Buyer’s Guide: Deals on iMac, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, Apple Accessories and More [Mac Blog]
As we head into April, deals are starting to pick up. Some iMacs are at the lowest prices we’ve seen, and Best Buy is offering steep discounts on a few select iPad Air 2 models. Best Buy is also discounting its entire stock of iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 tablets, and there are some solid deals to be had on older MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
We’ve also got discounts on a range of Apple accessories like Mophie battery cases, Beats headphones, and the Pebble Steel smart watch, plus we’ve found some of the best app sales of the week.
iPad Air 2
Best Buy is offering the lowest prices we’ve seen on a few select iPad Air 2 models. The 16GB Cellular iPad Air 2 is available for $499.99, $130 off its regular price. The 128GB Cellular iPad Air 2 is priced at $699.99, also a $130 discount.
B&H Photo is offering a discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.
iPad Air
Best Buy is also discounting cellular versions of its iPad Air stock, dropping the price on the 16GB Verizon Space Gray model to $379.99 and the price of the 32GB Verizon Space Gray model to $429.99, two of the lowest prices we’ve seen on those tablets.
Both Best Buy and B&H Photo have deep discounts on their remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.
– iPad Air Wi-Fi Space Gray 128GB – $529
– iPad Air Wi-Fi Silver 128GB – $529
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $549.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $549.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $532.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $599
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $599
iPad mini
Best Buy has a sale on its original iPad mini stock, discounting the 16GB tablet by $50, which drops the price to $199.99. It’s available in Silver and Space Gray.
iPad mini 2
Best Buy is discounting its stock of iPad mini 2 tablets by $50, dropping the prices on the 16GB WiFi only model to $249.99 and the price of the WiFi only 32GB model to $299.99.
Best Buy and Amazon also have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $479.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $479.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $444.16
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $479
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $396.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $421
iPad mini 3
Best Buy is discounting all of its iPad mini 3 stock by $50, dropping the price of the 16GB WiFi only model to $349.99 and the 64GB WiFi only model to $449.
Apple TV
In case you missed it, Apple dropped the price on the Apple TV from $99 to $69 last week. It’s available from Apple.com and from Best Buy at that price point.
Adorama is offering a $10 mail-in rebate on an Apple TV purchase from the site, which can be found here. With the rebate, the price drops to $59.
iMac
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1,329, $170 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794, $205 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $2,349, $150 off
Mac mini
– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) – $649.99, $49 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $934.99, $64 off
MacBook Air
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB – (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall)$789, $109 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $919, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $819, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $1029, $179 off
Retina MacBook Pro
– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) –$2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,098, $201 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,588.99, $210 off
Apps
There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.
Talking cat app Tom Loves Angela for iPhone and iPad is available for free, as is C.H.A.O.S Combat Copters. Modern Combat 5: Blackout is free this week. Geekbench 3 is also available at no cost, down from $0.99.
Dark Echo was named Apple’s app of the week this week, and it will be available to download for free for the next six days.
Apple Accessories
DailySteals has Beats urBeats in-ear headphones for $45 until midnight on 3/20, down from $99.95. The Lifeproof nuud Case for iPad 2/3/4 is available from Groupon for $34.99, down from $129.99. Groupon is also selling the 3.3ft Apple Lightning to USB cable for $9.99, $10 off its regular price.
Woot is selling the Distil Union Leather Wallet Case for iPhone 5/52/5c/6 for $14.99 to $21.99, down from $39.99 to $49.99. Woot is also selling the Mophie Helium battery cases for the iPhone 5/5s for $29.99, down from $79.95.
Groupon has the Beats by Dre Pill speaker for $159.99, down from $199.95. LivingSocial has Apple EarPods for $13.99, down from $29.99. Best Buy is discounting the Pebble Steel smart watch by $30, dropping the price to $169.
Automatic is offering a coupon code to MacRumors readers that will take 20% off all orders through their site. Use this link to have the code applied automatically or enter code MACRUMORS at checkout.
SkinIt, a site that makes custom skins for a wide range of devices from the iPhone to the MacBook, is offering a special buy one get one 50 percent off deal for MacRumors readers. With the code MACRUMORS, you can get 50% off a second skin after purchasing one skin.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
Chromecast bundled with all sorts of freebies and goodies right now
Still on the fence as to whether to purchase a Google Chromecast? At $35, the HDMI dongle is already quite the bargain, but some of you might need some additional swaying. Perhaps some of these new promotions are enough to get you to pick one up.
If you buy a Chromecast between now and mid-April you can score some $80 worth of goodies. Sure, you might not want all of them, but, it’s hard to argue with free rentals or a few weeks worth of services. Some promos have a larger window of time so pick up a Chromecast and enjoy over the next few months!
