Does “incredible never-before-seen footage of rare and remarkable animal behaviors, highlighting the brilliant intelligence of the natural world” sound good to you? Then get excited for the new 10-part nature documentary series Apple TV+ unveiled Monday with that description, The Secret Lives of Animals.

And no, the series doesn’t come with David Attenborough narration. But you still get a great English accent. SAG Award winner Hugh Bonneville, of Downton Abbey fame, plays that role for this one.

Twelve South introduced PlugBug Travel, a version of its USB-C wall charger with six power adapters so it can be used around the world. Taking it internationally makes its support for Apple’s Find My technology even more useful.

There are versions with two ports and four ports with outputs appropriate for iPhone and/or MacBook.

I’ve focused on my own workstation just a few times in several years of handling Cult of Mac setups coverage (this is setups article number 569 for me, by the way). Well, now it’s that time again, thanks to two major new upgrades in my personal rig. First, I replaced my trusty silver M1 Pro MacBook Pro with a brawny M4 Pro model in space black. And second, I installed a set of bookshelf speakers right in the workstation for the first time.

Anyone hoping to hack into an iPhone now finds it more difficult thanks to a change in iOS 18.1. Whether this is police, foreign espionage agents or criminal hackers, there’s now much less time to crack the security on Apple handsets because of a simple trick.

It’s another example of Apple being serious about protecting user privacy.

I took the leap from the 2021 M1 Pro MacBook Pro to the new M4 Pro MacBook Pro. As you’ll see from my review, having used the M1 Pro model for the past couple of years, I was eager to see how Apple could improve on the already-impressive machine. And, despite the lack of redesign, I’m impressed, to say the least.

While the M1 Pro and M4 Pro laptops could be the same exact machine judging from the outside — same as all M-series MacBook Pro models — the new one takes some big steps forward in performance. That should future-proof me on this daily driver for at least a few years.

Apple could further expand its iPhone manufacturing efforts in India over the next two years. This shift would likely occur if newly-elected US President Donald Trump implements heavy tariffs on Chinese imports.

India is already the second major iPhone production hub for Apple outside China.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first benchmarks for the M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pros come in amazingly good. And early reviews from the “access media” rave about the new Apple laptops, too. (What else did you expect?)

It might be time for Erfon’s long-overdue upgrade.

Also on The CultCast:

• There’s another reason you should buy an M4 laptop rather than waiting for next year’s model.
• iOS 18.2 is almost here, and Griffin runs down all the exciting new features it brings.
• The next iPhone could come with even more custom Apple hardware inside.
• And finally … Erfon actually got his hands on the camera he’s been waiting forever to receive. His first impressions are … mixed.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

iOS 18.2 brings exciting new Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Genmoji, Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT integration. These flashy new tools let users create images and custom emoji, look up information using the iPhone’s camera and tap into one of the hottest AI chatbots around.

How well do they work? Keep reading or watch our hands-on video to see iOS 18.2’s new Apple Intelligence features in action.

November 9, 1994: Gil Amelio, a businessman with a reputation as a talented turnaround artist, joins Apple’s board.

Coming off his impressive revitalization of two other tech companies, National Semiconductor and Rockwell International, Amelio’s appointment at Apple sparks widespread celebration. Many Apple watchers think his arrival means the company’s dark days are over. Sadly, Amelio’s turnaround tricks won’t work in Cupertino.

Carrying out repairs on your new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro is now easier than before. You can purchase the repair parts and tools for the latest iPhones from Apple’s Self Service Repair store.

The replacement components and tools are available to customers in the US and parts of Europe.

Attention, new iMac owners: The M4 iMac sits upside down inside the box it comes in. This can be an unwelcome surprise if you open the box the wrong way — your new computer could tumble onto the floor on its first day, just like mine did.

Don’t fall for the picture on the front of the packaging, which shows the base of the iMac on the bottom. Follow these instructions on how to open an iMac box to avoid catastrophe.

Every time you leave your desk, the battery clock starts ticking. Which of your Apple devices will need to recharge first? Luckily, you can recharge three at once with this 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Pad.

It looks a lot like Apple’s MagSafe Duo, but it can handle three devices, not just two, which makes it an even more convenient travel charger. Plus, it costs a fraction of what Apple’s charger does. And now it’s even cheaper, thanks to a limited-time deal that drops the price to just $26.97 (regularly $69.99).

Songs disappear from Apple Music all the time due to licensing problems or artists doing controversial things. Spotify found itself caught up in similar situation in 2022, losing Neil Young’s discography in a protest of the streaming service’s association with podcaster Joe Rogan. Luckily, there’s a way you can find out if any songs in your library have been removed from Apple Music behind your back.

