We start off with another deal on MacBook Air laptops from the Apple Store. These deals include a 1.8GHz MacBook Air for $1,199. Also on tap is a new round of App Store price drops, including Amateur Surgeon, for you, well, amateur surgeons out there. Finally, we wrap up the top trio with some refurbed iPhone 3Gs from AT&T, including an 8GB 3G for $49.
As always, for details on these deals and many more bargains, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Owners of the upcoming iPad will have to pay for annual OS updates, according to a new Apple user agreement released online. Buyers of the tablet device expected to hit stores April 3 will get one free update, according to the Cupertino, Calif. company.
“Apple will provide you any iPad OS software updates that it may release from time to time, up to and including the next major iPad OS software release following the version of iPad software that originally shipped from Apple on your iPad, for free,” the company said.
Accompanying a report that Verizon may begin selling a new iPhone are rumors Apple is developing a new handset dubbed the iPhone HD. The new handset would be powered by the same A4 processor as the iPad and include a forward-facing camera suitable for teleconferencing.
Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber wrote Monday the handset would use the iPhone 4.0 software, permitting users to multitask applications. Gruber has dismissed a recent Wall Street Journal report suggesting the Cupertino, Calif. company is working on two new iPhones – one CDMA version for Verizon Wireless – as a “lame entry in the iPhone rumors game.”
We start off a new week with a deal on unibody MacBook Pro laptops. The refurbished units start at $1,499 for a 2.53GHz model. Next up is a round of always popular App Store Freebies, including “Dungeon Run,” a game for your iPhone and iPod touch. We also check out Sony’s Digital Media Port for the iPod, allowing you to listen to tunes stored on your pod on your Sony stereo.
We also check out some storage options and other accessories. As always, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Although some questioned Apple’s decision to support HTML 5 over the dominant Flash technology used in so many online ads and graphics, it appears CEO Steve Jobs may have the last laugh. A video platform company Monday announced it will convert Flash videos to HTML 5 for such publishing heavyweights as the New York Times and Time magazine.
As a result, we may see the two when Apple unleashes the iPad on April 3.
Apple could ship 8-10 million iPads in 2010, or 2.5 million tablet devices within the first three months of this year, one analyst told investors Monday. If correct, the amount would far exceed the prevailing Wall Street expectation for 5 million iPads for all of calendar year 2010.
Morgan Stanley analyst Kat Huberty said her optimism is fueled by “strong initial pre-orders.” Indeed, because each 1 million iPads shipped translates to $0.25 of earning per share, the Cupertino, Calif. company is on track for a “significant earnings upside.”
We wrap up the week with a deal on a MacBook Air. The laptop runs at 1.86GHz and is priced at $1,370. Next up is a new batch of free apps from the App Store, including “Magnetic Sports Hockey.” We also look at the latest deal on a 160GB Apple TV unit.
Along the way, we check out “The Creeps,” an iPhone game, plus other software bargains.
As always, details on these and many other deals are available on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
As we reported earlier this week, gaming appears to be an early market for the iPad. Now comes word of some of the games that could be ready to download from the the iTunes App Store when the tablet device begins shipping April 3. Before Apple closed the leaky search engine, a blogger Thursday captured a partial list of game titles update for the iPad.
According to the PadGadget site, the following “HD” versions of iPhone entertainment titles were found. “HD” (along with “XL”) is often used by developers to denote games tailored to the iPad’s environment. Here is the list:
If you don’t purchase an iPad online or in-person at an Apple Store, you may be able to walk into some Best Buy stores come April 3, reports suggest Friday. About half of the electronics giant’s retail location could have Apple’s tablet device available next week.
The retailer’s “Store-within-a-Store” locations, which comprise about half of Best Buy’s 1,000 stores, will become the first to offer the iPad outside purchases through Apple, according to MacRumors. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has indicated as much in emails reported earlier this week. As to where iPads will be sold, Jobs reportedly responded: “Initially at Apple Retail and online stores and Best Buy.”
