Black Friday - page 5

This week: Huge news in the fight for an open Internet; YouTube’s music service confuses us; Apple Pay is, like, the payment method of the future, man; big Black Friday deals on Apple’s newest gadgets; the go-to apps we keep on our home screens, and sooooo much more.

Hem and haw your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.

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Show notes ahead!

If your iPhone takes a beating, you’ll want to invest in a product that’s designed with the worst case pun intended scenario in mind.

The team at Spigen thought outside the box and created the first case to introduce Air Cushion Technology – pockets of air in the corners reduce the thickness of the case while providing optimal drop protection. And Cult of Mac Deals has The iPhone 5/5s Tough Armor Protection Kit at a savings of 50% off – just $39.99 – as part of our ongoing Black Friday promotional offers.

Amazon has today revealed that its family of Kindles brought record sales between Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the third year running. But as usual, the retail giant won’t tell us exactly how many devices it has sold.

While Android may be running away with the lion’s share of the smartphone market, there’s still no doubt about what rules the roost when it comes to tablets. New data from InfoScout reveals that roughly 40% of iPads sold on Black Friday were purchased by Android smartphone users.

Apple stock closed at a new 2013 high on Tuesday — rising 2.7 percent (or $15) over the course of the day to finish at $566.32.

For those keeping score, that’s the best close Apple’s stock has had since December 4, 2012, and means that the company is up by 6 percent so far this year — although still down on the $700 all time high which accompanied the iPhone 5.

According to a new report from IBM, the greed consumer-driven shop-fest known as Black Friday.

The report shows a new high for online sales for this 2013 reporting period, as well as a soaring rate of mobile shopping, in which folks used smartphones to browse for deals while people were more likely to complete purchases with tablets.

The most interesting finding, however, was how much more iOS users spent than those on Android. Take that, Google!

The euphoria of Black Friday is over, and like the comedown after any spend-heavy holiday it’s time to look at the receipts.

According to analytics firm InfoScout, the iPad Air and iPad mini were two of the day’s big winners.

There are tons of mobile hotspots out there, but Karma has done something groundbreaking with The Karma WiFi Hotspot.

With this device, you can now put WiFi in your pocket and stay connected with a lightning-fast 4G connection, anywhere you go. And with this offer from Cult of Mac Deals – an offer that kicks off our Black Friday sales season – you can get The Karma WiFi Hotspot along with 1 GB free data and free shipping for just $69!

If you’ve been meaning to treat yourself to a Pebble smartwatch and you haven’t already blown all of your savings on other Black Friday deals, then you might be interested to know that you can now get $20 off the device for one day only.

Readdle, the team behind some of the best productivity apps and utilities for iOS, has slashed 50% off five of its top offerings for Black Friday. The sale includes titles like PDF Expert for iPhone and iPad, Calendars 5, and Printer Pro — all of which are now half price for a limited time.

It’s Black Friday everyone, and Cult of Mac is here to tell you that Apple has kicked off its sales across retail outlets in Europe (including the UK). We’re not just talking about gift cards being on offer, either — but real cash savings.

Here are the the most popular savings being given on Apple’s most popular products:

Hoping to get a nice discount on your next Mac or iOS device this Black Friday? Then you’d better buy it from a third-party retailer. Apple has taken a new approach to its Black Friday deals this year and decided to give away gift cards rather than discount its goods.

Despite some initial rumors that Apple would be opening nearly all of its retail stores on Thanksgiving Day, Apple’s retail outlets will remain open on Turkey Day.

But Apple still wants to get the jump on the holiday shopping season, which is why most Apple Stores this year will open before dawn across the country on the day after Thanksgiving.

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday come creeping up on us, so do some of the best app deals, as developers slash prices on their software to get us all geared up for the holidays. One of the first great deals of the season is now here: if you love turn-based-strategy and want to help the Earth repel a wave of alien invaders, XCOM: Enemy Unknown has dropped to just $9.99.

