Guide to Mac, iPod, iPad and iPhone news and reviews
Now that the kids have celebrated their last day of school, college students have sold back their textbooks for 10 percent of what they bought them for, and the first day of summer has official passed, Apple is starting its Back to School campaign. Starting today and continuing until Sept. 9, Apple is offering a […]
Apple today revised its AppleCare+ support service, lengthening the time new iPhone and iPad owners have to purchase the protection plan from the previous 30-day window to an extended 60-days. The new 60-day AppleCare+ option is available both in store and online in all AppleCare+ regions, with the exception of Japan which still offers the original 30-day window, reports 9to5Mac.
AppleCare+ is a premium warranty service for iPhone and iPad owners, providing warranty support and accidental damage coverage for two years from the date of device purchase. The plan costs $99 and includes two accidental damage replacements that cost $49 per incident for the iPad and $79 for the iPhone.
Apple also is discontinuing the previous AppleCare option that extends warranty service for the iPad and iPhone, but does not provide accidental damage coverage. Going forward, Apple will only offer the standard 90-days of free support that is included with every iPhone or iPad purchase as well as the option to upgrade to two-years of AppleCare+ for $99. This change goes into effect today in the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Apple hopes these changes as well other other future improvements will boost the adoption rate of AppleCare+. To compete with carrier and insurance options, Apple may improve its insurance plans for the iPhone as well as expand AppleCare+ internationally beyond its current coverage regions. The international service now has approximately 30 million subscribers and has brought in more than $2b in revenue since its introduction three years ago.
This week’s roundup comes with apps that know how to handle sound, a tool that helps you build puzzles, a new way to focus, and much more.
Go Team Code’s $25 ComicCrate (Mac App Store Link) is designed to help you create and maintain your very own library of digital comics.
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On the heels of Apple’s new improved iTunes U offerings announced yesterday, the Mac and iPad maker today kicked off its annual Back to School promotion, which allows students to save on their next Apple product.
Apple today kicked off the 2014 Back to School promotion, an extension of the company’s existing educational pricing that allows students and educators to score Apple Store Gift Cards with select purchases.
“Get extra credit when you buy a Mac, iPad or iPhone for college,” the landing page for the promotion reads.
This year’s incentives include a $100 Apple Store Gift Card when buying a new Mac for college, while the purchase of an iPad or iPhone delivers a $50 Apple Store Gift Card — and those incentives are on top of educational pricing, which can save students up to $200 on a Mac or $30 on an iPad.
According to Apple’s website, to qualify for education pricing or a gift card incentive, buyers “must be college students, a student accepted to a college, a parent buying for a college student, or a faculty or staff member from any grade level.”
Apple.com also offers special financing for a limited time that enables college students to pay no interest and make no payments for 90 days, which includes the option to apply with a co-applicant such as a parent or guardian.
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The rumor mill just can’t seem to make up its mind when it comes to the fabled iPhone 6. After confidently showing mockups over the last few months, a new report Monday from GforGames now claims those leaked images may be nothing more than a “rough idea” of what Cupertino has in store for us later this year. Confused? We say it’s better to temper expectations and be patient anyway…
The imminent launch of Apple’s iCloud Drive seems to be making many cloud services rethink their approach, typically in favor of the consumer. Picturelife announced Tuesday a complete revamp of the iOS app that now ups storage for free users to 8GB and introduces new Places, Faces and Favorites views along with quick actions, which are intended to make editing or sharing as easy as two taps. The app also now makes it easier to get started without requiring an account, and a new pricing structure makes it cheaper as well, including a new 100GB Family Plan for $10 per month and unlimited storage for up to three immediate family members for only $15 per month — and those prices include both photos as well as videos.
MacRumors reported Monday that Apple closed out the month of June with fresh updates to both iOS 7.1.2 as well as OS X Mavericks 10.9.4. The relatively minor updates focus on “bug fixes and security improvements” for the former, including a fix for an email attachment encryption issue and data transfer when using third-party accessories. On the OS X front, the 10.9.4 update “fixes an issue that prevented some Macs from automatically connecting to known Wi-Fi networks” while also improving the reliability of wake from sleep and includes Safari 7.0.5 with the requisite round of security patches. iOS 7.1.2 can be downloaded via iTunes or as an over-the-air update from your device, while OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 can be found from the Updates tab of the Mac App Store.
First announced back in early May, Johnson Publishing Company announced Monday that the iconic JET Magazine has concluded its transition to digital only, having published its final print edition last month. Founded in 1951, the publisher claims the decision was a way to “adapt to the changing needs of its readers as their desire to get information quickly and easily increases.” All these years later, the publication touts a base of 700,000 readers and remains the third largest magazine in the African-American market.
