This week was one heckuva wild ride for Apple fans. First we got new MacBook Airs, iPad Pros, Mac minis and Apple Pencils. Then Apple threw Wall Street a curveball during yet another surprising (and surprisingly positive) earnings call.

Get the scoop on the latest Apple hardware, plus reviews and how-tos, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Then get ready to spend your weekend drooling over it on your iPad or iPhone. Grab your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes now.

Bonus: Don’t miss your chance to win an iPhone XR!

Some of the coolest tech gear is also the smallest, and the same goes for the price tag. So we’ve rounded up some of the biggest deals on the most compact gear and gadgets in the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve got a keychain-sized breathalyzer, a micro iPhone charger, and more. Read on for more details.

Apple saw a decline last quarter in the number of iPad models it shipped globally. But there’s good news hidden amidst the bad: a market-analysis firm says consumers were just holding off purchases of new iOS tablets until this quarter.

Plus, Apple’s Q3 shipments were still more than sufficient to dominate this product category. If that’s not enough, as the company pointed out at its October press event, in the past four quarters, iPad sales beat every laptop vendor in the world.

It’s hard comprehending the road Apple took to create the iPhone XS. What started in a garage 42 years ago grew into a trillion dollar company.

Now, you can own an iPhone XS that honors the tech giant’s spartan beginnings.

Just a few days after unveiling the new iPad Pro, Apple’s Chief of Design revealed what he likes best about it, including one feature you might never notice. This tablet just got some significant changes in its form factor, with Jony Ive leading the redesign team.

He also discussed the difficulties of improving products that are already very popular.

Apple’s cheapest iPhone of 2018 is just as fast as Samsung’s most expensive smartphone.

Despite packing less than half the RAM and $500 cheaper price tag, the iPhone XR matched Samsung’s Note 9 in a recent speed test by PhoneBuff. The new iPhone was even leading the Note 9 during some parts of the speed test, which shows how quickly the devices can open some of the biggest apps on iOS and Android.

Watch the battle:

I’m a pretty seasoned iPad buyer. I’ve been using them since the very first iPad back in 2010, and I’ve always known exactly how much storage to buy. Back in the early days it was easy — never buy the lowest storage tier, and if in doubt, always buy more than you think you’ll need. But today, the issue is a lot less clear. With cheap iCloud storage, and a pretty-decent entry level of 64GB, how do you decide how much space you need? Let’s see.

A word of caution to fans of Dwayne Johnson should he ever use the woozy face emoji, just released in iOS 12.1: you may not want to “smell what The Rock’s got cookin.’”

Bemused by the puzzlement of the masses on social media, the former wrestler-turned-actor dropped his theories on Twitter on just what the half-cocked face might be expressing.

The Mac serves many roles for many people. Whether it’s used for creativity, research, development, content consumption, or as a server, there is a Mac for the job. During Apple’s October “More in the Making,” the company highlighted several of these key roles the Mac plays, and gave a shoutout to MacStadium’s incredible Mac server farm.

But what is MacStadium really doing, and what does it actually look like to be surrounded by hundreds of Mac mini? YouTube technology entertainer Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs had a chance to visit their Las Vegas facility to find out more.

Apple shocked Wall Street yesterday when it revealed that it will no longer share information about how many iPhones sell each quarter. Instead, the company will provide the average sale price, which Cupertino claims is a far more useful figure to investors.

It’s a big change in strategy from a company that used to make a point of crowing about its landmark sales figures. But, while this move might disappoint some fans, it’s totally the right call. Here’s why.

It seems Spotify is finally gearing up to deliver the one feature iPhone fans have been calling for: Apple Watch support.

Screenshots from a preview version of the app have been posted online ahead of its official release. They suggest the wearable component will allow users to navigate their playlists, control music playback, and even stream to other devices.

Elon Musk doesn’t think that Apple products “blow people’s minds” in the same way that they did at one point in time.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO briefly shared his thoughts on the company during an hour-long interview with Recode‘s Kara Swisher. While Musk noted that he still uses an iPhone, he also gave the impression that he views Apple as a company whose most exciting days may not be ahead of it.

