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Make Black Friday an occasion to get your Mac organized with this Mac app bundle [Deals]

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This massive bundle of deals can organize anyone's digital life in time for the holidays.
This massive bundle of deals can organize anyone's digital life in time for the holidays.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Instead of standing in line after Thanksgiving, get your productivity in line with these massively discounted apps for organizing any Mac. Everything from tuning your hard drive to editing PDFs and creating mixtapes and animations, if you work on a computer there’s something you can use, all for just $39.99.

Don’t even think about trying to repair your Apple Pencil

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You won't be easily taking your Apple Pencil apart and reassembling it.
Photo: iFixit

The Apple Pencil stylus accessory was one of the most-praised parts of the newly-launched iPad Pro — which, naturally, means that our friends at iFixit were tripping over one another to pull it apart and scoop through its gory innards like geeky zombies with a taste for tech components.

Here’s what they discovered in their customary teardown.

Jony Ive was right — Swiss watchmakers are dying

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apple-watch
Do Swiss watchmakers wake up sweating at the sight of the Apple Watch?
Photo: Apple

Jony Ive memorably (allegedly) described Swiss watchmakers as “f**ked” due to the then-impending launch of the launch of the Apple Watch, and one year later — like some kind of creepy, well-dressed soothsayer in an Apple-centric episode of The Twilight Zone — it seems he may have been correct.

Swiss watch exports suffered their biggest decline in six years in October, with sales dropping 12 percent to $2 billion. Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich, describes 2015 as a year “to forget” for watchmakers.

Unless their name is Apple, of course.

Top 12 Black Friday ads (so far): Amazing TVs, smartphones, iPads and more

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iPad Air 3 will be the smartest iPad yet.
iPad Air 3 will be the smartest iPad yet.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Black Friday is inching closer and we’ve got plenty of ads to whet our appetite for savings. We’ve done our initial inspection, and we’re ready to present our first look at the best Black Friday ads. Here you’ll find all our favorite ads in one convenient place, from crazy-cheap TVs to Apple items galore.

Got an opinion on which ads are the best? After reviewing the list below, click here to vote in our poll about which doorbuster is top dog for 2015!

Talk show host explains why it pays to be pals with Jony Ive

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Ive
It pays to be nice to this man, apparently.
Photo: Apple

Popular U.K. talk show host Jonathan Ross (possibly best known to U.S. readers as the husband of Kick-Ass screenwriter Jane Goldman) recently gave an interview about technology as part of the IAB Digital Upfronts 2015 conference.

In addition to touching on Apple Watch and a variety of other tech topics, the most interesting anecdote came when “Wossy” talked about getting on the Apple free products guest list — including receiving an iPod shuffle months before it was publicly available.

How? Apparently it pays to be nice to students. Particularly if one of them turns out to be the future Sir Jony Ive.

Mini shock-absorbers could save your next iPhone from a nasty drop

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Apple doesn't want this happening to your future iPhones.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s always on the lookout for ways to improve the resiliency of its devices. For this reason, the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office today published a new patent application from the company — calling for retractable drop-proof bumpers to be built into future iPhone housing, capable of doubling as a flotation device in case your handset accidentally lands in water.

Apple seeking another supplier to help build Apple Watch 2

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Apple Watch 2 concept by Eric Huismann
One possible concept for the Apple Watch 2.
Photo: Eric Heisuman

Apple is seeking out another manufacturer to help build its upcoming Apple Watch 2, according to a newly published report, citing supply chain insiders.

While Apple currently relies on Quanta Computer to build its first-gen wearable device, the company is said to also be speaking with Inventec, Wistron and Foxconn Electronics — all companies Cupertino has previously worked with — to help build its follow-up smartwatch, which is expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2016.

Apple passes the $1 billion sales mark in India

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India loves Apple products.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple has crossed the $1 billion sales mark for its Indian operations for the first time, according to a filing with India’s Registrar of Companies (RoC) this week.

Apple saw 44 percent increase in sales for its most recent financial year, marking an overall doubling of Indian sales in the past two years — largely due to increased demand for the iPhone.

New Apple TV ad taps into Muppet bromance

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Apple TV ad Muppets
Apple's betting it's impossible to say no to that face.
Photo: ABC

Apple TV owners can watch ABC on their streaming boxes (with a subscription), and the company isn’t afraid to exploit the undying, platonic love between a bear and a frog to make that fact known.

The latest Apple TV ad showcases the Watch ABC app, which lets existing cable subscribers watch full episodes and live broadcasts of the network’s programming, including The Muppets. The puppet-driven show features prominently in the new, 15-second spot which went live today.

Check it out below:

The first Lytro is still ahead of its time, and more affordable than ever [Deals]

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The original Lytro is still well ahead of its time, taking images that are more like living moments than photos.
The original Lytro is still well ahead of its time, taking images that are more like living moments than photos.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Light-field photography has been around for a number of years now, but it’s still mind-blowing. By measuring the direction of all the light rays in an image space, it produces pictures that can be refocused and explored like a living moment, a paradigm shift that was marked by the introduction of the first Lytro camera. Now this game-changing tech can be yours for a mere $69.99 at Cult of Mac Deals. Take an additional 10% off with coupon code EARLY10.

Apple Watch tops holiday list for IBM’s Watson

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iBM Watson
IBM's supercomputer Watson isn't just good at Jeopardy.
Photo: IBM

If you’ve watched any YouTube videos lately, you might have learned that IBM’s Watson supercomputer is a big fan of Bob Dylan, even though the deep-learning machine can’t carry a tune. But we can also add the Apple Watch to Watson’s list of likes, as the wearable has topped the think-bot’s list of items trending this holiday.

