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This $43,000 Apple Watch will appeal to your inner oligarch

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golld Apple Watch
This Series 4 will cost serious dollars.
Photo: Caviar

Caviar, a Russian company that tricks out iPhones in gold and precious gems, has an Apple Watch Series 4 “for those who cannot be surprised easily.”

So let’s see if that’s you. How does $43,850 strike you?

The headline may have ruined the surprise, but you might be startled once you learn the details that got the watch to that price point.

Give big love and soul to your Apple Watch with these rustic, hand-crafted bands

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Partnered with the Apple Watch, Strapley is a product of elegant, rustic simplicity.
Partnered with the Apple Watch, Strapley is a product of elegant, rustic simplicity.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Sourcing the best Apple Watch bands and accessories for Cult of Mac readers is a huge priority for our Watch Store. We hit the mark with Strapley’s distressed-leather bands for Apple Watch, available at our Watch Store just in time for the holidays!

These stunning bands are crafted in-house and look like no other Apple Watch band on the market. Equally elegant and rustic, they’re versatile enough to elevate your Apple Watch. Don’t believe us? Check out our unboxing video:

Apple rolls out fourth macOS 10.14.2 beta

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Get ready to go dark with macOS Mojave Dark Mode.
Get your hands on the latest beta today.
Photo: Apple

Registered developers can now get their hands on Apple’s fourth macOS 10.14.2 beta.

It comes just two weeks after the release of the third beta, and it focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. It doesn’t look like Apple has made any significant changes in this release.

Star Wars drones will blow your nerdy mind [Deals]

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Live out your Star Wars flights of fancy with these high performance, feature-rich drones.
Live out your sci-fi flights of fancy with these high-performance drones.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Any Star Wars fan can relate to the dream of taking off in an X-wing. The best we could do in the old days was to play video games or mouth engine noises while running around the living room a toy starfighter. But it’s the future now, so anyone can live out their own Star Wars dogfights and chase scenes.

75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12

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iOS 12
iOS 12 is outpacing iOS 11 in terms of adoption.
Photo: Apple

Three-quarters of iOS users have upgraded to iOS 12, data released by analytics firm Mixpanel suggests. According to the firm’s records, around 75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12, around 20 percent are still on iOS 11, and the remainder are using a previous version.

It’s an impressive reminder of just how rapidly Apple users upgrade to the latest operating system.

Shine: Journey of Light looks and plays like a dream

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SHINE - Journey Of Light is a relaxing iOS game.
Looking for a dreamy new platformer for iOS? You've come to the right place.
Photo: Fox and Sheep GmbH

From Monument Valley to Alto’s Odyssey, there are some truly jaw-droppingly beautiful games on iOS. Eager to add its name to this list is Shine: Journey of Light, a refreshingly calming take on the platformer genre — in which you guide an orb of light through assorted caves, magical woods, and underwater labyrinths.

The goal is to find other orbs of light which, combined, will help light up the stars in the sky. Okay, so that might sound like nonsensical gibberish to the uninitiated, but the game is a dreamy stunner. Check out the trailer below.

Lack of in-built dust filters damages Macs, claims class action suit

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macOS high sierra
Class action lawsuit says Macs should come with built-in dust filters.
Photo: Apple

A growing class action lawsuit is seeking more plaintiffs to take Apple to court over its iMacs and MacBooks.

The accusation? That by selling computers without dust filters, Apple is willfully ignoring something which can interfere with the “functionality and use” of the high-end displays.

Qualcomm CEO says battle with Apple is nearing its end

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Qualcomm patents
Could the feud finally be coming to an end?
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple’s battle with Qualcomm has been raging on for the past two years, but an end could finally be in sight. Possibly.

In an interview with CNBC‘s Jim Cramer, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that the company is currently “on the doorstep” of a resolution with Apple.

iPhone XR isn’t a dud. It’s Apple’s best-selling model.

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
iPhone XS seems to be selling well, but iPhone XR sales are stronger.
Photo: Apple

In a change for Apple, its best-selling model isn’t its most expensive. A company VP says the iPhone XR has outsold the iPhone XS series since the cheaper device came out last month.

Perhaps this will allay recent nervousness about how well Apple’s latest device is selling.

Apple Watch discounts motivate people to move

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Apple Watch Series 4
Offering big Apple Watch discounts for exercise gets real results.
Photo: Apple

John Hancock gives its life insurance customers an Apple Watch for only $25, but they have to earn it by exercising. A new study shows that this program is very successful.

Participants increased their activity rates by over 30 percent. 

DJI’s Osmo Pocket is a tiny gimbal that shoots 4K video

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DJI
Osmo Pocket is impossibly small.
Photo: DJI

The biggest drone company in the world just came out with the world’s tiniest gimbal and it could be a total game changer.

DJI hosted an event in New York City today where the drone-maker unleashed its smallest creation ever: the Osmo Pocket. While most gimbal companies are busy making a big gimbal to put your iPhone or DSLR on, DJI just made a gimbal with its own camera that attaches to your iPhone.

