Just before the holiday shopping season kicks into full swing Apple has decided to make it harder to see reviews of the products it sells online.

The Ratings and Reviews section of Apple’s online store was recently removed from all product pages with no word on why the change was made.

The Option key (sometimes marked ⌥ on your Mac’s keyboard) offers you extra options, whether you’re using the keyboard or the mouse. Hold it down while dragging a file, for example, and it will create a duplicate of that file, instead of just moving it¹. The Option key works everywhere — in menus, too. Today, we’re going to see what happens when you Option-click on the status menu icons up on the right side of your Mac’s menu bar. The Bluetooth, volume, Wi-Fi, Time Machine and Notification Center widgets, to be precise.

Option-clicking on these icons gives you far greater control of some of your Mac’s core functionality. You might be surprised at what you can do up there.

Some Apple Stores in the U.S. and Canada are trialling extended eligibility periods for AppleCare+, according to a new report.

The trial, which started this week, allows Apple’s extended warranty plan to be purchased beyond the usual 60-day window. But devices must be inspected by the Genius Bar first.

Apple CEO Tim Cook clearly impressed Donald Trump yesterday during their tour of the Mac Pro factory; the president suggested that Apple be involved in rolling out 5G access across the US.

And he cited Cook as a big reason why.

The challenges Apple has experienced with buggy iOS 13 is causing it to rethink the way it builds and tests operating systems, starting with iOS 14.

According to Bloomberg, software boss Craig Federighi recently announced the changes at a “kickoff” meeting. The new approach will make it easier for testers to be able to switch on and off new features. This is so they can better work out how the features independently impact software functionality.

Making the iPhone in the United States is “not on the horizon,” Tim Cook said during an interview with ABC News Wednesday.

Cook gave the interview while visiting Apple’s Mac Pro factory in Austin, Texas, with President Donald Trump.

Gamers using the Steam Link app on iOS can now enjoy multiplayer games with friends who use a PC.

Valve’s new Remote Play Together feature, announced last month, is already out of beta and available to all. And it works across Windows, macOS, and Linux — as well as Android and iOS.

Apple display-maker Japan Display may be struggling — but one of its executives apparently hasn’t been. The firm revealed today that it fired an accounting executive last year for allegedly embezzling $5.3 million over four years.

Japan Display is now cooperating with police in a criminal investigation of the unnamed employee.

We take our mobile devices everywhere we go, and that means carrying around earbuds and charging cables. So instead of stuffing our bags and pockets with our accessories, why not accessorize with them? These cables and earbuds from WRAPS turn them into stylish bracelets, for the ultimate in functional fashion. Read on for more details:

Fact-checkers are taking issue with President Donald Trump over his claims to have opened a major Apple factory in Texas yesterday.

In fact, the Associated Press points out that the factory has been running since 2013. You know, six years ago.

Apple and Intel have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, claiming that the investment management group is stockpiling patents. It then allegedly uses these patents to demand as much as $5.1 billion in lawsuits filed against tech firms.

Both Apple and Intel are accusing the firm of stockpiling patents, despite it not actually making any tech products. They claim this is in violation of United States antitrust laws.

Ever reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the upcoming 5G iPhones will support both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands. This will allow them to interoperate effectively with 5G cell towers all across the United States.

President Donald Trump today toured the factory in Texas where the blazing-fast new Mac Pro is being assembled. His tour guide was Apple CEO Tim Cook, further demonstrating the good relationship the two have, despite disagreeing on many topics.

The Banker, the first Apple TV+ original movie, will miss its world debut this week. Apple pulled the film after allegations of sexual abuse emerged involving Bernard Garrett Jr., the son of one of the men portrayed in the film and a co-producer of the project.

In the wake of recently surfaced accusations lodged by his half-sisters, Cynthia and Sheila Garrett, Garrett Jr.’s name has been scrubbed from the movie’s publicity materials. And the movie, originally scheduled to premier Thursday night at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, has been nixed. Now it’s not clear when it will be released.

Combining your iPhone case with your wallet is an easy way to simplify your life. Take the OtterBox Strada for the iPhone 11, which offers slots to hold multiple cards, while also wrapping around the front, back and sides of your handset. A leather exterior gives it a luxurious look and feel.

I used an OtterBox Strada for weeks — here’s how it stood up in daily use.

A new concept device, with an iPhone given an iPad-like makeover, shows what Apple might be planning for 2020.

This artist’s render is based on leaked information that the iPhone 12 will borrow some of the design elements of the iPad Pro.

Guilherme Rambo, one of the top Apple secret-spillers, says Apple locked him out of his developer account, preventing him from accessing critical tools needed to create and update iOS and Mac apps.

In a blog post detailing his problem, Rambo revealed that Apple locked him out in August. Since then, all his attempts to resolve the issue met a dead end, he says. Rambo’s post doesn’t mention that he digs through Apple beta software looking for clues about unreleased Apple products — and publishes his findings on 9to5Mac. That might be the precise reason why he’s locked out.

Apple fans run on their own colorful OS that seems nearly impossible to hack. This growing subculture is worthy of study — and a place on your coffee table! You can get to know some of the world’s biggest Apple fans, thanks to the rich stories and colorful photographs in The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition, by Leander Kahney and David Pierini.

The book, which hits stores Dec. 17, is much more than an update to Kahney’s 2006 book, The Cult of Mac (which gave this blog its name). Now available for preorder from Amazon, the second edition is a companion volume crammed with new stories and pictures. All told, they paint a picture of a uniquely devoted community.

Apple today dropped its newest Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 11 series. It’s much like its predecessors, but this time around it has a new button that provides instant access to your camera.

You can order yours today for $129.

Pre-release testing of iOS 13.3 and the iPad equivalent keeps chugging along. This is the third week in a row Apple introduced new beta versions.

When the full version is released, it will add an important feature to Screen Time, allowing parents to limit with whom their children communicate.

The default passcode length on the Apple Watch is just four digits. And while it’s true that you don’t keep as much sensitive data on the smartwatch as you do on an iPhone, and that your Apple Watch is arguably safer from bad actors because it is always strapped to your wrist, it’s still worth making this passcode more secure. After all, it’s not like you have to enter your strong passcode very often, right?

Today we’ll see how to change your Apple Watch passcode to a longer one. And we’ll also check out a neat feature that lets you skip entering the passcode altogether.

Apple told the US Congress that it doesn’t profit from making repairs to iPhones or Macs.

And it defended its practice of only selling genuine Apple parts to companies that have technicians trained to install them.

One of Apple’s biggest publishing partners for Apple News+ is still waiting to be impressed by the fledgling subscription service.

Speaking at Recode’s Code Media conference this week, Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch said the “jury is out” on the service. His less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Apple News+ comes a week after a report claimed Apple is struggling to significantly increase the number of paid subscribers for Apple News+.

An app developer putting out a camera and photo editing app today is in for a steep, uphill climb. Dozens of apps populate the category and those at the top are holding that place for a reason.

But the name Filmic should grab the iPhone photographer’s attention. The maker of Filmic Pro, the go-to app for mobile filmmakers, now offers a unique camera experience for stills called Firstlight.

If you’re not smart enough to work at Apple, or important enough to be given a tour by Tim Cook, you’ll probably never get the chance to look around Apple Park. Fortunately, travel videographer Yongsung Kim served up the next best thing with an Apple Park video tour.

In a recently published YouTube video, he takes the world inside Apple Park’s spaceship campus in Cupertino, California. The video shows parts of the building you won’t normally see during a trip to the Apple Park Visitor Center. Check it out!