These results come from a brand-new, free app that collects and analyzes customer sentiment from across the Internet.

Pro Tip: Lock down your Amazon account with two-step verification

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Keep your Amazon details safe with two-step verification.
Keep your Amazon details safe with two-step verification.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bugIf you’re an Apple ID owner, you know that two-step verification is the best way to make sure that only you have access to your personal credit card details along with your app, music, and video purchases.

Until a couple of weeks ago, Amazon–another company that probably has private financial information from you–didn’t have a way to do the same thing. That way, even if someone figures out your password, they’ll only have half the info needed to make changes to or access your account.

Now that the Seattle-based books-and-everything-else company allows for it, it’s time to zip up your personal details. Here’s how.

Wearable recorder keeps your mic close at hand

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Kapture puts an omnidirectional mic on your wrist.
Kapture puts an omnidirectional mic on your wrist.
Photo: Kapture

There are people who walk this earth with a recorder and mic much the way a photographer does with a camera. Like the eye, the ear picks up rich and textured details, from the husky-voiced uncle spinning a yarn at Thanksgiving to swirly gusts of wind rousting the last leaves of fall clinging to their branches.

Whatever peeks your audio curiosity, Kapture is a discreet recorder ready at the wrist to save the ambient sound that orbits your ears.

Apple Watch dominates list of 10 most wanted smartwatches

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Chances are you'll see quite a few more of these in the coming years.
It's nice to be wanted -- Apple Watch is blowing away the competition heading into the holiday season.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A new report from analytics firm Argus Insights puts the Apple Watch well ahead of its competitors heading into the all-important holiday season.

Four of the 10 most favorably reviewed smartwatches on the market are Apples. More surprisingly, however, is that price doesn’t seem to be a factor.

Apple Pay says ‘G’day’ to Australia

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Apple Pay iPhone
Apple Pay finally an option for digital purchases.
Photo: Apple

Apple Pay has finally made its way to iPhone and Apple Watch users in the Land Down Under, but only if they’re using American Express.

One day after the mobile payments service launched in Canada, Apple has flipped the switch for Apple Pay in Australia, allowing iOS device owners to make payments at any retailer that accepts Amex contactless payments.

Here are some of the stores participating in the launch:

Bing’s redesigned iPhone app focuses on instant answers

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Bing's new app is both pretty and powerful.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft released a completely revamped Bing app for iPhone today with a redesigned home page and a much larger emphasis on instant answers to search queries. Finding what you’re looking for now takes much less time.  It’s possible that this release is a stepping stone to the iOS debut of Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Google Now.

Learning to build 20 iOS games will cost you 20 bucks with this lesson bundle [Deals]

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This bundle of four lessons lets you cut your teeth on developing for iOS with 20 different games.
This bundle of four lessons lets you cut your teeth on developing for iOS with 20 different games.

If you think playing games is satisfying, try making them. Actually, try making 20. This bundle of four mobile game-making lessons from StackSkills usually goes for over $2,000. But right now the whole thing is just $20 at Cult of Mac Deals. Receive another 10% off with coupon code EARLY10.

Samsung Pay to beat Apple Pay to China next year

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Samsung Pay will expand next year. Photo: Samsung
Samsung Pay will expand next year. Photo: Samsung

Samsung is already fighting Apple Pay head on in the U.S., and now the South Korean company wants to beat it to new markets. A new report claims Samsung Pay will make its way to China, Spain, and the U.K. next year — only one of which is already supported by Apple Pay.

High-tech megaphone will translate your speech in real-time

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An airport worker holds the Megaphoneyaku, which can broadcast messages in three languages.
An airport worker holds the Megaphoneyaku, which can broadcast messages in three languages.
Photo: Tohru Watanabe/Mainichi Newspapers

A blaring megaphone is an effective way to get people’s attention. But what if the people in the room speak a multitude of languages?

A Tokyo airport is trying to solve the language gap with international travelers with a megaphone that lets the user communicate in three different languages. A worker speaking one of three languages, Chinese, Korean or English, can have their message broadcast in the other two.

Apple stock is a Must Buy, according to Goldman Sachs

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple's untapped financial frontier could be software.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

I’ll never cease to be amazed by how Apple can announce record-beating quarters and introduce hit product after hit product, only for Wall Street to turn around and channel the old disapproving parental message of, “We’re not angry, just disappointed.”

Fortunately, Goldman Sachs has broken with tradition by issuing a note to clients with its strongest of recommendations that they buy AAPL stock — stamping it with a “conviction buy” rating, based on Apple’s potential for continued growth.

Apple begins selling official Watch charging dock

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Finally, a dignified way to charge your Apple Watch!
Photo: Apple

Apple today launched an official $79 charging dock for the Apple Watch, which functions both as a flat charging puck and in Nightstand mode — giving you the option of either charging your smartwatch in a flat position with the band open, or else on its side.

Stress test shows how tough it is to snap an Apple Pencil while it’s charging

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The Apple Pencil makes drawing on an iPad Pro incredibly precise.
Don't worry -- the Apple Pencil's pretty rugged.
Photo: Apple

One of the neatest features of the new Apple Pencil is its ability to easily charge it by plugging it into the Lightning port of your iPad Pro — with 15 seconds of charge giving you an impressive 30 minutes of use.

But how easy is it to break Apple’s high-tech stylus while it’s in this vulnerable position? In the long tradition of people buying the latest Apple products solely to break them carrying out informative stress tests for would-be customers, YouTuber Zach Straley recently picked up an Apple Pencil for this exact reason.

Check out the video below.