Buyer's Guide: Deals on the iPad Air, MacBooks, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]

There are several deals on various Apple products this week, including the iPad Air and several MacBooks. Target, for example, is offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of any iPad Air model, which is perfect for users who are looking for a good deal on an iPad Air and don't need to wait for an upgraded model with Touch ID.



Best Buy is also offering $50 to $125 off several Apple MacBooks, including multiple 2014 MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro models. This can be combined with Best Buy's EDU deals, which offer $50 off all MacBooks and $50 off iMacs.



Retina MacBook Pro



There are several other deals on the Retina MacBook Pro, letting prospective customers get $100 to $150 off from select sites. The 2.6Ghz/8GB/128GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,119.99 from Amazon B&H Photo, and Adorama. The 2.6Ghz/8GB/256GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,399 from Adorama, B&H Photo, and MacMall. The 2.8Ghz/8GB/512GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,699.99 from Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and MacMall.





The 15-inch 2.2Ghz/16GB/256GB Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,899 from Adorama and the standard non-retina MacBook Pro is available for $999 from Adorama and B&H Photo.



There are also some deals on remaining stock of the 2013 Retina MacBook Pros. The 2.4Ghz/4GB/128GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,099 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The 2.6Ghz/8GB/512GB 13-inch model is available for $1,549 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The 2.0Ghz/8GB/256GB 15-inch model is available for $1,599 from Adorama, and B&H Photo. The 2.0Ghz/16GB/512GB 15-inch model is available for $2,199 from Amazon, and Adorama.



MacBook Air



B&H Photo is still offering low prices on some of its remaining 2013 MacBook Air inventory. The 1.3Ghz/4GB/128GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $819 , while the 1.3Ghz/4GB/256GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $889 .





B&H and Adorama, as always, are a good choice for buyers who live outside of New York and New Jersey, as the sites only charge sales tax in those states.



Mac Pro



Stock configurations of Apple's Mac Pro desktop computer are available at slightly discounted prices from several retailers this week. The 6-core 3.5Ghz/16GB/256GB machine can be purchased for $3,739.99 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo, while the 4-core 3.7Ghz/12GB/256GB machine for $2,839.99 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo.



Apple Accessories



Sabrent's stylish aluminum 4-port USB Hub for the Mac is available for $17.99, a discount of $7 off the regular price from Groupon. Sony's Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Lightning Dock is available for $169.99 from Groupon, a 32% discount.





Any customers purchasing products via Groupon this week can get an additional 10% off one purchase with the coupon code GOODS10, which will work through 10/13.



The popular Automatic Smart Driving Assistant can be purchased for $79.99 from Amazon, a discount of $19. Stacksocial is offering the Rain Design iRest iPad Stand for $35.99, down from its regular price of $50.





The myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000 with built-in Lightning and Micro USB is available for $49.99 from Best Buy, down from $99.99.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:39PM, October 10

4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Screen Put Under Microscope as New 1472 x 828 Resolution Emerges

Amid rumors of both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the iPhone 6, speculation about what resolutions Apple will use for the new devices has generated a number of different theories. The most concrete suggestion so far has been a 1704 x 960 resolution that could see the current "2x" Retina display move to an even sharper "3x" display.



A new photo from Russian luxury modified iPhone vendor Feld & Volk [Instagram page] now shows the display of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 under a microscope, with the firm telling MacRumors the panel does indeed carry a resolution of 1704 x 960.





The photograph posted by Feld & Volk does not, however, necessarily appear to agree with that claim, as it seems to show roughly 13 pixels per mm in the horizontal and vertical directions, while a 4.7-inch display at 1704 x 960 should be closer to 16 pixels per mm. The current iPhone 5s display is roughly 10.5 pixels per mm.



A potential answer to this problem arrives in another report today from 9to5Mac , which has discovered references to yet another resolution of 1472 x 828 within recent Xcode 6 beta releases.

This particular file outlines for the system where icons, by default, will be placed on an iPhone’s Home screen. This particular file, which was added in Xcode 6 beta 5 earlier this month and still exists in yesterday’s Xcode 6 beta 6, is optimized for an iPhone with a resolution of 414 (width) x 736 (height). The iPhone SDK parses hardware resolutions via “point values,” so the actual “Retina” resolution is in fact double (or potentially triple) whatever numbers the SDK presents.

While analysis quickly becomes speculative, one way Apple could use both of these rumored resolutions would be to to launch a 4.7-inch iPhone at 1472 x 828 and a 5.5-inch model at 1704 x 960. In that scenario, both iPhone 6 models would have pixel densities of 355-360 pixels per inch. This translates to roughly 14 pixels per mm in each direction, close to what is seen in the Feld & Volk photograph.



Depending on how the rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes have been rounded for convenience, the two iPhone 6 panels could actually offer the exact same pixel density, slightly higher than current iPhones and allowing for efficiencies in the manufacturing process if the same technologies and production methods are used in the two new models.



Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 6 at a media event on September 9, but it remains unclear whether the company plans to show off both models at the same time, and even it does, there have been rumors that the larger model should ship up to several months later than the smaller version.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:39PM, August 19

Terrific video gives a closeup look at the most beautiful smartwatch we’ve seen

Most smartwatches that we've seen haven't exactly blown us away so far, but the hardware design team at Motorola really deserves a lot of credit for the Moto 360, an Android Wear-based smartwatch that looks absolutely terrific. Motorola has now posted a new video that gives us a nice up-close look at the Moto 360 and walks us through some of its basic functions, including how to turn the device on, how to bring up and respond to notification cards and how to use voice commands to ask Google questions. We still don't know exactly when the Moto 360 is coming out and Motorola is only saying that it will release "later this summer." However, it's definitely the most anticipated smartwatch release outside of Apple's still-to-be-revealed iWatch that we expect to see this fall. The full video follows below.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:39PM, June 26

Buyer's Guide: Discounts on Retina MacBook Pro, iPad mini, Beats Headphones, and More [Mac Blog]

There are some great deals on Apple-related accessories and services this week, as well as some decent discounts on the iPad mini and the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro.



Beats Studio over-ear headphones can be purchased (in six colors) for $180 through Groupon, which is $89 off the price when purchased directly from Beats. Target is also offering 25 percent off Beats Music gift cards, dropping the $50 card to $37.50 and the $25 card to $18.75, essentially dropping the price of a yearly subscription from $99 to $75.





Speck's CandyShell Case for the iPad mini/Retina iPad mini can be purchased through Groupon for $14,99, a discount of $30. The iHealth Blood Pressure Monitor for iOS devices can also be purchased from Groupon for $30, a discount of $70.





Best Buy is offering the 16GB non-Retina iPad mini for $199, a discount of $100 from the standard $299 price. It's available in both white and space gray. Best Buy is also offering a $25 iTunes gift card with the purchase of a $99 Apple TV.





The higher-end 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is available for $1,399 from Amazon, which is a $100 discount and one of the lowest prices we've seen on that configuration.





The lower-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 8GB of memory and 256GB of RAM can be purchased for $1,849.99 from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H, a $150 discount. The higher-end Retina MacBook Pro 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM can be purchased for $2,449 from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H, also a discount of $150.



Customers in many states may find it preferable to order from Adorama or B&H, as these sites only charge sales tax in New York/New Jersey and New York, respectively.



Before making a purchase of a Mac or iOS device, make sure to consult our Buyer's Guide to find out if it's a good time to buy. For example, while there are some good deals to be had on the current iMac, our Buyer's Guide does not recommend a purchase at this time because an update is coming soon -- and prices will drop even lower.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:39PM, June 13