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Flying iPhone cases, sleep-improving headbands, and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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Crowdfund Roundup
Help turn these awesome ideas into reality!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Snapping selfies with a drone has never been easier, thanks to SELFLY, the autonomous drone that’s also an iPhone case.

It’s just one of the awesome projects in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We’ve also got an intelligent headband that promises to improve your sleep and your dreams, a smart dog collar that can detect things like disease and stress, and a 21st-century turntable.

10 key takeaways from Apple’s historic earnings call

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple made a ton of money. What more do you need to know?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple managed to shock Wall Street today by beating its own expectations for Q1 2017, the most profitable quarter in the company’s history.

There was good news all around as iPhone sales, services and even the Mac all performed better than predicted. During today’s earnings call, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri revealed some of the secret sauce that made Apple’s earnings one for the history books.

Here are the top takeaways from today’s call.

Become a master maker with Arduino parts and lessons [Deals]

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This bundle offers the tools and the knowledge you'll need to become a master maker with Arduino.
This bundle offers the tools and the knowledge you'll need to become a master maker with Arduino.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Arduino’s versatile microcontrollers make for an almost infinite variety of projects. From robotics to games, home gizmos, art projects, and beyond — if you can think of it, you can build it. But working with Arduino isn’t exactly like opening a box of Legos. It takes an understanding of key principles and techniques, and the equipment you need to get started. This bundle of an Arduino starter kit offers both, bundling the parts and the instruction you’ll need for making whatever your mind dreams up. And right now you can get the whole shebang for just $75.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

‘I’m a Mac’ star Justin Long becomes new face of Huawei phones

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Justin-Long-Huawei
Long talks to a Huawei phone with Amazon Alexa.
Photo: Huawei

Justin Long, the face of Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign for three years, is now starring in ads for Huawei phones.

The Chinese Android maker is desperately trying to break into the U.S. market, and it will be hoping Long’s familiar face can raise awareness of the Huawei brand.

Apple beat Samsung to world’s top smartphone vendor last quarter

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iOS and Android are killing off the competition.
Samsung was screwed by the Galaxy Note 7 recall.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s stellar quarter for iPhone sales didn’t just put more money in the bank; it also helped the Cupertino company overtake Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone vendor.

According to the latest data from Strategy Analytics, Apple shipped 78.3 million handsets in Q4 2016 — around 800,000 more than Samsung. However, the iPhone wouldn’t have stood a chance if it wasn’t for the Galaxy Note 7 recall.

The Mac is still very much in play for Apple

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13 inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Photo: Apple

Apple may be more of a smartphone company these days, but its legacy product, the personal computer, continues to be popular.

In an upbeat Q1 earnings report with investors Tuesday, Apple said it sold 5.4 million Macs en route to an all-time quarterly revenue record of $78.4 billion dollars.

iPhone 7 snaps Apple’s losing streak

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iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus cameras
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus helped Apple reverse a three-quarter sales decline.
Photo: Apple

The number 7 was lucky for Apple, as worldwide sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus hit a quarterly record and put the breaks on a three-quarter revenue skid, the company said in today’s first quarter earnings report.

Apple saw a 5 percent revenue increase ($54.3 million) with more than 78 million iPhones sold. It was the first full quarter of the iPhone 7, delivered during a time of year that typically generates the best sales figures for Apple because of the holiday shopping season.

Liveblog: Apple hits new highs with doubleplusgood Q1 2017 earnings call

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Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Get ready for Apple's most exciting earnings call of 2017.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its first quarterly earnings report of 2017 and, if Wall Street’s estimates are any indicator, it could be Apple’s biggest quarter ever.

After multiple quarters of declining revenues, today’s call could see the company return to growth, lifted by strong iPhone sales over the holidays and a burgeoning services business that has quickly become Apple’s second-biggest moneymaker.

Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are scheduled to hold an open call with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging and analyzing all the action. Get prepped for the call with our guide on what to expect, and join the fun in the liveblog below.

Apple shatters records with blockbuster Q1 2017 earnings

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Earnings call
Tim Cook is thrilled with Apple's Q1 2017 results.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple sold more iPhone units than ever before last quarter, a spasm of sales that finally returned the company to growth, as revealed today in Cupertino’s first earnings report of 2017.

With total revenues of $78.4 billion bringing in a profit of $17.9 billion, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “thrilled” with the results. Wall Street is happy, too: AAPL shares are trading up significantly in after-hours trading.

How to disable word predictions on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

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MacBook
Word predictions are barred from bar exams.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A number of U.S. states have banned the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar from law exams due to the predictive text feature that suggests words as you type. However, others will still allow it so long as predictive text is disabled.

Here’s how to turn off the feature on your machine.

Apple gets ready to end support for 32-bit iOS apps

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iPhone 5c
The clock is ticking for 32-bit devices like the iPhone 5c.
Photo: Apple

Apple is preparing to end support for 32-bit iOS apps, according to an error message discovered in the new iOS 10.3 beta.

The company warns that certain titles won’t work with future versions of its mobile operating system, and encourages developers to update them.

Apple blows off deadline to pay massive Irish tax bill

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple has missed its tax deadline!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has missed the deadline to pay the 13 billion euros ($14.52 billion) tax bill it owes to the Irish government, according to a new report.