One day after Apple stock granted to four top company executives vested, the 1.1 million shares were sold during a day of record-high trading in the Cupertino, Calif. firm.
Almost a week before Apple is expected to begin selling the iPad, an analyst has increased this year’s sales estimate for the tablet device by 30 percent. Apple may also release a new iPhone in June, along with seeing a 17 percent jump in Mac sales, the analyst adds.
BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman told investors Thursday his initial estimate of 2.5 million iPads sold this year “may be conservative.” In addition, Bachman raised his estimate for 2011 iPad sales to 7.2 million, up 30 percent from his earlier prediction of 5 million.
Today we have another batch of bargains for Mac fans. First up is a fully-loaded MacBook Pro running a Core 2 at 2.8GHz. The laptop is $2,787 and includes a 15-inch screen. Next is more App Store price drops, including “ElementalMonster TD,” a tower defense game. We round out our top trio with a free iTunes offer: Archie Bronson Outfit “Shark’s Tooth.”
Along the way, we’ll check out a Mac Pro memory upgrade kit, the Firefly interactive fitness game and Filemaker Pro 10.
As always, details on these and many other bargains are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Apple reportedly has inked a deal worth $240 million for Samsung to supply 3 million additional 9.7-inch iPad displays. Although no time period was provided, the deal was confirmed by an industry executive who talked with a Korean publication.
“The most expensive component in the iPad is the display and touch-screen interface that costs $80 for all models,” the person wishing not to be identified told The Korean Times. The iPad display also costs five times as much as the handset’s screen, the person added.
Although much of the buzz about Apple surrounds the iPad, the venerable three-year-old iPhone has a great deal of life, one analyst argues. Indeed, if Apple takes this analyst’s suggestions, the handset’s market could increase seven-fold. Key factors are expanding carriers selling the iPhone and offering a phone that doesn’t require a data plan.
Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi told investors Wednesday that it will become “increasingly difficult” for Apple to get beyond its current 39 percent of the global smart phone market without expanding the major carriers selling the iPhone. If Apple added 13 of the world’s largest carriers – such as Verizon Wireless, NTT DoDoMo and China Mobile – the Cupertino, Calif. company jump from selling 29 million phones worldwide in 2009 to 557 million, according to the analyst.
We’ve reached mid-week with a number of Mac-related deals. First up is about nine iMacs from the Apple Store, including a $849 model with 20-inch screen and a 2.66GHz processor. Next we have a new batch of App Store freebies, including “Squism,” a puzzle game. We round out our top trio of deals with a bargain on Apple’s MagSafe power adapters for MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops. The 60-watt power adapters are priced at $35.95.
Along the way, we also take a look at MacUpdate’s Spring Bundle of Mac applications for $49.99.
As always, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Less than a week after a report leaked that Google is deeply involved in creating a TV service, a prominent Apple analyst now says Apple could revamp the HDTV market in the next two to four years.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told investors Tuesday Apple is “uniquely positioned” to enter the HDTV market with what he calls a “premium all-in-one” alternative to the high-definition sector. Munster believes Apple could sell a product for $1,999 that would replace the HDTV, the Blu-ray player, your digital video recorder, cable box and game console.
The phone has not been completely eclipsed by Apple’s iPad when it comes to reading your daily newspaper or magazine. Tuesday, publishing giant Hearst Corp. inked a deal with Samsung, naming the cell phone maker its “preferred e-reading service partner.”
Samsung’s smart phones, such as its newly introduced Galaxy S, will include software from Skiff allowing owners to read newspapers or magazines on a phone’s 4-inch screen. Along with creating gadgets such as the 11.5-inch e-Reader device introduce during CES in January, Skiff makes e-reader software for computers, tablets and phones.
Forget all the talk about e-books, gaming and other applications on the forthcoming iPad. It’s only natural that the most ubiquitous media on the planet — advertising — is making plans how to best use the tablet’s 9.7-inch screen. Major publishers, automakers and retailers are preparing ad campaigns specifically tailored to the iPad’s unique characteristics.