Thanksgiving is almost here, which means its time for the sacred American tradition of Black Friday sales madness. Apple hates to hand out big discounts on its premium products, but even Cupertino can’t resist offering a few Black Friday sales, and its already starting to promote this years deal with a new promo page.

Apple has posted a teaser image on its Australian site for its upcoming sale on Friday, November 29th that promises free shipping to anyone who buys something from Apple.com on Friday.

Black Friday started as a major shopping day in the U.S. the day after Thanksgiving, but more international retailers have started to embrace the sales day as well. We’re still waiting to see what kind of modest deals Apple will offer, but if last year is any indication, don’t expect to be blown away. Here are the price cuts Apple had last year:

eBay’s Black Friday sale is set to start a day early this year, on Thursday, November 28 — and it includes a whole bunch of tablets, smartphones, consoles, and cameras. So whether you’re into Android or iOS, there’s a great deal to be had, such as an original iPad mini for $239, a Nexus 7 for $199, and the new iPad Air for $469.99.

Target has today revealed its Black Friday deals for November 28 to November 30, which include some incredible savings on the latest Apple devices. Consumers will be able to pick up a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Air — usually priced at $499 — for $479 with a free $100 Target gift card.

The 16GB iPad mini (original model) can also be had for $299 with a free $75 gift card.

Apple celebrates the Chinese New Year by offering its fans in Asia one-day “Red Friday” deals, similar to the Black Friday sale it holds for customers in the United States. And the Cupertino company has today begun teasing the event via its online store with a big red advert that promises “great gifts for everyone on your list.”

There’s a good chance you can think of someone who plans on giving an Apple product this holiday season. Apple has rolled out its own Holiday Gift Guide and has its own gifting information page, which details the basics about gifting Apple products. If you’re looking for a little more assistance when shopping for Apple products then this guide is for you. Here we offer some simple tips to help the average holiday shopper save time and money when gifting Apple products.

Editor’s Note: We will be updating this post with more deals as we find them, so make sure to check back later. Also, if you see a deal we missed, let us know in the comments and we’ll add it!

Here we go again – the big retailers are starting to preview their Black Friday sales to whip us all into a frenzy. Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart, so far, have stepped up early to let potential shoppers know what, exactly, they can expect to find at each respective online or brick and mortar store this holiday season. Here’s what’s in store (pun totally intended) for you. We’ve also started rounding up the online store specials for this most festive retail season of the year, as well.

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it hard to keep up with all these awesome Black Friday deals. If you’ve picked up a reduced iOS device from Apple — or another third-party retailer — during today’s sales, you may want one of ThinkGeek’s iCade controllers to accompany it. The company is now offering up to $50 off.

While you all were picking the choicest dark and white turkey meats for your plates and piling high glistening mountains of mashed potatoes, we here at Cult of Mac were stuck in our broadcasting dungeons recording another brand new CultCast, cause guess what? We’re just. That. Professional.

Ok so we actually recorded Wednesday. But with so much great Apple news and topics to cover this week, we just had to hop on the mics before the holiday gorging commenced.

Apple’s Black Friday sales; Oprah’s love for the iPad; Tim Cook’s favorite Thanksgiving accoutrements—it’s all that and more on this gravy-smothered over-stuffed CultCast! Subscribe now to The CultCast on iTunes, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s free Podcasts App.

Read on for the show notes and to learn how you could promote your product or service on one of our future episodes.

Just two months after it made its much-anticipated debut, the iPhone 5 is already available from AT&T starting at just $99 — that’s $100 off its regular price. That price is for the 16GB model — in black or white — while the 32GB and 64GB options are also available for $199 and $299 respectively.

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.

Readdle, the developer behind some of the most popular productivity apps for iOS, has discounted a few of its best offerings for Black Friday. Some of which are down by as much as 80%, while PDF Expert for iPhone is now completely free. We’ve got a complete list of the reductions below, but remember: they’re only for a limited time, so grab the while you can.