Rebutting an IDC analyst report that intimated Apple Watch sales were down more than 70% year-over-year, Tim Cook has announced that the Apple Watch is in fact seeing “off the chart” sales growth (via Reuters).

Although Apple refuses to announce exact numbers for units sold, Cook said that during the first week of holiday shopping, Apple Watch sell-through was higher than any other week in the product’s history. Apple expects the product to be one of the top holiday gifts this year, boosted by the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 2.

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Filed under: Apple

Netflix has long been one of the most popular iOS apps, but over recent months, the company has seen its revenue from the mobile increase exponentially. As noted in the latest data from analytics firm SensorTower, Netflix recently cracked the number spot on the Top Grossing charts in the United States for the first time ever.

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Filed under: Apple

As we head into the holiday season, Apple is continuing to push its latest iPhone 7 lineup. This evening, the company shared a new advertisement highlighting the dual-camera capabilities of the iPhone 7 Plus and its real-world applications.

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One of the hottest stories of the past few weeks has been AT&T’s new DirecTV Now streaming service. We went hands-on with the service last week and noted of one major holdout in terms of channel availability: CBS. Now, however, CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves has hinted that the two companies are in talks…

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According to Apple’s own System Status page, it looks as though some of iCloud’s services are currently down. ‘iCloud Account and Sign In’ and ‘iCloud Web Apps’ are currently noted as being down as far back as 11 AM PDT. Our editors and readers alike have confirmed to be running into similar issues. The outage appears to have come just a few short hours after we noted that Apple was also improving iCloud.com’s Photos app.

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Now is a good time to buy the Apple Watch. A new version with GPS called Series 2 came out in September, and the original model was updated with a speed boost and a new name: Series 1. Both models fix issues that made the original Apple Watch fine for early adopters but harder to recommend to the masses.

There’s also an ecosystem of Apple Watch accessories that we’ve tested and can recommend. Read on for my hand-picked Apple Watch gift guide choices including some out-of-the-box suggestions.

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Apple has released the fifth watchOS 3.1.1 beta for developers testing the pre-release software update for Apple Watch. watchOS 3.1.1 includes support for new Unicode 9.0 emoji as well as the ability to change skin tones when picking certain emoji characters.

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Apple has released macOS 10.12.2 beta 5 for Mac. The new update follows the initial macOS 10.12.2 beta at the end of October and multiple additional builds since. Today’s build is available from the Mac App Store.

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Apple has released the sixth developer beta version of iOS 10.2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10.2 includes several upcoming features like new Unicode 9.0 emoji, three new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus wallpapers, a new TV app, additional camera features, new Messages screen effects, and more.

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Best Buy is taking $100 off all iPad Pro Wi-Fi models, prices start at $500 shipped

Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit w/ Siri and Alexa Control, on sale for $56 shipped (Reg. $69)

Runtastic’s popular Sit Ups Ab Trainer & Counter PRO for iOS is now available for free (Reg. $2)

Today only, One-year Dropbox Pro Subscription with $50 Amazon Gift Card: $99

DirecTV Now launches with an aggressive free Apple TV offer when you pre-pay for three months of service: from $105 ($255 value)

Rayman Classic for iOS goes free for the very first time (Reg. $5)

• App Store Free App of the Week: Toca Hair Salon 2 goes free for the first time in years (Reg. $3)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Turn outlets into a 6 AC + 2 (2.1A) USB surge protector for under $10 Prime shipped

Easy gift idea your family will love! Save 60% on all custom cards, calendars and books from Amazon – 12 mos. Wall Calendar $6

• Score Black Friday pricing on the Beats Tour2 Active In-Ear Headphones: $50 shipped (Reg. $80)
• Amazon Unlimited Cloud Drive Service one-year subscription $48 (20% savings), more
• Free Money Stocking Stuffers! Gift Cards up to 20% off: Airbnb, Domino’s, Jiffy Lube, many more
• Games/Apps: Dishonored DE $12, Rock Band Rivals Band Kit $100, iOS freebies, more
• Smartphone Accessories: Luxebell Travel Adapter $8 (Reg. $13), more
• Sennheiser Over-Ear Headphones $80, TRIBY Smart Speaker w/ Alexa $85, more
• Netgear AC1200 Dual Band Wifi Router w/USB port for printers/ NAS storage: $20 shipped
• Polk Audio MagniFi One 240W Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer: $170 (Reg. $225+)
• Philips 65W equiv 9W LED Lights, Daylight or Soft White, dimmable 4 pack: $15 ($3.25/ea)
• Illuminate your outdoor space w/ these top-rated Mpow solar LED lights from $17
• 12-pack AAA rechargeable AmazonBasics batteries $12 (less than $1/ea, great for gifts!)
• Bring the beer home w/Stanley Classic Vacuum Steel Insulated Growler, 64 oz: $25 shipped
• The highly-rated Schlage Plymouth Keypad Lock (multiple colors) is down to $80 shipped
• Amazon and Target take 20% off popular LEGO Star Wars Kits from $7
• Get up to 50% off Marvel Merchandise at Amazon today only: Iron Man mask $5, more

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

15 AmazonBasics tech accessories just received rare price drops, deals from $5 Prime shipped

iPhone 7 users: Add Logitech’s Bluetooth Audio Adapter to your stereo and wirelessly stream music for $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

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Filed under: Apple