PointRoll, an analytics firm, and AdMarvel, which delivers ads, reportedly will team up to develop interactive ads for the iPad, according to the marketing news site Clickz. Although the two ad players hesitate to name names of companies seeking to get their brand before iPad owners, they did provide a glimpse into what sorts of ads we might expect.
We start the day with a mix of Mac deals, including a loaded 27-inch iMac with Intel’s i7 processor cranking out 2.8GHz. ExperCom has added 8GB of RAM and three years of AppleCare – all for $2,379. Also on tap is a 32GB iPhone 3GS from AT&T. (If you’re interested, you might want to snap this bargain up soon, since they seem to be going quickly.) Finally, we wrap up out top trio with Medical freebies from the App Store, including a medical encyclopedia.
Along the way, we check out other gadgets and software, including a new round of price drops from the App Store on applications for the iPhone or iPod touch.
As always, details on these items and many more are available from CoM’s “Daily Deals” page which starts right after the following jump.
It’s all fun and games until someone pokes their eye out with a pencil – or Apple focuses on the portable gaming market. That could be Sony and Nintendo’s thinking amid news that the iPhone and the iPod touch now have 19 percent of the market. Even worse for the gaming veterans: Apple saw 500 percent growth in gaming software revenue during an otherwise down market.
Apple had five percent of the revenue from U.S. video game software sales in 2009. While 5 percent doesn’t sound like much, its a 500 percent jump when compared to the one percent the Cupertino, Calif. company held in 2008.
Apple’s U.S. retail stores will again sell iPhones for full, unsubsidized pricing without requiring proof you’ve also bought a two-year AT&T contract. The full-priced iPhones will still remain locked to AT&T, Apple’s exclusive U.S. wireless carrier.
First announced internally on Monday, the Apple memo obtained by Gizmodo states “customers purchasing iPhone as device only at full price are no longer required to have an AT&T account or provide a form of ID.”
Could the iPad become another gaming platform for Apple, like the iPod touch or iPhone? While much attention has been focused on getting books onto the new tablet device, new research indicates games comprise almost half of the iPad applications tested so far.
Games accounted for 44 percent of early applications tested on the iPad, followed by entertainment, according to analytics firm Flurry. Only 3 percent of those initial apps are books, the company announced Monday. The iPad is set to begin shipping April 3.
We start the week with a deal on Apple’s mac mini. This bargain covers the 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo model for $556. Next up is a refurbished Nikon D90 body. This digital SLR is rated at 12.3MP and is priced at $699. Finally, our top trio includes new App Store freebies, including 80s Galaxy, a classic retro game.
As always, details on these and many more bargains are available on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
Is there a cause-and -effect when it comes to the growth of Apple retail outlets and increasing market for the Cupertino, Calif. company? While pointing to a direct link may be too strong, one analyst is suggestion a potential correlation between the two.
In a report released overnight to investors, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty talks about the “Positive Correlation Between Apple Store Expansion and Mac Market Share.” Just two examples: Between Sept. 2003 and Sept. 2009, Apple opened 123 U.S. stores. During the same period, the Mac’s U.S. marketshare grew from 3 percent to 9 percent. In Western Europe, after Apple opened 33 stores, the company’s marketshare jumped from 1.5 percent to 5 percent.
Sprint unveiled this weekend a new ad using the iPhone to promote the wireless carrier’s 4G service while at the same time knocking competitor AT&T. The ad, entitled “Make Your Phone 4G,” was posted to YouTube. The spot promote’s Sprint’s Overdrive device, permitting any iPhone, or other Wi-Fi-enabled handset, to access the carrier’s 4G network.
In the ad, two men (one intriguingly named “Steve”) sit on a park bench and hold a conversation. Steve tells his friend Matt that his iPhone is “limited to AT&T’s 3G speeds.” A voice-over then claims Sprint’s Overdrive 4G hotspot will deliver data speeds “up to 10 times faster” than AT&T.
