shopping

How to use grocery lists in Reminders on iPhone

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Faster Shopping
Find your way around the store faster by converting your Reminders list into a grocery list.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

In iOS 17, you can use Apple’s Reminders as a grocery list app on your iPhone — and items you add are automatically sorted into common sections.

This proves incredibly helpful when you go shopping. Just open the Reminders app, and you can easily see if you’ve got everything you need as you’re making your way through the store.

I’ll show you how to use it, including how to share your Reminders app grocery list with someone else so you can both add items and check them off the same list.

Even Apple can’t save America’s dying malls

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Apple store
Mall owners might be overpaying to bring Apple to shopping centers.
Photo: Apple

U.S. shopping malls are losing customers at an alarming rate and there appears to be little Apple can do to help save them.

Apple stores are usually viewed as an anchor store for malls because of their high sales volumes and foot traffic they bring in. But a new study found that experimental tenants like Apple aren’t drawing in extra traffic.

Instagram wants to be your favorite place to shop

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Instagram lawsuit
Instagram wants you to shop more.
Photo: Pixabay

Shopping is about to become an even biggest focus on Instagram with a new update coming out today that makes it easier to find what your favorite accounts are peddling.

The photo-sharing app revealed that it is rolling out its Shopping in Stories feature to businesses in 46 countries today, allowing users to tap on an item to quickly learn about it and possibly purchase it through the business’ website.

This is what it will look like:

Amazon’s Prime Now app lets Whole Foods shoppers get curbside pickup

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Whole Foods
It's easier than ever to eat healthy.
Photo: Whole Foods

As if Amazon customers needed yet more to make their Prime subscription worth it, select Prime users can now take advantage of a new curbside grocery pickup feature at their local Whole Foods.

The feature allows users of the Prime Now app to shop online for fresh produce and then, on orders over $35, elect to pick up the packed groceries in store. They can do this within one hour of placing their order — or, for a charge of just $4.99, within 30 minutes.

Coach introduces new Apple Watch bands for summer

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coach apple watch bands
Upgrade your band in time for summer.
Photo: Coach

Luxury design company Coach is ready to supply Apple Watch wearers with a fresh lineup of new bands this summer.

The company unveiled its latest lineup of fashionable bands that include a couple new colors and fabrics for those who are looking to add a little extra style to their wrists.

See how ARKit will make grocery shopping easier

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grocery shopping
ARKit makes grocery shopping fun.
Photo: Andrew Hart

Searching my local grocery stores endless aisles of offerings of food is one of my least favorite things about being an adult, but thanks to the power of ARKit, apps are about to completely change the experience.

iOS developer Andrew Hart teased an early preview of his augmented reality app for retailers on Twitter this week and it looks absolutely amazing. The sleek app can be used to product details while shipping. But the coolest feature is its ability to spatially navigate you through the store to that Tikka Masala you’ve been hunting for.

Prepare to be amazed:

How to track package deliveries on iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch

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cardboard boxes
With a decent tracking app, all you have to worry about is recycling the old boxes.
Photo: exceptinsects/Flickr CC

It’s gift-giving season, that time of year where you buy people yet more junk that they neither want nor need, all out of a guilt forced on your by tradition and the fear of looking cheap. It’s going to stress you out. But we can at least make the process of buying unwanted dross a little smoother, by making an app do all the package deliveries tracking for you.

The best Cyber Monday deals of 2017

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Cyber Monday 2017
Grab a bargain today!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The holiday season is finally upon us and you know what that means? Killer deals on all the tech gadgets you’ve been lusting after all year.

Cyber Monday deals for 2017 are already setting the internet into a tizzy of anticipation with big discounts on 4K TVs, smart speakers, drones, iPads, smartphones and much more. Cult of Mac will be rounding up the best deals right here so you can spend less time Cyber Monday shopping and get on with life.

Here are the best deals worth checking out:

Apple TV is finally back on Amazon

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Apple TV Siri Remote
You can buy the new Apple TV 4K from Amazon.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Amazon’s boycott on Apple TV sales appears to finally be over.

After removing Apple’s set-top box from its website in 2015, the online retail behemoth has given in and created a listing for the new Apple TV 4K this morning.

Apple’s new Chicago store roof looks like a giant MacBook

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Chicago Apple Store
The new Apple Store in Chicago.
Photo: DNAinfo/David Matthews]

Construction on Apple’s new flagship store in Chicago is nearing completion this week as crews were spotted adding a finishing touch to the roof that wasn’t in the original plans.

Early renderings of the metallic roof for the Michigan Ave store showed a pretty plain looking roof, but a new Apple logo has been added to the top and it makes the entire roof look like a giant MacBook.

Check it out:

Apple retail boss teases new store in Dubai

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Dubai Mall is getting an Apple Store.
Dubai Mall is getting an Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to expand its retail presence in the Middle East by opening a brand new store in the United Arab Emirates.

The new store coming to the Dubai Mall got revealed today by Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s VP of retail, who tweeted a teaser of the location. It will be Apple’s third store in the UAE (and second in Dubai) once it opens.

Take a look inside Apple’s new flagship store in Germany

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Apple's new store on Europe's busiest shopping street.
Apple's new store on Europe's busiest shopping street.
Photo: Macerkopf

The newest Apple store in Germany is ditching the Genius Bar, but it will have a boardroom.

