holiday

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on holiday:

The best Christmas apps for iOS

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The Best Christmas Apps for iOS
Our 5 favorite apps for making the most of the holiday season.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The holidays are officially upon us. That means family time, festive celebrations, joyous music and an overabundance of delicious food. To help get you through the holidays, we compiled a list of the best iOS apps to make the most of the season.

Whether you’re looking for a way to provide some entertainment for the kids, hosting friends or family, or just want a way to spread some festive cheer, we’ve got your tree trimmed, so to speak.

Apple goes surfing in latest watch ad

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Surfs up!
Surfs up!
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch’s improved waterproof technology is on full display in Apple’s newest ad, which catches some waves with the wearable.

Go Surf is the latest in Apple’s “Give the gift of go” series of short holiday ads that show off Apple Watch Series 2’s fitness features. The new ad is accompanied by another spot titled Go Ride that zips through the city on a bike.

Check ’em out:

Steam holiday sale kicks off December 22

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Steam-holiday
It's that time of the year again!
Photo: Cult of Mac

Christmas is a great time to pick up cheap games for Mac and PC on Steam, with big discounts on the latest titles and timeless classics. According to a new leak, this year’s sale will kick off on Thursday, December 22.

Apple’s monstrous Christmas ad will melt your frosty heart

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An unexpected holiday visitor finally receives the warm welcome he’s always yearned for.
An unexpected holiday visitor finally receives the warm welcome he’s always yearned for.
Photo: Apple

Apple is sending a message of unity this Christmas season with a new ad that features an unexpected guest: Frankenstein’s monster.

The heartwarming ad starts with Frankie in his little cabin in the mountains, recording music on his iPhone. Then the misunderstood monster makes his way down to a little village to unleash a surprise none of the locals were expecting.

Check it out:

Apple’s touching Mother’s Day ad was shot on iPhone

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Apple's new ad is all about moms.
Apple's new ad is all about moms.
Photo: Truman P/Youtube

Mother’s Day is less than a week away and to celebrate, Apple has published a new video ad that spotlights mothers across the globe.

The new ad was shot entirely on iPhone, only instead of hiring a high-profile filmmaker to shoot the touching commercial, Apple compiled a collection of photos and short videos of moms shot by amateur photographers and iPhone users.

Watch it below:

Cyber Monday liveblog: Great deals on Macbooks, Bluetooth speakers, iPad cases and more

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Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

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Black Friday was great, but there are even more killer sales for Cyber Monday. Check out the most spectacular deals below, like huge deals on rugged Bluetooth speakers, still-useful discounts on Macbook and Macbook Air, and a super useful iPad keyboard case for less.

Cult of Mac will keep digging through Cyber Monday ads to find the best deals on Apple products, electronics and gifts for everyone on your list. The deals are all piping-hot and ready for your online shopping blitz.

Apple strikes a sentimental chord again with new TV ad for the holidays

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The star of Apple's new ad for the holidays. Photo: Apple
The star of Apple's new ad for the holidays. Photo: Apple

Apple is back with a new tearjerker of a Christmas ad, entitled “The Song.” Like last year’s Emmy-winning TV spot for the holidays, the company has chosen to showcase how its products make people feel, rather than what they do.

This time around, a young musician uses Garageband on her Mac to make a song for her grandmother. Expect to start seeing this on TV quite a bit over the next couple of weeks.

Awesome gift ideas for the coolest creatives

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The Wacom Intuos is like a touchpad you can draw on. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The Wacom Intuos is like a touchpad you can draw on. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A Mac is the ultimate tool for creatives — you’ll find Apple computers littered throughout graphic design houses, music and video studios, marketing agencies and newsrooms.

Chances are, if you know a creative, you know a Mac user.

So, what are you going to buy them for Christmas? If you’re stuck for ideas, let us help.

Our gift guide for creatives will help you pick the perfect present.

Whether you’re looking for an affordable stocking stuffer or a budget-breaking gesture they’ll never forget, we’ve got you covered.

Apple Posts Holiday Shipping Deadlines For Christmas Shoppers

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When it comes to Christmas shopping, procrastinating is a long standing American tradition. So to let you know how long you’ve got until you absolutely have to place your Christmas orders, Apple has posted a new guide detailing the estimated shipping times on all of its products.