If you’re a parent who owns an Android or Windows Phone handset, Apple wants you to know that was apparently a bad decision, courtesy of a new television commercial landing on the airwaves this week. Entitled “Parenthood,” the spot features the song “Life of Dreams” by Julie Doiron and shows how the iPhone 5s can enhance the lives of parents as they monitor their baby from the next room, teach kids how to brush their teeth, find a lost pet and even discover how to take care of plants — all without a rival device in sight.
Have an aversion to Adobe’s new subscription-based Creative Cloud photography apps? For the cost of only two and a half months of that plan, Macphun is now offering a package of its four Mac photo applications, along with a a high speed memory card and a $20 credit for CanvasPop, enough to get one of your best images printed on a wall-ready canvas. The package includes Snapheal, FX Photo Studio, Focus and Color Strokes for only $24.99 (a $70 value), but you’ll have to act fast: The deal will vanish as quickly as it appeared on July 7. (If the website shows $39.99, click though to purchase and the correct price will appear.)
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Apple last week refreshed its iPod touch lineup with a new 16GB model that offers a camera and color options to replace the stripped-down model it introduced last year. After debuting in the US, the new iPod touch today became available internationally, landing in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries worldwide.
As revealed by iFixit, the new 16GB iPod touch is a lower capacity model of Apple’s existing fifth generation iPod touch lineup that was introduced in 2012. The model features a 4-inch display, Apple’s A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and color choices that include yellow, blue, pink and more. The new 16GB version lowers the entry-level price point to $199, down from $229 for the now-discontinued silver-only model.
Apple traditionally refreshed its iPod lineup during its annual September press event, which often focused on iTunes and music. Apple de-emphasized music in 2013, opting to unveil the iPhone 5s. The Cupertino company is expected to continue this trend in 2014 with the possible unveiling of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The future of the iPod line remains unclear as sales of the units continue to slide quarterly.
Apple recently updated iTunes U with new tools for educators and students to better create, edit, and collaborate. While looking into the updates to iTunes U, I noticed a spotlight for a series of books I recall reading when I was in school. As it turns out, Dr. Edward O. Wilson’s “Life on Earth” has […]
Seems like the school year just ended, but it’s already time to start planning ahead for next fall. Apple on Tuesday kicked off its annual Back to School promotion, offering incentives for picking up its devices for the upcoming school year.
As in the past, Apple is offering gift cards for the Apple Store along with the purchase of Macs, iPads, and iPhones. Qualifying products include the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac Pro; the iPad Air, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and iPad mini with Retina display; and the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 4s. (You’ll also be able to snag some modest education discounts on the Macs and iPads—no such luck with the iPhone.)
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St. Clair Software has delivered Default Folder X 4.6.6, an update to their utility for Mac OS X. The Command-D keyboard shortcut now takes you to the Desktop instead of invoking the Duplicate c…
Here are the latest iOS apps. You can find them at the Apple App Store.
Yacha has announced Yacha 1.0. The free app is a messaging platform, allowing anyone to create truly multimedia messages from audio, text, drawings, photos and video, in any combination, which can be sent as a single message.
Vizoal has released Vizoal Football. The free app provides push notifications of live scores, updated match information, videos, comprehensive statistics, lineups and searchable player profile databases from the world’s most popular leagues and competitions.
Times for Fun (www.timesforfun.de) has announced an updated release of FastCut 3.1.2 RT, its video editor for Mac OS X.
The software provides 3D motion & effects keyframe animation, masking …
Samsung and GlobalFoundries have landed orders from Apple to produce the 14-nanometer A9 processor starting next year, reports DigiTimes. The 14nm chips will be rolled out of GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8 factory in Malta, New York, which Samsung will also u…
Earlier today some owners of Apple devices with the two-step authentication process enabled started noticing that the service had been extended to their iCloud.com accounts, thus requiring them to enter a verification code before their they could acces…
We’ve been following the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) iPad program for quite some time. The reason is that LAUSD is the second largest school district in the U.S. and can be considered a tastemaker when it comes to new programs. When the District’s school board approved a $30 million contract with Apple to […]
Thin is in at Apple, and the Cupertino company is hard at work attempting making the iPhone thinner than ever. A new report from China Times (via GforGames) states that Apple plans to make its next flagship smartphone even less bulky by cutting the num…
The internet is continuing to change and Akamai is tracking those changes on a global stage. In addition to testing for 4K media streaming capabilities and IPv6 adoptions rates, Akamai is also expanding their analysis of mobile connectivity. Their published quarterly report is an interesting read and showcases the trends of internet availability on a variety of […]