If you own a Mac, you can quickly find out by building a special Smart Playlist. I’ll show you how.

No sign yet appears of Apple’s annual gift guide. But the iPhone giant has officially extended its holiday return period for most purchases. So the holidays have officially begun! Each year Apple gives purchasers and giftees a little more time than usual to return items.

The bottom line: “Eligible products at the Apple Store Online that are received between November 8, 2024 and December 25, 2024, may be returned through January 8, 2025,” Apple said on its website.

The SSD in the newly launched M4 Mac mini can be removed, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s upgradable. At this point, it’s unlikely there’ll be an option to drop additional storage to the Mac mini.

Here’s why.

UPDATE: Further testing of the M4 Mac mini finds that the storage SSD can be swapped, unlike Mac Studio. But that still doesn’t mean upgrades are possible at this point.

We’ve been on the hunt for a Vision Pro setup that looks like something a little more developed than the headset sitting on a table. And we found one this week when a developer showed huge enthusiasm for ultra-wide Virtual Display capability available in beta software. So now he hides his setup’s MacBook Pro, dons the headset and sits at a desk with nothing but a mini Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse on it. But his super-minimalist desk belies his expansive and productive virtual view.

The latest Windows 12 rumors indicate Microsoft won’t release its next big operating system update until late 2025. Rather than waiting for that to arrive, you can update your PC now the quick and easy way. Just buy a Windows 11 CD key on sale during CdkeySales’ Black Friday Sale.

During the sale, you can get great deals on upgrade-ready Microsoft productivity software like Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office. In fact, the CdkeySales Black Friday Sale slashes some prices by up to 91%. Savings include Windows 10 Pro for just $17.05 — with a free upgrade to Windows 11 Pro!

Need to power up your iPhone, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch, AirPods and more, all at once? You need a powerful charger with plenty of ports. And right now, we’ve got an amazing deal on a 220W GaN charging station with seven ports (five USB-C and two USB-A).

It’s great for home but small enough for travel, and it’s on sale for just $32.99.

Apple’s newest M4-equipped Macs — iMac, MacBook Pro and the redesigned Mac mini — reached store shelves Friday. Customers who placed preorders for delivery should receive their new computers today, too.

Apple announced its new Macs in the last week of October through press releases.

Some early reviews of the M4 iMac touch on how much more colorful the new version of the desktop is. But other reviewers had more to say about the performance boost from the Apple M4 processor.

Read on for a range of thoughts from reviewers on the 2024 iMac with M4.

The smart home industry’s universal technology standard, Matter, will get a significant update that could make it easier for Apple users to integrate non-Apple devices into their smart home setups, according to a new report. The new Matter 1.4 update introduces several key improvements, some long-awaited — including enhanced multi-admin capabilities and expanded device support.

AirPods come with no obvious controls, so it’s easy to think you just stick them in your ears and start listening. But Apple’s wireless earbuds offer features that aren’t immediately obvious. We recently published six hidden tips and tricks for AirPods. Now here are a few more you might not know.

The latest group covers how to easily control your AirPods, how to find a lost one, and a simple way to extend their battery life.

Apple’s latest M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro refresh brings significant improvements to its professional laptop line, with reviewers praising the upgraded base model and impressive performance gains across the board. Here’s what the top tech publications are saying about the 2024 MacBook Pro with M4 chips.

“All the things that have made Apple silicon-based MacBook Pros great are still here, now powered by the impressively upgraded M4 chip,” noted Jason Snell on the Six Colors blog. “Apple has also sufficiently improved the base model to finally elevate it out of ‘Why does this exist?’ territory, boosted the device’s world-class display and seriously upgraded the built-in webcam. Not bad for a small update.”

If there were concerns that Apple overstepped by shrinking the 2024 Mac mini while also dropping in a super-fast processor, lay them to rest. Early M4 Mac mini reviews praise the redesign and rave about the performance boost that comes from Apple’s latest processors.

Here’s a roundup of comments on the tiny new macOS desktop.

Concept designer Antonio De Rosa issued a slick new set of designs Thursday for what he’s calling “17 Pro Max: Thinnovation,” despite Apple’s legal department getting in his face a while back over some of his concepts looking “too real.” For the new one, he left out the word “iPhone” and used AI to help avoid copyright infringement, he said. And his passion for the work — and for Apple — outweighed his fear of retribution.

“Call me a fanboy, but I love these products and even the illusion to ‘work’ for any of those,” De Rosa told Cult of Mac. “It makes me feel happy. Maybe I can save them some headaches looking at my works; they could say ‘Naaa, this is ugly, let’s pass on [it].’ Who knows, maybe I’m helping to have less ugly phones.”