Apple announced that the Online Apple Store will be offering free shipping on all orders from now until December 22nd, but according to the guide many of Apple’s most popular products need to be ordered a full week before the 25th if you want it to be waiting under the tree on Christmas morning.

Festive Android & iOS Sales Help Angry Birds Rack Up Another 30 Million Downloads

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Angry Birds continues to be one of the most successful games available on Android and iOS, and despite already racking up more than 1 billion downloads across all platforms, it continues to be a big seller. This Christmas, the surge in Android and iOS sales saw Angry Birds downloads boosted again. In just one week, the title was downloaded more than 30 million times.

Is Apple Trying To Tell Us That Apps & Games Are Finally Coming To Apple TV? [Updated]

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If you’re an Apple TV owner, you’ve likely been looking forward to the day when Apple finally announces support for apps and games. We don’t know why it’s taking so long, but it looks as though the new feature could be just around the corner. Visit the store on your Apple TV, and you’ll notice Apple has added a number of banners advertising apps and games for the holiday season.

Either Apple’s trying to tell us a big feature is on its way, or someone inside Cupertino has gotten their graphics all mixed up.

Gameloft Discounts Select Titles Just In Time For Some Thanksgiving Gaming [Deal Alert]

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If you’re looking to pick up a few of Gameloft’s hit titles at a fraction of the cost, you might want to check out the holiday sale they have going on right now. Starting today and running throughout the weekend, Gameloft is offering up a few hit titles for $0.99 each. Titles include The Amazing Spider-Man, BackStab, and more. Gameloft is certainly among the top publishers of console quality mobile games, so don’t miss out on this great deal.

The Official Apple 2012 Holiday Gift Guide Is Here

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As they do every year, Apple has posted their annual holiday gift guide, a well-designed and laid-out section of the Apple.com online store that is dedicated to gift ideas for the loved ones in your life.

It’s a pretty page, but there’s no deals to be had here. Apple does usually offer some Black Friday savings, but they’re pretty conservative, usually topping out between 5-10% on select Macs, iDevices and accessories. We should start seeing those deals leaking out later this week or early next ahead of Black Friday, November 23rd.

Source: Apple.com
Thanks: Pedro

Adding New Dock Connectors To All iOS Devices This Fall Is A Manufacturing Impossibility

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In today's forecast: Lightning!
There's a good reason why this new dock connector won't be coming to all iOS devices this fall.

It seems like Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone will be the first iOS device to boast a brand new, mini dock connector when it launches this fall. But there have been rumors that claim Apple will refresh all its iOS devices to make the new connector a standard across its entire lineup.

Not only does this seem highly unlikely, but there’s one reason why it’s an impossibility: Apple’s supply chain just couldn’t handle a refresh that big.

The 30 Most Patriotic Wallpapers For Your Mac Or iPad [Gallery]

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liberty

What’s better than watching fireworks blow up while chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” with a thousand strangers in the park? Nothing, that’s what. But the next best thing is a huge gallery of wallpapers you can dress up your iPad or Mac with to get patriotic for the Fourth of July. We’ve scoured the internet and found 30 spectacular hi-res wallpapers that represent what makes the U.S.A. one of the best countries in the wold. Check em out:

Apple’s Santa Siri Commercial Named Most Effective Ad Of Holiday Season [Report]

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Santa has come and gone on his sleigh, and Apple has profited along the way. A survey from Ace Metrix, a TV ad analysis firm, has revealed that Apple’s Santa Siri commercial beat out 34 other Santa-themed spots to win the crown of most effective ad for the 2011 holiday season.

Apple’s commercial, featuring Santa and the iPhone 4S’s Siri assistant, scored a 652 out of a possible 950 points in Ace Metrix’s survey, topping competitors like Pillsbury, Coca-Cola, and Nintendo.

Reader Tips for Savvy Holiday Shopping at the Apple Store

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There are a number of reasons I like writing for Cult of Mac, but one of the most important reasons is the great readers, like you, we have visiting our site. Granted every so often you can be pretty vocal about the tiniest detail, but when you come through with some good comments they should not be ignored. Therefore when I found two comments about shopping at Apple in my first post about Apple Technology Will Make You A Savvy Black Friday Shopper — I just had to share them.