Ready for a cinematic experience that transports you to the heart of London during one of its darkest hours? Consider director Steve McQueen’s Blitz, a surprisingly moving period piece now streaming on Apple TV+. As you’ll see in our Blitz review, if you’ve got holiday downtime to spare, this makes a good diversion.

The gripping film offers a powerful glimpse into the resilience of the human spirit during World War II’s London Blitz. It was a relentless bombing campaign associated with Germany’s aggressive “blitzkrieg” strategy. Here are three reasons why you should watch Steve McQueen’s Blitz.

There’s no better tablet to buy than an iPad. Apple overhauled the iPad Pro lineup this year with a slimmer new design, brighter displays, and a faster M4 chip.

I upgraded to the 11-inch iPad Pro from the M1 version earlier this year and could not be happier. This Black Friday, you should buy one, too, especially since the tablet is available with a big $150 discount.

If you want a full iPad experience in a super-portable design that’s comfortable to hold and use anywhere, iPad mini is the answer. And for Black Friday, Amazon just posted a combination of discount and coupon savings equalling $99.01 off the base tablet in all four colors — blue, purple, space gray and starlight. And you can also save on models with more storage. Needless to say, iPad mini 7 makes a stellar gift for a special someone.

November 27, 2012: Apple fires the manager responsible for the disastrous Apple Maps launch in iOS 6 after the glitchy software delivered embarrassingly bad data to users around the world.

Richard Williamson, who oversaw Apple’s mapping team, gets the ax from Eddy Cue, who assumes leadership of the project.

Apple said it will once again run its annual charitable giving campaign coinciding with World AIDS Day on December 1. And that gives holiday shoppers an opportunity to easily contribute to global health efforts while making their seasonal purchases. In addition, purchases from Apple’s Product (Red) collection contribute to the cause anytime.

Apple is reportedly considering making a television set, but don’t get your hopes up. There are simply too many reasons why Apple won’t make a TV. Like so many things, it all comes down to profits (and the lack thereof).

You need look no further than Apple’s set-top box and monitors to see why an Apple-branded television isn’t going to happen.

In a big win for Apple TV+, the French-American-Japanese series Drops of God captured the prestigious International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at a ceremony Monday night in New York, according to reports late Monday and Tuesday.

The win strengthens Apple TV+’s growing reputation for delivering compelling international content and marks another successful adaptation of popular manga for the streaming platform. Fans will be excited to know that Drops of God Season 2 is set to return, promising even more gripping storytelling.

Apple Music has a karaoke mode for people who love to sing along as they listen. Apple Music Sing lets you turn down the lyrics so you can karaoke to your favorite hits with just one tap.

In fact, I’m using it right now to listen to some of my favorite music without the lyrics distracting me from reading and writing. Let me show you how it works!

When traveling internationally with your iPhone, staying connected and avoiding unexpected surprises can be a bit of a balancing act. Whether it’s navigating unfamiliar streets, keeping in touch with family, or ensuring you don’t get hit with outrageous roaming fees, a little preparation goes a long way. Here’s how you can improve your iPhone use while traveling internationally.

November 26, 1984: “The next generation of interesting software will be done on the Macintosh, not the IBM PC,” predicts Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in a BusinessWeek cover story. Gates’ praise for the Mac would seem almost unthinkable coming out of Gates’ mouth just a few years later.

However, the interview arrives at a time when Microsoft is best known as one of the biggest Mac developers.

On the hunt for a replacement cable for your iPhone or iPad? The Flexi Pro is a sturdy USB-A to USB-C silicone cable that comes in two lengths: 6 feet or 10 feet. And right now, the 6-footer is on sale for just $12.99 (regularly $19.99). Or you can get the 10-footer for just $2 more.

Apple added Share Item Location to the Find My app to let AirTag users securely share with an airline the exact position of a tracking tag attached to lost luggage.

Here’s how to use the new feature to show an airline employee that your bag is actually just outside Concourse C in the Atlanta airport, not in Denver where they think it is. They can even see the exact position of the luggage.

 Apple could make big design changes to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max next year. One such change would be the surprising decision to ditch the Pro models’ titanium edges for aluminum.

A new report also suggests the Pro models will switch to an aluminum camera bump, replacing the current 3D glass design. If you’re curious about when will iPhone 17 be released, early reports indicate Apple’s design choices will make this generation stand out.

 Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air could be even thinner than initially rumored. A new report on Monday details many of the slim iPhone’s features, revealing several design compromises Apple would make for thinness.

This includes ditching the SIM slot and switching to eSIM, even in units sold outside the US.

If your Apple Watch feels like it’s not responding to your taps, it could be in Water Lock mode. It’s easy to forget to turn off Water Lock Mode after you go for a swim or a shower.

There’s also a bit of confusion about how Apple Watch’s Water Lock feature works. Read on to see how to (and how not to) use it.

Apple named the finalists Monday for its annual App Store Awards. These awards honor “exceptional user experience, design, and innovation,” according to the Mac-maker. App awards come in a range of categories, like iPhone App of the Year, Mac Game of the Year, and many more.

The nominations aren’t just kudos for developers — they’re a great way for users to find high-quality software.

Today’s M4 Mac mini user was once devoted to MacBook Pro. And he still owns two of the laptops, for work and personal use, but he recently added a new M4 Pro Mac mini, and he absolutely loves it. He’s into gaming, so he added cool gaming peripherals like a mechanical keyboard and microphone from HyperX and a light-and-speedy mouse from Corsair. Check them out, along with all the rest of the setup’s gear, below.

November 25, 1996: A midlevel manager at NeXT contacts Apple about the possibility of Cupertino licensing NeXT’s OpenStep operating system. The phone call sows the seeds of Mac OS X and Apple’s rejuvenation.

The talk in question takes place between NeXT’s Garrett L. Rice and Ellen Hancock, Apple’s chief technology officer. While just the first formal step in a long process, it ultimately leads to Apple buying NeXT, the creation of Mac OS X, and Steve Jobs returning to the company he co-founded.

It’s tough to take a professional-looking headshot, whether for a job application or your LinkedIn profile. But an AI headshot generator can definitely make you shine. InstaGlam.ai taps artificial intelligence to create the glamorous headshots you don’t have the time or expertise to produce, and all it needs are a few selfies.

Right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to InstaGlam.ai for just $39.99 (regularly $97).

Apple reportedly will delay many of iOS 19’s bigger features until spring 2026. They will arrive eventually as part of iOS 19.4 instead of becoming available when the iPhone’s new operating system first drops in September 2025.

Apparently, the delay will affect “a larger-than-usual number of features.”

Apple is not planning any major upgrades to AirPods Max anytime soon. The company plans to keep the headphones around in its current iteration for the “foreseeable future.”

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The rumored “iPhone 17 Air” supposedly will delete major features to become Apple’s thinnest smartphone ever — and sell at a premium price. We debate the pros and cons of such a scenario. Plus, Apple reportedly plans to make AirTags even better … and might be reconsidering making an actual TV set.

It’s a rumor-packed podcast!

Also on The CultCast:

• We discuss the possibility of Apple selling SSD upgrades for Mac mini.
• Apple slipped a surprise feature into the M4 MacBook Pro.
• Image Playground produces some truly ridiculous images. See a sampling below. Is this the best Apple Intelligence can do?

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.

November 24, 1999: Steve Jobs gets another feather in his cap when Toy Story 2, the sequel to the 1995 Pixar hit, debuts in theaters. It goes on to become the first animated sequel in history to gross more than the original.

While more a piece of Steve Jobs history than Apple history, the release of Toy Story 2 caps a spectacular year for Apple’s CEO.

When it comes to charging an Apple Watch, you typically have two choices: Use a wired charger that plugs into a power source or go with some sort of battery pack. This portable Apple Watch charger is different — it can do both. It comes with built-in USB-A and USB-C and USB-A cables so you can plug it into a computer or wall wart, and a 1,200mAh battery so you can use it to charge wirelessly wherever you go.

It’s ideal for anyone who’s always on the go and wants to keep their Apple Watch powered up without needing an outlet. At just $29.99, it’s a surprisingly capable Apple Watch charger. And it makes a great stocking stuffer for anyone who wears an Apple Watch!

Apple’s latest M4 MacBook Pro offers no improvements in repairability. This is unlike other devices that Apple launched this year, which focused on making repairs easier.

iFixit’s teardown of the M4 MacBook Pro also reveals that there are no internal design changes at all.