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Deals: AirPods Pro 3 $199, 24GB M5 MacBook Pro $250 off, M3 iPad Air $200 off, black Trail Loop, more

Just when you thought the Apple deals were about to start ramping down ahead of the holidays, Amazon has announced a Super Saturday sale event for this weekend and today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break features AirPods Pro 3 back down at the $199 low with holiday delivery. That offer joins the M4 MacBook Air back at $250 off and the most affordable 24GB M5 MacBook Pro at $250 off, but we also spotted a new all-time low on the most affordable M3 iPad Air models at $200 off, and the 2025 black Apple Trail Loop at its best price to date too. Head below for a closer look, AirTag price drops, smart home gear, chargers, and more. 

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iPhone roadmap rumors, iOS 26.2 released, Apple Music in ChatGPT

Benjamin and Chance discuss the late-in-the-year public launch of iOS 26.2, and the beginning of the 26.3 beta cycle. The Information has some juicy new details about the forthcoming iPhone roadmap, ChatGPT adds a clever Apple Music integration, and Chance tried using the PSVR2 spatial controllers with his Vision Pro.

And in Happy Hour Plus, there’s more tantalizing evidence of a higher-end iMac in the works. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join

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Rivian hands-free

Rivian rolls out software update 2025.46, including Universal Hands-Free driving and digital key for Apple and Android users

Rivian has just shared details of its latest over-the-air software update 2025.46, which includes some of the new features announced during its recent AI and Autonomy event last week. The update features a new digital key function for Gen 2 R1 owners, “flavorful” drive styles, kick turns, tuning, and, of course, Rivian’s new Universal Hands-Free driving capabilities.

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Apple gift card safety questioned after terrifying account lockout

Apple gift card safety questioned after scary story of Apple account lockout | Photo shows bank vault door

The safety of buying Apple gift cards from anywhere other than the company itself has been called into question after a frankly terrifying story of a well-known developer and author getting locked out of his account.

Organizer of the /dev/world conference Paris Buttfield-Addison described what happened after he attempted to redeem an Apple gift card purchased from a well-known bricks-and-mortar retailer …

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X drops support for installing its iPad app on the Mac

X Twitter

Last year, X (formerly known as Twitter) killed its dedicated Mac app and removed it from the Mac App Store. At the time, the company pointed users to the iPad version of the app, which remained available on the Mac App Store for Apple Silicon users to install.

Now, however, X is blocking users from installing the iPad version of the app on macOS. The essentially means the company has ditched the Mac entirely.

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iOS 26.2 fulfills a five-year-old Apple Music request with new Apple Podcasts features

Five years ago, an Apple Music Radio show tailored to my taste amplified music discovery for me. Discovering new episodes of that show, however, proved difficult.

That changed three years later when Apple Podcasts integrated Apple Music Radio shows. While keeping up with new episodes was much easier, listening through the Podcasts app lacked key Apple Music integration.

Now in iOS 26.2, Apple has closed the feature gap in an unexpected but effective way.

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9to5Mac Daily: December 17, 2025 – Apple’s iPhone roadmap

9to5mac daily podcast

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcherTuneInGoogle Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Backblaze: Give yourself the gift of peace of mind. Till the end of the month, 9to5Mac listeners get 30% off with code 9to5Xmas

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Should you buy a cellular Apple Watch? Here’s what to consider

apple watch series 12 features

The Apple Watch lineup is available in a number of different options and configurations, ranging from different case materials, colors, sizes, and more. One of the most important things to consider, however, is whether or not you should buy an Apple Watch with cellular connectivity.

An Apple Watch with cellular lets you go out in the world without your iPhone while still remaining connected. It’s a useful feature but one that comes at a cost.

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Deals: All M4 MacBook Air configs $250 off, M5 MacBook Pro $250 off, M4 iPad Pro $699 off, more

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break deals are now ready to roll starting off with the return of Amazon Black Friday pricing across the M4 MacBook Air lineup. You’ll now once again find all 13- and 15-inch configurations it sells at $250 off the list price alongside the most affordable M5 MacBook Pro at $250 off. Those offers join some gigantic price drops at Costco on M4 iPad Pro at as much as $699 off the list prices as well as some notable accessory deals –  Apple’s latest Ultra Natural Milanese Loop, the new iPhone Crossbody Strap up to 30% off, and the Beats iPhone 17/Pro Kickstand Case at up to 62% off. Scope it all out down below. 

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iPhone settings & features you didn’t know existed [Video]

It seems that with every update, Apple quietly adds hundreds of features and settings that are very impactful but easy to miss. These are not the big headliner features, but smaller ones that, once you know about them, make your day-to-day life so much easier. Here are 15 features and settings that every iPhone owner should know about, but probably doesn’t.

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