Note that your offers will vary based on what market you live it. Here are some of the offers available in U.S.:
- Enjoy a 30 days of Qello HD concerts for free with the purchase of a Chromecast
- Enjoy a movie rental on Google Play when you purchase and set up a Chromecast
- Sesame Street Go: Try 3 months FREE of Sesame Street Go for Chromecast users when you buy a Chromecast
- Enjoy 3 months DramaFever free when you buy a Chromecast between March 7, 2015 and April 22, 2015
- Enjoy a movie rental with a $6 Google Play credit when you when you buy and set up a Chromecast before March 23, 2015
- Google Play: Buy Chromecast and enjoy a subscription to Google Play Music, free for 90 days. Offer ends January 31, 2016
On top of all these great deals you can also purchase a Chromecast for only $32.45 through Amazon right now!
The post Chromecast bundled with all sorts of freebies and goodies right now appeared first on ChromeWatching.
Source: ChromeWatching
The post Chromecast bundled with all sorts of freebies and goodies right now appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Check out the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in this early review
It may still be a few weeks until the Galaxy S6 Edge is released but an early review has hit YouTube to give us an early impression of the next Samsung device.
BeginnersTech has managed to get their hands on the S6 Edge and have provided an initial impressions review outlining the key specifications and performance, especially how the curved edges of the device handle.
TouchWiz has been toned down and the S6 Edge comes with Android Lollipop (5.1 hopefully) and that is coupled with 3GB of RAM and a Exynos Octa-Core processor making it a real power-house.
You can check out the review below:
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The post Check out the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in this early review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung Galaxy S6 expected to sell in huge numbers
If you haven’t heard about the Samsung Galaxy S6, go search it on Google once you’ve dug yourself out from under that rock. Samsung completely redesigned their flagship to provide a phone with premium materials and a gorgeous design. There will be an edge variant, which has two gently curved sides(nothing wrong with curves), and there is a rumored Active version. The rumored Active version, if it follows its predecessors, should have built in dust, water and shock resistance to satisfy those Galaxy S5 fans who appreciate those features.
Initial data suggests that Samsung has already received over 20 million orders for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, with a total projection of 55 million units expected to sell this year. The forecast of sales increased significantly after analysts had enough time to digest how important this phone will be to its customer base.
Samsung listened to its customers when they complained about cheap materials and redesigned the S line into something completely beautiful. They did abandon their loyal fans, like me, when they did away with the expandable memory(we have Google to blame for that more than Samsung), as well as doing away with a replaceable battery. If Samsung gets back into the groove with the S line, I cannot fault them for delivering a phone that suits the masses more than the enthusiasts like myself(as long as they keep the removable battery with the Note line). And now with batteries charging faster than ever, we may not even need to swap batteries anymore. Samsung did include wireless charging this time which should please many customers, as the previous models required a special cover that was thicker and more expensive.
There are lots of Samsung haters, just like Apple, but it is nice to see a company respond to their customers demands.
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 expected to sell in huge numbers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Watch Nissan’s glowing Leaf tear down a glowing stretch of highway
Daan Roosegaarde’s Smart Highway concept saw a third of a mile of asphalt in the Dutch town of Oss festooned with phosphorescent stripes — they spend the day soaking up sunlight and convert it into a slightly eerie blue/green glow to guide drivers for eight hours once night falls. Seeing the road is trippy in and of itself, so (naturally?) watching Nissan’s glow-in-the-dark Leaf tear down it is a whole other story. Friendly reminder: You might want to have the Tron or Starlight Express soundtracks cued up before you press play.
If you’re asking yourself why this exists, just stop — there’s really no meaning to this little artistic exercise other than to demonstrate an understanding that glowing thing plus glowing equals cool. You won’t be recreating this with the same sort of gear soon either, since the relatively exotic strontium aluminate paint that makes the Leaf shine in the dark is Nissan’s and it won’t share. You’re better off just buying a Tron bike of your own for the same effect, but for now just enjoy the light show as you wait for the weekend to engulf you.
Via: Autoblog
Enter to win one of 5 chances to test Huawei’s unreleased smartphone!
The opportunity to experience a smartphone before it’s been released doesn’t come around too often. What if you could provide feedback on a smartphone before the general public gets to see it, or experience it? Thanks to the kind folks over at Huawei, a handful of Android Authority readers will be able to do just that.
Huawei’s Friendly User Testing program has traditionally only been open to employees and select partners, allowing them to test new devices in the real world before the phones come to market. But now, the company is opening the program up to everyone. And that includes you!
How to enter
We’re giving away five invitations to test out Huawei’s new smartphone. To enter, you must be over the age of 18 and live in the United States. If you meet those two requirements, there are a few different ways you can enter the contest:
- [1 Ticket] Visit Huawei on Facebook
- [1 Ticket] Follow Huawei on Twitter
- [1 Ticket] Follow Huawei on Google Plus
- [1 Ticket] Download the Android Authority App from the Google Play Store
- [1 Ticket] Follow Android Authority on Twitter
- [1 Ticket] Join the AA Community Forums
- [1 Ticket] Leave a comment down below – What kind of devices (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, VR) would you like to see from Huawei?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That’s seven different ways to enter this contest! It couldn’t be any easier than that. And, if you decide to share this contest with your friends and they sign up, you’ll get even more entries to the contest. If you really want to maximize your chances of winning, be sure to roll on down to Huawei’s Community, where you can enter for more chances to win! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section below. Good luck!
