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Apple Now Accepting iPad Apps, Planning “Grand Opening” of iPad App Store

Apple is now accepting iPad apps for a “grand opening” of the iPad App Store, according to an email just sent to registered developers.
“iPad will begin shipping soon and your opportunity to be part of the grand opening of the iPad App Store starts today,” the email says.
There’s no details about when the store’s grand [...]

Security Expert: “Mac OS X Is Safer, But Less Secure”

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Tech site H-Online has an interesting story today, quoting security expert Charlie Miller about his forthcoming talk at the CanSecWest conference next week.
He says OS X is full of security holes. There are lots more than in Windows, he claims.
And yet: OS X is a safer system to use. Why? Because, in the words [...]

Apple Devotes Entire Home Page To Jerome York Obituary

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If ever you needed a sign that Apple was a different kind of technology company, this is it.
What other computer manufacturer would remove its top-selling, hype-inducing, industry-altering new product from the prime spot on its website home page, and replace it with an obituary to an investor?
This is one of those “Here’s to the [...]

Coming Soon: Steve Jobs, the Sitcom

Fake Steve creator Dan Lyons just signed a deal to bring Steve Jobs to another small screen near you.
The half-hour series called “iCon” is billed by the presser as “a savage satire centering on a fictional Silicon Valley CEO whose ego is a study in power and greed.”
Making sure the barbs prick will be the [...]

Daily Deals: $749 MacBook, iHome iP3 iPhone Studio, Software Deals Galore

We launch into today’s list of deals with MacBooks from the Apple Store starting at $749 for a 2.1GHz C2D version. The Apple Store offers free shipping on all items until Saturday, Dec. 19. Next up is the iHome iP3 studio series speaker system for the iPhone or iPod touch. The 100-watt system includes 4-inch glass-fiber woofers, 1-inch silk dome tweeters and a remote control for $239. Our last top-tier deal is a new batch of lowered prices on iPhone applications from the App Store, including Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

We round out our deal-watch with a boatload of software bargains, plus the usual assortment of Apple accessories. For details on these and many other items, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page.

The Apple Store offers three factory-refurbished previous-generation MacBook notebooks in its Special Deals section. (Click “MacBook” on the left to find them.) [With free shipping, each is up to $300 off the original cost of a new unit and the lowest total price we could find.] Sales tax is added where applicable. All come with a 1-year Apple warranty, the same as new MacBooks. Items are removed from Apple’s site when they sell out. Notables:

Apple MC240LL/A MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz 13.3″ in White (pictured) for $749
Apple MB466LL/A Unibody MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz 13.3″ for $899
Apple MB467LL/A Unibody MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz 13.3″ for $999

Small Dog Electronics offers dealmac readers the iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for iPhone / iPod, model no. IP1C, for $239.99. (With free shipping, that’s $40 off and the lowest total price we’ve seen by $7.) This 100-watt system features 4″ glass-fiber woofers, 1″ silk dome tweeters, detachable speaker grills, and more. It comes with a remote control.

Several iPhone and iPod touch applications available from the iTunes App Store have recently dropped in price. (Each is the best deal we’ve seen on that title.) The deals:

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs for 99 cents ($1 off): Platform-puzzle game
Sliding Heroes for $1.99 ($3 off): Accelerometer-based real-time strategy game
Pano for $1.99 ($3 off): Panoramic photographic assistant
IM+ for $2.99 ($7 off): Multi-client instant messenger
RDM+ Remote Desktop for Mac OS and Windows for $3.99 ($16 off): Remote desktop access
Command & Conquer: Red Alert for $4.99 (pictured, $2 off): Real-time strategy game

Several iPhone and iPod touch applications from Gameloft are on sale for 99 cents each at the iTunes App Store. (Each is the best deal we’ve seen on that title.) Deals end December 23. The games, each for 99 cents:

Real Soccer 2010 (pictured, $4 off)
Castle Frenzy ($1 off)
Castle of Magic ($1 off)
Real Tennis 2009 ($4 off)
Brain Challenge ($4 off)
Terminator: Salvation ($4 off)
Shrek Kart ($4 off)

The iTunes App Store offers downloads of F.A.S.T. — Fleet Air Superiority Training for iPhone / iPod touch for free. [That's an overnight drop of a buck and the best deal we've seen on this dogfighting (as in war planes, not canines) game.]

ChiTek offers its Slim Fit Case for Apple iPhone 3G or 3GS in Black (pictured) or Silver for $6.95. (With free shipping, it’s tied with last week’s mention as the lowest total price we’ve seen for these polycarbonate cases.)

The iTunes App Store offers downloads of Seed 1: Rise of Darkness for iPhone / iPod touch for free. (That’s a $3 overnight drop and the best deal we’ve seen on this adventure game.)

Meritline offers this Apple iPhone 3G / 3G Accessory Bundle, which includes a travel charger, car charger, data / charging cable, and hard case, for $15.99. Apply coupon code “MLC262538121850NL1″ and it drops to $7.99. (With free shipping, that’s one of the best total prices we’ve seen for such a collection of items.) Deal ends December 18.

Buy.com offers the Premium Screen Guard Protector 6-Pack for Apple iPhone 3G or 3GS for $5.99. (With free shipping, that’s $1 per guard and the lowest total price we could find.) These antiglare protectors are scratch resistant.

PopCap Games cuts 50% off a selection of its downloadable games for Mac and Windows as part of its Holiday Sale. (Sale prices are reflected on product pages.) That drops them all to $9.95. (That’s the best sitewide sale we’ve seen from PopCap since February.) Notable games include Plants Vs. Zombies, Peggle, Bejeweled 2, Zuma’s Revenge, and more. Sale ends December 23.

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About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

Email the author | Read more posts by Ed Sutherland.

One comment

    I just went and its actually *all* downloadable PopCap games are on sale @ PopCap.com. I bought 4!!!

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