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Snag awesome stocking stuffers for the Apple fans in your life [Deals]

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Pick up premium, portable tech gear for your loved ones, at massive discounts.
Pick up premium, portable tech gear for your loved ones, at massive discounts.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Just like every year, the holidays hit us before we know it. So to make sure you aren’t caught without anything to offer the Apple fans and other tech types in your life, we’ve rounded up five great deals on stocking stuffers that are sure to please.

We’ve got ultra-tough charging cables, adapters to make any headphones wireless, high-end power bricks, and plenty more. Everything is discounted by a third or more!

Save up to 30% on the 2017 iPad Pro [Deals]

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iPad Pro
Right now, you can pick up a 2017 iPad Pro for (up to) $330 off!
Photo: Apple

If you’re in the market for an iPad Pro, but working on a budget, B&H Photo Video is currently offering the 2017 12.9-inch iPad Pro at an amazing discount. With savings ranging from $220 to $330 off, you can pick up last year’s biggest tablets for hundreds less than their 2018 counterparts.

With B&H’s current offering, you can get a 2nd Generation (2017) 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 64GB of storage and Wi-Fi for $579 (a $230 savings). Or get the fully loaded Wi-Fi + Cellular model with 512GB for a cool $999 (a $280 savings).

The best deal of the bunch, coming in at $330 off, is the 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model for $749.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Mango Health CEO quits to join Apple’s health team

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Mango Health
The CEO behind this medication-tracking app joined Apple.
Photo: Mango Health

Apple has made another high-profile hire that could help the company gain a stronger foothold in the healthcare space.

Former Mango Health CEO Jason Oberfest left his highly-regarded startup last month. At the time, Mango Health only named a replacement but didn’t say where Oberfest was headed to. Now we have news that he has joined Apple as a member of its health team.

How to use a USB-C hub with the 2018 iPad Pro

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Any USB-C hub will work with your iPad Pro, but they all have really short cables.
Any USB-C hub will work with your iPad Pro, but they all have really short cables.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The only concrete advantage of USB-C over Lightning in the new iPad — so far — is that you can pick up pretty much any USB-C hub and use it with the iPad. Previously, you had one choice if you wanted to plug USB devices into your iPad — Apple’s Lightning-to-USBC camera connector.

The choice is way wider for 2018 iPad Pro owners. And while plugging in a USB-C hub is easy, there are a few things to watch out for. Let’s take a look at those, and see what you can use the hub for.

Test lab gives iPhone XR top marks for single-cam smartphone

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iPhone XR test
Expensive performing camera in a budget iPhone.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR received the highest rating ever for a single-cam smartphone tested by image lab DxOMark.

Apple’s budget option for 2018 held its own against the more-expensive iPhone XS Max in a number of categories. Its score of 101 comes in just four points below that of the iPhone XS Max. And it’s three points better than the Google Pixel 2.

Richard Gere could be next actor to sign on for Apple series

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Gere 1
Richard Gere will play a Vietnam veteran.
Photo: Francesco/Flickr CC

Richard Gere could be the next actor to participate in one of Apple’s original TV shows. According to a new report, Apple is in the process of signing a series starring the Pretty Woman actor, written by Homeland scribe Howard Gordon.

The eight-episode series would follow two elderly friends and Vietnam veterans, whose life is thrown into disarray when a woman they both loved 50 years earlier is killed in a car accident.

Toasty touchscreen gloves let you swipe and scroll in the bitter cold [Review]

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touchscreen gloves
Mujjo touchscreen gloves keep you warm and connected.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

The last time I tried to use touchscreen gloves, I had made the decision to just never use my phone outdoors in the dead of winter. The damn things just weren’t warm.

I’m recalling this from my home in Minnesota, where this week’s lows are forecast to dip below zero for the first time this winter and I am wearing touchscreen gloves.

Qualcomm president says Apple battle coming to an end

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Qualcomm headquarters
The long-running clash is coming to an end soon.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon says that, one way or another, the battle between his company and Apple is coming to an end soon.

“We feel like we are probably near the end of this game — we have a lot of legal milestones approaching,” Cristiano Amon told Yahoo Finance. “We see 2019 as having events that will drive resolution one way or another.” Unless an agreement is reached, the two companies are currently set to face off in court in April.

Apple acquires startup co-founded by iTunes Festival boss

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Denzyl Feigelson 2
Apple has snapped up an artist-friendly music marketing firm.
Screenshot: Tileyard Education

Apple has reportedly acquired U.K.-based music creative services and artist development company Platoon.

The company has history with Apple, being co-founded by former Apple live events and artist relations exec Denzyl Feigelson. Described as “a platform for fearless creatives,” Platoon has helped develop a number of early stage artists in the U.S. and UK since launching in 2016.

Apple sends out notification pushing iPhone users to upgrade

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Apple advertising 1
This is the message received by users.
Photo: Steve Lederer/Twitter

Apple’s apparently taking its “fire drill” approach to pushing the iPhone XR and XS seriously. As noted by developer Steve Lederer on Twitter, Apple recently sent out a push notification prompting users to upgrade to the iPhone XR or XS.

