For decades, it was possible to get a hefty discount (10% or more) on new Apple hardware if you attested to being a student or teacher.

It was based on an honor system, and no one checked. We used it several times when my wife and/or daughter were teaching in the local school district.

Now Apple is using a third-party company to verify whether buyers are indeed students or staff before they can make a purchase.

The legendary Apple education discount loophole has been closed. It's the end of an era!

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple education store discounts now require proof of student status — www.cultofmac.com

The U.S. Apple Store for Education now requires shoppers to prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. Shoppers can’t even see what the discounted prices are without being verified first.

Yes, your 5G iPhone supports new C-band service from AT&T and Verizon — www.cultofmac.com

Both AT&T and Verizon began rolling out a new 5G version Wednesday. Getting access via C-band doesn’t require getting a new iPhone, though. If your iOS device supports 5G, it can use the new version.

Smoother ProMotion scrolling moves closer with macOS 12.2 release candidate — www.cultofmac.com

This makes a full launch only a few days away. Beta testers indicate the new OS will bring smoother scrolling on MacBooks with ProMotion displays, along with a rewritten Apple Music app.

Apple Music is the world’s second-biggest music streaming service — www.cultofmac.com

With a 15% share of the market, Apple's offering remains significantly bigger than rivals like YouTube Music and Deezer. However, Apple Music will have to fight to stay ahead of Amazon Music, while catching up with Spotify will be an incredibly difficult task.

Get smarter in 5 minutes — bit.ly

There's a reason over 3 million people start their day with Morning Brew — the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Unlike traditional news, Morning Brew knows how to keep you informed and entertained for free. Check it out.

iOS 15 fixes security flaw that exposes Apple ID info to third-party apps — www.cultofmac.com

iOS and iPadOS 15 fix a pretty serious security flaw that allowed third-party applications to access Apple ID information and recent search terms.

Yet another bill calls for Apple to allow third-party app payments — www.cultofmac.com

Illinois is the latest U.S. state to file a bill that could force Apple and Google to accept third-party payment systems inside apps. It's called the “Freedom to Subscribe Directly Act.”

JBL has a new party in a box and lots of other big plans for your ears — www.cultofmac.com

Every year, Samsung subsidiary JBL rolls out a tempting raft of updated or new audio products at CES, but you can’t get them right away. CES 2022, held in Las Vegas earlier this month, was no different. The company showed its new JBL PartyBox Encore and a slew of other Bluetooth speakers, earbuds and headphones. Here's a roundup of what's coming.

Tweet o' the day

One more thing ...

"When you're young, you look at television and think, 'There's a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down.' But when you get a little older, you realize that's not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That's a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It's the truth." -- Steve Jobs