Apple is set to open its second store in Cologne, Germany this weekend and early photos have already revealed some of the new features, like an area dedicated entirely to business that is becoming a staple at other flagship stores.

Alexa brings awesome new powers to Amazon’s iPhone app

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It does almost everything you would expect Alexa to do.
It does almost everything you would expect Alexa to do.
Photo: Amazon

You can now ask Alexa to do your shopping, fetch information, and control your smart devices without a fancy Amazon speaker.

Starting today, the virtual assistant is being integrated into the Amazon shopping app for iPhone in the U.S., with support for thousands of skills. It can find products and track orders, play music and movies on Amazon Prime, and lots more.

Target thumbs its nose at Apple Pay

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Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
You can still use Apple Pay on Target's online store.
Photo: Ste Smith

Target shoppers will have to keep dreaming of the day they’ll be able to pay with their iPhones.

After rumors spread on social media over the weekend that Target planned to finally add Apple Pay to its checkout counters, the company came out with an official statement today saying it doesn’t plan to embrace Apple’s contactless payments anytime soon.

Apple’s flagship store in Chicago comes with $62 million price tag

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IMG_2433
An artist rendering of Apple's store on the north bank of the Chicago River.
Photo: Chicago Department of Planning and Development

The new store being built by Apple along the Chicago River is shaping up to be one of the company’s most expensive new locations of 2017.

Apple’s store on the iconic “Magnificent Mile” is being mostly built underground at 401 N. Michigan Ave., but Apple wants the plaza-level entrance to be absolutely fabulous, so it’s going to cost more than $60 million.

Apple gives early glimpse of redesigned Regent Street store

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Apple is the U.K.'s top tech employer.
Apple is the U.K.'s top tech employer.
Photo: Apple

An early preview of Apple’s redesigned London store reveals lots of new plants, simplified shelves and tables, as well as untethered iPhones and iPads that visitors can pick up and carry around the store.

Apple’s flagship Regent Street store, closed since June for the major remodel, is set to reopen Saturday. Early photos and a video tour show off the retail outlet’s uncluttered new look.

The Apple Store app is getting a big redesign

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Apple_Store_Union_Square_exterior - 1
Shopping for Apple stuff on iPhone is about to get better.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

A major redesign is coming soon to the Apple Store iOS app that will bring Amazon-like shopping suggestions to users based on customers’ buying history.

Apple’s redesign will reportedly include a new “For You” tab that suggests products based on previous orders, arming the tech giant with a new tool to create more sales right before the launch of the iPhone 7 in September.

Apple Pay is expanding to mobile websites

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Apple Pay
Apple Pay is everywhere.
Photo: Apple

Using Apple Pay to buy items has been limited to physical retail stores and apps, but Apple is reportedly planning to rollout the service soon to mobile websites, putting it in closer competition with PayPal and other platforms.

The mobile website version of Apple Pay will allegedly be ready in time for the 2016 holiday shopping season. Once launched, the mobile version will allow shoppers to complete purchases using their fingerprint rather than entering credit card info on websites.

Target hopes for bull’s-eye with its mobile wallet

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target-hopes-for-bulls-eye-with-its-mobile-wallet-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads20151214206310981_090d141772_o-jpg
Apple Pay, Android Pay, Walmart Pay... and now Target Pay?
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

target-shopping-mobile-wallet-pay
Apple Pay, Android Pay, Walmart Pay… and now Target Pay? Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

Target is reportedly looking to become a player in the mobile wallet game. The fourth largest retailer in the U.S. would be joining a market that’s quickly becoming pretty crowded. The next mobile payment solution on your smartphone very well could be Target Pay, though it can’t be confirmed at this time.

The absolute best deals: Thanksgiving vs. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

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Confused at all the different retail promotions lately? Here's how to tell them apart (and find the best deals).
Confused at all the different retail promotions lately? Here's how to tell them apart (and find the best deals).
Photo: DealNews

Black Friday is held up as the ultimate shopping day, but Thanksgiving actually offers more awesome deals. Of course, there are great sales to be found throughout the Black Friday season, with Cyber Monday deals adding their fair share of savings to the mix.

However, if you’re looking for a specific type of product, it’s hard to know whether Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday will give you the best chance to score that bargain.

Because most shoppers will be looking for deals on these three days specifically, we gathered data from the past four years of Thanksgivings, Black Fridays, and Cyber Mondays to determine which day offered the best sales on any given product category. From TVs to toys to tablets, we’ve got the skinny on when you’re most likely to find a killer price low on anything.

But before we get to the results, let’s discuss the amorphous blob of time that Black Friday has become.

Apple adds new Shopping category to App Store

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The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple has added a new shopping category to the App Store today, bringing with it a collection of apps that cover everything from auctions, product reviews, price comparisons, Apple Pay apps, and more.

App Store users will begin seeing the new category on the App Store today. It may end up on the tvOS App Store as well, considering one of the biggest selling points during the keynote demo was the ability to shop from your TV. To make the new creation of the new category even better for users, a select number of apps are offering limited deals to iOS shoppers.

The following promotions are available in the ‘Save While You Shop’ group: