A number of news outlets reported over the weekend that Microsoft briefly overtook Apple as the most valuable U.S. company. This followed several weeks of precipitous declines for Apple, which has seen billions of dollars wiped off its market cap.

In fact, Apple continues to lead Microsoft with a valuation of $817.6 billion to Microsoft’s $791 billion. The incorrect reports were caused by confusion about Apple’s number of outstanding shares, used to calculate market cap. Microsoft is definitely getting closer, though!

A cutback in chip orders for Apple’s new iPhones is cited as one reason supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will post disappointing earnings for the first quarter of 2019.

According to a new report, the company expects to report a 14-16 percent sequential decline in revenue for Q1 2019. It comes shortly after another major Apple supplier spoke out about a “very difficult” year ahead.

As rumored, Apple has slashed the price of the iPhone XR in Japan in an attempt to get more units into customers’ hands.

The lower price tag is courtesy of NTT Docomo, the country’s main mobile carrier. As of today, customers signing up for a 24-month contract can save around $100 on the cost of the device over its lifespan. The total reduction is from 36,000 yen down to 24,000 yen — plus mandatory contract fees.

Even a 15-inch MacBook Pro screen feels cramped when compared to a big desktop display. Too bad toting around a second screen for your laptop isn’t practical.

But maybe it is. Luna Display is a tiny wireless adapter that lets an iPad act as an external display for a Mac. We tested this accessory to see how well it lives up to its promise of a hassle-free way of extending our MacBook screen when on the go. Read on to find out how it did.

Once the friends and family have polished off the leftover turkey, it’s time for the fun part of Thanksgiving weekend — shopping and saving money. The Cult of Mac Watch Store has you covered through Cyber Monday with up to 50 percent off your favorite Apple Watch bands, chargers and accessories.

You’ll find deep discounts on some of our most popular brands for Apple Watch accessories, including E3 Supply, Ottm, Rilee & Lo and Survival Straps (just to name a few). The sale ends Monday at midnight Pacific, so take advantage of these limited-time discounts while they last.

This week we chill out with Chillscape, make music with Starlight, get excited for Darkroom on iPad, and something about sideloading audio.

Cyber Monday only lasts one day, but what if I told you that you can get early access to some of those hot deals right now? If you missed out on deals during Black Friday, it’s not too late to score now.

Check out the deals below, and make sure to apply the specific promo codes to save even more. Also, see more deals in each collection link.

A trip to the pool — with your Apple Watch on your wrist — is the perfect way to burn off those Thanksgiving carbs. Our quick guide to swimming with Apple Watch will give you key pointers to maximize your watery workout.

If you’re not into that, you’ll still find plenty of Apple news, how-tos and reviews in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Grab your free subscription on iTunes now. Or, if you like, read on for the week’s best posts — plus your last chance to win an iPhone XR!

Black Friday’s gone but the deals aren’t. If you survived the chaos of Black Friday 2018, you can shop today for killer deals on apps, courses and gear — right from the safety of your home.

Be sure to click on the collection links at the end of each section to catch more great deals on hardware, software and educational bundles. And don’t forget to use the discount codes for extra savings.

If you are a snow lover and love to take your snowboard binding and glide on a snowy hill, then this news is definitely going to make you happy as the new files discovered in Fortnite’s latest update all but confirm a snowy map makeover to be on the way.

An approaching storm cloud appeared in Battle Royale earlier this week, leading fans to speculate about a white Christmas. Now it’s looking increasingly likely that the game’s first real winter will arrive with season seven.

Apple’s iBooks app became the Books app in iOS 12, and got a whole lot better. From the library through to the built-in book store, it’s better in every way. It even has a dark mode, perfect for browsing and reading late at night.

But Books’ dark mode doesn’t work the way you might think. For instance, how in the dickens do you switch the dark mode on and off?

Isamar Mejia says she was shocked when she found out she won an iPhone XS Max and a massive Casetify case bundle in Cult of Mac’s latest giveaway.

“At first I thought I was dreaming,” she said in an email. “I had to refresh my email at least a hundred times! It sounds silly but I waited until the next day to see if it’s still there because I thought it was a scam but soon found out it was real! I am super-excited to get the phone!”

Read on for your chance to be a winner, too. We’re giving away an iPhone XR — but you better hurry and enter, because the giveaway ends soon!

Apple has reportedly “poached” two teams of creatives from the U.K. advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO to join its own in-house efforts.

