM - PDFConverterOCR 4
Work with PDFs like never before with this essential converter toolkit.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you work at a computer, PDFs probably cross your desktop on the regular. It’s a content-rich format that can make digital documents a pleasure to read. But when the time comes to make changes to a PDF, you’ve got to have the right tools. PDFConverterOCR is a great example, with the ability to convert native or scanned PDFs into a wide range of fully editable document formats. It’s a must have for anyone who regularly deals in digital documents, and right now you can get a lifetime license for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Shower while grooving to your favorite tunes [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-05-18
This week's best deals include a shower-proof Bluetooth speaker, mobile VPN protection, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’re back for another round of the very best deals on gear and gadgets in the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got an extra huge Bluetooth shower speaker, a simple but powerful mobile VPN, a handy app for cutting down on reading times, and a set of workout-ready Bluetooth earbuds. Everything in this week’s roundup is discounted by 75 percent or more, read on for more details: