One of the headline features of the dual camera system in recent iPhones is Portrait Mode, an effect that simulates a DSLR-style shallow depth of field by intelligently blurring the background of your photos. Apple took the feature a step further with the iPhone X, adding Portrait Mode selfies and introducing simulated Portrait Lighting.

While these features are currently limited to still photos, future iPhones could someday use the same technology to bring the depth effect to videos, a stunning look currently only possible with high-end video gear or a considerable amount of work in post-production. This feature could be a game changer for videographers, editors, and consumers alike, who have already embraced the iPhone as a serious filmmaking tool. With some effort, the effect is actually possible with today’s iPhones. Here’s how it can be done.

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The EU ruling that Ireland offered illegal state aid to Apple, and must recover €13B ($15B) in underpaid taxes, marked the end of a long-running investigation – but not the end of the dispute …

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Facebook is about to rollout a version of Messenger aimed specifically at kids, known as Messenger Kids. The emphasis is on safety, with all contacts having to be approved by parents.

The app will be iOS-only when it launches in the next few days, with an Android version to follow later in the m0nth …

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Chipmaker Dialog Semiconductor has seen its shares drop by as much as 19% after admitting that its contract to supply power management chips to Apple could be at risk. The company is believed to derive the majority of its income from Apple.

This is, of course, not the first time that a company’s shares have dived following fears over loss of Apple business …

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KGI remains very bullish on the uptake of Apple’s truly-wireless AirPods earbuds. In a new report published today, Ming-Chi Kuo says that he expects Apple to double shipments of the AirPods in 2018. This would equate to shipments in the range of 26-28 million units.

AirPods have been supply constrained since their introduction in December 2016. Only in the last few weeks has availability improved to the point where the Apple Online Store reports 1-3 day delivery estimates.

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Analytics company IHS Markit – whose clients include 85% of Fortune 500 companies – says that the iPhone X hit 2% of the active installed iPhone base within three weeks of its first availability.

In the US, iPhone X adoption after three weeks matched the adoption of iPhone 8 Plus and beat early adoption levels for both the iPhone 8 and 7 Plus. Only the iPhone 7 model had greater initial success. In Japan, initial iPhone X adoption was as good as or better than any recent iPhone launch, and matched the level of the iPhone 7.

It is predicting that the new flagship phone will set an all-time this quarter …

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Tim Cook helped kick off China’s World Internet Conference today, giving a keynote address centered around privacy, security, and humanity, according to Bloomberg. The World Internet Conference is spearheaded by the Cyberspace Administration of China and largely viewed as a way for the country to promote its version of a censored and controlled internet…

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Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is today out with a new investor note, obtained by 9to5Mac. In the piece, Kuo breaks down how Apple is working to integrate faster and more versatile circuit boards across its product lineup come 2018…

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Some iPhone X owners are reporting that Face ID is not working after updating to iOS 11.2, which was released this morning. The iPhone X instead shows an alert that says it is ‘unable to activate Face ID on this iPhone’. Luckily, the fix seems to be very simple – simply reboot your phone …

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In this week’s top stories: A critical security hole is discovered and quickly patched in macOS, Apple officially releases iOS 11.2, an even cheaper iPad could be on the horizon, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest and best Apple stories.  more…