Nintendo could finally be preparing to bring The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong to mobile. The two beloved franchises have proven to be incredibly successful on the Japanese company’s own consoles, and there’s a sign they may be coming to your pocket.

iPhones have become very good at reading our faces. Most of us use it for unlocking our phones or sending animoji. But it turns out Face ID technology is also a great tool for creating animated movies.

Stardew Valley made its mobile debut just over a week ago, and it’s already getting a big update that adds a whole bunch of new control options. Those who didn’t like the tap-to-move control scheme can now enjoy a virtual joystick instead.

There was a lot to be enthusiastic about from yesterday’s Apple earnings, but some investors are rattled by weaker-than-expected iPhone sales.

As a result, Apple’s valuation dipped below the $1 trillion mark for the first time since the company hit that milestone earlier this year. The slide could well continue in the early part of today.

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s “There’s More in the Making” keynote was an action-packed ride stuffed with one hardware update after another! We’ll tell you what we like (and what we don’t) about Apple’s newest product updates. Plus: Apple quietly offers a big “screw you” to 2018 MacBook Pro owners. Prepare for a rant!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

Apple has removed 11 categories from the Mac App Store. The Categories tab now displays just 10 options as opposed to 21, with Finance, Lifestyle, and Sports among those dropped.

The move is a disappointment to app developers who rely on specific categories for discoverability. Many initially believed that the change was a bug, but Apple has since confirmed that the removal of these items is “expected behavior.”

Apple and Stanford University’s giant-sized study into heart health among Apple Watch users is wrapping up. According to the researchers, the study has now entered its final phase of data collection and is due to be completed “early next year.”

In total, more than 400,000 people were enrolled in what is described as the largest screening study on atrial fibrillation ever done. It was intended to determine whether wearable devices can accurately identify irregular heart rhythms.

The iPhone and iPad operating system pre-release version seeded only to developers yesterday is now available to everyone.  iOS 12.1.1 beta 1 includes tweaks to current features but no new ones.

The public also got access to tvOS 12.1.1 beta 1 today.

Apple just had its best September quarter of all-time and CEO Tim Cook couldn’t have sounded happier when he got on the phone with investors today. The company is heading into the holiday season with its best lineup ever and expects to set more records next quarter.

Investors did not seem to be too impressed with the results though. Apple’s stock price dropped from $222.22 to as low as $206 in after-hours training. Despite Wall Street’s worries about Apple, there was plenty of achievements for Tim Cook and Luca Maestri to boast about on today’s call.

There were the biggest revelations from today’s call:

Apple just posted its Q4 2018 earnings report and, per usual, it was another record-breaking quarter for the iPhone-maker.

Revenue and iPhone sales came in slightly higher than Wall Street’s expectations, while Services revenue hit an all-time high of $10 billion. Another record-breaking quarter looks like it’s on the horizon, too. Apple CEO Tim says the company is heading into the holiday season with its strongest lineup ever.

The Speck Presidio Pro Folio boasts a polycarbonate outer shell designed to protect the latest iPad Pro models should they fall from a greater height than they are ever likely to.

The upcoming case turns into a stand for typing or viewing, and includes a cradle to store the new Apple Pencil.

Apple’s last earnings call of 2018 kicks off in an hour, and it’s shaping up to be the company’s biggest Q4 report ever.

Shares of Apple stock have been on an upward trend the last few days as investors eagerly await their first glimpse at iPhone XS sales figures. Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are set to get on the phone with investors at 2 p.m. Pacific this afternoon. We’ll be right here live-blogging all the action with as much witty analysis as we can must.

Come join the fun!

Not everyone who signs up for the iOS beta program is a developer. There are journalists testing new features, and regular folks who just want to try the latest additions (despite the bugs). But what happens when the final version ships? You’re left running the beta, while everyone else is on the regular version.

Today we’ll see how to exit the iOS beta program and switch back to regular updates.