Setting a goal to read more is easy — sticking with it is the hard part. Even if you have every intention of finally cracking open a good book, social media is a cruel temptress. Those who are serious about reading more should check out Pearls, a book summary app for iOS.

Pearls boils down nonfiction books so it takes just 15 minutes to read or listen to them. And you can get a lifetime subscription for just $29.99 (regularly $99) during our Cyber Monday sale. You won’t find a better price anywhere else. Plus, a single subscription allows you to use Pearls on all your Apple devices (iOS/iPadOS only).

We don’t recall seeing low prices on standard iPads any lower than a couple you can find right now on Amazon for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Those low price tags are on an iPad 10 (Wi-Fi only, 64GB) at $50 off as well as iPad 10 Wi-Fi + Cellular models for $50 off. Plus you can nab an iPad 9 model for up to a record $138 off, depending on which color you choose. Check the links below and gift yourself or someone else Apple’s entry-level tablet.

Update: Since we first called out the savings below on November 14, nearly every iPad Black Friday deal had gotten better. We also updated the post for Cyber Monday.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With a slightly smarter Siri on the way in iOS 18.4, a new rumor indicates Apple might actually fix Siri once and for all … in 2026! We discuss the “LLM Siri” that supposedly will catch up with ChatGPT and other chatty competitors. As Apple refines its AI capabilities, companies like Buyback Boss are also innovating in tech resale and trade-in solutions. Find out more about the latest updates.

But the question remains: Can Apple really afford to wait that long to make its AI assistant less of a laughingstock?

Also on The CultCast:

• New rumors and renders show what the iPhone 17 lineup might look like.
• Uh-oh: We’ve got bad news about AirPods Max.
• And finally, Griffin talks up a solid — and much cheaper — stand-in for Apple’s Studio Display in an all-new Under Review.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

London’s iconic Battersea Power Station is decorated with a sort of enormous Christmas card starring the beloved characters Wallace & Gromit.

The short animation of the man, his dog, and their Christmas trees was filmed on an iPhone 16 Pro Max and then projected onto the 101-meter (330 foot) chimneys that rise above the River Thames.

The best Cyber Monday deals on Beats headphones and earbuds are now live. You can get many Beats headphones and earbuds at their lowest prices ever. A fresh price drop on Beats’ flagship headphones — the Beats Studio Pro — brings a whopping $190 discount. At just $159.99, they make a great alternative to other premium headphones.

December 1, 1981: After the disastrous rollout of the “next-gen” Apple III the previous year, Apple corrects the computer’s most glaring hardware faults and relaunches it. The revised edition of the Apple III

Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. Apple experiences its first “flop” product with the Apple II’s doomed successor.

If you want the biggest and highest-capacity external hard drive, Cyber Monday is the time to buy.

I have a personal recommendation on a Thunderbolt enclosure that fits four full-size hard drives or SSDs, so you can get the fastest storage in enormous capacities. I’ve used the OWC ThunderBay 4 for about a year (having purchased the hard drive last Black Friday, coincidentally enough) and it’s served me well for all my odd purposes.

Here’s how to get the fastest, biggest external storage this shopping season.

Apple charges too damn much for additional storage for Macs and iPads. I got tired of overpaying for internal storage and went for an external SSD instead. The Kingston XS1000 is my favorite — portable, reliable and affordable.

And it’s an even better deal now that Cyber Monday is coming up: under $75 for a terabyte of storage.

A Cyber Monday sale on a four-pack of AirTags brings the Apple tracker close to its lowest price ever. Each AirTag costs just $18.25 after a 26% discount from Amazon. If you’d prefer a single tracker, you can get a solo AirTag for up to 14% off the usual price from Best Buy. Use these Cyber Monday AirTag deals to stock up on Apple’s tracking tags.

AirTags are a great way to keep you from leaving important items behind, or to help you find them if you misplace them.

There are plenty of great Apple deals this Cyber Monday 2024—but not from Apple directly. As usual, Apple keeps its discounts minimal (Tim Cook loves his big fat profits!). This year, you can get up to a $200 gift card with select purchases, but the newest products, like the iPhone 16, M4 MacBook Pros, iMac, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, aren’t included.

That said, third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and B&H Photo are offering significant discounts on a ton of Apple gear. From AirPods to iPhones, Apple Watches, and iPads, you’ll find some fantastic deals. Here’s a roundup of the best offers we’ve come across.

Apple’s cheapest iPad just got cheaper. The iPad 10th-generation, the cheapest iPad in Apple’s lineup, is on sale for just $279.

This is a great deal for the best entry-level iPad Apple has made for years. It’s the iPad I recommend to most people. I just bought one myself. The price was just too good to pass up.

I love soundcore’s Sleep A20 earbuds. So far, I’ve really only tried one feature, but it is the only one I need: low-frequency masking. It lets these comfortable sleep earbuds effectively block out the sound of snoring.

November 30, 2003: Apple expands its retail chain outside the United States for the first time, opening an Apple Store in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza shopping district.