This was sent out to people on Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, so it’s not really breaking Apple’s own App Store rules stating that apps should not send unsolicited spam to customers. However, it’s also not the kind of soft sell we’d usually expect from Apple.

Australia’s new anti-encryption laws are bad news for Apple

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Apple takes privacy seriously
Apple is all about privacy.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Australia’s population may be less than 10 percent of the United States’ but its new anti-privacy laws could still have Silicon Valley tech giants quaking in their boots.

The country’s newly passed laws mean that law enforcement officials are allowed to access encrypted messages when required. That affects companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and, yes, Apple.

Lego Ninjago AR app brings toys to virtual life

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Lego Ninjago AR brings playsets to life in a mixed reality in game.
Lego Ninjago AR brings playsets to life in a mixed reality in game.
Photo: Lego

At Apple’s developer conference in June, Lego demonstrated an app built with ARkit that placed real Lego sets in virtual environments. The first version of that software just launched today.

Lego Ninjago AR lets players interact with certain Dragon Hunters sets. And two people can play together thanks to the multi-player capabilities added in ARkit 2.

How (and when) to use Apple Watch ECG feature

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Apple health care
Apple's health-tracking features have been a game changer.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

watchOS 5.1.2 launched to the public this morning and finally activated the ECG feature on Apple Watch Series 4.

For now, the ECG app can only be used in the US and US territories, but it gives wearers the ability to take an electrocardiogram to see whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation. Using the ECG only takes about 30 seconds and it could save your life.

Here’s how to master the ECG:

Best gifts for iPhone fans [Gift Guide 2018]

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iPhone gift guide 2018
Buying for an iPhone fan? Start here!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

With the holidays right around the corner, you should have started your shopping by now. And if you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re already fed up of it. That’s why Cult of Mac is here to help.

Gift guide 2018 bugOur handy holiday gift guides will help you pick out the perfect present for friends and loves ones. We’ve hand-picked all kinds of awesome accessories and gadgets that are worthy of your hard-earned cash — and guaranteed to fetch a smile.

This guide is for the iPhone fans in your life, and it includes something to suit every budget.

New Apple Watch videos will melt your heart

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Apple Watch
Michael shares his story of how Apple Watch saved his life.
Photo: Apple

Apple shared two videos on YouTube this morning highlighting the life-saving power of the Apple Watch and its heart rate sensor. In one of the videos, numerous Apple Watch owners share their stories of how Apple Watch alerted them to a serious heart condition.

The videos come on the same day that Apple’s ECG feature on Apple Watch Series 4 was finally made available to the public. Tim Cook said in an interview today that improving people’s health will be Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind. After watching the two new videos, it’s easy to see that he’s probably right.

You might want to grab a tissue:

Boosting users’ health is ‘Apple’s largest contribution to mankind,’ Tim Cook says

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Apple Watch Meidcare
The ECG could save your life.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Electrocardiogram (ECG) feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 is finally launching to the public today and according to Tim Cook, it could be one of the most important things his company ever does.

Tim Cook and Apple COO Jeff Williams are putting on a full-court media press today doing interviews with TIME and CBS This Morning. With hundreds of millions of iPhones in pockets around the world and watches on tens of millions of wrists, Apple says it has a responsibility to empower people with more information about their health.

Turn an iPhone or iPad into a remote control for your Mac

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Take remote control of your Mac with handy app Remote for Mac.
Take remote control of your Mac with this handy app.
Screenshots: Remote for Mac

This post is presented by Remote for Mac.

Your Mac or MacBook is a modern media hub. It’s your source for movies, music, podcasts, games, apps and plenty more. But to use it, you’ve still got to walk up and tap at the keyboard and mouse. So in that sense, it’s like a step back to the bad old days of dialing in radio and TV stations.

Remote for Mac adds the convenience that we expect from our devices in the 21st century. It turns your iPhone or iPad into a fully loaded remote control for all kinds of functions on your Mac. It brings full trackpad and keyboard control to your phone, so you can use your Mac without leaving the couch.

Luminar 3 imaging app gives photogs more time to shoot

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Luminar 3
Luminar 3 adds image libraries.
Photo: Skylum

Luminar, Skylum Software’s all-in-one photo editing program, will soon add more tools so photographers spend less time using it.

That may sound strange, but photographers would rather spend time behind the camera than in front of the computer. Skylum, formerly called Macphun, exists to make the complex tools for editing user-friendly.

If you picked Apple’s IPO over Microsoft’s, you can start crying now

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Microsoft Windows
Apple may be the cooler company, but Microsoft's where the money is.
Photo: Microsoft

If you’d had the foresight to invest in Apple and Microsoft back when they first went public, it’s no secret that you’d be sitting on a big old pile of cash today.

But which company would have made you more money? CNBC recently crunched the numbers and, well, the results are somewhat surprising.