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Wicked’s successful film adaptation has brought The Wizard of Oz back into public discourse, and some have noted its parallels found in Ted Lasso. Now, series writer and star Brett Goldstein has set the record straight about the close relationship between the Apple TV+ series and the classic film and book.

Apple silicon has led to significant advancements on the Mac, including the recent M4 models. But some of the best evidence for Apple’s advantages in silicon is found in a surprising and unconventional place: the iPad mini 7.

From now through December 31, save 20% on all 9to5Mac Daily Plus, 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus, and 9to5Mac Pro annual subscriptions with promo code HOLIDAY! Visit 9to5mac.com/join to sign up.

Benjamin and Chance debate the appeal of the iPhone 17 Air as more details about the redesigned phone leak out. And Siri is set for more LLM-powered updates, but maybe not until spring 2026. Is that too late for Apple to ever catch up to the state of the art?

And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin gives his opinion on all the Apple Intelligence features available so far, and Chance is impressed by the nano-texture display on the new MacBook Pro. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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USB-C/Thunderbolt display options have really grown in recent years. While Apple’s Pro Display XDR isn’t the best fit for most Mac users at $5,000+, it also offers the more affordable Studio Display. But there are many great choices from LG, Samsung, BenQ, and more. Here are the best USB-C/Thunderbolt displays with many available in the $400-$1,600 range.

Update 11/27/24: For a limited time grab 57% off the 5K Samsung ViewFinity S9 or get 19% off the 5K Apple Studio Display.

MAGEASY is a leader in the premium accessories market for Apple products, and will be offering some of its best prices ever for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, providing customers with the ultimate value on cases and other accessories for your Apple products.

These deals will be running through December 2nd, and you can also take advantage of some site-wide offers outside of the ones highlighted here, where you can buy any item and save 10%, buy any 2 items and save 20%, and any 3 items for 30% off. Newsletter subscribers (located at the bottom of the website) can also save 15% on one item. Don’t miss out!

Vision Pro users know that immersive video is one of the platform’s strengths, but content has been relatively scarce. Apple is reportedly working on a big project to change that: upgrading a popular sports stadium with the tech necessary for live streaming games in immersive video on Vision Pro.

The holiday season is upon us, and Apple would have you believe that its products make the perfect gifts for your loved ones. A new CIRP report reveals, however, which Apple products tend to get gifted and which ones miss out on a holiday boost.

AI was supposed to lead to a supercycle of smartphone growth, not just among iPhone users but also Android. But it turns out, that’s simply not a thing yet—at least based on global 2024 smartphone trends. Sales are trending up, but not at all for the reasons you might expect.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last month announced a review of the customer service offered by ISPs (internet service providers), stating that this was often so poor it made it hard for consumers to switch providers.

But ISPs have responded through a lobbying group, claiming that they offer “effective and user-friendly” customer service and therefore new regulations are not needed …

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed concern over lack of manufacturer commitment to software updates for smart devices, citing the risk that security flaws won’t be fixed, or that products will cease to function altogether.

This echoes concerns we’ve been raising for the past couple of years about us never really owning the smart products we buy …

A tweet claiming that Microsoft Office uses the content of customer documents to train its AI systems raised a lot of eyebrows, but the tech giant says that it’s a simple misunderstanding.

A Linux account with hundreds of thousands of followers tweeted the claim …

Apple is noted for taking its time when it comes to entering new product categories, but a 2008 patent shows that the company had been working on Vision Pro for at least 15 years before it finally launched.

Both the patent drawing and the description of the device are remarkably consistent with the product that finally launched in 2024 …

As we reported last month, OpenAI has finally launched SearchGPT, which is essentially a search engine developed by OpenAI that uses artificial intelligence to find and combine the best results from the web. And with the latest ChatGPT update for iOS, it’s now easier to use SearchGPT.

Dreame Technology is a leading brand for smart cleaning solutions, both in the form of robot vacuums and typical vacuum cleaners. For their Black Friday sale, its offering large discounts on a number of its smart cleaning products, making it a better time than ever to pick up a new vacuum for your household.

Until December 2nd, you can score great savings on Dreame’s vacuums – and can save an additional 5% off using our exclusive promo code for our readers, DM9to55off.

It’s been a long time since Apple has been working on its own 5G modem. However, development is taking much longer than the company expected – but recent evidence suggests that we’ll see Apple’s first 5G modem next year. Read on as we detail everything we know so far about it.

Apple bought Pixelmator earlier this fall, in a rare occurrence of the company buying an existing app. Though questions about its plans abound, looking at Apple’s app acquisition history points to a bright future ahead for Pixelmator.

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud appears to have no end in sight, and now Apple is unwittingly getting pulled into the complicated affair thanks to a possible Siri malfunction and Apple Music.

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Sponsored by Roborock: Check out Roborock’s incredible Black Friday Deals now.

The year is coming to a close, but December will still bring a variety of new Apple releases. Software and services will especially be highlights. Here’s what’s coming soon, and what isn’t.

Mercedes-Benz has announced a new Apple Watch app with a wide range of functionality. The app is available today and includes real-time vehicle information, the ability to lock and unlock your car, and more.