Take a closer look:

‘Distracted Jim’ Morrison has the iPhone blues

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Jim Morrison with iPhone
The late Jim Morrison has a way of making us think about our addictions.
Illustration: Jason Kinsella

The late Jim Morrison had a lot to say during his short life. He poured his ideas into salient psychedelic rock music and imparted prophetic wisdom during interviews with the press.

Oslo-based adman Jason Kinsella set out to prove that some of Morrison’s thoughts on the power of media are truer now than some 50 years ago.

How to watch any YouTube channel as a video podcast

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Turn any YouTube channel into a proper video podcast with PodSync.
Turn any YouTube channel into a proper video podcast.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you ever wish you could take your favorite YouTube channel and subscribe to it as a video podcast? Instead of having to go check in on the YouTube website over and over to see what’s new, you could just subscribe, like any other podcast.

Every time a new video became available, it would automatically download and show up in your favorite podcast app, ready to watch offline. Better still, you could watch it in the native iOS video player, full-screen or picture-in-picture, without all that YouTube junk surrounding it.

If this sounds like a dream come true, then you’re in for a real treat today, because it’s super-duper easy with a service called PodSync.

If you think iPhones are expensive now, try making them in USA

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Foxconn
These assembly workers could be American instead of Chinese if we’re willing to pay a lot more for our iPhones.
Photo: Foxconn

There’s a good chance the iPhone and other Apple products will be hit with tariffs in the Trump administration’s trade war with China. The president has repeatedly stated his simple solution: Make the iPhone in the United States.

But an analyst warns that moving assembly of Apple’s handsets to the U.S. would significantly increase their price.

The best iPhone XS and XR cases are slim, tough and invisible

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New offerings from MNML Case offer a totally transparent layer of protection for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
New offerings from MNML Case offer a totally transparent layer of protection for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
Photo: MNML Case

This post is presented by MNML Case.

A huge part of the iPhone’s appeal is its physical design. Sure, it’s got bells and whistles galore, but the way the phone feels in hand is the one feature you’ll encounter most. But you’ve got to protect your investment, especially when it’s a cool $1,099 as with the iPhone XS Max. So when you get a case, it’s worth getting one that doesn’t bulk up or alter your device’s carefully crafted form.

Google Fi brings innovative wireless to iPhone

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Google
Your iPhone can now get cell service from Google.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After years of limited availability, Google’s wireless phone service has expanded to include iPhones, as well as many more Android devices.

And it has a new name: What used to be called Project Fi is now just Google Fi.

Chinese translation app censors words – but not on iPhone

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Chinese censorship
If using a translation app while in China, you may not get help with politically sensitive topics.
Photo: Hitesh Choudhary/Pexels.com CC

A translation app widely used in China appears to censor politically touchy terms, such as “Tiananmen” or “ Taiwan independence.” It even refuses the name of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

However, the app’s censoring of those forbidden phrases happens only on Android. The iOS version answers the query on all three.

Apple Watch Series 4 will get ECG with watchOS 5.1.2

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Apple Watch Meidcare
That includes a life-saving ECG app.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch Series 4’s biggest feature is finally on the way.

The new ECG app that allows users to monitor their heart rhythm will be introduced with the next watchOS 5.2.1 update, which is now in beta testing. You won’t see it outside the U.S., however.

Fortnite trials gifting for one week only

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Fortnite gifting
Just in time for the holidays!
Photo: Epic Games

If you’ve been waiting for the opportunity to send friends outfits and other items in Fortnite Battle Royale, we have good news.

Epic Games is now trialling a new gifting feature inside the game following yesterday’s version 6.31 update. You’ll be able to use it for one week only, and there are some things you should be aware of.

iPhone needs either a price cut or a big redesign, analyst argues

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iPhone XR
Which one would you prefer?
Photo: Apple

Earlier this year, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives proclaimed 2018 the year of the iPhone super cycle. Jump forward in time, and he’s lowered his price target on Apple, following the “horror show [of] the last month.”

He’s also convinced that something seriously needs to change with next year’s iPhone: either a big change in price or a major redesign. Is he right?

Data recovery firm helps anyone hack locked iPhones

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iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with a keyboard
This tool was previously only available to law enforcement.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Even the FBI struggled a few years back when it tried to get Apple to unlock the iPhone belonging to the suspect in a shooting case. But data recovery firm DriveSavers claims that it has developed a “passcode lockout recovery” that enables even an ordinary member of the public to crack an iPhone.

While it doesn’t share details, it claims that service is “100 percent” successful. It’s not cheap, however. The service reportedly costs around $3,900.

iCloud now syncs with Windows 10 again

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
iCloud is fixed for Windows 10 users.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has updated its iCloud client for Windows to restore syncing with the Windows 10 October 2018 update.

Microsoft’s most recent release prevented iCloud for Windows from being installed or syncing for many users. The company actually halted its rollout for iCloud users as a result.

Apple Pay goes live in Belgium and Kazakhstan

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Belgium will be the 30th market to get Apple Pay.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay has gone live in Belgium. It is supported by BNP Paribas, Belgium’s most popular major bank, and its brands Fintro and Hello Bank. Online services and apps such as Deliveroo, Taxi.eu and Booking.com also accept Apple Pay.

Apple’s contactless payment system has also apparently gone live in Kazakhstan. The two countries are the 30th and 31st to offer Apple Pay.