The bill was handed out last August by European Union competition officials, who ruled that Apple was taking advantage of illegal state aid allowing the company to route profits through Ireland.

Hands-on with watchOS 3.2 beta 1

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Theater Mode finally makes its way to Apple Watch in watchOS 3.2 beta 1.
Theatre mode finally makes its way to the Apple Watch.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest beta software for Apple Watch brings two new handy features in addition to the general bug fixes we expect to see with each release. Check out the video below to see watchOS 3.2 beta 1 in action.

Restore and revive your iOS devices with this app duo [Deals]

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This pair of apps will keep your iPhone clear of clutter, and revive it when it goes kaput.
This pair of apps will keep your iPhone clear of clutter, and revive it when it goes kaput.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS devices look sharp, but their sleek exterior conceals a turbulent inner life. Chunks of uncompressed photos, forgotten files, cookies, app caches, backup logs, all of it eventually gums up the works of any mobile device. There are also all kinds of lurking issues that could cause them to freeze or refuse to turn on. iMyfone’s Umate and System Recovery apps can handle both, keeping your iOS devices clear of data clutter and reviving them from nearly any internal snag. And right now you can get both for $34.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar banned from bar exams

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That fancy new Touch Bar could be dead already.
MacBook Pro's Touch Bar "compromises exam integrity."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After being snubbed by some professionals for its 16GB RAM limit and lack of traditional USB ports, the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has now been banned from bar examinations in a number of U.S. states.

A testing company has warned that the Touch Bar — specifically its predictive text feature — compromises exam integrity, so students are forced to use another laptop.

Apple expected to announce record revenues today

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money
Apple's earnings call will take place later today!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has its first quarter earnings call for fiscal 2017 today, and if you’re an investor — or just an Apple fan — signs point to it being a great one.

With revenue having declined year-on-year for the past three quarters, investors expect today’s announcement to reveal that Apple is rebounding.

Why bigger iPhones will always be better than their smaller siblings

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iPhone
Don't expect smaller iPhones to ever be as good.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Buying a Plus-sized iPhone doesn’t just get you a bigger screen, but also a better phone with more RAM and a greater camera. And there’s a good reason for that.

These things attract a greater number of buyers to Apple’s larger handsets, increasing its profits and the average selling price of the iPhone. And that’s why the iPhone Plus will always be better than its smaller siblings.

AmpliFi HD’s blazing-fast Wi-Fi will spoil you rotten [Reviews]

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AmpliFi HD router
This is not your typical ugly router.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

For years, “the last mile” earned the title of broadband’s biggest boogeyman. Now that most of us benefit from having a fairly fat pipe to our houses, it’s more like the last 10 feet — Wi-Fi dead spots can drive you crazy.

The AmpliFi HD System, one of a new pack of mesh systems that pave the way to our trouble-free Wi-Fi future, solves the problem. With a charming little router and a couple of mesh points, AmpliFi HD makes it possible to get a strong Wi-Fi signal to your basement, your attic or that awkward back bedroom where you can never stream anything. It also eliminates the sort of nerdy pain points typically associated with setting up and managing a home Wi-Fi network.

WhatsApp will soon let you locate your friends

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WhatsApp
WhatsApp is getting its own Find My Friends feature.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The latest versions of the WhatsApp beta for Android and iOS reveal an upcoming feature that will allow users to locate their friends.

Just like the Find My Friends app offered by Apple, WhatsApp will ask for your permission before making your location data available to your contacts.

Save an extra 10 percent on innovative gear and gadgets [Deals]

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This heads up display for your car is as useful as it is futuristic.
This heads up display for your car is as useful as it is futuristic.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

In the wake of CES, we’ve all got the next generation of tech on the brain. But we’re impatient, so we’ve gathered some of the best deals on the most futuristic gear and gadgets in the Cult of Mac Store.

Below you’ll find a head-up display for your car, a charging cable that adds a MagSafe-style connection to your phone, a flash drive for both computers and iPhones, and the most feature-packed charging hub you’ll find. By entering the coupon code CES10 at checkout, you’ll get 10 percent off each deal.

Tim Cook: Trump’s immigration freeze will hurt Apple

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Tim Cook says that there are Apple employees directly affected by the order.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

In a message sent to Apple employees, Tim Cook notes that he is concerned about President Donald Trump’s recent executive order limiting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Cook said Apple employees are affected by the policy, and that they are going to be able to draw on the expertise of the company’s HR, legal and security teams.

Check out the note below:

Apple pulls tool that helped identify stolen iOS devices

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iCloud-Activation-Lock-dead
The Activation Lock checker has mysteriously disappeared.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Apple has pulled its iCloud Activation Lock page which helped users find out if an iOS device was locked to an iCloud account.

The tool could be used to verify that a used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch wasn’t stolen before you purchased it — but the website’s URL now leads to an error page.

Quadro, Dungeon Defense, and awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend, everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s the final day of the weekend, which means it’s time for us to share our picks for the week’s most important apps and app updates.

From a nifty Touch Bar-style app for iOS and Mac to a terrific retro-styled dungeon actioner, we’re confident we’ve got something you’ll enjoy. Check out our choices below.