Good guy Apple!

Tim Cook has just announced that Good Guy Apple will be donating much needed funds to support fire fighting efforts in Australia.

Australia is suffering through one of the worst droughts in history, record-breaking heat waves, and a devastating bush fire season. By 21 December 2019, the fires had burnt over 3,000,000 hectares, destroyed over 700 houses and killed at least 9 people.

From the Source:

Our hearts are with those impacted by the Australian bushfires and with the courageous volunteer force fighting the unprecedented blazes across the country—please stay safe. Apple will be donating to support relief efforts.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 26, 2019

Awesome!

Looking ahead to 2020 iPhones

Rumor has it that Apple plans to release FIVE new iPhone models in 2020! Likely starting with an iPhone SE 2 type model with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of the year, and then followed by 4 more models in the second half.

The rumored iPhone SE 2 will probably resemble the iPhone 8, but faster, with a 4.7-inch display with bezels and a Touch ID home button.

The second lot of models are predicted to all be higher-end all-OLED models consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch sizes which will support 5G with a Qualcomm X55 modem.

So:

A 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2 with LCD display, single-lens rear camera, and no 5G support, a 5.4-inch iPhone 12 with OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, and 5G support, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 with OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, and 5G support, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro with OLED display, triple-lens rear camera, and 5G support and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max with OLED display, triple-lens rear camera, and 5G support.

Phew.

There are also rumors that one of these later models will not have a Lightning connector and will instead offer a “completely wireless experience,”.

Sound exciting? And exhausting? Little bit of both?

Black Friday deals to look out for!

It’s that time of year! Turkey Time! And savings time! All the times! See below for some early Black Friday deals that are available right now!! Go get ’em!

Apps:

Pixelmator Photo for iPad: free until Wednesday, November 27

Affinity Photo: 30% off until Tuesday, December 3

Affinity Designer: 30% off until Tuesday, December 3

Hydra: $2.99, down from $4.99, through Monday, December 2

Paprika Recipe Manager 3: $2.99, down from $4.99, through the end of November

Desktop: 

Adobe is offering a subscription to all 20+ of its Creative Cloud desktop and mobile apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and XD, for $29.99 per month. After one year, the regular price of $52.99 per month applies.

Devices:

Grab yourself a shiny new Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular – 38mm – Sport Band – Aluminum Case -Silver/White from Walmart. Now $199.00, down from $379.00

Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa built in, Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, includes the Alexa Voice Remote is on sale from Amazon for $24.99, down from, $49.99, with free delivery with Prime.

Get a Google – Smart Light Starter Kit with Google Assistant from Best Buy for just $29.99, down from $55.00, with free shipping.

Get the latest model of Apple AirPods with Charging Case for only $139, down from $159

A Ring Video Doorbell 2 with Echo Show 5 (Charcoal) will now cost you just $139, down from $288.39 with Prime free delivery from Amazon. 

And get your Holiday party pumping with the Bose SoundTouch 300 Wireless Streaming Soundbar from Walmart, for only  $399.00, was $699.00 with free 2 day delivery!

Happy Holidays!

Apple’s Holiday Ad is here!

Wanna feel all the feels?

Watch this!

Take a look at Apple’s next show – ‘Truth be Told’

Upcoming Apple TV+ show “Truth Be Told,” stars Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul and centers on podcaster Poppy Parnell (Spencer) who is trying to reopen a murder case that she was involved in solving 18 years earlier, which put Warren Cave (Paul) behind bars.

The show is based on the novel by Kathleen Barber, and it’s said to provide a glimpse into America’s obsession with true crime podcasts. Lizzy Caplan and Mekhi Pfifer also star.

“Truth Be Told” is set to debut on Friday, December 6 on ‌Apple TV‌+.

Get up to $200 extra by shopping at Apple!

It’s coming up to Apple’s annual four-day shopping event, which will see customers being offered Apple Store gift cards worth up to a $200 with the purchase of select products between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

SO; November 29 through December 2 on Apple.com, by phone at 1-800-APPLE, and at Apple Stores.

Previously, most Macs have come with a $200 gift card, while previous-generation iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models were eligible for a $50 gift card, but it hasn’t been announced yet what terms and conditions they may have this year.

Everyone Can Code revamped!

Apple has overhauled its ‘Everyone Can Code’ curriculum to bring it to more elementary and middle school students, with more resources for teachers, a new guide for students, and updated Swift Coding Club materials.

Everyone can code is centered around interactive puzzles and activities to make coding more approachable and connected to students’ every day lives. It’s currently used ( according to Apple) by millions of students in more than 5,000 schools worldwide.

Here’s the great part – from December 1 to December 15, Apple is offering free ‘Today at Apple’ coding sessions in Apple Stores, teaching attendees to write their first lines of code, in order to celebrate Computer Science Education Week.

Some Apple retail stores will also have special sessions designed for coders of all ages, including preschool-age kids, who will be able to learn pre-coding activities through the Coding Lab with one of the Apple TV+ shows – “Helpsters,”

Learn more about ‘Everyone Can Code’ here! 

Apple’s Holiday Gift Guide is here!

Apple has released it’s 2019 holiday gift guide!

Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, the Apple Watch Series 5,  and the AirPods Pro are Apple’s top gift recommendations for this year.
Also part of the guide are the Beats Solo Pro,PopSockets PopGrip, Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad, DJI Mavic Mini, the DJI Osmo 3 Gimbal, and an Xbox Wireless Controller.

Apple’s annual holiday return period is also active, which means that purchases made between November 15, 2019 and December 25, 2019 can be returned until January 8, 2020.

Apple has two-day shipping on all purchases, however later in December we’ll likely see faster shipping options available.

Check it out!! 

Apple’s Surprise Special Media Event!

Apple is having a surprise media event on Monday, December 2 in New York City, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time!

Apple will apparently be honoring its “favorite apps and games of 2019.” This is the first time Apple has held an event like this, so it’s not clear what to expect, except that we’ll likely see Apple’s , well, favorite apps and games awarded publicly.

What were your favorite apps nd games of the year from the App store?

Apple Teams Up With 100cameras to Teach Chicago Students iPhone Photography

This past Fall, Apple partnered with 100cameras, a nonprofit organization that aims to teach photography to adolescents.  As part of this partnership, Apple provided participating students at DRW College Prep in Chicago with the new iPhone 11.

100cameras teaches the students how to use photography to tell their own stories about growing up in Chicago.

Angela Popplewell, 100cameras’ co-founder, said:

“As the residents of a neighborhood in Chicago that is often overlooked, being given the new iPhone that had been released just a few weeks prior felt like a momentous opportunity,”

Apple’s vice president of iPhone Worldwide Product Marketing Kaiann Drance said:

“It was amazing to collaborate with 100cameras and the talented and creative students at DRW,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone Worldwide Product Marketing. “The ‌iPhone 11‌ camera with all its intuitive capabilities right there in your hand is such a powerful storytelling tool. To see the photos the students captured of the ways they see the world around them was truly inspiring.”

Following each program, the photos that students took are sold through 100cameras with 100 percent of the proceeds going back to the local community partner organizations that 100cameras visits.

For the full story and to see some of the pictures captured by students, visit Apple’s newsroom article here.