This is a BFD. Apple is suing NSO Group, the secretive, Israel-based company behind the Pegasus spyware that governments have used to hack iPhones.

NSO's software has also been used to hack the iPhones of journalists, activists, dissidents and possibly Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

"If you weaponize our software against innocent users, researchers, dissidents, activists or journalists, Apple will give you no quarter," Cupertino's head of security said.

Wow!

Some observers noted that NSO is already on the ropes, and accused Apple of acting opportunistically. But in general, the move was hailed by journalists and human rights organizations.

"Hurrah. This is great. @apple is also committing to telling any users who it finds have been targeted by a spyware attack. Huge blow to NSO. Huge step forward for human rights," tweeted journalist Carole Cadwalladr.

This is good news -- and good on Apple for joining the fight.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple sues maker of infamous Pegasus spyware that targets iPhones — www.cultofmac.com

Apple filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against NSO Group, the company responsible for the Pegasus spyware. Apple says the goal is to “hold it accountable for the surveillance and targeting of Apple users.” NSO Group claims Pegasus is only used by governments to fight crime, but some allege that it’s being used it to hack activists, politicians, journalists and others.

Seiko WristMac, aka the ‘first Apple Watch,’ will look weird as hell on your wrist — www.cultofmac.com

This ancestor of the smartwatch could connect to a Macintosh and perform certain functions — and a version of it even did so on a space shuttle mission.

The best Black Friday deals on Apple’s hottest devices — www.cultofmac.com

AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad and more are currently available at tasty discounts from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. To make shopping easier, we rounded up all the best deals on Apple gear.

Snag this beloved language app at its lowest price yet — www.cultofmac.com

Babbel is one of the most highly rated language learning apps out there, earning 4.6 stars out of 5 stars after almost 30,000 reviews on the App Store. For only two weeks, you can get this great language app for its lowest price yet — just $179 (regularly $499) for a lifetime subscription to all available languages.

Tile is selling its tracking business just 6 months after AirTag’s arrival — www.cultofmac.com

Tile, the company famous for its Bluetooth tracking gadgets, is selling itself to Life360 for $205 million. The move comes just six months after Tile was forced to face its toughest competition yet — Apple’s popular AirTag.

Windows could come to M1 Macs with Qualcomm exclusivity ending ‘soon’ — www.cultofmac.com

Qualcomm’s deal with Microsoft is “set to expire soon,” according to a new report. The deal, which wasn’t public knowledge until this week, could explain why there are only a limited number of Windows devices powered by Arm chips.

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One more thing ...

"Older people sit down [at a computer] and ask, 'What is it?' But the child asks, 'What can I do with it?'" – Steve Jobs