Apple Stops Supporting Windows 7 in Boot Camp on New MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Models
Apple’s newly refreshed MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models no longer support running Windows 7 with Boot Camp, according to Apple’s Boot Camp support document. Boot Camp on the new notebooks only works with Windows 8 or later, so it is impossible to use Boot Camp to install Windows 7 on the machines.
For those unfamiliar with Boot Camp, it is Apple’s software designed to allow Mac users to install Microsoft Windows on their machines.
Apple also dropped Windows 7 Boot Camp support in the 2013 Mac Pro, suggesting the software would cease to be supported by future Macs, but Macs released in 2014 continued to offer Windows 7 installations. The 2014 MacBook Air and the 2014 MacBook Pro will be the last Apple notebooks that support Windows 7.
It is not surprising that Apple has opted to phase out support for Windows 7, given its advanced age. Windows 7 first became available to the public in 2009 and was followed by Windows 8 in 2012. Despite being six years old, Windows 7 continues to be the most heavily used Windows-based operating system.
Mac users were not happy with Apple’s decision to cease Windows 7 support in the Mac Pro, and it’s likely the dropped support in the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro will also be met with resistance. Windows users have not yet embraced Windows 8 due to both its cost and its interface, which deviated significantly from the design of Windows 7.
Windows 10, coming later this year, may encourage stalwart Windows 7 users to upgrade, as it melds Windows 7 design elements with Windows 8 design elements for a happy medium that might satisfy a wide range of tastes. Windows 10 pricing has not been unveiled, but it will be a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users.
(Thanks, Daniel!)
Moonshine Rabbits Android App Review
Developed by STARS ASHES, Moonshine Rabbits is an arcade game with a very simple objective; smash the objects that are flung at you.
The scenario is that you’re a moonshine drinking resident who now finds multiple rabbits hurling objects at you on your property. You have to tap the objects as they come towards you in order to smash them. They get more frequent and quicker as you progress, with the number of rabbits increasing as you continue through the levels.
Moonshine Rabbits is very simplistic at its best and I did struggle with some graphic errors. As shown in the screenshot above running on my Note 4, on-screen graphics are tiny, with the instructions barely legible. I also seemed to have some odd black lines on the bottom left of my screen throughout my time playing Moonshine Rabbits, and for some reason the app wasn’t registering the number of objects I’d successfully smashed.
With a bit more variety and perhaps moving to a swipe motion instead of a tap (to cut the fruit rather than smash it) in order to enable combos and multipliers to be introduced, Moonshine Rabbit would be a solid game, but in its current state, and with the bugs mentioned above, the app is definitely worth checking out if only to kill a few minutes on the train on the morning commute.
The post Moonshine Rabbits Android App Review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Amazon rumored to give away paid apps for free with new ‘Unlocked’ program
According to slides obtained by TechCrunch Amazon is working on a new way to entice more downloads through the Amazon Appstore. The new program, called ‘Unlocked’, will apparently allow users to download paid apps and in-app purchases free of charge for various large name apps and games.
NSFW: Apple Watch, turning the corner, and betting on the future
I’m curious about how Apple Watch technology will evolve. I’m also excited to see the third party market.
I admit that I’m later to the Apple Watch game than some of my colleagues. It was only recently that I had an epiphany about how the Apple Watch could really change things for me. I’m excited about them now. But what I’m even more excited about is seeing what happens from here.
For my part, I finally realized how helpful and personalized the Apple Watch will be to help me manage chronic health conditions. That’s a game-changer.
Thinking beyond what the product that’s about to go on sale can do, however, my imagination reels at the possibilities opened by wearable technology — especially wearable technology from Apple, really. People are already familiar with fitness wearables like the Fitbit, but these devices merely scratch the surface of what wearable technology might do in the coming years.
I’ve joked that I’d like to see an Apple Watch-powered pendant worn like Ricardo Montalban did in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I’m only joking a little. I think it’ll be genuinely great to wear something that I could use to communicate with people non-verbally, broadcasting state of mind and other information.
While I realize full well that I’m not going to get an Apple watch pendant any time soon, I do recognize that there’s about to be an explosion of third-party watch bands and other accessories for watch users. Already we’ve seen Apple Watch stands and boxes and other things designs to let people display or otherwise care for their devices.
Figuring out how to customize your Apple Watch is something that’s probably going to make some buyers dizzy: Pick an Apple Watch model, pick a size, then pick a band. I’m sure Apple will sell tons of their own accessories. For my part I’m going to go as cheap as possible in store. I’ll wait for third parties to start releasing bands that really interest me.
I fully recognize that a lot of people are still on the fence about the Apple Watch. Even if you’ve owned a Pebble, an Android Wear device, a fitness band or another sort of wearable, the Apple Watch is going to be very different.
If you still haven’t figured out how or even if the Apple Watch is something you need, I don’t blame you. Up until very recently, I didn’t understand how I could fit this device into my lifestyle in a way that would fundamentally improve it.
Now that I have, I can’t wait to get my hands on one. And I can’t wait to see the cottage industries that are going to pop up around the Apple Watch, either.
Image courtesy Glenda Adams.
AIVAnet 