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How to see the battery percentage on iPhone X

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iPhone x battery percentage
The notch has crowded out the battery percentage, and the carrier name.
Photo: Apple

Thanks to the notch eating up a big chunk out of the top of the iPhone X screen, there’s not as much space up there for useful menubar widgets. The clock now sits alone at the top left, displaced by the notch. The cellular, Wi-Fi, and battery icons sit squashed together on the right side. But what about the carrier name? What about the battery percentage? Can they be displayed permanently in the menu bar?

No. But it doesn’t take much to reveal them.

Name your price for complete Adobe training [Deals]

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Get the skills you need with Adobe's creative apps for whatever you want to pay.
Get the skills you need with Adobe's creative apps for whatever you want to pay.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As time goes on, the digital is becoming more and more synonymous with the visual. If you want to work in the digital space at all, it really pays to learn some graphic design or photo editing skills. So that means getting familiar with Adobe’s software.

With iPhone X, Apple reinvents the camera. Again.

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iPhone camera
Sure you can take pictures with it. But the iPhone X shows the future of the camera will have little to do with the photographic image.
Photo: Apple

Each generation of iPhone has brought with it a camera more amazing than the last. As users ogled over higher resolution, bigger sensors and new computational features, few saw the device’s evolution as more than just the making of a better camera.

But the iPhone X gives the camera a new job description — it’s not just a photography specialist anymore. How iPhone cameras function in the future will have little to do with the photographic image. And the iPhone X previews the innovations to come.

7 biggest takeaways from Apple’s record Q4 earnings

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Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2?
AAPL shares are on the rise.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple surprised investors with its best Q4 earnings report ever today. The outrageous numbers dispelled doubts about the iPhone-maker’s strategy — and pushed Apple closer to becoming the world’s first trillion-dollar company.

With the launch of the iPhone X just hours away, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a lot to be happy about during the earnings call with investors. Analysts quizzed Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri on everything from iPhone 8 sales to how Apple plans to monetize its augmented reality efforts.

Here’s what we found out:

Learn all the new gestures for iPhone X

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gestures iPhone x
Your thumb will get a workout now that the home button is no longer around to do all the work.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone X has no home button. We already know that, but what does it mean when you’re actually using the phone? The home button is the most important button on the iPhone. It wakes it up, gets you to the home screen, activates Apple Pay, invokes Siri, takes a screenshot, and helps you force the phone to reset if everything goes wrong. And that’s just the beginning. The iPhone X replaces the home button with a combination of gestures, and by using other buttons. Some of them you may already use. Others take existing gestures and move them. Let’s take a look at all the new gestures on the iPhone X.

Apple beats expectations in historic Q4 earnings

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Apple earnings
Apple crushed its Q4 earnings.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The last Apple earnings report of 2017 is finally here and the results are even better than Wall Street anticipated.

Aided by strong iPhone sales thanks to the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple was able to bring in slightly higher than expected revenues and the company is expecting big things next quarter too.

Apple earnings call live blog: How high can AAPL fly?

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Apple earnings
Apple's Q2 earnings are expected to be a bit of a downer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to unveil its last earnings report of 2017, and it’s expected to be one of the company’s biggest Q4 results ever.

Wall Street analysts are eager to see how many iPhones Apple sold during the quarter, which included a few days of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales at the end. Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will be hopping on the call with investors at 2 p.m. Pacific today. Naturally, we’ll be here live-blogging all the action.

Come join the fun:

Massive iPhone X lines form at Apple Stores worldwide

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iPhone X line
Outside the Singapore Apple Store.
Photo: @R_Kami

Fans have begun lining up outside Apple Stores around the world to get their hands on iPhone X. The device makes its official debut tomorrow, and Apple has promised that units will be available for walk-in customers. However, they’re expected to disappear quickly (just like preorders did).

Some lines have already turned chaotic, while latecomers are offering money for precious spots near the front.

Some iPhone X preorders arrive early. Really early.

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iPhone X early
One lucky customers has theirs already.
Photo: Illdoit2morrow

Some Apple fans who weren’t expecting to receive their iPhone X until late November are in for a treat. Many customers report that their iPhone X shipping delays are being greatly reduced, with some already on their way.

Meanwhile, one lucky customer got their hands on their preorder iPhone X today.

This first-person drone fits in your hand [Deals]

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This teensy drone manages to send real-time, HD video straight to your phone.
This teensy drone manages to send real-time, HD video straight to your phone.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The technology that allows for awesome experiences just keeps getting smaller and more affordable. Drones are no exception. Now it’s possible to get the feeling of flight from a device that you can hold in the palm of your hand.