On opening day, thousands of Apple fans — possibly the biggest queue in Apple history — line up around the block in the rain to gain early access to the store, which offers five full floors of Apple product goodness.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs does not show up for the opening of the 73rd Apple Store. However, shoppers hear a welcoming speech from Eiko Harada, president of Apple Japan.

We’ve seen loads of Apple Watch deals in Black Friday sales, but this refurbished Apple Watch Series 8 looks pretty good. It’s an incredible discount on a smartwatch that tracks your steps, keeps you in the loop with your notifications and offers cellular connectivity.

Strap one on while it’s price-dropped to just $219.99 during our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Whether you’re treating yourself or someone special to this Apple Watch, you’ll want to act while supplies still last.

The best web browser for iPhone depends heavily on what you need. Apple’s own Safari comes with a lot out of the box and offers integration with other Apple devices in your life. The top competitors — Chrome, Edge and Firefox — are good choices if you need to sync with a Windows PC.

Other alternatives you may not have heard of can offer diverse benefits, though. Arc is a fast, modern browser built around search, and comes with built-in ad blockers. DuckDuckGo and Onion Browser lead the pack when it comes to privacy features. And if you want a bespoke app just to keep up with your favorite six or seven sites, TicciTabs was made for that exact purpose. There are even web browsers made for Apple Watch and for saving the environment.

Keep reading or watch our video.

These days its seems a “national day” exists for every conceivable thing — and on Saturday, November 30, that includes unsubscribing. In other words, it’s time to unsubscribe from unwanted emails and manage paid subscriptions. For example, do you even open half the emails you get? Do you know how many subscriptions you pay for? Well, there are apps and other tools for cleaning up your subscription life so you can get on with your actual life.

November 29, 1995: Capitalizing on the success of Toy Story, Pixar floats 6.9 million shares on the stock market. The Pixar IPO makes Steve Jobs, who owns upward of 80% of the animation studio, a billionaire.

After the windfall, one of the first people Jobs calls is his friend, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who’s already a member of the billionaire’s club.

“Hello, Larry?” Jobs tells his friend on the phone. “I made it.”

Now’s your chance to get the biggest discounts you’ve ever seen on Microsoft software like Windows 11 Pro. The CdkeySales Black Friday Sale slashes some prices by up to 91%! And as the latest Windows 12 rumors indicate Microsoft won’t release its next big operating system update until late 2025, you can update your PC now the quick and easy way rather than waiting. Just buy a Windows 11 CD key on sale during CdkeySales’ Black Friday Sale.

During the sale, you can get great deals on upgrade-ready Microsoft productivity software like Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office. Savings include Windows 10 Pro for just $17.05 — with a free upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.

Apple’s annual Black Friday shopping event starts on November 29. The company bundles a gift card worth up to $200 with selected devices.

The offer applies to purchases done through Apple’s retail or online store.

The Black Friday sales period in late November can be a great time to stock up on practical items, whether they’re gifts or just items for yourself. Take chargers, power banks, USB-C hubs and data storage solutions, for example. Everybody can use them, and Ugreen Black Friday deals abound on Amazon for such items. Markdowns range from 15% to 35% off. Check out a selection of sale items below.

Apple’s 13-inch M2 MacBook Air in Midnight is just $749 for Cyber Monday. I recently bought this machine myself, and I’m head-over-heels in love with it. It’s the best laptop I’ve had for years, and if you’re looking for a lightweight, everyday Mac, I highly recommend it.

Belkin is recalling its BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K due to a potential fire hazard. It is one of the few power banks on the market that can wirelessly fast charge an Apple Watch.

The company will issue a full refund to affected customers, though they must fill out a recall form first.

You’d better get the tissues ready before watching Apple’s new seasonal holiday ad, appropriately titled “Heartstrings.”

I know I got a little misty.

The ad depicts a moving father-and-daughter moment on Christmas morning to showcase the new hearing aid feature in AirPods Pro 2.

Watch the ad below.

November 28, 2001: Apple says users download QuickTime 5 for Mac and PC a million times every three days, putting the multimedia software on track to exceed 100 million downloads in its first year of distribution. The announcement comes as websites adopt the MPEG-4 format, and online video begins to take off in a big way.

In particular, Apple’s movie trailer website proves a massive success. Millions of people download previews of upcoming blockbusters like Spider-Man and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Online trailer releases for films like The Lord of the Rings become buzz-worthy events.

In a pre-YouTube world, Apple has everything to gain!

Instagram and TikTok are obsessed with the latest innovation in TVs — Samsung’s The Frame TV. If you’re wondering why, it’s because this smart TV does more than stream Netflix. This stealthy Samsung TV doubles as an art gallery, transforming from a blank black box into your home version of The Met or MoMA.

Rather than pay more than $1,000 to enjoy this experience at home, you can save 25% on the internet’s favorite TV. A 43-inch, open-box model of the Samsung Frame TV is now available for only $749.99 (regularly $999) while inventory lasts. It’s available in other sizes as well, and Cult of Mac readers can take an extra $100 off the 55-inch model with code THEFRAME.