In the News

Next week is Thanksgiving, and that means Black Friday events. Apple announced that this year (like in recent years), Apple will be giving out Apple gift cards when you purchase certain products from November 28 to December 1. For example, if you purchase an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16e (but not any of the newer models), you can get a gift card for up to $75. For certain Mac models, you can get up to $250. My wife recently upgraded to an iPhone 17, and when I went to pick it up from our local Apple Store, I was amazed at the activity. A very large number of people are buying a new iPhone right now! And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Apple announced the finalists for the 2025 App Store awards. Every year, I find this list interesting because Apple tends to honor a lot of apps that were not on my radar screen. This year, there is only a single app on the list that I currently use: the Explore POV app for the Apple Vision Pro.
• Speaking of the Vision Pro, Vincent Nguen of The Gadgeteer says that if you haven’t tried an Apple Vision Pro yet, you should find some time to do a 30-minute demo at an Apple Store because the device is so impressive. I agree, and I love showing mine off to friends who haven’t tried it yet.
• Apple has been moving away from the HomeKit standard that it developed towards the open Matter standard. I think that is a good thing because it opens the door to even more compatible devices, but the Matter standard was, in some ways, not as good as HomeKit. Andrew O’Hara of AppleInsider reports that the Connectivity Standards Alliance has announced Matter 1.5, which adds support for cameras (finally!) and other devices.
• I use the titanium version of the Apple Watch Series 10. It is more expensive, but I love the way it looks, and since my Apple Watch is the only jewelry-type item that I wear other than my wedding ring, I feel that it is OK to splurge. Apple announced this week that for the titanium version of the Apple Watch Series 11 and all versions of the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple 3D-prints each case with 100% recycled titanium powder. Apple says that this is better for the planet because there is less wasted titanium. It is also pretty neat; I didn’t know that you could 3D print a substance like titanium.
• Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reports that Illinois is the 14th U.S. state to support Apple’s digital ID program, so if you live in Chicago or other cities in the Prairie State, you can now put your driver’s license in your Apple Wallet.
• if you live in Arkansas or Virginia, you can already use a special app to store a digital version of your driver’s license, but Oliver Haslam of AppleInsider reports that you will be able to use Apple’s Wallet app too.
• Riley Hill of SlatePad posted a detailed review of the 11" version of the iPad Pro M5.
• Nellie Andreeva of Deadline reports that Apple announced that its new show Pluribus “broke the record previously held by Severance Season 2 for the biggest global drama series launch” on Apple TV. I love watching this show, and it is one of those shows that I find myself continuing to think about during the week. Episode 4 debuts today.
• Apple TV givieth and Apple TV taketh away. Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that, for the second time this year, Apple TV pulled a show that it had been advertising shortly before it was supposed to debut. This time, the show is a French-language show called The Hunt that I was thinking about watching. Apple hasn’t provided a reason.
• Last week, I mentioned that Apple released the iPhone Pocket. I was astonished by the price, but as William Gallagher of AppleInsider notes, Apple clearly has a better handle on its business than I do because the luxury product sold out almost immediately. I guess they could have charged even more. If anyone wants to purchase a very limited edition sock from me, suitable for either an iPhone or or, say, a foot, let me know and I’ll quote you a very high price.
• And finally, I virtually never discuss iPhone games on this website, but I’m not even sure that this one is a game. I’m not sure what it is. Pools is a—I guess it is an experience for the iPhone? You go from room to room and swim in pools. The graphics and sound are very impressive, and it is free to download and try the first chapter, which is more than enough to get a sense of it. It is interesting. Here is a preview: