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Rumors are swirling that Apple TV+ might scoop up No Time to Die, the James Bond film currently languishing in box office limbo. The movie — the 25th 007 flick, and the last to star Daniel Craig as the British spy — has seen its release date slip repeatedly as many cinemas remain closed due to COVID-19.

Now, MGM Studios reportedly might pull the trigger on a streaming debut rather than waiting out the pandemic. If Apple TV+ added No Time to Die to its growing library, it would be the streaming service’s biggest coup yet.

A new type of screen protection built into the iPhone 12 series helped it survive a brutal drop test better than its predecessor. Both the standard model and the Pro went through multiple drops directly onto the display without breaking.

That wasn’t the case when the identical test was done on the iPhone 11 Pro Max in 2019. But that model older doesn’t have Ceramic Shield.

Apple TV+ looks to continue building its sterling reputation with the upcoming six-part documentary series Becoming You. Narrated by Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman, the series will tell the story of the first 2,000 days of life for 100 kids from around the world.

It hits me, as the kids say, “right in the feels.” Check out the trailer below.

Apple Pay with Express Transit is now available to commuters with a Ventra Card in Chicago, making it easier for them to travel around the city on public transport.

Apple says the iPhone 12’s Ceramic Shield display makes it 4x less likely to break when dropped than previous iPhones. But, within days of the first iPhone 12 and 12 Pro handsets arriving, some buyers are complaining about scratches on their screens.

UPDATE: A rigorous test shows that Apple’s latest handsets are not easily scratched.

So what’s going on?

Apple is currently working on updates for its entry-level AirPods and AirPods Pro, which could debut in 2021, Bloomberg reported Monday.

The story also sheds light on the reason for Apple delaying release of its over-the-ear AirPods Studio headphones.

In Epic Games’ latest filing in its war against Apple, the Fortnite developer says Apple has “no rights to the fruits of Epic’s labor,” in reference to Apple’s demands that it be able to take commission on in-app purchases on iOS.

Open up the standard iPhone 12 and and you’d be hard pressed to find a difference between it and the iPhone 12 Pro. An iFixit teardown shows these handsets so similar internally that they can share many parts.

But the news isn’t all good. Another tidbit revealed by cracking open Apple’s latest is that that have smaller batteries than their predecessors.

As Apple faces increasing scrutiny from governments around the world, the company should take a lesson from Google. We think Apple really needs to implement its own “don’t be evil” policy — and stick with it.

Also, with the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro arriving this week alongside iPad Air 4 it’s time to take a look at reviewers’ first impressions. (It’s also a good time to revisit best practices for setting up and optimizing a new iPhone).

Read it all — along with reviews of new Apple TV+ movies On the Rocks and Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You — in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Download it now to read on your iOS device.

A selection of accessories that use the new MagSafe wireless charger are ready for Friday’s launch of the iPhone 12 series.

MagSafe used to be for MacBooks, but Apple rebranded it and built it into its newest handsets. Accessory makers are integrating it into wireless chargers and cases. Some of these are pretty cool.

This week on The CultCast: The reviews are in, so let’s talk about iPhone 12! Plus: The honest truth about iPhone 12’s 5G; the original HomePod gets powerful new features, and Jony Ive gets a brand-new job.

And now, The CultCast has video! Or subscribe to our audio episodes if you don’t like our faces.

Apple and Google moved fast to develop a COVID-19 contact-tracing solution that was both smart and privacy conscious. Unfortunately, more than six months after the companies announced the cross-platform approach to contact tracing, few places in the United States use it.

It’s a tough lesson for the world’s biggest tech company. And one that everyone is a little bit poorer for having learned.

The Coalition for App Fairness, a group of developers targeting what they claim is Apple’s unfair control of the App Store, has more than doubled in size since its formation last month.

According to a new report, the original group of 13 companies — which included the likes of Epic Games and Spotify — has now increased to 40, with another 400 requests to join.

If the newest Apple Watch models are a little too pricey for you, check out Amazon’s latest deal on Apple Watch 3. You can pick up brand-new units for as little as $169.

Bag yours before they sell out!

The magnetic back for the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models won’t damage your credit cards, although you may want to keep it away from direct contact with single use magnetic stripe cards, such as the swipe cards used in hotels.

That’s according to Kaiann Drance, Vice President of iPhone Marketing at Apple, who is interviewed in the latest “Rich on Tech” podcast.

Elkson’s brilliant Quattro bumper case, which keeps your shiny new Apple Watch looking brand-new, is now available in green for the first time. Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store for just $11.99.

It’s a big day for Apple fans as the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro with 5G have gone on sale, alongside the iPad Air 4 — marking a trio of devices with the new, breakthrough A14 chip.

As preorders arrive and Apple Stores open with the new handsets and tablet, Apple shared some images of satisfied customers, along with fulfillment workers gearing up to dispatch the new iPhones and iPads to stores.

It’s a packed Friday for Apple TV+ with the debut of Sofia Coppola’s movie On The Rocks, plus a new episode of Tehran and Long Way Up. There’s also the new Bruce Springsteen documentary Letter to You, which was due to debut Friday, but wound up debuting Thursday after a tweet sent out by The Boss (and, no, we don’t mean Tim Cook).

Here’s what to expect from this week’s new arrivals.

Scarlett Johansson reportedly will take the lead in an Apple TV+ film. Bride will be about a creation designed to be the perfect wife. And what happens when she rejects the role.

Oscar-winner Sebastián Lelio will direct the film.

The Uptown Apple Store in Minneapolis closed its doors for good. Though it might be more accurate to say the store won‘t reopen, as it’s been shuttered to the public since March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

That didn’t stop the store from being damaged by rioters in May after the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. 2020 has been just extra hard on it.

Zagg Pro Keys is a keyboard case for those who want to use their iPad as both a slender tablet and a laptop. There are versions for the new iPad Air 4 and iPad 8.

In addition, the Zagg Pro Stylus debuted on Thursday. It sports two tips, making it a competitor for the Apple Pencil as well as basic capacitive styli.

Halide Mark II brings a significant revamp to a popular alternative camera application for the iPhone. The developer redesigned the software to make it even easier to use for beginners. But it also comes with professional-grade features built in, like new tools for working with RAW images.

In the words of Ron Burgundy, “That escalated quickly.” A day after short-form video streamer Quibi pivoted from a mobile-only approach to launch an Apple TV app, the beleaguered service announced it will shut down for good.

What lesson can we learn from Quibi’s glitzy, high-profile launch, only to crash and burn six months later? That the slow-but-steady, tortoise-like Apple TV+ strategy looks smarter than ever.

Apple techs will reportedly use a new bit of kit to evaluate AirPods. The audio test tool will determine if a pair of earbuds have an actual problem, or if the problem is in the ears of their wearer.

Season two of Apple TV+’s creepy M. Night Shyamalan series Servant will debut on January 15, the famed director tweeted Thursday.

The first season was among the initial wave of shows that debuted on Apple TV+ in November 2019. It seems likely that the second season would have been due to begin about now, but shooting was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down filming.