Microsoft’s new tablet, the Surface, is supposed to make the iPad and MacBook Air irrelevant. It’s supposed to be the best of both worlds by being a tablet/laptop hybrid. Reviews of the Surface have been mixed, and initial sales reports are indicating that Surface RT might be in trouble, because no one is buying it.
According to new research by the Boston-based brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton, Microsoft is likely to sell fewer than 1 million Surface RT units in the December quarter. To put that number in perspective, Apple sold 300,000 original iPad units on its first day of availability.
It’s pretty much a proven fact that for Christmas this year kids want an iPad or something else made by Apple. Everyone knows it. Even Best Buy. So Best Buy’s newest commercial shows off all the phenomenal cosmic powers of Apple devices as a kid uses all of Apple’s products at the Best Buy Apple Store on his search to find Santa.
Apple’s Black Friday sale is now live at Apple.com. As expected, the Cupertino company has reduced the price tags of several Macs, the iPad and iPad mini, and the iPod nano and iPod touch. A lot of its own accessories, such as iPad Smart Covers and the Magic Mouse, are also included in the sale.
Want an iPad? Best Buy has a great deal on the still-perfectly-excellent-and-less-than-a-year-old, third-gen model with Retina display: not only are they charging $50 less per iPad today only, but you’ll also walk away with a $75 gift card.
The deal is good today only, one iPad per customer, and you can only choose between a $649 64GB iPad WiFi in black or a $549 32GB iPad WiFi in black or white. After the discount is applied, you’re talking about $599 and $499 respectively. Shipping is free, but you have to order online.
Even so, that’s a heck of a deal: if you don’t have an iPad or have considered getting one for a loved one, you’re not going to beat this savings before the holiday.
The Jawbone UP wristband first launched back in 2011, and it became quite a popular product. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the fitness- and sleep-tracking iPhone accessory, which came with plenty of promise. Unfortunately, it launched with all kinds of problems, too — including water leaks and inflexible components that broke too easily — and Jawbone was forced to pull it.
The company’s now giving the device a second shot. Today it announced the second-generation Jawbone UP, which is now shipping for $129.99.
Previous iPad launches have been crazy, and the iPad mini might be the most insane one yet. Be prepared.
So you didn’t pre-order your iPad mini, huh? It’s ok. Even though online orders aren’t shipping for 2 – 3 weeks now you can still get an iPad mini tomorrow if you gear up and go brave the launch line
Yes, it’s a huge time investment, and no one really wants to sit outside an Apple Store for a couple of hours before the break of dawn, but we’re here to help you make the most of your iPad mini launch line waiting experience. In fact, this could even be a lot of fun. Just follow this guide and you’ll be in and out of the store and cradling your iPad mini in no time.
Will we see a new iMac alongside the iPhone 5 and iPad mini this September?
Several major retailers across the United States are seeing stock shortages of the 27-inch iMac as we approach Apple’s rumored September 12 event, sparking speculation that the popular all-in-one could be in line to receive a refresh alongside the iPhone 5 (and possibly even an iPad mini).
Major retails join forces on mobile payments system to fend of Google, PayPal, Isis, and other potential digital wallet competitors like Apple.
In a move that makes the Square/Starbucks partnership announced last week look like small potatoes, a group of national and international retailers announced plans to develop their own mobile payment network complete with mobile apps and digital wallet functionality. The move seems almost certain to shake up the nascent mobile payments market where a wide range of companies and organizations have been trying to figure out the secret sauce that will turn mobile payments into a mainstream retail system for the past couple of years.
The Merchant Customer Exchange or MCX, as the new company is known, plans to deliver a solution that offers convenience in both making purchases and in receiving customizable offers from retailers. Development of a mobile app and payment network are underway, but MCX has yet to announce any details about either the app or its network.
Best Buy is now selling the iPhone 4 — in white and black — for just $49.99 with a two-year service plan on AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. This is one of the cheapest iPhone 4 deals we’ve seen so far, and it’s expected to last until Apple unveils the new iPhone later this year.
According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, Best Buy is prototyping a new retail store experience that borrows heavily from the Apple Store. Unlike the traditional retail layout of cluttered displays and long checkout lines, Best Buy is testing a more open environment that allows customers to pay at multiple locations in the store.
Also borrowing from Apple’s strategy, the whole retail experience focuses more on connecting customers with Best Buy employees to help answer questions about products. The test store is located near Best Buy’s headquarters in Richfield, Minnesota.
![Get $50 Off A Third-Gen iPad At Best Buy Today Only And A $75 Gift Card Free [Deals]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Best-Buy-iPad-3-discount-teaser.jpg "Best-Buy-iPad-3-discount-teaser")
![The Right Way To Survive Launch Lines And Get Your iPad Mini First [Feature]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/applestore11.jpg "applestore1")
![Best Buy Is Trying To Copy The Apple Store’s Retail Mojo [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Best-Buy-Solution-Center.jpg "Best Buy Solution Center")