Apple’s earnings call will be the calm before iPhone X superstorm

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will give investors their first insight into iPhone 8 sales, right on the eve of the iPhone X launch.

The final Apple earnings call of 2017 takes place Thursday, November 2, at 2 p.m. Pacific. Apple’s fourth fiscal quarter ended right after the iPhone 8 started shipping. The results aren’t expected to be record-breaking, but this first glimpse should give us a better idea of how monstrous Apple’s holiday season will be.

This is what to watch for:

Face ID can be slower than Touch ID, but you can speed it up

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Face ID iPhone X
Ensure Face ID is as fast as it can be.
Photo: UrAvgConsumer

Face ID is the future, and it’s easy to see why. It’s significantly more secure than Touch ID, and it eliminates a number of big limitations. But it’s not quite perfect yet.

Those who are lucky enough to have received a unit early from Apple have discovered that Face ID is slower than its predecessor. There are some things you can do to speed it up, though.

How to buy an app on iPhone X using Face ID

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face id scan
Face ID still requires a button-tap to make an App Store purchase.
Photo: Aditya Doshi/Flickr CC

There’s one big conceptual difference between Face ID and its predecessor, Touch ID. With a fingerprint, you have to explicitly touch the home button to confirm an action. When unlocking a password-protected app, or unlocking the iPhone itself, it’s hard to do it unintentionally. But what about buying an app? The old Touch ID way is to tap the buy button, and then use your fingerprint to confirm the purchase. What happens with Face ID? How do you cancel a purchase after tapping buy? Do you look away? Close your eyes?

No. It’s much simpler than that, although much less discoverable than touching a fingerprint scanner.

Here’s how fast Apple Music streaming drains your Watch 3 battery

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Apple Watch Music
Beware battery life drain with Apple Music streaming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has updated its Apple Watch Series 3 battery guidelines following the rollout of watchOS 4.1 on Tuesday.

The update adds big new features, such as Apple Music and Beats 1 streaming, that significantly impact the usage you’ll get in between charges.

This digital guitar turns your iPhone into a music teacher [Deals]

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This combination of app and digital axe makes learning guitar extra portable.
This combination of app and digital axe makes learning guitar extra portable.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s all too common to hear people say they wish they’d learned an instrument. Even when someone commits to learning guitar, the vast majority don’t stick with it. But we live in the digital age, and there are new ways to keep you engaged and learning.

Why Apple short-circuited the media machine for iPhone X reviews

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Apple's new strategy for iPhone X reviews blew up the system.
Apple's new strategy for iPhone X reviews blew up the system.
Photo: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay CC

Anybody who thinks Apple can’t innovate should look in awe at the fecal hurricane whipped up by the company’s unorthodox iPhone X marketing plan.

By giving popular YouTubers early access to the next-gen iPhone, and allowing them to “scoop” the old-school journalists traditionally granted such preferential treatment, Cupertino upended the typical review cycle.

Apple apparently bruised a few fragile egos in the process. Frankly, it’s hilarious watching the ensuing media meltdown.

Cyberpunk meets horror in this addictive detective game

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Play the role of a neural detective in this genre-defining cyberpunk horror game.
Play the role of a neural detective in this genre-defining cyberpunk horror game.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As reality gets weirder, our ideas about the future get weirder still. The cyberpunk genre deals with ideas about what would happen when humans became enmeshed with computer networks. Now that that’s happening, the genre is asking new questions, like, what if you could hack people’s fears?

How to use Reachability on the iPhone X

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iPhone X Reachability
Reachability is present on iPhone X.
Photo: Engadget

iPhone X’s 5.8-inch Super Retina HD display is the largest screen Apple has ever packed into a smartphone. That means using it with one hand could prove difficult. Fortunately, Reachability is still baked in — even without that physical Home button.

Here’s how you enable and use it.

iPhone X’s Face ID can’t be fooled by identical twins

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Face ID iPhone X
Ensure Face ID is as fast as it can be.
Photo: UrAvgConsumer

Face ID on the iPhone X is so accurate, not even identical twins can fool it.

Reviewers now have their hands on the device ahead of its launch on Friday, which means we’re finding out new things about its awesome new features. Its Touch ID replacement isn’t perfect, it seems, but it’s darn impressive.

iPhone X meta review: Setting Apple up for the next 10 years

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iPhone X first impressions
The iPhone X reviews are here!
Photo: Soldier Knows Best

The first wave of iPhone X impressions and reviews have started to emerge, offering a glimpse of what tech reviewers make of Apple’s next-gen smartphone.

The verdict? The 10th anniversary iPhone is a seriously impressive handset, and quite possibly Apple’s best ever — although one or two reservations remain. Check out our roundup of some of the most interesting observations below.