The pairings of Mike Crowe and Rob Messeter, and Caio Giannella and Diego de Oliveira are both relocating from London to Cupertino to work on the iPhone brand and overall Apple brand respectively.

Apple rakes in billions of dollars from the App Store. However, its future ability to do so could be challenged if a federal court rules against the company.

On Monday, Apple will defend its app pricing structure in a federal appeals court. The case involves whether customers buy apps directly from Apple, or whether Apple is more like a middleman connecting app makers with users.

This week on The CultCast: Did you know about Apple’s super-secret special return and exchange policy? We’ll tell you what it is, and how to use it if you’re unhappy with your Apple purchase but outside your 14-day return window. Plus: A quest to trade up — the stories of three MacBook Pro owners trying to get Apple to trade in their newly purchased 2018 MacBook Pros for models with the brand new, smoking-fast Vega 20 GPUs. And finally, and most importantly: Happy Thanksgiving!

Our thanks to Gantri for supporting this episode. Gantri’s 3D-printed lights are both beautiful and affordable. Check them out in AR at gantri.com/cultcast, and use code CultCast at checkout for $20 off.

Black Friday is finally upon us, and if you’re having trouble getting off the couch to face the throngs, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up top Black Friday deals on apps, courses and gear, so you can get your shopping done right from home. Be sure to click on the collection links to catch more great deals, and use the discount codes for extra savings.

The Steve Jobs Theater has earned an award for Structural Artistry from The Institute of Structural Engineers.

Located on the Apple Park campus and opened last September, the theater received recognition for being the largest structure in the world solely supported by glass, and for the way in which pipes and other systems have been integrated into its roof.

Both global and U.S. search interest in the iPhone peaked in September 2012, around the time of the iPhone 5 launch, Google Trends reveals.

The stat is pointed out in a new Bloomberg report, titled, “iPhone Interest Drops Off.” But while we don’t doubt Google’s results, search terms and overall interest are not exactly the same thing.

CSR Racing 2, one of the best and most popular racing games on iOS, just received a great update. The new “Legends” refresh adds 15 new cars from the 1960s through the modern today, including the iconic McLaren F1.

Check out the trailer and new features list below.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that buying for other people is a pain. If they haven’t told you exactly what they want for the holidays, where do you even start? What if you end up getting a gift that they hate?

But it doesn’t have to be difficult. Cult of Mac’s handy gift guides will help you find the perfect present for the Apple fan in your life. We’ve hand-picked the best gadgets and accessories for lovers of the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

What’s more, everything we’ve selected can be purchased online, so you don’t even have to leave the house to get your shopping done.

This weekend, you’re “enjoying” some extended time with your family. After you’ve fixed their devices, and taught them that the battery of their iPhone lasts way longer if they don’t leave the damn screen on the whole time, you might decide to swap some photos. You may grab the your old childhood snaps off your mother’s iPad, or photos of the family recipe book off your father’s iPhone.

There are a few ways to do this — slow, fast and faster, wired or wireless. Let’s see how to transfer photos between iPhones and iPads.

Is your family driving you nuts this Thanksgiving weekend? Of course it is. That’s what families are for. So when you need relief from the endless offers of snacks and drinks, the catty remarks about the fact that you’re “still” child-free, or your nephews’ and nieces’ constant pestering to let them play with your new iPad Pro, while simultaneously ridiculing your attempts at flossing, you might turn to Chillscape to calm yourself back TF down.

By Chris Brantner

For some people, Thanksgiving is a day to stay home, stuff themselves silly, and watch football on the couch until the turkey coma sets in around 7 p.m. For other people, though, Thanksgiving means traveling — making it more difficult to catch the Turkey Day football action.

If you’re spending Thanksgiving on the road or at a friend or family member’s house, it might be tough to keep up with the NFL games. Luckily, there are several ways you can watch the Thanksgiving NFL games on your iPhone.

It may sound like a crazy Mad Lib, but it’s not: Queen guitarist Brian May really has taken to Instagram to pen a lengthy rant about Apple’s UBC-C connector.

May dramatically declares that “This is one of the reasons my love for Apple is turning to hatred.” And, from the look of the comments, it seems that quite a few people agree with him.

A group of Korean smartphone retailers are upset at Apple for forcing them to purchase in-store tester iPhones. This differs from the usual practice of manufacturers, who will provide free display smartphones and pick them up later.

Apple, it seems, thinks different.