I don't often post on the day after Thanksgiving, But I see that I did so 15 years ago, a few days after I started this website, so why not do it again. It's Black Friday, so I'll begin by sharing some great deals that I see at Amazon. (These are affiliate links, so if you purchase something you'll be helping iPhone J.D.). First, I see that Amazon is selling the 10th Generation iPad (which I discussed in this post) for only $349 instead of $449. That is a really great price for a nice iPad, an iPad that is even better now because you can use it with the new Apple Pencil (USB-C) which I discussed in this post and which is only $71.10 on Amazon, a 10% discount. And if you are looking to get AirPods for yourself or for a gift, Amazon is selling the AirPods (second generation) for only $79.00, down substantially from the normal price of $129.00, and the AirPods Pro are only $189.99, down substantially from the normal $249.00 price. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- One more Black Friday discount: app developer James Thomson posted on Mastodon that his apps are more than 42% off for Black Friday. You can get PCalc (the calculator app that I use) for $5 instead of $10, and his Dice app is only $1.
- For some interesting and techy gift ideas, check out Episode 719 of the Mac Power Users podcast.
- Michael Potuck of 9to5Mac explains that when iOS 17.2 comes out, you and your friends will be able to collaborate on playlists in Apple Music.
- If you are interested in trying out a very different kind of web browser on the iPhone, Niléane of MacStories reviews Quiche, a modular web browser.
- In an article for Wired, Dell Cameron and Dhruv Mehrotra discuss a surveillance program within the United States that gives the police access to trillions of U.S. phone records. It involves AT&T, but it still affects just about all calls, including landline calls and mobile calls using Verizon and T-Mobile. John Gruber of Daring Fireball offers additional insight into this program.
- Andrew Griffin of The Independent discusses a team of elite Apple engineers working in an undisclosed location in Paris whose job is to try to break into the iPhone and discover security flaws that hackers might use.
- My top two recommendations for stands that work with StandBy and can be used to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and more are (1) the Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe and (2) the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe. Tyler Hayes of How To Geek reviews the Twelve South stand and agrees with me that it is excellent. He also wishes that it would cost less than $150, but he notes that this is what other quality stands like this cost. Either of these stands would make an excellent holiday gift this year; they are just expensive enough that someone might resist buying it for themselves, but they are fantastic and will be appreciated every day.
- I've been curious to learn how Apple's Roadside Assistance via Satellite system works so that I would understand it if I ever need to use it. Brian Tong created a video tho show off the system actually being used.
- I haven't had a chance to watch this yet, but Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac reports that Tim Cook sat down for a 45-minute interview with singer Dua Lipa.
- My wife and I are about halfway through the latest season of The Morning Show on Apple TV+, and we both like it. Yes, it is sort of a soap opera, but it is fun to watch, and I love the addition of Jon Hamm this season. Inkoo Kang of the New Yorker writes Why Can't We Quit "The Morning Show"?.
- And finally, Apple released this year's holiday video and it is called Fuzzy Feelings. I've heard some folks say that this year's video isn't as good as some of the holiday videos from the past, and perhaps that is true, but I still found it touching. After you watch it, don't miss the short behind-the-scenes video that shows how it it was made (using an iPhone, of course).